jjrainyday

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Everything posted by jjrainyday

  1. No, it's not actually a show yet. It's just an idea for a show. This is basically an introduction to the show to explain the ideas and introduce the characters. There was a film crew out at the dz for several days to make this, so someone obviously likes the idea.
  2. There's a new five-minute "sizzle reel" on YouTube for a new reality show following the Conatser family and Skydive Perris. I don't know if the show will ever be made, but it's an interesting idea. I wonder what effect it will have on the sport... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JF2ZczPnQ2g
  3. I can't help but mention that "standing up your motorcycle" is such a "Jose" thing to do! Seriously, I came looking for this thread because I was thinking of Jose the other day, and how he always made me laugh -- even when I was having a really rough day in manifest.
  4. According to the NTSB website, "Synopses of final reports and any related press releases are generally available immediately following the meetings; published reports are usually available 4-6 weeks later; So, does anyone who saw the webcast have the unofficial findings yet?
  5. What a great-sounding trip! As far as great vibes and different planes, head on up to Missouri and Skydive Quantum Leap for some jumps out of the Sweet Beech and a great scene all the time! The Beech 99 Airliner is what happened when an Otter and King Air mated; it takes 21 jumpers to 14,000 feet in about 8 minutes. As far as the jumpers, everyone will welcome you with open arms, especially if you're a little "different," 'cause we all are too! We're a great mix of old-time belly flyers and those young-uns freeflying. There's always beer in the fridge and food on the grill. Drive safe!
  6. The clouds have cleared off here and the winds are dying down (it must be the superpowers of The Legend). Load 1 is on a 25 minute call. See you soon!
  7. I'm assuming by "emergency" you mean an emergency exit from an aircraft at a low altitude. The rule for low emergency exits is that you bail out on your reserve if you are at or below your "decision altitude," the altitude where you decide whether to cut away your main or land it if you're having a malfunction.
  8. Thanks so much for all the great ideas!! I'll let you know how it goes...
  9. We have a tandem student that wants to propose to his girlfriend (also doing a tandem), so he wants "Will You Marry Me?" written in the landing area. Does anyone have experience with landing area messages? I was thinking we could mow it in, or paint it on a big banner and put it flat on the ground, or...? Thanks!!
  10. I have a set of $1 million-plus legs, and my insurance company paid fully with no questions asked. It was pretty obvious to everyone I had done it skydiving (EMTs got me out of my gear and cut off my jumpsuit), and it never occurred to me to lie about it. It was a group insurance plan through my mom's company (I was in college at the time), but they never questioned whether or not I would be covered. Bottom line: Check with your insurance company first.
  11. It's possible that it's bothering you because you broke a screw (the screw doesn't break, but the bone around it does). I have had a titanium rod in my tibia for 2 years, and I broke a screw at the bottom about a year ago, causing it to really hurt when I walked around. They took the screw out while they were doing other work on that leg, and I haven't had a problem since. My doctor (a sports guy) took out the rod in my femur a couple of months ago, saying that if I were injured again, the rod could cause things to be worse. I think my tibia rod will be in there forever, since the fracture stubbornly refuses to heal. Good luck!
  12. Although he drinks his fair share of beer, PJ's hidden talent lies in the mean Bombay Sapphire martinis he mixes. Mmmnnn!
  13. I think Tonto makes very good points: I decided to go with "mark a time in your life you want to preserve," and got blue and yellow stars across my lower back. They match my jumpsuits and gear; of course I picked that motif for my gear in the first place because I've always liked stars. So, I saved a bit of skydiving and a bit of my childhood at the same time. I had about 400 jumps at the time, and I knew that if I never made another skydive again, I would always like my tat and the memories. I think that's an important question to ask yourself as well. Will I want this ten years after my last jump?
  14. I was wondering if anyone has any pictures or memories of Horizon Skydiving School, outside of Kansas City, that they could post. Thanks.
