towerrat

I was in the Wings ad for a few months. Henri had us do 8-way. It was kinda cool because it was my first jump on my new Wings rig. Tony Hathaway took the pics, and they all came out fantastic, especially the ad photo. It was all in the beginning part of the year, so maybe February, March and April? I can't remember... Play stupid games, win stupid prizes!

relax, brutha... Don't let it be a thorn in your side. It's just something different, you're not expected to do it perfectly, just do it and learn. What's the worst that could happen, you'll go unstable? So what? Arch! Do what your instructors tell you to do, relax, and enjoy yourself. It's all about learning to fly..... Play stupid games, win stupid prizes!

was your canopy flying straight? If it was spinning there is a chance that it may not recover. Regardless, you lived and I'm sure it felt like the thing to do at the time. I personally would not have cut away at 3500 ft unless the canopy was spinning. That's just what I would do. I'll say again, you lived, and it was your decision. As they say, "when in doubt, whip it out". Play stupid games, win stupid prizes!

I am a complete jackass and have absolutely no redeeming qualities......no, really..... Play stupid games, win stupid prizes!

I can be overly aggressive. Sometimes I have a hard time walking away. It's gotten me in trouble a time or two. It's something I try very hard to work on, but it's ingrained from childhood. I can also be brutally honest, which has it's pros and cons. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes!

I didn't vote, as I really don't think this is a black and white issue. It may well raise awareness in general, but some people are gonna say "hey, that looks cool!" and others will still say "geez..... what a stupid thing to do". I think just like most things in Hollywood, skydiving is not usually accurately portrayed.Sometimes this bothers me because I feel that a lot of people are turned off because of this. Think about the tandem student being cut away from his instructor while hanging in a tree. How about the jumpmaster who stayed in a Holliday Inn last night. Sometimes it seems like Hollywood is just trying to make us out to be a bunch of jackasses. I grew up around Zephyrhills so I've always known about skydiving. That didn't stop me from falling into the same old wuffo thinking patterns, some of it bred from movies and TV. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes!

I really like the Wings dive loops. I have found, in my limited experience that the design is good, but they could be a little bigger ( the material and the loop itself). Play stupid games, win stupid prizes!

This is a fantastic post. You've explained the difference between A.M. and other types of towers very well. I just wanted to add a few things for anyone jumping cellular towers, as I've spent a lot of time on them. You will find mostly panel antenna, or directional antenna. They are designed to be aimed in a certain direction, and generally are only designed and installed to just overlapp each others signals. I have stood behind them for many hours with no ill effects. Omni directional antenna however, are a different story. They are designed to radiate 360 degrees. These are the (usually) fairly long, whip shaped antenna.They can be mounted either up or hanging down. It is best to avoid these if possible, as you can't hide "behind" them. Although I've never had ill effects from an omni, I have also done what I could to avoid them. As you have pointed out already, AM towers can be extremely hot.They will cook you...avoid them Just a side note:almost every towerhand I know has had baby girls. I don't know if it's related, but seems to be an awful big coincidence. I know a lot of towerhands. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes!

***Little petry dishes of Jello and sickness Play stupid games, win stupid prizes!

good luck brutha..... Play stupid games, win stupid prizes!

hell, last year that's the only place I would land! Nothing better for the ego Play stupid games, win stupid prizes!

I have a friend who got rid of his Vector II for this reason. He was told by a rigger that this has been a problem in the past with some of the older rigs, in particular this model. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes!

***None of it was because we were making our last jump, we just weren't as scared of living as most people today. And yes, I do resent your remarks. -------------------------------------------------------- according to your profile, you weren't jumping in the seventies, so resent away. I'm only speaking of the incessant "back in my day" stories. And all the stories of people getting loaded before jumping. You really don't see a whole lot of that anymore, and that's good. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes!

wow, that's great info to have. Thanks for the field test. I'll be doing some testing now, to see what's up with mine. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes!

Don't feel bad Dave. My sisters husband, who is almost 30 years old, fell off of his skateboard and broke his wrist. The funny thing is, I've been recovering from my severly broken wrist, and had just given him the "speech" about how I was having a hard time making ends meet, and he needed to be careful as him and my sister have a new baby. He won' t be going to work for a while, and as a new employee, I'm quite sure he has no insurance. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes!

***You said it to me now say it to him............. apparently he needs to stop trying to look cool to his online friends and he needs to get over himself! ----------------------------------------------------------- I did say that, and if the shoe fits, wear it. I will no longer argue online. I'll once again thank those who had the intelligence to answer my questions in a manner befitting a human being. I thank all of you for your information, and have found most of it to be quite useful. To you Mr. Tree, I'll leave this at what it is....you obviously have nothing constructive to say. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes!

gee, Mark, that was just a little unnecessary, don't you think.It's attitudes like yours that make me want to stay away from base jumpers in general. I came on this forum and asked a simple, straightforward question. I never said I was to good for a FJC, nor did I say, that I wouldn't take one. I simply stated that there is the real possibility that after having committed a large sum of money that pays for a bunch of jumps, I may only make one. I've gotten some really good responses from a lot of people on these forums. Yours is not one of them, so shut your hole. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes!

My guess is that your gonna here a lot of "not with 54 jumps you're not!" I would imagine my reply would be similar. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes!

Thanks to all those who gave intelligent replies..... I'll sleep on it. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes!

***Friday - First Jump Course theory, Practice launches, Walk landing area, Prepare equipment Saturday - Jump, pack, debrief............. Jump, pack, debrief............. Jump, pack, debrief............. Sunday - Jump, pack, debrief............. Jump, pack, debrief....... This is my point. I don't necesarily know if I want to make five or ten jumps. I may, and if so, that's great. If not, I've spent alot of money to watch other people jump off a bridge. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes!

No one owes you anything. ---------------------------------------------------------- I never said anyone owes me anything. My question is valid. It cost me right around $1200 for AFF. Those costs include instructor fees, gear rental,jump tickets, video, etc. I can climb a tower for free. I still don't see where the cost comes from. I understand the need for a ground school, that's fine, gear rental, ok, but I'm not paying for an airplane, insurance, fuel,bunk houses, or any other of the hundreds of associated costs of running a DZ. So, I'll ask nicely one more time. Why does it cost $1200 bucks for a BASE FJC? Edit: I also had the option to make my first AFF jump and not proceed. That first jump surely would not have cost me $1200 Play stupid games, win stupid prizes!

spamming the forums= bad Play stupid games, win stupid prizes!

PS: Thanks for everyone elses courteous replies. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes!

whoa holmes, I asked a simple question, and a legitimate one. I don't need you jumping my shit just so you can sound cool to your online buddies. Answer the question like a human or shut the fuck up. I'll tell what, I've seen a lot of attitude from this section of this site. You guys are no cooler than anyone else. GET OVER YOURSELF! Play stupid games, win stupid prizes!

no, I'm a skydiver with over 500 jumps, and have been on these forums for quite some time. Feel free to search my posts. I go by Towerrat because I have been in the cell tower business for several years. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes!