skyflyingbecca

It's starting to look like I might not make this one, do I need to send up my rig (with a Hornet 150 + PD 176) with Katee for you to jump? I suspect she won't be there until Friday night though. To Mark: P.S. It seems like the only BASE that has worked for me so far is "tourist BASE", speaking of which I got my BASE number application in after my "E" in Moab last week, and NO I won't use the Prodigy for quite some time in the BASE environment, don't worry guys! "I know it's friday night, but come on. Surely there's something better to do than yell at people on the internet?" - Tom A.

Who, me? Mucho thanks to all the great people who made it possible. You guys all rock! Edited to add: Only hours after I got home, I heard from John who just rolled his car 4 times. Frickin' whuffos..... spend a week worrying about me jumping, then roll the crap out of your new car and almost die. WTF!? Damn irony..... "I know it's friday night, but come on. Surely there's something better to do than yell at people on the internet?" - Tom A.

You're not the only one That NYEve thing suuucked. Maybe they can make it up to us!! I am allergic to the 20K+ high altitude stuff, but it's starting to look like I will have to bolt about 2am anyway to go to work on Sunday, can't find anyone to cover for me yet. As it is I had to move hell and earth to get Friday off If that is the case, I won't have enough time to prepare my new single parachute system for jumping, so it looks like I will be tagging along behind you as usual Mike! Ooooh, night jumps - night jumps - night jumps!!! "I know it's friday night, but come on. Surely there's something better to do than yell at people on the internet?" - Tom A.

Oh jeez, yeah! Of course! This is designed to work in addition to health insurance. This policy pays me if I get hurt, not the hospital. $150 a day is more than I make now. It is at least useful as an income supplement while out of work at a lower-paying job. Better than nothing IMO. I am just happy that there isn't any exclusions like other supplemental accident policies have. (Aflac) It seems many people carry these supplemental plans and would be happier if there's one that has their hobby as a "covered" activity. "I know it's friday night, but come on. Surely there's something better to do than yell at people on the internet?" - Tom A.

This isn't much help for Life Insurance, but here is some good information on accident insurance: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=2152722 "I know it's friday night, but come on. Surely there's something better to do than yell at people on the internet?" - Tom A.

I saw the Life INS thread and thought I'd post a new one regarding Accident Insurance. I have a policy with NO exclusions. BASE, skydiving, motorcycling, race car driving, you get the picture. They can't cancel you for any reason either. The sales guy claimed Evel Knievel had this policy and they paid out millions over the years before they finally convinced him to sell it back to them. But hey, he was a sales guy. http://www.combined.com/ 1-800-225-4500 I just called and asked about Life Insurance and it looks like there IS exclusions for that. But this accident policy seems cheap and very worth it. You can call Julissa 1-800-225-4500 ext 50948 She works: 2pm-10pm EST on T & TH 1pm-9pm EST on Fridays and in the mornings on Saturdays but I'm sure any operator can help you as well. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ My policy is only $16 a month When you call them it is effective immediately if you set up a checking account over the phone. I am in FL, USA and coverage varies by state, so you have to call before you can be sure what is available in your area. This policy also covers accidents occuring in some foreign countries and the recovery benefits are paid regardless, even if the accident occurs outside a covered country and policyholder is recovering back in the US. Here is a summary of my benefits: $150 every day in the hospital $1,000 every day in ICU $150 day for recovery after hospital stay $1,500 one time benefit for recovery after out-pt surgery w/in 90 of accident $150 for ER visit $100 for Doctor visit A cheaper policy is available for 1/2 the benefits ($8/mo) "I know it's friday night, but come on. Surely there's something better to do than yell at people on the internet?" - Tom A.

Since this event seems to have originated out of the collapse of the Herc Boogie, does anyone have an idea of how likely its going to end up being every year vs. every 2? If someone knows, please PM me or post here. I would think the organizers are going to wait to see how this year goes before carving anything in stone, but an idea(if there is one) would be great. Thanks! "I know it's friday night, but come on. Surely there's something better to do than yell at people on the internet?" - Tom A.

