dreamsville

A number of coaches and friends with whom I have jumped would never be able to go to that DZ, based upon the 1.5 wingloading limit. One particular free fly world champion's weight, which I estimate at about 140, would come in at 1.55 with the Velocity 90 that he commonly flies. If he flys an 84, then it's even "worse". I don't know the people at that DZ, but can say that this person is a better canopy pilot than most of us, certainly including me. | I don't drink during the day, so I don't know what it is about this airline. I keep falling out the door of the plane. Harry, FB #4143

This came up with me when I started. I realized that if I wanted to continue, it would be too expensive to do tandems, so I wanted to see what the rest of it was about. I concluded since I wanted to keep jumping, I would take the AFP course and learn more. Jumping was not what I thought it would be. It was better. | I don't drink during the day, so I don't know what it is about this airline. I keep falling out the door of the plane. Harry, FB #4143

Skymama, do you ever feel as if you are standing at the door of a large banquet hall, trying to say hello to everyone who arrives? | I don't drink during the day, so I don't know what it is about this airline. I keep falling out the door of the plane. Harry, FB #4143

Well, since you are only 40 miles out, have you ever thought of contacting the government about George W's dad jumping again, assuming he's up to it? Now there are two choices: he can jump from the government copter onto that nice ranch, or you can fly over there and dump him out. Be a nice touch. I don't drink during the day, so I don't know what it is about this airline. I keep falling out the door of the plane. Harry, FB #4143

Some voice concern about packing their rigs correctly with low jump numbers (will it be a safe pack? DO I know what I'm doing? It won't go in the bag!), which of course is just when one should be learning to pack. When I took AFP, I needed to report to the S & TA that I had spent my requisite session with a packer, where I go through it a few times under supervision and am critiqued. While worry about doing a safe pack with limited experience may be understandable, here and there we also find those who have the extra money for a packer and see that chance to get on another fun organized load at their level slipping away if they can't get packed up in time like the more experienced ones. Newbies are notably slow packers, mostly. | I don't drink during the day, so I don't know what it is about this airline. I keep falling out the door of the plane. Harry, FB #4143

Just as long as both arms are out in the same position and symetrical after the toss, that should not cause a problem. I have had one or two line twists where, in retrospect, I could swear that my left hand stayed up near my head for too long, while the other was down after the toss. That would cause more wind resistance on the left, and so cause me to turn right, just like a shoulder drop to the right. Add to that the fact that I NEVER have had a line twist where I can ever remember having to kick out with other than a left turn. That means the twist was going to the right upon opening. This consistency has a lesson in itself, I believe. | I don't drink during the day, so I don't know what it is about this airline. I keep falling out the door of the plane. Harry, FB #4143

I guess there aren't any studies on this since the long-time veterans tell me that it was harder to get to skydive back in the early-to-mid-80s, and so there are fewer women as well as men who have been jumping long enough to have children coming of legal age nowadays. If a baby has had 313 jumps in utero, what happens with not only college savings, but also saving for his/her new rig? In other words, is it possible that the kid will grow up with a strong inclination to jump, and then expect the parents to help out (maybe not even knowing why he/she feels this huge urge)? I'd put on my green eyeshade and hold on to my wallet if I were you. | I don't drink during the day, so I don't know what it is about this airline. I keep falling out the door of the plane. Harry, FB #4143

Video tells all, not only for mistakes, but for a recorded example of a good job when you did it right. It will help you focus your visualization and connect it to your muscle memory, especially if de-briefed right after the jump. | I don't drink during the day, so I don't know what it is about this airline. I keep falling out the door of the plane. Harry, FB #4143

Ah, yes. There was the time we jumps a stuffed red alligator. I was just doing video. As I tried to dive along side it (scared to be over the top), it disintegrated before I could even get close. There was a big puff of white stuffing coming out of it as it blew open shortly after exit. The stuffing reminded me of when we scattered Henry Bivins's (Chicago area) ashes after he died of a heart attack in bed in 2001 (God rest him). The stuffing was larger, though, since Henry's ashes had been divided up amongst a number of groups so his friends could share the tribute. | I don't drink during the day, so I don't know what it is about this airline. I keep falling out the door of the plane. Harry, FB #4143

I kept avoiding landing at one end of Eloy's south landing area last weekend because one was sitting there (wanted to surf instead). Give them a buzz and ask if they can help you. | I don't drink during the day, so I don't know what it is about this airline. I keep falling out the door of the plane. Harry, FB #4143

Is XML in the front end, with SQL Server still in the back end? Since we don;t have high traffic sites, Active Server Page with vbscript/javascript has worked OK. I just want to investigate, since I have only checked out XML in passing. Also, I want to say that I appreciate having this web site. It seems like it probably makes little, if any money, but provides a great outlet. When you figure in the tech and admin time, it proabably loses money. | I don't drink during the day, so I don't know what it is about this airline. I keep falling out the door of the plane. Harry, FB #4143

You should have the option to delete a post, if that's what you wanted. | I don't drink during the day, so I don't know what it is about this airline. I keep falling out the door of the plane. Harry, FB #4143

Be slightly de-arched for tracking. Pointed toes and booties help, with arms slightly below sides. This will allow you feel a slight burble under your midsection, accompanied by a feeling of increased horizontal speed. Thinner people may find this easier to achieve. However, NO ONE HERE is advocating flat-tracking in the tunnel. | I don't drink during the day, so I don't know what it is about this airline. I keep falling out the door of the plane. Harry, FB #4143

I know next to nothing about flat packing. However, if I am pro-packing, my guess would be that a backwards hook-up would be hard to miss. | I don't drink during the day, so I don't know what it is about this airline. I keep falling out the door of the plane. Harry, FB #4143