  15. The South Jersey Courier Post has a nice article about Sara here: http://www.courierpostonline.com/news/southjersey/m070605l.htm Parachutist who died recalled as free spirit with zest for life Wednesday, July 6, 2005 By WILFORD S. SHAMLIN Courier-Post Staff MONROE Sara Loshe, a sky-diving instructor who died in a parachuting accident, was remembered Tuesday as a "free spirit" who had a zest for living and a love for the Bible. "It wouldn't surprise me that she would sky-dive," said Jim Pandolfo, an assistant principal at Paulsboro High School. "She enjoyed life. She was a free spirit." Loshe, a 2000 graduate of Paulsboro High School, was 23. Loshe, who lived in the Bridgeport section of Logan, had just told her mother last week that she "already lived two lifetimes with all the things she has accomplished in her young life," said Joan Claybourn of Paulsboro. Claybourn's daughter Brieanna, 23, is Loshe's best friend. She is traveling abroad in Brazil. Loshe had a passion for sky diving, even traveling to Florida during the winter so she could continue parachuting in a warmer climate. She did not attend college, pursuing a career in sky diving instead, Joan Claybourn said. "Everyone she met tried to talk her out of it," said Claybourn, 52. Once they found out how passionate she was, however, they then would encourage her, she said. Loshe was described as a spiritual person, an active leader with a Billingsport United Methodist Church youth group in Paulsboro. Claybourn's other daughter, Tori, recalled the time Loshe brought a sledgehammer to church to drive home a powerful point. She encouraged young people to listen to Christian music. She also wanted them to dispose of their secular music CDs because of their racy lyrics and adult themes rather than passing them on to friends. "In order not to encourage others to listen to them she brought a sledgehammer to church and smashed up CDs," said Tori Claybourn, 19. Loshe's classmates named her the most talented female senior in her Paulsboro High School class. She was known for trying anything and everything, from snowboarding and theater to photography and Hebrew language courses. "She lived in Israel for one year," Joan Claybourn recalled.
  16. In answer to your question: There are some basic questions you can ask any DZ with a student program. These include: -How many students have you trained? How many tandems have you done? Cross Keys has done more than 250,000 tandems since they opened. -How long have you been in business? CK: Since 1984. -How experienced are your instructors? How much time in the sport do they have, and how many jumps (on average) does your staff have? CK: The staff averages 6,000 skydives each. -What kind of plane(s) do you fly? (If you don't know the different types, ask how many people it holds. 20+ is big and nice.) CK: On the weekends, a Super Skyvan (approx. 22 jumpers with a cool tailgate exit) and Super Otter (approx. 24 jumpers).
  17. It's totally worth the drive! I used to drive 5 hours every weekend, even when it was raining, and Cross Keys never let me down! (Now I've moved closer to the DZ... but I still wouldn't miss a party!). John, the DZO, is really stoked about this weekend, and it'll be rocking no matter what. Good weather will be icing on the cake: kick-ass organizing, great aircraft, and an all-around fun dz. Even if it's wet, Ottley's, the tiki bar, will be open every night when the sun goes down, and the scene is always great. Liz, the world's best bartender, mixes regularly-- be sure to ask her for "something good" and see what she comes up with! And for all of you Cross Keys regulars, I just might get current again... See ya there!!
  18. 70 jumps is certainly not a hard-and-fast rule, especially at Cross Keys. You just need to check with John (or whoever is flying that day).
  19. It sounds like there's a lot of good advice here... I want to say one thing in defense of the Spectre: they're not that hard to land. I made about 200 jumps on an f11 canopy, and PLFed 99% of my landings. Then I bought a used Spectre, and was standing up after about 10 jumps-- I think it took that long only because I had to break the PLF habit.
  20. I've actually needed one once. Two static-line students, the jumpmaster, and I were on the Cessna 182. The jumpmaster put the students out and followed the second student on the second pass without disconnecting the bag and static-line-- he just rolled it up and shoved it under the seat. I followed, and caught the bag with my foot. It tangled around my ankle, and after exit I was hanging upside-down from the plane. Thankfully I only smashed into the plane once before getting free, and my only injury was a nasty friction burn. That was enough to convince me to always carry a hook knife, because that static-line could have been a seatbelt, or... You just never know when shit's going to happen.