jerry81

According to this, I'm the coolest fuck around! Going on big-ways/ formation loads before your ready...my first rw jump was a 10-way speedstar attempt. Downsizing canopies too quickly...1.6 on an elliptical at 200 jumps? check! Freeflying in not so freefly friendly rigs...I think the Vector 2 I used to fly qualifies. "Safety meetings" may or may not factor in for some...ummm, who can tell for sure Attempting high performance landings before you're ready...people who don't know me very well could certainly say so. Wearing a camera before you're ready...I flew camera at 150 jumps at the ff nationals. So check this as well. Wingsuit before you're ready...define ready. According to the BM site, I should have had a very good instructor for that ws jump that I made. Jumping with a massive hangover...ugh, that certainly wasn't pleasant. Low-pull contests...does pulling low just for the joy of groundrush count? Big-way freefly/ hybrid jumps before you're ready...well, there was this one 4-way zoom fest that had a tube thrown in for good measure. Some very cool helmets offer arguable actual protection or jumping with silly hats...how about no helmet at all? Jumping in high or gusty winds...like on a demo and then landing in a parking lot? check! Jumping hurt...like when you dislocate your knee on exit and go back up for more. yup! Specialty dives (hoop dives/ tracking dives etc) before you're ready...but I was ready! really! Point is, most of those things I did because I felt the reward outweighs the risk. (OK, so some I did were just stupid) But the reward was rarely about looking cool. I mean, most of that stuff I did purely for my own pleasure. I'm not sure I'd be willing to risk as much if it was just to look cool.

The weekend is here Promised sunshine and blue skies Why o why o why?!?

While technically not a repost, I still think he should turn over his badge. The head of RpP should set an example for all.

Try the FAI page. Unless british rules are drastically different, the competition consists of free (pre-coreographed) and speed rounds. Moves and docks drawn for the speed rounds are the same for every team, free round, you can do what you want, especially stuff that impresses the judges more than competing teams' routines.

Yes, and not on a skydive. I used it once to get some guy out of a car wreck, though.

The weather is nice and my new and improved track pants will be put to the test this weekend in Arco. Unfortunately, I won't be the one wearing them. I'm seriously considering taking up BASE just to have something to do on such beautiful weekends when every available jump plane is for some reason or other sitting on the ground.

Hear, hear! Very well put.

Here's some ((((((((((((((VIBES)))))))))))))) from the other side of the world!

Aaaaarrrrghh!! (Having dislocated both my knees a number of times, any pictures of limbs bending in the wrong direction really get to me)

Reposted from an old thread; (by Speedracer) For me, this is the most intense moment of the skydive. It was a bit scary on student ripcord systems when pc hesitations were a daily occurence, but now I feel as if my whole existence narrows down to a single point in time and space when I pitch that piece of fabric into the wind and faithfully wait for the laws of physics to do their job. Naturally, I usually get much more pleasure from freefall and canopy ride/landing, but in a certain way, the deployment is the peak of every jump I make.

Gustav Mahler's "Der Abschied" is currently playing on my comp. Before that, it was "Starry Eyed Surprise" by Oakenfold. I'm weird sometimes when it comes to chosing my music.

Sometimes, having someone experienced tell you you can do something can work great for your self-confidence. The first time I jumped an elliptical at over 1.0 wl, I would have felt a lot more nervous if my former instructor hadn't said he felt I could handle it. If your husband is just a little unsure of his abilities and the DZO's opinion makes him feel better about them, he would probably be fine on a 230, as long as he keeps in mind that he's above usual student wingloading and should be extra careful- something he needs to remember on a 240 as well, anyway. Of course, I'm just speaking from my own limited experience.

Hey man, I once wore speedos over jeans to a club, a skirt at numerous raves and have often biked around in a similar setup as yours when it was to cold for just shorts. Who cares what you're wearing, as long as you're having fun.

Hmm, that's interesting. Was the empty hole in your tongue bothering you in any way (like, with food or drinks) or was it unnoticeable until you pushed something through it again? I've considered getting my tongue pierced a few times, but such things and possible complications always put me off.

Thank you FFG. This tyranny must be stopped and if our bras have to be sacrificed for the cause...so be it. Pssst, Ivan! Your secret masterplan is working!

