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shortyj

Most memoriable tandem student?

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Last summer I took an 80 year old women on her tandem. My oldest prior to her was 88 bringing our combined ages to 151. The 80 year old had her whole family sit through her instructions and all agreed "Go fir it" She was the only one I ever took that went to the plane with her walker. I told her family were to put it on the field and we would land next to it. After a little struggle getting her up the steps and seated off we went. The jump went great and we indeed landed next to her walker. She got her walker back and made her own way back to the video room to watch herself. After that the rest of the tandem-master came out with the usual "I could have done that but I had to change the goldfishes water" "I had to rearrange my sock drawer" I was proud but dont think for one second I didnt have a million thoughts going through my head. I got a $40 tip that didnt last long. First with a walker First big tip First time I landed an 80 year old facing West. First ime I landed an 80 year old at 3:00 pm facing west.You know the rest. but all after sundown.

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my beautiful wife of 33 years! She is absolutely terrified of heights. I discovered that crossing a mountain crevass with her when we lived in Alaska. (How does one know they are afraid of heights when they are reaised in the Great Plains? ;))

She jumped with me (I was the vidiot and Mule was the tandem master) on my 1000th jump.

She is the bravest woman I know -- living with me so long, raising 4 great kids, and facing her fears to make my 1000th jump very special. I asked her if she'd jump again, and she said "No, way!" But after I earned my TM rating she said she might go with me on my 2000th B|:ph34r:


steveOrino

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Well, I had a couple of spooky ones this weekend. I've come to the conclusion that someone telling you they've jumped before a few years back should raise hackles on your neck. Perhaps they should get some extra training.

The first one was a girl who seemed cool and collected. Despite having been told to keep her hands glued to the harness during exit she yelped, let go and interfered with drogue deployment... The rest of the jump was unremarkable.

The next "experienced" guy had jumped about 8 years earlier. I'm not sure what happened on exit (seated from the floor of a Caravan) but we ended up in a multiple barrel roll situation that was only stopped by drogue. NEVER experienced that one before. [:/]

All this weekend.

Most memorable was jumping my daughter on my 300th tandem which was also my 3000th jump. She shot video by holding the camera.... (Another lesson learned: don't let students hold the camera OUT during exit.) B|

Russell M. Webb D 7014
Attorney at Law
713 385 5676
https://www.tdcparole.com

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A month or so ago we had a group of 3 guys - all named Mohammed. Only one had video, so they asked if I could video all 3 exits. I climb out, video the first 2 exits, and then my guy comes to the door. As soon as he gets close, he plops down and starts tying his shoe! I about fell off the plane when he finished the first shoe and untied and retied the second shoe! I about died laughing. Needless to say our spot was a little long :-)

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The first time I smelt a tandem students bad breath during freefall. I could tell it was bad on the ground but did my best to not stand directly in front of him. Right after I pitched the drogue a very strong aroma permeated freefall. The jump was being filmed otherwise I would have covered my nose and mouth for the rest of the jump.
_________________________
goat
derka jerka bukkake jihad

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Mike Cook....Quadraplegic, and a Chaplin at a local hospital.

The ash dive for our Son. Did a tandem with my wife and she released his ashes in freefall.

Blues!
Steve Babin
"Science, logic and reason will fly you to the moon. Religion will fly you into buildings."
"Because figuring things out is always better than making shit up."

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I took a lady up a few years ago that was going through a messy divorce. After the canopy opened she proceeded to remove the big rock from her wedding ring finger and pitched it. I wish I had long arms !
Another time I took a professional juggler up. After the canopy opened he took several lemons out of his jumpsuit and began juggling. Very cool.

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Quote

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIyxHL2Og3Y
I dont know how to make clicky but i saw this on youtube few days ago.




