Jeth

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I agree -- I see nothing wrong with being married years before having kids (and I'm talking 5+). In the meantime you can make more concrete plans (such as buying a home and securing a joint savings) that may not have been possible without the 'permanence' of marriage.


Jen

I'll "third" this! I was very happy to get married in my early 20's, and we had no intention of having kids (still don't). Marriage is not just for having kids. Just like a "family" doesn't have to include kids. Me, my husband and our dogs are a family.

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that's not what i'm saying. are you capable of making money somehow some way? do you have a plan for the "what if"? like what if you have a bunch of babies and your husband dies? what if your husband is seriously injured and you become the "bread winner"? do you have a plan?

i think it would be fairly irresponsbile to have children without a plan like this. plus, if you never get out and "do it on your own", then you are missing out on a huge chunk of life experience. even if you work at mcdonalds, you are still supporting yourself and therefore financially independent.

i wouldn't marry someone because i thought they could take care of me. i would marry someone because i loved that person and wanted to grow old with them.

plus, i make a good sugar mamma.

Right on! I second all of this. I have one friend who married her HS sweetheart, had 3 babies, and was loving it. Then her husband got cancer. Now she is going to nursing school so that she can support her family when her husband gets too sick to. It would've been much better if she had gone to school first, before the kids.

I have another friend that started college, but never finished. She has absolutely no skills, she has only worked in coffee bars her whole life. She has 2 kids. If something were to happen to her husband, she'd be totally screwed. That scares me. I worry for her.

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I think its personal choice, I gave up 10 years completley to my family, did the stay at home wife / homeschooling mom thing but wanted more, now I will not stop until I have a degree and make something of myself...

that's great you want more, but why is it a lot of women don't think they've "made something of themselves" unless they are MORE than a mother?? ( not trying to argue, just a question)

Being a mother is not an accomplishment, thats just biology! If "being a mother" is enough for a woman, then "being a father" should be enough for a guy, too. I definitely don't see having kids as an accomplishment. And I don't agree with women who set that as their only goal.

Congrats and good luck with that last jump!!

Thanks, guys! I think I definitely need to play with my flare more to find the right technique. Hopefully I will be standing them up soon!

Jigs,
Hang in there!
I struggled in my AFP levels. Believe me, I know the frustration! But also believe me in this -- it will help you SO MUCH if you stop pressuring yourself!! I was just like you, I would forget the dive plan because I was concentrating too hard on one thing. I also had trouble with turns (to the right, in my case). When I finally relaxed, I did so much better. One big way to help relax is to LOOK and SMILE at your instructor. It really helps! Plant a big, huge smile on your face. Then once you get out the door, let out a huge breath, relax your arms & legs and let the wind blow you into a beautiful arch.

Like someone else said, learning isn't easy! And you only get about 40 seconds to try! But when you de-brief, please, please, try not to beat yourself up too much if you don't pass!! That will just make your next jump worse. Just enjoy the skydive!! Like someone else said -- you jumped, you pulled, you landed. Thats a successful skydive!! Think how cool it is that you are up there in the sky, soaring with the birds! Be proud of yourself for getting yourself up there and out the door! (Thats more than the majority of the population will ever do!)

One more thing -- what kept me going when it was tough was that I KNEW there would come a time when it would be fun. I knew that because my 2nd tandem was a complete blast. I wasn't nervous, I was totally aware and I had the time of my life. I did AFP cuz I wanted to feel like that over and over again. So when I was struggling, I just thought back to that tandem and how wonderful it felt. I hope you have a jump like that that you can think of. For me, it definitely DID become fun. Right after I started relaxing.

Good luck!
Oh, one more thing -- PLF is your friend! Just like with freefall, landing takes practice. While you are learning, it is easy to hurt yourself. But if you PLF you're much more likely to walk away. I had a nasty landing on level 8 in which I tore my knee. I didn't PLF that one. Months later I landed on the runway and in a bean field. Both of those I walked away from without even a scratch because I PLF'd. Ask your instructors how to do it if they haven't shown you. It works!! I hope your tailbone is okay.

Thanks for the info. Ya, I always have bruises on my upper arms (right near the shoulder) and on my thighs. All my openings are VERY fast, and some spank me pretty good. My neck is usually sore. Tried a bunch of different packing techniques and packers, no change. Decided to go with the bigger slider. Hopefully it helps!

