crotalus01

You might want to call the airline and ask what their policy is. Most of the issues I have heard of are from TSA and not the airline...

Well, if theres nothing you can do to make the DZ just pick a clear spot (preferably near a road - watch for powerlines) and land out. It shouldnt be a big deal. I have landed over 5 miles out a few times doing CRW...

Kolchak: The Night Stalker
Streets of San Francisco
Quincy, ME
Hawaii 5-0
Barnaby Jones
Barney Miller
Welcome Back Kotter
3s Company
Soap
Taxi
Cliffhanger
The Darkroom
Manimal

7th Voyage of Sinbad
Inframan
Grease
Love at First Bite
Star Wars
Tourist Trap
The Shining
Alien
Star Trek The Motion Picture
Dr. Syn, Alias the Scarecrow
ALL at the drive in! Well, I saw Star Wars in the theater as well (8 times total)
Hell, for that matter I remember when LimeLight was the only movie channel on cable (forerunner to HBO)...

Stuntmen used to do it all the time in the 20s and 30s (even up to the 80s in some countries) - well not freefall of course, but all the fall stunts back then were done into boxes, and the did some pretty damn big falls. I believe there was one done in Russia in the mid-80s that was close to 1800'. The guy walked away from it...

Be sure and get a briefing from the pilot as well. All the helicopter jumps I have done (all 5 of them) we were told to approach from the front, and not to push off when leaving. I have never done a "big" chopper so be sure and get that pilot briefing!

For my first 50ish jumps I would get very unnerved looking at my risers under canopy - I would always think to myself, "Damn thats a tiny little piece of white loop holding this whole thing together..."

When that video came out I saw a couple of guys that used to jump rounds make the comment that if the parachute had had time to squid then he would not have walked away from that. Apparently he ejected at literally the perfect altitude to survive.

She said recent video, and that its not online. The video you posted has been around for a while and is definitely online.....

From what I can tell GM and non-GM dropzones pretty much operate the same - but the non-GM dropzones are not violating any pledges made to the USPA like many of the GM dropzones are.
Slyride excluded of course.

A taxi from Aqaba to Wadi Rum will only run you about JD40. I paid JD80 for round trip taxi from Aqaba to Petra and back in 08...
Any word on jump tix prices?

Yes, the DZ pays the coach slot, so the student pays their slot and the coach jumps for free, All coach jumps are free until the student has their A license.

Thats a slippery slope (much as I hate that term) - I have already encountered a DZ that banned CRW due to a double fatality a couple of years ago. Where do you draw the line?

My apologies Pops and Chris - I realize that many DZs have a program where new jumpers have to pay for coach jumps between off student status and getting their A - and I think that sucks. My home DZ has a program that provides free coach jumps to all our students that are cleared for self supervision up until they get their A license.
That was why I said not all coach jumps are paid coach jumps, plenty of places that have up jumpers willing to jump with newbies for free - just depends on your DZ...

Not to be insulting, but quit being a wimp! Ask some others to jump with you!

Coach jumps do not mean PAID coach jumps...plenty of places where coach jumps are free....

Airlocks make the canopy higher performance by making the wing more rigid, so that may be something to consider...plus almost all airlocked cnopies are fully elliptical.

Personally I think the most spectator friendly area of skydiving is swooping, and lets face it - there would eventually be a fatality, on world wide television. I think that is one of the biggest strikes against skydiving getting into the Olympics.

Most of my jumps have been from a King Air, and I don't get that feeling at all. I do notice it a little when going from a slower flying airplane like a 182, 195 or 206. In fact it surprised me when I did a 206 jump - I even commented on it to one of the guys who was a regular at that DZ, and he said Yeah our pilot really flies the exit slow.
Familiarity (or lack of) has nothing to do with it IMO.
King Air (170 jumps) - no.
Twin Otter (5 jumps) - no.
C182 (3 jumps) - a little
C195 (38 jumps) - not really
C206 (1 jump) yes
Biplane (1 jump) no
Skyvan (3 jumps) no
helicopter (3 jumps) obviously

I was under the impression that a stall had to do with the AOA, not whether the wing was rigid or not
If airlocks dont work perhaps you could explain to me why my Vengeance always looked like an air mattress laying on the ground after I landed...

It was funny at first, and had some good points on both sides - now it is just distraction

As stated, thats what I was told....I never claimed it to be God's truth.

I have a Vengeance and the openings are interesting to say the least. Always soft and always a radical dive to the left or right, depending on which side inflates first...I have been told this is a result of the airlocks, although I really dont have enough experience to say if it is true or not....

Fair enough - just be aware that doing nothing but solos will get boring quickly. As for not fitting in, give it a chance! Skydivers come from all walks of life - rich, poor, atheists, ultra-religious, shy, outgoing etc.
And just FYI, if you are ever in Memphis TN come out to West Tennessee Skydiving - Mike Mullins (our DZO/pilot) does a parabolic at the top of every jump run to help us stand up. Of course it lasts nowhere as long as the Vomit Comet but you do get to go weightless for a couple of seconds. Pretty cool....

Euthanasia = murder. Self euthanasia = suicide. My opinion. As to the morality (or lack of), I chose not to judge - I am not in that person's shoes, and honestly I do not want to be.
Again, my opinion - I know life is complicated. I simply chose to live my life according to my beliefs, which would not allow me either option regardless of the circumstances (note - I do not consider DNR and life support decisions to be either, as in both cases you would be kept alive through artificial means).
Flame away....
Edit to add I do find it odd that as a society we consider euthanasia for animals acceptable (for a variety of reasons including being "unwanted" or for shelter overcrowding) but euthanasia for humans is extremely taboo for most people. I suppose it may have to do with the common belief in a human soul? Anyways, if you want to really complicate things, I am very much pro-death penalty