PiLFy

+1... His terminology needs refinement.

Wait a minute, Catfish. You told us you fell off the roof while cleaning the gutters(?)...

F_A_C_E_T_I_O_U_S ...

Nicely said

Here we go again...

Fun vid. I was going to say I don't speak Russian. I think she was cursing in English, though. Listen to it again. It sounded pretty clear to me .

Nice jump, Brandon. I like that jump plane. It's purdy.

The BPA magazine is quite good but also pretty pricey to have it sent to the US. Some back issues can be enjoyed online Awesome. Thanks for the link.

Hi, Shin splints take time to develop. The classic example being the new jogger who forces it through the increasing pain, for weeks. Until they are finally forced to pack it in due to poor form, shoes, or shins. You probably slightly pulled some muscles on your shins, &/or the fascia. OTC anti-inflammatories, heat (after the first 48hrs), & elevation. Eighteen beers a day is a whole other story... Heal Fast

Hi, Congratulations! How was the reserve landing (half-braked PLF)? I had a line-over on jump #15. I had been off for a couple weeks, & just wanted a nice, calm, get back into the swing skydive. Didn't work out that way. Happily, I was opening high (5500') @the time. I felt a rough opening. Looked up, & "Oh shit." Three feet of the canopy was collapsed by lines. Pulling on risers only made it worse (spin). I hung there laughing to myself that I'd have to cut it. I tried pulling on the left toggle really hard. It worked. It turned out to be mostly the steering line. The cascades were spread over the three feet of cells. A part of me was saddened. I wanted to chop it!! Don't tell my DZO...

I asked one of the tandem guys during a climb up to altitude. He told me 6500HP, each. Another guy there who helps w/plane maintenance told me it's more like 6000HP. I'm pretty sure he said each, as well. Not true? They fly Super (Twin) Otters. For the purposes of this thread, though. Loud is loud. The planes are in good shape, but day B loud.

"Hey, look @the Pelican! Fly Pelican, Fly!!" Antonio Montana (sorry...). I'm sorry to read that your headache hasn't gone away for seven days straight(?). If so, you need to be evaluated by a real Doctor. I personally have very little respect for the field of chiropractics. Smoke & Mirrors describes most of the "Treatments" I've seen on Youtube. Many claims made by this specialty have no basis in scientific fact. Your headache might be nothing. It might be something serious. You don't know. I get headaches from time to time. I used to get almost daily migraines. If I had a headache last seven days straight? I would have been evaluated a few days ago... It sounds like it is past time you went to see your Doctor. Good Luck.

"Blue ones," ?!?!

Hi Mike, The standard placement for pacemakers & IADs is mid-subclavian (right where it is). Unfortunately, IADs tend to be a bit BIG. Creating another pocket (marsupialization) a couple inches over won't help you much, IMHO. As someone already guessed. The main risk to the unit, is a lead being disconnected through trauma. That much force would also hurt you, not just the unit. If I may suggest? Talk to your Cardiologist. Find out about blunt trauma (hard opening/malfunction), interference from FAA radio traffic, & using base-line settings that won't cause unnecessary firings of the unit. Cardiologists tend to err on the conservative side w/those units. A custom made, sturdy pad should be all you'll need to protect yourself, & the unit. So long as radio interference isn't an issue, & the settings can be safely adjusted. You should be fine. Good Luck.

Hi, I'm a student, too. One w/nerve damage in one ear... I wear ear plugs for the ride up to altitude. My DZ flies Super Otters. Two 6,000HP turbine engines scream right outside the fuselage. I don't know how many decibels they create. I can tell you it's loud enough to do damage over time. My nerve damage makes me more sensitive to loud noises. I take them out before I jump. Ear plugs don't seal your canal completely. So, no worries about the pressure changes. The student radios are hard enough to hear without wearing plugs. I'm betting your instructors won't want you wearing ear plugs under canopy for that reason. There's no reason you can't on the plane ride up, though.

Hello, Congratulations on your first jump!! Two possibilities: Sinus congestion or cervical impingement. After my first jump? My ears weren't clear for a few days. After jumping a few more times. My Eustachian tubes adapted. My ears now clear very quickly. Just because you don't have severe sinus pain, doesn't mean they aren't to blame for your dull headache. The other possibility would be cervical. Disc degeneration can cause wicked headaches. The axial loading from normal opening shocks is about 3Gs. Without any other symptoms: scalp/arm/hand numbness, neck pain, stiffness. It being cervical disc degeneration seems unlikely. I suggest giving it another day. You can try an OTC decongestant. If it persists? An X-Ray series @an Orthopaedist isn't expensive w/insurance. Disc degeneration will show on normal X-Rays. As I'm finding out myself (Cervical Arthritis thread in "Skydiving w/Disabilities" section). Even if you do have some cervical arthritis. It won't keep you from skydiving. FYI, some insurance companies will deny claims if the injury was caused by skydiving. I'd be careful what you tell your Doctor. Best of Luck to you.

