Namowal

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Posts posted by Namowal

  1. Quote


    I would call the entire jump a success.
    -You didn't exit stable, but you fixed that.
    -You're more relaxed, as shown by the singing.
    -You remembered to keep an eye out for traffic.
    -You flew a clear landing pattern.
    -You recognized that you had made a mistake but didn't panic.
    -You fixed that mistake without endangering yourself or others.
    -You landed safely.

    I'd call that a successful skydive. Great job!


    Thanks, mrubin :)
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    Extra jumps are ALWAYS a good idea.Wink



    Wait a second... ...this isn't the DZ owner in disguise is it? :)(I'm kidding)

    Quote

    Thanks for the latest cartoon, nicely done: Both jump and cartoon, I think. Ask your instructors about flat turns but the way you managed the turn was already OK as far as I can make up from the cartoon. You didn't freak out, and a lot of things went well. I would call that a successful ride ;) Looking forward to your next adventures. What a pity there's the big pond between us so the chances of jumping together aren't very high but I will follow your cartoon adventures B|


    Thanks, Abedy!B|
    My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

  2. Quote

    Nice cartoon.

    Glad you were able to make a stand up landing.

    Hope I catch you next time you are at the DZ.



    Thanks, guineapiggie101. I didn't make it this weekend (I thought the weather would be bad and made other plans :S) See you next time!
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    That was a good jump, from start to finish......Ok you went unstable at the start, no big deal.....BUT, you recovered from that, completed some FF tasks, opened safely, became aware of your surroundings, remembered to check for traffic, calculated your landing spot, DIDN'T freak out and do something silly when you realised you were heading towards the runway, and got a stand up to boot....


    You have a point. I made some blunders, but I caught and corrected them before all you-know-what broke loose.
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    It would be good to see you doing 3 or 4 jumps in a day, or even a few more.....I limited my students to 5 per day, which is prolly enough for anyone. doing one per day or per weekend limits your learning quite a bit....

    Doing a bunch of jumps together is the way to really consolidate your learning and make good progress....things are still fresh in your mind......



    I think some extra jumps each day would be a good idea too. B|
    My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

  6. I replied earlier (a month or two ago) that I found it exciting (if scary) and still wasn't sure...

    ...around the same time I switched my desktop photo to one taken at my local DZ- the view out the door at jump run.

    At first I got nervous every time I saw it. ("I know those landmarks! They mean I have to jump out of the plane! Yikes")

    As time went by I thought it was cool. ("Look! There's the golf course, the stadium, the runway, the housing tract...)

    Then I got the news that I might need to move far away, where the weather wasn't skydive friendly. [:/]
    While deciding if I was "ok" with this, I glanced at the desktop photo and found myself getting misty eyed.
    Leave that? No way!

    So it looks like I'm in this for good.

    My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

  8. Quote


    I assume the first 2-3 seconds of the free fall are the most intense. Are you aware of your speed while falling after the first few seconds? Or does it feel like you are moving in a vacuum



    After a few seconds it feels (to me, at least) like you're floating in a strong breeze (blowing upward). Here's the link to the "jumping into a picture" post I mentioned earlier. (Scroll down to the reply by "nightjumps" if it doesn't show up on top.)
    My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

  9. Quote


    I don't know if this feeling would be the same with skydiving. Because the distance to earth is a lot bigger so it's less scary.


    It's more like looking at a Google Earth photo as opposed to looking down from a bridge/cliff/ladder etc. What's more, you're so high that the ground doesn't really zoom up at you. One article (I'll post the link if I can find it), compared it to "jumping into a picture".
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    Someone with 30 jumps of experience says I'm gonna feel like I'm going to die when the door opens at 8000ft and he says I should never jump with fear of heights.


    I have about half the jumps as your friend has, but I say go for it.
    Personality wise, I'm cautious, timid and easily scared. I only tried a tandem (at age 42) because my curiosity got the better of me- no way was I going to let fear push me around. I didn't want to be on my deathbed someday thinking "Damn, I should have tried skydiving.":S
    So I did the tandem, even though I don't like heights and I don't like the falling sensation* I was scared, but at the same time it was wonderful.
    I remember being glad I tried it, but when the instructor mentioned doing additional jumps I thought, "right, like I'm doing that again!"
    But guess who did another tandem a few weeks later?
    Guess who signed up for AFF classes and is now working her way towards getting licensed? The early jumps scared me silly:$, and I still get nervous, but I'm also having a lot of fun.

    *In my experience, the falling sensation only lasts a few seconds, and after several jumps, I stopped really noticing it.
    My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

  10. Quote

    Someone actually posted that on Facebook this morning. I'm waiting to hear back to find out where he jumped, and what idiot instructor would let someone on their FIRST SOLO use a camera.

