EricaH

Only heard good things bout the Smart Reserve... there is a difference between Cheap & Inexpensive. one does not = the other. 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 think so... just waiting for details. 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 cool - I'm too scared to go in speakers corner. Just thought this was good for a few laughs. Actually, Billy if you look @ what's accused; it's pretty crazy. There is no can't. Only lack of knowledge or fear. Only you can fix your fear. PMS #227 (just like the TV show)

This article is crazy!! But my 2 fav quotes are: "If he ejaculated and had semen on her or near her through a sex act and somehow it got into her fallopian tubes, up through the ovaries, too bad -- he's got to be more careful what he does with his semen," and She asserts that when plaintiff 'delivered' his sperm, it was a gift -- an absolute and irrevocable transfer of title to property from a donor to a donee," Hartman wrote. "There was no agreement the original deposit would be returned upon request here's the article in a free news sight http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-sperm25.html 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 Ian. At my home dz, the swoopers are typically either the very first to land or very last (vidographers) and they have a separate swoop lane; even though we really only have 5 regulars using it. For the straight in landers, a pattern is easily noticable for setting up. And I don't care which way I land relative to most wind conditions; I'd just prefer not directly downwind, but will follow those infront of me (as long as they're not heading for a hazzard). Lew, after re-reading your post I see that you say general directions - didn't mean to assume 180s. And thought it was odd since 180s & 360s are discouraged @ so many dzs. As for 270/90s it is true that sometimes you can tell which direction the hookturner is going to land - but sometimes they appear to be in the middle of a line, left or right approach can not be told. I have some personal issues to get over, but I prefer to be truning onto my base/crosswind leg by 800-500 ft. lf the (dang, I wanna say idiots) pilots below me are still indeterminate by the time I'm @ 800ft I have to assueme a landing pattern & set up for myself. And even then I'm going to end up w/ a stupid pattern since I've been hanging in brakes or just following the few between me & the first. I feel like I keep talking bout my steeper glide angle, but it does affect me. I have to know which way I'm going before others have even found the pattern. To me this first man down rule almost ruins jumping since on a majority of jumps I've done @ Elsinore, Perris & Eloy I'm hanging there seriously stressing that I have to start setting up & no one below me has picked a pattern. It seems like the flow is always doing weird not paying attn things. Or like I missed someone picking a landing pattern before exiting; so everyone can goof off till their set-up altitude is achieved. Yes, I could go ahead & land 1/4 mile out - but since I'm on vacation & really want to get as many jumps in as possible; I'd prefer to not spend 10+ min on each jump walking back. So, I stress, hang in breaks, do almost all of my turns breaked & a crazy landing pattern all so I can end up going the same direction as the first person down... who in the end I'm sure has no frikin clue. Or I walk back from far far away, and end up begging the manifest people for a refund of my unused tickets. Ian... somewhere I learned to pay attn to other canopies using "Russian Radar". At first that confused me, but once I got it I LOVED IT.... now I am constantly scanning the sky looking for any crazy that may want to crash into me by accident. All the while, in my head I have the radar "beep, beep, beep.." going on. helps on those stress free jumps. 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, not to take away from the joy that is this thread; but they make seats specifically designed for women or men to address these issues. Therefore, modern serious riders no longer need to be concerned w/ the risks involved w/ sitting on their bicycle seat for hours at a time. I wonder if the fact that most Polish gentile men are uncircumcised has anything to do w/ the picture? There is no can't. Only lack of knowledge or fear. Only you can fix your fear. PMS #227 (just like the TV show)

