NoShitThereIWas

Blue Skies Sammy. Randy Frazier and I are putting together a video for Sammy's family. If anyone would like to add to it please let me know. That would be something nice to give his Mom. I have some great footage of Sammy, lots of it in the wind tunnel at Fort Bragg and lots of jumps with him on video. He was the All American Boy with a lot of talent. We'll miss him. We will do an ash dive for Sammy in Monterey. Those interested in being there, PM me. Blue skies. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Naaaa, Bring him a lot of wine and get him shit-faced. Hot chicks are always an added bonus but I vote for wine. He doesn't have a hard time attracting the lovely ladies. All you other guys should be taking notes. . Club Chop Chop could be fun Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

At Rantoul I had the absolute best time I think I have ever had in my life (even though I got there late after some car issues). I got to hang out with Kelly and made friends with some of the coolest most fun people. Ran into old friends who I hadn't seen in years, hung out in the "mad" tent with the Skydive Pepperell guys from Massachusetts and Vermont. All I can say is that there was no fun lacking and the best PARTIES. Lots of consumption going on and there was one night I will never forget in all my life. Got to meet some DZ.Commers and saw lots of nakedness, specialty aircraft, balloons, vendors, etc. I got to hang with an insanely fun crowd, did some go cart CReW and also met some great people from Quantum Leap who cooked out an insanely yummy meal for us and took good care of me. The nightly entertainment was some of the funniest shit I've ever seen and what can I say? I don't think I'll miss another convention. You can plan on seeing my big ass smile in the future. I plan on making it to every convention from here on out. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Yes, but what you forget to mention is that there are other major differences between Chicago and Toronto. Take for example, temperature differences. How hot does Toronto get in the summertime in comparison to Chicago? I know Chicago can get bloody hot in the summertime ... I am not an expert in human behavior by any means but I would be willing to bet money that there is more crime in Chicago in the summertime than in Toronto especially if you are talking violent crime. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

(Jen laughing) I love it JE, yeah I guess we do earn it (sometimes) don't we??? Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

And just what do these stories have to do with the one Vinnie is talking about??? Kick ass Vinnie, that is a great story. Its nice to know that some people still have balls in this country and won't hesitate to protect themselves or their family in full force to those who deserve it.

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

Yep, thats my girl Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Hey Deuce, Those are some really nice pictures from the American Boogie. Looks like it was a good time. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Hi Bob, Welcome to the sport of skydiving. Glad you made it, there is a lot here waiting for you. Just to answer some of your questions ... Skydiving is a lot like flying an airplane. The same physical "principles" that apply to airplane flight also apply to skydiving. Seeing as how you probably are ahead of the power curve on flight, the concepts behind skydiving should be relatively easy for you to comprehend. I think the mere fact that you have been around the sport as an air traffic controller and as a pilot a little will also help you to relax. I think skydiving is a lot about relaxation and education. If you understand your equipment and how it works, if you understand the concepts of body and canopy flight and some very basic physics, the rest is just experience. My suggestion would be to check into the AFF program. It is designed to turn you into a safe skydiver. Some drop zones offer an AFP program which I think is also very good. AFF will train you in all you need to know to be a safe skydiver and learn basic skills to get you off on your own. We do not let you go unsupervised until we are sure you understand, know how and can demonstrate your ability to perform certain tasks. You will learn how to fly your body stable, unstable, forwards, left, right and in a track. You will also be trained to fly your parachute (which by the way is pretty easy ... left toggle pull down turns left, right toggle pull down turns right and both toggles pulled all the way down slows the forward speed to stall) just like the wing of an aircraft. So go sign up for the AFF program. It really is a truly amazing experience Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Dear Vanilla Sky Girl, If you are still feeling terrible today which is the 11th, I would bet you are at the tail end of this. I got food poisoning once while I was in Las Vegas and I too was in the middle of traveling home. Of course, I wasn't coming from Peru, that sounds like it was quite a traumatic experience. When I had it, it took me about 4 days to get over it. I will never forget that weekend. Both me and my boyfriend at the time got it. I remember because we were supposed to both be working at the drop zone the weekend after we got back and I remember being soooooo sick. I remember not being able to even get out of bed almost the entire time I had it. Food poisoning really sucks. I hope you are feeling better by now. My only advice, take it easy, drink lots of fluids and stay hydrated. Eat anything you crave if you even crave anything at all. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

That is such a cool story. Wow, thanks for sharing. Edit to add: Hey SunnyDee, that is a great signature quote. That man had the right attitude. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

JE!!!! I never knew this was you!!!! How's the AFF going? That picture on my avatar is of my little girl Dakota. She is almost 3 now. I snapped that picture of her yesterday and thought I'd put it up there. She is a pretty neat little girl. I'll be down in your neck of the woods around the 11th or 12th of August. Can you come out to the drop zone and play? I know we have a definite 2 way and more than likely a 4 way ... wanna come out and make it a 5 way? It would be so nice to see you. We can share some stories of our wildest AFF adventures. I've got a few good ones. Anyway, its great to see you here. Blue skies, Miss ya! JenO Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

