kkeenan

It's that time again, when the hard-core believers in all of the diverse events that make up competition skydiving get together to do whatever they do. All jumpers think that they're particular discipline of skydiving is the coolest. When they get into it, they may go for years getting better and better and if they get into the competition aspect of it, they can become pretty fanatical about it over the years. This meet is such a fine event, because for a week, it's a really big DZ with all of the best fanatics from every discipline hanging out and skydiving their asses off. SD Ariz. is a mega-DZ that can run this event just fine, as have Perris Valley and SD Chicago in past years. This year all events will be compressed into one week, rather than two, so that will make it even more of a 3-ring circus. But, having seen the staff & management at SD AZ operate, I think it will be intense, but smooth. I've been to a few, but lots of the folks competing have done this for years. And some are there for the first time. It's like a big boogie, in that there are old friends and new ones. It's just a very humbling and honoring experience to hang out with such a crowd of dedicated folks. Everyone there has worked hard to get to that time and place and to see how they do in whatever their thing is. Some of the events seem strange as hell to those who don't do them. Then again, to those who do them, the others seem strange. But at the Nationals, their all equally important, and if you're wearing a Gold medal at the end, you have been a bad-ass at something to get it. Everyone respects that. The competition starts in a week, and people are already starting to make their way out to the desert. To all the competitors, good luck in your events. Stay safe, and I'll see you in the bar at Eloy on Saturday. Kevin Keenan _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

Based on the comments made here by some very knowledgable folks, I would steer clear of it. Kevin K. _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

I wouldn't say that, Bill. ZZ Top made millions from copying your look. Kevin _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

I think that after making some jumps being "theoretically" prepared for a problem, you finally saw that something like that can actually happen. That realization can affect how you view your future jumps. The good part should be that now you truly know that you can react properly and handle an emergency. You know that your training was right, and that you can take the right actions when needed. If you concentrate on that aspect of it, then you can have confidence bolstered by actual fact and experience. The final part is to have the rigger, or someone you trust, explain again what went wrong and how to avoid it. Keep asking questions until you understand it fully. Don't worry about looking dumb - you're still learning. Just keep asking until it is solidly understood in your mind. That way, you know what it was, and how to avoid it. Once you fully understand all this, combined with the knowledge that you DID handle the emergency, it should help to put your mind at ease. Kevin _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

You've got it all wrong. What Trump has is an AN-2. _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

Strange you should mention that. Yesterday, we had a bad spot on a CRW jump, and as I was flying over a housing area, looking for a nice yard to land in, I had "Easy Livin'", by Uriah Heep, playing in my head. I ended up making it to a driving range after swooping over some wires and trees. Kevin _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

I'm curious about people who post on DZ.com, and who refuse (sometimes adamently) to be identified with a name or skydiving profile. Is it more fun to have people wonder who you are, to insult someone one day, and be packing next to them the next, and they don't know who you are ? Are you someone who drove out of the parking lot when they called your name for your tandem jump, and now post as a 10,000 jump instructor ? Are you a 55 year-old whuffo mailman posting as a 20 year-old freefly girl with boyfriend problems ? Maybe you are in the Witness Protection Program and sit at your computer naked except for aluminum foil on your head so the government can't read your thoughts ? I guess we don't really know. It could be that my imagination is over-active. I suppose it's just the nature of the i-net, and I should just get over it. I'm sure the rock climbers' forum and the knitting forum have the same issues. Name Witheld due to National Security Policy _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

I can't imagine that a GPS unit of any brand would be very good for "logging" jumps. Since a lot of your movements would be almost the same at your DZ, this would take up a lot of memory in the unit. Some folks have used them on wingsuit jumps to map their travels, but again, I don't think most GPS units will store 100+ tracks. GPS is great for its purpose. IMO this is not it. There is a small electronic unit that you can use for this purpose, that will tell you much more about each jump, as well as logging them all. It will also beep for you when it's time to open your parachute. Kevin _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

Once you start the motion (backloop), if you stay tucked up, you will continue to rotate. So in the original backloop, at the point when you would arch to stop in a level position, just grab your knees and tuck yourself tighter in a ball, and you'll keep going. NOTE: Make sure you know your starting altitude, and don't do too many. Recovering to a stable position may be a little harder than with a single backloop because you may lose track of the horizon after many flips, and may not start the recovery at the ideal point. That's OK, just arch hard and hold it, and you will stable out eventually. After a few tries, you will get the rhythm. And change your underwear more often. It might not help your stability, but many of us out here would feel better about the whole thing. Kevin _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

