NoShitThereIWas

I'd rate him as a HOTTIE. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Wow, Pussy, Catfish and Yummy Asian drinks ... this thread is getting better by the minute. About all the NoCal, SoCal stuff ... I know I live in Misery right now so I am kinda outta the loop here, but that being said, I am a Native Californian, and I vote for San Luis Obispo as "central" Cal along the Coast. Cornholio does add a very fine point to the table which is that central may be interpreted as across the state which would indicate Fresno as a possibility. But I vote anything above SLO is NoCal and anything south is SoCal. So there ... It is good to see the NoCal folk all bamming it up . I can tell you one thing, I am right in the middle "central" of the US. No coastline here ... but it is good. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

I love just about all of Jimmy Buffett's songs. I could not listen to him for a while after my ex and Dakota's Papa Randy died, because anyone who knew Randy knew that Jimmy Buffett was all he listened to day and night 24/7. I'm not kidding when I say that was ALL he listened to. It was actually pretty funny. I think one year, we went to 4 concerts including the Millenium Concert dressed like pirates. I could deal with it since I liked Jimmy myself but when he asked for our wedding song to be Why Don't We Get Drunk and Screw, that is where I drew the line I love Son of a Son of a Sailor, Volcano and Mental Floss but the song Schoolboy Heart will always bring a tear to my eye and remind me of Randy. "I've got a schoolboy heart, a novelist eye, stout sailor's legs and a license to fly ..." Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

My opinion is that you should not try to go to the Dark Side until you are an experienced Jedi Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

I'm not sure if this is the same thing you all are talking about, but a similar situation happened to a friend of mine who had a Vector 3. The bridle of his PC got "pinched" under his #2 closing flap which ended up causing him to have a PC in tow. I had some experience with hesitations using my old PC. When I had it inspected by my rigger at the time, he told me the kill line on it was faulty so I sent it back to the manufacturer and got a brand new one. On one jump under the bad PC I had started my EPs. Peeled and pulled the pillow and sometime during that process, POOF! The cables had not cleared the 3 rings and the canopy had activated and fully inflated. Not a very good feeling when you're dangling under your main by an inch or two of cable . I was not that experienced when this happened and was wondering, the canopy is open now ... should I push the cables back in all the way and re-situate the cutaway pillow or should I finish the cutaway and pull the reserve since I already started it? I opted to keep the main and it landed me safely Whew! Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

My ex taught some of the Red Hot Chili Peppers how to jump back in the day. I think they were at Arvin or Taft near Bakersfield at the time ... Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

HOLY SHIT, OVER! Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Well, I think Jump Pilots RULE and KICK ASS!!!!!! Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

"Head Down, Don't frown." Johnny was the man. I can still recall the hilarious laughter of one evening in particular when he, Sammy, Glen, Allie and I decided to go to Big Sur on an "adventure". Trying to sneak into the hot springs was only one part of that night I will never forget. I'll never forget his smile, his laugh or his hugs. He was a real hero. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

I believe you had some "fear" on my repeat level 3. You went from a freefly helmet to a full-face. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Great idea, I have thought about that myself. I have unfortunately known too many skydivers who have died; many of them didn't even die necessarily from skydiving but from other causes. It would be nice to post pictures and sayings/quotes that they would say to remember them by. There's really no "place" to post any of these memories. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Hey Shark!!!! A former student huh? Schweet. You'll have to PM me his name. I remember all of my students. Some of them I like to remember more than others Well, I hope my hair and everything else looks good in the video C-YA!

Yeah, I became an instructor for all the same reasons you all did (listed above). And for the chicks too NOT! But I will tell you, some of my fondest memories of AFF were when I'd get these big Marines and Army/Air Force guys who would show up in Monterey all high and tight like Hoooraahh. Studly man wishes to jump from manly airplane. It's like all righty then, you have come to the RIGHT place. I took one guy all the way through, did his Levels 1-7. He was my little prodigy child. We'd take the 206 up just the two of us and the pilot for his later jumps and I just always thought of how cool it was when I opened the door and gave him "some skin" for good luck to see the look of fear on his face, grab him tightly by the legstrap and ask ARE YOU READY TO SKYDIVE??? YEEEEEEEE-HAAAAAAAWWWWWWW!

Oh dayummmm! Thanks for the lovin Kristi. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

LMAO That's friggen funny Chop Chop Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

I also forgot to mention that stiffness on one side of your body compared to relaxation on the other can also induce a turn. Turns and sideslides are often accomplished by applying some type of pressure or resistance to the relative wind. The relative wind is just the pocket of air you are being supported by. Forward movement (Level 2) and Tracking (Level 5 and/or 6) are also based on the same principles. Extend your legs and you increase surface area at the lower half of your body. You, the falling "object" is unbalanced in a sense. More leg surface area vs. upper body surface area exposed to the relative wind=Forward movement. The same applies for turns or head down or any body orientation. OK, so I'm done rambling and I'm a bored insomniac tonight I just thought I'd share my thoughts. Stick with it, try to relax, when the door opens take a nice deep breath. Remember why it is that you returned to that very position and why it is that you went there to begin with. Believe in yourself, respect your elders in the sport, listen to your instincts, practice on the ground until you "get it" and don't forget to breathe and relax. You can do it! Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Last thing I forgot to mention is muscle memory. The more you drill your mind to remember a definition of a word on a flash card, the more readily and easily accessable it is to remember because you have developed a "memory". Skydiving is no different. Two powerful tools are muscle memory and visualization. When you are on the ground, physically get on a creeper or something that will allow you to "feel" the muscle movements when performing maneuvers like turns and stopping turns. The more frequently you do this, the more naturally it will happen for you in the air when you're plummeting toward Earth at 12o mph. Visualization is huge too. Practice visualizing what you will do by thinking and seeing it in your mind. When I was a newbie I used to sit and think on the ride to altitude and visualize the exact movements of my body to fly my slot. I still do that and it helps me a lot. Many times you will see people in the plane with their eyes closed reviewing their dive flow. It really does help. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

