GogglesnTeeth 6 #26 April 26, 2006 My most memorable.... Jump # 105 Gusty winds + Large Parachute + Turbulance from DZ buildings and trees = One very screwed up knee!!! Ouch! Big canopy and high winds means flying backwards!!!Goggles and Teeth "You fall like a greased safe!!!" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mnealtx 0 #27 April 26, 2006 Back in my first skydiving life... ...the weekend I did my FJC... jump 9, 20 second delay. Looooong spot, and no real outs except a tree landing. I'm doing everything I can think of to get back to the airport grounds. Clear the trees by maybe 20 feet. Of course, the winds were squirrely just inside the treeline. Flared, but with no real wind, all the canopy did was rock backwards. Did a classic "feet -hands- ass" landing and separated my wrist. That was when I learned to keep my hands in FRONT when flaring....Mike I love you, Shannon and Jim. POPS 9708 , SCR 14706 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ChangoLanzao 0 #28 April 26, 2006 I will never forget when I cracked a rib being very, very stupid after a bad spot ... Here's the proof: CLICKY Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jumpjunkie2004 0 #29 April 26, 2006 QuoteLiar, liar, pants on fire! Devil = pants on fire It's natural.Jump, Land, Pack, Repeat... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wlie 0 #30 April 26, 2006 Quote Big canopy and high winds means flying backwards!!! Not if you're doing a BlindmanMy other ride is the relative wind. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
yjumpinoz 0 #31 April 26, 2006 I was jumping into a keg party when a thunderstorm came up. Lots of welts from the hail in freefall. Pull altitude was pain related. Lightning all around and the winds came up. I was 140lbs jumping a Cruislite backing up about 40mph. I thought I was going to get drug big time, but the canopy was so saturated that it just fell on my head. I am much more careful in questionable weather now... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andy_Copland 0 #32 April 26, 2006 So what was your pull altitude?1338 People aint made of nothin' but water and shit. Until morale improves, the beatings will continue. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
yjumpinoz 0 #33 April 26, 2006 If I remember right, pull altitude was about 5,000'. I was young, dumb, and bulletproof. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tmaricle55 0 #34 April 26, 2006 AFF 1... Took out my knees - lucky that I only had to have surgery on one! AFF 2... Legs first - Life second I guess... we were all (Students - that is) landing off and towards the airport... Let's see my choices - Trees, Planes, runway or Hanger... I choose the last one! Took a fuel truck and a ladder to get me down. - Nothing like hearing " Where are you Babe?" on the radio! For the record one of the SOFTEST landings ever and right in the middle of the hanger. Muff Brother # 3883, SCR # 14796 ICD # 1 - Pres. Yeah, I noticed and I think it's funny! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NWFlyer 2 #35 April 26, 2006 I'm not sure... Either this one or this one. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hottamaly 1 #36 April 26, 2006 Ok, my first break was on Christmas eve, free jump, sunset load. Beautiful skydive, opening great (new canopy) and wearing my boyfriends jumpsuit (I forget why) and he said not to get it dirty, sooo it was a long spot and I made it back the furthest. I was coming in pretty fast and decided to slid on my feet and sit it down. It didn't work out that way, my feet stuck in the mud and the momentem of the landing popped my leg off of my foot and dislocated it to on top of my foot. No skin broken but did break all 4 corners of my leg/ankle area. Plus 1 inch of my fib broke out. A plate with 5 screws on the fib, bone taken from tib for the fib, 2 screws from front of ankle to back and a pin in tib. Merry flippen Christmas. But made it home by midnight of Christmas to open presents. No limp to this day (good doc) Skydiving gave me a reason to live I'm not afraid of what I'll miss when I die...I'm afraid of what I'll miss as I live Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
