EricaH

Um, I've never (yes never) watched the show. The quiz says I'm most like Edie.... what's she about? I sure would like her body! There is no can't. Only lack of knowledge or fear. Only you can fix your fear. PMS #227 (just like the TV show)

I smoke - it's been up & down, on & off for 11 years now. Right now, I'm at a pack a week if I'm not at the dz or out drinking... if either of those occur during the week, I'm over 2 packs a week. I finally figured out that I don't want to quit - I just don't want them to be bad for me. At one point I put quitting triggers on - where I'll quit when the first one happens, they are (in order of likely occurance): 1. I turn 35 2. Can't find packs under $7 (carton price included) 3. Start trying to have a child 4. Marry a non smoker 5. I decide it's gross enough to quit. There is no can't. Only lack of knowledge or fear. Only you can fix your fear. PMS #227 (just like the TV show)

That's a storm you're glad to get out of! I never really thought about plane issues, I'm jumping out after all; not landing with it. But then, one nice winter day, I was visiting a well known dropzone in one of their otters. We're on jump run, open door light goes on - no one can open the door!! A maintinance type in the front of the plane on a coach jump grabs some things that could substitute for a screwdriver & go to the back of the plane trying to get the sliding door to go up. No - go. It would only get about 4 inches off the floor. Everyone has to land with the plane. The tandems loved the ride, all the fun jumpers were holding their breath on landing. Everyone stayed in place, the maint guy hopped out the right seat door, grabbed some real tools & went to work. Door fixed (well rigged anyway). Get to jump run, green light, try door, try door - finally door opens. I've never enjoyed a skydive or parachute landing so much!

Yes, cheap & def worth it. Glad everything went smoothly! There is no can't. Only lack of knowledge or fear. Only you can fix your fear. PMS #227 (just like the TV show)

The prospect of a spinning mal is so scary! Wendy, your cutaway pillow may have fallen out but did you purposley clear the cables fully or did you pull to arm extension & wait for the main to fully disembark before pulling the reserve & the full clear was just a side occurance or did you actually clear the cables? that's the distinction I'm looking for. I'd imagine, if the cables are properly maintained (cleaned & lubed) once the pillow's been pulled to full arm extension - there's very little cable left in the housing & w/ the right housing - the remainder could easily slip out. Just guessing though. There is no can't. Only lack of knowledge or fear. Only you can fix your fear. PMS #227 (just like the TV show)

I really don't have enough experience to join meaningfully into much of this discussion. However, I would like to thank phoenixlpr for pulling high as he had originally planed. too often I'm in the last free fly group & there's some solo belly guy behind me swearing he's pulling above 5. for some excuse or another, he pulls lower typically screaming right past me (I pull @ 3). It's very aggrivating. so - thank you for sticking to your original dive plan. the fact of going through clouds or not - i'll leave that up to the pros here. There is no can't. Only lack of knowledge or fear. Only you can fix your fear. PMS #227 (just like the TV show)

Thank everyone for your responses. I esp thank BillBooth!! Good to know what it was designed to do. I thought that's what it was - but wanted to make sure. Not for my knowledge, but Bill, do shorter armed people need to worry more bout clearing the cables or just go to arm extension? JohnRich - thank you for the explination - the visual pic I got really cleared up some concerns for me. Like someone else said; I don't want the last few nanoseconds of my life to be spent unnecessarily clearing some lousy cables out of their housing. I'm going to think about training on the cross arm method - sounds interesting. But I'll prob just stick to the one hand on each. Making sure to build in a few seconds delay to assure full riser release. There is no can't. Only lack of knowledge or fear. Only you can fix your fear. PMS #227 (just like the TV show)

When I had my last repack on my new container, I pulled both cutaway & reserve handles. My question pertains to the cutaway cables. I'm 5'8", not a shortie by any form. When I pulled my cutaway, there was no way the cables were coming out all the way without clearing them w/ my other hand. My rigger said they don't need to come out all the way, just enough to clear the 3ring release loop. So, the distance I really only need to pull is the same distance from the 3ring loop to the end of the longest cutaway cable. reading other threads people are jumping all over if a cutaway cable has to be completly cleared from the housing or not. And that not clearing it would almost certinaly cause an incomplete cutaway. I do not use an RSL & this is not a thread about RSL pros n cons. But for other's benefit, have included choices for those that use an RSL. There is no can't. Only lack of knowledge or fear. Only you can fix your fear. PMS #227 (just like the TV show)

