CDRINF

I just got my USPA 15 year certificate and I have only 753 jumps. My high total for one year is 103 and low is 22. Work (Army), grad school, and family have all combined to make my jumping on again, off again. Yet, I just participated in a 60 way attempt (we had one missing grip) and got to jump in Thailand last year at a boogie with a lot of the big names in skydiving. Don't get discouraged. Focus on quality, not numbers. CDR

Skyrocketing aircraft insurance premiums has probably been the biggest result. That's what is behind the recent run up in jump ticket prices.

I bought a used rig from a friend. The main is a Precision Batwing 171 equipped with a pilot chute that has a retractable closing pin. When the pilot chute is cocked, the pin is out. When collapsed, the pin disappears within the bridle. I was wondering why I don't see more of these. Every time I get a pin check I have to explain why there is no window since no one knows about this system. It has never failed me and seems like a great way to ensure the pilot chute is cocked since it makes it impossible to close the rig without cocking the pilot chute. Is there something wrong with the system I don't know about? CDR

Well, back in my day they just called it being unstable! I had one DZO tell me that the problem with freeflyers from a business standpoint is that they stay up all night at rave parties, don't show up at the DZ until 3:00 PM and only make one jump. He makes no money off of them. All joking aside, I think the true measure of a skydiver in the future will be someone who can control his or her body in all modes of flight. It's all about body control and the ability to transition. If you can only fly in one mode, you will be a very limited, one dimensional skydiver. What bothers me is the increasing hostility I see between advocates of the various disciplines. I was at a small boogie one time that had a number of CRW jumpers present. At one point, while the RW folks were dirt diving, the CRW organizer yelled "You damn freefallers hurry up and get on the plane." Funny, I thought we all engaged in freefall as part of the skydive. A lot of us like to feel superior to others, and as skydivers, most of us probably feel a little special compared to those who have never jumped. When that feeling begins to divide skydivers, however, that's bad. USPA has only around 33,000 members, and I figure maybe only one half to two thirds are truly active jumpers. When some DZs become Freefly DZs and others become RW DZs, the population of jumpers gets segmented to a degree that will be impossible to sustain over time. That is what will cause problems for skydiving in the long run. CDR

LAX Chicago-O'hare Kansas City Phoenix Seoul-Inchon Tokyo-Narita Bangkok All within the past year. No problems at any of them. CDR

Thanks Katie - good to be home - Now I just gotta get my reserve repacked and get back in the air! Chris

I had a platoon sergeant try that line on a soldier taking the First Jump Course when I was Installation Sport Parachute Safety Officer at Fort Campbell. Tell your commander, 1SG or who is ever feeding you this line of crap that they cannot tell you that you can't skydive any more than they can tell you you can't hunt, can't fish, can't bowl, or can't ride a motor cycle. The Army sponsors sport parachute clubs, and any injuries incurred skydiving recreationally, whether at a civilian or military DZ are considered "in line of duty." You have not violated any Army regs. If they press the issue, go to the IG. CDR LTC Christopher D. Reed BCTP, Fort Leavenworth, KS D-15996

I just flew international: Seoul/Incheon to Tokyo Narita to Chicago/O'hare to KCI. I checked one rig and carried the other on board in a backpack. The security folks, both foreign and U.S. were more interested in my laptop. My backpack was searched once and the inspector did not even look in the main compartment, just the pockets. My checked bag was opened and searched once where I had a full view. The TSA guy opened the bag and swabed the inside, but did not open the gear bag that my rig was in. He seemed more interested in the empty, cardboard, padded shipping box that the cypress came shipped in which was in my bag. No questions and no hassles. CDR

Before considering this, better check this thread out from the Incidents Forum. It involved the same group: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=498208;search_string=search_string;#498208

Check it out http://www.bigskyproductions.com/ CDR

Wow! What's up, has the Fort Hood Sport Parachute Club been reestablished? CDR

Katie, A good day for me, I did my "final out" at Camp Mobile! I fly next week! "So short I have to roll my socks down to see." Chris

Check this out. Good advice. http://www.freefall.com/peek/expconv.html CDR

Strictly my opinion and not trying to kill your enthusiasm, but the WFFC is really no place for a low time jumper on new/downsized gear for the first time. The sensory overload of all those other jumpers in the air and the large number of canopies coming in to land calls for experience and familiarity with your equipment. They play by big boy rules at the WFFC, and no one is going to look out for you but yourself. The pull altitude is a case in point. Someone opening higher than 3000' risks having someone still in freefall from the same or a subsequent load smack in to his canopy. Any accident is usually caused by a chain of risk factors or mistakes that when combined in the wrong order overwhelm the jumper. Let's look at your case: Low experience jumper Unfamiliar gear Down sized canopy Desire to open high No AAD First Boogie Very large boogie, lots of people whose ability you don't know Lack of sleep and lots of alcohol (you'll see) My advice would be to get some gear from your home DZ that you are comfortable jumping, and go with a group of friends you can jump with. That eliminates several of the factors above and will make for a safer trip. Focus on jumping and having a good time, not stressing over gear. Have fun! CDR

