SwampGod

If you can handle the driving, I'd go for the 15 minutes per week. Many people get tired after flying for 10-15 minutes, so unless you space out the time well, or happen to use those odd bodyflight muscles all the time, anything beyond that may lead to diminishing results. Going weekly allows you to remain more current, and have a chance of actually building up your muscles, rather than letting them return to normal after a 2 week break. -eli

I went to a private school. My younger brother went public. My networking was amazing and has served me in later life. He got the better "education." My classes were more liberal artsy, and he came out with real-life business skills, which immediately were used in his first job. I think choice is important. Curious as to why K-12 is a better example? I use college, as I didn't have a private school to choose from K-12. I prefer the system where there is an option, and think it makes a better example. Either way, I agree there are problems in our public school systems, to be sure... which is why I'm glad there are options to go private in some communities, as well. That being said, the public school system I went to was actually really good. I'm happy to use another example if schools aren't a good one. Just trying to wrap my brain around this whole thing, and I've heard people say, "If we let the government have a program they'll take over everything..." Just haven't seen that in education. You mean this year, or when we actually look forward toward the budget.... problems? Hehehe, i agree that the government is not the only solution. My point was that I am uncomfortable with the government telling me to purchase insurance and I'd be fine with a gov't option side by side with other options. GREAT QUESTION!!! I think the answer is mixed. Both sides give us anecdotal answers that sound fishy. Can anyone from any other country with more government supported health care weigh in? I agree, but I guess this could refer to a lot of things. Maybe rather than debating public versus private this should be a state versus federal discussion. Maybe there should be no gov't insurance option, but more gov't community health centers that concentrate on preventative health. Maybe.... maybe the world is a big complicated place, and we'd better put all of our smart heads together cause this one is gonna be a doooooozy! We're looking for a path, but it's likely a combination of paths... some aspects of free market economics with a pinch of socialist theory. Six parts libertarian freedom with a cup of diced utilitarianism. All I want to find is the path lined with free beer and backrubs. -eli

Just a quick background on me to frame my comment. I believe in health care reform. I believe in universal care. I wish everyone could go to the doctor for free. Basically, this is not a blind attack on a liberal policy for the sake of being argumentative. I think there are many paths to this destination. I am concerned with walking the path that requires people to pay for insurance. This path sounds like it's littered with alligators and ex-girlfriends... but maybe I'm missing something. 1) What I learned in basic economic theory is that when demand for a product goes up, price goes up as well. If we require everyone to pay for insurance, doesn't this give all the leverage to the insurance companies? Where is their incentive to keep prices down? 2) Can we find another example of forced purchases that aren't car insurance or food? I have problems with both... As mentioned, we aren't born with cars, so liability insurance fails. Not all states charge a tax on non-prepared food, and you can grow your own if you like, so that doesn't seem as applicable... If a forced purchase from an insurance company is the best way, then let's do it... I just wish I could see another place where this exists and has proven successful. 3) Is mandatory insurance truly better than a more robust public option? As in, a government-run program that exists side by side with private ones. We've had such a system in education for years... Public universities have existed side-by-side with private, and many site our country as the world's best in secondary education. Thanks all! -eli

Yes, until the feedback form is up on the website, please feel free to contact me with suggestions. If you'd like to make your suggestion in private, e-mail eli (at) raisethesky.org. Not all ideas can be realized, but I promise I do listen to everyone. A sampling of suggestions for next year: - Schedule flexibility: I've heard everything from shorter... to longer with a prior skills camp. Not a single person wanted to wake up earlier. - Animated breakoff diagrams - Everyone try to fly into the right airport (the right airport is where your ride thinks you are) - Clarify "check-in" versus "registration" in communications - Chain keg to stairs and/or Justin Sweet! Thanks all!!! -eli

Hi John! You've been great, no worries!! Truly, any feedback is welcome in my book. And your posts have always been thought out, and in my limited experience very positive. More than a few people were curious about the structure of the event. As you mentioned in your posts, some of our greatest institutions are non-profits with paid staff. It's also true that some events succeed with a tiny budget. Since there was some confusion as to where this event sat in that spectrum, and since what we're talking about is in no way a state secret, I did my best to answer. I think your "reply" button happened to be the closest when I did. Again, all suggestions are welcome. Spot's thankless task this event gave us the following entry in the Suggestion Box: As a courtesy to the people coming to pick them up, please make sure skydivers check their destination airport before they physically take off. We've discovered after rigorous testing that unless there are prior arrangements with the airline to get a jump run and open door, it's quite difficult to pick someone up if they are in a different city. -eli

