Douva

Don't be so impatient, Phil. I'm trying to build you a skysurfing team; I just need more time. Oh, sure, I know everybody thinks skysurfing is on its way out, but that's the genius of the plan. If there's nobody to compete against us, we win by default. Think of the money we'll save on training. I'm also contemplating putting together a baton pass team. The baton pass disappeared thirty years ago, so these guys won't even need rigs. We'll just hang a "WORLD CHAMPION BATON PASS TEAM" banner over the manifest window. --Douva "Crazy like a fox!" PS. You guys are going to sponsor team jumpsuits, right? I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

Yeah, I accidentally eneded up cussing at my grandmother that way once. --Douva D-22772 I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

If anybody catches wind of this beforehand, please give me a heads ups, if you feel like you can without threatening national security. I was ticked I didn't find out about the previous jump in time to make the drive over to College Station. I'd really like to watch him land and maybe get D-20000 to sign my logbook. --Douva D-22772 I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

hey i wanted to thank you again for showing me how to get it in the bag!! No problem--Skydiving wouldn't be the amazing sport it is if there wasn't always somebody around willing to help out and share a trick or two. Blue skies, Douva I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

Wonderful picture of my red spandex covered ass exiting the skyvan, on the first page. I may have to order the 8x10 of that one. --Douva I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

Cuz with my luck I'd end up grabbing Brains. NO! What? You didn't get a New Years kiss from Brains? You must feel so left out. I was getting the impression he kissed everybody on the drop zone. --Douva PS. I've never done a kiss pass, either. I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

On new years or the whole boogie? Wait, i don't remember much of anything. But i was responsible for the glow sticks and i KNOW they got passed around quite a bit. Damn, Brains, what the hell did I miss? I guess that's what I get for leaving on the 30th. --Douva I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

What was the best thing about the Holiday Boogie?.... I have to go with seeing some old friends I haven't seen in a few years and getting to jump with some friends from my DZ without anyone having to stop and go do a tandem or a video or a coaching jump. Second best has to be getting skysurfing tips from a few veteran jumpers (Thanks Jason Peters, et al.). Third would be the sunset balloon jump with my friends on my last day (DAMN, that's a crazy sensation). Most anticlimactic would have to be my high altitude skysurf. That stupid oxygen mask kept getting in my way while I was adjusting the bindings on my board; then the elastic strap on the mask broke, so the person sitting next to me had to hold my mask on me while I made adjustments; then I had so many layers of clothing on that my arms were sticking practically straight up in free fall. It was a lot of work for another 30 seconds of free fall. It's still fun to say I did it, though. Overall, it was an awesome boogie, despite the frigid temperatures. Blue skies, Douva I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

Y2K jumps--December 31, 1999. We did a practice jump at about 9:30pm, in order to let the first-time night jumpers get their required solo out of the way. The practice jump went well. We noticed a slight headwind under canopy, but everyone landed near the peas, so we weren't concerned. When the time came for the actual "Y2K" jump, we launched an 8-way, fifteen seconds before midnight. The jump was a blast. There was no moon. The only way to spot the other jumpers in free fall was the glow sticks on their helmets and altimeters. The lights of Dallas and Fort Worth were clearly visible to the south/southeast. It was beautiful. Break-off and deployment were uneventful. It was only when we had confirmed we were under good canopies and begin looking for the lights of the drop zone that we realized we were in trouble. The drop zone, identifiable by the light peaking through the hangar skylights like the eyes of a giant insect, was a speck in the distance. A cold front was moving in. The upper winds were blowing 180 degrees opposite of the ground winds. We all turned toward the bug-eyed hangar, fighting for whatever penetration we could get, sinking into the featureless black abyss, over what, to me, was a relatively unfamiliar drop zone. I knew there was a pond in the general vicinity of where I coming down, so I crabbed sideways toward hopefully safer ground. I ended up having one of the best landings in the group. I wore a very bright video light mounted to the front of my helmet, which I turned on under canopy, and a small light attached to my right foot, pointed toward the ground. At about fifteen feet, the black abyss was suddenly replaced by the quickly approaching ground, and I stabbed out and did a quick, crosswind butt slide down a small hill. Not everyone landed as easily as I. One jumper landed on a road, inside a "U" formed by three sets of power lines, one jumper flared as his feet hit the tops of the trees in the nearby woods, one jumper never flared and did a face plant that shattered his camera helmet, and one jumper never flared and was knocked unconscious (it was the next day before she could remember the jump). After tracking us all down and loading us into the back of pickups, we were greeted back at the hangar with champagne and beer. We all quickly forgot our bad landings and enjoyed the experience. It's still one of my favorite jumps. --Douva D-22772 I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