Normally you get in the pool, an instructor throws a canopy over your head and you have to swim out from underneath it. CDR

"The Green Berets" Trivia Quote Bonus: what made the movie infamous (no peeking!)? Also, which actor in this feature missed out on some important TV work because he was in Georgia making this movie at the time? ---------------------------------------------------- One of the all time great movie bloopers: In the final scene, John Wayne walks along Danang Beach with the orphan boy as the sun sets slowly over the South China Sea, which if you look at a map is to the EAST of Danang. The TV Actor was George Takai, Sulu from Star Trek, who played CPT Nim, the ARVN company commander. CDR

"You can't handle the truth!" and my wife's favorite: "Don't fuck with the babysitter!" CDR

I did a balloon jump a year ago. Scariest jump I ever made. Something about the dead silence and no engine sound is unnerving. You do get a bit of the "bottom dropped out" feeling but not like when you are being slung around on a roller coaster. Biggest thing I was surprised by was the slow build up of the sound of the rushing air. Pretty cool actually. Funny thing was I remember standing on the edge of the basket, staring over the edge and was getting that "little kid on the high dive" feeling and thinking, "gee what if something happens, what if I fall, what if........wait a minute, I've got a friggin' parachute on my back." I highly recommend it! CDR

Here's a different spin on it: 1. Do you lose time from work or school due to skydiving? 2. Is skydiving making your home life unhappy? 3. Do you skydive because you are shy with other people? 4. Is skydiving affecting your reputation? 5. Have you ever felt remorse after skydiving? 6. Have you gotten into financial difficulties as a result of skydiving? 7. Do you turn to lower companions and an inferior environment when skydiving? 8. Does skydiving make you careless of your family's welfare? 9. Has your ambition decreased since skydiving? 10. Do you crave a skydive at a definite time daily?

I watched a first jump student frap in under a partial malfunction while her husband watched from the the ground. It was pretty unnerving to watch him freak out when he realized it was her while she was on the way down. Fortunately she lived, although got busted up quite a bit. Afterwards, the S&TA rounded up everyone on the DZ, esp the students (this DZ had large student classes each weekend), sat everyone down in the bleachers we had and said "Guys, if you are in this sport long enough, you are going to see something like this happen. The thing to take away is to learn from this and not leave thinking that this is sport death." He then went over some of the factors that contributed to the malfunction. As we analyzed the accident, what we all learned was that there is really no such thing as a freak accident. Most accidents happen through a series of little mistakes that combine to overwhelm the jumper. He then said, "Now lets get back in the air." That may seem a little abrupt and clinical, but it was a good approach. Everyone went back up and jumped. CDR

I was there 2 years ago. Best boogie I have been to. I jumped with some of the KSUPC folks. A good bunch. I should make it this year. CDR

"Keep pullng handles until your goggles fill with blood!"

I have to agree on JM school. Best Army school I have been to. I went at Fort Benning in 1998. Not a "muscle" course like Ranger school, but very demanding. It was the first course I took in the Army that I was honestly afraid I might fail. The instructors were very professional and would help you with practice and extra instruction as much as you wanted. They would not cut you any slack come test time, however. CDR

I started scuba diving in 1989 a year after I began skydiving. Then I got married in 1992 and decided I had to limit myself to one money consuming hobby. Another reason I got out of scuba diving was that I felt I was surrounded by a lot greater number of less well trained people than at the DZ. I was always pretty confident of skydivers' abilities, but I was not so sure about all scuba divers. In my open water course there was a mother/son combo who had bought complete matching sets of top of the line, color coordinated gear before they had taken even one lesson. She spent most of the class fussing over him rather than paying attention. I was also almost almost killed when my dive partner panicked after swallowing a little water in heavy current at 75 feet on a dive off Cozumel. I later found out she had taken her lessons from a guy who pretty much sold certifications to who ever showed up. I hope skydiving never gets this way, but I am seeing signs that it might be. When I see things like B License jumpers who cannot pack, and people with a lot of money but little experience dropping big cash as they rapidly downsize canopies, I begin to worry. CDR

Peanut butter sandwich and beer. They just do not seem to go together, but it satisfies two cravings at once. CDR