matthias

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Posts posted by matthias


  1. Blue Skies Dan, you were a mentor I sincerely looked up to. I didn't know you as well as many others did, but I know you were a true warrior. Your advice both saved my life and helped me deal with some past demons and limiting beliefs.
    _________________________________________
    trance/house mixes for download:
    www.djmattm.com

  2. I said screw it and wore my wingsuit with rig to two major Halloween parties. Big risk, but nothing bad happened. Everyone loved it and I probably brought spaceland or waller more tandem business.

    Best part was discovering dancing to drum n bass, house and dubstep, even with the leg and arm wings zipped on, was pretty easy. Lugging an extra 20lbs was a pain, but it worked. Wore it into Denny's on the way home from the second event where cops were having breakfast. One of them asked if I was about to go BASE jumping [:/] While I'm not a BASE jumper...I would imagine they wouldn't say "Gee yeah...I'm gonna jump that tall building over there."

    Fun weekend despite no jumps, good times.

    _________________________________________
    trance/house mixes for download:
    www.djmattm.com

  3. I haven't been to Colorado in 20 years, so I know next to nothing of what cities and towns surround it. The dropzone locator didn't help much besides tell me 8 dropzones exist in the state. So...if anyone can help me out, if you live in or near Denver where do you jump, why, and how far from the skyventure is it? (my sis lives a block or 2 from the tunnel, lucky bitch lol)

    Thanks.
    _________________________________________
    trance/house mixes for download:
    www.djmattm.com

  4. I lost my mom to liver cancer 5 years ago. She was given 3 months to live but made it 2 and a half years. Seeing her slowly lose the battle has had a permanent effect on me.

    A week ago a close friend found out she had liver cancer as well, before I had the chance to talk to her and offer support she killed herself the same night she found out. Due to attending previous wakes of friends who committed suicide and seeing how such affects the family, I chose not to attend the memorial. I am still battling internal demons on whether I made the right decision.

    I'm not looking for sympathy, nor gratitude when I am committing to donate 10% of every paycheck for the rest of my life to a reputable foundation for the research and hopeful eradication of cancer. The donations won't be very much...but it will help bring me some sense of peace. Hopefully.
    _________________________________________
    trance/house mixes for download:
    www.djmattm.com

  5. The kind of stuff I spun the last 10 years. Not hardcore...but never failed to get the room jumpin. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFGXgQbtJ6U

    "gosh, what a ride life can be at times.."

    Yeah I've said that more than a few times...
    _________________________________________
    trance/house mixes for download:
    www.djmattm.com

  6. For a week (or more) I've had acute tendinitis in the tendons between the upper bicep and shoulder muscles in my left arm. (If anyone saw the guy wearing a sling at the Rose benefit cracked out on painkillers...that was me :S)

    I do not know specifically how I hurt it. On my jumps where I wasn't wearing a wingsuit, I was practicing turning my sitfly into a stand. Improper arm position with the faster relative winds may have caused it. I also work out extensively, work construction, swim, practice, krav maga (self-defense). SO it may of been one or a combination. All I know is now I cannot do ANY of them.

    I was diagnosed last weekend and I've kept it on ice, let it rest, and take my anti-inflammatories. My question is:

    How will I know when I am really ready to return to the sport? What I dont want to do is get lulled into thinking its safe to do so simply because my shoulder no longer hurts. The physician's assistant at the VA didn't tell me much of anything as far as recovery times or rehab.

    Anyone go through this or know someone who has? I just want to be safe as I've always tried to be in this sport. Any help is appreciated. Thanks!
    _________________________________________
    trance/house mixes for download:
    www.djmattm.com

  7. Everyone else said mostly what I was going to say, so I'll touch on a few points.

    I bought the KSOs to train up for marathons, as I was told they will force you to run correctly to minimize discomfort. They also work out muscles that regular shoes kept us from using. -- I can say that this was true and ran my first 27 miles the weekend before last, whereas I couldnt get above 15 with my asics. On top of that, all of my shin and knee pain is gone.

    Take it easy when first wearing them and watch your step. The roots and rocks we didn't notice with our shoes on will now make their presence known if you step on them! lol

    As far as skydiving, I love them for freeflying. I cant use them with my wingsuit or any jumpsuit that has booties tho. You have to be on top of your landings and ready to PLF if you think yours isn't going to be a feather soft stand up.

