peregrinerose

Strong primarily, but there is also a Sigma that is available to jump. It belongs to one of the occasional TMs, but he is willing to let others use it. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

FLOORS: - Badly sprained ankle because I was walking, and then I wasn't. On a very clean, smooth, tile floor in my own home. PARACHUTE PACKING: - lymphangitis from an infected blister when I was first working as a paid packer at a busy DZ. SLIDES: - broken fibula (spiral fracture) flying down a huge slide near my home as a kid, with waxed paper under my butt for extra speed. Didn't realize they put a new slipperier matting at the base of the slide, until I was spinning across it. Oops. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

Hi All... Most of you know that Chad broke his back, I destroyed my knee... and we are the primary instructors at Keystone Skydiving Center. The owner/instructor is also out with a broken ankle and torn rotator cuff. There are very few left to jump with students. Can any of you give even one Saturday or Sunday to Marc and Theresa? It's a small cessna DZ, so they just don't have the staff that the big DZs have, and this is killing them. Please help my home DZ stay alive, so that it's there when we both heal up! Call Theresa at 610-442-7500 if you can spare even one Sat or Sun to help them out. Location is Collegeville, PA, not far from Phila. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

I absolutely will be aggressive with the PT. Been very good about pre surgery therapy. I even go up and down stairs like this. It's sore, but I can do it.... just want to keep the musculature up. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

Ten years. Well, I'm not waiting that long. I'll amputate the fucker before I wait that long. Was your wait due to the ACL surgery or something else? Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

My first surgeon was one of the team surgeons for all the Philly sports teams.... I went to the Rothman Institute of Thomas Jefferson University. He was much more conservative with movement though, which surprised me. The second doc I saw seemed much more in line with the current research, so I feel more comfortable with him. Yep, I went in having researched my three options thoroughly, and I have friends that have had all three types, all happy, so I am fairly sure that I can't go wrong no matter which I choose, but I felt better about autograft vs. zombie knee due to risk of rejection. I wasn't given a time frame for weight bearing, but I can live with 4-7 days.... and aiming for 4 Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

Well, my ortho is a cute blonde, so there. I firmly believe that eye candy is very helpful with regard to recovery. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

Oy, I'm so glad I won't be immoble like 'back in the day'. Although surgeon number 1 wanted me pretty much immobile. Glad I ended up with surgeon #2 due to geography. And he's quite hot, so that is an added bonus

He's very very weak, a large part of that due to being fairly immobile for the last three weeks. He started out with a lot of left leg weakness, but that seems to have resolved. He still has impairment of bowel and bladder, but both have improved significantly since the injury. Guess we'll find out if there are any sex effects, eh? It'll be fun experimenting with that end of things! He's got a great attitude and has been doing wonderfully in PT. He hates his back brace with a passion, but hopefully that will be more comfortable now that his staples are out (removed this morning). I'm really proud of him. He's come a very long way. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

They are only doing nerve block on me, no other sedation (I refused). I had the same thing for my ganglion cyst surgery. It was too weird an angle to watch directly, but my surgeon twice hiked up my wrist to give me a tour of my own arm innards. I loved it. My only fear in life is general anesthesia. I've been doing nothing for pain management now, pre-op, so that I won't be used to pain meds when I really need them. I noticed that surgeons are totally different. I first saw a surgeon in Phila, not knowing how long Chad would be there, so I entertained doing my surgery there. He wanted me completely non weight bearing for 3 or more weeks, no skydiving for a year, no motion at all to knee for a week post op. Since Chad may be coming home soon, I opted to see a surgeon at home. He is sending me straight from surgery to physical therapy, as in that day or the next depending on when I get out of the surgery. His protocol is completely different than the first surgeon, even doing surgery a month earlier than the first surgeon recommended (probably in large part because my swelling is very reduced now and range of motion is almost normal... I've been pathologically good at doing everything I'm supposed to). Cadaver and hamstring were both options for me, but I read the primary literature and seems autograft has the best long term prognosis and elasticity, although recovery time is significantly longer and higher pain levels. I'm ok with short term misery in favor of long term prognosis. Just found out that Chad may come home on Saturday, which would be awesome!!! Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

Hi All, I'm sure you all saw Chad's incident in the appropriate forum. Unfortunately, I was already in the ER when he was injured, having blown out my knee. On Monday, I'm getting ACL reconstructed (patellar tendon autograft), meniscus most likely removed as I pretty much exploded it, and partially torn MCL repaired. Kind of excited about it, as I am getting a nerve block only, so hoping to watch the surgery

I agree. Although even with insurance, and darn good insurance, we are going to be nailed with expenses. Copays, coinsurances, unsure if the medical chopper is covered or not, all of the tools he will need during his rehab at home (possible hospital bed, ramps, etc). Plus the time out of work for me. I won't be out long enough to qualify for disability (starts at a month), but it's still going to sting. Injuries are very expensive. I'm fortunate to have great insurance and friends who are chipping in to help with the extra expenses of time off, pet sitting while I'm with him in Phila (3.5 hour drive each way), expenses of staying out of town with him on weekends, etc. I agree that insurance is absolutely a must with skydiving. I also would not jump without it. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

That's awesome. Just tell them "I broke my femur getting out of a plane" THat doesn't work so well when the paramedics are cutting you out of your jumpsuit and harness. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