Ya, I do miss the flare of the Sabre2! But I intend on keeping this canopy awhile so hopefully I'll figure this one out eventually. Did you find that your best flare on the PD is the same height as you start on the Sabre2, or a little lower? I know I usually held the "1" on the Sabre2, so I may be starting this one too early. Thanks!

Well hopefully the slider helps. Thats good it doesn't happen to you. When I read the reviews of the PD I didn't see anything about it opening hard.

Ya, maybe its the way I'm flaring. I used to do a 1-2-3, and I got incredible lift with the 1. I'd hold that for a sec and then set myself down nice and soft with the 2-3. On this one, I was told to just punch it all the way down, so thats what I do. But I don't feel the lift like I used to, and I also seem to have more forward speed. I haven't stood any up under this one, I always slide it in. One problem is nobody at my dz (that I know of) has F-111, so I can't watch them or get tips from them on how to do it.

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Then I was wondering if it was F-111 vs. ZP. Maybe it is this canopy.

I havent jumped a lot of zp canopies, because I like my f111 , but I have found a huge difference in them against the wind. The other thing I find is if I jump in winds over 20mph I land going backwards so now I ground myself in anything over 18mph

I jumped a Sabre2 190 all thru student training, so thats why I bought a 190. I never noticed a problem getting penetration into the wind with the Sabre2 like I do with mine. I also got a much better flare on that one. (Which I knew would happen switching to F-111) One other thing I didn't know -- my PD-190 has given me slammer openings every time. I just had a bigger slider made, but haven't tried it yet. I'm just wondering if those of you who have the F-111 PD canopies have slammers as well? (BTW, mine is nearly new with only 70-ish jumps on it)

I want to love my canopy, but its hard with the slammer openings, no penetration, and poor flare power.

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I liked living on the northside (almost northwest) but I like my little house in a near western burb. Not quite as "white picket fence" as you describe, but my house does look like most of the other bungalows on the block!

Well thats great if U like it.

Actually, I don't live on the north side! I live in the South Loop. Some of the neighborhoods up there are nice, but it can be too crowded and it is too far away for me. I like being a couple blocks from the center of the L (not just 1 line), and one block from Grant Park. )

Oh, and in the middle of winter I only have to walk 2 blocks to Jewel to pick up something.

But, yes, there are some compromises, and its not for everybody.

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OK then, move to the suburbs!

I've never understood the desire to live in such a crowded area that has no room for privacy or my car!

I like having everything I need right outside my door. I like having a 10 minute walk home instead of an hour drive. I like walking everywhere, it keeps me energized. I like riding trains. I love soaking up the view at night from my balcony.

I've never understood the desire to live in a cookie-cutter house right next door to an identical one, in a location where you have to drive 20 minutes to get to anything, where everything has to be "family friendly" cuz the place is crawling with kids, where my neighbors look just like me, and where I have to spend some of my free time mowing grass.

J/K. Diff stokes for diff folks, I guess. But for me, there are very few times I want to own a car. Most of the times a rental does just fine. And the times it doesn't are definitely not enough to make me buy one or move to the burbs!

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I just looked at your profile and see you jump a pd 190 lightly loaded.
Well so do I, and if I open downwind of the target in any thing over 10 mph I am landing off. I find I have hardly any drive into the wind no matter what I do, If I have enough altitude front risers will get me some forward speed but at the cost of height and can mean one long final from opening to landing.
I usually land off in this situation if I see a big safe area

Wow! Glad to hear its not necessarily all me. Ppl look at me like I'm crazy when I talk about landing off in 13mph winds, but if I'm downwind it could easily happen!! I was wondering if my canopy was too big for me, but I know others at my WL who don't seem to have as much of a problem. Then I was wondering if it was F-111 vs. ZP. Maybe it is this canopy. Oh well. Guess I just need to keep flying it to learn how far I can actually go into the wind under it. (Hopefully I won't find myself downwind too often. )

Ok. I think I have bumpers, but I'm not sure. I'll check next time. So I guess if it doesn't come down easily over them, it ain't gonna happen. Thanks.

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Ya, I have seen that book, I might have to check it out. (I heard that Brian is pretty "deep" though. I guess it was still helpful info for you though, huh?)

Yes, read his book--it's extremely helpful for all skydivers, no matter what level they're at! Andy and I have a couple extra copies, and soarfree should have one from the course, too. LOL about Brian being "deep." He's zen, that's for sure. You remember meeting and talking with him during Spring Expo, right?

