FlyingRhenquest

Heck, even the swimming pool isn't really a great substitution. In the old days we actually made a live hop 'n pop jump into a real lake. Hmm. I wonder if I could get our pilot to fly over the Boulder reservoir... Meh. They probably wouldn't want me to use the rental gear, and I'm not doing that with my shiny new Mirage. Probably why we don't do that here heh heh heh. I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

Bwahaha! Well I just received a Mirage a hair over a month after I ordered it. I was expecting 2-3 more weeks before it came in! I haven't put canopies in it yet (Need to wait a couple weeks on cash flow) but I was very happy with the delivery time and the rig itself. It looks like it's going to be a lot more comfortable than the rental rigs I've been using. A Vector might have been nice, but I wanted to be able to jump my own gear in 2013. I was pleasantly surprised at just how nice the Mirage turned out to be. I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

I was going through my log book the other day and realized that about 80% of my jumps off coaching are tracking jumps. I didn't feel like I was that great at it either, but I'm getting to the point where I HAVE to pick my spot (The pilot selected one works great for belly jumpers) and can cover a surprising amount of distance. I also have to check my spot at 7K and turn around if I've passed it. What I'm trying to say is it improves with practice. For a while I was just working on whatever I was weakest at -- exit, landing, speed control and so forth. I ended up just really enjoying tracking. Right now you have a pretty basic understanding of how your body works in the wind. The only thing that can really improve that is experience. I was watching a much more experienced skydiver practicing head-down transitions in the tunnel and reflecting on how much I still have to learn, 100 jumps in with a couple hours in the tunnel. This guy probably has at least a couple thousand and I could still see a difference between his skill level and that of his tunnel instructor. The skill show by the tunnel instructors... that's what I aspire to. They seem to be able to be perfectly stable and still in any body position, and know exactly how much they need to move to accomplish a maneuver. I get the same feeling looking at them that I used to with martial arts masters. Compared to them, I'm just a clumsy child. I may never reach that point, but I'm willing to spend at least the next couple decades trying! I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

I was hoping for that whole time-slowing-down thing on my first jump but it was over in a flash. I think trying to remember the level 1 dive flow while terrified (I didn't feel as afraid as I looked in the video heh heh) may have kept that from happening. So instead it didn't feel like I had enough time to get through it wall. 40 seconds was way too short (AFF guys pull high and I fall fast.) I passed it though! My first solo, where I wasn't trying to cram a bunch of objectives into that time felt longer. I remember thinking that getting stable after my exit took a "lot" of time, checking my altimeter and finding myself at about 11000 feet. So that long time was only 10 seconds. Now it kind of varies, but it usually feels like longer than it actually is. If I have objectives, it makes time feel more pressed. If I'm just off tracking, I can track out of the plane for what feels like a good long time and still be at 10000 to 11000 feet. Oddly 2 minutes in the wind tunnel never feels like that long, even though it's (more than in my case) twice what freefall is. I think that's because I always have objectives in the tunnel. One of these times I'm just going to go in there and fly around and enjoy myself. I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

Nope, the pool we ended up at didn't have one so we just went off the edge of the pool. I don't think it would have made a difference for anyone in my group though, and certainly not for me. I could potentially see it being dangerous landing in moving water -- a river or surf. As with anything else, you need to think about that in advance. The guy who taught my training told us he nearly downed one time landing about a mile off shore in the ocean and trying to swim back with his canopy, which he didn't want to lose. Your canopy is worth a lot less than your life is, and it's really not worth dying trying to save it. I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

Dude, go take some swimming lessons. Discounting the fact that it could potentially save your life, it's also kind of fun. And as long as you're in the process of facing your fears and seeking out new experiences, why not? I suppose in a sense I was lucky to grow up where I did. The idea of someone making it to adulthood without being exposed to swimming is just mind boggling to me. It's funny though, because everyone was treating the water training as this scary boogeyman, but I'm as comfortable in the water as my AFF instructors are in the air. The water training really isn't that bad. The canopy seems to want to float on its own. Pro tip: Volunteer to be the first one to go, and it'll want to float even more. I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

Where's the fun in THAT?! They sometimes bust out the ol' Cessna where I usually jump. They just have a roll-up cloth thing. I'd love to go up in that next to a tandem student! Heh heh heh I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

Nice. I know they tell you to relax on those early jumps, kind of sounds like he took it a little TOO far! I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

Heh heh. As a relatively new jumper, I can tell you they always tell you to relax. And it seems like a rather unreasonable request at the time. I'm about to jump out of an airplane and I'm NOT GOING TO RELAX! But a few jumps in you relax and are all like "Oh... so that's what they're talking about." So just relax! This also seems to be the secret to not being sore for three days after a tunnel session. If you tense up in there, you make it way more work than it needs to be. Once you realize you don't need to be all stiff in there, it's a lot easier. I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

... in bed? I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

Mid-air collisions knocking people unconscious are not unheard of. If you're lucky enough to wake up before the AAD fires, prompt action would be warranted. I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

Nice! I wish I had that problem. You can always go down more, it's not so easy if you want to go the other way! On the plus side, I can do belly with sit-flyers. The proof-of-concept jump worked beautifully. Now I just need to weasel my way into a few free flying groups heh heh heh. Hopefully you won't have so much trouble finding gear either, then. If you're in a range that a lot of people downsize through it's a bit easier. There's no need to rush into that, though; most of the people I've talked to waited until they were comfortable on a 1:1 wingloading before getting their gear. That way you're getting gear you're going to jump on a couple hundred times at least. I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

