Gato

Greetings - This mostly has to do with training, both physical and mental, so I assume this post belongs here. If not, we can move it. After spending the last year getting to know this sport (and accumulating only 7 jumps in the process) I've recently had another revalation. This is only about me, but if you are a student (or not) you may relate to my experiences. This may sound a bit negative at first, so please bear with me. The reason I started jumping is to ultimately fly the wingsuit. In the KC area, there are only a few places to jump, and we all know the crazy-ass "as the DZ turns" history of this area. We have no turbine aircraft, no 2-instructor AFF courses, no jumps from 13.5 unless there's a boogie, and with few exceptions, no one is open during the week. This may sound like I'm whining, but I'm not - just the facts. What this boils down to, for some of us, is an extremely slow progression in the sport, especially if you ever have to work weekends, or your car stops running on friday night, or if the winds reach above 14mph, which you can assume will happen every time you drive to the DZ. Again, not whining - just the facts. So a noob like me has more than enough time to think way too much. So between the time I began and now, I've accumulated some gear that is useless to me as a student (a beautiful RW suit with booties), bought a faulty used Galaxy in the classifieds, goggles that are uncomfortable, and 2 helmets, one of which I'll never jump with. I have just enough knowledge to hold an intelligent conversation, just enough experience under canopy to make me dangerous, and maybe 21 seconds of freefall time. I came to these forums and spouted off, making myself look like an total ass on more than a few occasions. And I trained for a tandem that I didn't go on because it was too cold - sorry about that, Jen. After my first 2 SL jumps, I said to myself, "I'm going to become an expert canopy pilot, an expert belly flier, and then an expert wingsuit pilot. I'll just bang out these first 200 jumps, and I'll be in a wingsuit by next winter." No problem.....right? Just "bang out" 200 jumps - I have trouble making myself board a C-182, and I'm gonna just knock 'em right out. Yeah. I tell you this, and confess to you, my jumping peeps, that I am a dumb ass. But now I am a dumb ass who is awake, and aware of the dumb ass behavior that so clearly defines us dumb asses. So here are my new goals: - Make sure I get enough sleep, eat right, and excercise every day. - Make sure my car is running in top form, and that I have gas money. - Practice for only the next jump while I'm not at the DZ, and practice EPs and PLFs on a consistent basis. - Limit myself to 30 minutes daily on this site, and the classifieds are off limits. - Make sure I have enough money to make at least 3 jumps every weekend until I'm of student status. - Enjoy the other parts of my life that have nothing to do with skydiving. If you see someone like me at your DZ, take them aside, and tell them to calm the fuck down, and that this is supposed to be fun. I forgot to do that. I love my home DZ, and I've grown to love and admire a lot of people associated with this sport. I'm not looking for another place to jump. And ultimately, I believe the time I spend as a student here will make me a better skydiver. Thanks for listening. Gato the Noob T.I.N.S.

Thanks - that jump taught me not to try to climb back in after you leave the strut. Keep us posted on your progress. I'll be doing mine as time goes by as well. Blues - T.I.N.S.

No need to expain your whole life, but would you mind telling us the nature of the emergency? This sport attracts people from all walks of life, so I'm not really surprised to know there are drunks, sluts, assholes, theives, and suburban whiteboy-rapper-wannabees at any DZ. Seriously, there are all kinds of people out there, and regardless of what your personality is like, or jump numbers you have, an emergency to you may not be an emergency to someone else. Sorry you were stranded. This might be a good time to have Roadside Assistance added to your auto insurance. Good luck! T.I.N.S.

I'm a total geek, so I use this: "I will not fear. Fear is the mind killer. I will face my fear, and I will let it pass through me. When the fear is gone, there will be nothing - only I will remain." I do this during gear-up, to remind myself that nothing is happening that is dangerous yet. I do it on the ride to altitude, to calm myself down. Seems to work well for me. Your mileage may vary. T.I.N.S.

I can relate - I hit the step on one of our C-182s with my left forearm on my second SL jump. The jumpmaster, another student, and the pilot all saw (and heard) it happen. I have absolutely no memory of it at all, but I did have an impressive bruise afterward. So that's why they make us wear those damn Protecs.

Ah, the dangers of assumption and expectation..... I think most of us are (at least when we're younger) infatuated with the idea of the perfect love, and a relationship that requires little or no maintainence. Romance and sexual attraction are the primary "lens" through which most of us seek a mate, initially. But romance flies out the damn window when your one true love produces a smelly funk that makes you want to hurl. The ability to look past such an event is an act of true, unconditional love. T.I.N.S.

