exnavykds

What is it about clouds that seem to make shots more interesting? Is it that they add perspective? Depth? Contrast? -Kevin

Yeah I'm serious. LOL In hindsight, it wasn't the best of DZ's for a student. I survived, learned a lot, and now I jump elsewhere.

Yes, he rolled in late Sat afternoon. Wouldn't be a proper boogie without Spanky! -Kevin

"Younger" is a relative term when you're on a POPS load. LOL I'd think it's safe to say I was the least experienced on the jump (if not the youngest at age 43?). To me, just being a part of the 9-way was awesome! Judy is right, I learned a LOT and had a blast doing it! You'll never jump with a nicer bunch of people - thousands of jumps and years and years of experience between them and not a "sky-god" in the lot. Thanks Judy and everyone else who allowed me to be a part of the record attempt. Now I have a year to practice before we shatter the record in '07! -Kevin

Beth, you have a remarkable way with words!

Great point! I had my first reserve ride on my last jump as a student. The DZ had old rigs, still fitted with leg-pulls. I completed a two-way, turned and tracked off, went to pull - the pilot chute would NOT come out. Gave it everything I had on the second try and the thing wouldn't budge. Went for the reserve handle and missed it the first time (wearing the WRONG kind of gloves). At this point my mind's eye is seeing the ground rushing up to meet me. LOL Second try I got the reserve open, only to have line twists all the way to the canopy... got the line twists cleared at about 1000ft, just enough time to clear a peach orchard and a fence before landing in a pasture. The DZO showed up in his car and the first thing he asked me, "Where's my bloody handle?!" LOL Seems in my haste to live I'd dropped his reserve handle - gladly paid the $65 he demanded to replace it. Point is... I could have looked at it one of two ways, either let it spook me into not jumping anymore, or tell myself that I just proved I could handle a crisis (albeit a small one) and gain confidence from it. I chose the latter! -Kevin

Steve, would be great if you can make it! Spanky said he may come by as well - we need at least ten POPS people, would be even nicer to have 13! - Kevin

Steve, amazing shots! The colors just jump out at you.

John demonstrates his new "Crotch Cam"

It's the most comfortable rig I've ever worn. It's design and layout makes it easy to pack and maintain. Outstanding craftsmanship, kudos to the design team at Mirage!

This was the first canopy I've purchased and I am VERY pleased with the way it handles. It's responsive to light toggle pressure yet very forgiving on landings. In cases where I've flared just a tad late I can punch the brakes and get enough lift to land softly and on my feet. Overall it's an awesome all-around canopy!

As a low-time sky rookie jumper (B-license) I have to say that they treated me like I'd been jumping there all my life. Wonderful, helpful staff that knows how to give advice without making you feel like an idiot. For Oklahoma dropzones, it's the furthest from my home but its well worth the few extra miles. Lift tickets are reasonable and I never had a problem getting on a load or finding someone willing to practice RW with. The only negatives I noticed were that part of the landing area had been plowed (airport construction) but the grass will grow back soon, and they currently don't have any packers on staff but they're looking to fix that too. Overall, I give it an A+.

Okay, rookie question... I'm planning a group dive with all my best jump buddies for my 100th jump. We're getting it all lined up, Twin Otter, 8 to 12 way formation, video, stills... Would like to hear recommendations for the BEST music for the video. I'm told Disturbed's "Down With The Sickness" works well. Any other suggestions??? (Thanks in advance!) -Kevin

I agree, and that's pretty much what happened here. The issues here, at least the ones I wittnessed, really only affected the students and not the licensed jumpers with their own equipment. As Jordan pointed out, first jump students generally don't read the SIM, don't know the difference between a Cypres AAD and a Sentinel AAD, and don't know the hazards of wingloading a reserve at 1.38:1. Maybe I was wrong, but I felt someone needed to speak up for the students. Nobody, including myself, wants to see the DZ shut down. We just want to see it made a little safer.

Hey, I warned you ahead of time that it was a bad analogy! LOL