Yeah, as long as I'm not spending several seconds being all confused about where I am or what's going on, I guess I couldn't fault either reaction. If I do ever find myself in that situation, I want to leap into action the moment cognition comes online. I find it interesting to discover I already have a reflex for this. Apparently. I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

Well they never specify what condition they want kitty to be in, they just want him down! Heh heh heh I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

It's definitely amazing how fast you can blow through your money, heh heh heh. Do you fall too slow or too fast? I fall like a brick, but I'm starting to get that under control. The tunnel's great for that, but even if you're really good at controlling your speed in the tunnel, it's hard in the sky unless you're jumping with other people. Otherwise you really don't get any visual clues about how fast you're going. I think the tunnel time helped me get there faster, so I think it's definitely worthwhile! I love those sunset high pulls. I plan to do a bunch of those this summer! Oh, and welcome to the forums! I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

I think this calls for a judicious application of a potato cannon! Might take a few shots to get your eye in and hit the helicopter, though... I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

I woke up this morning (in bed) checking for my altimeter. I think if I'm waking up and happen to be falling, maybe I should already be reaching for the silver handle. Does anyone have an opinion? If something happened and I'm waking up during a skydive will the couple hundred feet it takes me to check my altimeter make a difference if I'm racing the AAD at below 2000 feet? Or if I find I'm high enough, I have time to get stable and throw my main instead? There is a lot to be said for not panicking, so maybe taking a second to look at the altimeter isn't a bad idea... I suppose it could make a difference in the event my AAD has failed for some reason. If I'm below its firing altitude, I'm probably dead anyway, but I'm still going to try to get the reserve out there. In that event, I suppose one second might make a difference. I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

I notice no one has suggested anywhere east of the Mississippi! That at least narrows your search down to about half the country! Doesn't seem like the skydiving scene is all that hot in Wyoming/Montana -- snow gets asshole deep on a camel up there, though I know there are some dropzones up that way. Montana might be bumpy enough to suit your needs -- you could set up in the grand Tetons (bonus for living on boobies) if there's a decent dropzone there, good skiing in the winter for sure. I don't think there are as many ski areas as Colorado or Utah, though. You probably get more consistent year-round skydiving in Phoenix/Texas, but the drive for skiing is farther. I was able to jump all winter in Longmont, but a couple of those days were kind of miserable. Though jumping while freezing your ass off is still better than working. We had a few folks down from Wyoming over the winter, so driving to a warmer dropzone is always an option. Just make sure you live near a south-going interstate if you choose someplace cold. You cold do a train or diving tour! Map out the drop zones that interest you the most starting around Denver, up through Utah, maybe stop by Seattle and then South through Californa. Maybe down Highway 9 or somethng. Or 101 if you're interested on the ocean. I don't recall seeing surfing on your list of things there, but it seems like something you would like. Then just pick the place that sucks the least! Keep in mind that is about 3000-4000 miles of driving (Denver to Seattle is about 1600) so you'd probably want to take at least a couple weeks to do it either way, so you can get a good feel for each city you're interested in. I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

My eyes often are red(er) after skydiving, despite the fact that I wear goggles. I haven't noticed it being any better or worse on the occasional jump where one goggle lifts up a bit. Some regular old Visene eye drops usually sorts them right out. I also have some non-medicated lubricated ones that are very nice if they're just feeling dry. I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

Ouch. The Left Hand Brewery is about a mile and a half from my house. Their Wake Up Dead Imperial Stout is 13% ABV! I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

Just where is this Ootah? I hear it's a mythical land somewhere between LA and Vail! I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

Longmont Colorado! If you choose your house wisely you can walk over to the dropzone in your bunny slippers and talk to the packers while drinking your coffee. More ski areas than you can shake a stick at within driving distance, good local shops, good employment opportunities, Rocky Mountain National Park 45 minutes away, it's a nice place! I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

Oooh, that's cool! I didn't know about those. Not sure I need one in my gear bag, but still pretty nifty. I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

I did a little research but couldn't find anything conclusive on whether there's any way to prevent that from happening. The Colorado natives who've lived here their whole lives just tell you to drink more water. Your body does seem to acclimate, though -- first year I moved out here I'd start getting dizzy up near the top of trail ridge road (The highest point here is a bit over 12K MSL.) That doesn't seem to happen any more, and I have to remember to caution guests about getting out of the car too quickly up there. I don't know if short rides to altitude really do all that much to help acclimate, I couldn't find anything on that either. We go to 18K MSL regularly without oxygen 'round here (Apparently have an FAA waiver.) I've had a couple of family members come on tandems and was a bit concerned about them going from sea level to that high in a couple of days, but they seemed to handle it without problems. They had more trouble with the aftereffects of the wind tunnel, since I also tend to forget that 10 minutes in there is a bit much for someone going for the first time. They had a blast though, and seemed to be OK with being sore a day or two later. When I first moved out here I'd commonly go stay up in Estes Park at 9K MSL over the weekends, because it was the off season for them and a lot less expensive. Couple times up there I'd wake up in the middle of the night gasping for air. Now when I go down to sea level, it feels like I'm breathing pudding. I get super powers down there, so I don't mind so much. I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

1) Absolutely NEVER take advice on landing from some random guy on the internet. All you're going to remember from this post at 200 feet is "STEER INTO THE TREE!"* 2) Learn to PLF. 3) Get an instructor at your dropzone to go over landing with you again. If you can get your instructor at your dropzone to video your landing and go over what's weak about it, this could help. Sometimes the perspective from the ground will make it immediately obvious to you what you're doing wrong. Or maybe take a canopy course. * Not responsible if you actually steer into a tree. I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?