Luna

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/gossip/story/88805p-80691c.html I won't bore you with the whole text of the article, here is the pertinent part: I'm walking a marathon to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Click Here for more information!

Hey J.E.!

We pay $80, which I find very reasonable after adding up gear rental, slot, coach's slot, coaches pay, and a little profit, I hope, for the school. I'm walking a marathon to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Click Here for more information!

Just my two cents, for what it's worth being that I don't quite have my A yet, but I think students are better off overall having different instructors, but if they are having trouble passing a certain level, there is something to be said for sticking with the same instructor until they get it right. Although, at my DZ, all student jumps from 2nd jump through "off student status" are videotaped (included in the price we pay), so it is easier to go between instructors for us. Personally, I liked being exposed to many different instructors because everyone has something different they can teach, a different perspective on things. Being exposed to as many of those as I can should help develop a better overall picture. Take packing just as an easy example...everyone does it slightly differently, so it's better for me to see everyone's technique and then decide what works best for me. I got the basics from one instructor, a few pointers from a couple others, and a really great technique for getting it in the bag from another. Now I have what works for me. Same thing in the air, as well. As for the rest, the point of the new ISP is to not leave students abandoned between the time they can solo and the time they get their A license. If a DZ is using the program (which they should be), then no student will feel abandoned. I jumped with both coaches and instructors after I was off student status, and I never felt that I had to compete for attention, because I HAD to get these jumps in with at least a coach. It's a good program. I'm walking a marathon to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Click Here for more information!

Well, I don't usually worry about him anymore. He has about 55 jumps now, and I pretty much know he is safe. I don't have to watch his landings, I know they will be good. I freaked out when he had his cutaway, but he was very cool about it. I did worry about him this past weekend because some serious clouds were rolling in, and I told him not to go just because everyone else did if he couldn't see the ground. I was pretty pissed when I saw his canopy coming down through those clouds. But, he was okay, and it unnerved him enough that I don't think he'll do it again. He has told me, though, that he is going to stop watching me land. I only have 21 jumps, and I cannot get my flare right. I was flaring too high for the longest time and hitting hard (always PLF, though). This last weekend I decided to try taking it lower, and flared too low and hit hard (with a PLF, of course). I literally have my instructors biting their nails and running over toward me almost every time I land. I really don't get hurt, though, but I need to figure out how to get it right. Anyway, this really bothers him and he gets very worried about me landing. I'm walking a marathon to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Click Here for more information!

As already stated, we'll need more info, but my first thought was that you are referring to the categories in the new USPA training program, called the ISP (Integrated Student Program). The categories go up to H. You can find out more about them at http://www.uspa.org/publications/SIM/SIMtext/Section4.htm. I can't help you with the UK requirements, though. But I guess you should first clarify if you are referring to licenses or training programs. I'm walking a marathon to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Click Here for more information!

Sending lots of HUGS and VIBES to you and your father. I'm walking a marathon to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Click Here for more information!

Well, Snopes can say if it's true or not, and it's not. Sorry. http://www.snopes.com/radiotv/tv/mrrogers.asp I'm walking a marathon to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Click Here for more information!

Okay, I know this is going to sound stupid, but it totally works for me. If you really do want to jump, and you aren't just being pressured to do it by someone else, the best thing to do is to not think about it, just do it. Whenever I start thinking about it, I start to freak out. Whether it's just jumping in general, or especially freaky things like different exits than I'm used to doing, or I just did my first sitfly attempt and I was freaked out thinking about being totally unstable while trying to get it...as long as I'm thinking about it, I'm talking myself out of it. That sitfly jump was the first time I have ever been in the plane and talking to myself about riding the plane down. Came time for Door, I stopped thinking and just did it. And it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. You will make yourself more scared by thinking about it than if you would just stop thinking and just do it. I literally won't think about a jump after I've got the training and understand what I'm going to be doing. Later, once the fear is totally overcome, I realize that going over the jump, visualizing it and all that will be useful, but if I do that right now, I get too scared. Give it a try, see if it works for you. You may have to come up with something else that you start thinking about to crowd it out, but just do whatever it takes to NOT think about it! And once you are in the air, it's all good! Good luck on your tandem, and have fun! I'm walking a marathon to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Click Here for more information!