"Wanting" to be a ninja is evidence that one is not. T.I.N.S.

Hope I didn't come off as an a**hole, Josh. I think it's cool that we can compare experiences here without bashing each other. Please know that the intention of my post was not to make you wrong, either. I'm going to ask my instructors about all of this, and I suspect a few others will, as well. Another cool thing. Cheers, Gato the Noob T.I.N.S.

Yep - here's a list of my bad choices: Glow-face Galaxy (Nice one!) purchased here on DZ.com for $100. I have to send it in to be calibrated and refurbished (for $61 with shipping), because it doesn't read accurately. LESSON: Buy a new one next time. Winter ops gloves - the friggin' SEALS use these things. They are too thick, and I'm not allowed to jump with them. LESSON: Neumann. Beautiful used Bev RW suit - jury's still out on this one. It may work, but if it doesn't, I have to sell it. And I may not make my money back. LESSON: The DZ has jump suits; tear those up before you buy your own. Enjoy. T.I.N.S.

"Better it is for you to spend your money on jumps right now." Seriously, welcome to the sky! Here's a (short) list of what you cannot know until you have had your FJC: What helmet can I buy? What jumpsuit will work for me? What goggles and gloves should I buy? What's the best container, main, reserve? What audible should I get? Can I get fitted for a wingsuit here? Trust me, you don't want to show up for your first jump with gear you'll be told you can't use. Experience talking here. Have fun and be safe! Gato T.I.N.S.

I think what AFFI is saying is that every DZ student operation is different, and your emergency procedures training (SOS or Dual-Action) will be specific to that DZ. It's a good idea to get a copy of "The Skydiver's Handbook" by Dan Poynter and Mike Turoff. It will help you understand the mechanics of the situations you'll face, and it will help immensely with the sport's terminology. Try not to get too caught-up in trying to understand every little thing before you have your First Jump course. And don't listen to other students' advise - we don't know shit. Really. Ask AFFI. One more thing - don't wait if you don't have to. Go jump. You'll be glad you did. Gato (Edited to add: Sorry, but I just realized that I didn't actually answer your question. The system on most modern rigs consists of a cutaway handle (red pillow on the right) and a reserve handle (silver handle on the left). The reason your question is a bit difficult to answer is that some rigs have a single handle that does both at the same time, and you can't know how to think about this until you take the class.) T.I.N.S.

I'm not 100% sure on this, but I think Clitoris was an old, old wooden ship that was used during the civil war. It only held one little man. T.I.N.S.

I'll go ahead and say what no other guy in this thread has admitted: If you (male) are of average or taller height, and of, ahem, average length, girth, etc. . . . . . . . And you find a woman who is petite . . . . . Ok, so maybe I won't just come right out and say it, but you get the idea. T.I.N.S.

And there I was, hoping this thread would be a discussion about the clitoris. T.I.N.S.

I don't think I've seen any local experienced jumper raise his or her toggles after a poorly-timed flare; they just hold them at that level and give another push. If you are flying an F-111 canopy, you only really get one shot at a good flare. Please forgive me if I've overstepped myself here - I mean no disrespect. I watched another student at my home DZ do a "double flare" on a 9-cell PD210, and he had a rather rag-doll landing (in a heap). He walked away unscathed, and we all had a little laugh, but if he'd done that a few feet higher, I'm fairly sure he would be in a cast right now. Gato T.I.N.S.

Every jump you make as a student is either at 9am or 6pm. T.I.N.S.

Thanks! I hear ya - but I had just played for 4000 people, and I love having cocktails with my wife. Now, if I could just get her to come jump with me . . . . . T.I.N.S.

Thanks WYS and Jojo! In my mind I had never left the sport, but I did allow circumstances to impede my progress. I'm so glad to be in the air again, even if it was for only a few minutes.

