DrDom

A friend of mine left his logbook open on the table and I saw 2 entries with yellow highlighter on them. I asked "Why the highlighting" and his response was they were the jumps he should never forget because "something happened" that was a learning point. Not every jump will go as planned, the trick is to know what you're doing to the point you survive it, and learn from it. Important lessons, each one. Our margin of error is EXTREMELY narrow, so never stop refining your skill You are not the contents of your wallet.

I gotta admit the students face is truly priceless... You are not the contents of your wallet.

I would say not so much "horribly awry" as "unexpected learning opportunity". As long as you learned from it and are alive, then its probably something you will never do again! You are not the contents of your wallet.

Yes and no... I spell it Domenic :) You are not the contents of your wallet.

ah... well then... I have nothing. You are not the contents of your wallet.

Well, I think some people just feel like they are entitled to the world being EXACTLY what they want and when its not they manifest this special kind of insanity. I blame the world and not teaching any kind of interpersonal dialogue (some would call it... compromise?) or coping skills. Its all "me me me" now. I told my wife I wanted to move near the local DZ (Its so pretty and rural) and she was like "but how noisy is it". I asked a few friends who live by the place and one of them actually asked "Wait... there is a skydive place less than 1/2 mile from me?" point made. You are not the contents of your wallet.

What do they have in Canada? Cold and Frozen? "Hockey" and "Too Damn Cold for Hockey"? You are not the contents of your wallet.

I'm sorry - but shouldn't an integral part of being a "new A License Holder", be knowing (i.e. read: TAUGHT) already how to gather up your gear upon landing, at least such that it is not all so inexorably tangled by the time you walk back to the packing loft with it, in the 1st place? I think it is. My main instructor after my AFF1 walked right out to me on the ground and showed me "what to do", stowing brakes, how to untangle, how to carry and NOT drag the bag or PS. I was grateful since my packer thanked me for "unmessing the mess". I had to ask my instructor to show me again after my second jump because I think when I landed after jump 1 I was still shaking, sweating, and probably making not much sense. But its a good thing to learn... I find it hard to imagine people do not take time to understand the gear their life depends on... but it may be a habit from my aviation days. You are not the contents of your wallet.

Well, when you have a vendetta against skydivers, its going to be all skydivers. You could fly F15's over her house all day and she'd probably insist it was skydivers. You are not the contents of your wallet.

Welcome back! You are not the contents of your wallet.

Right now a few things: Transcending Fear Emergency Medicine - A Comprehensive Review Just finished the "Game of Thrones" last book and waiting for the next to finish. The SIM in my spare time "Finance for the non financial manager" i'm so fun... You are not the contents of your wallet.

Kind of a played out internet meme, and I agree a classy way around advertising rules. I'd not wear it, I like my humour a bit more... subtle My "FU" hat (which in small letters says "NOT Florida University") is clever but even at the threshold of my style I do, however, love my shirt that shows a picture of a skydiver silhouette with "seeking 9.8m/s^2 acceleration partners, apply here" or "OBEY Gravity, Its the LAW!" this is just... i guess... offensive for the sake of being offensive You are not the contents of your wallet.

I'll go on a limb and say she does not really understand that a "book definition" of threatening is not the same as a LEGAL definition: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criminal_threatening should be a place she should start I really find it sad that this is taking place. I think she needs some counseling. Or a hobby. I'd say a puppy but I'd not subject a puppy to her kind of crazy. Just keep stalling until her legal retainer runs out. No lawyer would ever take this pro bono and unless she is independently wealthy she will either stop paying or go bankrupt at which point they can put her in Section8 housing which classically ends up right under the landing pattern of major airports. I'm sure then she can keep complaining about her hardship. You are not the contents of your wallet.

I, too, have heard this but I've forgot the reason (I would ask my AFFI but the DZ is closed and I have no way of getting in touch)... what is the reason for Belly before Freefly? I know the rest has to do with pull height, fall speeds, etc... but belly before freefly I can not remember for the life of me. Thanks :) You are not the contents of your wallet.

Chicago certainly has a cool programme, and I like the idea of "breaking the mold" but A-in-a-week isnt for everyone. Assuming you do a FJC on day 1 and one jump you have 24 jumps to do in 6 more days. 4 jumps a day, plus learning to pack, tests, knowledge requirements... I've been through medical school and that sounds like a grueling pace. You're in SA which means right now is PREMIUM skydive season, just go start jumping and move at your pace. In 1 month I only did 6 jumps, but I had a blast doing it. You are not the contents of your wallet.

