JohnMitchell

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Everything posted by JohnMitchell

  1. JohnMitchell
    #4 - Although I know people at BOTH San Diego DZ's, there are two more up North, Perris and Elsinore. Both have great skydiving schools. You're lucky to live in such a DZ rich market area.
  2. JohnMitchell
    Nice one, Jimmy. I'm glad to see you celebrating in style.
  3. JohnMitchell
    Vskydiver has done quite a few tandems helping people get their ratings. (If you had to pick someone on the DZ to be strapped on the front of you, who would you ask?) She even did some while she was pregnant. She does remember riding up next to the open door, no seat belt, with a very inconsiderate TM candidate one time. She said it scared the bejezzus out of her. Not a cool thing to do to anyone.
  4. JohnMitchell
    Unless I have a really uptight passenger, I always show them how to check canopy after opening, let them steer, show them the wind sock and the student landing area and talk about facing into the wind for landing. I explain about how solo students have a radio on the chest strap and we give them guidance from the ground. I tell them that the tandem counts as their first student jump and if they like it they should try the AFF class. So that's some of the stuff the instructor could do with you on your first tandem.
  5. JohnMitchell
    The other day my son, working at iFlySeattle, got a tip and a phone number. He was polite and texted her that he was already involved.
  6. JohnMitchell
    You were honest and direct. The truth has a way of winning in the long run. Since you didn't do anything wrong, you should continue to act as if nothing happened. If Joe can't handle it, he can just walk away. If he ever brings it up again, I like Riddler's line about how parents will always be protective of their children. Anyway, you've got tons of friends here. Don't worry about one or two confused people.
  7. JohnMitchell
    Good point. Publishers must love puritanism. It's how they can sell all those page 3 girls.
  8. JohnMitchell
    Life is like a pachinko game. You bounce off the pegs at random and sometimes end up places you would have never guessed. Enjoy where you are and whom you're with.
  9. JohnMitchell
    Did the rigger just buy a new car? I'd like to see a pic of the lines.
  10. JohnMitchell
    Where are they? I better google.
  11. JohnMitchell
  12. JohnMitchell
    Behind what? People with thousands of jumps? My son works in a tunnel. He has 16 jumps and turned a couple of double digit 4 ways today.
  13. JohnMitchell
    I've done it twice and it's scary. No more.
  14. JohnMitchell
    Thanks.
  15. JohnMitchell
    1- Vertical separation doesn't count when they're under canopy and you're still in freefall. 2- Did the two of you "trade places" in the line of flight, in other words, did you cross over the top of the tandem pair at some time? 3- You're not the first noob to slide up and down the jumprun line trying to sit and head down. Vskydiver almost hit the open canopy of such a knoob after videoing on of my tandems. So keep yourself perpendicular to the jumprun line while you flail around. If you can't do that, then stay on your belly. Make your tracks off the jumprun line.
  16. JohnMitchell
    Are you saying to use some version of the 45 degree rule? Nope, time separation is fine, but you have to track in the right direction.
  17. JohnMitchell
    Why would an S&TA not do the 30-1 fatality report? It's not like fatalities are a big secret. Is it laziness or something more goal oriented?
  18. JohnMitchell
    Or maybe Montana? "There will never be another ewe." So that's what he meant by "living on the lamb".
  19. JohnMitchell
    So you had a hidden key for the handcuffs? When we got married we moved hundreds of miles from our ex's. Good idea. When I went to V's high school reunion, I wasn't 10 feet from the rental car before we ran into the first ex boyfriend. Met a stalker of hers or two also. Whatever it is, I hope it's good for you.
  20. JohnMitchell
    Been there. What do you say to the woman you love when the doctors say it's time to tell her goodbye?
  21. JohnMitchell
    I've seen a few injuries from people flying into the lip of a ditch or hitting some other object. A good PLF position could have helped prevent their injuries. Instead they received broken ankles.
  22. JohnMitchell
    I think those skills have about 100% transference to skydiving. Tunnel time for skydiving is a good investment, I feel. The AFF students I've seen with tunnel time tend to do very well.
  23. JohnMitchell
    I've seen this to others on various jumps. Just leave it alone, don't let ANYONE touch it, try not to fly under anyone and if you're doing some sloppy style RW/VRW where people are funneling or randomly grabbing stuff, just move out of the way. At pull time, ignore the floating handle and deploy your main normally. The G forces of the opening have never been enough to pull the pin, even with heavier metal handles, at least in any case I've known. Under canopy you may put it back in the pocket/on the velcro if you like. Check your pin, of course, after you land. If you observe a floating handle on someone else, stop and point at it, but don't touch it. You could possibly pull it by mistake if you try to tuck it back in for someone else. Does this all make sense to everyone? Anyone have any other ideas?
  24. JohnMitchell
    Arching and relaxing seem like a contradiction in terms sometimes. But you need the arch/hips down for stability. Make sure your legs are not spread too far apart. That will lock the hip joints and make a good arch impossible. When you practice your arch on the ground, do you do it like most of us, arching off the floor, straining against gravity? This was how I was taught and uses all the wrong muscles and caused me problems as a student. See if you can practice your body position with your feet resting on the edge of a sofa, pushing downward slightly. Relax the arms and pull back the shoulders slightly. If you can have a friend support your hands up level with your head and keep your arms loose, that would be good practice too. Potato chipping often comes from trying to sit up in the air or push too hard on it. Visualize relaxing the the hands higher and laying all the way down on the cushion of air. Hope some of this helps.
  25. JohnMitchell
    Those guys are lucky. I've known 5 people to survive midair collisions. Only one of them did it without a parachute.