mfrese

The only thing that has changed dramatically since your departure, Vinnie, is that we can leave the training trampolines out in the open again, and Andy hasn't had to threaten anyone with the fire extinguisher...yet. I spent an hour last night talking to the two 10K tandem students we took out of the Cessna at sunset. They are out here from New York, will probably never be back to Hollister, and most likely will never jump again. I spent that time for two reasons: because they were really nice people and had a ton of questions about what they'd just experienced, and because they're going to talk to a bunch of other people and, I hope, tell them what a great place Hollister is. They'll probably tell them to avoid the old bald guy because he never knows when to shut the fuck up, but at least they'll know we're friendly... While I agree that DZ folks should make an effort to talk to newbies and visting jumpers (especially staff folks), Ron's got a point, too...sometimes getting out and introducing yourself breaks the ice and gets people talking to you. And that's usually all it takes to get the hot skydives started. Doctor I ain't gonna die, Just write me an alibi! ---- Lemmy/Slash

Congratulations, dude! Hope they stay fun for you... I'm headed out to the DZ this afternoon to do one Cessna tandem, but it'll be number 500...of course, last weekend I took some girl who asked me how many jumps I had, and I told her "Five". Her reply? "Oh cool, so you're pretty experienced, huh?" Sometimes, trying to keep a straight face in this business is harder than doing the damn jump... Good luck, make 'em scream with joy! Doctor I ain't gonna die, Just write me an alibi! ---- Lemmy/Slash

I'm in the "anything, I need air" category. While I occasionally (well, maybe frequently...well actually, constantly) make the "meat-hauling" comment to my buddies at the DZ, I'm actually back to loving tandems again. It is really fun to experience the rush of a first jump with people, seeing through their reactions the way I probably was when I started. So (at least for now), it's really keeping the love alive for me. Couple things, though: - as Lisa, Ed, and otheres posted here, don't try to do tandems on an occasional basis. It ain't enough to just be current doing tandems, you really need to be on top of your game at all times. At least, old fat guys like me do, anyway... - and Deuce...just for the record, I hope Connie and Vic let you have the choice to do tandems or video. The ugly truth is, there are usually more tandems than video, and once you get the rating and get current, you may find yourself with a student more often than a camera. Good luck, though, and don't forget to have fun going through the course! Doctor I ain't gonna die, Just write me an alibi! ---- Lemmy/Slash

Actually, I think Monterey does them too, if you want to take 45 minutes in the 206. Thanks, I'll take the King Air any day... Doctor I ain't gonna die, Just write me an alibi! ---- Lemmy/Slash

Nope...but I've paid more than that in less than a year, and I'll pay more to keep everything BUT Talk Back open. Thanks for asking... Doctor I ain't gonna die, Just write me an alibi! ---- Lemmy/Slash

Hey, you were probably talking about your good friend who was, I dunno, in intensive care, right? Then that would be perfectly appropriate... That's OK, my wife, for reasons that totally escape me, always says "moral majority" when she really means "vast majority"...I can't seem to convince her that it's a group and not a phrase. Doctor I ain't gonna die, Just write me an alibi! ---- Lemmy/Slash

My favorite's always been hearing people say "for all intensive purposes" rather than "for all intents and purposes". I was confused on that one myself for a while, but got it straight by the time I turned eight years old. Doctor I ain't gonna die, Just write me an alibi! ---- Lemmy/Slash

Two weeks on St. John, USVI. Stayed in a little condo at the top of "Jacob's Ladder" in Cruz Bay, spent the entire two weeks going to the beach at some of the most beautiful beaches in the world (Trunk Bay, Maho Bay), hiking the trails all over the island in the national park, and eating a ton of food and gallons of beer every night while dancing our asses off to reggae and soca every night. I almost needed a vacation from my vacation. Doctor I ain't gonna die, Just write me an alibi! ---- Lemmy/Slash

Hey everyone.... Just wanted to pass on that both skydivexxl and flymysky hit 1000 jumps this weekend! Andy did his on a work jump, and I think Kath was doing something fun, but I had to leave early to take my niece home . Andy was of course christened with appropriate dairy products; not sure if Kath got hers yet. Now that Andy and I are even (I got a free pass for reasons we won't go into here), I think I'll make sure I'm out of state when I get to 2000...

Congrats, Jen! Don't know if I'll make it to Missouri any time soon, but I'd let you pack for me. Hope you get a lot of business, but don't work too hard, OK? Take it easy, and give Dakota a kiss from the Norcal crew! Mike (and Lynn) Doctor I ain't gonna die, Just write me an alibi! ---- Lemmy/Slash

Congratulations, Jennifer! Glad it finally came through, you've been waiting for this for a long time. Now, only two questions: 1) When to have your going away party, so we can get out Old Blue, the trampolines, and order extra tequila...and, 2) How are we going to start Skydive Cameroon so you can stay current? See you this weekend, and again, congratulations. Mike Doctor I ain't gonna die, Just write me an alibi! ---- Lemmy/Slash

Like this: [Elmer Fudd voice] Be veeewwwy quiet. Weah hussewer hunting! [/Elmer Fudd voice] Doctor I ain't gonna die, Just write me an alibi! ---- Lemmy/Slash

Obviously, like all the best pimps and "husslers" who preceded you, reading and spelling ain't high on your list of skills... And hey, drag your gimpy leg down to Seascape for Peter and Steph's Anniversary jump this Saturday, we need a swooping target for Seb... Doctor I ain't gonna die, Just write me an alibi! ---- Lemmy/Slash

Thanks, Mel. Getting input from people like yourself is probably more important thatn getting it from more experienced people, as even instructors (sometimes, particularly instructors) are so removed from the student experience level that it's hard for them to understand how big an impact the extra time and training make. Thanks for passing on your experience, and hope you get back in the air soon! Mike Doctor I ain't gonna die, Just write me an alibi! ---- Lemmy/Slash

Chris: Thanks a lot for the reply. As for specific numbers, don't worry, I'm not trying to turn this into a typical "Talk Back"-style pissing contest, I'm just honestly curious. I'm trying to come up with some suggestions for my home DZ to make some changes to their program, and I think SDC's program would make a great change for it and many others. I absolutely agree that we should be trying to do everything possible to turn this from a joyride to an introductory training jump...but I'm not the DZO. I'm just trying to have some fun, make a few bucks, and introduce people to the sport that changed my life. I seem to have a lot of students following me around after their jumps for the simple reason that I'm willing to talk to them about it, and passionate about it in the bargain. Like SDC, we give out AFF training info, bumper stickers, and even a survey form to track how they liked the experience (and get their email address so we can pass on more information). The logbooks we'll do in some cases, but it's not consistent. Obviously, we can do a lot more. All this discussion leads me to the conclusion that we need to make a lot of changes in our operation. I'm planning to talk to the DZO about this soon, and I'll try to post more about any changes and how it affects the operation and the students. If you DO get a chance to get the return rate numbers, I'd appreciate it if you'd pass them on to me via PM. It doesn't have to be completely accurate, but if it's as good as you've said, that will give me a lot of ammunition to use with our DZO. Thanks for your time, and I'll have to get to SDC soon to check it out, it sounds like an awesome place and a great operation. Mike Doctor I ain't gonna die, Just write me an alibi! ---- Lemmy/Slash

Congrats on your progress! Hope you get back in the air soon! BTW...do your kids think this is the coolest thing or what? Mike Doctor I ain't gonna die, Just write me an alibi! ---- Lemmy/Slash

I hear he's got two in the stable...calls 'em "Lefty" and "Righty"...they're keepin' him happy, but they ain't gettin' any action on the street, you know what I'm sayin'? Doctor I ain't gonna die, Just write me an alibi! ---- Lemmy/Slash

Oh yeah, I've been there. In fact, I started a thread about this a few months ago, and I got some excellent advice and got the love back pretty quick. So take a look here and see what yer fellow DZ.commers had to say, it helped me a lot. http://www.dropzone.com/forum/Skydiving_C1/General_Skydiving_Discussions_F18/Anyone_gotten_burned_out_on_skydiving_P811120 Doctor I ain't gonna die, Just write me an alibi! ---- Lemmy/Slash

The requirements are the same as Vector, and the only difference is the secondary/student drogue release is located on the right leg strap, same as the Sigma. Of course, the main reason to renew currency on the Eclipse is to get used to the riser covers slapping the crap out of your ears in freefall... Doctor I ain't gonna die, Just write me an alibi! ---- Lemmy/Slash

