NoShitThereIWas

Otay Chop Chop, I have a golden ticket in my pocket (oh I mean a pink SMB one) that says Chop Chop on it. See you Saturday, expected weather forecast looks good. Whew Hoo!!! Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Can someone tell me what a troll on DZ.com is??? I have seen it pop up before and am wondering what the inside scoop/meaning is. Thanks! Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Chop Chop. Those pictures were great! As I was sitting there looking at them I was like Damn, those guys are having too much fun and I didn't get on a hybrid jump with them. Oh well, we can always shoot for next weekend. Y'all look great up there! Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

I tend to like the sweeter mixed drinks which I think are good for a "beginner". Personally I don't care much for beer but think there are a lot of great wines out there. Zinfandels are lighter and sweeter and fruity, Chardonnays are drier and richer and red wines like Merlots tend to have more of an "oaky" taste to them. My recommendation would be to start out with a White Zin or if you want something real sweet try a Gewurztraminer. I love fu fu drinks and there are many good ones out there. Blended Mudslides (tastes like a chocolate mocha shake), Brandy Alexanders (dark and white creme de cocoa with brandy), tequila sunrises and Mai Tais are all yummy. Lava flows are super yummy (pina coladas with strawberry glaze running through it). Mmmmm. Just my 2 cents. Have fun and don't go overboard. Alcohol poisoning is ALL BAD. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Hi AggieDave, I feel your pain and can so relate. I too am working on a physics research paper. Wanna trade? My advice, pour yourself a drink if that relaxes you and helps you to focus. For me, the trick is coffee and lots of it along with some good tunes to burn the midnight oil. A little time inflicted pressure to get the job done and the contemplation of feeling the end result accomplished also helps me stay on top of it. Don't stress over it though, just do it. You can get it done. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Chop Chop ... You so naughty Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Stylin, It sounds like you need to move to Oahu where you can get the best of both worlds. I lived on N. Shore of Oahu for a few years where I learned to surf and there are 3 DZs 20 minutes away. My other passion is SCUBA diving and you can do all three right there, although Australia especially Bells Beach couldn't be too bad a place either ... hmmmm Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Living on the DZ was one of the most fun things I ever did. Of course it depends on which DZ you choose and the people who jump there. Last summer I lived at Skydive Chicago in a big trailer on a beautiful wooded campground and I met some of the coolest, nicest people and had some of the best times of my life. I also now enjoy staying with all my drop zone friends on the weekends at my current home DZ, Skydive Monterey Bay. I recommend living at the DZ to anyone who has the opportunity even if just for one summer in your lifetime. We had bon fires, parties, went on canoe rides, swimming in the pond at night, made good friends, had good times, cook-outs, stayed up playing drinking games and cards went on outings, etc. All this with the people you get to jump out of airplanes with and bond with in the sky. In my opinion, life just doesn't get much better than that!!! Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Oh and I didn't mean to leave out all of you CREW and Birdmen/Birdwomen. I just never seem to see many of you at my DZ. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

No problem, no worries. To be honest I don't think there is necessarily a wrong or right answer, I think the key is timing and giving enough separation. I don't speak German well enough to know what "so es macht nichts aus". Please expound in English. I do agree that the wind drift is a definite hazard issue if you do not allow enough horizontal separation. So just allow enough separation between groups and everyone should be okay. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

I see your point Chris and it is a good one. Many DZs do differ on that issue though which is again why I said to check with the load organizer at the specific DZ. Just as a question though, if you all agree that AFF students and tandems should exit after freeflyers then what is the difference when a 3 way AFF formation floats over a freeflyer due to wind drift on opening vs. a belly fly 3 way opening over freeflyers when they exit after the freeflyers? Don't you agree that the key is good horizontal separation in the airplane on exit? And since FFlyers are falling generally much faster by the time they open wouldn't there be enough vertical separation between canopies? Just looking for some clarification on a still apparently contraversial topic. Thanks Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Uh Germ, no that is not what I asserted at all. If you would have taken the time to read what I did say, you would have figured out that I said the lower opening experienced belly fliers should exit before the higher opening belly fliers, then AFF students then tandems since they open higher. I then followed to say make sure you check with the load organizer at the individual DZ since some DZ's will have FFers out first and some will have belly fliers out first. BTW, what argument do you have that is less "dodgy" for freeflyers out first? Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

I think age is just a number. I know 49 year olds who are more fun than some 20 year olds and 30 year olds who live their life like they were 75. Everyone is different. Having been married to a man who was almost 14 years older than me, at first the age difference was no big deal but then over time it did start to become more of an issue. He was a skydiver and a pilot which was cool but he had already been there done that. He was less into doing "stuff" because he was in a different stage of his life than I was. I was just beginning to go here and do that. It became apparent over time that our age kept us out of sync and that our goals in life were different; me still being in my 20s and him in his 40s. A lot happens in between and if you do have a big age difference just realize that you may be in different stages of life. As long as you both are flexible, understand and can deal with it, its all good. In retrospect now I think I am going to try and date people closer to my age. But I think maturity, personality, attraction and lifestyle have more to do with compatability than age itself. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

