lauras

Oh, so our kitty isn't the only bulimic one on the block?! We call our bedroom the vomitorium. Cream coloured berber was such a bad idea. Next time, Pergo.

Hello! I think you're very correct in saying this is a simple issue. If you or Rob Jones wanted to plan a buzz with me under canopy, I would be happy to participate, but I wouldn't want someone with 500 jumps total and 50 WS flights anywhere near me. The point of this discussion (for me anyway) is to clarify that I, and I think a lot of skydivers, want a plan and to try to avoid surprises. We all know a big part of skydiving is calculating risk. Some people are comfortable with more risk, some aren't. I would like to try BASE (ok, let's make that A & S for now) and wing suit flight as that's acceptable risk to me. The 400-ways coming up in Thailand are not acceptable. Hauling tandems are not acceptable. Just illustrating that everyone is different, so why not get everything out in the open and discuss?! Again, the reason I brought this topic up in the first place is because WS flight is getting very popular and commonplace at my home dz. Wouldn't it be cool to have the flight pattern & unique qualities of WS flight common knowledge on every dz? Cue "Kumbaya" now!

Hi Omar: I hope you believe that this thread wasn't an attack directed towards you. This is truly something that's been on my mind because I've noticed how popular WS flying has become at our home dz. Yes, that particular episode is the one I had in mind, but as I stated, this wasn't a finger-pointing exercise. I don't know every detail of that particular jump/flight, just what I posted. I wanted to bring this up for discussion specifically because during the Xmas boogie, there were so many mixed loads and it's becoming more and more common to have a wing suit on the plane every day. I was jumping yesterday and there were one or two wing suits on every load. This upswing in activity indicates to me that sooner or later, this discussion is going to come up. Why not bring it up in a forum that gets a lot of traffic rather than a fight in the landing area after someone gets their panties in a knot? Here's something to keep in mind: most of the experienced RW jumpers at our dz pull somewhere between 3000 & 2500. The freeflyers pull between 4000 & 3000. You guys also follow the low-time solos, tandems and AFFs that usually pull between 5000 and 4500. As far as landing off is concerned, yeah, you're right, the "bad spot" usually gets the blame rather than just saying I suck at spotting, but the perception about WS is if you guys have a canopy AND wings between your arms and legs, why can't you make it home? There's a huge lack of knowledge about WS flight among the "regular" jumpers at every dz I know. Someone mentioned a FAQ. This would be a really good thing so post around a dz. It might also generate some more interest in WS flight too. The new kid on the block is always going to get the once-over. When there was one guy flying around in a WS, no one paid attention. Now that there's an entire flock with a name, events and all of that, it's on everyone's radar . I don't think you should think of the attention or questions as unpleasant or an attack. It's a getting to know you process.

Hmmm, you have a very good point. Guess I'll go shake a guy in a wing suit down and get some more info. The flight pattern's been explained to me before, but from what I've seen, the wing suit guys seem to land off an awful lot and/or make the meat-haulers (or back-of-the-bus jumpers) nervous. I'll admit that I'm mystified. I'll report back...

Holy Crapola, Batman! I didn't think the initial question would spur on such panty-knotting and finger-pointing! Qualifications, ratings and all that other stuff aside, I just want anyone who buzzes me, whether by wing suit or by Velocity or whatever, to clear it with me first and have a plan in place PLUS a "what if we fuck-up" plan. So, does the onus fall on the wing suit flyers to request permission? My instinct says "you bet your sweet ass it does." Surprises in freefall or under canopy = Great Unhappiness.

Hello! I think she was bent out of shape because she was under canopy at 2500 and the guy zipped by her and then dumped in front of her... So, should he have said something about his plans beforehand?

Question from a jumper with zero wing suit experience: is it a common occurance to buzz people under canopy? Let me elaborate: my home dz recently had a pretty big boogie with multiple planes flying. Drops were timed about 5 to 7 minutes apart usually. I overheard a couple of newer jumpers on the ground saying "dude, that was so cool getting buzzed by the wingsuit guys while I was flying around." That said, our senior AFF instructor was buzzed a couple of months ago (she competes and wins gold alot at the world level, so she's no rookie) and was PISSED. Is this becoming more common and if so, shouldn't regular jumpers be told that that's the plan? Not pointing fingers, I'm honestly curious if this is a new thing. Thanks.

Want to get bonded or work in the financial industry? Surprise! Credit checks up the wazoo. Some investment banks go so far as to question your purchases... seriously.

Sorry you didn't stick around. The winds calmed down by Wednesday afternoon and we've got 3 Otters and a CASA flying all day. The CASA will be back for the rest of the boogie as well. Hope you can try again at Easter!

That's my father's fondest wish. The reality is that the general population is so malnourished, 18 year old boys are the size of the average US 8 year old. You'd have an army of starving children, armed with nothing but rocks. My dad did quite a lot of work in conjunction with the Red Cross, coordinating agricultural education and donations of fertilizer to the north under the aegis of the ROK's Sunshine Policy. After several trips under strict supervision, he finally managed to get the escort to drive by his childhood neighborhood in Pyongyang. The thing that haunts him is that it looks EXACTLY the same way it did over 50 years ago.

Bill Brandon at Zhills is in his mid-60s and is way more active than most jumpers in their 20s and 30s. Bill's usually pretty busy hauling tandems or doing AFF every weekend. Actually, we've got a lot of hard-core guys in their 60s and 70s. Our Max is in his early 70s and still jumping hard. We should all be that cool in our 70s!

