skybytch

Wednesday evenings in the Pub. The Rack, all versions. IBAD. Lmao. He was soooooo pissed!

Plan for a PLF (have you practiced them since your FJC? ). Standing up is a bonus. And talk to your instructors about it. They see you fly and land. They can give way better advice on your landings in person than you will get from anonymous internet users (like me)

Can't find my first jump pic, but here's a favorite from a dz.com boogie.

February 4, 1990. I was sitting in a Cessna 182 and this guy told me to get out. So I did. Then he told me to let go. So I did. And there it began. There have been so many changes and advancements in skydiving since my first jump. There were pretty much four disciplines back then (five if you count instructing) - RW, CRW, freestyle, and style and accuracy. We all flew big slow F111 mains. Some of us still had round reserves. A 180 to final was okay. So were big S turns on final. AAD's were for sissies. Audible altimeters had one beep. If we wore a helmet, it was a leather "frap hat" because only students wore hard helmets. Swooping was what you did in freefall to get to the formation (don't you ever swoop my slot again!). A case of beer was a case of beer, not a 12 pack. Very few dz's flew turbines. Most students did their first jumps on a static line out of a Cessna. USPA D license numbers were in the low 10,000's. And look at the sport now. Tunnels and coaches and turbines and modern gear and canopy education and GoPros and so many different things to do in the air. Jumpers today have more skills at 200 jumps than lots of us dinosaurs had at 500, 600,1000 jumps. Makes me wonder what skydiving will look like in 2050 (not that I expect to be around to see it). Just like I couldn't have imagined what skydiving would be today, I can't even imagine what it will look like by then. It's been an awesome thirty years for me. Thanks to everyone that has been a part of it.

Relaxing is the key to stability, and damn it can be hard! I'd suggest learning a few relaxation techniques before your next tunnel trip, then use them prior to your tunnel sessions. Also, smile when you are flying. You're there to have fun, right? And it just might help you to relax. As for failing, you only fail if you don't try. As long as you are learning something each time, it's a win. Even if you NEVER figure out a stable body position (the likelihood of that is slim), the fact that you did it at all means you are not a failure. Keep it up!

True dat. Especially this season. At least the Kings aren't doing much better than the Sharks this year.

Yup. I think it's a question that all long term jumpers should ask themselves. It can be hard to realize and accept that at least some of the knowledge you have amassed over your career isn't as valuable as it used to be (other than for historical purposes, bonfire stories and dead horse arguments, each of which I believe has some value). <blush>

Serious question that has been bugging me for awhile now. I'm a dinosaur. In the past I worked in skydiving equipment sales and I gained a lot of knowledge. Lots of it is still relevant, but there is a shit ton I don't know about gear items that have been introduced since about 2012. I did some instructing in the past and am now married to an AFF I/E, so I have a bit of knowledge there. Lots of it is still relevant and most of it is current. But. I did two jumps last year after almost 6 years off. I'm not an "active" skydiver anymore and it's likely I never will be again (the one or two jumps per year I am likely to do in the future don't really count). So I've been wondering. Is it time for me (and maybe some of the rest of us dinosaurs) to accept that what I know is ancient history and that it would be for the best if I STFU? Or is at least some of what I know still valuable even though I am no longer very active in the sport? Am I being helpful or am I just being arrogant?

That was the Blue Track right?

Only half? LMAO!!

That's me you were quoting, not Joe. Please direct any further attacks on someone's character to the correct person. It's not because you are "just a beginner" - although that term implies that you have at least done an AFF Cat A already - and we are experienced. It's because you have no experience yet you are trying to come off like you do. And how do you know that what he was saying was not accurate "or whatever"? Please elaborate. My instructional ratings are not current. Does that mean that any knowledge I might have is suspect? Instructors make mistakes packing. Riggers have reserve rides. Everyone makes a mistake at some point. Instructors are not gods. They can even give out incorrect information.

Dude. You've done A tandem. He's done 5000 not tandem jumps. He's been jumping much longer than you have been alive. Because someone's profile on dropzone doesn't say instructor doesn't mean they have never been one. You might consider doing an actual skydive before telling very experienced jumpers to shut up.

Do your parents support you financially - ie provide money to cover your living expenses so you don't have to work? If so, they have every right to tell you no, you can't skydive, and you should respect that and not go behind their back and jump anyway. If you are supporting yourself, different story. Regardless, don't expect her to be okay with you jumping. Mom's worry. That's just how most mom's are. It took mine a few years to even come to the dz to watch.

Did you miss the huge dirt landing area at Perris? That's where students land.

Go there. Check it out. Good people and training and facilities at both dz's. Elsinore has an awesome coaching program for new jumpers. You pay for your skydive and the coach's slot is covered by the dz. Now this is not high level discipline specific coaching. Lots of the coaches are pretty new to it (they are all USPA rated coaches). But you get to jump with people you can learn from, who want to jump with you, and all you pay for is your slot.

The students that I have worked with who impressed me most were those who went far beyond what I've done. It took a few years for them to get there of course, but watching one of "my" puppies go on to excel in the sport and knowing that I was a small part in that progression is very gratifying.

I'm old now. I'd fall off. Pain hurts. The closest hospital is 30 minutes away. So, yeah, no stripper pole. But the cable spool table is spot on. Going on the project list now!

How many jumps on the line set? Checking trim might be a good first step.

Thanks everyone! We have a tentative plan. The craps table and the dartboard we already have (GranBoard - google it, it's cool). Craigslist shall provide an air hockey table, a game table and a standalone bar and stools (for now... if we ever find time we'll build our perfect bar). Just found a Taxi pinball machine - our favorite machine! - on CL; if only it wasn't two grand! Maybe someday. Carpet on the floor (mainly for insulation). Fridge for beer and mixers. Shelves behind the bar for the booze. TV, stereo, media computer, Wii, Xbox. A comfy chair or two. A ton of board games. And one of those fake fireplace heaters. The walls will be covered with some cheap paneling. And 30 years of two jumpers skydiving shit collections - pictures, tshirts, pull up cords, patches, stickers, awards, medals, y'know all that stuff in those boxes in storage that haven't seen the light of day in eons. There won't be much in the way of visible paneling when we're done. I love the round on the ceiling idea Wendy! I still have my old 20' reserve somewhere in one of those boxes, it may need to get back "in the air". Last Load Lounge. If all goes to plan, the first load will be early next year. If you ask nice, you can be on it.

Skydivers are so cute when they're puppies.

Hubby and I love to play craps. It's the only game in a casino that we play. I'll happily stand at a table for hours, until the stake runs out or when I can't keep my eyes open any longer. But the closest real craps is three hours away, so we don't get to play as often as we'd like. Last month we got a craps felt layout and some dice so we could play at home. It's been played daily since. We made the mistake of looking on Amazon for some additional chips and maybe a stick on Black Friday. And, well, you know how it goes, our craps table and all the accessories will be arriving early next week. So where do we put it? For now it'll replace the dining table and we'll eat at the island. But really, a damn near casino size craps table needs a game room. And we've each wanted one for years. One of our hopes when we bought this place was that we could eventually build one. Once we ordered the table, we started to talk again about how cool a game room would be. And then it came to us. There are two rooms in the outbuilding. One is the loft and the other is being used for storage; the plan was that the storage side would become my sewing room. We've been in there so few times that we had forgotten just how big that room is; in my mind it is the size of a small bedroom. But it's not. It's 21x13 feet... big enough for a game room! It's a white room with a plywood floor at the moment. I need ideas. Tell me what your game room has in it and how it's "decorated", or what it would have in it and how it would be decorated if you had a game room. Thanks!

Freefall is still home to me after 30 years. I completed all of the goals I set for myself in the sport. Now, without something to chase I don't feel the strong need to jump all the time. So I'm happy with a few jumps a year, just for the joy of flying. It's still a passion, it's just not the only one.

I'd be happy with that! Nice 360's on your grad dive. Now the real fun starts.

Well yeah. I mean, who wouldn't? ;-) BSBD Nate. Enjoy that big way in the sky.

Don't stress it, you'll do just fine. When you do your initial AFF jumps, the main side instructor will be guiding your hand to the handle on each of your practice touches and when you go to pull. You'll also be doing a BUNCH of practice touches during your FJC and before every student jump. Looked to me like you did a great job with altitude awareness and remembering the dive flow. Two pretty important parts of skydiving, whether you are a student or an experienced jumper.