Milo

If you have your degree or are close to it you might check if you can be an Officer. ROTC (reserve officer traing course) may be one option. The money is better, and it is very different on the ground than it is for enlisted soldiers But, the commitment is the same. Don't do it unless you want to give 100%. And be aware of what 100% really is. Milo.

------Where the hell did this soapbox come from and what am I going to say?---------- Don't do it if all you want is money and discipline. Here's some pros and cons: Your basic training and job training will take you away from your home and family for at least 6 months, maybe a year or longer. The money sucks. Your wife will forget what you look like, because she is not allowed to visit you. Your job assignment will take you away from home at least 2 weeks a year, possibly much, much more. The pay really sucks unless you are getting a college loan repayment, and then it still just sucks. The self discipline you will gain is priceless. The experiences you will have are priceless. The money sucks. Your wife will start to think the next door neighbor looks like you did, the last time she saw you. The supposed 'free' medical care sucks, you will want to spend your meager paycheck on a civilian doc. You have several 3 or 4 day holiday weekends while training, maybe you can fly your wife to your school in BumForge Arizona and introduce yourself. You might get sent to shitholes on some other continent and be forced to shoot folks with IQs of 40 who think you are the enemy. Or, you might never see the folks with IQs of 140 who shoot you because you are the enemy. I'm not impressed with what I saw of the US Army Reserves. The army WAS good for me, I am a better person because I served. I would still be there if the Reserves was a better run organization that took care of it's members. I recomend Full Time Active Duty to anyone who asks. It is a hard life, and is not good for people who are married or who wish to be or stay married, and it's only occaisionally fun. It requires a total commitment. But, like the commercial says, 'It's the toughest job you'll ever love' Don't go for a boring job, though. Finance or Postal may sound ok, but when you think about it, who says 'I want to dedicate my life to being an accountant' for anyone? Because, in order to be satisfying, military service has to be a total dedication. Don't do it if you aren't prepared to change your life. Milo (btw, I think it should be called a 'Beer-Box' and not a 'Soap-Box')

Apparently, Spectre isn't a recruiter. If you want someone to blow sunshine up your butt and tell you it is a wonderful life, go to a recruiter. If you want to know what it is really like, listen to people who have been there. I agree with Spectre's response that reserves is a waste of time. I spent 3 years active and 5 reserve in the army. My reserve unit was a high tempo unit, and I spent almost 3 of my 5 years deployed or in training because life at the drill hall is a crock of shit. Every time they wanted volunteers to go to some awful place so US soldiers could teach people basic hygeine, I went because I didn't want to fill out those damn life insurance papers again. If you want to spend a weekend every month standing in line to take an eye test, go for the reserves. If you want to be a soldier, join, but don't take a supply job or desk job, go for rangers or airborne or even infantry. It's a hard life, but it will make you a different person. Milo

In reply to: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I'm confused by the differences in size canopies at the same wing loading. I realize that I don't know much, I haven't been in the sport that long, but it just logically seems like a canopy design, i.e. Triathlon, is nothing more than a wing of a certain shape. It would make sense to me that a glider with a certain shape would fly the same with the same loading, regardless of the actual size. Please correct me as I am going to be jumping a Triathlon 135, but at 1:1 or a little over, this weekend... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I'm interested in this too, specifically because experienced jumpers at my dz (who have witnessed all my feats and failures) have steered me away from a smaller chute due to dangers from smaller chutes, regardless of wingloading. I don't know if they are pushing me to a larger chute because of my ability or because of physics. (I'm following their advice. They are old, they have jumped many many times, they are still jumping.) Milo

I made my first 'Post LASIK' jump today. It was also my first jump in 31 days, my 21st jump this year, so I was a non-current, non licensed jumper. I had to take a quiz from the owner to verify my readiness. I jumped from 5500 just because I was worried about my currency. I should have jumped from 10k. My spot was easy, there was no wind or clouds, if I got out anywhere near the dz I would have made it back. I planned on just doing a 10 second freefall, and pulling at 4500, but it went so well I decided in-flight to go to 3500. (Is that bad, changing flight plan mid-flight?) I pulled at 3500. Everything went great but I flared too high and slid in on my knees. I told people it was because of my eyes, and maybe it was. I didn't really concentrate on flaring when I was 'exactly 10 feet off the ground' I just flared when it 'felt right'. Which was when I was 20'-25' off the ground. So, post LASIK I need to pay more attention to my flare. I don't know if my eyes were 100% of the problem or if the fact I haven't jumped for a month contributed, but I need to pay more attention the next time. Milo

I always wore glasses while jumping until today. I've jumped 42 student jumps. (21 jumps in 1997 and 21 this year) With goggles over glasses I had problems twice. Once when my goggles flew up and my glasses got disloged and I grabbed them and put them in my pocket so I wouldn't lose them. The spot was fine and I could roughly see the peas, I don't remember the landing but it wasn't off the dz. The other I had a bad body position when I opened, my arm hit my helmet and one of the lenses of my glasses popped out and fell to the bottom of my goggles. I had to land with only one eye. It screwed up my depth perception and I flared high and ended up with grass stains on my knees. It shouldn't have been traumatic, but it was. I decided then to get rid of the glasses. The next day I made my appointment to be evaluated for LASIK. I have enough to worry about while skydiving. Vision doesn't have to be one of them. I hope folks with contacts do better than I did with glasses, but I don't know, I never jumped with contacts. I made my first jump, post LASIK, today. I flared high but that was my own fault, I think. Milo