Let me start by saying that to some extent, I know where you are coming from. My husband and I started AFF together. After he started screwing up on his 5th jump, he took some money he had inherited and went to an Airspeed tunnel camp. He came back and blew through the levels. My only consolation now is that his last 25 jumps or so have all been sitfly, so now he sucks on his belly. As for me, I had a cutaway on my 3rd jump, got over it, then started having spinning problems in freefall around my 6th jump. I've been jumping since late August and have only 20 jumps, still not licensed. He has over 50 jumps. So, the situation isn't the same, but I have struggled with feeling like I should be keeping up with him. Here is my best advice for you. First, tell him how you feel. Then, ask him for some space. Tell him that you feel so lucky that he is so concerned for you and that he wants to be there for you, but what you need most is to feel comfortable, and you can't feel totally comfortable if he is on the plane with you. And then decide what you would be most comfortable with. Whether it's him meeting you when you land so you can tell him all about your jump, or if it's waiting until after you have been debriefed and talk to him at the end of the day...whatever you would feel best about, decide that and tell him that he can best support you in your training by respecting that. I had an experience where my husband was sitting with me on the plane (we usually are not on the same plane, and this is one reason I prefer it that way). All the way up he was giving me advice. Everything from Relax (which he knows I have trouble with) to telling me to vent my goggles because they were fogging (I KNOW THIS, DAMN IT!!!). He was totally coming from a place of caring and concern, but it was breaking my concentration and annoying me. That was not serving me! I explained this to him later, and since then, like I said we usually aren't on the same plane, but when we are, he mostly just leaves me alone. But the thing is, I talked to him in a very non-confrontational way, about how what he was doing was not what I needed. I suggest that you do this as well, and it should alleviate some of the pressure that you are feeling. He really loves you and just wants to see you succeed, have fun, and be safe. If he trusts your instructors, then he doesn't need to be on that plane with you. He knows that they will take good care of you. Feel free to PM me if you want to talk about it. Incidentally, I lost altitude awareness on my first AFF jump and came about two seconds from having my JM pull for me (it takes a while for the brain to connect what the signal means, and then to take action on it), and on level one, not pulling for yourself is one of the few guaranteed ways to fail the level. But you know what? You learn from your mistakes! I haven't had an altitude awareness problem since then. Good luck to you, and have fun!!

Luna is that link right?? I've got my Cat 8 but I'm sure there's still stuff I can pratice while under canopy. Nope, sorry, I just fixed it. Thanks! I'm walking a marathon to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Click Here for more information!

http://www.uspa.org/publications/SIM/SIMtext/Section4.htm If you visit the above link, then check the links for each category under the dive flows column. This will give you the the USPA ISP canopy control dive flows. This includes everything from basic turns and landing patterns to riser turns, reverse canopy turns, nine practice flares to find the ideal way to flare your canopy, etc. If you want more information behind why you would be doing these exercises (like the reverse canopy turns), check the links under the ISP Program column. And always be sure you are doing everything up high! These are just the basics that USPA has decided all students should try. I'm sure others will have more suggestions for you. Have fun! I'm walking a marathon to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Click Here for more information!

Be careful with those trains! We just had one at our DZ where the shoelace loop of the person in back managed to catch around the hackey of the person in front. Person in back noticed and went to free it, but the change in position only broke the train. Luckily, the shoelace came free as the hackey was pulled out, resulting in premature deployment, but no complications. Just something else to check for. I'm walking a marathon to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Click Here for more information!

