jerry81

I think your reply highlights the problem with this debate; it's difficult, if not impossible, to discuss just the common sense aspect of drugs in skydiving without taking into consideration the legal aspect. As I've said before, there are a couple of people I don't mind jumping with even when they've had a smoke between jumps. I know them well enough to understand that the skydive won't get significantly more dangerous because of that, and (un)fortunately, regulations around here are so loose all those other things you mention don't even enter the equation. But if we're discussing jumping in the States, what you wrote, i.e. the legal implications of jumping stoned, is the only part of this debate in which a very final conclusion can be reached. May the equine carcass bashing continue...

Well, I've no intention of actively defending skydiving on drugs, but I do know a couple of people who often sneak a joint between jumps. And I'd rather have any of them in the air with me than a number of people I also know who are a danger to themselves and others despite being sober.

Well, since we're confessing...almost never is my answer as well. I was at an event with an army-sponsored plane this may. Wasn't among the official event jumpers, but could sneak in a jump if there were any seats left and since they accomplished what they had set out to do a day before the thing was to end, we knew we could take advantage of the flying time left. Naturally, it rained the next morning. So, having nothing to do, the day slowly turned into one long safety meeting with beers on the side. Naturally, the skies cleared late in the afternoon. So now one of the most 'safe' people in the meeting (name withheld, but he's a world-class freeflyer) starts organizing a load. In my defense, I'll add that I've only had a beer and a few lungfuls in the morning, since I prefer to keep my head clear (more or less) during the day. Anyway, during the briefing, the number of people on the dive gradually increased from five to nine. About half the people quite under influence, and about half the people on the load that I didn't trust (curiously, some of those I didn't trust were actually sober). To top it all, the ceiling drops to 7000', but we decide we'll do our track dive as agreed. Upon exit I drop a bit low in my back track, so I had a pretty good view of everyone. Break altitude comes and I watch, still on my back, as some people track away, while some just stay where they are. I finally pulled after seeing the last guy clear the airspace above me and was under canopy just as my Neptune started flatlining. Flight and landing quite uneventful, with nothing to remind me of my morning activities. I'm not sure this second time event counts, but it's a good story; this summer, in Russia, I was on a morning load to celebrate some guy's 500th. We got the plane to start at 9.00 (usually the first load would be at around 10.00-10.30), the ten of us board it (an Antonov 28, which usually carries 20+ people) taking along a bottle of champagne, as is customary (the dz bar was well stocked with those). We shoot the cork through the tailgate at 3000', each of us takes a sip, then we pass the almost-full bottle to the pilots. I decided not to watch what they were gonna do with it. Well, the jump is a total zoo, I'm guessing not due to the champagne, but the fact that out of ten people attempting to sit-fly, less than five can actually do it stable and in close proximity to others. Half of my break-off is spent spinning around in place, looking for a direction I can go without colliding with anyone (as one or two participants did). Back on the ground, we declare the jump a success, as everyone got down alive, and unanimously agree never to do it again. (On a side note, the person whose 500th we were celebrating did a low-turn/semi-downwind landing a few jumps alter that day that looked so bad I thought I had just witnessed my first fatality. Winds were high and he was attempting to land in front of a camera. That they didn't find anything broken in him in the hospital still seems like a miracle to me.) Now, I won't say I regret any of those jumps I did under influence. Personally, I don't think they were such a big deal (mind that I was jumping in countries where chances of legal consequences for others are nill) and still better than exiting hung-over or hypoxic (been there, done that, unfortunately). But I can't find one good reason to do it again. As was said in that other thread, drugs and alcohol can be a fun way to temporary improve your mood, but I've long since decided that a skydive needs no such improvement.

Actually, I thought this thread went rather well, compared to some previous 'drug discussions'. Now, if someone was to start a thread on how jumping under influence was no biggie under the right circumstances...just kidding. Save it for the bonfire and hope most of the people at the dz are open-minded, responsible adults.

Cool pictures! Now, when I was a student in 2002, we used a plane like this; (not exactly this one, but I really like the 'air-tractor' sign on its side)

I'm quite certain the answer to your first question is Javelin. As for the second one, I have a 1996 IPC survey that was conducted in 41 countries and puts the number of skydivers at around 320000. So 'a couple hundred thousand' is probably near the truth.

I think most of these sites will just show that there are more people outside US who dislike GWB enough to 'vote' against him than there are those who care enough about him to express their support. www.betavote.com www.world-vote.com

Something similar happened to me after my unit was left in the cold for too long. Version 1.something. When it warmed up, the logs reappeared. I also had some weird logbook problems with some older upgrades (messed up dates and altitudes), but a fresh battery and a new upgrade fixed most of them (except for one jump that I apparently made on the 34th of 13th month). So chances are your logs may still be there. Try contacting Alti-2 about your problems- the few times that I complained about something they always answered pretty fast.

Not only that-it fits more than one side, as well...