yah, but because some don't necessarly start their hookturns @ the far edge of the landing area, it's not always evident which direction they will be landing, nor even what degree of turn they will be performing. 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 point to make bout learning to read traffic. I find it extreemly hard to determine which way swoopers are going to land. A friend of mine jumps a stilletto & doesn't set up till bout 500 ft. At that altitude w/ my Spectre & a bit of a wingloading, I'm half way through my base leg & needed to be set up before going downwind. But there are the people on Velocities setting up closer to 1000 ft. And at my dz, most people hookturning are doing 270s. From Lew's description, sounds like most there are doing 180s, which along w/ 360s are not encouraged @ my home dz but seem extreemly popluar @ dzs I've visited. And you have those randome other degrees of turning thrown in just to confuse us. Who's to say if someone is on a Stilletto setting up for a lower 270 or someone on a more steep diving canopy setting up for a 90? I can't tell from 80 ft higher & many many yards of horizantal seperation. And if there're setting up for a 270 how am I suppose to tell which direction the turn will be going? If they're heading east, for a final of north or south... do I set up to the north or to the south of them? If the windsocks are so unreliable - I'll end up like the original poster going against the pattern. I was recently visiting a dz w/ this rule. On my 2nd jump of a 6 day vacation someone decided to land downwind in bout 12mph winds w. a 270 approach. I was bout the 10th person to land & high enough @ their initiation to follow them. The windsock & tetrahedons were all pointing different directions. I didn't even know I was going downwind till bout 8 ft above the ground. Luckly I was able to correct my flying & landed w/ only a small knee scrape. but being a new dz @ a higher altitude; I'm glad this was all that happened. Since I have a mid/higher loaded Spectre w/ a much steeper glide angle, I need to know which I'm going to be landing for my set up often way before the first person's landing approach is readable. What would lovers of this rule say to do in this case? There is no can't. Only lack of knowledge or fear. Only you can fix your fear. PMS #227 (just like the TV show)

too funny to let slip away.

rock on - i'm so happy for you!! as much as having time off between gigs is nice - the income is better. and if you're not too far on the south side of chicago - i might come visit you - i don't live that far away. 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 already on my head... for this year I need to slow down to a normal speed (current avg is 190 w/ 125 max) & get good enough to go to the freefly skills camp @ Skydive Chicago in late May. After that, docking HD and figuring out back flying. I can go from sit to back & have some control - but not total control.... oh, and to FINALLY hit jump #500. There is no can't. Only lack of knowledge or fear. Only you can fix your fear. PMS #227 (just like the TV show)

There are 2 mirage owners in our house & our rigger does not like the idea of this mod (he thinks riggers should just learn to pack correctly). After reading this discussion; we decided to wait & not get the mod done. However, I was then talking w/ a Mirage worker the other day. They say you don't have to get the s/b done, but a rigger can not pack your reserve & put their seal on it legally if the s/b is not complied with. So, basically it is required unless you're a rigger yourself & willing to illegally apply your own seal. I also brought up the idea of placing the cutter between 2 grommets. He said both SSK & Airtek have the opinion that the cutters are "bullet proof" and no harm will come to the device. I'm just needing some clarification. I don't want the mod done, but I need a repack. There is no can't. Only lack of knowledge or fear. Only you can fix your fear. PMS #227 (just like the TV show)

Also if you switch between belly & ff the internal timer goes off. I normally ff & on the rare belly jump I was always turning to track off round 6.5K. Now I've trained myself to not automatically track off, rather to check the ol alti. 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 like the thought. And I'm pretty sure the OP didn't mean to use the actual age of the driver, rather their driving age (how long you've been driving). I have a co-worker that just got her drivers license - on her 54th birthday. I am terrified riding w/ her; but I've been driving for 12 years. I'm younger but driving longer. No matter what age someone starts jumping at; their years of experience helps. I'm 150% sure Mike Mullins' sons that started jumping at very young ages & are still younger than me; but now have more years of canopy "driving" than I are much more proficient. There is no can't. Only lack of knowledge or fear. Only you can fix your fear. PMS #227 (just like the TV show)

thanks so much - the best effort will be made! 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 know, I know, but I grew up in florida & yes, i do expect rain in florida in january. i know it's nice now - but there's a huge system heading that way. and we haven't gotten to jump since early november up here in cold chicagoland - so this is a JUMPING vacation. i def want to hang w/ the z-hills peeps!! the one time i was there during crappy weather; they were super cool!! but that'll have to wait till the next trip to fl - it should happen latter in the spring, when the weather should 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)

When the weather is bad & no one can think of anything dangerous to do on the ground, we play hacky sack @ our turbine dz. We even got a little hacky ball (like volleyball, but w/ a MUCH lower net & feet instead of hands) goin on - very fun!! There is no can't. Only lack of knowledge or fear. Only you can fix your fear. PMS #227 (just like the TV show)

ok, ok - I was wrong - now that I see your avitar; I do remember you... bad w/ names, good w/ faces (or on here avitars). Sorry, jeesh. But, the overall bad news is that next weekends weather looks like sheit in FL - so, my b/fs changed our itenary & we're now going to Eloy

