JohnMitchell

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Everything posted by JohnMitchell

  1. JohnMitchell
    That woulda been off the end of the "awesome" chart.
  2. JohnMitchell
    Back when I was learning to spot, practically everyone jumped a round. If you screwed up the spot, it was very evident and you had a long time to think about it while you walked back in.
  3. JohnMitchell
    If you were a hoody or jacket, make sure there are no pockets to blow around and cover your handles. A friend of mine had a cut away while wearing a jeans jacket w/pockets. He had to reach into the pocket to retrieve his reserve handle. With that said, I've jumped in anything from gym shorts with no shirt on up, including Santa Claus costume with beard. Those fake beards suck in freefall.
  4. JohnMitchell
    Who says you need a skyhook?
  5. JohnMitchell
    I've seen stupider stuff. I think a good skill set in our sport is learning how to get your rig checked and on your bod quickly, because there will be days when you are rushed (esp. if you ever get a damn instructor's rating.). Why wasn't the BOC packed already? Was your AAD on? And I feel it only takes seconds to check the pins and 3 rings. I hope you just ignore the yelling long enough to do that next time. Staying in the plane if you can't get 3500? I hope those women won't mind me crawling out over them. Thanks for posting this.
  6. JohnMitchell
    Seen the same thing happen, but too low for a reserve deployment. The main disappeared at about 200 feet, and luckily they held on and landed together under one canopy in a shower of grass and dust, but got up, dusted themselves off, and headed for a bar for a couple of stiff whisky's. Luckily it was all over pretty quickly, they had good grips, and were instantly on to what was happening....also lucky they had specialised CRW gear, and had done a lot of CRW jumps together.... A RSL or skyhook might have caused major problems.... Holy Cwap!
  7. JohnMitchell
    There are several different ways to hold on for a down plane. We used to have one person lock legs around the other's torso. Worked pretty well, but one guy (Jay Stokes) got his cutaway handle pulled on breakoff. He got his reserve out but was pretty damn low. So . . . I love a good downplane. I've certainly done my share of them. As always, though, watch your handles.
  8. JohnMitchell
    I've jumped both of those brands. Here's my favorite.
  9. JohnMitchell
    "Nylon Nitwits" ---
  10. JohnMitchell
    Hey, my 3rd five-second delay, they MADE me spot. I actually got to give a couple of course corrections. It was fun.
  11. JohnMitchell
    Although the market has had its volatile ups and downs the last decade, it's still a proven winner over long periods of time. Buying stocks, whether individually or in a mutual fund, is like buying a piece of the company(ies). Buying CD's is like renting out your money. Owning is better than renting. Vskydiver and I have several investments with Vanguard. They have great customer service and low management fees. I highly recommend them. And the S & P 500 fund is an excellent place to start.
  12. JohnMitchell
    Not for 800 bones. American $$$? No way. I saw the FB pic of his wife. No idea how old it is but she's a cutie. He should've kept it zipped up.
  13. JohnMitchell
    Big Twilight fan, are we?
  14. JohnMitchell
    I hope someone tells him he's on Bonus Days.
  15. JohnMitchell
    That's 'cause he's been saying nice things about her. Women like that. Most of us primates on this site don't understand that.
  16. JohnMitchell
    'Cause we're finally getting blood to our head?
  17. JohnMitchell
    We're uncertain about that, but we know where.
  18. JohnMitchell
    Sorry, that was an ambiguous sentence, wasn't it? It was in production through 1953.
  19. JohnMitchell
    How many psychologists does it take to change a light bulb? Just one, but it takes a long, long time, it's very expensive, and the light bulb has to WANT to change.
  20. JohnMitchell
    Hell, I've felt like that a few times myself. I like to think I'd look a little better standing there, though.
  21. JohnMitchell
    Maybe so, but their fun quotient was an average 27.8% lower. Old joke: "Hey Doc, do you think I'll live to be 100?" "Well, do you smoke, drink, stay out late, gamble and chase loose women all the time?" "Absolutely not. I've never done those things." "Well, why would you WANT to live to be 100?"
  22. JohnMitchell
    The Corsair is actually my favorite WWII bird, and the only one still in production and use long after the war. My dad, as a young aerospace engineer fresh out of school in the early 50's, went to work for LTV down in Garland, TX. His first job was drawing up a cockpit mod for the Corsairs still in production for the French.
  23. JohnMitchell
    Yep, I need to make it up to PAE and check out Paul's toy collection. Museum of Flight at BFI? We had the family membership for years. Brett and I still go up there once or twice a year. Tillamook and Evergreen are definitely on my list. Maybe a little Oregon Coast vacation this summer.
  24. JohnMitchell
    You are absolutely right, John, and I teach this principle to my instructors. There is a big exception, though, and that is for the individual who is willfully rebelling against what you're trying to accomplish. The public embarrassment attempts to use peer pressure to change their behavior. Unfortunately many of those types feel they have no peers.
  25. JohnMitchell
    Reminds me of a pick up basket ball game years ago with a bunch of other controllers. After I had missed I don't know how many shots, one of the guys, who had played college b-ball, said "Now I know why Mitchell skydives. He can HIT the Earth."