loves2jump2 0 #37 April 27, 2006 I was just off of AFF and I remember asking one of the coaches “When do I get over the fear of the door?” He replied after a 100 or so jumps. Exited the plane went into a barrel roll then got stable. When I was under canopy I “thought” I had enough room to clear the run way and make it to the grassy area. Nope. Smacked the run way so freakin’ hard, tore the jumpsuit and had run way rash on my ass. Needless to say I lost the fear of exiting the plane and developed the fear of landing. Im all better with both now! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JENNR8R 0 #38 April 27, 2006 These stories are certainly memorable. I think my favorites are #12 broken neck, #22 tandem into a car windshield, #25 your Mom sent me, & #35 making emergency room friends at Eloy. These stories brought to mind some more memorable landings of my own: Landing in the middle of the peas at the beer kickin' while a student Landing in a corn field that I thought was ten inches tall... It was ten feet tall. You might say I flared a bit too high on that one. Someone told me not to look at my altimeter under 1,000 feet when I was a student. I planned my landing pattern carefully on the ground. I ended up landing long while butt sliding across the runway tearing up a leg strap. My first night jump was at an unfamiliar DZ. I was heading for a flock of airplanes in a parking lot. I turned left hoping for a better landing area, but I didn't know what was there. I butt slid across the edge of a concrete slab. Had my first (and only) cutaway during high winds and a bad spot. There was nothing but trees for miles except for the horse pasture that I landed in. I hurt my back with a hard landing. These things must be like childbirth pains. A Mom forgets what they are like once the baby is put in her arms. I didn't remember these bad landings until prompted by the other stories here.What do you call a beautiful, sunny day that comes after two cloudy, rainy ones? -- Monday. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bch7773 0 #39 April 27, 2006 this weekend. We are jumping in fairly strong winds, about 20 mph. I come onto final, lined up for the peas. Its now gusty and squirrely as hell... just as I flare and my toes touch the ground, a large wind gust hits me. I get picked back up about 8 feet in the air, pushed backwards about 10 feet, then the canopy stalls and drops me into a ditch. ouch. amazingly it was just bruises, although i did leave a large imprint in the ditch. MB 3528, RB 1182 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Johnsisland 0 #40 April 27, 2006 My most memorable landing, in my very short skydiving time, is when I landed in a lake, err they called it a puddle. The video shows the water splashed up a little higher than my slider. It didn't help that I did a but slide on that landing. The laughs and comments by my favorite instructors and video guy were the icing on the cake. The DZO offered to let me change to a dry jumpsuit, but I declined, a dry jumpsuit wouldn't solve the wet wedgy. The area I landed in was the a fairly low area, and the grass was high enough to hide the depth of the water. I like swimming, but prefer to swim with a drysuit, not a jumpsuit. The next landing was also very memorable for me, it was my first stand up landing, just a few steps. It felt so good, especially after the but slide into the lake, errr puddle. Johnsisland, AKA JeffArch? I can arch just fine with my back to the ground. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
D22369 0 #41 April 27, 2006 What is your most memorable landing?*** hmmm, well it was at a demo for the 2000 world sprintboat championships, The organizer wanted the three flags flown, USA, New Zealand, and Australia....plus he had heard of pond swooping so he wanted that as well, (livendive) and I got tapped to do the swooping, Gary price carried the american flag, loren Snapp carried the New Zealand, and for the life of me...I cant remember who had the Australian flag. The jumpers with the flags had to land on a small island in the course, Dave and I could swoop the course and land on the outer bank. Our swoops came off extremely sweet, The crowd went nuts !!! we were hero's...10' tall even...... erm.... for about 20 seconds..... Loren at that time was our most junior jumper, he came up short, and with a very bad case of target fixation didnt flair till impact with the first island (he was supposed to land on the 2nd) so he hit, got driven to his knees on impact, flaired, and then the canopy picked him back up about 5 feet and dumped him right in the middle of the channel... carrying the New Zealand flag with him... Dave and I almost got sick from laughing ... I can still hear the announcer with that cool australian/new zealand accent... "awww, new zealand... comes up a bit shawt" It still amuses me... I am pretty sure not one person who attended that race remembers the swoopers... but I remember... the glory was short lived... but it was goodwhile it lasted. RoyThey say I suffer from insanity.... But I actually enjoy it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hexadecimal 0 #42 April 27, 2006 Bad: Landing in a christmas tree farm after a bad (self inflicted) spot by myself and another jumper. When you're breaking off and tracking with no dropzone in sight for 360 degrees, you know you're in trouble Good: Landing in the snow this January was a blast Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