QuoteI guess I have several questions I'd appreciate some input on. I've been lurking for some time and I find some great ,detailed, and helpful info in these forums. #1 Is it normal to have so little time with the instructor before the jump past level 2? Actually with the exception of Level 1, your instructor's should be spending the most time preparing you for your jumps on Levels 3 and 4. These are generally the most challenging jumps for students to master. Quote#2 Am I or am I not justified in feeling rushed and like I'm not getting the instruction I need to progess through AFF? Although it is common for DZs to want to keep a "flow" going which is generally not a problem, if your instructor's are rushing on back to back loads and spending 5 minutes ground prepping you, that doesn't sound right. Remember, you are the student and the paying customer. If you aren't ready, be clear in communicating that to your instructors. They should be prepping you on the ground first, then reviewing the dive flow with you until you are comfortable with it and can demonstrate the dive flow back to them without hesitation. It isn't until you have reached this level of confidence to skydive that you should even have your name on the manifest. Talk on the ground is cheap. Making mistakes in the air is costly. Quote#3 What can I do to stop my turns? Are there common mistakes students make on these levels? Any technical advice would be much appreciated First of all, stop, relax, breathe and think stop the turn. If your body is in a twist you will turn. Stay square like you did in Level 3 and don't give any input to the turn. Twisting your body is only one way to induce a turn. Turns can be initiated with your arms, knees or head. Anytime you decrease the surface area on one side of your body relative to the surface area of your other side, inducing a turn is possible. Try to stay "balanced" and symmetrical as far as your body position goes. Quote#4 I live fairly close to a wind tunnel. Would this really help me? Should I spend time in the tunnel before I try to get through AFF 4 and 5 again? Quote I have never spent time in a wind tunnel so I am not the best person to ask about what kind of skills you will learn. However, from a student standpoint, in the wind tunnel your stress level should be less which may result in a higher learning curve as you don't have to worry about deploying the parachute and landing it safely, you can focus strictly on flying your body. QuoteI absolutely love to skydive and want this to be a part of my life. But I'm starting to get frustrated and feel like maybe I just don't "get it". At what point should I call it quits? I wouldn't quit at all except for that little thing called $$$... If you have only failed your level 4 twice I wouldn't give up that quickly. Heck, I know people who it took 59 jumps to graduate from AFF. It all depends on how much determination you have and I guess money is a factor. But if you plan on staying in the sport, get used to the $$$ thing, amazingly though you will find ways to pay for skydiving. My best advice to you is if you really want to master it, try to learn to relax. If you are not relaxed you will fly stiff and not arch. A nice relaxed arch followed by a toe tap can make a world of difference. Don't try too hard or try to force it. Just go with the flow. Good Luck! Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

And ... as far as the craziest, most outrageous thing I've ever done??? I think I'll keep that classified. You know the old saying, What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas? Well, it was in Vegas. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Girlfriend. I have been there. Take it from someone who grabbed their one year old, hopped on a plane, decided that 2002 was the year to live on the DZ at SDC for the summer, get AFF rating, compete in Nationals on 2 different teams and skydive as much as possible. This was all after buying a car on EBay from Hawaii which was located in Texas and driving it up to Illinois, then doing the reverse trip the following year. Of course, this was all do-able due to the awesome family that I have to help with my little one. But what a blast it was! I read another one of your posts on RoadTrips. I have driven most of this country upside down and backwards and all I can say is that road trips are awesome. I enjoy doing them alone. I don't mind going on road trips with other people but when you are by yourself there is no better feeling of freedom. It is all about you the whole way there and it has always given me a feeling of serenity. I bought a convertible on EBay, kept it for 2 years and used it just to drive to Texas and back since my other car was in Hawaii and I had no wheels on the mainland. I drove hard, blasted my music with the top down and drove to and through some very cool spots all of which were new to me. You sound like you are ready for a similar adventure. You cannot go wrong by hitting every DZ along the way. You will make great friends and have so much fun. PM me if there's anything I can help with. My most recent road trip was in the middle of January moving my daughter and I out to Missouri from California. She of course flew and it was nasty weather but still a great trip! Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

I own a hybrid reserve Dash-MZ. Just recently I had it taken out and am borrowing a PD 143 Reserve until I get another PD. After reading a lot of the feedback posted to an earlier post I made regarding the Precision Reserves I decided to ditch mine. Since then I have gotten my rigger's ticket and haven't packed it yet. I have heard that they are a biotch to pack though from 2 out of 3 other riggers I know. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Yeah, I guess I am kinda proud to call myself a "midwest" jumper. Only trade off to moving to the "Show Me" state is that I am spoiled with tropical Hawaiian and west coast weather. Damn winters It's okay though, Dakota will get to make snowmen and play in the snow and we will learn to appreciate the good weather now instead of taking it for granted ... Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

HeHeHe, that's too funny. I've got the T-Shirt to prove that toothpaste can be a hazard to any marriage. My suggestion: double sinks and individual toothpaste tubes I'm stoked for you guys, this just shows me where I've been (under a rock) for the last year or two but Hell Yeah, get down with your bad selves; I wish you two an eternity of happiness together!!! Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Wow! Good picture Lany!!! Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

0:0:0 . No jumps Saturday (weather was crappy), No jumps Sunday (got there too late and it was Easter) and no beer owed/no getting laid. (Not sure if the last one stands for beer or how many times you got lucky) Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."