HBTY Miss Tasha!

Ha! I haven't even started jumping with the crw dogs and they're already trying to man-handle me straight to the bar. Thanks for the tips, guys. Between the noodle arms and munchkin hands, I have my work cut out for me. Pull down, pull down, pull down, squeeze, squeeze, squeeze.

i received some coaching from kaz sheekey last weekend and she has me working risers like never before in all sorts of weird combinations. the usual suspects at zhills are rounding up the cf newbies in a couple of weeks, but in the meantime, i'd like to add to my list of drill dives. any suggestions for solo beginner exercises? one thing's for sure, i have noodle arms. i need to lift. i'm also embarrassed that i've spent all of my time working on the freefall stuff and not paying enough attention to canopy flight, other than flying a safe pattern, avoiding yahoos and having a decent landing. i hang my head in shame. but i now see the light!

Congrats, Hotpants! Wow, you're like all grown-up and what not!!!

There's always more time to buy more gear, that is, if you make wise decisions based on good advice and knowledge. All manufacturers will recommend that you get similarly sized mains & reserves. Do your homework and find out why. I personally believe that there shouldn't be more than one or two size difference between the two. Don't wait to be spoon-fed (occasionally dodgy) knowledge on the forums. Seek it out from reliable sources, like the manufacturers, your instructors and specialized schools. Have fun & jump jump jump!

Just to add on to what the other smiley happy Zhills people have said... - There are tons of people to jump with. Seriously. RW & FF organizers every day of the week. - Zhills is home to Sally Hathaway from Synchronicity. You want 4-way, you got 4-way. Tunnel too. www.tunnelcoach.com - Most of the locals tend to show up late Friday through Monday. You know how it is, those silly jobs tend to get in the way. Many of them LIVE for 4-way, even though Zhills isn't really a team DZ. Find me out there on the weekends (although I'll likely be out everyday during your visit) and I'll round up the usual suspects. - If you do decide to to the wingsuit thing, we even have an organizer for that! Get in touch with Rob Jones at www.baserigs.com. He's your main man. Rob's organizing every Sunday throughout the season. You may even consider hucking yourself off an object eventually - You'll be at Zhills during the beginning of the Christmas Boogie. We'll have 4 Otters online by then. Bring all your money and credit cards and perhaps a spare liver. See you then.

Oren organizes the annual 4-way scrambles meet at Zhills in the following format. First of all, he tries to make sure that he spreads out the experienced 4-way flyers among the intermediates and newbies. Freeflyers with no belly time are sorted as intermediates or newbies. Sorting evens out the playing field and everyone gets to learn, whether it be coaching or flying for the first time with a group. The most experienced one in the group usually flies outside center to control the exit count and the keys. If you've got mixed experience levels, try to keep the points all in-facing. Performing a phalanx or anything with a cat can be tricky for newbies. Good randoms are: B, E, F, H, J, M, O, P. Slightly trickier randoms are A, D, N. Blocks like zig-zag marquis or stardian-stardian are really fun and can be performed very successfully without the vertical. Again, the "spinners" are in-facing so they can see where they're turning the piece. Oren alternates 4 randoms and 2 randoms & 1 block rounds. The scores are pretty high and surprisingly, the spread isn't that big from first to last which is a confidence booster and makes for a really fun day! You'll see that it's all about how well the team captain can communicate and breakdown the moves. Alicia Wolfe has won the Zhills meet 3 years in a row, no matter who's on her team! PM okalb for more info... Have fun!

Bram Clement gets all of my respect. Expert instruction, years of experience, current as hell and he also has Elly to round out the dynamic duo act. Bram & Elly are based out of Skydive City during the winter. www.skydiveratings.com I did the pre-course as well as some tunnel time sticking my nose into Sally Hathaway's ribs and a bunch of jumps practicing exits and chasing and flipping Pip Redvers over. It's amazing how that man can actually gain altitude while he's spinning around on his side. Watch out as the Tevas swing by your face! No matter who you do your couse with, be prepared. Practice as much as you can afford and you'll feel a lot more confident in your skills. Good luck!

For freefly coaching at Skydive City AKA Zhills, try Pip at www.totalbodypilot.com or Martin at www.tunnelcoach.com and www.ecfreefly.com. Both are located right on the dz and are top notch. Zhills is extremely busy throughout the holidays, with 3 or 4 Otters flying 7 days a week. Check it out at www.skydivecity.com

Oh, now that sounds like fun. Is Texas really worth all that trauma?!

HBTY HBTY HB Dear Rooooooooonnnnnnn HBTY! Sending a big spanking from Zhills! xoxoxo

Jumping with Dom is the most fun I've had with my jumpsuit on in a long time! Thanks for dragging me around from point to point. Make sure you leave next Sunday afternoon free to jump with some of the MoFoHos. We love fresh meat!

Perfect timing! Sally & I were just chatting about needing another cabana boy See ya this weekend at the dz?

I used a fid to thread some shock cord through. Made it a bit long, used the same plastic thingy (which you can find at any sewing shop), burnt the ends et voila. I tighten & untighten mine on every jump because I like to be able to stick my hair in my helmet. No problems. Also, if the liner is coming unglued, I used Shoe Goo with great success - much better than a hot glue gun.