Hello, If you jump w/congested sinuses. You can perforate your ear drum. That hurts. It's also a rough ride: nausea/vertigo/& grounded for months... Squeezing your nose, & blowing won't clear it if you're too congested. Blowing your nose like that too hard can also do damage. My advice comes from Nursing experience: Don't do it. Wait the week or two until you're clear again.

Hi, FWIW, All I've bought from them so far, is a helmet. The order process was just as it should be. I had a question about the helmet. Mike(?) responded immediately. I've no qualms about doing much more business w/them in the future.

This is better than a lot of stupid skydiving shirts on the market. Find out how to sell this idea w/o getting ripped off, Skinnay. I'll buy a few from you.

Hi Pokerface, Bad idea, friend. I've been riding for almost thirty years, now. Something many riders seem to forget about: What if you end up hitting the ground? That would be an expensive slide across the pavement. Plus, the large hump of the rig might help cause a serious neck injury during a tumble. I don't ride my bike to the DZ for convenience' sake. Don't they have lockers you can rent on-site? 24hr on-site security person? Unless the DZ was very close to home, over low traffic volume back roads. I wouldn't do it.

I'm moved to "Skydivers w/disabilities"??? Jeeze, I'm getting older by the minute... Sorry, I don't see how to do a group reply for this post. Thank You for all of the informative replies, everyone. I'm relieved to see that injuries & conditions far worse than mine apparently won't keep me on the ground. I'm hoping to enjoy many years in the sport. I did the MRI, & should get the results tomorrow. I hope to be back to jumping again within a few weeks. Thanks again, everyone.

N/A

Evening All, I've a question for the more experienced, please. I almost have an A-license finished. It took a lot of overcoming fear, along w/some hard landings to get here. I'm now @the threshold of a great sport I'm looking forward to enjoying for many years. One problem. After last weekend. My forearms & hands went partially numb... Dx: mild Cervical Arthritis. I go for an MRI tomorrow after work. The numbness has all but resolved. I'm 45, & in pretty good shape. I know of one guy @my DZ who has two herniated discs in his neck from several years ago. He jumps almost every day. Sometimes, he jumps w/an older twin camera set up that weighs A LOT. Is this a sport that people w/normal age-related disc degeneration can safely do? Instructors @my DZ have several thousand jumps, each. Two of them have about twelve thousand jumps a piece. I know I'll probably never accumulate nearly as many jumps. I'd hate to have to give the sport up after just finding it, though. Are there many others here jumping in their Forties & Fifties? How have you made out? I'm afraid to admit to my Doctors that I skydive. I met another student who had his medical bills denied because it was a skydiving injury. I'm thinking that dacron lines, maybe a larger slider, & larger chutes will take a fair amount of force out of the opening shock. What do you guys think?

Hi Josh, Does it ever go away? I know it's already been said a few times, but +1. I hope not. That would be dangerous. Complacency can get you hurt badly. I'd say I had a LOT of fear when I started jumping. You can desensitize yourself to any phobia w/repeated exposures. My fear of heights was pretty extreme, though. It was a true leap-of-faith that the principle would hold true for skydiving, as well. If you're lucky enough to be able to jump 4-5 times a day @your DZ. It will subside much quicker for you. I'm lucky to get more than two jumps a week @my DZ. So, it took a bit longer. I went from loads of fear, to some butterflies in the plane. Once I'm @the door? It's all good... Prep for it better? If I may? Rather than trying to amp yourself up for a jump. Try to face your fears calmly. I've seen a number of guys trying to psych themselves up before a jump. I feel it's the wrong approach. Much has been written about fear. Briefly then, what works for me: I take a few minutes during the second half of the climb. I go over my new-found abilities. All the learning objectives I've accomplished. Mistakes I've managed to save myself from. The serene beauty of parts of the dive cycle, etc... In short, I remind myself that A) I've proven to myself that I can do this safely. & B) That I really enjoy it. It's only sane to be afraid of pitching yourself out of a plane @14K'. It's insane to completely lose your fear of jumping. That will turn you into a statistic pretty quickly. Those first fledgling AFF jumps are a hurdle for almost everyone. You'll get past them quickly, & be glad you stuck it out. Enjoy your jumps, Josh.

My DZ's Protek helmets are tired. After one broke in my hands while boarding. I decided to buy something. My helmet understanding spans almost 30yrs. of motorcycling. Realistically, a $300 skydiving helmet is pure bling (unless you fly cameras). It's not how hard the shell is. It's how well the helmet will decelerate your brain in an impact. @terminal? You're dead. Hit a tree @80MPH? Same ending. I want a helmet to protect my noggin moving around in the plane. In free fall w/other helmets close by. As well as a surprise hard landing. My size large helmet offers a lot of well-fitting padding (replacement set $20), a hard shell, & a shape that actually fits my head (unlike Proteks). All that, plus a no-paint exterior I can flop on the plane's floor w/o worrying about scratching. All that for $65? Sold. I'll spend some of the money I saved on an Audible. Thanks, Sky Systems.