First off, let me say that I LOVE THIS!! I forced myself to do at least 100 belly jumps, then to be able to do whatever i wanted in my sit, now I'm starting on my HD. i will jump w/ someone as new as me hd, but they are in a sit position (at least as good as my own) while i'm hd & i'm sitting while they're hd - that what you have some sort of teather in the sky. this summer i saw a man who could not get stable in a sit trying to teach himself HD. i told him to make sure & turn 90 off jump run. he said ok. on one jump, he ended up opening right w/ the group in front of him, on the next jump he was 2 groups back - talk about SCARY!! this man couldn't even figure out jump run & then figure out how to make sure he was holding a heading. i talked to the s&ta, now he has to do coach jumps if he wants to try hd. personally, I will never leave the plane before him (unless for some bizzare reason i'm doing rw). I am under the impression that jumpers in some parts of Europe and Australia have to pass some kind of course/coaching/jumping experience before they can free fly & before they can advance to hd from a sit. is this true? and if so, could it be implimented in the states somehow? i was @ SDC chatting w/ a friend. his daughter was a new jumper & decided to try sitting. she had so much forward drive when her knee ran into her jump partner's shin, the person thought they'd broken something. a coach @ SDC told the girl that if she could show him 100 belly jumps logged, he'd coach her for free till she could sit fly. otherwise... she's on her own. I think it's great someone at such a level is willing to volunteer, but if she isn't safe & wait, then she's even less safe & jumping alone. anyway, i said all that to say that I agree, something should be done. some kind of standard set. There is no can't. Only lack of knowledge or fear. Only you can fix your fear. PMS #227 (just like the TV show)

Thanks Cora, will do. I'm thinking of getting some HD coaching while there too. Dang it, I always forget bout other things goin on & there's always something somewhere else that takes so many people away from where I'm visiting. Guess I'll just have to deal. So long as the otter keeps flying I'm fine though!! Andyman (hehe) have fun in the land of jumping w/o the parachute!! I'm not tellin my family that lives in that area that I'm going. Will have to go visit them someother time. Have fun in deland Clay - will just miss 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)

I don't think the amounts go high enough to show a difference. Most people that jump every weekend will spend over $2k (unless THEY are PAID to jump). A 100 jump package is anywhere between $1400 & $2000 & that's so easy to run through in a season as short as ours is in chicago. many people buy or update gear, which is from $100s to $1000s easily. Then there's coaching or other team costs. And that's not even considering jumps done away from home, registration costs, or travel expenses... for me, including my own brand new made for me gear, easily over $7k in '04. and i didn't get to do or buy everything i really wanted - not even a new helmet. 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 don't know him, but jump @ hinckley & will forward your requst on to some of the old timers. Shall I give them an e-mail address of yours at which to contact you or his sister? You could PM me the specifics. There is no can't. Only lack of knowledge or fear. Only you can fix your fear. PMS #227 (just like the TV show)

Yea!! I get to meet Stacy & Cora!! I don't think I know squeak (or just slipped my mind). But I've seen you 2 on here so much! And kept missing Cora @ WFFC - grr. This time, the connection will be made. Stacy, I sure hope you don't need that insurance. I've heard the "pre-existing condition" issue can be a pain in the arse!! BUT I do understand trying to get all the $$ possible outta them - after all, you paid in! There is no can't. Only lack of knowledge or fear. Only you can fix your fear. PMS #227 (just like the TV show)

So, we were goin to AZ, but the weather looks almost as bad as it is here in Chicago that weekend (hehe). So, the itinerary has been changed. My b/f, his bro & I arrive Friday Jan 14th & leave mid-day Tuesday the 18th - yea, I love going south in the winter!! Anyone else gonna be there? Doesn't look like much is going on as far as specific events in the area. There is no can't. Only lack of knowledge or fear. Only you can fix your fear. PMS #227 (just like the TV show)

79.5 hrs till my flight takes off (Thursday night). W this horribly cold weater in IL (highs in the low 50's & lows in the mid 30's), I know that the 16 - 20 of us coming from Chicagoland Skydiving can hardly wait! Accuweather says next weekend is "Brilliantly sunny & warm" YEAHOOO!!! There is no can't. Only lack of knowledge or fear. Only you can fix your fear. PMS #227 (just like the TV show)