I can not give you gear advice at all, but that sounds like a scary canopy for even me. To answer your question, I would imagine it'd fit very if not too losely - though the mirage website could answer more definitavly. I have a spectre 150 in my G4 M1, it's really tight, but it fits. I'd tink a M2 or M3 would be better. There is no can't. Only lack of knowledge or fear. Only you can fix your fear. PMS #227 (just like the TV show)

excellent pic!! i saw Roger wearing his brothers old jumpsuit & remember being amazed they could fly w/ all that bagginess all over, esp in the arms! To think I was less than 10months old when that pic was taken! edited to add: those guys had pure skill!! There is no can't. Only lack of knowledge or fear. Only you can fix your fear. PMS #227 (just like the TV show)

tempretired - i understand your view & thank you for replying & showing again how widly vaired the skydiving community is. thank you for adding to the discussion. I vary from feeling good bout doing 3 a day to feeling down that I only got in 7; my b/f calls me a groundhog at time - I'm the last person to judge someones jump numbers & most peopel know this. I've just brought up this story as a discussion topic; not needing advice or ideas to work out differences. There are no differences and I'm sure my friend is fine & happly living out his life. There is no can't. Only lack of knowledge or fear. Only you can fix your fear. PMS #227 (just like the TV show)

I could just imagine almost swolling the gum; then focusing on not choaking - def would be forgetting bout going hd round 200mph! when i was figuring out cross docks in a sit; i had forgotten to zip up my jumpsuit. for some reason this was bugging me; so I reached in, zipped it & snapped the holder - w/o even losing relativity to my cojumper. from then on I had no problem w/ any kind of docks in a sit. now if i could just do that hd. i'll buy a pack of gum for the next weekend out. thank you. There is no can't. Only lack of knowledge or fear. Only you can fix your fear. PMS #227 (just like the TV show)

Love it! I completely believe this as well. One simple (though silly) illustration that caused my mind to switch on is this: some TV show had a group of relatively taim people hanging out on a water tower. an outsider came up & was a crazy woman - always taking risks. Well, she held onto the arms of the ladder atop the tower & was swinging back & forth (sorry I can't draw the picture better). Anyway, in reality they were on a sound stage & the actress was prob at most 3 ft off the floor. However if her brain didn't become afraid & cause her to do stupid stuff; the action could have been pulled off just a smoothly on a real water tower perhaps 100s of ft in the air. A big acress would prob not take the real risk; but is willing to portray it close to the ground. It was at that moment I decided fear really does me no good. If anything; it can kill you. But then from my crazy driving habits I've always said "hesitate & die". There is no can't. Only lack of knowledge or fear. Only you can fix your fear. PMS #227 (just like the TV show)

Wow - that's a crazy suggestion. I guess I'll have to try it. I woulda been afraid of choking on the gum if I messed up. Cool suggestion - thank you. And thanks Dee for backing it up! There is no can't. Only lack of knowledge or fear. Only you can fix your fear. PMS #227 (just like the TV show)

makes sense. saying, "damn it, don't stress, stupid you're stressing relax dang it" prob doesn't help

please pass along some of the mindtrick secrets to a sista - if you can remember them that is. I've tried breathing - heck you can see me focusing on that in videos, pretty funny stuff. i've tried goofy flying when you're kicking legs & throwing arms around (while keeping body stable) to try & not focus. but still I get the correct posistion & focus on forcing legs out & arms out in front of me (ballerina style) - then I'm just a stiff board heading straight down the tube. grrr. hopefully if i lose 15 - 20# that'll help a bit. There is no can't. Only lack of knowledge or fear. Only you can fix your fear. PMS #227 (just like the TV show)

Slow my HD max from 224mph to 180, and slow the avg from 185 to 155. I'm straight down, just hallin arse there. Apparently the only thing that fixes that is to relax. According to coach my body position is bout 99% right - just gotta relax. Grr, soloing to relax is boooring. i've done over 30 solos just to get here. now if I go w/ someone on my level, they scare me & if I go w/ a good HD flier, I don't want to suck & so I stress. perhaps if i just keep changing during climb & freefall "relaxrelaxrelaxrelaxrelax" it'll come to me? There is no can't. Only lack of knowledge or fear. Only you can fix your fear. PMS #227 (just like the TV show)