But have you done a PLF yet? If you're standing up thats great... until you cant. I've seen more than a few people (some close friends included) who never learned to PLF well. Hell, one of my good friends had his C license before a PLF became suddenly necessary and he botched it. Google "Pilon Fracture" and remember you don't want one of those. He is my inspiration for learning how to do a proper one and with my level 4 high-flare I came down hard from about 20 feet. Being in healthcare a 20 foot fall for an adult meets the definition of a "Trauma Alert" and usually is indicative of MAJOR, LIFE THREATENING, injuries. I had a scratch on my hand and a bruise on my right thigh. If you're worried about looking silly, just tell people beforehand you're going to work on your PLF. When I remarked this at my DZ a lot of heads nodded and a lot of "good idea!" poked around. I have 25 jumps to stand up, but your PLF is an EP, and should be practiced. Just wear a borrowed jumpsuit ;) Sorry to belabour the point, I love skydiving but want everyone to land safe every day. I see enough death and disability in my job as an ER doc... I don't want to deal with it in my recreational loves :) You are not the contents of your wallet.

Inconceivable poppycock absolutely preposterous! What is this madness of which you speak? Fun? Safe? NO! Its an abomination! You are not the contents of your wallet.

Wow she really is a piece of work. I guess she missed the part of science class about refraction of light and how water works like a prism. I'm sure this woman missed a lot of classes and general wisdom. Refraction is the devils work! Parachutes and airplanes fly on Satan's evil thoughts! Sinners! All of you! And I'm going to SUE you for it! You are not the contents of your wallet.

Interesting, I've had dreams of normal skydives, but in all of them I'm still terrified of the door. I've had dreams where I wake up just before moving to the otter door and I'm in a sweat. Other times I get to the door and universially remark "I dont know what I am afraid of, this is great". Its like my brain enjoys tormenting me. I did have one dream of me doing an EP. I remember thinking "Damnit... Captain America (the nickname of the Nav260 I use since it alternates red-white except one blue end cell) has never failed me. What the heck? OK, cutaway... and reserve... white... boring" and the rest of the way thinking "that canopy served me well.. I hope I dont lose it" and while trying to follow it through the sky end up hanging from a tree in Canada (I jump in Maine). Then the RCMP officers come up and are like "hope you brought your passport, aye" and I wake up I think I'm secretly afraid of Canadians... You are not the contents of your wallet.

Sounds like it just benefited you a bit ;) But we know what you meant. THAT is the sign of a good company.. You are not the contents of your wallet.

Having been through a lot of other technical programmes (learning to fly aircraft, ultralights, etc) there is one thing that the "aviation" community (which I consider skydiving similar to) does right is make sure that the FIRST thing that is required is safety. Getting an A license is a lot like getting a private pilot license. It does NOT mean you are an expert, it does not allow you to do many things other than fly; but it indicates you are safe in the sky. I feel an "A" is the same thing: you are safe in the sky. Right now, if you put me next to the door in an otter and said "ENGINE FIRE! OUT!" I am certain I would panic a little. Hell, I remember the first C182exit I was like "holy crap 10k is low compared to 14". So, I asked my instructors about the clear-and-pull issue after having heard a few students really nervous about it. They put it to me this way: If you can't get stable on exit, we will not throw you out at 5k. If you can not get stable at 5k you WILL NOT go out at 3.5k. And you will continue to progress with a coach until you can. But, and remember I'm just a lowly student here with an opinion, before I'm released on my own I want someone to be able to say that they feel as an instructor that I am safe to be essentially alone in an airplane with no "mother" to tell me what to do and that I can exit REGARDLESS of altitude in a safe and expedient manner. If we treat H&P's a lot more like EPs it makes a bit more sense. I still de-arch on exit... therefore I will not be doing my low jumps for a while. It was put to me you can "practice" H&P's on any coach jump... just exit and do a practice touch and see what happens. Not the worst idea I've heard. My 2 cents, mileage will vary, but knowing what I know of aircraft and the risk of incident (and need to offload weight which could be plane-saving and life-saving) I'm hoping I can learn to be out at 3.5k if i ever need it. You are not the contents of your wallet.

I've been purposely PLFing my landings until I'm comfortable with my flare... maybe not the ideal thing, but a good PLF is better than a decent stand up in my mind. I dont mind getting a little dirt on me... and someday that could save my life. My instructor saw me PLF a great flared landing, and asked why... I said "I'd rather practice on a good landing than learn on a bad one". PLF baby... cuz you like your bones to only move at the joints. You are not the contents of your wallet.

Haha what? You look awesome in these. To the untrained eyes yes, my tracking is terrible, my exits de-arch, and i'm scared as all hell The point was to be proud at however you progress, and realize that most YouTube videos are "good" vids, not real vids :) Whatever you do, just have fun and learn while putting the priority on safety! You are not the contents of your wallet.

Practice your PLF before you need it. I have had some high flares and hard hits (no wind days stink) where my PLF was the difference between broken pieces and a bruise. You are not the contents of your wallet.

Hell, I offered to host it!