murphyka

And my cutaway handle is out there also *** Maybe we should get a search party started and sweep the area! Blue Skies!!! Kimmy

I don't know what happened...they just slipped right out of my hand. Chris has a stack of Heineken...we are the reason that he is an alcoholic!!! Blue Skies!!! Kimmy

Yes, both my free bag and my main drifted to the drop zone and were picked up while I was landing. Blue Skies!!! Kimmy

Yesterday, on my 3rd jump of the day and my 50th jump overall, I had my first cut away. I was on a four-way jump that was absolutely wonderful. We broke off at normal altitude (around 5K) and tracked off. I dumped at just under 4K and was under a fully inflated canopy a bit under 3.5K. As I looked up to check my canopy, I saw that my canopy was veering to the left and seemed to be heading into a line twist. I grabbed my rear risers to prepare to kick out the line twist when my canopy began to spiral. I probably spun around 5 times with each spin getting faster and faster. I certainly didn't think that I had any time to fix the problem due to quick loss of altitude from the spin, so I reached for the cut-away handle. After I felt the release I reached for the reserve handle. I am sure that my RSL had already done the job because I was under a fully inflated reserve near or just under 1.5K. I did a control check of my reserve and turned toward the dropzone. As I did a practice flare at 1K I realized that there was not alot of flare in canopy because the toggles were much longer than my main. (My main is a Spectre 170 and reserve is a Raven DM 181) As I turned into the wind for my final approach I wrapped my brake lines a couple of times around my hands to shorten them slightly so that I might be able to get a better flare. It worked like a charm and I had a soft, almost stand up landing. (I was on my feet but my legs were a little shaky so I just sat down to catch my breath after all the excitement) It was definitely nice to hear the cheers from the crowd after landing. I definitely owe Chris Miller (my rigger) more than just a case of beer for saving my life and I don't think there are any words to express how thankful I am. After examining my main canopy, we discovered that one of my brake lines had become unstowed which caused the spiral. This probably could have occured when I grabbed the risers after seeing a line twist in progress. I am not for sure. For the most part, I want to thank all my instructors at Spaceland for their excellent training. I feel like I was well enough informed to know exactly what to do in the situation. You never know how you are going to respond to these situations until you actually get into them. Hopefully my handles will come in before this weekend so that I can get back in the air!! (Yes, I dropped both handles!!!) Blue Skies, Kim Blue Skies!!! Kimmy

I had someone do that to me the other day and it pissed me off. He walked by my office when I just happened to be rubbing my eyes because my contacts were bothering me. I got some looks when I came out of my office. I should have hit him, but couldn't because he's my boss. I hate working for assholes!!!! Blue Skies!!! Kimmy

Goodbye for now. Your family is in our thoughts and prayers. Your smile will be missed among us all. Blue Skies! Blue Skies!!! Kimmy

I'll definitely second that!!! Especially glad to hear that you tip toed that landing...I don't think the rear of your jumpsuit could have handled contact with the ground! See you soon! Kim Blue Skies!!! Kimmy

Who needs a laugh when you can go to the Chicken have a few beers and some Tijuana Fries and play some bones to pass the time! Gig 'em Dave! (At least you're not stuck behind your desk on your birthday!) Blue Skies!!! Kimmy

Congrats on your first jump! I made mine back in September thanks to the encouragement of Rebecca and the awesome instructors there. You are gonna have a blast! I'm out there most weekends now so I'm looking forward to saying hi! Chicas rock!!! Gig 'em!!! Blue Skies!!! Kimmy