Namowal

Will do. (If I'm not grounded by working this weekend). Thanks, Squeak. That's true in many contexts, it seems. I'm surprised nobody's done a study on the psychology of the sport. Or maybe they have. Isn't a deliberate sit down landing potentially dangerous? I've been told to contact the ground with my feet first, even if I think I'm going to fast to remain on them. That way I can PLF. A hard sit down landing sounds like a good way to break your caboose, (in my noob opinion, at least.) My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

The cruise was a decade ago, so there was no skydiving. Not even para sailing. My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

Heh heh. I'd be looking into getting my own rig/canopy already if I knew more about my choices. The only reason I haven't asked about this here is because I figure it's safer to get the info from my instructors. You can stand up on downwind landings? I'm impressed! My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

Nice stuff. There's a corny old song I like that goes "In the sands of time you're only a pebble..." This video is a more eloquent reminder that our home is a pebble of sorts too. My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

I've gone on a cruise by myself. I think I had to pay a bit more for the cabin, but that was the only drawback. It was one of those outfits that used a smaller boat instead of a jumbo ship, so I got to know all the other passengers. That was plenty of company for me. It was fun!

Yep. The instructor pointed out that my leg position was the culprit. 1800 feet? Yikes! I wouldn't like that. I have heard that I'm a spoiled student for having such a high practice emergency exit. Others have told me they left the plane much lower than 5000 feet. I should have figured out that the fact that I could get up and walk away from my "crashes" was, in fact, a good sign. Guess I'd better stick around more often! My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

Here's my latest: [url http://tailotherat.blogspot.com/2012/02/drop-flop-then-hop-pop.html]Drop, Flop, then Hop & Pop[url] I'm getting better...

Sweet. My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

...or taping a "kick me" sign on the Grim Reaper's back. My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

Hey, thanks! :) My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

The A-card is filling up, but I have a few more things to check off. My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

Sorry it's been so long between blog posts. I've done a few more jumps (and drawn several pics about them), but work is keeping me busier than usual so I haven't had time to put the latest together yet. Please stay tuned. My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

I'd like to see a skydivers version of the "What I really do" meme. I'd do one myself if I had more jumps, but for now I'll leave it to any pros who feel up to the challenge... My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

Thanks for all of the responses.

"...just seconds after her daring BASE jump from the plastic lawn flamingo..." My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

I'm post AFF but pre- A license. Most of the jumps I need between now and the A are solos. That being said, I still need the help of instructors for completing the quizzes, signing off card details, recommendations as to what gear I should get etc. The instructors are nice folks, but they're often quite busy and I feel bad hitting them up for stuff (with the exception of gear checks, as the prospect of a preventable mal trumps the prospect of bothering people). What's the best way (or time) to ask for help? And what's an acceptable way to thank them when they do help? My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

Good points. During the weekend I found an aerial photo/diagram of the landing patterns at the DZ, studied it, and imported it into Google Earth as an overlay. This weekend (back at the DZ) I arranged for my landing to be videotaped (between my poor pattern and my rough landings, I wanted to see what was going on!) I went over my concerns with an instructor too. End result- nice pattern and decent (if not stand up) landing. Whoohoo! (Not that I'm getting cocky) My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

I bet you're right!

Well, that's true. You can bet I'll be watching my landing pattern like a hawk from now on! My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

Here's a new cartoon about my last two jumps. Not one of my more stellar moments. Skydiving Duck: Who's the Dummy? My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

That had me laughing, loudly, before I even clicked the link. My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

Student question here: Recently my landings have been getting softer and better, but the two I did yesterday were surprisingly rough. I used the same student parachute I usually use. The only difference was that it had its lines replaced since I'd used it before. Can this change or affect the flaring ability? Or did I just have a bad day? p.s. I think it's probably a "bad day" but I'm curious... My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

After reading the "most stupid student" thread, I thought it would be fun to hear if there where any students who started off as a disaster but, over time became very skilled. And if you nominate yourself, I want details (please)! My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

Am I the only one who thinks "Whuffo" sounds like the name of an infomercial product? Something that's pitched with the Sham-wows and Snuggies? My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

I'm still a student but this is what I've noticed... *Falling in dreams isn't a bad thing anymore (but it's much colder!) *When I find myself "fighting" everyday objects (for example, trying to pull something out of my purse that's stuck,) within a few seconds "Cutaway and pull your reserve!" pops in my head. *I eat a lot of home made sandwiches (on the cheapest bread I can find). My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.