Is this a new problem for you or have you always been unable to fall longer than 7 seconds before pulling? I don't know your regulations, but at 150+ jumps you're probably not a student anymore, are you? If so, your instructor's opinion is just an advice, and in this case, one you should consider not taking. You could try starting your count while still in the plane (1second, 2seconds,3,4, jump,6,7,8,9,10...14,15,pull), but getting an altimeter is probably the easiest way to overcome your problem. Used ones can sell for below 50€. Then again, there's still CReW to consider if you're uneasy with freefalling.

Warning, I'm about to commit an act of...reposting. But I have a feeling CrazyIvan will agree that some things need to be posted more than once. here's more of that girl Start at the beginning and work your way through.

Okay, one more thing then...are you completely certain the cost of trainning and gear is about the same? Granted, I live in Europe, but over here paragliding gear definitely comes cheaper than skydiving...same for training. If you haven't done so yet, try it once. Based on my experience with paragliding, I'd say it's quite different than flying a skydiving canopy and I definitely want to learn it better one day just to enjoy a long peaceful flight from time to time, but skydiving will definitely remain my #1 flight-addiction.

A vast majority of those agencies does not adher to these principles entirely. In fact, a lot of what passes for journalism today would not deserve the name were such principles strictly enforced. But the decision who to trust for information and to what extent is still yours.

Iwas in roughly the same spot a few years ago. Anything related to flying, especially with as few limitations (like an airplane around you) as possible, was just so appealing. But falling out of a plane and flying your body through the sky is definitely more of a rush, more of an out-of-this-world experience than taking off from a mountain and flying around leisurely (given you don't take to the high performance paragliders- you can do insane stuff with those babies). Ask yourself why you want to learn to skydive/paraglide. If you're in for the canopy rides and prefer those to last, giving you time to enjoy the solitude of the sky, you might be better off paragliding. If, on the other hand, you like how a skydiving canopy behaves better and on top have a desire to do stuff most people are terrified of (like leaping from an airplane at 13000 feet), start skydiving.

Against...misleading informations are easier recognized when they come from known "controlled sources" than when they are fed directly to journalists, even when alongside information that is completely true. Ideally, reporters should be free to cover all aspects of this, or any war. Saying this is a freedom they can't be granted given the circumstances is, imo, saying there are only some things that should be reported and only certain ways to do it, which again brings us to the fact that embedded reporting certainly wasn't journalism's brightest hour.

Right, in a nutshell; -The main purpose of journalism is to inform the public. Presenting an event, a journalist must strive to provide factual and unbiased information, covering as many aspects of it as possible. Bonuses, rewards or bribes for reporting/not reporting something are unacceptable. Being personally involved in an event makes a reporter less suitable to provide information about it. Agreeing to terms that limit the amount of information a journalist may provide or define what can and can not be reported is against the very essence of journalism.- Which are just some of the (idealistic) guidelines journalists should follow in their work. Other practices that should be avoided include; -focusing on news that "sell". Journalism is not entertainment and shouldn't be exposed to pressure from advertisers, share-holders and other people or organizations trying to create profit by selective reporting. -spreading propaganda, informing the public of just one side of an issue, presenting commentaries as facts. -reporting unverified information as facts, gathering and reporting information in a manner that would compromise the credibility of a certain journalist or of journalists as a whole. Anyway, with the way things function today, it's not just embedded reporting that I'm sceptical about. A lot of information is presented with an intent other than just informing. Knowing who stands behind certain sources of information can help to understand it better. Getting information about given issues or events will help define different reasons for reporting it as it is and, more importantly, helps with getting as good and realistic picture as possible.

Liberal Arts major? Bwahahaha...Communication theories and (mass) media. [edit]this: "saying it painted a balanced picture of the conflict is just ridiculous." was the point I was trying to make.

How about the fact they were travelling around with troops? It might have looked very real, it was certainly a great display of US forces in action and a nice attention getter, but saying it painted a balanced picture of the conflict is just ridiculous. Of course, my view of journalism and its purpose comes from four years of study and may differ greatly from yours. Feel free to hold onto it if it works for you.

Well allow me to retort.