Well, all I can say is that I had a cutaway on my 3rd AFF jump because of a spinning mal (good reason, not controllable), and I didn't pay for anything: pack job, lost freebag, nothing. I thought I'd have to pay for what wasn't found, but as it was explained to me, if students had to pay for what wasn't found, it might make them think twice about cutting away a mal, which you don't want to encourage in a student. Of course, it didn't make any difference to me, I wasn't really thinking about how much this would cost me, I was thinking about what it would cost me if I didn't! But I guess they want to cover all of their bases. Oh yeah, it did, of course, cost me a case of beer and a bottle of Captain Morgan. I'm walking a marathon to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Click Here for more information!

Be sure to let me know if/when you get out to West Point! I'm the official DZ.com welcoming committee for West Point! Travis, you will be missed! You were only with us for a short time, but everyone enjoyed it. Take care, enjoy Florida, and drop by whenever you are in the area! I'm walking a marathon to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Click Here for more information!

You don't have to have the manufacturer do it. A rigger (Master?) with a sewing machine and some experience can do it, as we had done on my husband's rig because the main lift web was too long. Only took a week because the guy is local to our rigger. I'm walking a marathon to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Click Here for more information!

I think that you are right...HEY! Maybe that's it! I sufficiently distracted you that it relaxed you and you had a great jump! Well, if that's the case, I'll try to be sure to go up with you more often! I certainly don't want it on my conscience that you didn't do well because I wasn't on the plane with you! You'll have to muddle through these next two weekends without me somehow, though. Don't worry, the weather isn't looking too hot anyway. I'm walking a marathon to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Click Here for more information!

Congrats to you!!! I'm so happy for you!

Happy Birthday, JT!

Yeppers, we are still coming! Can't wait! Only question now is whether I'll be licensed or not. Tomorrow will tell. If nothing else, husband is licensed and will probably do one or two jumps anyway. We'll definitely be out there Saturday morning. Looking forward to meeting some non-local DZ.commers. Will get with you next week on details. See you soon! I'm walking a marathon to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Click Here for more information!

Skydive The Point in West Point, VA is planning on having Brian Germain out for a canopy class May 2-4. It would start at 3pm on Friday, May 2. It includes about 5 hours of ground school and about 3 jumps with video of landing and debrief. It also includes training materials. It is for all skill levels. Cost is going to be around $100. We need at least 10 people to sign up in order to get him out, and he will limit class size to 20 people. If interested, contact Jim Crouch at jcrouch(@)erols.com (take out the parentheses to e-mail, gotta protect from spammers!). I'm walking a marathon to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Click Here for more information!

We are told the pros and cons of each method, given a gentle nudging toward following full emergencey procedures, but told to make our own decision based on all the facts and what we feel most comfortable with. The main thing that is stressed is to make a decision NOW on how we will handle it, and not deviate from that plan at decision time. I'm walking a marathon to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Click Here for more information!

Huge hugs for you, sweetie. I'm here if you need anything. And be sure to give Charlotte & Esse extra loving, because they aren't going to understand where their sister has gone to, and they will be missing her, too. Loving them will help you get through it, too. I'm so sorry. I'm walking a marathon to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Click Here for more information!

It's just water landing training. At our DZ, it's done at a pool. You just jump in using an old rig with the main extracted so that you can see what it will be like to have to get out from the harness and away from (or out from under) the canopy in the water. I'm walking a marathon to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Click Here for more information!

As they have been saying, you should definitely wait for the time you were given, and if nothing is above your head at that point (and you've looked back to make sure your burble is clear), then go to emergency procedures. As far as being able to recognize a mal that is not salvageable vs. moderate line twists, trust yourself and your training. Basically, I know it sounds a little patronizing, but really, you will know the difference. I had a spinning mal on my 3rd AFF jump, and believe me, you will know that it's not salvageable. As for line twists, you should have been given a hard deck (2500 feet) by which you should be clear of those twists (and of any other problem). If they are not out by then, you must cut it away. Your hard deck will lower as you get more experience, but for now that is a safe altitude by which all problems should be worked out and you should have a controllable canopy above you. Good luck to you, and have fun! I'm walking a marathon to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Click Here for more information!