Taz

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Taya was calling me skank and that I need to learn to keep my legs closed!!

Now, I didn't actually call you a skank. I merely used the "skank/ho" metaphor to illustrate the need to keep your ankles and knees together like a proper lady when moving to the door

The most important thing is that it obviously worked as a teaching mechanism since you're still thinking about it!

For the record, Bev is definitely not a skank. And she is going to be one of the best wingsuit flyers at our dropzone.

I recall those words from Casper at Eloy before we convinced him that it's more fun to actually fly with the rest of us. As Ed pointed out, once you make a decision to flock, you have to work to make it happen (admittedly sometimes more work than others). For me it's a lot about maintaining forward speeds on my GTi when jumping with S3's. But jumping with lots of newbies is great for learning how to dive and fly with wings collapsed. Tonto and I also did a great jump at Eloy with Sam and Richard--us in our wingsuits, them in Pheonix fly tracking suits. We managed to fly relative and dock! I think everyone should try flying their wingsuit with someone in a tracking suit, Pantz, or other tracking gear. It's awesome. -T

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Even the ones given drunk by the bonfire in Spanish!

I wonder how long it will take me to start giving my FFC's drunk and in Spanish. Is it only a matter of time? I don't even speak Spanish, but I might be able to pretend if I'm really drunk. I'll keep you posted

Can't wait to flock with you too! Although after checking your PMS all-around babe-of-the-month award I might be a little bit intimidated... love the wingsuit Barbie pass. You can teach me a thing or two, I look forward to that. I was never any good at playing with Barbies

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As for the leg wing and getting legs out onto the step, it's like wearing a short skirt and getting out of a car, ankles and knees together, rotate out, stand on feet

Okay--I'll see if Tonto wants to get some demo skirts for the DZ so we can run drills like that

Seriously though, thanks for the advice. I was wearing my "SuperBird" T-shirt on Sunday and a little girl came up to point out that my T-shirt looked like Superman was a girl Scott is just ahead of the curve on this one!

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I fall pretty fast but he is like a brick, so it must have been fun trying to stay with him in a wingsuit!

You can probably see in the picture that he is clearly at least twice my size. I hadn't really thought about it until I looked at that and objectively felt rather shrimpy. Anyway, it was great fun. By the end of the day he was getting late 70mph speeds on his GTi! You should definitely come out and play on our next flocking weekend. It'll probably be the weekend after next, because that will be my birthday and I'm going to force everyone to have fun with me!

I definitely don't have that many wingsuit jumps in a row--(maybe 25?) but Tonto, I'm loving your AFF because it means I get to go on more first flights! Thought I would do plenty of freeflying at Eloy but I barely used my non-wingsuit rig. The most freeflying I did in the USA this year was in the tunnel because it was raining and we couldn't flock!

Back in Joburg, and I just can't feel good about getting 38 seconds of freefall from 11,000 feet anymore.

You kicked some butt this past weekend, girl!

Bev is flying great, despite the incident in the door where her tailwing inflated and she ended up swinging from the bar half out the plane That was very entertaining.

One of these days we will have enough Ladybirds to do all-girl flocking dives! Wait for it, cuz the video will be HOT!

This past weekend I ran a First Flight Course for four people, and then Tonto and I got to jump with two of them before the thunder and rain set in. Sunday I organized three-way flocks, which worked really nicely to get people thinking about relative flying and not just the numbers on their ProTracks. We got a 9-way full Porter load together for an end-of-day flock but were held down at 6k by weather so most of us chose to exit and do solos back to the DZ, landing just before the downpour. (Although it has to be said that the clouds made for great views before they started dumping.) Overall a very nice weekend.

I can say one thing: I am learning new things about flying with my heels on my butt and my wings tucked away to stay with new birds who weigh twice as much as I do! At 46kg I had no idea I could go 120mph vertical without a piano tied to my leg, but there's a first time for everything. I now have to gain as much experience as possible chasing the very few who decide that three or four sharp turns out the plane are a good idea BEFORE they start flying any sort of coherent pattern. Yee ha. I'm doing okay so far, but any advice on this is greatly welcomed.

Attached is a photo of us with our two latest converts!

-T

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will have no cash for plane tickets

If we start flocking reeeally well, maybe we won't need plane tickets!!

Thanks for the international support bulletin
I already have another new Bird lined up for next weekend. Can't wait to start organizing some good flocks down here. JSC has one of the biggest flocks in the world now... I foresee darkened skies over Carletonville in the near future as we get people into bigger ways!

-T

Tonto and I need a ride on the 26th!

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Those in Need
23rd
4:03 pm...dtthorne

Friday, December 24, 2004
America West # 182
10:29 AM.........................KrisFlyz(terminal 4)


25th
11:45am...Darius11
8:51 pm...Wildcard451
4:15PM skreamer (BA, Terminal 4)
4:15PM Leigh W. (BA, Terminal 4)

26th
1:02pm Taz and Tonto (United, Terminal 2)

28th
10:35 am...Catfishhunter

29th
10:00 pm...davedlg
11:30 pm...Kramer (and his friend Keri)

Those Who Can Do a Good Deed
19th...Crewkeith, coming from CO. 1 slot
23rd...Amazon, around 9:00 am at PHX
24th...Bikerbabe, leaving SoCal
25th...Wingnut, driving thru Phx around noon
26th...Wildbillaqr, passing by the PHX airport in the morning
Anytime...Jumper03
Anytime...MissMae
From Tucson area...Greybeard