You must not have seen him in person in a while, Keith...he was looking particularly fine Sunday morning, with his hair all askew and that peculiar-looking furry creature climbing out of his ass-crack... But enough about that...back to Seb's problem. My advice would be to dial back on the Red Bulls and caffeine a bit, bucko. When I used to drink tons of coffee every day and then drink the night away (many, many weeks ago), I noticed that my hangovers were really rotten. Then I dropped the caffeine and kept the booze, and for some reason it lessened the hangovers. (Probably cuz the caffeine keeps you just alert enough to want to drink more when your liver is saying "heeelp meeee!") So, try a little less Red Bull, a little less coffee, drink like Vinnie this weekend, and see how ya feel. And if it doesn't work...well, at least you'll be drinkin' like Vinnie for a night, right?

Just out of curiosity, what is your return rate on students? I think AFP sounds like a fine program, and I've heard that SDC gets a great return rate, but I've never heard the specific numbers. As for training...I'm impressed that you can get students ready to skydive, track altitude, and pull for themselves on the first jump in just an hour. I'd like to understand how this helps maximize your return rate, so any opinions would be welcome. I agree that effective training should be a major part of a tandem operation at any drop zone, but let's face it...by any measure, most of these people ARE looking for a carnival ride. I want them to be safe while they're doing it, I want them to remember it as a great and positive experience, and if they're really set on coming back again, I'll do everything I can to help them start learning the skills they'll use when they're in freefall with their own parachute. But that's just not the case for most people... So we usually try to keep the wheels turning efficiently. Doctor I ain't gonna die, Just write me an alibi! ---- Lemmy/Slash

You guys should move to California...I'd almost like to have a chance to get uncurrent. Longest I've gone without making a tandem jump since I finished my probationary jumps in September 2002 is two weeks. Right now, I haven't gone more than 6 days without one in almost 4 months... I need a vacation... but to answer the question, yes, I would take those currency requirements seriously. In fact, I'm current on the Vector, but not the Eclipse, and even though they are almost identical systems, I'd still do recurrency on the Eclipse if I started jumping it again. Doctor I ain't gonna die, Just write me an alibi! ---- Lemmy/Slash

Yep. Adventure Center Skydiving Inc. (AKA Hollister) has been doing 18K tandems for years. I think the only other DZ doing 18K tandems is Space Center in Titusville Florida...which is now owned by Greg and Patti Nardi, the former owners of Hollister. Surprise, surprise. The DZ does pretty good business with these, mostly with first-timers who simply want the most "extreme" jump, and with repeat students who can actually appreciate the additional freefall time. For the TMs and video guys, it's kind of a pain...we kinda run out of moves after about 8 or 9K! Exit shot, get a close-up of the student, pop up for the drogue shot, do some turns, carve back in to get another student close-up, student slaps you a high five, check the alti as is should be close to pull time, and it's...10 GRAND! Sheesh...what now?

I bought a pair of $20 cargo pants and sewed some Cordura onto the seat, and they've lasted almost three years. These sound much better though...'specially the padding. Please post pics and/or weblink if you've got it...pretty please?

1. Whats your name? Mike 2. How old are you? 47 3. Why did you decide to start jumping out of airplanes? My dad talked my wife and I into going for a tandem after he turned 70, and I was hooked IMMEDIATELY! 4. Are you single or taken? Married? Happily married to Lynn, who has about 65 jumps. 5. Do you have kids? No 6. What do you drive? 2002 Kia Rio Cinco 7. Have you ever done a kisspass? Many 8. Where do you live? ? Northern California (Sunnyvale) 9. Do you have any pets? Our pet frog Bob died recently, now we're looking for a rat. 10. How many jumps do you have? 1670 or so. 11. What color eyes do you have? Hazel 12. What is your nationality? US American 13. Have you ever dated someone you met off the internet? I haven't dated since there was an internet. 14. Favorite Movie? LOTR, The Two Towers 15. What do you do when you arent skydiving? Work as a lab manager, play guitar, chase my wife around the house. 16. Have you ever BASE jumped? Not yet... 17. If not... do you want to? Oh yeah. 18. Do you have siblings? 2 sisters 19. Where do you want to travel to the most? Tahiti 20. What's your favorite color? Blue 21. Where was the last place you flew to ( not skydiving )? Spokane, en route to Post Falls ID Doctor I ain't gonna die, Just write me an alibi! ---- Lemmy/Slash