May as well keep the list up to date... corrections 1-Voodew1 (TX) 2-Professor (TX) 3-FlyinBob (TX) 4-Buried (IL) 5-The111 (LOCAL!) 6-Skyflyingbecca (FL) 7-Moonglo (TX) 8-Luminous (TX) 9-unclecharlie95 (ITALIA) 10-Base733 (UT) 11-nathaniel(IL) 12-HELMUT (Tatooween) 13-OmarPR (LOCAL) 14-RobertPecnik(CROATIA) 15-Purple Mike(Earth) 16-Costyn (NL) (very likely) 17-Matt (GA) 18-Joni (NE) 19-Yuri (Russia-USA) 20-badenhop (Lodi) 21-Mike Steen (UT) 22-EmLo (Local) 23-DaMan (Local) 24- Rob Jones (Local) 25-Scott Bland (Local) 26-Chris Ware (Local) 27-Scotty Burns (Local) 28-Jeff Nebelkopf (Local) 29-Mike (Local) 30-Paul Mazillo (Local) 31-Scary Perry (Local) 32-Mark (normiss) Cochran (Local) 33-Manny (Local) 34-Lurch? (NH) 35-Mudbug(TX) 36-Murphy (AZ) 37-Harry Parker 38-Pendragon (U.K.) 39-980 (Canada) 40-RkyMtnHgh (FL) 41-MarkM (FL) 42-SkymonkeyONE (NC) 43-Ian (FL) 44-Aaron (FL) 45-Medusa (Colombia/FL) 46-Danny (Puerto Rico) 47-Kevin Keenan (FL) 48-Cyntia (FL) 49-Jose (Turtle) (P.R.) 50-BJ Alexander (FL) 51-Brian (IL) "I know it's friday night, but come on. Surely there's something better to do than yell at people on the internet?" - Tom A.

R O F L M F A O!! Jeez, I see I missed a fun weekend! You guys suck. "I know it's friday night, but come on. Surely there's something better to do than yell at people on the internet?" - Tom A.

D'oh!!! How silly of me to not realize that! Trust me, I would've been there if I could've. We will ballon together soon Yep, Yahoo is my friend, but it's a little harder to sit in front of a pc that long versus on a cell where you can move around and clean the house, etc. I guess I could try one of those wireless headphones, but my pc usually isn't on all the time either... And yeah it is a hell of a long time on the phone, but remember, it was supposed to be only 6 cents a minute. "I know it's friday night, but come on. Surely there's something better to do than yell at people on the internet?" - Tom A.

They just opened at 7am EST (it's 7:40 here now) and I am hold while they do a "re-rate" He said it will take a long time to go through the whole bill. But they ARE gonna fix it and thank god I don't have to go to court - yet When they added the $3.99/mo for the discounted International calling, they didn't adjust the rate I was being charged. Thank god the guy I am on the phone with now seems great - very competent & helpful. All your advice is very helpul and I will rectify my mistakes right away, thanks guys! I agree but the problem is that most of the branches here are just retail stores and can't do big account changes, you have to go into an actual "cingular corporate" store for real service, and they are always slammed and unfriendly. I will have to remember that! hehehe "I know it's friday night, but come on. Surely there's something better to do than yell at people on the internet?" - Tom A.

I really hope so but I know Cingular and I am so worried they won't honor it.... Can't sleep or puke and I really feel like I need to puke Meanwhile the bill has already gone through my checking automatically and it overdrafted my account and cc payments might bounce in the meantime. I only have Cingular cause my family does and we can talk free, plus they were the only ones whose towers worked during the Hurricane.... I have to switch anyway now, this is stressing me out! Thanks for the support guys!! "I know it's friday night, but come on. Surely there's something better to do than yell at people on the internet?" - Tom A.

On the phone. The first lady I talked to sounded like a ditz so I called back to make sure everything was still ok with it, that it had gone through. and the 2nd person said yes it was all set up. "I know it's friday night, but come on. Surely there's something better to do than yell at people on the internet?" - Tom A.

I signed up for discounted International calling a few months ago and just saw my bill..... They are still charging me normal international rates..... So every time I thought it was 6 cents a min it was almost 1.50. Of course I had to notice this in the middle of the night when their offices are closed. And their website is down for maintenance. I am going to be sick, seriously I am so nauseous. I know to call them in the morning, but I know their deal and know they will find a way to screw me, probably lose the phone records of me signing up for it, etc. Advice anyone? Besides getting a lawyer? "I know it's friday night, but come on. Surely there's something better to do than yell at people on the internet?" - Tom A.

happy happy happy birthday baby!! "I know it's friday night, but come on. Surely there's something better to do than yell at people on the internet?" - Tom A.

Holy Sheis!! That's my dz! Me and Mark are practically the only dedicated wingsuit flyers there and you guys are tromping all over our grass looking like you own the place! It's almost enough to make me cry! Hopefully you guys are having a blast and will come back more often!!! Mark is on call so he can't come up, and I had yet another very eventful day at work, but I'll see y'all in a few hours! Oh, great job being in frame and all!! Beeee-you-tiful pics!! "I know it's friday night, but come on. Surely there's something better to do than yell at people on the internet?" - Tom A.