I think that it was a good idea by the TM to change the exit for the second try.
HISPA #93
DS #419.5


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My Last Probation Jump after getting my Tandem License was "Jeb "Jebby"Bush Jr." That is Jeb Bush (Former Gov of Florida)'s son. Taking the Nephew of the president of the united states for a tandem was very interesting. I am just glad that know one told me until *AFTER* the jump. It was the plane ride up when I took his Girlfirend that she said, "DO you know who that was?"

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Well about 8 years ago I get a call from a guy who wants to do a Tandem. I soon find out there's one small problem he is a Quad no use of his legs at all and very little use of his arms. He is 41 years old and had been in a work related accident several years prior. He had called around to several DZ in his area (Somewhere to the North of Va) and had been turned down. By all of them. Then I find out why the guy is 6'2 and 210 lbs. I talk to the guy for about and hour and finally told him if you got the balls to go I got the balls to take you. As I hang the phone up I think "What the hell did I just do" It takes 3 of us to get him dressed and in the plane. The skydive goes great under canopy he tells me everyday he wakes up he has to find a reason to live and that this jump gave him that. The landing went well ( Back then we had a tug boat PD 500 ) I stop right by his wheel chair and only have to take a few steps to put him in it. A few weeks later I get this box in the mail it’s the biggest bottle of Crown Royal I have ever seen and a two page thank you note. As I close in on my 10,000 jump and 30 years I must say that one always comes to mind first when I look back

Larry Pennington
Teach by the way you live
www.skydivesuffolk.com

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Damn, this thread makes me sad, now that I've decided I'm a retired TI due to shoulder issues. :(

But I was thinking about this yesterday, and there are sure a few that stand out:

- My dad, on his 78th, 79th, and 80th birthdays. :)- My wife, several times, but most memorably for our 15th wedding anniversary, on to the beach with 12 friends.
- Several friends moms, memorable for the fact that not only were they great, but my friends put their trust in me.
- a Vietnamese guy with one leg and limited use of one arm, mainly because he kept talking about how many NVA guys he'd killed.
- My first off landing with a tandem, onto the fairway at a nearby golf course (7th hole, par 4).
- The gorgeous, buxom young woman who, when I told her I was going to carefully loosen her chest strap, replied "No, please, fondle them all you want!". :$ (I didn't, but I never had a thinner veneer of professionalism in my life than at that moment...I mentioned she was gorgeous, right?)
- All my chops. :ph34r:
- The lady who was slightly scared during her tandem, but was so happy afterwards she sent me a really nice note and two pictures...in which her face looked like the mask from the "Scream" movies. :D
- The lesbian woman who thanked me for letting her plant a big 'ol wet kiss on her partner before we exited, and for telling her they made a cute couple.
- And...

Aw shit, I could go on for hours like this. :( For you guys just starting, remember they're all special people, and you'll probably only get a chance to interact with them once. For you guys in it for the long haul, well, I'm jealous, you're some lucky bastards to affect people's lives the way you do. Keep it up.

Doctor I ain't gonna die,
Just write me an alibi! ---- Lemmy/Slash

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Very nice looking 35 year old young lady. Seemed to like me. (can you blame her?) After I "did her" and gave her her certificate, as I was getting the next student ready, she said, "I left something at manifest for you." I went back there and it was a note that said "Rich, you rock!" and a $40 tip. I went out to the parking lot just in time to see her pull away in a new Porsche, with a license plate that said "WASHIS"

Gotta love this job sometimes.
He who hesitates shall inherit the earth.

Deadwood
Skydive New Mexico Motorcycle Club, Touring Division

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he wasn't my student, but I was his videographer.
Buddy.....wow. what a guy.
Buddy had trained during WWII, for his parachute jumps, but during training, they didn't actually jump from planes (I never found out why).
His unit was in the air, on their way to their destination when the battle was declared "over." Buddy didn't jump that day. He dreamed of jumping for most of his life. Last August, his twin grandsons bought him a tandem, and they were both on the load with him. Buddy talked quite a bit before the jump about his training, jumping from towers, learning to PLF, etc. At age 92, he took his jump, and cried on landing, as he felt he'd achieved a lifetime dream that he thought had been lost. He was incredibly grateful for the opportunity. he stayed around the DZ for the entire day, sharing stories and recounting his jump several times over.
Quite a man whom I'll never forget, and who serves as a reminder that dreams never die.