Ray, thanks for reporting on the "grabbed the wrong rig" incident. I have often wondered what it would be like if I was all of a sudden under a Velocity 90, rather than the usual Stilleto 135 and hadn't expected it. The jumper probably maintained his cool. Hats off to him. | I don't drink during the day, so I don't know what it is about this airline. I keep falling out the door of the plane. Harry, FB #4143

After my first jump weekend before last at SDC (on the rig I had planned to take to Spaceland; actually ended up at Eloy due to Houston weather), I was pulling the tail around the slider of my Stilleto 135, and noticed two 3/4" tears near the back of the tail topskin. I had never seen this before, which is on an area of the canopy that we frequently see when packing, even if not doing a thorough inspection. I daisy-chained it and took it to the loft, as I was afraid it might rip on the next jump. Had I not noticed, but had suspected a problem with the main if a large rip developed, I hope I would have cut it away. Better to find out on the ground than at 100 feet. Jeff the rigger started lightly pulling on the fabric surrounding the small rips, and it was brittle. He suggested that the decomposition may have been caused by sweat and UV rays, given the location of the damage. While I have not yet picked up the rig, they completely inspected it and found no other weak areas. I had asked that they check to be sure the canopy, after about 1,100 jumps, was still airworthy. Fortunately, it's got a ways to go. The patch supposedly will be about 18" square. It was not necessary to send it to PD. I don't drink during the day, so I don't know what it is about this airline. I keep falling out the door of the plane. Harry, FB #4143

Nope. It was hooked up backwards. No one ever fessed up. He said, "I think we shan't be seeing that again.". | I don't drink during the day, so I don't know what it is about this airline. I keep falling out the door of the plane. Harry, FB #4143

Now that you mention it, that may be at least as likely as anything. However, as valid as that may be in human nature, I still think it's a cop out on her part if it's true. She doesn't have to care, though, and it's moot now anyhow. | I don't drink during the day, so I don't know what it is about this airline. I keep falling out the door of the plane. Harry, FB #4143

"People high on Marijuana can usually be found arguing in the cookie aisle of grocery stores really late at night. " Now that we have established our positions on this issue, I think some humor was in order. That's funny. I don't drink during the day, so I don't know what it is about this airline. I keep falling out the door of the plane. Harry, FB #4143

I'm sorry but I can't resist this any longer. The best position for canopy forward motion is to have it hooked up correctly. There is an experienced jumper at Sebastian whose rig was packed by someone else, and it opened flying backwards because maybe the main had been reconnected while it remained in the D-Bag. Anything else make sense? Yes, he cut it away, since he was not satisfied with the frame of reference into which he had been cast. | I don't drink during the day, so I don't know what it is about this airline. I keep falling out the door of the plane. Harry, FB #4143

Assuming nothing else was going on, she's either scared skydiving will muscle her life style, or like the other one said, she has a deep-seated bad memory about friend's Vietnam death that your beginning to jump sparked to the surface. Sad. You obviously thought a bunch of her. Best wishes. I have found that of anyone I have dated, only one made a jump, and I think (ha, such ego), it may have been because of me. Others were not at all off put about my jumping, except that they're not planning on seeing the inside of an Otter any time soon (read, lifetime). | I don't drink during the day, so I don't know what it is about this airline. I keep falling out the door of the plane. Harry, FB #4143

Remember that a couple of inches of rear riser input on some canopies can be worth MANY inches of toggle input. Try it up high a bunch of times first, so you don't end up with an unfortunate spill. | I don't drink during the day, so I don't know what it is about this airline. I keep falling out the door of the plane. Harry, FB #4143

Oh, my, we try to keep jumping during the winter (just dress warmly). That keeps the vibes up, although it may be more difficult in the US Pacific Northwest and Canadian West weather than for us, although much of this winter was not so great. | I don't drink during the day, so I don't know what it is about this airline. I keep falling out the door of the plane. Harry, FB #4143

I just jumped with Philip this weekend, and the last time during the 2001 Nationals, also at Eloy. He is fun and knowledgeable. He is a good example of a good LO. Others that come to mind are Steve Lapp at ZHills, Terry Gardner and Tommy Nelson at Chicagoland, Norge Roi and Roger Nelson and Jerry at SD Chicago, team XL at Sebastian, and Walt Mitchell at Perris. Mike Swanson, Dave Brown at Sebastian, and Mike Ortiz are great on the free-fly side. I don't know where everyone here jumps, but I just tossed out a partial list of people who have helped me in case you were in any of these neighborhoods. I don't mean to advertise as much as to try to help. When I get to a DZ that's one of the first questions I ask, if I don't know anybody. | I don't drink during the day, so I don't know what it is about this airline. I keep falling out the door of the plane. Harry, FB #4143

I just jumped with Philip this weekend, and the last time during the 2001 Nationals, also at Eloy. He is fun and knowledgeable. He is a good example of a good LO. Others that come to mind are Steve Lapp at ZHills, Terry Gardner and Tommy Nelson at Chicagoland, Norge Roi and Roger Nelson and Jerry at SD Chicago, team XL at Sebastian, and Walt Mitchell at Perris. Mike Swanson, Dave Brown at Sebastian, and Mike Ortiz are great on the free-fly side. I don't know where everyone here jumps, but I just tossed out a partial list of people who have helped me in case you were in any of these neighborhoods. I don't mean to advertise as much as to try to help. When I get to a DZ that's one of the first questions I ask, if I don't know anybody. | I don't drink during the day, so I don't know what it is about this airline. I keep falling out the door of the plane. Harry, FB #4143