MRNUTS1960

I had the chance to spend a few hours there this spring watching and did 45 minutes myself and two of the instructors there were just exceptional with people and all could fly. Derek V. manages the place and he treats you like an old friend. He coached me and I can honestly say it was all good. Kiwi Hamilton from New Zealand is there as well and what a great guy he is as well. I watched him working with several folks and was really taken by the positive attitude and real professional way they handle cuntomers. Lots of other fantastic flyers there but I only had the chance to really get to know those two but my impression was so good I'll be back there next month. It was worth the flight to Denver hotel and all. Fantastic operation with wonderful staff that really make you feel at home.

Hey I was just there last week and I ask the manager Derek V. how to get the best deal on some more time and he recommended to go to the boogies they visit and you can buy time from the instructors there at a great price!

I can't find the Mythbusters program to give the exact details but they tested the myth of the gold finger movie that the girl was killed by painting here entire body gold. Life is like school I guess and you always remember the answers you get wrong. They proved that painting the girls whole body would kill her because her skin could not breath. Surely I'm not the only one here that watches that crazy show. Perhaps some of you can find the james bond episode and give us the exact reasons why.

It is a written policy at least on their websight. I like most every skydiver in the world I guess was dreaming of planning some way to go there until I went on their sight. At the bottom of the home page is an argus symbol and when you hit it you get the written policy that the argus aad is banned from their aircraft. For aircraft safety I believe it said but I may be mistaken. But it is there. However that does not apply to their aircraft at other sights like the Dollar daze couch freaks. I wrote and ask and they assured me I was good to go on those aircraft there. I have not seen it anywhere else yet. If anyone has please post and save some of us a really bad expeiece.

Also Pier put out a video called Break-Away that is really a good source. They test and film over 20 parachute malfuntions and talk about and show on the film how best to deal with each one. I really enjoyed seeing first hand the difference in apearance of a Bag Lock, streamer and snivel for example. I picked up a VHS copy on ebay for $6.00. Check it out it is well worth the investment. They show Bi-plane, down plane and side by side and how they look, fly and land. Also the best time and technic to break away from two canopies out if you have to. Probably an old copy around your dropzone if you ask around.

Like yourself I read alot and seldom post but I wanted to write this time as I once had a chance to chase a crazy dream much like your own. I ask for advice, which is a sign of wisdom, but I lacked the wisdom to know whom to listen to. I ended up serving a tour in the Marine Corps before that chance came around again. Unlike most people I had two chances and I praise God every single day that I didn't say no the second time. I guess I got more out of my tour of duty than myself because 10,000 experts couldn't stop me from dreaming in the real world that time, and now I will go to my grave never wondering what that would have been like. Sure I lived in a camper and survived on peanut butter and popcorn and nearly frooze to death the first winter until I completed my log cabin 7 miles outside of a town of 36 people 75 miles from the next town. It was hard and it was crazy and it was great!!!! I have moved to a town since then, and I am married and have kids. I'm 52 years old, the pastor of a Baptist church where I council people every day that tell me stories of how they had a chance one time to do something really crazy but they played it safe and now they are sorry. The chance has passed them and unlike myself they never got a second chance. I am not telling you to go or to stay. I am telling you that you need to be careful that you don't live your life climbing the ladder of success just to find you put it on the wrong wall. In my life I needed to see if I could do it. I needed to see if that crazy dream was for me our not. Now I have been there and done that, I know it was not. I can now move forward without looking back because my questions have answers. My future is ahead of me and I have found my path that I can live with real passion. I hope you are passionate about chemistry. I know you are presently passionate about skydiving so only let this opportunity pass if you are sure you can walk away and never look back. Live your life without regrets as a time of living by faith on peanut butter and popcorn really is a great foundation to launch from. I am praying for you earnestly that you will know the path that will leave you with the memories that can make you smile and laugh out load when you 80. Perhaps you will end up trying to teach a 52 year old preacher with just 49 jumps how to relax and have fun in the air. Some times we preachers are a little to serious!!

I should have been clearer in my explanation of the books Section two "Deviations from the USPA" as it is not only on the cutting away of side by side but also they have a recommendation for the pilot chute in tow. They also do not recommend releasing the brakes on either a side-by-side or a bi-plane. They have a complete section of the book where they explain why they feel that a deviation should be considered because of their test. I did not explain that very well in my first post.

For additional information on this subject you can read the "Skydivers Survival Guide 2nd edition" By Pier Media. The did several test jumps for the Break away series I believe. Their conclusions are found on page 150 where they do not agree with the SIM and advise "Do not cut away a stable side-by side or a stable bi-plane". They give an in depth explanation of why they feel that way in the chapter. It runs almost identicle to the report from PD. It does not say exactly how many jumps they did in their testing that I can see or recall from reading the book. At least it is one more source of printed test data to add to the source information when you try to decide. It was published in 2004.

My father had served in the Navy and knew the way thigs worked so he sent me a go Army T shirt one week and then one piece of gum the next week followed by a box of cookies the next. I was a marked man from that day forward. Mail call was the 1st time in my life I really learned how to pray with all my heart. They dogged me really bad and then made me wear the Go Army Shirt at every PT so all the other DI's would fall out of their platoons to come over and take a turn dogging me. Oh I almost forget about the neat spring loaded strap he sent for my glasses. Now you know what I mean about not standing out. OH RAW!!! Keep you head low, don't volunteer, and find a friend in Communications as their gear has to be kept cool even in the field which means AC so they always have cold drinks! Hint about that 03xx no AC ever! God Bless you will never believe what you have gotten yourself into, and you will never imagine the way you will be forever changed. I'll leave it up to you to decide if that is for the better or worse. M.R.Hamilton SGT USMC 1980-86

You will get a lot of advice in the next few months so only listen to those who have been there and done that. Don't look any DI in the eye, don't stand out in anyway and show up in great shape. Sit ups, pull ups and running are going to be your life those three months and if you show in great shape running sub six minute miles for 5 miles and able to do 20 pull ups anytime you want and able to do situps all day long you will be fine. Don't get ready and you are going to find your currency a lot farther behind because you could spend a longtime there. Let the DI spend his time terrorizing the guys who show up out of shape. I will be praying for you to get a great MOS and a safe deployment. Remember the best thing you will ever get out of the Marine Corps is you, knowing for the rest of your life that you can do a whole lot more than you ever dared to dream or imagine.God Bless and Semper Fi!!