Emel

After almost 4 months of hard work, and yes for me it was hard work, I finally got my A license this weekend. Thanks to all the great people who helped me along the way and a special thanks to all of you at Blue Sky Adventures for a great graduating weekend. I am glad I got to share it with all of you. Hope you enjoy the beer. Thanks again Kevin for being patient and encouraging through all my down moments. You have taught me alot. Now comes the fun part.

I saw Phantom of the Opera on Broadway in New York last year and feel in love with it. I have also seen the movie, which of course didn't have the energy of being at a live show, but I still thought it was impressive and very well done. Life is best lived one jump at a time.

Thanks. Level 7 was my favorite jump. It rocks!!!! Good luck. Life is best lived one jump at a time.

My AFF has been a trip and then some. I started with tandem progression. The tandem jumps were of course good but when it came to my first solo Level 4 I had a major spin problem. We are talking 19 spins that you can count on video from one jump alone. : ) So for about um...8 jumps I did nothing but try to fix my spinning to no avail. After jump 11, I changed instructors (and dropzones). My "new" instructor spent a lot of time on the ground correctly training me and after 2 jumps my spin was fixed. And I could hold a heading and turn. Last week, I got the opportunity to go to Deland, FL and jump the Porter and the Otter. Both planes rock and so do the staff. It was great. This weekend I passed Level 5, 6, and 7 with no problems at my home DZ (Monroe). Today I got to jump my first jump off student status at ASC. A little windy and very cold (21F on the ground) but it was worth it. I want to thank my instructor, Kevin for all the hard work and time that he put into correcting and retraining me, not only with my physical body position but also with the mental visualation. Through all my quirks and problems he never once lost patience with me or thought I was hopeless. His encouragement got me through several tough times. I am now looking forward to taking advantage of even more of his knowledge and experience as he works as my coach. Whether he is or not might be a different story. Thanks for everything, Bat Boy. You'll always be my Instructor of the Galaxy. Life is best lived one jump at a time.

It worked out good. The first weekend of the year and I had a bunch of firsts. -a new DZ, first time away from where I first jumped. -a new rig. I went from 220 with a ripcord to a 175 with a pilot chute. I love it. -a new plane-Beech 19. Only thing I have ever exited from is a 182. I love the ride and the exit. So much faster than what I am used to. -4 jumps in one weekend as opposed to 2 being my previous max jumps in a weekend -2 stand up landings with new canopy -stable in FF with no unintentional turns or spins (that's improvement for me) -meet a lot of great new friends -saw my first pie experience...poor guy! -first ride down from intended jump altitude-too cloudy JM wouldn't let me exit-not happy but pilot gave me a great ride down-Thanks Jeff. It was probably the best skydiving weekend I have ever had. It's going to be a great year!!!! Life is best lived one jump at a time.

If I drive fast enough to go to jail, about an hour and 15 minutes. If I drive like a sane person, about an hour and 45 minutes (although I don't think I have ever done that). Life is best lived one jump at a time.

Too cloudy to jump on Saturday....Did get to watch the reserves being packed though. That was informative. One jump on Sunday;Level 5 and guess what? Bad exit bad arch. I failed. Yep sucked. Now I have the entire week until I can jump again. Life is best lived one jump at a time.

I like my pizza a little different. I order it normal with whatever toppings I am in the mood for and then I take off all the toppings AND cheese which leaves me with the crust and sauce flavored from the cheese and toppings. And no it isn't the same as eating bread sticks! Plus I have to have ranch dressing to dip it in.

The other day I was looking through some old posts and came across one with an attachment of xrays and photos of a guy who had broken his tibia and fibula. There were several photos most of which showed a terrible blister. I have done a forum search and can't find them again. I am sorry to say that I don't remember the guys name. Does anyone know where I can find those photos again? Life is best lived one jump at a time.

My first TM was Sandor from the Georgia Skydiving Center in Rome, GA. He is amazing. I am completely confident in him and his ability. My TM through my tandem progression was/is Kevin from Rome, GA as well. He's awesome. I am sure he has permanent marks in his leg from my first solo. I kind of got a little nervous on the plane. Oh and he put with up my endless questions and repeating everything he said to make sure that I understood. He's so patient. And it's a good thing cause I am still his student.

Hi. I did the tandem progression. I did my 3 tandems and then my first solo was last Sunday. In all honestly I didn't really notice that big of a difference without the drogue. For me the freefall part was the easiest, landing in the right spot is my weakness. Life is best lived one jump at a time.

Welcome. I just started jumping a few weeks ago and haven't had any really cold weather (I live in the south). But I am so dreading that first freezing jump. I am a sissy when it comes to being cold. Good luck on adjusting to the weather and on your AFF in the spring. Life is best lived one jump at a time.

I will definitely talk with my instructors this weekend but I needed some peace of mind before then. I wasn't that concerned right after the jump but the more time that goes by the more worried I am. I just jumped Sunday so it's only been like 3 days. At the rate I was going I would have been tied in a knot by the weekend. Thanks for all the advice. I feel better. Life is best lived one jump at a time.

This is a very beginner question. I jumped my level 4 Tandem progression which was my first solo on Sunday. My biggest concern was landing the canopy in the right area. I know that I always want to be upwind from the DZ; that I cover more ground with the wind than sideways or against it. But I am so scared that I am going to end up down wind from the DZ. When I pull and my canopy inflates, I am so afraid that I am going to just fly off.... It's so high up apparantly I can't judge the distance. I swear I thought I was just going to fly off and end up another state. My JM some how got me back to the DZ by radio but I couldn't have done it myself. I need some advice on figuring out where I am going to land and not straying too far to get back there. I have seen and I think I understand the landing pattern but something just isn't clicking in my head. I am hoping that there is something somebody can say that will make my concerns go away. I will definitely be discussing this in more detail with my JM so don't worry about that. I just wanted some other input in hopes it will all become clear. Thanks. Life is best lived one jump at a time.

I should be seeing Sandor tomorrow. I will tell him. Thanks for the info. Once I get out of "student" status I plan on visiting the farm. I have heard a lot of great things about it. did u make it out to Rome?? how did it go? Hey luckky. Yeah I made it Rome yesterday and today. I did my Level 3 Tandem Progression yesterday and my Level 4 which is my first solo jump today. It was awesome. I told Sandor that you and p-nut said hey. He told me about the proposal. I must say that was creative and unique. Very cool. Congrats! Life is best lived one jump at a time.