Flying Elvis in Turner Field

[Taylor610 0]

So I am watching the pre-game show for Braves Baseball tonight. It is Elvis night at Turner Field and a couple of guys jump into the game in their Elvis costumes.
They did fine, I was just wondering who the jumpers were. One of them was jumping a smaller cross-braced canopy that did some dancing on the way in. Just one of those situations where I wonder if we might have gotten away with one.

Not saying it was ugly, just wondering if it could have been done with a better type demo canopy. Something that might sink a little better and dance and dive a little less.

And just for the record, I was Pro-rated under my Stiletto 120. I jumped it into football games, but they were all open ended stadiums with a lot of outs, not Turner Field with no outs.

[RkyMtnHigh 0]

haha! my mom just emailed me about it....

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[ImGunnaJump 0]

Didn't see it, but if anyone can put it up I'd love to.

"...I've learned that while the "needs" in life are important (food, water, shelter), it's the "wants" in life (ice cream, chocolate, sex) that make it worth the effort." Kbordson

[Taylor610 0]

Yeah I get to a couple of games every year, and was at one a couple of weeks ago.

I didn't record or Tivo the show so I don't have it and they did show probably 20-30- seconds of them total. They even interviewed them after the jump, however the one who did the talking had his back to the camera most of the time. The announcer even said what kind of Elvis doesn't know to face the camera...

[jtval 0]

I wasn't supposed to Say anything but I live in Vegas and after I while you get to "know things."

One of those guys REALLY IS Elvis. He never OD'd he just learned how to skydive. Back in the day people thought of skydivers as rebels and criminals so he kept his real ID a secret...in plain sight.


You have been blessed with a REAL Elvis sighting.

Either that or this heat is getting to me.

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[BillyVance 34]

Some members of the Flying Elvi team have been known to jump questionable canopies on their demos. There was the accident in Montana last year, I think.

A small cross-braced canopy on a level 2 demo with no outs? He's an idiot as far as I'm concerned.

I'm not saying the Flying Elvi team is bad... I have a couple friends who are or used to be members. I just wish they ALL had good heads on their shoulders. It's just that ONE bad apple sometimes fuck up the whole basket.

Just glad he didn't biff in and ruin the demo.

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[skyberdyber 0]

I flew the Elvi on a demo here in Georgia a couple years back. One of those knuckleheads popped his sparkler in the plane about 3 minutes prior to the jump. Whole f**king plane fills with bright light and smoke. The guys sticks his leg out the door till it burns out. The smartass has the nerve to say, "Don't worry, it's a cold burning flare, it won't burn anything." Of course that was BS, it burned the carpet so bad I had to replace it.
Anyone that would fly a small crossbraced canopy into Turner field is an idiot and asking for serious trouble. It's just great how people put their ego before the reputation of the sport.

--Boy, I looked so cool in front of all those people....or maybe it's, damn, it's such a pain to do demos now that the FAA has to be there to verify what type of canopies we're flying before each demo.....or maybe it's, ya it was great when we could do demos into stadiums before the FAA banned it when that jerk under a Velo killed somebody in the stands

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http://www.musiccityskydiving.com

[divnswoop 0]

Hit the nail on the head there......I remember somebody a couple of years ago bragging how he did a demo into a car lot in Texas and had people diving out of his way. He was actually proud of it! I have no problem with people *earning* their pro rating on a 90....(mine is on a 107) BUT along with that comes the responsibility to know when to jump it or upsize to an appropriate canopy.

[Taylor610 0]

Hit the nail on the head there......I remember somebody a couple of years ago bragging how he did a demo into a car lot in Texas and had people diving out of his way. He was actually proud of it! I have no problem with people *earning* their pro rating on a 90....(mine is on a 107) BUT along with that comes the responsibility to know when to jump it or upsize to an appropriate canopy.

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Well, I saw the first showing of the entrance into the stadium, and then I got to watch the same canopy from a second angle. I would say that this particular jumper was lucky and nothing else. The canopy was dancing (wing NOT level) and diving. The jumper pulls up both legs and stabs the brakes. He skid across the outfield grass nearly in a seated position and was probably thanking his lucky stars he wasn't broken and waiting on an ambulance to pick him up and the USPA to start making excuses for this incident.

I made plenty of poor decisions during my demo days and looking back, well there were plenty of times that I was that jumper. I also learned from my own "close calls" and recognized that when I did a demo, I was representing every skydiver, everywhere. The "swoop" meant nothing, the on the spot, stand up landing, now THAT meant something.

There are some demo jumpers who are a class act. I wish that there was some way that those would be the only ones who jumped into public venues and were allowed to speak to the media.
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along with that comes the responsibility to know when to jump it or upsize to an appropriate canopy.

You sir are exactly right!