Well I am at work today, looking out the window at the beautiful weather and thinking of all you! I know y'all are having a good time and hopefully the winds are agreeable up there too! See y'all tomorrow!!! "I know it's friday night, but come on. Surely there's something better to do than yell at people on the internet?" - Tom A.

1-Voodew1 (TX) 2-Professor (TX) 3-FlyinBob (TX) 4-Buried (IL) 5-The111 (LOCAL!) 6-Skyflyingbecca (FL) 7-Moonglo (TX) 8-Luminous (TX) 9-unclecharlie95 (ITALIA) 10-Base733 (UT) 11-nathaniel(IL) 12-HELMUT (Tatooween) 13-OmarPR (LOCAL) 14-RobertPecnik(CROATIA) 15-Purple Mike(Earth) 16-Costyn (NL) (very likely) 17-Matt (GA) 18-Joni (NE) 19-Yuri (Russia-USA) 20-Lifewithoutanet (CA/CO, USA) 21-badenhop (Lodi) 22-Mike Steen (UT) 23-EmLo (Local) 24-DaMan (Local) 25- Rob Jones (Local) 26-Scott Bland (Local) 27-Chris Ware (Local) 28-Scotty Burns (Local) 29-Jeff Nebelkopf (Local) 30-Mike (Local) 31-Paul Mazillo (Local) 32-Scary Perry (Local) 33-Mark (normis) Cochran (Local) 34-Manny (Local) 35-Lurch? (NH) 36-Mudbug(TX) 37-Murphy (AZ) 38-Harry Parker 39-Pendragon (U.K.) 40-980 (Canada) 41-RkyMtnHgh (FL) 42-MarkM (FL) 43-SkymonkeyONE (NC) Are we forgetting Ybor City? It's been quite a few years since I've been there, is it still kickin'? Per mapquest.com Zhills to Ybor City: Total Est. Time: 42 minutes Total Est. Distance: 36.60 miles Not a bad trek, especially if it is as awesome as it was 5 years ago! Don't count me in yet, though. If it comes down to a decision between that and other "apres-skydive" activities (even GC), I'm turning down Ybor in a heartbeat. "I know it's friday night, but come on. Surely there's something better to do than yell at people on the internet?" - Tom A.

Hehehe, I forgot about the superglue! What an introduction! You saw it!? How cool! We all look the same from the sky though. They didn't get the ground units there till after I'd gone I heard it was on CNN too but didn't see it. I'm going to have to request the copies of the shows and all. Jeff (Peaceful Jeffrey) works at the Post so he snagged me some copies of the paper, it was on the 'front' front page. Bad ass, especially cause no one died and the guy's arm was saved! Amazing! No worries, we love our jobs! "I know it's friday night, but come on. Surely there's something better to do than yell at people on the internet?" - Tom A.

It is a very dangerous route, please be careful out there! ~ Jaime!! See you at Z flock! "I know it's friday night, but come on. Surely there's something better to do than yell at people on the internet?" - Tom A.

Perry will be there at 1pm Friday, get your booties out there everyone!!! I have to work but will see y'all on Sunday! "I know it's friday night, but come on. Surely there's something better to do than yell at people on the internet?" - Tom A.

Well I think some of the best advice I have ever received is to JUMP! Don't overthink it, just get that puppy in the air chicka! Don't be afraid of solos, the flocks will come with time and patience "I know it's friday night, but come on. Surely there's something better to do than yell at people on the internet?" - Tom A.