grue 1 #43 April 27, 2006 Hm... two of mine stand out, both at Eloy: First jump at Eloy was my 6th jump on my new canopy, which was a 70sqft downsize from an f111 7er to a semi-elliptical zp 9er. I had never, ever landed in no-wind conditions under any canopy, and the 5 jumps on my canopy were all in about 15mph winds. When I was on final, I was scared. I was thinking "OH SHIT this is the part where I break my legs!!!" Stood it up, barely. Wasn't pretty! One of my last jumps at Eloy was the only day with any wind of note, about 8-9mph out of the north. Nothing major. I was going to land crosswind in the main landing area, and was the lowest, so I was setting the pattern from the east, with people lining up behind me. I noticed a little green snotrocket spiraling down on the other side of the main field and realised we were going to be on a collision course on final, so I decided to abort so I wouldn't be the guy technically landing against the pattern. I considered my options: Upwind into the desert, shrubs, and dust. Downwind into the grass. DOWNWIND TIME BABY! I set myself up on final, flared, and came rocketing in like a batjew out of hell. Stood it up and just started laughing at how fun that it was. Of course, everyone who was planning on landing upwind in the alternate pattern was a little annoyed, but monkycndo was high enough to reset the pattern, so no harm done in the end. He admitted he expected to see a pretty impressive crash landing. I was happy to disappoint!cavete terrae. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
xenaswampjumper 0 #44 April 27, 2006 broken fibula till later have fun & love each other seeya mb65johnny gates.... In skydiving, the only thing that stops you is the ground.............. PMS# 472 Muff #3863 TPM#95 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
btucker 0 #45 April 27, 2006 This is my fav, I really like the part about the car catching fire... http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1632128;#1632128 Blue Dreams Benno Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MF42 0 #46 April 27, 2006 My first and, so far, only landing was memorable, and not just because it was my first. It was an IAD jump, with a radio for the instructor on the ground to give me directions. I was supposed to listen for instructions to "student #3". The canopy opened, I did the controlability checks, and then did a couple more turns when the radio told me to. For what seemed a long time after that, I heard the ground instructor giving lots of directions to my buddies "student #1" and "student #2" but no directions at all for me. I wasn't really worried about it; I was just loving the view, drifting along, hey look at those clouds! Look at that sunset! Wow!I was having such a good time just looking around at all the new sights that it never once occured to me to attempt to locate the dz. "Student #3! Where are you going, man?! Right turn!" The radio suddenly made me aware that I had no idea where I was and even less idea where I was supposed to be going. I made my right turn and started trying to find the dz. All the streets and fields and buildings kinda looked the same, and not much like the photos from the FJC. I was staring to get very worried when my brain finally interpreted all the visual chaos and I found the airport. It looked to be a long distance away. More worry. I recognized the dz's hangar and realized it was between me and where I was told to land. More worry. The buildings were looking real big by this time and I didn't think I was going to clear the hangar, but wasn't real clear on how I could avoid it. I decided to try to land between the dz's hangar and the neighboring building. I started a turn and the radio blurted, "Don't turn! Don't turn!" So I stopped the turn and immediately thought, "If turning was the wrong thing to do, I should get back on my original track." So I started a turn back in the other direction, followed of course by "Don't turn! Don't turn!" So I kinda dithered around with the toggles a little, staring at the hangar roof which was coming up fast, and heard several people yell "Flare!!" So I flared, smacked my butt into the hangar roof, saw the edge of the roof coming up quick, desperately tried to stop sliding, tumbled flailing over the edge and fell about five feet BANG onto a thick piece of plywood that had been propped up between the hangar and an air conditioner. Lots of people running up very concerned. "I'm all right! That was great! Can I go again?!" My instructor wrote in my logbook "Watch out for those hangars dude." Matt Matt Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JENNR8R 0 #47 April 27, 2006 How could I have forgotten my first PLF. It was 27 degrees on the ground, and I managed do an awesome PLF rolling on my left side and across my back... in a mud puddle... My instructor came running up to me to see if I was okay. I gleefully told him that I had successfully done my first PLF, which I had been afraid to do. He said he could tell. He wouldn't let me come into the hanger. I was stripped outside because of all the mud dripping off of the container and jumpsuit. Brrrrr...What do you call a beautiful, sunny day that comes after two cloudy, rainy ones? -- Monday. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jpjc2000 0 #48 April 27, 2006 This might fall under most memorable canopy ride AND landing, knew I was going to land, just didn't know how nasty it was going to be. One stupid mistake leads to another, and I performed well on the stupid side for this one...Was jumping a experimental canopy called the Tornado, no one had ever jumped it, mistake #1-Taking it on a RW jump, mistake #2-Jumping it in 18-20 mph winds, mistake #3-Opening at 2200 feet instead of 4-5k. The canopy opened fine, but I noticed the right steering pressure was VERY light, did some turns, and it seemed ok, although it sounded funny and acted a little bouncy. Got into the brakes, and it seemed ok, not much time to check things out given the opening altitude and winds. Going downwind at about 500 feet I hook turned into the wind for landing, and the canopy promptly collapased and actually went below me, as I fell by the ball of crap that used to be a wing, all I wanted was that it wouldn't be very painful. At about 200'-(a guess-I was kinda busy)-the canopy re-inflated...yippeeeeeeeeeee, but with a whole new set of problems. The canopy was headed downwind and smokin, I was facing upwind due to multiple line twists, kick out of the line twists, phew, saved again...but headed right towards the side of a two story barn, tap the brakes lightly...VERY lightly as I needed some lift to get over the barn & high wires & a road, hoping like crazy the thing stayed inflated, again, made it over everything and going downwind faster than anytime in my life, skidded in to a landing at a grocery store front lawn...no injuries, just a good lesson. It was a hell of a ride and awsome life lesson. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JENNR8R 0 #49 April 27, 2006 I couldn't breathe while reading that. If you were a cat, you would have used up a bunch of your lives on that one. Glad you are okay. What do you call a beautiful, sunny day that comes after two cloudy, rainy ones? -- Monday. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
L.O. 0 #50 April 27, 2006 February 7 1998. We had about two feet of powder. Temp was 25. The first jump of the day, was the first jump on the new reline. Eagle line trim with crazy brakes. This was on my Jedei 105, wing load 1.9. the first jump of the day we all landed out in the deep snow. A path about 50 wide and 100ft from the building was plowed for the next jump. I still landed in the deep stuff on the next jump, because we couldn't fly low over the building. So my surf was to long. The next jump I did the only thing I could to stay in the plowed area. I hooked way to low flared real hard and killed my surf. Thank god I figured that one out or I would have been landing in the deep stuff all day. I continued to do this so I could stay in the good landing area, Until. I hooked hard, way to low, and my right toggle came off in my hand. I had hooked up my factory set brake lines the same as before. It had been wrong before but with the new line set up, it allowed much more slack in the brakes and the brake line was able to get over the top of the toggle Needless to say the landing was not one of my good ones. From the ground up: Left knee cap, broken cleanly in half. left Femur pulverized (ten large visible pieces plus a million little shards). Ball at the top of the same femur, in half. six clean brakes of the hip, all from the left socket. Spleen, ruptured. Bladder, ruptured (but salvagable). Skull, six more brakes all coming out of the right eye socket ( I was wearing a factory diver with a $600 custom paint job, smoked that). the skull fractures tore the dura layer surrouding the brain. The nurse didn't call my parents. The chaplin did. It turns out this is not my most memorable landing. I don't remember Jan through May. I only remember this landing in my nightmares now, and those are thankfully few and far between. My wife remembers the landing well, she had to sit by my side through it all. Landing Erika as a wife, was the best landing I ever made.HPDBs, I hate those guys. AFB, charter member. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