For anybody who cares: I took my rig to my dz today and it took them about 2 minutes to convince me it is too small for me. This morning I was convinced I'd be jumping this rig by the end of October or early next spring, but now I have to figure out (with help from my rigger) what I can save and what I can sell from my current rig to get a rig that's right for me. With a 6 pack of beer in me while sitting at a keyboard I'm a world class skydiver. My balls aren't so big when I'm anywhere near a plane. I listened to my rigger talk a 190# student into buying a 190 sq ft chute, on the basis that 1:1 was good. I was then told that 1:1 for inexperienced jumpers was good except for smaller chutes, which are inherently more dangerous, because they are smaller. I don't know if I follow that logic, but even though I'm ready to jump any jump, or argue any argument from the computer, my perspective is different at the dz. And if I don't follow the logic, I respect the experience and judgement of the folks at my dz. So, from my perspective, I need to talk to people I trust before I try to convince myself I am ready for something that may be beyond my abilities. For those of you who are experienced and have the opportunity to steer a new jumper toward safety as opposed to danger, speak up. I didn't want to listen to what I read on this forum, but I did listen to the 'old hands' at my dz. And I flared too high on my next landing, which closed the discussion for me. Milo

Hey, I went through my first SL course 4 years ago and was not very good at it. I dropped out at jump 21, around 45 sec freefalls. I started again this summer and it was still difficult, but most of the problems I had fought with and conquered before were gone. (replaced by new problems of course, but not as difficult to overcome) AND, most of the things I learned in '97 I still remembered. I'm far from perfect, or even good. But, I'm jumping again. Make friends at your DZ. People who will forgive your faults, even if you can't. That will keep you coming back this time. Good Luck! Milo

In reply to weid14: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The flaps actually heal up almost overnight.... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In college I walked into a tree on my way home from a keg party (At least I wasn't driving!) I woke up the next day in severe pain. At the ER they told me I had scratched my cornea and told me the same thing about how quickly the eye heals. A days worth of Vicodin and a week of antibiotic eyedrops and I was seeing double at keggers all over campus. Blue Skies Milo

In reply to freaksister: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My main concern is skydiving recently after surgery though, as in weeks or months. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I had my 6 day follow up today. Everything is going great, my vision is 20/20 in each eye and I don't need to use the eyedrops anymore. My next check-up is in '6 or 8' weeks according to the doc. Doesn't seem too critical to him. I asked the doc if there were any special precautions I might need for skydiving, and all he said was he wanted to make sure I was protecting my eyes from the wind. He didn't seem overly concerned about it, he just didn't want me jumping without eye protection, he warned me about letting anything (i.e. bugs, raindrops) fly into my eye(s) at a high rate of speed. He asked me when I wanted to jump and I said this coming weekend or the next. He didn't comment, so I assume he's ok with that. I asked him about pressure changes from the altitude, and he said the laser surgery is much different from when they did it with a scalpel, and the only report he had heard of a possible problem concerned one mountain climber who had problems at 25,000 feet. (I think I read that article in Reader's Digest or Outdoors magazine, it sounds familiar.) I fully understand the folks who jumped a day or 2 day after surgery. I wanted to and if I were a more experienced skydiver I would have probably jumped Saturday or Sunday, just 3 days after my surgery. With proper eye protection. (and a parachute :) ) I won't hesitate to jump tomorrow weather permitting. ymmv, but I am amazed at the speed of my recovery. I had severe irritation the day of the surgery, but it was minimized by one of the darvocets I was prescribed. By that evening I was driving the car and I would have been back at work the next day if I didn't have a gold plated excuse for a really long weekend. I still had more irritation than a friend at work who had the surgery a year ago. (But she recieved sleeping pills instead of Darvocet, if that makes any difference) If I had to do it again, I'd take the darvocet immediately after the surgery (they offered me juice or water, etc..), while they made me sit with my eyes closed for 30 minutes before the doc could check me one last time and release me. As it was it was 45 minutes after the surgery before I took the pill and another 2 hours before I felt better. They numbed my eyes with eyedrops before the surgery and that took care of most of the discomfort from the surgery, but when that wore off it took too long for the darvocet to kick in. As it was, I only took one of the 4 pills they prescribed me, I'm saving the other 3 in case I really screw up a landing. I had to sign my life away in waivers in order to have the surgery, and there are real risks involved. But I wouldn't hesitate to do it again. For the first time in 25 years I can see without corrective lenses on my face or in my eyes. The doc asked me if it felt 'funny' without glasses. I had to stop and think about it, because it doesn't feel funny. It just feels natural. Blue Skies Milo

