Jeth

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.

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!

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. ) "At 13,000 feet nothing else matters." PFRX!!!!! Team Funnel #174, Sunshine kisspass #109 My Jump Site

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.

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!

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! "At 13,000 feet nothing else matters." PFRX!!!!! Team Funnel #174, Sunshine kisspass #109 My Jump Site

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?) "At 13,000 feet nothing else matters." PFRX!!!!! Team Funnel #174, Sunshine kisspass #109 My Jump Site

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! "At 13,000 feet nothing else matters." PFRX!!!!! Team Funnel #174, Sunshine kisspass #109 My Jump Site

Yay for you!!

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.

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. "At 13,000 feet nothing else matters." PFRX!!!!! Team Funnel #174, Sunshine kisspass #109 My Jump Site

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!

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. "At 13,000 feet nothing else matters." PFRX!!!!! Team Funnel #174, Sunshine kisspass #109 My Jump Site

Anybody? I'll buy your gas! Man, its days like these I wish I had a car! "At 13,000 feet nothing else matters." PFRX!!!!! Team Funnel #174, Sunshine kisspass #109 My Jump Site

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? "At 13,000 feet nothing else matters." PFRX!!!!! Team Funnel #174, Sunshine kisspass #109 My Jump Site

Ok, I'm confused. Does going to half brakes make your forward speed slower, or your descent rate slower? I have heard to go to half brakes to "hang out" up high to let traffic clear. I was also told to do a "braked approach" if I'm going to overshoot my target. And I have heard going to half brakes if you are trying to get back from a long spot. But if brakes are slowing my forward speed (as would make sense for the overshooting example) why would that help me get back from a long spot? Wouldn't that make it worse? Or if it is actually slowing my descent rate, then how will that help with the overshooting? In that case, I think I'd want to get down faster, so as to not go past my target. So which is it? Thanks.

LOL, she has more than me! But thats okay, that is one cool pooch! Congrats!!

I need a ride! The weather is looking great, I wanna jump! "At 13,000 feet nothing else matters." PFRX!!!!! Team Funnel #174, Sunshine kisspass #109 My Jump Site

Amen! I do not understand my friends who wear clothes that show off their worst features! Why would you do that??!?! "At 13,000 feet nothing else matters." PFRX!!!!! Team Funnel #174, Sunshine kisspass #109 My Jump Site

Great to meet you, Mike!!

Yea!! You rock!! Sorry I missed all the fun. It was too fucking hot for me yesterday. "At 13,000 feet nothing else matters." PFRX!!!!! Team Funnel #174, Sunshine kisspass #109 My Jump Site

I did AFP (15 levels) and I had to redo levels 4, 8 and 10. But I agree with Andy9o8 that students are way too concerned about failing. I put sooooo much pressure on myself, it made it 100x worse! Once I started relaxing and just HAVING FUN, I did great and cranked thru 5 levels in 1 day. And to the comment about repeating 9th grade -- Ok, 9th grade is 9 months long. On a student skydive you are trying a skill for the first time and you have about 30 seconds to get it right. Thats not exactly the same thing! When you were learning how to ride a bike, did you have it all figured out after 30 seconds? I doubt it. It takes time to learn! Don't sweat the repeats!

Well then I think you need to jump with me! Of course, I will probably screw up whatever it is we're trying to do, but I'll have fun trying! Done! Be at SDC the weekend of July 30th. I'm hoping to make it down on Friday to jump some since I always have to leave early for work on Sunday. We'll get in a few 2 ways and when you're comfortable work up in numbers. Awww bummer! I'm out of town that weekend! But I'll be there August 7th! You're on for those 2-ways next time I see ya!

Yup, I agree. There are a million ways to die, and it IS something to die doing something you love doing. Too bad she can't appreciate how much her brother loved the sport. Interesting that this was the follow-up. I had heard that they were re-doing the article because they mis-quoted that CSC had never had a fatality. "At 13,000 feet nothing else matters." PFRX!!!!! Team Funnel #174, Sunshine kisspass #109 My Jump Site