    I have a pair of the Bikilas on order as I heard they were better for distance running on pavement/asphalt surfaces.
    _________________________________________
    trance/house mixes for download:
    www.djmattm.com

  8. Wasn't able to jump after injuring my shoulder on a friday jump, but decided to stay the whole weekend to see how everything turned out. I lost my mom to cancer so I volunteered to help out however I could, but with my left arm in a sling and half conscious from the pain-killers, I wasn't much good to anyone.:S

    But just being there and being a part of the excitement as the record was topped 5 times was well worth it. Congrats to all the jumpers involved in the record.:)

    _________________________________________
    trance/house mixes for download:
    www.djmattm.com

  9. Quote

    Quote

    Also brought my altimeter with me just to see how fast the climb to altitude would be. Thanks to all the scotch I drank before the flight I forgot to check after takeoff, but was neat seeing how many times the needle went around.



    Less than once hopefully! :S


    Heh, you got me.:P Honestly between the scotch at the airport and the vodka vials on the aircraft, my face was glued to the window most of the flight. I checked it saw it at 3K and assumed it went around a few times. *shrugs* The return flights it was in my checked baggage.

    I didn't think about the pressurized cabin as I haven't flown commercial but that once since getting licensed.
    _________________________________________
    trance/house mixes for download:
    www.djmattm.com

  10. Quote

    I don't remember the names of the worst, nor do I want to. :S But most of them were small independent local motels. After the first time, you LEARN to NEVER walk barefoot on the carpets. They NEVER shampoo-clean them. B| This is even true for most major older chains, and Days Inn is usually one of the worst. It seems like every single Days Inn I've ever stayed in, was managed by an Indian family (from India). Just like in the slums of India, the Days Inns in most smallish cities aren't a whole lot better. :|



    Yeah same here. The room we got at some roach motel down in Galveston had the beds stacked on top of each other like they were in the process of cleaning it. I wanted to bring the manager in and go "WTF is wrong with this picture" and get another room or haggle a discount, preferably one facing the beach but my friends said screw it and put em back normal. :/

    I slept in worse spots overseas tho. Luckily for free. Hard to sleep the first few nights after the briefing on spiders n shit.
    _________________________________________
    trance/house mixes for download:
    www.djmattm.com

  11. First commercial flights (and last) was about a year after my first jump when I was booked to spin in Colombia. Luckily someone else paid for the flight. I remember looking at islands flying from Miami at a few grand wondering if I could make it to em on a HAHO if I had the right gear. Im guess that answer woulda been no.

    Also brought my altimeter with me just to see how fast the climb to altitude would be. Thanks to all the scotch I drank before the flight I forgot to check after takeoff, but was neat seeing how many times the needle went around.

    Quote

    Felt the plane level off, waited for someone to shout "DOOR!"

    added a few:

    Commercial flight pros:
    + Don't have anyone crammed between my legs (depending on the airline, them seats gets CRAMPED)
    + Quiet (unless your near a crying baby or an idiot blasting music in his headphones)
    + In-flight wifi (unless you don't have a laptop like me)

    Cons:
    - Have to walk off the plane
    - No freefall
    - Drastically more expensive flight tickets
    - dealing with the airlines bullshit when they want to do stuff like park on the tarmac for hours or circle an airport.

    Also: Today I learned that rain hurts in freefall. A lot. Don't think I'll do that again...

    -Jon



    Heh, stick in this sport a while and you'll find yourself doing shit you said you wouldn't do again. With the exception of safety violations hopefully... good luck.
    _________________________________________
    trance/house mixes for download:
    www.djmattm.com

  12. Quote

    I'm thinking it would be kind of awkward to get over the rail with another person strapped in front. Sometimes tandems have a hard time just getting to the door of the aircraft when all hooked up.



    I was wondering the same thing, lol
    _________________________________________
    trance/house mixes for download:
    www.djmattm.com

  13. Quote

    The kung fu and thai styles got spanked pretty early.
    The Japanese took some people out in less than 30 seconds. One head shot and down.



    Those skilled in Krav Maga can end a fight in less than 5 seconds
    _________________________________________
    trance/house mixes for download:
    www.djmattm.com

  14. Quote

    Quote

    if anyone had any questions or comments over my jump as far as safety or otherwise. Thanks! :)



    Safety: don't skydive in thunderstorms.