Thanks for all your responses. I do think this is a viable main to work my way down to, providing my landings continue to be good, I continue to improve on my canopy control skills and I transition down properly. I don't know if that will happen this fall or next spring, but it won't happen if I or the people at my dz aren't comfortable with it. Thanks again! Milo

Hello, I almost added this to the 'Cobalt Demo, A New Jumper’s Perspective' thread, because it falls right in line with where that thread has gone. I'm a new jumper, just off of student status. I purchased a rig with a main that I will load at 1.15 to 1.2 depending on if I wear weights or not. I know I'm not ready for this now, I've never jumped anything loaded less than .6. My dz has transition rigs that will take me to .8 (I'm a lightweight jumper) I hate renting, and I didn't want to buy a rig I'd only want to use for a month and then feel it was too slow. I also don't know much about my rig. It is a Triathlon 120 main, a Raven 137 reserve. I wouldn't have bought it if it wasn't such a good deal. I got it for the price of the reserve and Cypres (used prices at that). I may be better off pairing them with a new container and main. I haven't even taken my rig to my dz to be inspected by the rigger yet. I know I'm not experienced enough to jump it, and I'm not looking forward to having them tell me the obvious. I guess my question is not about my ability, I'm a good judge of that and I respect the opinions of the people who teach me, but more about the Triathlon. I'm not a daredevil, I'm not trying to impress anyone, I just want to enjoy skydiving, safely. Is this Triathlon a main I can expect to safely transition to from a .8 to a 1.2 wingload? I have read many good things about that main here and elsewhere. Is it unrealistic for me to think about jumping it in another 25 or 50 jumps if my canopy control is good with my present available rigs under the above mentioned loadings? I've been happy with my canopy control so far, but I know I'm taking moped experience and trying to apply it to a Harley I've never sat on. Your input is appreciated. Milo P.S. On proofreading this, going from my current wingload of .6 to 1.2 in a month or two sounds really drastic. Is it? If my canopy control is as good as it has been and continues to improve? To put it in my perspective two months ago I was afraid to jump from 3500' and now I'm sorry my dz only files to 10,000'.

Hey all, Does anyone have any experience jumping after LASIK eye surgery? I'm just off of student status and during my last jump a month ago I opened with a bad body position. My arm got caught between my protek helmet and my risers. Riser burn, that's ok, but I knocked one of the lenses out of my eyeglasses. Hard to flare at the right time without depth perception. I decided then, with grass still embedded in my knees, that the glasses had to go. I scheduled the sugery the next day. When I told my eye doctor I was doing this because I wanted to skydive safely he immediately launched into 'The worst eye injury I ever saw was a Skydiver who flew into a Coke Machine...' Oh well, some people will always see skydiving as too dangerous. I will make it a habit to avoid Coke Machines on landing, though. My sugery was 4 days ago and was mildly stressful, about as bad as having a tooth pulled while under Novocaine, but not as bad as a root canal. Not pleasant, but not too traumatic. The results have been fantastic!!! My vision is still fluctuating, and will for a few more months, but at its worst it is as if I am wearing dirty contact lenses. At it's best I can see better than I have been able to see since I was 6. Not only are things in focus, both near and far, but the colors are brighter! I am so damn happy I want to dance a jig! I'm looking around like a 13 year old boy in a girls locker room :) My question is two-fold: Does anyone have experience jumping after this type of surgery? Any problems related to pressure changes at altitude? How do I convince my Doc I can go skydiving again? I'm going to take my (New!) full face helmet in and set it on the table. Anything that damages my eyes through that thing will damage other parts of my body a lot worse, and he won't be the only surgeon I'll need to see. Your advice and experience is appreciated! Milo

Fred Said: I know I'm uncoordinated. I'm not athletic, and really have no sense of my own body position. I'm clumsy (Hell, I walk into walls while I'm sober!). This doesn't serve as a good base to learn skydiving. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Hey fred, I had similiar problems this summer in the same course & DZ you are in. I felt the exact same way and also considered quitting. I thought 'Stability' meant I had to hold my arch Rock Solid. I cemented my arms and legs into place and flopped all over the sky. No matter how 'Hard' I held my arch I was just flopping and spinning and miserable. Finally, for the 4000th time someone (Diane-- She's a Hottie!!) told me to relax. Yeah right! I'm falling uncontrollably to the ground at 100+ MPH and you want me to relax??? But, it (finally) worked for me. The next time out I put my arms and legs into what I thought the appropriate positions were (Yeah! like I even know where my legs ARE let alone where they are supposed to be!!) But, instead of forcing them to stay there with all of my strength, I let my arms and legs go limp. I put them in the right spot, but I let the wind hold them there. It worked! I was very excited. Plus It was easier letting the wind do all the work. The next jump I was so relaxed the wind actually folded one of my legs back from the knee, but I was able to knock it back down and continue a controlled descent. I've heard people tell me to relax over and over. It's kind of like hearing all you need to do is 'Believe!' and God will make your life better. Hard to do on command. But I finally did and it made things easier. (relax, that is. God has better things to do with his time than worry about me.) Good Luck! Milo