algboy

Already sent you a PM, BB--but to all I say sorry if I sounded a bit petulant, but I was hoping to tunnel fly with AZTC on my B-day (yesterday) and made alternate plans when I didn't hear back. `S'all good, though. The tunnel is open, I'm another year older and will be jumping/tunnel flying very soon. Can't wait!!!

Am I missing something? I can't find anything about "special rates". Where do you see this? Is everyone at Skydive AZ just now coming back from Rantoul? I sent an Email to the peeps at AZTC like 2 weeks ago and have yet hear anything. Would I be better off trying to work with AZ Airspeed for tunnel coaching? “Keep your elbow up!"

DAMN!! I remember seeing him on the canopy piloting video I bought several years ago. Seemed like a real character--DAMN! Blue skies, Gus!!

I'm with you on this one. I haven't been in this sport long enough to have lost anyone near and dear--yet--but I support the spirit of your post. Setting a day or weekend aside is realistic. The problem with a boogie is that it requires everyone to gather at just one DZ. Why not make it universal? A day or two dedicated to the fallen is not asking too much, is it? Let's face it: this is a sport that has killed and will continue to kill lovers of this sport. Why not honor them, jump, party, and toast to their memory. Is this sport getting too PC?? Denial is not just a river. Does everyone want to deny that this sport has taken more than a few of our brethren? Memorial Day is just plain silly. It has nothing to do with or about skydivers. Safety Day doesn't even come close. Yes--we do this voluntarily, but we are a tiny slice of the world's population. Let's celebrate our differences and the loss of those who've died whilst sharing the sky. Others will never know. It needs to be an event for jumpers--by fellow jumpers. I'd be curious to hear from the old-timers. Does this go against the grain of skydiving's roots? Is it standard to just hoist a beer and move on--or does this idea of justaflygirl's have some merit? I think so--but I'm only a pup . . . .

This thread and this forum are about skydiving. Please don't hijack this thread, and please take any conversations of this sort to Speakers Corner. That forum is designed for these topics. Thanks. Oops! Your hypocrisy is showing. Seems to me that this thread was "hijacked" from its inception Other than the fact that the press release mentions Eloy and skydiving, the PR piece--and the follow-up comments--are little more than political cheerleading and DO NOT BELONG on this thread. Let's keep all the pro-war/military cheerleading and the "war on terror" fantasy stuff where it belongs: in the bonfire or speakers corner!

During my AFF/student phase, I must have re-read, highlighted and dog-eared this book to near rags. It helped!! I felt ahead of the curve during my jumps--although it didn't do much to settle my nerves or cure my stiff-as-a-board body position. I knew how to set up my landing patterns, became more familiar with emergency procedures and knew what to expect from my coming jumps. “Keep your elbow up!"

"The important point here is that canopies are not capable of a sideslip because they lack a rudder. You can't fly a canopy with one "wing" low without turning. Roll and yaw are highly coupled" This idea is more "intuitive" than scientific--I have to admit--but what if the jumper leaned into the wind with harness shift and countered with opposite toggle [or vice-versa]?? Could this create a crab? I don't have enough time under canopy to know, though. [When a student pilot, I remember that I could bank into the wind and counter with a bit of opposite rudder to accomplish this] The "not reaching" concept works--for me, at least. [I may have even read it on this BB] Anyway, my one real cross-wind landing went well because I DID resist the urge to "reach out" and held down a little extra upwind toggle during my flare. Just a little side-step when I landed. “Keep your elbow up!"

"ITs doable..but man who would want to I know they actually put out some static line types back in the early 70's.. for grins." Been there--did it. 10/24/76 at Perris, CA. S/L from 3K. JM, Dean Westgaard D-2956 (deceased). Exit form consisted of legs out the door, at "jump" command, pushed with both hands on botton edge of door. Not sure if rear prop was turning on jump run or not. “Keep your elbow up!"

I was hoping so... He seemed to be a good guy - and I felt sorry for him because he was so close in the show to getting it right.... Ditto--I felt for the guy because he seemed upbeat and I also had an early problem w/ slow turns after release. Should've given him another chance -- he would've fixed it. “Keep your elbow up!"