    Otherwise: maybe don't mention online the name of the DZ that put you out of a plane near a thunderstorm...



    Lightning didnt show up until halfway through the jump. And I was the last to exit. *shrug*
    _________________________________________
    trance/house mixes for download:
    www.djmattm.com

  15. Quote

    If you are flying in a cloud with lightning I wouldn't worry too much about finding an airplane in it...



    I'd say the lightning clouds were a good 1/4mile away, but way too close for comfort. If I had flown in that general direction after exit, chances are I may of ended up in the middle of the activity. (I'm going to assume that wingsuit flying around lightning is about as smart as an insect flying around a bug zapper):S

    As for planes flying in the area...the airspace over Skydive Houston is shared by idiot pilots who live near the DZ. I wouldn't put it past them...
    _________________________________________
    trance/house mixes for download:
    www.djmattm.com

  16. My first 30 or so jumps I tried to talk everyone into it, etc. And after hearing the same anti-skydiving sentiments the last 4 and a half years I don't talk about it unless someone has a specific question. Usually I'll just say "Come do a tandem or come out to the dz and do an observer-ride."

    Otherwise its like trying to describe color to a blind person.
    _________________________________________
    trance/house mixes for download:
    www.djmattm.com

  17. The static lightning part scared the shit out of me. The temperature of the air warmed up significantly and I felt a surge of turbulence right before the lightning flashes. I bolted in the opposite direction doing my best to fight off panic and to keep from stalling my wingsuit or letting my fear cause me to go unstable. I knew outflying an intercloud lightning bolt is impossible but my logic was to get as much distance.

    I will say this tho. Seeing static lightning in the air is probably the most awe-inspiring and scariest thing I have yet to see. These puffy clouds never get old...

    I posted what I could remember. As a note if I had any doubts (while on the ground and in the plane) as to whether I should be jumping, I would have closed the hatch and rode the plane down.

    Along with sharing the story I was curious if any fellow wingsuit pilots experienced anything similar, and if anyone had any questions or comments over my jump as far as safety or otherwise. Thanks! :)
    _________________________________________
    trance/house mixes for download:
    www.djmattm.com

  18. (copied and pasted from my FB page)
    Foreward:

    I am going to attempt to tell this is a storylike fashion like some of the previous blogs. I don't normally do this for most of my jumps as my mind doesn't pay attention to alot of details that I see on every single jump, but may be important to a non-jumper trying to gain an understanding of what my jumps are like. Futhurmore, jumps like these don't happen very often. There may be language and terminology that will not make too much sense to a non-skydiver. *shrug* Look it up.



    Overview/plane-ride:

    I like puffy clouds because no two are the same and they constantly change, so no two jumps are ever alike. This puffy filled sky was minutes away from becoming unjumpable so it was a race to get up while we still had time. During the climb to altitude I observed the sky get more and more cluttered with clouds that ranged from 4,000ft all the way up past 13K. The few of the ground was getting less clear as landmarks became less visible. Storm clouds were appearing a mile away. I changed my pull altitude to 7K instead of 3.5 as I was certain I would lose sight of the tandem canopies in all this. Due to the clouds there were multiple go arounds on jump run. The only landmark I could see was the northern stretch of 290. My plan was to abide by FAA regulations on cloud clearances. Heh... here we go:



    The jump:



    Sign of the cross. Exit 1,000 - Wings 1,000. Clouds EVERYWHERE. I did a 90 left only to do a hairpin 180 as the cloud formations were solid in that direction. I don't fly through clouds that I dunno where the other end is. Why? You cant see shit. I skydive for the view :) - I couldn't enjoy the view tho.



    12K My face was being pelted by what felt like sleet, and I was trying to keep from getting tunnel-vision and fixating too much on the clouds I wanted to steer around. I anticipated where the edges were ahead of time and did my best to flat track over the tops of those I could and vector around those I couldn't.

    10.5K Turning back toward the NE I saw a large rainbow with a smaller one underneathe arching over 290. Very cool...but couldn't enjoy the view. Canopy flights I can relax and enjoy the view with my brakes set and all that. Wingsuits...you're either flying the suit or its flying you. And this was NOT the sky for that :P - After flying through more holes and weaving around the grand canyon of clouds I found myself flying into dark gray clouds.