It is a good idea to learn to spot without relying on GPS. I learned that when I was a newbie and would just jump out anytime the light was green and on occassion found myself unable to get back to the DZ or when I went to DZs that had Cesna aircraft with no GPS at all. It is better to have instructors at your DZ show you but I can give you a few tips. Know what the upper (winds aloft) and lower winds (ground winds) are doing as this will determine how much drift you will get in freefall. You want everyone exiting to end up in "the cone" range so people aren't opening downwind of the DZ or on top of each other. Make sure when you are looking down to track your position over the ground you are looking straight down from the door and follow your eyes up to the wing of the airplane. Make sure the plane is flying straight and level by checking the wing and tail. A banking, climbing or descending airplane will give you an inaccurate spot. Depending on how strong the winds are, determine an exit and opening point so the first group of jumpers open right over the landing area or just upwind of the DZ and continue until the last group opens with enough wind behind them to safely make it back to the DZ. Usually the exit order should be freeflyers out first since they get down faster then experienced lower opening belly flyers, then experienced higher opening belly flyers, then AFF students and last the tandems since students and tandems open higher. Some DZs will let the belly fliers out first before the freeflyers due to wind drift. Check with the load organizer. The lighter the winds, the more separation needed between groups exiting the aircraft. Know the direction of jump run and be familiar with ground landmarks to determine exit and opening points. Always make sure your air is clear below and around you. Communicate with the pilot to make sure there is no air traffic below. Remember FAR 105 with respect to clouds. Between 1,200 and 10,000 feet MSL you should be clear of clouds 500 feet below, 1,000 feet above and 2,000 feet horizontally with 3 statute miles of flight visibility. Above 10,000 feet MSL you need 5 statute miles of flight visibility and a distance of 1,000 feet below, 1,000 feet above and one mile of horizontal distance from clouds. I am not the expert spotter but so far that has been enough information for me to make a decent call before I exit the airplane. Hope it helps! Blue skies.[email] Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

That tatoo is Huuuuugggeee! Very cool though. I'd give it a thumbs up. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Good posts for the start of the week. I love chocolate, coffee and department stores!!! Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Ummmmmm..... Many come to mind but one night in particular stands out the most. I'm not going to mention the DZ but it involved about 30 skydivers, lots of Tekillya shots & margaritas, getting kicked out of a strip club, a pond filled with styrofoam noodles, lots of nakedness and well, you get the idea. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Wow you are lucky, that looks like a really nice school. Our DZ has been looking into places to do beach/demo jumps. Is that on or near LaSelva Beach? Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

PS. Are you a CSUMB or UCSC alumnus? Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Hi Ltdiver, I am not sure if the Lipton's Noodle soup has any animal products in the broth but it otherwise is a meatless soup. It has been a while since I was a vegetarian so I don't read the labels much anymore but I can tell you that I don't like the soups with meat in them either, I think they are kind of gross. Hope that helps! Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

I have about 500 jumps on my Spectre 150. I have only had one bad opening because I gave it a crappy pack job and a crappy S-fold. I generally tuck all 7 nose cells into the canopy and wrap and roll the tail. One other time I had line twists on opening. If your canopy is a Spectre and doing anything radical I would guess it might be your lines. I am not a rigger but I would take it to my rigger and have him look it over. These canopies are known for their beautiful, reliable, consistent on-heading openings which is why I have one. If the canopy is surging forward maybe your control lines are stretched or not stowed properly? Hmmmm. Good luck! Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Thank you guys, PhreeZone, I will have to try the different sized battery thing. I didn't think of that and I know I've seen the 2340s out there. That is a great idea! Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Dear ltdiver, I hope you are feeling better but just in case you aren't, Dr. Jenny recommends as many hot fluids as possible. I drink lots of tea with honey and have always loved the Lipton's Noodle Soup since I was a kid. Wonton soup from a good Chinese restaurant is always a good call or if you're lucky enough to live near a deli that serves Kreplach soup that is my personal favorite. I also have had lots of luck with an over the counter medicine called Alpha CF (Cold and Flu). It is great for sore throats and the flu. I am telling you this stuff works like magic. You dissolve 1-2 tablets under your tongue and they have Zinc and I don't know what else in them but they work great. Good luck and hope you feel better! Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

To Omri (Everyone's Favorite Israeli): Hey that has a nice ring to it. I think from now on I will call you EFI. I am glad you get to come back to the states and skydive (legally) instead of having to join the Israeli army. We will have much more fun corrupting you in the states. Hope to see you in Rantoul this summer. Bammin' it up! Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Ok so I have been to 3 Radio Shacks, 3 Longs, 2 Wallgreens and 2 Targets and no one seems to have the CR2330 batteries needed for the ProTrack Audible Alti. Does anyone know where I can get a supplier since these things seem to die faster than I can replace them? Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."