godziller

The firebolt wasnt on my list. Anyone here jump it and at what WL.

I am 51 6'3" 225, have had my knees cut on 11 times, and have degen disc disorder. I wake up every morning feeling and acting like a kid, but I like to lie to myself. My problem is that landing is starting to hurt, and I need a new main. I am honestly at a loss as to what to buy. I probably have no more than 500 jumps left in me. 3 months ago I broke down and pulled out a rig I had made for my son. the main is a PD190 with only about 80 jumps on it. The landings are fine, but its a dog. everthing else I own is just plain not big enough anymore. so help me out. what should I buy?

51 and 14, but I have given up on shoes and birthdays since I retired and moved to the beach

all you need to do is smile, listen, and be very serious when you have your rig on. try to hang around the older jumpers, and keep you mouth shut and your ears open. skydivers love to abuse the punks and mentor nice kids. be the nice kid. At your age if you work hard and listen your skills will come quick. much quicker than those not trying as hard as you. it wont be long before those same guys who are willing to help you with skydiving will be more than willing to corupt your young mind.

I know this is an old thread, but i just found it and since I was standing on the side lines 40 feet from where he landed, I thought I would relay my veiwpont. First thing you should do is talk you friend into telling his side of this. It would be great to pass on his view point to anyone involved in a stadium demo. The wind was blowin 25+ right over the press box, just before the jumpers exited the orange target marker actually blew into the air and across the field. as the jumpers exited I said out loud "No fucking way" I am sure that there was not a jumper on the ground calling the shots because I couldnt imagine a jumper on the ground not calling this off. as the first jumper did an amaizing job landing. the second jumper did a great job crabing in riding the brakes at about 45 deg to the wind(going backwards BTW) and at about 60 ft gave a very small left toggle input to square up to the wind as the canopy(large 7 cell) started to turn the wind colapsed the left side and pushed the jumper very hard into the ground. I didnt see #3 land. I know that when you are on a demo you feel a lot of pressure to not disapoint, but somebody should have pulled the plug on this one. these guys did an amaizing job, and were obv highly skilled. I hope he is doing fine. it really sucked to watch it.

>and those damn kids wont stay off the lawn. trust me bill thats not me. I have spent most of my adult life "voted most likely to get naked and do something stupid" I love this sport, through good times and bad. but the bonfire doesnt burn as often. The tandem mill is an obsticle, and the swooper wannabees are just plain pissing me off. its not like the low pull artists of olden days, we just laughed at them because they were only going to kill themselves. I dont know anyone who has more fun skydiving than I do, I am just saying the DZ dynamic has changed, and for me its just not as much fun as it used to be.

after I read my post, I said omg you have turned into the old fart. I still feel like a kid, I live on a sailboat, I surf 100 days a year. I am up for anything that involves 12500, but I honestly dont have as much fun at the DZ anymore. the DZ used to be Fun, somehow it got to serious for me. as far as the wingloading thing goes... would you want you children to learn at a dropzone without 2 very separate landing areas?

the 3 things that are killing this sport are tandems, high wing loading, and the lost art of the fun jump. I am sure that if I was a kid 10 years ago there is no way I would still be jumping. but I am stuck in a sport that I dont like very much any more, and I aint no quitter. and I have 800 round canopy jumps at an average body weight of 220+ to prove it( yeah my joints make a lot of ugly noises). TANDEMS are a carnival ride not a skydive, self presevation is what got me hooked, and made we want to be better, and be like the cool guys (I was 16). HIGH WING LOADING. everytime I read about another bozo killing or hurting another skydiver under canopy I want climb a clock tower with a sniper rifle. what happened to the good old days when it was very hard to kill sombody besides yourself. for 25 years I was never nervous in the patern unless the wind was 25+ mph or I was landing in someones back yard for fun. now I try to worm my way into the last to exit position. LOST ART OF THE FUN JUMP. what happened to "hey the wind is picking up hard anyone up for a $5 closest to the frisbie load" or "who want to do a horny gorilla" every time I here a group of "junior sky gods" talking about the new 65 sq ft. main, or worse yet a group of "free fly snobs" I just shake my head and remember how much fun it used to be to just plain let go of an airplane. 35 years later its still fun to let go, but the dropzone sucks. just like the parafoil killed acuracy, the tandem and high wingloading is killing the dropzone.

I have done about a dozen exits out the cargo door years ago you roll out and hang from the bottom of the door frame. P.S. its a lot easier if you are 19 had about 8 beers and its dark out. do yourself a favor find another plane