    9K. The moisture content was evident and seemed to be effecting my flying. - Bank right to avoid while scanning the holes below for landmarks that would tell me "where the hell was I?" - FLASH!!! Lightning arced across the sky to my left and after getting my bearings a 2 second look showed a storm cloud a 1/4 mile away pulsating with static lightning flashes. - I heard my heartbeat over the relative wind. - Time to go. NOW. I turned away and got my arms and legs into the flattest, fastest track I could to get as much distance between me and that bullshit behind me while *trying* to dodge the clouds in my path. I did EVERYTHING I could to avoid the thought of a horizontal lightning bolt coming after me. There were no more holes so one last glace at my altimeter before I flew right into the clouds.

    7K. I pulled quickly, but stable..inside the cloud and pulled the goggle off my face as I was saddling in, hands on my wings cutaway cables. The vapor was so dense, I was barely able to see my canopy overhead.



    --Im going to take a break from the story and share some insight about clouds to the non-skydivers reading this. Clouds are fun to fly over, next to and around, but not in. When you fly in a cloud, you only see white and nothing else. Trust me, it gets old. And while you are seeing all white...guess what else may be in the same airspace as you? Other planes, other parachutes, and other skydivers. It's why the FAA has cloud clearances of...1,000 feet or so. Or is it centimeters :P Back to the story:



    Canopy ride: I couldn't see anything so I went through my usuall routine of getting out of my arm and leg wings, collapsing my slider, etc etc. The main reason I chose to pull within a cloud is because I knew I was pulling 1,000ft above what the tandem jumpers below me were at. I *KNEW* they were be in that airspace and that I could not see their location because of the clouds. And due to my very...eventuall flight path dodging clouds and lightning. I could have very well been on a head on collision with them, so I feel I did the right thing. -- Then I found myself getting rained on :/ and luckily I saw a hole to fly out of the clouds. Looking down I saw the main landing area. THANK GOD. I was afraid I was going to be landing 3-4 miles out because of all that. Apparently all my flying in all directions kept me near in the spot I exited...which is why im glad I pulled at 7.



    I 'could' write about the remainder of the canopy flight...but you gotta realize that when you have over 300 jumps. Telling a story about racing the incoming weather to the ground and flight a normal landing pattern is about as exciting as say if you wanted to tell a story about driving home. Maybe its because I don't swoop like everyone else who has a C and D license, but my fun in the sky ends at the base of the clouds :P, then its all about getting to the ground safe to go jump again.



    I LOVE THIS SPORT!!!
    (/end blog)
    _________________________________________
    trance/house mixes for download:
    www.djmattm.com

  19. My mind is still processing this one, so I wrote a blog on facebook. Since mostly whuffos who wouldn't comprehend most of it are the ones who would read it, I decided to post it on here as well.

    Bear in mind...like in many jumps many many things we're happening faster than that I could process them, so the story will seem choppy and incomplete. I am glad I had the wingsuit experience I had prior to this as I had zero time to think, and flew the suit purely on instinct.

    Going to copy and paste in a reply
    _________________________________________
    trance/house mixes for download:
    www.djmattm.com

  20. 4 jumps. 1st jump with rain, sleet and lightning.

    Most memorable was a wingsuit flight through a sky dominated with cumulus and cumulonimbus-based industrial haze, sleet, rain, double-rainbows, and intra-cloud static lightning a 1/4mile Nothing like trying to get back to the DZ before the weather.

    This jump gave me a much better idea of what my phantom2 suit was capable of. Due to the cloud surfing, dodging (and getting the hell out of dodge upon seeing the lightning flashes), I had no time to take in the awesome view. One of these days I'll start flying video. Fun weekend!
    _________________________________________
    trance/house mixes for download:
    www.djmattm.com

  21. I used to let this shit piss me off when I returned home. Just like the whuffos who pretend to be skydivers, you can't bullshit the real thing. You just can't.

    They way I feel about it, they can play imaginary pretend games all they want. And even if they manage to fool everyone, they will always feel incomplete for knowing the truth. Either way, I lump everyone with a lack of integrity in the same category, and just avoid em. They are what they have always amounted to....nothing. just my 0.02
    _________________________________________
    trance/house mixes for download:
    www.djmattm.com