Oh YEAH??? Well check out this Harley D lawnmower my folks bought me for Christmas. Sure, it's a bit more power than I need, but it's a classic and rocks!!!!! (Neighbors are always asking to borrow it) Try getting your typical "rice-burner" to do this! http://mywebpages.comcast.net/mhmyers/skycutter40-1.wmv “Keep your elbow up!"

"I just recently cracked a couple bones in my left ankle on a landing, and they ask me if I plan to jump again after I heal. WHen I tell them "Yes" I get some real stupid looks and comments." My wife broke her ankle a few weeks ago just walking out to our truck. I guess I should just buy her a Hoveround and tell her to pass on that dangerous "walking" she seems to enjoy so much! “Keep your elbow up!"

"A hardwood door could arch better that I did on my early freefalls" Oh yeah--big 10-4 on that. They could have named a new brand of potato chips after my early arch technique “Keep your elbow up!"

Closed mind Closed possibilities. I know that the idea of meditation is a little alien to most people. This has to change if we are to harness the power of the mind. You don't have to explore this part of yourself if it scares you, but what is your fear costing you? Chicken? + I hear you, Brian. Meditation was part of my daily routine a few years ago. Sadly, I've let it slip away--though I plan to return. It helped me transform myself and to release a lot of the negative crap that haunted me for years. I also studied Reiki and achieved master level. It's hard to deal with those who just laugh it off and make cracks about drugs, etc. Like talking to a whuffo. Your books are on my "must have" list. I appreciate your incorporating the mental/spiritual aspect into our sport. Skydiving for me is not just a sport--it's a metaphor for so much of what I seek. It's how I define myself. Jumping for me is not just some shallow "Look at me, I'm so extreme!" compensation-behavior. And just what's so bad about a little self-promo anyway? You've earned it at least and have something to contribute. BSBD “Keep your elbow up!"

lol...I feel better now. Hee hee hee. Did your instructors ever catch up to you, or were you on your own for the whole dive? My reserve side JM stayed with me the whole time, but it took a while for the main side JM to catch up. He had me by 8K. I'd never seen someone in freefall before--so I'm like "Wow! That is so coooool . . . " as he came right at me. I got flipped over and maintained alti awareness (that's all I accomplished on that jump beside a decent landing). I think my instructors were a bit rattled/pissed off at me, but my primary instructor didn't show it during the debrief. He just calmly told me that I'd have to get my body (and rig) out the door better so it wouldn't catch in the rather small doorway of the King Air. I'm 6'1"--200lbs. BTW, I wasn't actually spinning on my early "release dives", but had this annoying slow turn to the left. My decision to counter instead of just being passive must have helped me feel more in control--therefore more relaxed--I've never had a problem with holding heading since. Let's put it this way: I was definately NOT a "natural" at freefall, but I WAS highly motivated--failure was not an option. “Keep your elbow up!"

Really? At what level were you able to regain stability like that? I'm not there yet, but I'm excited thinking about getting to the point where I can continually reposition myself at will. Ya know? ~nerd Just my .02 as well, but I was so broke during my training that I would often go weeks between jumps, so I would practice my arch on the living room floor, rehearse the dive flow in the shower and re-reread Poynter's book (severely dog-eared now). When the jump finally happened I felt like I'd already done it before--deja vu. Bear this in mind, though: I did my AFF 2 out of a King Air. Lost one instructor upon exit, flew back-to-earth for about 5K before getting belly-to-earth at 8K. I had spinning problems until AFF 5 (practiced endlessly on living room floor, was mad and made my mind up that I would NOT accept any spin and would correct with as extreme a counter turn as required) End result it worked! AFF 5 was a breakthrough jump. I still sweated like a death row prisoner on the ride up, but I stayed on heading, turned in both directions and did the entire dive flow. Of course I felt like I was having a heart attack upon deployment. My instructor told me during the de-brief that I didn't appear to be breathing during the entire freefall. DOHHH!!!! “Keep your elbow up!"

My personal feeling is that most skydiving videos look like MTV music videos: jump cuts and very little feel for what the sport really is all about. That's why I think most whuffos don't have a clue about our sport. I wish that more skydiving videos would spend more than five seconds on a scene and show more of the nuts-and-bolts stuff involved in the sport, like: getting geared up, boarding the plane, the ride up, chit-chat on the ride up, pin checks, opening the door, pre-jump anxiety, exits, deployment, being under canopy, turns, what the ground looks like from under canopy, setting up the approach, landing, gathering up the canopy, the post-jump rush, etc. Most vids (that I've seen so far) just seems to focus on a quick exit shot, freefall antics, lots of one-second cuts and annoying music (aren't we so cool). Instead of creating the impression that skydiving is nothing more than an extended Mountain Dew commercial, videographers might want to focus on the things that make this sport so unique, scary and beautiful. But I could be wrong . . . .

