chuteless

That is a perfect description of what backloops are all about. Very well put. You will obviously become a very good skydiver. Bill Cole D-41

have you ever heard of the "Boat Race" game.....4 people on each team. Each has two beers, starting at one end, each guy downs a beer as fast as he can, and turns the bottle upside down on his head, and then the next guy, and the next, and then the Boat anchor...who has to drink two beers as fast as he can, and then back down the line in the opposite direction. First team to the end where they started wins...but the anchor usually is throwibng up by that time. Didqualified if he does. I cant believe people abuse themselves with acts like this, but Ive seen it done....yuck The worst thing one can get from dead ants, is a few cuts, and have to buy the next round. I'll take milk please. Bill Cole D-41

Antmaster: This is a "game" that takes place in a bar..(of course). There is the appointed Antmaster, and everyone is sitting, minding their own business, drinking their suds, and without any warning the Antmaster hollers at the top of his voice "Dead Ants" and instantly everyone dives for the floor, lying on their back, with all fours up in the air. and you must be motionless...you are dead. Drinks fly in every direction, glasses are broken and you end up lying in he shards, but cannot move...you are a dead ant. The last person to become a dead ant, has to buy the next round of drinks, and he becomes the antmaster, and can holler "dead Ants" at anytime he chooses, and the whole action is repeated, often without having the broken glass swept up. Sometimes its costly for the bar owner...and is sometimes stopped before he has to replenish his supply of drinking glasses. Cuts and bleeding dont matter, you are a Dead ant....no complaining. I almost spilled my glass of milk once. Now there you have it from a guy who has never tasted beer in his life. One of the best descriptions of the game is in Mike Swain's book, The Endless Fall, and if you all buy it, I may get royalties. LOL Bill Cole D-41

Mike Swain's book the Endless Fall tells about playing Dead Ants. We did so near Cleveland Ohio, broken glass all over the place, everyone lying in it, beer spilled (and my milk) .. scared the daylights out of the normal folks. No one said all those words....but they sure heard "DEAD ANTS" just before pandamonium broke loose. Bill Cole D-41

You mean you played "Dead Ants" Thats something. Bill Cole D-41

A similar thing happened to the wife of a jumppilot and DZ owner in Ohio. He was flying, she jumped out, and another jumper asked the pilot "whose is this finger?" The pilot recognized the ring he had given his wifestill on the finger, and dove the plane getting to the ground as she landed. They packed the ring in ice, and rushed to the hospital. It wouldnt reattach. Neil Armstrong (Apollo 11) jumped from a farm wagon, and caught his ring on a barn door when he tried to steady himself for the jump 3 ft to the ground. He tore his finger off as well. Stay safe friends....play safe. Bill Cole D-41

Jack.....I havent met you.....yet....but I sure like your style. like it very much see ya soon... Bill Cole

Ive jumped at Clewiston, and shot several TV commercials there. Great DZ.. Paul Poppenhager owned it then..back in the 1960s 1970s...a great guy too. Bill Cole D-41

I dropped my son on his first static line when he was 12 yrs old. He made three jumps, and then didnt want to continue. Bill Cole D-41

You are correct...that summation is fact. Bill Cole

How come Phiilykev didnt get his name on the sign.... its never too late. LOL

another silly scenario back in the 1960s was picture an old prospector chipping at rocks on the side of a mountain l;ooking for that gold strike, , and a skydiver whistles past him trailing red smoke, tracking the same angle of the mountainside. The look on the prospector's face would be priceless, and he'd never have another drink of hootch. Bill Cole D-41

We asked that question over 40 years ago....and the concensus then was get out and track like crazy. When they find all the passengers and the wreckage in one spot, they would fin you aboit 5 miles away with a grin on whats left of your face, and they'd go nuts trying to figure out why. Bill Cole D-41

I hope you have a great day... all the very best wishes Bill Cole D-41

Sorry Billvon: An aircraft is a mechanical device. A human in freefall is using natural reaction to combat an adverse action. Once stability is inherent in a person, it is like walking, you wont ever forget how ( and Im not referring to someone who is paraplegic etc). Falling stable becomes a natural reaction, once you have done it often enough. Enough dive outs, will inevitably cause a few rollovers, but you will automatically reach for that position that brings you into a stable position. You will find it fast, without even thinking about "how" Bill Cole D-41

Mike: I am certainly not suggesting that anyone (especially students) do a blindfold jump. I was simply pointing out that even without a reference point or a horizon, one can automatically find stability, once it has been ingrained into one's mind. Once it is learned, it becomes a reaction that you do without even thinking..like a cat landing on all fours when dropped. Learn it, and you'll never have to worry about becoming unstable again. Bill Cole D-41

Have a very happy birthday Darcy...al the best for you on your special day. Bill Cole

I'll take you up on that offer....I would like that very much Bill

I would like to point out that I was not intending to malign the Quantum Leap dropzone, and my remarks were intended to reflect a question about the AFF program, and contributing factors that make it work as it does. I have not been to QL, and do not know any of the instructors there, so my apologies if I have unitentionally offended anyone from that organization with my comments. Bill Cole D-41

Sure thats fine....at $100.00 + per jump....????? Bill Cole D-41

Sorry...but I believe that if you teach stability....and I mean stability through every freefall, you will soon have that feeling down so good, so intense, you will automatuically know how to recover from ANYTHING close to being unstable. Once you live freefall, you live stable freefall...and if you should flip or toss for ANY reason, you will go right back to where you've lived....with stability. Making a student concentrate on loops, is a waste of time..They should be learning STABILITY so mich so, they will find it blindfolded (and Ive done that too) Bill Cole D-41

I can see getting to recover from an unstable position, but coming out of a backloop doesnt necessarily mean they will be unstable. If a person comes out of a backloop right, they are perfectly stable....so what are they going to recover from??? I sure would like to hear what an instructor tells a student as to "HOW TO GO INTO A BACKLOOP"...and that might say a lot as to why they arent doing it right. Sounds like a reason to keep the student on the hook to me.

Yeah...they havent told her to leave yet....they like charging her big bucks...so string the AFF out longer. Bill Cole D-41 edited for spelling

I have a question for AFF instructors. Why so much emphasis is being put on a student to perform backloops. A backloop is never used for anything except a fun manoeuver or style in competition. If a person doesnt plan on taking part in style competition, why not concentrate on them falling stable AND holding a heading rather than doing backloops as part of their test, which is really of little use to them I can understand getting someone to learn how to correct an unstable diving exit, because that is important, but I believe there is far too much unnecessary emphasis put on meaningless backloops. Is the insistence on doing backloops a means of getting students to pay the big bucks for a longer period of time until they accomplish this meaningless manoeuver? Bill Cole D-41

Nice going. It sounds like you are over winter and ready for summer.. Good flyin to ya Bill Cole D-41