freeflyfrog

Yes. I watched my friend and mentor cut away from a spinning mal at an altitude from which the reserve had no possibility of opening. I sincerely hope that those of you who haven't lost a friend never do. It shook me to my core, and I seriously thought about quitting the sport.

Well, I was at Chicagoland all day Saturday and you weren't, so you didn't get lucky out there!

That's what i'm talkin' about, man... She has it going on in every which way!

Madonna. She may be more "mature" than the others, but she is ten times the woman than either of those bubblegum bimbos. IMHO...

I knew the answer, but had an unfair advantage as you were my tandem recurrency passenger this past May... thought I'd let someone else get the free jump!

Freeflying is about being able to fly in ANY body position. It encompasses all aspects of body flight. Head up (sit or stand), head down, tracking, atmonauti, and even belly flying! So you have been a freeflyer this whole time and you didn't even know it... Congrats on holding the sit.. it's the first step toward the faster fallrates of stand and head down. Have fun and be safe!

Thanks... I think she thought the camera was a snack... hence her interest!

Nice dogs! Here's my favorite dog in the world... and her "sister"

USA: Michigan, Florida, Arizona, California, Illinois and Colorado PRO: Never TOO far from a nice DZ CON: Never TOO far from a nice DZ Mexico: PRO: treated like royalty before and after demo into Special Olympics event CON: too much red tape

Art Institute... get some culture before you immerse yourself in the total debauchery of Chicagoland Skydiving for another weekend! CLICKY

I recommend going to the State Department's website... Dual Citizenship is frowned upon by the US, for several reasons (not the least of which being tax purposes). I have looked into it myself as I would LOVE to get my Italian citizenship. The thing is (as I understand it) if you SEEK citizenship of another country, you are basically renouncing your US citizenship. I don't know what it's like when marriage gets involved. Again, visit this link for more detailed info: http://www.richw.org/dualcit/ or this: http://www.canada-immigrationlaw.com/BFIS/dualcitizen.php

Thanks Lizzieb! I'm going there in October for an extended stay and that really made my day. I can definitely tell you from my last visit that much of that is dead on!

Thanks, Kjarv, that's all very helpful. I will be skydiving in Ravenna on the Adriatic coast. And I will have all the paperwork you listed (although I didn't know about the insurance stuff... good point!). I also plan to carry my rig onboard... I can't imagine doing it any other way. If I make it to Salerno, I'll look you up! Ciao e grazie!

Hey all, I'm going to Italy in October, and having never jumped in Europe, I was hoping those of you from the states with such experience could share any helpful hints about travelling with my rig, paperwork to bring, etc. What should I expect? I would also like to do some working jumps while I am there, so any information from Americans (or other non European Union members) with that experience would be most appreciated. Grazie!

Get a good night's sleep before you go to the DZ. Stay away from the alcohol at least one day before your jump. Eat a light meal an hour or two before you jump. Listen to your instructor... like your life depends on it And most of all, relax and have fun!

With first time jumpers, I personally prefer to do the flare myself. I can ensure a more consistent landing each time if I go it alone. If they come back for more jumps, then I will teach them the finer points of flaring.

I'll be sure to do some research into that position while I am in Italy this October! A detailed report will follow!

Just wanted to add that I have put over 1800 jumps on a "Spinetto", as some choose to call it, and the only time I have had to chop it was after a skysurf jump on which I failed to keep the board on heading during deployment. If not for that, I'd be malfunction free on my personal equipment (the total mal was on rental gear).

~3440:4 1 total mal, i.e. lost pud, just off student status 1 on personal gear (spinning mal after skysurf jump) 2 tandem (tension knots)

Here are some techniques that forego squatting altogether! PEE like a man!

You are HOT!!!!

Right on... that's very generous of you. I met you in Brush, CO last year and was immediately struck by that hair of yours. Your avatar doesn't do you justice... You are going to make someone very happy with that donation. I wish I had thought to do the same when I cut my hair. Ciao!

I might make it... But what I really want to know is what decision you made about your haircut, Lew?

Welcome to my world. I have been stuck in this dead-end job for two years. I took it figuring it would get me to a better job in a matter of months and then the economy went to shit and people stopped hiring. I have finally had enough, said 'fuck it' and have made plans to go to Italy for an indefinite period of time. Sometimes you just have to shake things up a bit and get some perspective on life!

welcome to the Dark Side... You might as well put your RW suit on eBay...