Myrka

yea, i posted this reply on mySpace, and i'll post it here too that's friggen sick... why would anyone want to do this to a poor animal is beyond me i guess that makes me " Animal Cruelty/ I don't eat meat/ I'm a pansy"... But seriously, rubber chickens are not enough fun for some??

Every student I personally know never got injured, but hehe, I did… bounced around on crutches for a few weeks, took little over a month off to heal up, came back, had the most AWESOME dive, and couple of more since! Stupid hurts… Listen to your instructors, don’t overpush, and be ready to make the right decision. Good luck!!

is that good or bad?

Dave: I'm still a n00b and have no idea what i'm doing, but i recorded one of my dives this weekend on AltiTrack, and i did slow down when I tracked. I did 2 tracks separated by 180 turn about 25 seconds in the dive, and speed graph is attached.

You left off the "and generating some lift" part. If you can find a body position that will allow a tracker to generate lift, you'll be a popular guy. Since we dont have engines and can't generate lift, we have to reduce fall rate to a minimum so that we have more time on the way to pull altitude to get maximum horizontal separation. Hey guys: It is in my understanding that during tracking you simply attempt to convert your body to an airfoil shape. When do, it behaves similarly to the wing of the airplane, or even the canopy, but the principle is generally the same, and yes, it generates lift and drag, and creates a glide ratio (distance traveled::horizontal speed over height lost::vertical speed). Factors that shape the human airfoil of course are arms, shoulder position and shape of the rig, etc.. There was a study done in 1969 if you’re interested (http://www.usaarl.army.mil/TechReports/69-9.PDF)

hehe, there are no women on that pic

Hi guys: I’m reading this thread, and there are many points that I agree with and some that I do not… I can only say this from the student’s perspective, but getting into the sport can be very overwhelming. Even things that seem basic and common sense (i.e. approach aircraft from the back) have to be “taught” to you. Skydiving is the whole new culture within itself! In many ways this can be intimidating. So, doing some “research” before hand may not be a bad idea. What kind of research is another issue… I think that the person who’s looking for a “fitting” advice or someone who will tell them what they “want to hear” will eventually find what they’re looking for. Many of us, students I guess are just looking up to experienced jumpers for support more than anything. And I also think it’s important to do your own homework. I’ve had my instructors explain to me how canopies behave like wings of the airplanes, but we certainly weren’t getting into Newton nor Bernoulli’s theories… For those that want to learn about the sport, I don’t think it’s a stretch from other disciplines, and same rules apply: #1 respect and learn from your instructors as a primary source of knowledge (and yes, that requires a great deal of trust). #2 Do research from reputable sources, such as USPA Skydiver's Information Manual and just be patient and willing to learn. #3 Share your knowledge and learn from others. Does anyone agree?

Hi guys: This doesn’t relate to this thread 100%, however, I’ve been down for almost a month now because of my poor piloting/flair skills, so I’ve been researching and reading and reading some more… Attached is a paper titled “The Aerodynamics and Piloting of High Peformance Ram-Air Parachutes” by Jerry Sobieski. It’s not what I call light reading, but it contains some very enlightening insights and helped me to truly comprehend many issues that go into piloting a canopy from “scientific” and practical view (I am embarrassed to admit many aspects of which were taught to me by my instructors, but just didn’t click 100%)… Anyway, maybe someone else could find it useful. It was published in ’94, however, many fundamental concepts are there. EDIT: sorry, pdf was too large to upload, but here's a link to it http://www.afn.org/skydive/sta/highperf.pdf

I just had one thing going through my mind... crosswind, PLF.. YIKES!!!

hail to stand up landings!!!

Hi: Try this http://www.bigairsportz.com/pdf/bas-sizingchart.pdf I think I might have found this link on the boards here or elsewhere, but some very good guidance info there. Hope you'll find this helpful.

i inlcuded myspace links if u want to listen in My personal favorite: Hadley aka Doctor Hadley “touch the sky” http://www.myspace.com/hadleymusic Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers “learning to fly” http://www.myspace.com/thestuffnstuff Foo fighters “learn to fly” http://www.myspace.com/foofighters (hehe) Steve Miller “Fly Like an Eagle” http://www.myspace.com/stevemillerfans and for ya *romatics* out there Mary Poppins “Let’s Fly a Kite” http://www.myspace.com/98qeqfad

FYI, they do have a bbb record with all the associated contact #'s http://www.atlanta.bbb.org/commonreport.html?bid=13003271&language=1

Ai, yikes, I should have made 2 separate entries for 1-6 months, and break ‘em into 1-2 months and 2-6 months… That would have been more fair! Guys, thank you so much for the feedback. By all means I don’t take it as an endorsement that “accidents” are ok, but it’s encouraging to see so many D license holders share their “war stories”. Hmm… Who skydived with the cast on?

haha! yes yes... please, more student stories (going on my 3rd week w/torn ligaments)

Sometimes getting a bit banged up is just a side effect of skydiving… With all the talk about them on the boards lately, what about your injuries? How long did they keep you away (if more than one, choose multiple option)?

errrrr.. yea that pic

If that's the case, then I'm assuming the guy that conked his hip was to end up on the tail of that cat. I think I do see an extra hand next to his on the center guy's leg. That must be the other person out of sight..... Pretty 'interesting' way to launch a 22. A little coaching goes a long way. Even for the best way to launch stuff. It helps to get a team video of the top teams. 22 launch can be pretty idiot proof when done correctly. However, we've done "non-suggested" exits just for the fun factor, especially when we've had a good lead in a meet. wow, good eye (pic attached)

Looks like AFF to me... seems that the guy in the door is doing prop/up/down/arch... was it???

Whew! Glad to hear the guy was ok. I'm buying my AFF instructor a beer next time I see him The risks these guys go through are amazing! Kudos!

Hi: I’m a student too, and after I failed my AFF4 three times(!) I was asking everyone that question, and most importantly was questioning whether it’s for me or not. I came across people that tanked AFFs one by one and were able to do standup landing by jump #4, and I’ve spoken to those whom it took over 15 jumps. I think it’s different for everyone…. On that day when I failed 3 times in a row I overheard my instructor talk to someone else… He told his buddy that he actually had to tell one of his students that “maybe skydiving is not for you”… Haha, no he wasn’t talking about me, and I became to realize that if you have “no talent” for this sport, you will hear from your instructors about it. I’ve also seen people filling out their log books… And they have what 500, 1000, 3000 jumps?! I think by the time I’ll be logging my 500th jump it’s really not going to matter how many AFFs it took me to get there. Most importantly, it makes me a safer and better skydiver, and if it takes more jumps then so be it!! It’s more fun and rewarding than anything I’ve ever done up to this point in my life! Everyone has been really supportive, and I think it’s important to believe in yourself, and of course, listen to your instructors. The best jumps I’ve had were the ones that I was able to concentrate on and actually visualize on my way up. If I got too nervous or too cocky it was a repeat.. I guess, it’s not that much different than relationships, it takes as many as it takes. But it sure does make you appreciate it more when you have to “work for it”. So, now at 11 jumps, still level 7, and can’t wait to get my guys at case of beer!! Good luck!! I hope that one day we’ll get to share A license congrads

You don't have to be over 18 to be a great packer and make money

hehe... there are no sugardaddies in skydiving, that's for sure LOL... but yea, it's TOTALLY worth it

don't forget to set one pool apart for the case of the beer