It seems like a reasonable law, but I hadn't heard about it, either. Thanks for the heads up! --Douva I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

ACTION: Terminal Velocity Drop Zone Cutaway (in that order) COMEDY: Fandango HAVEN'T SEEN IT, SO I CAN'T COMMENT: Gypsy Moths GOOD MOVIE WITH SOME SKYDIVING IN IT: Point Break I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

When I was in Russia this summer, I watched an epiosode of Airwolf in Russian. It was still very cool. Russian TV apparently doesn't have a lot of money to spend on syndicated shows because they air a lot of old 80's shows over there. --Douva D-22772 I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

....I just can't get enough of the soundtrack either.. It works great in skydiving videos. --Douva D-22772 I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

I've been trying to find somebody (and some old gear) to do canopy paintball with for years. I haven't had much luck finding another interested participant. --Douva D-22772 I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

Well, I am not clicking on anymore of your links. That is just disturbing. It's obviously a joke, but I was eatting a hotdog when I clicked on the link, and now I'm not sure I'm going to be able to finish it. --Douva I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

Guy Manos received a "story" credit for "Drop Zone" but not "screenplay" credit (the "screenplay" credit went to two other writers). Generally, a "story" credit means that person's input ranges somewhere from a basic pitch ("A federal agent must infiltrate the skydiving world to track a group of criminals who plan to use a skydiving competition in Washington D.C. to jump into restricted airspace and break into government buildings") to a detailed treatment, or plot synopsis. Whether Manos came up with a lot of the hokey stuff is hard to say (though he very well may have--everybody gets sucked into the "it'll be more dramatic" mindset eventually). It's also possible for a director to "hokey" up a serious script, and it's possible for an editor to "hokey" up footage that was supposed to seem realistic when it was shot (i.e., extending a skydiving scene much longer than any real skydive could last). It's Hollywood. Blue skies, Douva D-22772 I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

You can't blame the skydiving consultant for serious inaccuracies in the skydiving scenes. A skydiving consultant can't change the script, much less plot points, to make the skydiving scenes more realistic. A skydiving consultant is only as effective as the writer and director he's working with. He can point out that a terminal Mr. Bill would never work or that you can't talk in free fall or that you can't free fall for three minutes from 10,000,' but if the director thinks it will look cool on screen and that the general public will buy it, he's probably going to dismiss the consultant's suggestion and stick with the script the way it is. Without skydiving consultants, the skydiving on the screen wouldn't even resemble real skydiving, but skydiving consultants are limited in their power. --Douva D-22772 I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

I'm going to be out there in early January--Does it look like they'll be open for business then? Are they going to be accepting reservations for tunnel time, or will it be first-come-first-serve? --Douva D-22772 I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

I love the way so many of the "enlightened" people of California have no problem stereotyping Texas or other "southern" states (I won't digress into the numerous cultural differences between Texas and the true "southern states"). I find it interesting that you seem to think electing a female governor would "drag" Texas into the 21st century, since Texas elected its first of two female governors in 1924. To the best of my knowledge, California has never elected a female governor. You made a reference to Texans wearing "sheets." I challenge you to find a clan rally in Texas. I'm not saying they don't exist--There is probably still some small faction of them hiding out somewhere (I think they marched on the state capitol in Austin a while back)--But I've lived in Texas (West Texas and Austin) for nearly 24 years, and I've never seen anybody in KKK garb. I'm not saying Texas is the most open minded or diverse state--It's not. But you are basing your very loudly voiced opinion on old stereotypes (most of which were never true) and a couple of short trips to the South by Southwest music/film festival (not really the best place to get a feel for Texas). Your facts are extremely mixed up (you confused Texas and Louisiana, and you made the erroneous claim that 900 numbers are illegal in Austin--They're not illegal anywhere in Texas, as far as I know). The goofy picture in your profile and your blatant disregard for the facts lead me to think you are probably a troll, but your claims are spiteful enough to merit a retort, regardless. Why don't you take a step into the 21st century and quit attributing old, misguided stereotypes to everyone that doesn't fit your interpretation of trendy? Be a little more open-minded. Blue skies, Douva D-22772 I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

I used to watch the pilot fly a 182 to altitude several times a week and I "knew" how to do it (meaning I knew the physics, theories, and mechanics of flying a 182) to the point that I could talk you through just about every stage from takeoff to landing; I'd even flown it with the pilot sitting next to me, a few times, but nobody who knows me is ever going to let me fly a load for them because I have almost no experience flying a 182 (or any other aircraft). Knowledge and experience are two completely different things. If sitting in the corner watching the packer pack your chute is as close as you come to packing for a few years (or even months), you're not going to pack for #%&$ when the pressure is on. I'm not trying to give you a hard time; I'm just laying it out the way it is. The only way we get better (or even maintain proficiency) at anything is through practice. Blue skies, Douva PS. If you're having trouble getting the air out of the canopy, do what a lot of professional packers do--Get a large (~5'x5') piece of heavy carpet to lay over the canopy after you've finished flaking and rolling it. It'll force all the air out in about a minute; then you can put it in the bag. PPS. Everybody hates packing at first. It's tedious, the canopy keeps reinflating or trying to get away from you, and you're sweating like a blacksmith just trying to get it done so you can make the next load. Like just about everything in life, it gets easier with practice. I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

Before this spring, it had been about 4 1/2 years since I'd ridden on a plane without a parachute. I remember thinking on the way to cruising altitude that the last time I was in a jet, I'd jumped out the back door about three miles over Illinois. I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

I don't expect you to replace your own fuel pump, and I don't expect you to pack your own reserve, but if you don't at least know how to change your own oil, I'd say you only have about half the knowledge required to operate your car. I would equate taking your car to a mechanic with taking your rig to a rigger for repairs, modifications, and repacks. Using a packer is more in line with taking your car to a quick lube. There's nothing wrong with taking your car to a quick lube, so long as you at least know how check your own tire pressure and fluid levels and even change your own oil, should the need arise. --Douva D-22772 If today is a present, it's probably socks. I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

I'm sure I'll get flamed for saying this, but my personal opinion is that if you're a skilled jumper but a poor packer, you're really only half a skydiver. I've paid for plenty of pack jobs, but I still pack for myself on a regular basis, and I work to improve my packing skills the same way I work to improve my jumping skills. Otherwise, what are you going to do when you're at a boogie and the load is on a 20 minute call, and your rig is sitting in an unpacked, daisy chained pile, and the packers are all backed up? What about those times when a buddy needs you to pack for them so that they can grab a bite to eat and still make the load with you? What happens when you visit a small drop zone that doesn't offer packing services, and you haven't packed your own chute in three years? Sure, these days most jumpers at large drop zones can get away with rarely packing for themselves, but saying you've packed all the parachutes you'll ever have to pack because you packed for yourself once and got signed off on your "A" license proficiency card seems pretty foolhardy. We seem to be slowly loosing more and more of the skills that used to be required to jump. We've already seen the ability to spot a load disappear. Are we now going to see the ability of jumpers to pack for themselves go the same way? --Douva D-22772 I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

The footage was about 8 years old, but it was cool to see some old footage of Troy Hartman and the late Vic Pappadato. --Douva I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

EPISODE WILL RE-AIR LATER TONIGHT According to my onscreen menu, the same episode of Diversions (titled "Skydiving in California) will re-air on Discovery Home & Leisure at 12pm Eastern/Pacific, 11pm Central. I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.