    Are we just getting stupider as a sport, or am I overreacting?



    Well, if he (or she) keeps it up we might end up with some "why jumping with a camera so early is, in fact, a bad idea" footage...[:/]
    My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

  13. Quote

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    Here's a new cartoon about my last two jumps:



    YAY! New stuff. B|:)


    Ok, I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who has that reaction.

    Namo - Have you considered changing your avatar pic?

    I've thought for a while that the one right after the one you are using (on the tandem, going from "Holy shit!!!" to "Hey, this is cool!!") would be a good choice, but the second to last in the latest segment (freefall, good arch, HUGE grin) would be a really cool one.

    And thanks for the new stuff. As always, it's really fun to read.

    Thanks for the friendly words.
    Maybe I should update the avatar. It's funny that you suggested the second to last picture- thing is I almost scratched it from the blog post because I thought it was redundant (and a little smug), but people tell me they like it.:)
    My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

  15. Quote

    Very cool stuff, I love following these.. thanks!



    Thanks!
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    Don't worry, you will get over your fear! I can almost guarantee without ever having met you that I was a more nervous student. I was scared shitless until about jump 300 and now at 600 am only slightly less scared! I'm hoping one day to get over it. Keep with it!


    Thanks for letting me know I'm not the only one who gets scared. As unnerving as fear is, I'll have to give it credit- nothing motivates me to check the gear carefully and pay attention to things (altimeter, other jumpers etc..) like being a bit spooked.
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    Yes, you're getting better and better and as long as you just feel like Super Duck now and then but always keep in mind that you aren't Super Duck you will do fine.


    Exactly. The difference between "Super Duck" and "Crater Shaped like Super Duck" could be a matter of seconds. In my original draft I substituted "Super Duck" with "Peter Pan," with the reminder that if I didn't watch it I'd be "Peter Pancake"
    My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

  17. Quote

    I carved a BS/BD Reaper and placed on Ebay. I know some skydivers don't like the death theme. meh, I do.




    A good momento mori never hurt anyone.B|
    My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

  19. Quote

    I've seen a similar test that asked the reader to identify anything unusual in the following phrase (or something very like it):

    THE WIND IN
    IN THE TREES

    Looks obvious to me now, but I wonder whether everyone will spot it at first glance.


    That reminds me...
    A few years ago they ran a study where participants were asked to count the photographs in a newspaper. In the same newspaper was a large message that said "Stop counting and tell the experimenter you've seen this and win $250." A lot of people missed it!
    "The obvious" isn't always that obvious.
    My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

  21. Quote

    One of the comments on the site was exactly what I was thinking "but will it blend!"



    Speaking of questions, do some people have trouble breathing during free-fan? :P
    My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

  22. Quote

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    So im just like give me a parachute, tell me how i fold it, tell me how it opens, tell me how my reserve opens, and let me jump?



    Much has already been said. Just a thought: Go for it, yeah! And if you do, we're looking forward to another set of Duck Skydiving cartoons.
    Namowal, how about "The adventures of the Dutch Skydiving Duck"? :P
    Should be a great addition to the Alfred Kwak cartoons B|


    My gosh, I've never heard of Kwak before. As a fan of cartoon ducks (Donald, Daffy, Quasi, etc..) I should know better!

    Back to skydiving, I wouldn't mind a cartoon about a careless/reckless duck who ignored safety procedures and learned the hard way. Since I'm still very new to the sport, for now I'm concentrating on not being the careless duck who learned the hard way. :)
    My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

  23. Quote

    If you don't understand something then ask...


    I'm a fellow noob, but I agree with you. I'm shy by default. When I don't understand something, I'm reluctant to ask for more info for fear of "looking stupid" or "bothering the instructor." Lucky for me, this thought also kicks in "You're jumping out of a !@$!***! plane! You'd better understand [insert skill, concept or detail here!]"
    Then I ask for clarification.
    My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

  24. Quote

    Dark Vador




    Star Wars creator George Lucas has made millions from merchandise on the back of his famous films, but even he would surely never have dreamt of this.

    A French fast food chain has revealed a promotional snack which really has gone to the Dark Side, a Star Wars-inspired burger with completely black buns.
    The burger chain Quick cooked up the black-looking bun - named Dark Vador - to tie in with the release of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace in 3D.



    A Darth Vader burger? Can Yoda McNuggets be far behind?:P

    p.s. I was in 2nd grade when Star Wars came out. Until we learned their real names, my little brother and I referred to C-3po and R2D2 as "French Fry" and "Hamburger"
    My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

  25. Quote

    What if one got it right in the first pass?

    Still a spring chicken?B|



    I got it right on the first pass, but I counted with my fingers, so I guess it's a draw...
    My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.