An insane call I had yesterday. 8+ Semi pileup, tanker on fire, 4 Fire Departments, a surgeon flown to site to surgically extricate a victim, the whole 9. Good pics too! The call came in 5 minutes after official shift change, but most of us hang out for a while afterwards to BS with the oncoming shift. We all decided to stay late to check out the carnage, so I could only stay on scene for a couple hours before heading back to cover the city, but WOW it was amazing, the pics don't do it justice! http://www.palmbeachpost.com/pbcsouth/content/local_news/epaper/2006/03/08/m1a_crash_0308.html An illegal left turn made into the hazy fog apparently sparked a massive pileup Tuesday morning involving at least a dozen vehicles, including eight tractor-trailers. Remarkably, no one was killed in the series of crashes, which stretched for roughly half a mile along a rural straightaway on U.S. 27, halfway between South Bay and the Broward County line. The southbound lanes were closed until midday, and northbound lanes opened by late afternoon. Two men were seriously injured and flown to trauma centers. Three others were treated for minor injuries at area hospitals. At one point, a Delray Beach surgeon was flown to the scene to amputate a man's arm, but determined the limb should be saved. Robert Purcell, 38, of Saybrook, Ill., was trapped, pinned in his truck for three hours when trauma surgeon Pedro J. Gonzalez was flown to the wreck. The truck was on its side, and Purcell was upside down, thrust against the passenger-side door. A guardrail had pierced the passenger-side window and pinned the trucker's arm. Rescue workers feared his arm would have to be amputated. "He was screaming in agony, and there was nothing we could do," said Joseph Jackson, a motorist involved in the wreck, of the wait until rescue workers arrived. The surgeon landed on the highway and concluded the man's arm could be saved. "They were worried they weren't making much headway, and they didn't think he could tolerate much more without treatment," Gonzalez said. "They just could not get him out. There was a lot of mangled metal, and they couldn't physically extricate him. "I was praying we wouldn't have to do anything. Luckily, my services weren't needed — other than an opinion," the surgeon said. Shaken drivers hovering near the wreck Tuesday said the fog was so thick the roadway was almost entirely obscured. Jackson, 52, of Coconut Creek, who works for Florida Crystals, said he did not see the accident until he was part of it. "The next thing I knew there was meat and trailers all over the ground," Jackson said. "I drove over it. I drove over the meat. I was trying to stop...." Jackson's 2001 Toyota Corolla rear-ended a tractor-trailer and became wedged under it. He said he then saw a massive pallet truck barrelling toward him in his rearview mirror. "I looked into the rearview, and I knew it was seconds, seconds, and he hit me," he said. Jackson looked at his silver Toyota — crushed like an accordion — on a flatbed tow truck. "I'm lucky, I'm lucky, I'm lucky," he said. The accident occurred about 7 a.m. Tuesday. Hours later, the scene remained in shambles. Fox News and CNN broadcast live images of the wreck. Large slabs of ribs were scattered across the roadway, and workers used a backhoe to scoop them up. A few red flames still licked the charred remains of a fuel tanker already down to just ashes and axles. Half of a semi's trailer, sheared in two upon impact, lay on its side. The Okeelanta sugar mill, six miles north of the crash site, was shut down all morning after troopers blocked the highway where trucks access the plant. "Through the grace of God, nobody was killed," sheriff's Lt. Michael Morris said. Lt. Tim Frith, Florida Highway Patrol spokesman, described what happened: About 7 a.m., a truck hauling rocks pulled out of a driveway into the path of a southbound truck hauling sheet metal and aluminum. The two collided, sending metal flying into the northbound lanes, where a semi carrying meat and ribs jackknifed. Another 18-wheeler drove through the middle of the jackknifed trailer, splitting it. A small car tried to drive through the opening and was slammed by another tractor-trailer. A flatbed truck carrying wooden pallets smashed into a fuel truck, igniting the blaze that burned both trucks for hours. The total carnage, according to the FHP: eight semis, two cars, a van and a pickup truck. Officials said more may have fled the scene. "Once that started happening in that fog, nobody could see the vehicles were stopping the way they were, and that's why we had all the wrecks," Frith said. Although fog contributed to the crashes, he said, three truckers were cited for a variety of violations: • Carlos Bonilla Coppins, 31, of Kissimmee, was cited for violating the right of way when he initially pulled out of the driveway from the Bergeron rock quarry to make a left turn to go north toward Port St. Lucie. An ambulance took Coppins to Palms West Hospital after he complained of an eye injury. A co-worker said Coppins worked for C. Grantham trucking company, based in Illinois. He was cited in 2002 for careless driving after an accident. Since then, he has received two speeding tickets and was cited for failure to observe a stop sign. • The driver of the semi that hit the fuel tanker was driving with a suspended license. • Another tractor-trailer driver was driving on a suspended license. Robert Lane crashed his rented Chevrolet Malibu in the bedlam Tuesday. His 21-year-old passenger was flown to Delray Medical Center with a leg injury and was released from the hospital later in the day. "By the time I saw it, I was there. You slide into the carnage on the road," said Lane, 31. He said traffic was moving at more than 45 mph. But the injured drivers were even worse, he said. "The guy in the green rig, he was all bruised and red and bleeding," Lane said. "I heard the guy screaming in the camper in the middle of the road. I didn't want to see him." Pedro Gonzalez of Homestead knows U.S. 27 well; he drives his flatbed semi on it just about every day. "It's a road you have to be careful on, even on good days," he said. But on Tuesday, the fog made it the worst of days. "You couldn't see anything in front of you. It was terrible visibility," he said. "And everyone was going really slow. That's what you have to do — go as slowly as possible." Gonzalez was the last in the line of semis in the accident, and he was grateful he was not among the injured. "I was already going pretty slowly because of the fog, but it could have been so much worse," he said. "I know it's friday night, but come on. Surely there's something better to do than yell at people on the internet?" - Tom A.

