livendive 8 #1 June 13, 2005 So this weekend I got to make my beerth glider jump. Beer jumps are less and less frequent for me lately, and this one was a rush. Even though it looked pretty straight-forward, there were enough new things between the me and the pilot to get the butterflies going in my stomach. We sat down for a quick safety meeting, agreed on abort criteria and hand signals, and off we went. This was one of those gliders with its own engine, so no tow-plane necessary. We took the rear canopy completely off because we weren't sure it wouldn't break due to wind or that I'd be able to reclose it before exiting. We used the engine/prop till 3,000 feet then shut it off and stowed it away in the fuselage. We circled, climbing slowly, to 4,000 feet, then ran through some sink to get under a cell about 7 miles out. I was wishing I'd worn the sweatshirt that the glider pilot and our jump pilot had talked me out of cuz the windchill was getting getting me colder than mere discomfort. We got under the clouds at 3000 agl and suddenly found ourselves climbing at 600-800 fpm with no noise but the wind (30 knots or so)...a bizarre but very exhilarating feeling for someone who's never been in a glider. By 6,000 I was getting really cold, and at 7,600 I asked if we could head towards the intended landing area. Given how cold I was, I wasn't sure I could trust my arms to perform as expected. Additionally, I wasn't sure just how slick the surface of the wing was going to be or whether the airspeed would be enough to push me off it with nothing to hang on to. For these reasons, I didn't start climbing out till kind of late because I didn't really want to fall off too far downwind of my landing area. I shouldn't have worried about it. The climbout was a breeze, the leading edge of the wing was enough grip to walk/crawl several feet out on the wing, and my Teva's provided plenty of grip for me to stand upright leaning forward into the wind...a very, very cool feeling. The pilot noticed a bit of buffeting with me out there but had no problems with stability. After a few seconds of that I leaned forward beyond the balance point and front-looped over the front of the wing and fell away on my back watching the glider fly away. All in all, it was a sweet jump. It's been awhile since I've had a jump that caused that post-jump buzz, and this one had me buzzing for hours. If I get the chance to jump this thing again, I'll wear a sweatshirt and climb out earlier so I have more time to goof off on the wing. Also, since the pilot didn't have any trouble controlling the aircraft, next time I'll give him a camera to snap a picture or two of me out there flying the wind from a standing position with no grips. Blues, Dave"I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildcard451 0 #2 June 13, 2005 now that is a cool weekend. I wanna see that picture when you take it! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NWFlyer 2 #3 June 13, 2005 Have I told you lately that you suck? Seriously, Dave, that's totally cool... glad you got a chance to do something new and cool. Can you hook me up with that if I visit Richland?"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GiaKrembs 0 #4 June 13, 2005 SWEEEEEEEEET!!! Ya, can you hook me up too~!? cya in a few xoxoxoxo, g Raddest ho this side of Jersey #1 - rest in peace brother Beth lost her cherry and I missed it .... you want access to it, but you don't want to break it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
livendive 8 #5 June 13, 2005 QuoteSWEEEEEEEEET!!! Ya, can you hook me up too~!? cya in a few xoxoxoxo, g What's in it for me? That reminds me...I need to thank Keith. Blues, Dave"I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
livendive 8 #6 June 13, 2005 QuoteHave I told you lately that you suck? Seriously, Dave, that's totally cool... glad you got a chance to do something new and cool. Can you hook me up with that if I visit Richland? Probably not real soon...if the pilot decides its something he's willing to offer to more people, I imagine the other regulars here will want first dibs. Blues, Dave"I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NWFlyer 2 #7 June 13, 2005 QuoteProbably not real soon...if the pilot decides its something he's willing to offer to more people, I imagine the other regulars here will want first dibs. I guess it'll have to wait till I'm as old and jaded a skydiver as you. Then I'll get more out of it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest #8 June 14, 2005 Dave, THAT ABSOLUTELY ROCKS!!! mh ."The mouse does not know life until it is in the mouth of the cat." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
