dmbale

We did five Caravan loads on Sunday....where were you?

If the weather is decent....extra waffles on Sunday for those that show up by 9:00....and a nice warm Caravan to jump out of.

Caravan is here!

The Caravan is scheduled to land in January.....we will still have the 207 for small groups during the week but for those of you who are turbine or nothing, we will have it. We are also now open during the week by appointment and will be open 12/30 and 12/31

We have purchased the gear from Cass so yes, you can rent it. You can bring your dog out but they have to be leashed....cow swooping is discouraged but can occasionally happen. Swoop lane is noodled....pea pit is deep and free breakfast on Sundays...guess they like the waffles....

In spite of many delays in acquiring our regular plane, we now have a beautiful 207 with lexan cargo door (the door is even clear) to jump out of. We did a few today and would love to have folks join us. We will be open tomorrow, Monday, September 4th. Blue Skies!!!

Also, our website is up. www.elaborateskydiving.com

We have multiple hangars to pack in. Most of the Front Range Skydivers will be there. Coaches and AFF instructors if you need a currency jump. Load organizers for all disciplines, coaches from the wind tunnel, and lots of fun.

No boogie fee. There will be vendors selling food. Beer in the evening is free. The most expensive meal is running around $12. Lots of the FRS crew will be there. We have load organizers in all disciplines coming out.

If you are on the first load we do have breakfast coordinated. Thank you Lynn! It is not fun to see me jumping at 7:00 a.m. without java.

May 19 - 21st. We have a Super Otter. Jump tickets are $20 to the top and $19 for active duty military and government civilians (must show ID). Food, load organizers in all disciplines, and BEER! Camping is allowed and dogs must be leashed. Unattended children will be sold into slavery for jump tickets. www.elaborateskydiving.com 719-522-9300 Elaborate Skydiving at Calhan

Would love to see you at Skydive the Rockies. We now have more women jumping than when I started eighteen months ago. Beautiful views, they now have a restaurant at the airport, great instructors and we have a brand new, huge, soft pea gravel pit to land in. (Thank you Chris and Wayne!). I will be out next Sunday. PM me if you have any specfic questions.

I have jumped with ground temps in the 20s and I jump at a high altitude DZ. REI makes nordic running suits that are neoprene and polartec lined, they are great under a jumpsuit and, if it is really cold and I have to go up in the cargo door 206 (fabric door) I put on silk long johns underneath the running suit. More than anything make sure that your head is covered, I love my Z-1 and that your hands are warm. I use leather gloves that are lined with thinsulate. I also have silk glove liners. You can get them from Wilson Leather, they always go on sale at the end of the winter season so they end up costing around $10-15. I pick up an extra pair when they are on sale. Last winter I learned to keep a clean, dry pair of sock to change into for the drive home.

Currently 170 jumps, wingloading .78 under a 190 Spectre, field elevation 5,500, density altitude in the summer as high as 9500, but getting ready to downsize to a Spectre 170. I got into the sport in my 30s, had a broken pelvis (car accident, not skydiving), and took a little longer than most to master my canopy....and yes I can jump in winds (18 steady with gusts of 28 are my personal limits).

I believe that the field elevation where I jump is 5,500. Our density altitude in the summer ranges from 8000 to 9500. I still jump a really conservative canopy, Spectre 190 at a wingloading of .78. I have jumped in Ogden where the field elevation is only 700ft difference and with a density altitude of 6000, my Spectre felt like a 210. I have been told by my canopy coach that my 190 here is equivalent to jumping a 150 at sea level. Hopefully that will give you a newbies prospective on the difference.

I think that my DZ's field elevation is 5500. I jump a 190 there but I have jumped a 160 at sea level and it felt like it was a 218 at my home DZ.

I took eleven jumps to pass. One jump I took my instructor for a 3000 ft. tumble...never close eyes on first dive out exit..... My brother-in-laws passed in 7 jumps but my husband passed in 5 jumps (55 static line jumps ten years prior to AFF).

I jump a Spectre at a similar wingloading and cannot stall it, even with taking a wrap. I have tried several times at 3K or more to do this and it just doesn't happen. The best I have been able to do is to get a little bucking from the canopy.

Work on your fall rate before you add lead. Do some coach jumps where you work on only your fall rate and nothing else. Work on your range. I have the opposite problem, I fall like a rock unless I focus on decreasing my arch.

I forgot to add that my home DZ has a field elevation of 5500 and that our density altitude can be 9000 when it is warm out.

I took longer to learn canopy control so I am jumping a Spectre 190 loaded just under .8. I have downwinded with a face plant and not gotten hurt. I am thinking about downsizing to a 170 but I am not bored with my 190 yet. I still don't have 100% confidence that I can land it on rear risers alone, I don't know how to swoop it, and I can' t consistently land smack in the center of the student circle.

At first (AFF and first 30 or so jumps) my husband and I wouldn't get on the same load together. Our daughter is fifteen. Then I noticed that he was getting more jumps in than me, we talked about what it would take for four parachutes to fail, and if the plane got hit. We decided that getting to jump together was more important and that the risks were acceptable.......our daughter knows to buy a new Otter if both of us die and name it after us.

I weigh 122lbs and fall like a rock. Arch more.

One tandem and eleven AFF to get through. Just couldn't get the turns until my "get Bob" jump....I had to catch the DZO in freefall.

If at all possible, do not skip a size. I went from a 218 to a 190 at around 50 jumps and felt like an AFF student again. Even if you only do 5-10 jumps on each size inbetween, you will thank yourself.