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I've only done 45 tandems so they're all still memorable.

One was an 18 year old 110 lbs. attractive girl who started screaming "oh my god" repeatedly right after opening. The other TI doing the manifesting told me "You owe me one" for assigning me to her.

The drogeless one during evaluation. The examiner had us on our backs for a second while he was in a pike position but I was able to right us belly to earth quickly.

The 5 practice jumps with experienced friends.

The first paid one.

The ones that tip well.

The ones with very experienced friends lurking.

The ones with camera guys who interact well with the student and make it fun for me as well.

A young guy with a few friends on board who started to tell me he didn't want to jump on the way up, but still went along with it and was glad he did.

The guy who I allowed to follow along with me during the flare and then locked his elbows halfway down. We landed slightly hard but not bad in the peas. I try to only allow the ones who seem like they can handle it (and do well during practice flares) to hold the controls below 1000 feet as this guy did.
BASE 1224, Senior Parachute Rigger, CPL ASEL IA, AGI, IGI
USPA Coach & UPT Tandem Instructor, PRO, Altimaster Field Support Representative

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My daddy (a non-jumper)! I was SOOOO nervous, I kept asking him if he was alright... my camera guy and fellow tandem instructors still give me shit for that! "Daddy, are you alright... Daddy, are you alright... Daddy are you alright?"

-Lesa

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My first paid tandem let me know that he paid for the whole student package and was going to go on to be a skydiver. I smile when I think that my first work jump was further pollution to the world of skydiving, ahha. I have also been trying to get him to come out an make a jump at BD '08.

I just had a blind passenger with 15 previous jumps. He has a bad right hand, so he had to do a left hand pull on a Strong system and did smashingly with just a tap on the hand at pull time.

There was the girl that was a ball of laughs on the ground and then SCREAMED the whole way down. And every time we spiralled under canopy. Good times.
Not again!

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We had this smoking hot little 19 year old blonde chick show up with her dad. I took her up first and on the way up she tells me that she was diagnosed with some inoperable stomach cancer and has 6 months left to live. Her dad quit his job and cashed in his 401K and they were travelling around doing all the things she wanted to do and enjoying there last bit of time together. It was so sad, but the girl had this amazing attitude. She was so much stronger than I think I would be in her postion. The really fucked up part was hearing the story from her dad on the way up with him. As a parent it just broke my heart to hear what this family was going through.
Absolutely amazing people. Definitely my most memorable tandems.

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These are all great stories but NSEMN8R'S brought tears to my eyes. It reminded me of this. In 2001 my wife and I and 9 other friends did our tandems . I was hooked and signed up for AFF. This was in May. In July one of our friends in the group was diagnosed with lung cancer that had spread throughout her body. She was 45. She informed me that she wanted to do another tandem as we are all told you will see more doing a second one. I got ahold of Gary "Hod" Sanders at Skydive Montana, who also was responsible for my AFF training, and informed him of the situation. Without batting an eye he told me to get her back there and he would do her second tandem free of charge. The rest is history. Kathy died in October of the same year. She had opted to let it take it's course and not prolong it with chemo. 3 days before she passed there was a huge party at her house with all friends and family present around a huge bonfire so we could all say our goodbyes. Even at that point she was telling people of her skydives. Thanks Hod.

P.S. Gary landed a off the DZ on that jump and was very embarassed about it but Kathy thpught it was absolutley great as it added more adventure to the experience. Sorry Hod but I had it add that.


I may be getting old but I got to see all the cool bands.

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