Yeah, like not being asked ever stopped anyone on this site from offering advice. Kevin K. _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

Nothing against any particular poster, but sometimes, this cracks me up. I seem to envision students having a problem and not listening to a word their instructors say, rather, they can't wait to get to a computer and ask DZ.com what to do. Sometimes, people seem incredibly eager to get advice from someone a thousand miles away, who says he is an expert skygod of some sort, rather than ask detailed questions and have detailed discussions with the instructor who was watching them, in person, from a few feet away. Wuffo you think they do dat ? Just a Monday morning observation. Kevin K. _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

Sounds like the pilot chute needs replacing or the bridle is too short. Kevin _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

So those are don't scare the newbie camps ?? Oops - I've been doing it all wrong. Sorry Kevin K. _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

Start counting from when you learned to jump by yourself. Prior to that, you were merely ballast with a credit card. Kevin K. _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

He's giving his big ol' brain a rest by coming to where no thought is expected... _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

Uh...because you're a sick bastard ? _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

Unless it's a Crazy Naked Lawyer... http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/10/11/prosecutor.indecency.ap/index.html _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

Statistically, one round in a 20-round clip seems safer than one round in a 6-round cylinder for Russian Roulette. In practice, however, not so safe... _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

This is the best advice. If you print that info and attach it to the inside of the bag where you are carrying the rig, then they (TSA) can be directed to their own guidelines, rather than listening to you, the suspected terrorist skydiver. I served a stint as an instructor for the TSA screening protocols, and I can tell you that some of the screeners are smart and conscientious, and some are just dumber than a box of rocks. Kevin K. _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

It's good that Sparky has brought this up, and, yes, it is a never-ending quest. A lot of jumpers seem to think that they have a monopoly on flying, and that their safety problems are unique. True, skydiving is a specialized form of aviation, but ever since people have figured out how to rise up in the air, there have been some of them falling back down and getting hurt or killed in the process. For over a hundred years, there have been powered airplanes, and lots of other aircraft for many years before that. My point is that smart people have tried to make aviation safe for all that time. In all of aviation, there has always been the balance of Fun vs. Profit vs. Safety to deal with. And the personalities of flyers and jumpers have always been similar. In our little world, they may seem very different, but compared with the big world, we are a lot alike. There have always been the "Hey, y'all watch this" types and the "Are you sure that's a good idea?" types. (And often, they are the same people, switching roles on different days.) It is a yin-yang relationship that makes up the world. You can get frustrated with the fact that people continue to make the same mistakes, but I'm not sure that it can be changed to any great degree. People who take aviation of any sort lightly will get hurt or killed by it eventually. People who put all their effort into mastering it will probably survive in the long run. You can't have the BS without the BD. Anyone can make a mistake. But, it's rare that one mistake will kill you. Having the skill, knowledge, and composure to bail yourself out of that mistake and to turn the outcome into something survivable is the bottom line that we should all shoot for. Kevin K. _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

Dar Robinson once did a jump from the (inside) top of the Astrodome in Houston into an airbag back in the '70s. I don't recall the height, but it was a pretty good leap. He came out to the old Spaceland DZ and made a few jumps with us locals. Kevin K. _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

Morning is really nice for getting a super-long skating landing on the wet grass. Sunset, however, has the best visuals. When the sun is really low, the light hits the jumpers from below, lighting them with that yellow-orange color. It's even more pronounced on CRW jumps, where each canopy seems to glow with all of their colors. The colors on the ground really take on new tones and the long shadows make all of the terrain features more visible. Plus, there's usually beer at sunset. Kevin _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

Sort of. It's just that with a reserve, you are usually open lower, limiting your time to set up approaches, and you have probably just dealt with an emergency, which may have left you injured and/or disoriented. This all makes it more important to have a canopy that is reliable and conservative. Kevin _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

Oh. I misunderstood. I thought he meant Paradactyl Mains. Dactyl reserves, eh ? Those fucking Russkies are nuttier than I thought. Kevin _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

So what could possibly be better than a wonderful CRWDog wrapped in soft nylon. MMMMMM. It's a very arousing thought... _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?