_Pm

LOL, yep, I sure do!

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Yay for you!!

Hell yes!!! Im dumping my rig off next week for cypres maint and repack, she should be back and ready to go about the same time Im ready to go back up in the sky!!!!

And this time I can take you guys up instead of couch coaching.....

Well U were a wonderful couch coach! But I'd love to jump with ya and let U show us how its done!

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About all you can do is try to make your canopy a bit more efficient, and you can do that by killing your slider and pulling it behind you, sitting farther back in the saddle and pulling your legs up, and loosening your chest strap. This won't change your airspeed much but will change your L/D, so your horizontal component (i.e. speed towards the DZ) will increase a bit.

Ok, I have another question. I have heard people talk about putting the slider "behind your head", like you mentioned. I do stow my slider, but I don't think it can come down far enough to go behind my head. When I stow it, it is above my head, and thats where it stays. Maybe my risers are longer than everybody else's? Should I pull it over the risers? (Is that possible?)

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then buy a car.

tis a great day for jumping, but instead i'm stuck at work

You wanna pay the $45,000 it'll cost for me to park it??

Well at least I'm not the only one stuck at work today!

Yay for you!!

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BTW, I'm just curious what type of "search and rescue" she could do in the air. What exactly is she trained to do?

The S&R isn't in the air. The skydiving portion is a quick way to get the team into a remote or difficult location. Once the dog is on the ground it is released to begin its work.I would bet that skydiving is the ultimate car window for a dog!

Oh, I see! Thats so cool! Cara rocks!! (And Mike, too, for going with her. )

Ok, one more question -- so the high altitude jump she did was just for record setting purposes? Would she ever be called upon to do a jump like that for S&R?

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Note that if you let the brakes up quickly and go back into full drive your canopy will surge towards the ground momentarily as it picks up speed. If you do this too low you could seriously injure yourself.

Watch some tandems land and you may well will see them doing this, although they will do it at a hight which allows them to land safely.... you won't be nearly so accurate without the 1000's of jumps most tandem masters have. It will illustrate for you though how the canopy (even a big ass canopy) will surge towards the ground when you let up on the breaks quickly.

Just something to think about incase you were going to be in breaks low to the ground.

Yup, thanks, defintely will not do it too low. One of my instructors told me to start the breaks at like 300ft, and let up around 50ft. I was thinking that seemed kind of low if my canopy does surge forward. I will watch the tandems to see if they are in breaks when they come in.

Ya, I have seen that book, I might have to check it out. (I heard that Brian is pretty "deep" though. I guess it was still helpful info for you though, huh?)

Yup, someone told me to try lifting my legs to get going faster forward, I'm gonna try that. I think I will try going to half brakes on final, too, to test the overshooting thing. (But I think I will pull up before flaring since I don't get a very powerful flare anyway.)

Thanks, guys!

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As for being far downwind, that sounds like a spotting problem. You should never exit too far downwind to make it back. Either the winds are too strong (solution: take the spot further upwind), or you are exiting too soon (solution: take the spot further upwind).

Or, as I see time and time again, you have over shot the landing area and can't get back to it. This means on windy days you may need to start your turns to the crosswind and final leg of your landing pattern earlier than you think. Otherwise, by the time you have completed your turn you will be further down wind of the landing area than expected.

Yep, done that. But sometimes I am just a bit downwind on opening. But when I turn to get upwind, I am barely moving forward. I start to sink and then I'm afraid I'm not going to get upwind far enough to do my pattern. Like just last weekend, I was at the downwind end of the landing area (I opened in that area). I saw everybody else flying upwind, they zipped right over there. So then I tried to go that way, but I was barely moving. It took me from above 2 grand till 800 ft to get over to where I wanted to start my pattern. (Basically just across the field) So I was wondering if I tried to fly in half brakes for this problem, if it would help. But it sounds like since I am flying upwind, it wouldn't.

I'm just not sure if I am too light under my canopy, or I'm doing something wrong. I definitely move a lot slower than everybody else, especially facing into the wind.

Anybody? I'll buy your gas! Man, its days like these I wish I had a car!

Ah okay, thanks! That makes more sense. So I should only do that on the long spot if I'm upwind, good to know. (Unfortunately I usually find myself DOWNWIND and far away. )

So for the braked approach, do I let up at some point to do a full flare? or do I just stay in half brakes and then pull them the rest of the way down for touch down?