Wow, I really love what everyone has said here. Stupid work interfered w/ my replying yesterday. I absolutely understand 100% that life gets in the way of jumping all weekend every weekend. And that while some oldtimers are around 98% of the time; others enjoy the occasional remider of what life was like back in the day on an odd weekend an month. For anyone w/ children, esp the younger ones dependant on you - I am proudly amazed that you are able to jump. I hope I am when/if my time to be a mom comes. Prioritzation is key, and many have their's in order. My friend I know has work & a life outside of the dz. It's not just that. It's the talk of a banging 4-way all winter, then they come to the dz rarely, talks lots about making jumps & getting good practice in; but then may do 1 or 2, then their beer light goes on & it's time to stop jumping. I know I can chat w/ them. Though since we're not all that close; it is prob not my place. It's also prob not my place to be talking about them. I just thought it would make an interesting general topic of discussion. I hope to end up on the same track as it sounds Tonto is on. Happy jumping as much as I can in a year w/ out excess pressure. And closer to the sunset years; hanging around the bonfire, just getting a few in a month - much like many of the oldtimers @ my dz. I can also understand fear affecting jumping sometimes, we probably all go through that at some points. Everynow & then the little threads suspending me above the ground sure do look awfully small and the others on the plane look crazy nuts. edited to add: to those of you @ my home dropzone, it's not Drew. That is the only response I'm giving as to particular people. It could literally be anyone else. There is no can't. Only lack of knowledge or fear. Only you can fix your fear. PMS #227 (just like the TV show)

A fellow jumper & I were discussing a 3rd jumper. This 3rd person is a friend of mine - wonderful person & a fairly decent skydiver. They've been in the sport for quite some time and have at over 500 jumps. Well, the discussion point is this. This 3rd jumper is always gung-ho about the sport all winter long; ready to crack out the jumps & rock a 4-way team. But; come season, they're never around - ever. There's always an excuse. I've only been jumping for 2.5 years & am sure this person has done right around 100 jumps if that in that time span. So, the thought is that they are actually afraid of jumping. They just do it cause it's something they've done so long & it's become such a part of them that even while not participating that often; they are still a jumper. When they do jump; they're often timid and never overly excited about anything. They've never been seriously injured but as someone in the sport for over 10 years has had a number of malfunctions. Any thoughts? Think this happes often? think it's something that grows (fear) or is it there to start with just increasingly overwhelming? There is no can't. Only lack of knowledge or fear. Only you can fix your fear. PMS #227 (just like the TV show)

I'm at bout a 1.38 on a Spectre & it is lovely, lovely, lovely!! There is no can't. Only lack of knowledge or fear. Only you can fix your fear. PMS #227 (just like the TV show)

Um, I don't have either - but only hear great things about Wings & it's less expensive & it has all the optinos Jav's have. There is no can't. Only lack of knowledge or fear. Only you can fix your fear. PMS #227 (just like the TV show)

exactly what squeak said. I always send UPS & insure for what replacement value is: Cypress $1300 Container $a lot - make sure it's the value of a replacement, all I know is a new mirage g4 w/ all the bling & no discounts is over $2300. Main $xxx (new version of your canopy) reserve $xxx (value same as main) some people value @ what they could find gear - that's not what insurance is for it's for replacement w/ new gear. There is no can't. Only lack of knowledge or fear. Only you can fix your fear. PMS #227 (just like the TV show)

Thank you all for that clarification. I'm learning to fly my body, but am having a hard time finding people willing to go 200+ for the whole dive while I work on things (like turns, trying daffy, grips...). So I'm tempted to go big on the jumpsuit; but really want to learn my body first - grrr. At least I know where 90 off of jump run is & that I'm going straight down - solos sure aren't boring HD & they're not scary either. There is no can't. Only lack of knowledge or fear. Only you can fix your fear. PMS #227 (just like the TV show)

I always thought this was the answer & considered getting a suit w/ more drag... However, reading around; it now looks like we're being told to learn to fly our bodies slowly - not use material to do it for us. The more fitted leg & arms are being used for more proficient flying. I need help slowing down A LOT. But am confused on the advice of drag vs. min drag for legs. There is no can't. Only lack of knowledge or fear. Only you can fix your fear. PMS #227 (just like the TV show)

one point i think is pretty important is being able to orient yourself in the air. you may think you can figure out which way jump run was & make sure your perpendicular to it... but unless you're comfortable moving/looking around, moving your head & NOT your body - it can be hard to do. IMHO I think it's easier to get those skills on your belly while you don't have to worry about little body movements @ the same time. people are talking bout corking up into their dive group - what about tracking up/down jumprun w/o knowing it? So you're on a jump w. an experienced jumper, you're backsliding like a banshee up jumprun. what's the other person to do? they can stay there, but that won't stop your movement. until you know which way to face.... you're dangerous. There are a lot of things you can work on on your belly that will translate into freeflying - side sliding comes to mind. Why rush, if you learn to do belly - when someone asks you to get on some crazy fun jump that requires those skills - you'll have them. ps... other than 3 stupid "sit" jumps below #40; I didn't start ff until just over jump 150. There is no can't. Only lack of knowledge or fear. Only you can fix your fear. PMS #227 (just like the TV show)