I did not read the responses to this thread so I have no idea what the opinions of others are here. My basic philosophy is I don't own an RSL. Why? Well I do own a Cypres but that has nothing to do with owning an RSL. I fly camera and own a Stiletto. Plain and simple, I don't want to be under any malfunctioning canopy with a camera system on my head without being able to regain stability and/or cutaway any camera entanglement before firing my reserve. Yeah if you are blacking out it may be nice to have the RSL but I guess I am just hoping to never find myself in that situation. I also figure if owning an RSL is a matter of concern that I might "forget" to pull the reserve handle after cutting away maybe I should re-evaluate being in this sport. I think anyone who feels they need to rely on an RSL or an AAD to save their life is also crazy for participating in this sport. I have yet to have to use my handles but I practice the same EPs everytime in the airplane. I figure the only good excuses for not pulling all my handles is a total black out/loss of consciousness or physical inability to pull my handles. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

I would NEVER expect to be tipped by a student but I have to say when I have been tipped, it was way cool. I feel a little guilty accepting tips but at the same time I am like okay ... if they want to give me money because they appreciate my time and effort, cool. It is a great feeling. I have received tips anywhere from $20-$60. All I can say is one of the best feelings or "electricity" I ever got was from a group of AFF L-1s (6 of them). I taught their First Jump Course and then jumped with many of them. Even cooler than any amount of money to be given was when one of my students Ben came up to me at the end of the day ... I ended up shooting video of his Level 1 out of the 206; he walked up to me, took my hands, looked me in the eye with a giant smile and said Jen, You Rock!!! I had to laugh because it was apparent to me that this man had just experienced one of the most incredible things ever in his life and I was there to experience it with him. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

I made some cinnamon french toast with powdered sugar and had some rice and gravy. Yummy. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

I have tried the white russians. Those are pretty good. If you like Kahlua you should try a Toasted Almond. Those will mess you up in a jacuzzi I think a Mai Tai is orange juice, grenadine and rum but I am not sure. Never drank a sex on the beach but it sounds like a good one. After my latest and greatest experiences with Jagermeister, it sounds like a liquid cocaine would knock me off of my you know what. Ouzo is pretty good. It tastes kind of like Anisett (sp.)? For mixed drinks I also like Mudslides, Lava Flows, Banana Coladas and Chocolate Monkeys. Martinis: Lemon drops, sour apples and cosmos are pretty good too if you want something with a little tang. And don't forget about the Goldschlager (perfect for that skiing flask for super chilly days day of skiing) also if I am drinking tequila I prefer Hera Dura Blue skies. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Erica, I wish I even knew what half of those were. They sound really good! Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

I prefer to get out of the airplane anywhere between 3,000 and 3,500 feet for a hop n pop. 3,500 feet is the best for me. Then I can give myself a nice slow comfortable delay. Under 3,000 feet I would want to know that what I was wearing is something I packed and packed well. Some of you all are brave; doing hop n pops at 2K ... Personally, unless the pilot tells me to get the hell out of his airplane for whatever reason, I don't see any point in getting out in anything under 3K. Call me a spoiled wuss but to me getting out any lower is like jumping in the cold/rain. Who in the heck wants to? If I was exiting near 2K I would be out on my reserve. Again, call me a wuss but I know I am not supposed to be below my hard deck which is 2,500 feet without something over my head. If I am below 2K and not under a canopy, something is supposed to be drastically wrong. And if I am deploying something at that altitude it more than likely is going to be my reserve. Anything lower than 2K-2,500K, hell we may was well go BASE jumping on a soft on heading happy opening 7 cell canopy. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Guys definitely have the upper hand in society. No doubt in MHO. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Aha ha ha ha The Skymama showed you Roy. You go Skymama, you go Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Poltergeist was the one movie that did it for me too. No looking under the bed at night, looking at black and white snow on TV or big trees near bedroom windows after that... Edited to add: Oh and don't forget about Jaws. I could not swim in the swimming pool at night for a long time after Jaws, I was pretty convinced that there was a good chance a Great White shark could appear by coming into the pool by swimming through the drain... Oh the imaginations we have as kids... Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Nothing serious (knock on wood). I said wood. HeHe HeHe So I have seen some pretty bad stuff happen to my friends but I have been pretty lucky so far. I have had a couple close calls some a bit too close for comfort. Luckily I have sustained no more than some hand scrapes from not wearing gloves taking it on a pretty fast downwind landing sliding in on a tarmak. The other mishap occured when I had about 30 jumps and didn't think to disconnect my RSL and cut my canopy away in high winds. After being drug by the canopy I learned never to do that again. I have had my share of bruises from climbing out of an airplane shooting video and my share of aches and pains from wacky openings. All in all I say definitely worth it. I have gotten way more joy than anything out of this sport. I also read the incident reports and try to fully understand what happened. When people make mistakes I think it is cool to share them. It may just prevent someone else from making the same type of mistake. Just MHO. Blues. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

QuoteYo! She's already staying in your tent! No need for rufies! >>>Negative Big Ben. Freeflyz was a friend of Holly's who I met in Parker. They were tent buddies. I guess I just figured any tent buddy of Holly's could be a tent buddy of mine with nothing else in mind figuring it would all be good. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Did someone say El Cap??? Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."