chicagoskydiver

LOL Slappie! Looks like we got our Friday funnies a day early! Hackey

Yep, you still have that killer arch! I swear you must have footprints on the back of your helmet! I agree that you should be great freefly material. congrats! Hackey

They have boobs? Well, not all women do so even that we don't know for sure, but at least we can usually tell if they do or not by looking. Hackey

I had a persistent right turn which caused me to have to repeat my AFP level four twice. This is what stopped it...LEGS OUT!!! I mean OUT! And relax, arch at the hips, you'll be fine. Been there, done that, wanted to quit because of it. Once you get it, you won't spin ever again, or at least you shouldn't. Hackey

I think it's second down...sixth from the left. On second thought, I have to agree with bottom row eighth from the left. Hackey

You can download the A license proficiency card from the USPA website at uspa.org or get one from your JM. Once all the requirements on that card are met and signed off on, your S&TA will stamp it with the official USPA A license stamp and that becomes your temporary A license until you get your official number from USPA. Note: you need to have adobe acrobat to download forms and docs from the uspa website. If you don't have it, you can download it for free. I think there is a link on the uspa site for that. You can also download the SIM there for free. Hackey

My daughter refers to the dance music I listen to as "old school" and she hates rock n roll. Rock n roll is old fogey music? UUGHHH!!!!! Hackey

I was in the AFP program at Skydive Chicago, and at that time they had saphires in their student rigs. A saphire is an ultra high performance canopy, IMO. They had me jumping a saphire 210 loaded at about 1.1, and I broke my ankle on my 15th jump (12th under my own canopy). I now use a PD 230, and stand up most of my landings. I tried a silhouette 210 and loved it. I'm still a low timer (54 jumps) but I'll tell you, for all you students out there, I learned the hard way, stick to a more docile canopy and learn to fly it with authority before going to something more demanding. As an aside, SDC is now using sabre 2 canopies in their student rigs, which is nice for an experienced jumper but students don't have any business using them. I jumped one and I felt it was a little too zippy for me at this point, but I look forward to buying one when the time is right. Hackey

Whenever one of my whuffo coworkers asks about how long I have before I have to pull my ripcord, I tell them that first of all, I don't use a rip cord, it's something called a throw out pilot cute, and from the time I jump I have the rest of my life to use it. No matter how many times I tell them I don't use rip cords they still refer to pull time as "pulling the cord". Hackey

Did you say rip cord? I didn't know anyone used those anymore except on tandem rigs and reserves. Am I wrong about this? Personally, except on my tandems, I've never pulled a rip cord. Hackey

It's really cool...I did a jump last January on a sunset load...got it on video...made for an awesome video with the sun just above the horizon and the ground covered with snow! Just be sure to wear layers under your jumpsuit, liners under your gloves, and a full face helmet. Also bear in mind that your canopy will fly a little differently because of the cold air. Hackey

Not to take anything away from the Astros, but sweeping the pirates isn't much to brag about, especially for a team like the Astros playing at home. It's how they do against tougher competition that's going to dictate where they end up. If you go to Skydive Spaceland, look up my good friend and mentor Kris Bagwell. He just started there as DZ general manager. He's an awesome guy to get to know for advice. Tell him Hackey said hi. Hackey

Since I am a Chicago northsider, I'm definitely a Cubs fan. The NL Central is definitely the most competitive, IMO. The Cardinals and Astros are hot, and the Cubs bullpen has been disappointing lately. All the Cubs need to do is get that bullpen back on track and then look out! The offense has picked up since they acquired Fred McGriff. The Cubs can't afford to lose any games with the likes of the Cardinals and the Astros in their division. This race is going to be interesting. Hackey

Make sure you buy your beer and let your jumpmaster know you already bought it before you jump. He'll be less likely to fail you then. Hackey

I know what you mean bbbilly14 - I damn near landed in the river once at skydive chicago...landed in a tree instead. Hackey

I think I'm going to leave my values at the front desk and take advantage of the chambermaid! Hackey

That is INSANE!!! Maybe the govt should invest in some camo colored tandem rigs. That would be pretty sweet. Less injuries and more maneuverability. I know, but more money too. How much would they save in medical?? Probably not enough to justify it, but I bet the paratroopers would agree with it! The military could never use sport parachutes. They want to get down to the ground as fast as possible. I was in the army, and the military trains for combat. The last thing you want when you're being shot at is to be floating around in the air. Hackey

Canada invading the U.S.? I must have been absent the day they brought that up in history class.....or maybe it happened on the TV show "South Park"? Hackey

1. You can have a woman president without electing her > 2. You can spell colour wrong and get away with it > 3. You can call Budweiser beer > 4. You can be a crook and still be president > 5. If you've got enough money you can get elected to do anything > 6. If you can breathe you can get a gun > 7. You get to be really obese > 8. You can play golf in the most hideous clothes ever made and nobody seems > to care. > 9. You get to call everyone you've never met "buddy" > 10. You can think you're the greatest nation on earth. > 10a. When you're not. > 10b. At all." You forgot one.....Being able to tell the rest of the world to fuck off cause we have the finest military in the world. How about this one.... Being expected by the rest of the world to be the world's police force, at taxpayer expense, and then being hated for doing it. Do nothing, and get criticized. Do something, and someone always gets pissed off. It's a no win situation. Hackey

Holy shit that is one hell of an arch! You must have foot prints on the back of your helmet! I saw a good article on how to do a good "relaxed" arch which is ideal for RW...I think it was in the last issue of Skydiving Magazine. Hackey

I really agree with Jessica.....experiment with the canopy up high and get comfortable flying in deep brakes. Take note of how the canopy reacts and how far you have to pull the toggles down to get the canopy flying at the minimum speed. Do practice landing flairs on EVERY jump - above 1,000 feet of course. This helped me tremendously. I stand up almost all my landings now. When I was a student at Skydive Chicago, they used to call me ditch digger because of my landings. So there you go. Also, you may want to get the "Fly Like a Pro" video, it has a lot of good stuff in it. Hackey

This is going to sound like a dumb question, but I still don't know what a horny gorilla is. I've seen a mister bill attempt, but never a horny gorilla. What is it? Hackey

When I'm gearing up, I always fasten my chest strap first, by habit, and LOOK at it to ensure proper routing and PULL on it to ensure proper tension. Don't be talking to anyone while you're gearing up, that's no time to be distracted. There'll be plenty of time for chit chat on the plane. This is BASIC stuff and it must be done right every time! Hackey

It seems that almost everyone at my dz (Skydive Illinois) has a javelin container and some type of PD canopy. Hackey

I don't even use credit cards except for one gas station card I pay off every month. Every dime I've spent on skydiving has been cash. Hackey