Those fuckers are always screwing up my laptop. Have to do a system restore every frickin time. I'm trying to get into editing but I can't get vegas running because it said I need some framework which I downloaded but not through the MS patch, and the patch keeps screwing it up. If anyone can help plz send me a PM, I would be eternally grateful I have a CHEAP $600! two year old HP poc I found at Circuit City, one of the cheapest ones there after rebates. It has a 2.8ghz processor and the 256 ram I upgraded to 1g almost immediately for cheap. I also have 30 gigs and I thought my machine was outdated being 2 years old.... You are def gonna want the higher numbers, at least what I have, or you will be screaming a lot. Or you will be wasting a lot of money for a whole new one soon. "I know it's friday night, but come on. Surely there's something better to do than yell at people on the internet?" - Tom A.

There are a lot of great points by MUCH more experienced people than myself in another thread in this forum. You can find at: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=2109154 I am not an experienced BASE jumper or a professional but would like to share some thoughts from my limited experience. Consider the option of getting a smaller 7 cell F-111 that will fit into your Mirage. Depending on how big or small you go, you might not be able to take it to terminal, but it will help familiarize you with the way those types of canopy designs fly and flare. You could use that rental for a couple jumps on your BASE canopy, but you'll probably end up not wanting to put too much airtime & wear on your RockDragon, however that could vary depending on a lot of factors, your dedication, local scene and personal desires/habits. If you invest in extra risers it will be very quick to swap canopies if needed. I am in the same position and just bought a Cruiselight 220 for $100. I coincidently have a Mirage M5 and yours is probably an M5 or M6, right? Well, the cruiselight fits in there fine, and I will be jumping it with my wingsuit shortly. That was my decision, for my own personal situation, but read the other thread and come to your own conclusion. Extra costs: 1. Keep in mind the repack you will have to pay for every 4 months. Or maybe less, whenever you feel like pulling out this puppy. 2. A rigger will have the final say on the air-worthiness, they could say the reserve canopy is too old to repack, it is their call. 3. It could possibly be difficult or more expensive (locale dependant) to have a round repacked because they are less common maybe? (ask your rigger, I have no idea, just a thought) 4. If you have to use this reserve once, the components could wear past the point where the rigger will agree to repack, potentially costing a lot of money in extra parts. Price: 1. This rig is already a BOC=good. 2. The Manta alone could be worth +/- $200 depending on it's condition, I was recently in the market and that seemed average. 3. I believe the Sweethogs are pretty popular and you still see them, they are tough and sturdy and will last. be careful with the B-12 snaps though. 4. The AAD is probably not worth much if anything, in my personal and probably soon to be flamed opinion. 5. Notice in one pic, the closing flap grommets do not come close to lining up no less touching each other. The Manta might be too big for this rig to take terminal in my opinion, but if you are only going to do BASE canopy hopnpops, that's not an issue. Plus your Base canopy is smaller than this Manta so it might pack smaller. The Manta is 9 cells anyway, so not much use for you to jump, 9 cell dimensions are diff. and fly and land differently than 7 cells. 6. The system pictured isn't the exact one you will be getting, so ensure you get the right pics before you buy. If you do end up wanting to buy an extra rig, as far as this particular one goes, it seems like a fair deal, as long as you don't mind having an extra rig hanging around the house. I think it's a good thing, you never know when you might need it. Collecting extra gear can develop into a habit though, and I was up to 4 rigs, 10 canopies and 3 wingsuits at one point, but thankfully sold a few recently. My related exerience FYI - I had a Talon back when I was new to skydiving and I spent a lot of money on converting it to BOC from ROL and made it "modern" AAD-compatible. I was not a license holder and was required to have an AAD. On my 28th jump, before I was packing regularly, a local dz bum(no mo Mo!) was helping the packers and his 50 jump wonder self knotted up the pc and bridle and shoved the whole mess into the brand-spankin' new tight spandex resulting in a hard pull. Three tries and I went silver, resulting in a very expensive jump. I was told the RSV PV needed replacement and that was about $300 due to its age and some other factors I don't recall at the moment. Sorry for being so long-winded "I know it's friday night, but come on. Surely there's something better to do than yell at people on the internet?" - Tom A.