I agree. People manage to kill themselves falling off chairs. On the other hand, I personally know two climbers who dropped off +30' walls and survived with nothing more than serious bruises.

I agree. There are much better places you can take your kids than a political rally.

Don't really have the time to type, but when I left Rijeka this afternoon, most team tents were still demolished and port-a-pottys were strewn all around the dropzone. The wind was pretty bad during the last three days with gusts up to 70knots (or so I heard it said. it definitely looked that bad). Internet connection was down as well, although I don't know if that's wind related or not. RW teams did some training jumps on monday afternoon. The rest of the week was one long weather hold. I'll try and post some updates when I get back tomorrow.

Any container that fits you well and won't open by itself, regardless of how you fly your body, is great to freefly in.

You just need a simple USB-IR adapter, which shouldn't cost more than 50$. Then you need to setup a virtual COM port on it, which is really much easier than it sounds. (Link to the driver is on Alti-2's Neptune owners page.) After that you're set to update your Neptune or download to Paralog.

I used to believe they are unneccessary on properly fitting rigs. About 150 jumps on my new Voodoo seemed to support this opinion. Then one jump, I suddenly found myself with one leg strap (which was as tight as ever, since I always check them before exit) halfway down to my knee just after I spocked someone. I don't know what exactly I did with my legs to cause this, but I dug out the bungee that came with the rig from my gear bag and installed it before even packing for the next jump. I don't think the strap could actually get below my knee even if I tried, but having it slip really messed up the flow of what was to that point a great jump and I certainly don't want that to happen again... And bungie surprises- well, you learn to, um, watch your back after it happens a few times.

I've noticed (well, actually I've known for some time) that whenever I do a cartwheel, whether it's a transition or a full one, I'll roll to the left. Same thing on the ground if I'm envisioning the dive or even when doing a regular cartwheel (you know, just for the heck of it). Sound familiar to anyone? Cartwheeling the other way just doesn't feel right.(pun not quite intended) Of course, it could be that my slightly less than symmetric body has something to do with it, but I'm guessing it's more or less normal to favour one side with a lot of movements. So which way do you turn? (Just trying to bring some life to the ff forum. And possibly take a break from this all-nighter I'm pulling.)

Dude, really? You can get me a beta GMail account? Yeah, that'd be cool...

Flaring at the correct height might be a bit hard, to say the least... Seriously, I don't think flying with your eyes closed for a couple of seconds is inherently dangerous, as long as the newbie freeflyer follows some basic safety rules- namely proper exit order and separation, freefall orientation and awareness of surroundings.

20 for me...but we currently have a sl student who's well into his fifties.

The easiest way is to ask DZO (Roman), he will order you a mini-van (two, three, as many as you need). It will cost ~$70 for one car (approx. $10-15 from one person). I would recommend to stay at a hotel. August may be rainy enough to get you waking up in an aquarium instead of tent. Taxi to the hotel will cost something about $2 per person - not an issue, I believe. Minivan from Moscow to Kolomna is definitely the easiest way...just hope that yours arrives on time. Me and George ended up taking a beat-to-shit Lada (its driver could, amazingly, still push it to 140km/h, usually when we least wanted him to) after waiting outside the terminal for an hour. Roman's number was unavailable and the van apparently showed up 15 minutes after we left. Cheapest way, however, is to take a bus or train, but I think that could be too confusing if it's your first time there. As for sleeping- bunkbeds are about 3€ per night and I think this is the option I'll be taking next year. There's just something about sleeping on the dropzone, a hotel simply wouldn't feel right. And for god's sake, please don't register your visa!!

Oh, you mean this? Okay, and since this is not the bonfire, I'll add that I have some thoughts of my own about exit order and separation in general, not only in Kolomna (although jumping there is what got me thinking). Maybe a new thread is in order.

Hey! What about Slovenia?? Were you and Claus dissing our girls without us knowing? Or were me or George in on it as well?

-It can get pretty sandy in the packing tents, a mat for your rig might be a good idea. -Landing by the windsock is much safer than dodging people with swoop lane fixation (i.e. most of them) -The water from the pipes is safe to drink. Home-brewed liquor a little less so. -Don't order chicken in the cafeteria. -Behaving like an asshole in the local clubs is not a good idea, especially if you don't speak Russian. -Policemen are not always your friends. On a related subject, it is not advisable to carry large amounts of cash with you. -Taxi from dropzone to town costs about 150 rubles, 200 tops, negotiate a price before you get in and always pick the slowest looking car, unless you desire an experience far more dangerous than jumping out of airplanes. -Bring earplugs for the Mi-8. -If an occasion calls for a case of beer, it will be gone in 2 seconds, so act fast.

Soooo...this Czech Boogie- anyone know what the price of a ticket is? Is it cheap compared to Western Europe prices or dirt cheap (like 15€)?

I'm pretty sure it was an airplane jump. Porter, exit altitude usually between 1000 and 1100m. Although freefall time was comparable to what I believe good ws flyers (Robert among them) can achieve from some cliffs.