danornan

When something bad happens, God is just testing us. Dano

Mike was a friend to many and will be greatly missed. He added much to the character of Z-Hills. He died way too young.... Blue Skies Mike..... Dano

Seems like the really dedicated employees tend to care more for the company than the company cares for them. It's rare for companys to take the opposite view and sadly way too many employees are disillusion. I was lucky to work for two large corporations that did treat their employees very well, but that is probably unusual today. Dano

Thanks John .... Max really did add to the color at Z-Hills... Dano

No....... I have not had a knee replacement, yet. After crushing the top of the tib, (5 operations in about year to fix) I was told that I might need an artificial knee in about 5 years. It was strongly suggested that I not run. I swim a lot and ride a bike for therapy and so far, there is very little discomfort. Running was discouraged. Dano

It was the repetitive motion of running that was frowned upon, not just a short run out. My surgery was 15 years ago and since then I've probably made 1,500 jumps or more without any discomfort. I did do a boot camp several years ago that involved too much running and had to stop because of the pain. Skydiving, no problem. Running no. Dano

Don't know about the artificial knees, but I have had major surgery on one knee (crushed the top of the tib) and was told to not run on it. I could resume normal activity, but running would not be good for it. Dano

I loved it and I hate rap... Congratulations Bill.. Dano

ALL superstition (for John, in the context of this discussion) is wrong... Doesn't matter how you label it. Dano

Got one that has not been used and is probably at least 10-15 years old. Still interested? Dano

There are ways to edit it if the mod really want it done! It is a safety issue and it should be fixed or eliminated. It's not worth the risk of it being misunderstood. Dano

You should edit your comment and emphasize that it is sarcastic and wrong! Someone who is not aware of the problems might not read the entire thread. Would you want to be responsible for a needless fatality? Dano

Yep and it started right after 9/11. Our prior way of life, in the US, will never be the same and the freedoms we enjoyed are in the past tense. Sad but true and it will get much worse, before it ever gets better, if it does. Bridge Day is just another example. Dano

This is from the description of flying, "99% boredom and 1 % sheer terror" came from... Dano

A cell phone - Whenever I travel to a new DZ, I like to make sure that I carry in my jumpsuit a simple map of the area and a cell phone with the DZ's phone number. It can save a lot of time and is critical in an emergency. Dano

A lot of good advise here..... Basically, when you feel comfortable jumping off of a table 3-4 feet off of the ground and can run out a fast landing, you should be ok. Pain or the fear of pain is a pretty good indicator if you are not in denial and off of the pain medication. I crushed the top of my tib, had bone grafts and waited about a year or so. Do the rehab as much as you can without doing damage and keep the weight off. Watch your gate/walk as it's easy to limp as a habit. That will effect your hip in the future. Dano

Do all versions of Planks. Start with 30 seconds and gradually work up to 5 minutes. Full, 1/2, one arm, leg in air and crunches in between. Work up to 15-30 minutes several times a week and you will also be helping your back. Walking plank push-ups are good too. Dano

You will only regret what you don't do.... go for it! Dano

Imagine the DZ as an airport and the traffic is landing the way you want to swoop. That is probably the reason for banning turns greater than 90 degrees in the "Landing" pattern. As long as the landing areas are separate and predictable, I don't see a problem. Unfortunately, that is rarely the case. Dano

It's all a matter of degrees... Very few are pure! Dano

I had a few problems with my right wrist that also made riding the bike (K1600GTL) for more than 15-20 minutes a real pain, but with some therapy, ice and just laying off of it a while, all is now good. Point though is, maybe after your surgery, and some rehab, you will be ok in the saddle. Hang on to the bike for a while and see? You might be fine after your recovery... Good luck! Dano

Canopy collision at break-off. I was tangled in the other lines with a good canopy above my head. The other person did a clean cutaway from below but I was left with his canopy and lines wrapped all over. By the time I untangled myself from the lines I still had his torn canopy above me starting to inflate. I was afraid to land it and felt comfortable cutting away at somewhere below 1,000 feet. It was almost like a canopy transfer and I had time to unstow my breaks and look for a place to land. There was a helicopter below me warming up! Oh and I only had use of my right arm. My left shoulder was hit so hard during the collision that I thought it was broken. I had little use of it at the time. Later it was found to be a bad bruise. Dano

As an average skydiver, I would not want to jump without an RSL. I feel safer and from personal experience, know some who would most likely be alive if they had one. I experienced a very low cutaway about a year ago with demo gear and a Skyhook probable made a significant difference in a positive outcome for several reasons. That being said, I recently updated my gear with a new container and my feeling was, why not have the best, so I added to it a Skyhook. Seemed like the thing to do. Dano

What did you say? :-) Same with cutaways.... Never heard that either! I have cutaway quite a bit lower than 1500, but it was because that was my only choice. Either that or two out and I felt that with a canopy above my head, just ugly, that was the better alternative. I did have a Sky Hook, but was not thinking of it at the time. Dano

Maybe I'm not listening, at least I think that's what my wife says, but, I've NEVER heard anyone say that because of their emergency devises, ( AAD, Skyhook, RSL, etc.) they were lowering their opening altitude. Maybe in jest, but not in actuality. Dano