If you can, marry someone with good health insurance and get on their plan... the group plans generally don't have exclusions for things like skydiving

Yes. I believe John Flemming and Dan Rossi both have a few hundred jumps, both are totally blind. I had a legally blind student (retinitis pigmntosa) who did very well on his first jump, no modifications for him other than where we showed hand signals. I'm a low vision rehab optometrist, so if you can be more specific that 'legally blind' (diagnosis would be helpful at the very least) I can give a lot more information. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

The more canopies you jump, the more you'll notice that any canopy can bite you. Packing and body position do matter. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

I have about 400 jumps on a Sabre1 170 and 50 on a Sabre1 150. Never been spanked, don't do anything to the nose, no pocket slider. My husband has several hundred jumps on the 170 as well with the same results. I just don't get the Sabre1 phobia. I have one in my backup rig, and routinely use it for video and AFF, openings are nice, consistent, never hard. Any canopy can bite you. I landed in the ER after a hard open on a Spectre. My own fault it opened like that, due to body position. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

How many college kids don't experiment? So no, I don't care who did what decades ago. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

Why? Please don't tell me you are going down the rabbit hole of "prove God exists"....are you? Atheists...so irritating. Kinda like mosquitoes...constantly buzzing and doing no good at all. Reminds me of children throwing temper tantrums. The OP is one of the primes. Aww, Pops, you've met me. You know I have a heart of gold and am kind of cute to boot. I'm not buzzing no good doer. I'm an athiest. Please don't lump all athiests together, just as all Christians, or any other group should be all lumped together. People are just people, ability to believe in the supernatural should have nothing to do with how we all get along. Of course, some of us are better at getting along with everyone than others. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

Who the hell cares what any adult did in HS? We've all changed since then... some probably for better, some probably for worse. I'm not going to base my vote on decades old behavior.... whether it be who's living room Obama met in during college or what Romney did in HS. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

I think there are two parts to that.... threatened by strangers vs. threatened by someone you know. Walking down the street alone, even in N. Philly, where I lived alone for 4 years, I never felt threatented. It was a high crime, drug infested, racist area, and I was the only white face for several blocks, but I'm also quite confident and friendly, so never had a hard time from anyone. Even the drug dealers. And the cops that broke into the wrong apartment (mine) going to arrest him. I have felt threatened in my own home, from people I know and love, however. Our son was very volitile and violent for about a year. There were 4 911 calls due to attacks and threats. Once we had to pepper spray him. I have also been very afraid of partners. One got help and has done beautifully since then, the other is an ex husband. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

1) You do accelerate significantly when jumping from an aeroplane. 2) You do not have 'wind resistance' inside a plane. 3) Your inner ear is not adapted to 90mph inside a plane, it's adapted to steady state, ie. no acceleration. 4) An balloon may not be accelerating on jump run but neither is an aircraft. 5) Vertical acceleration from an aircraft is the same as vertical acceleration from a balloon. 1. Tell that to your vestibular system... that really notes no appreciable difference in speed. 90mph one way slowly transitioning to 120 as you ride the hill is not noted by any real change. 2. Unless you suddenly materialize in the air somehow, that split second you cross the threshold of the door, you are at zero mph down, and 90mphish horizontally, and have wind resistance. 3. Yep... your inner ear is adapted to the steady state of 90mph, just like 90mph in a car, and no sense of speeding up when you go around a corner at the same 90mph. If you hit the breaks and go around the corner, you notice the change in speed, but not in a steady state change... just like changing direction in freefall. 4. Nope, aircraft is not accelerating. Which is why you are adapted to the steady state of being in motion, and no change of steady state of being in motion when exiting an aircraft, whereas there is a change of steady state motion from heli/balloon. 5. Yep, but as you pointed out, acceleration is a vector, not just one component... so acceleration from a balloon vs. aircraft is not the same, correct? The vectors are different. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

You are right, acceleration is a vector. However the inner ear/vestibular system does not change that. Think about RW... you are clearly moving, in freefall, and have absolutely no sense of that. You are flying with other people.... no sense of falling. Even when tracking, you have changed direction, still no sense of falling despite adding horizontal vectors. It doesn't hurt. I'm human, I am not a physicist, I'm allowed to be wrong, and I admit to it when I am. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

Sounds like you have more control issues than true fear. On your bike, on the ground, you have no more control than you do skydiving. There is no true 'control'. You have influence, never control. That is just how life is, and there's no point in trying to change that. You can't. I'm going to die someday, maybe even today. But I'm going to live it up while I'm here. I'm very afraid every skydive. But at least I'm living my life, and that makes it worth it to me. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

A bomb bay door isn't any different from a tailgate. I'm not inventing any definitions, I'm just explaining the different ways that some people seem to be using that term. And in order to understand what they're talking about, we have to know how they mean "acceleration". I'm not hell bent on proving anything. I'm just trying to understand the phenomenon. And so far what I'm getting is that it's a combination of certain physical conditions, combined with our human physiology. Acceleration is a physics term. It has one definition. Any other definition is invented. Acceleration is not related to direction. If you are going to relate it to direction, you are inventing a definition. You have a preconceived notion that the sense of falling is something you adapt to, you are not seeking understanding, you are seeking validation of your viewpoint. Very different things. Read up on the vestibular system and physics, as I've tried to give quick and simple summaries of both, but it seems that you need more. I just don't have the time or interest to teach either topic via internet. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda