shoeless_wonder

Awesome, I'll check it out. Im REALLY bored right now. And I have opened the DB Cooper thread already.. read three posts and quietly ran away. What is the point of life, if you don't live it? To escape fear, you have to go through it, not around.

I have heard some pretty funny stories of things that happen during a jump. I for one lost my shoe on my very first jump. As well as a recent premature deployment that had me sitting at 10k.. Bored and lonely and cold. What are some funny things that have happened to you folks? Or something that you did on a jump? I know there are some funny stories out there, especially those who have been in the sport many years. What is the point of life, if you don't live it? To escape fear, you have to go through it, not around.

councilman24 -I've come to the conclusion that it was nothing more than dumb luck and carelessness on my part that caused the PC to deploy. I will bring it up to the riggers though, have them inspect it just in case. I've learned my lesson, and am better because of it. JasonYergin-Yeah, would have been a bit nicer to have some company. potatoman-I'm doing a lot more research than I had been. On different rigs rather than just techniques and cool gear. What is the point of life, if you don't live it? To escape fear, you have to go through it, not around.

I am very thankful that it happened after I got into my stable belly down position. I can only imagine how bad it would have been if I was in an awkward position. I was also told the same thing afterwards-if I am going to be dicking around in the sky and not doing just belly down the entire time, I need to have freefly friendly gear. It was an experience that I am glad to have, but even more glad that it wasnt worse. What is the point of life, if you don't live it? To escape fear, you have to go through it, not around.

-It was a dolphin. -My best bet is that it was my semi chaotic controlled tumbling (that is what I am going to refer to my aerobatics as) that caused the pilot to come out. -Yes, I knew what the winds were like, I had already jumped shortly before that one. All-in-all, I look at it like a learning experience and an opportunity to get a good amount of time under canopy. Im a little bummed out that I didnt get to complete the jump the way I wanted to, but I didnt get hurt and that is what matters most in the end. And like I said, it was one heck of a view. What is the point of life, if you don't live it? To escape fear, you have to go through it, not around.

I'd recommend giving a call before then - I say this only because if there is something that needs to be fixed on the rig you jumped, they should pull it out of service till they do that. If no one at the DZ knows to take a closer look at it, could happen to someone else. (There may very well be nothing wrong with it, but it'd be prudent to take a closer look). Will do. Thanks for the words of wisdom. Like I said, Im the new guy right now, and Im always looking for more advice. What is the point of life, if you don't live it? To escape fear, you have to go through it, not around.

I have not really had an in depth conversation with a rigger/instructor yet. I went to dinner right after I landed. But I am planning on having a talk with them next weekend when I go back. Unfortunately there is no video of it happened, would be interesting to see exactly what caused it. What is the point of life, if you don't live it? To escape fear, you have to go through it, not around.

Before I explain what happened, a little background on me; I'm the new guy. I just got released to do my solo/coach jumps on Saturday. My very first jump for AFF, I lost my shoe at 12K feet (Hence my name shoeless_wonder). Being the new guy, and a naturally curious person in every aspect of life, I try to learn every bit of everything that I can. WELL, this weekend, I learned a lesson I wont forget any time soon. My first solo jump. I was PUMPED! But I remained calm, on the plane, checked, rechecked, and checked my rig again. Had a coach on the plane check my rig too. All was good. Green light at 13,500ft. Good spot. Good exit. I decided to do some front loops and back loops, than track for a bit. The first back loop went smoothly, check alt.-12,000ft. first front loop, a little delay on the back, and not a clean front loop, but it was successful. As soon as I got stable from the front loop, my canopy opened. My first thought was that I blacked out and my AAD went off. I instinctively looked down to check my position and realized I was FAR from 1k ft. I checked my altitude...My chute opened at 10,000ft!!! I thought that maybe somebody saw me "tumbling" (aka: my messy front loop) and pulled for me since everybody on the plane knew it was my first solo. But I dismissed that idea because I figured they would let me work it out for a little bit longer-at least till 6k. After what seemed like hours under canopy, I landed and had a talk with some friends... They said it was probably caused by the pilot chute coming loose during my front and back loops. I learned a valuable lesson that day: If I am going to be doing that kind of stuff, I should have a rig designed for that, and not one made predominately for belly down. On the flip side, I got a ton of canopy time. And the view was spectacular. P.S. THANKFULLY, I only owe 1 case of beer since it happened on my first solo. What is the point of life, if you don't live it? To escape fear, you have to go through it, not around.

I'm going to head out to Eloy eventually. Just not sure when. Its on my "DZ Bucket list". Im thinking next wintertime when the weather gets bad again. Unfortunately I cant this winter, got a full schedule. What is the point of life, if you don't live it? To escape fear, you have to go through it, not around.

ROAD TRIP!!!! Its a little ways off yet, but I think I will be able to swing it What is the point of life, if you don't live it? To escape fear, you have to go through it, not around.

I am moving to Texas next month. I REALLY want to jump from a hot air balloon. Is there any place in Texas to do this? If so, do any of them do it regularly? NOTE: I will gladly travel to do this. What is the point of life, if you don't live it? To escape fear, you have to go through it, not around.

I wont be there until next month, but I am going to try to convince my brother to do a tandem while he is visiting for christmas. hopefully the weather cooperates. Also, I am SUPER excited to get down there and make some new friends. I am growing more and more impatient ever day. I am just over 4 weeks away!! WOOT WOOT!! What is the point of life, if you don't live it? To escape fear, you have to go through it, not around.

Sorry about that, I will make sure to post it in the proper forum next time. Also, my instructors have been great, they said the same thing and over this last weekend when I did my D2 jump, I made sure to fix my body position and legs. It felt a whole lot better. With that said, I appreciate the advice. I'm still new, so any advice I get, I really appreciate and take into consideration. What is the point of life, if you don't live it? To escape fear, you have to go through it, not around.

I made this video of my AFF D1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCE14XmvEEM&feature=youtu.be What is the point of life, if you don't live it? To escape fear, you have to go through it, not around.

I lost my shoe at 12,000ft on my first jump.. What is the point of life, if you don't live it? To escape fear, you have to go through it, not around.

Yeah, my main concern is keeping dexterity, I just had no idea as to what I should buy. Thanks for the tips. What is the point of life, if you don't live it? To escape fear, you have to go through it, not around.

Anybody seen this? Made my day! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RT_4NIPsMCY&list=TLQ__umYAvxf8_jo5rG9iKl3DYWvLgZ604 What is the point of life, if you don't live it? To escape fear, you have to go through it, not around.

That is a great idea, I never would have thought to do that, thanks! Fantastic, I will look into those.. I dont want temperature to be what keeps me away from the sky. What is the point of life, if you don't live it? To escape fear, you have to go through it, not around.

Two weeks ago I jumped without gloves, and immediately regretted it. When I landed, my hand were really red and cold. So last friday I went and got some under armor baseball gloves. That helped a lot on my next jump. But my hands still got a tiny bit chilled in the air. They wont be of much use come winter time. As the weather continues to get colder, I was wondering what are good winter gloves to wear? What is the point of life, if you don't live it? To escape fear, you have to go through it, not around.

Relax, smile, and enjoy the ride!!! Dont worry about failing, your instructors know what they are doing, and have a lot of experience. Listen to their advice, and like I said, just have fun! In the end, that is all that really matters.. What is the point of life, if you don't live it? To escape fear, you have to go through it, not around.

Awesome video!!!!! Also, I was digging the song, made for a fun watch. What is the point of life, if you don't live it? To escape fear, you have to go through it, not around.

A friend turned me onto Shiner a few months ago. I will GLADLY bring that. What is the point of life, if you don't live it? To escape fear, you have to go through it, not around.

*** I wouldnt have it any other way. I am moving down right before christmas, so unless I get a wild hair (which is very likely) I wont be there until January. But I look forward to it. As far as the camping, that is fantastic. Thank you for the heads up. What is the point of life, if you don't live it? To escape fear, you have to go through it, not around.

I will soon be leaving my home DZ Raeford NC and moving to Texas (Waco area). I have looked around and it is looking like my new adopted DZ will be Skydive Temple. It is a bit of a drive so I was wondering if they have an area to pitch a tent and stay over night?? I plan on really hitting the skies once the weather starts to get nice again, so an area to camp would be fantastic. With that said, if anybody goes to NC, you should visit Reaford DZ. Its fantastic. Everybody is super chill, they have great food (GET THE WINGS!!!!!). But be advised, you may get talked into taking some fireball shots. lol What is the point of life, if you don't live it? To escape fear, you have to go through it, not around.

Come on down to Raeford NC!! The DZ is great, very friendly folks. If you do, hit up the bar and get some wings, some of the best wings I have ever had. What is the point of life, if you don't live it? To escape fear, you have to go through it, not around.