Hello Jumpin' Peeps - First, my lengthy and embarrassing disclaimer: It has been almost a year since I made my first 6 SL jumps (4 PRCP's). When I made my last jump on November 18, I had been cleared for my H&P. Subsequently, winter, money, and a broken-down Grand Am kept me from continuing my progression - until this past saturday. I have kept myself out of these sacred forums for the past few months, because I didn't really feel I had the "right" to be here unless I was actively jumping. I humbly return to share my latest experience on jump number 7. . . . . . It should be noted that the evening prior to this jump, I played a very big outdoor concert, with me and my bandmates soaked with sweat afterward. Then I went and had a few (3) beers with my wife. This information will show its importance directly: When I arrived at the DZ on saturday, I paid for my recurrency training (I have sat through the FJC 3 times since last November) and my instructor, Gary, took me through all the basics and the test, as well as some hanging harness exit and EP training. All of this went very well. After my logbook was updated, I gave him my jump ticket, and we started gearing up for a regular SL jump from 3200'. I inspected the rig with another instructor, checking everything out like a good student should. Then he couldn't get the AAD to calibrate. Twice. Gary comes over and gets it to work, so apparantly everything is ok. Cut to the plane - we're loading in, I'm leaning over the strut, getting my pre-flight gear check, and my mouth goes instantly dry. I know I'm going to puke. I bug out, and head back to the main hangar, feeling sick and embarrassed, and PISSED OFF AT MYSELF. I was told everything is ok, and I have nothing to be ashamed about. Who cares? I was scared out of my mind over the AAD, a new pilot (He rocks!), and the obviously unnatural act I was trying to perform. Then I remembered the concert, and the beers, and how I was sweating so much during my recurrency training - I was dehydrated. Duh. Again, Duh. A quart and a half of H20 later, and I'm feeling a lot better. I'm ready to go now. Really ready to go. Here's the good stuff: I'm relaxed on the way up, I'm not freaked out by the door as much, and my climbout was quick and decisive. Gary yells, "Look up!" My exit was clean, my arch was great, and for the first time, I actually felt the wind catch my arch. Deployment goes smoothly, as does my controlability check. This was a jump filled with firsts: -First time being fully aware of the plane as I fell away - so surreal. -First time gaining awareness of the forward surge after the initial practice flare at 2800'. (Read: Let the toggles up slowly and smoothly!) -Although I had a radio, the DZO said almost nothing except "You're not scaring me - go ahead." -Entered my right-hand landing pattern at almost exactly 1000', turned for my base leg at 500', and on final at 250'. My first solo pattern!!! -I hear on the radio "Feet & knees together, 3, 2, 1, flare, flare, flare, stand up." -Yes, yes, yes, yes!! My first stand-up landing, less than 25 meters from the peas!! (Yes, I know it's too early for that TLO, but hell, I loved it!) So I'll be going back to do my last PRCP and my Clear&Pull on Sept. 8th because everyone is headed for Couchfreaks this weekend. But now I have a new confidence. And I learned a whole bunch of valuable lessons, the LEAST of which is to keep myself hydrated. Oh, and current!! Thanks to everyone at MRVS - Tom D., Gary, Crash, Dorinda, and everyone at the DZ who helped calm me down and get through the best jump I've had yet. Blues. T.I.N.S.

The levitation thing is ridiculous - we've seen enough people hanging in a harness to recognize that posture. You can also see him swing just slightly in spots. He's obviously never PLF'd. That's what I'd call a very good crane operator, 20 extras, and one brother in law who's good with video editing. Walking on water is an acrylic bridge built to be just under the surface of the water. It's ultra, ultra strong - you could probably have supports made of the same material every 8 feet or so. It would be hard to see even you were actually in the pool. He's really dark and mysterious, and he probably gets laid a lot. But I don't believe he's actually the lord. I mean, The J Man wouldn't come back as a tool magician, would he? T.I.N.S.

The plane looked identical to one of the planes in the PS1 Skydiving Extreme video game - kinda looks like a very pregnant 182. Aren't the helmets very similar to military HALO helmets? T.I.N.S.

Thanks a lot guys. I was kinda steering clear of used rigs with SOS, but it's very cool to know it's not really a big deal to switch out. Blusies - T.I.N.S.

Thanks, Hookitt! I suppose I should also have asked about how much it costs. T.I.N.S.

I did a search on this, and could not find anything that addressed this question. Can a container that is currently equipped with an SOS (1-hand operation) be converted to a two-point system (cutaway pillow and silver reserve handle)? Sorry if this has been addressed already. Thanks! T.I.N.S.

Oops! Right you are, Thanatos - i forgot to mention DJs, karaoke, and juke boxes. It would be interesting to see a breakdown of yearly cost comparisons (BMI fees VS. food cost, utilities, rubbish removal, insurance, and payroll, etc.) I'd be willing to bet the cost is worth it. By the way, when I said BMI, I meant Birdman Instructor. T.I.N.S.