"Finally, there are a couple things to do that will improve your performance even if you already land OK. Cross train: mountain bike, run cross country, ski, kayak, drive - anything involving movement and coordination in a rapidly changing environment. Exercise does a lot more than make you stronger; it makes you mentally more agile. The people who land really well seem to be fairly athletic, so maybe there is a connection." The best advice I found in that article. Although there was plenty of good stuff there, too. This quote seems to make a lot of sense. Being used to motion and changing conditions seems to be a great benefit. 3D Awareness, I guess. “Keep your elbow up!"

May I also suggest reading anything that relates to your subject. I've always discovered that one of the fastest ways to get "hip" to one's special interest is to read their rags. Try subscribing to "Skydiving" and "Parachutist" and don't forget to prowl this website and the various forums. If you truly want to get "up to speed"--that's the best way. Unless you have a jumper bud . . . . “Keep your elbow up!"

"Funny you would gripe about our forces not obeying the "rules" of combat but you won't obey the rules against name-calling on the forum..." Medic!! WE need a medic over here!!!! "Throughout the world, on any given day, a man, woman, or child is likely to be displaced, tortured, killed, or 'disappeared', at the hands of governments or armed political groups. More often than not, the United States shares the blame." -- Amnesty International, 1996 Deal! Or do ya'll still believe in the tooth fairy? “Keep your elbow up!"

I won't shed any tear vapor, much less an actual tear, for anything that happens to an Al Qaeda member. "That would be asking me to care about someone who would torture and kill me if he had the opportunity, and then claim that he did it for god. Fuck 'em all." How very "peaceful" of you--Jeffrey . . . . “A terrorist is someone with a bomb—and no air force”

"The most important thing is for us to find Osama bin Laden. It is our number one priority and we will not rest until we find him." -- George W. Bush, 9/13/01 "I don't know where he is. I have no idea and I really don't care. It's not that important. It's not our priority." -- George W. Bush, 3/13/02 Flop-flip-floop-flap-flub-flab “Keep your elbow up!"

Whatevah . . .See ya “Keep your elbow up!"

Numbnuts like you and Rhino are why I rarely read--or respond--to these neo-fascist rants and I why I no longer believe that just because someone jumps out a plane for sport necessarily makes them my compadre. America is becoming a very scary place these days. I see brown shirts on the horizon . . . "They first came for the Communists and I didn't speak up- because I wasn't a Communist. Then they came for the Jews and I didn't speak up- because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists and I didn't speak up- because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics and I didn't speak up- because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me- and by that time no one was left to speak up. -- Nazi Victim, Pastor Martin Niemoeller “Keep your elbow up!"

My personal experience is that the more I jump, the less time I spend--or care about--recruiting. Maybe there's some kind of ego-need in the early stages, but after awhile I just got tired of the whuffo BS and excuses--I just jump for ME. Anyone who finds out that I jump will get plenty of info from me (even back issues of skydiving mags & videos) but only if I sense a genuine interest. The dyed-in-the-wool groundhogs aren't worth the effort. "It's not for everyone . . ." (with an indifferent shrug) has become my standard line to those who seem more interested in dissing than discussing the sport I love. I suppose it'll only get worse as I acquire some real jump numbers. “Keep your elbow up!"

"The big things to remember about Eloy are simple: 1) Keep your head on a swivel. 2) Landing off in the desert is perfectly acceptable, and nothing you need to avoid. You do not need to "make" the official landing area on every jump. Eloy is really good about briefing you on the standard ops when you sign the waiver. Pay attention." Amen to that. I might also add to that--memorize the DZ layout from the air: know where the alternate landing area is and head for it. Eloy is a fast-paced DZ with a lot of good, experienced jumpers getting onto the planes, so don't be shy about shouting out your dive plan. You'll generally be assisted with loading and exit order. Stay in communication! Don't be a shy newbie--afraid of looking stupid. I have to resist that urge constantly . . . “Keep your elbow up!"