thrillseek

I think i know where you were going with this, Gary. Today, I did my first demo. (yes, i bought the beer) I jumped into my home town for family and friends/neighbors and they were just thrilled to see me come in and make a soft, easy landing. I think that scaring people on landings is rediculous, especially people that we jump with. I have a number of people that i jump with that like to swoop, however, only one or two really do radical hooks. Personally, I never have seen the attraction in scaring people when i skydive...usually, i try to be an ambasador of safety and show them that we aren't all a bunch of wackos...maybe that's just me.

and i thought only rednecks hung out in walmart parking lots!!

try 2 bottles of brandy, 1 1/2 packs o' smokes, loud music, and taco bell afterwards...it won't help the cold any, but you'll at least get that cool feeling of "where the hell am I?" when you wake up in the morning!

i made it a reflex for me....on the ride to altitude, i include that in my psychological pre-jump preps...I think:"if i throw out and don't feel anything after x-amount of time, i will slip to either side to get some air on my back, and if i still don't feel anything, CHOP CHOP...time's a wastin'!

Bad ass man!! Welcome!

I gotta say, DaKine Rags suits are the best i have seen. The attention to detail, the durability, and the customer service really put them head and shoulders above anyone else.

...after the honeymoon, things just weren't the same between us...

now that's funny!!

...some call it stalking....Clay calls it love!

Clay, I have had this happen to me twice. The first time freaked me out, and when i got on the ground, i recieved some good advice which i'll pass along: If you throw out and nothing happens, you don't have much time, BUT take the time to dip a shoulder before chopping...this will change the burble that your pilot chute is most likely hiding in and cause it to inflate as it should. By going for your handles like you did, you probably did very much the same manuver. On my first time, i almost had a tight grip on my handles when i felt opening shock...sure am glad i didn't cut away as the main opened...that thought hung around in my head for a while

my thinking is that the back track is a fairly simple manuver...when done properly at 4000 feet, you still have tons of time to roll back over, re-check heading and then wave off and deploy. I have got to be one of the most prolific "wave-offers" i know, and the guy still didn't see me. If i had been able to see him, I could have altered my track for a couple of seconds and created some distance.

Ok, first off, I am not posting this for everyone to give me a "shame on you". If someone else can learn from my screw up, then it wasn't for nothing. Anyway, this past weekend, I was doing a 2-way with a friend and everything was cool until about 5,500ft when we decided to break off a little higher than planned. Instead of turning 180 degrees and tracking, i decided to show off for the guy (who has just over 50 jumps) and drop into a sit. When i did that, it put me waaaaay lower than the other jumper. He was unable to see me for some reason. The end result was that when we looked at our positions relative to the DZ, each of us started tracking for it, as opposed to our pre-planned 180 degree deal. When i opened my main and was looking up at it inflating, i noticed my friend right next to and above me. This is the closest to a canopy collision i have ever experienced. The lessons: *stick to the plan.always. *even thought the lower jumper has right of way, if you collide with someone else, you are just as dead. *take the time to roll over on your back at 4000ft and actually LOOK at the sky above you. The life you save will be your own. *resist the urge to fixate on the dz when in a track...if you land off, so be it. *hang out until your preplanned breakoff altitude...even if the dive has gone to shit, hang out and wait. *horizontal distance is far more valuable than vertical...track, and track well.

...and chicks dig scars!

Congrats! Welcome Back

Not to hijack the thread, but I am trying to establish a National Collegiate Skydiving Association within The USPA and really could use input from collegiate skydivers....anyone who is interested, pm me. A.T.

after 200+ skydives, i still feel uneasy at times....the jump itself helps more than anything...it's a leap of faith, ya know?? After getting on the ground, my psychological batteries are charged up for an entire weekend! It is a natural thing to feel uneasy about things...if you didn't at your level, i would wonder about ya! *remember, skydiving is fun, but it's serious fun!*

that device has already been made...it's called "Old Faithful and 1/2 a sheet of plywood"!!!

Oh yeah...Alyson Hannigan is definately a hottie!

I know there are a lot more experienced skydivers on this site, but i have never heard of a pilot chute causing line twists...unless, of course, it was braided in the lines. Sure sounds like bad body position during deployment to me....maybe even your packjob. With your wingloading and canopy size, a 24" zp pilot chute should be just fine.

0:6:0 Not a bad weekend. One hard pull, but 2nd try was good. A little scary, but I was at 4k with TONS of time to burn before going to the silver. Showed off a bit for someone on an observer ride...I love doing the batman exit!!

Just remember, while protracks and dytters are cool, they are machines and can (and will) fail....trust your eyes and your altimeter, and when in doubt, whip it out!

We are all a little playful, but never when safety is an issue. I would say that being pushed out isn't as bad as, say, deploying someone's main at 10K for a joke, but what would happen if you got knocked out on exit because of someone's idea of a joke...not cool. Generally speaking, a hop-n-pop is an individual thing. There probably wouldn't be much of an ass beating at my dz for that, but i would definately funnel the culprit's next skydive for them!

It's got to be the people that run my DZ that really make it worth the trip... The "vibe" you get there is usually friendly, unless you do something really stupid...and i do mean REALLY stupid. Otherwise, the owners are 3 guys that have been jumping for a total of 88years between them...not to mention that they are cool as hell. Every weekend, i get to hang out with guys that helped pioneer or sport...how cool is that?!?

WOO HOO!!! Boobies for everyone!!!

i drowned when i was 5...ever since, i have been afraid of the water. So, what do i do?? Take up kayaking...and not just recreational smooth water stuff, but more like class 5+ stuff. In much the same way, i am scared to death of heights. So what do i do?? Jump out of planes! It's all about me being the master of my own universe i guess...