willhill

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Gear

  • Main Canopy Size
    170
  • Reserve Canopy Size
    160
  • AAD
    Cypres

Jump Profile

  • Home DZ
    Carolina Sky Sports
  • License
    C
  • License Number
    33991
  • Licensing Organization
    USPA
  • Number of Jumps
    312
  • Years in Sport
    5
  • First Choice Discipline
    Formation Skydiving
  • Second Choice Discipline
    Freeflying

Ratings and Rigging

  • Pro Rating
    Yes
  1. Hi Harry, A friend told me the sad news yesterday. He mentioned that there was a possibility of a new DZ opening near Henderson at some future time. Is it just a rumor? What's your take? Thanks........Will
  2. Are you saying that the brake toggle was not threaded through the cat's eye in the brake line, so that the brake line was not packed in the half-brakes position? Yes, I think so. Someone else recovered my main after a long search by a bunch of us. He told me that the toggle's pin (Vector 3) was still stowed but the line was out. By the time I saw it, both toggles had been unstowed. Did you think to try and reach up and release both brakes to see if that would stop the spin? In retrospect, that's the first thing I should have tried. I was just stunned and surprised, whipped around and, frankly, didn't hesitate much to chop it. Also knew I was on a long spot and would probably have to quickly find a place to land out - and did. I don't have much experience but always appreciate feedback. Thanks, John........
  3. Nothing new here, but a lesson learned. Pitched my Spectre 170 loaded at 1.1 at 3K and immediately went into a violent left spin that held my body at a near horizontal angle. The slider was crumpled below a couple of tight line twists. "If all I see are line twists, why the hell am I spinning like this?", I wondered - but not for long. Chopped it at 2K and, thankfully, the Skyhook delivered a stable reserve before I even had time to pull my reserve handle. After landing, first thoughts were line over or tension knot but, upon inspection of the main, we discovered toggles stowed but right-hand brake line out. Lesson: Be meticulous about stowing excess brake lines.
  4. Make sure to spell/grammer check your paper before you hand it in. Good luck.
  5. Yes, like that. I also wanted to add that skydiving's just the most goddamn fun.
  6. Here's a good quote: "The more improbable the situation and the greater the demands made on (the skydiver), the more sweetly the blood flows later in the release from all that tension. The possibility of danger serves merely to sharpen his/her awareness and control. And perhaps this is the rationale of all risky sports: You deliberately raise the ante of effort and concentration in order .... to clear your mind of trivialities. It's a small scale model for living, but with a difference: Unlike your routine life, where mistakes can usually be recouped and some kind of compromise patched up, your actions, for however brief a period, are deadly serious." A. Alvarez
  7. Big oops. Meant 1000ft, of course.
  8. Once, I had a Neptune beep at 1000K, like normal. Jumped at 14K and didn't hear anything after that. The battery went bad during the climb. Don't rely on it exclusivly.
  9. Great skydiving question. I'm sure a lot of people will be real interested in this question. Go away....
  10. A super cool reply. Too bad it doesn't begin to answer this person's question.
  11. willhill

    AAC?

    Thanks much for the info, Dawn. I'll definately schedule some coached time with Bodyflight at the tunnel later this spring. Good luck with everything.
  12. willhill

    AAC?

    Anyone know about Appalachian Amusement Center open-air wind tunnel near Ashville NC? There's an article by John Hoover (with Golden Knights) in Skydiving magazine. His take is generally positive. Just funny that I hadn't heard about this place from advertising or fellow jumpers. It's only about 3 hours away from me. I have some time in the Orlando tunnel which, of course, is enclosed space. Thoughts from anyone?
  13. Ah....it's too bad some of us can't be in the same physical room together and discuss this subject. You are by far the most eloquent spokeswoman on your side of this debate. Your posts have made me pause and think. I'll bet if we were in a room, some people would not outright say that this man was an F*ing idiot, especially when faced with his friends. It's the kind of thing that's easy to say when you're pecking on your keyboard, alone, and posting your 'ideas' on an internet forum. But, the recurring problem I have with your argument is that you seem to believe that anyone who hasn't faced depression, in the way that you have, is ipso facto unqualified to form an opinion on the subject that happens to differ from your own. What's funny is I found myself agreeing with much of Ladyskydiver's post. I wonder if you agree that there are grey areas here? No one has a lock on the truth (however that might be defined). I'll admit to being bewildered by the fragmented missive you directed to me. You dismiss people who havn't gone through what you have, yet you don't know what the others to whom you direct your comments have been through. Clearly, folks here are divided into two sort of existential camps (though Skylark, with his 'tragic hero' thesis, appears to be in the process of forming one of his own). My point is pretty simple: if you're thinking about killing yourself, go get professional help; if you're intent on killing yourself and you happen to be a skydiver, please don't use a dropzone as the stage to act out your final performance in this life.
  14. Agreed. They should feel free to ignore people like me. I won't be able to help them.