Hello all! I enjoy reading everyone's thoughts, as no matter what there is always something to be learned from people's feedback. While sometimes random speculation makes for good brainstorming, we might as well get everyone on the same page, so the feedback can be more applicable to the present situation. So let me attempt to clarify just a bit... I certainly hope Raise the Sky is connecting skydivers of all sorts with charities of all sorts for a long time. In order for that to happen, I do expect someone will have to start getting paid for what is amounting to a full time job. In the meantime, as a Board Member of Raise the Sky, I can report that I do not draw a salary, and do not expect to anytime in the near future. While not a formal "donation," it cost me money to come to Elsinore, make no jumps before the event ended, and attend to all requests that landed in my lap. (For me, there was no request too small, as it meant everyone was running as close as possible to their full potential.) For the record, the money out of my pocket has been worth it, even if I never get reimbursed for purchasing everyone's breakfast cereal and coffee creamers. I look at this like any loss leader-- this is an investment in the organization's future, and an investment in bringing skydiving to other charities. Maybe someday we'll have the ability to pay our worthy staff, but for now... not so much. Taya has been overwhelmed this week with writing and sending off articles, handling accounting issues with the drop zone, and her completely unnoticed work with Steve's family after the fatality. So please have some patience if you aren't able to find those exact numbers in the public reports immediately. Though trust me, the IRS and our charity sponsors are also quite interested in the numbers. In the meantime, if you must do the math, be fair... slot prices were closer to $24, breakfast included fresh fruit every morning on top of the yummy cereal and mini muffins, pizza wasn't free.... nor is printing at Staples, dinner for the whole crew, shirts, etc, etc, etc. Now if we simply got that keg back, we'd be able to return the deposit to the drop zone, and THEN we'd be rollin' in the Benjamins! As we continue to wrap up the 2009 wingsuit record, we are starting to look forward. As before, this is an open call to everyone for suggestions of charities that you'd like to see get our support. I'd also be open to hearing ideas for other events that might be a good fit. While most of the Board members are avid wingsuiters, I (gasp) only have 4 wingsuit jumps and (double gasp) also think other skydiving disciplines are worthy of charitable components. My point (before I get tarred and feathered), is that any and all suggestions are good ones to me. I've also heard some interest from people who would like to actually donate their time in a hands-on way. If this interests you, contact any of the folks you see on the Raise the Sky website, or sign up for the newsletter. If you met me at the event, you know that I will listen to all suggestions and do what I can to accommodate people. To respond to most people's first suggestion, I am in the process of assembling a rig for wingsuiting so I can stop borrowing canopies when I want to jump my.... well, the wingsuit I will soon be able to call mine. Thanks to all for your continued interest and support! I'll end my long-winded piece now!!! -eli

Brian- Thank you for your kind words. I truly feel that every time someone showed me their appreciation, it felt like I was gifted an extra half hour of (otherwise missing) sleep. As I said often this week, it was my pleasure to be here and part of an amazing event. Wingsuiting is a big family, and it was impressive to see so many unique personalities uniting on a common goal. I learned a lot, and was humbled by the skill, caring, and focus of wingsuiters as a whole. To be fair, I was only the most public face of a strong crew who also worked tirelessly during the week. Phil Peggs created a video processing system that allowed for quick debriefs and efficient release to media. I cannot stress how important this was to every aspect of the event. I would also like to thank Taya for her countless hours dedicated to a usually thankless task. She was the glue that bound a wonderful charity to this unique crew. There aren't many in skydiving that attempt to give back in such a real way. The entire team of organizers were amazing at listening to each other, sharing their own vision, and then uniting behind a decision. It was inspiring to watch. Thank you again for allowing me to play with the flock for a bit. To be playfully honest, I do hope I didn't do TOO good a job on the ground... I'd like to be freed up to go fly with everyone next time!!! Now if only we knew what happened to that keg... 'til soon- eli

I want to thank everyone for one of the most amazing weeks of my life. There have been some incredibly hard moments, to be sure. There have also been wonderful highs. Through it all, I have been able to witness the strength of the family that is the wingsuit community. I am honored to be in your midst. I'd like to share a link with some amazing footage from yesterday. After all the difficult, stressful moments, this unique view managed to stop me in my tracks. When life is hard, it's sometimes easy to lose perspective, become negative, and run out of energy. I choose to face this by honoring the hard times, while focusing on the good ones. I recharge my lagging energy with the aid of beautiful moments... and share one here: http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local-beat/Record-Wingsuit-Skydivers-Lake-Elsinore-69795677.html You all are amazing. Thank you for the experience. -eli

I pitch non-docking CRW as another method of canopy training for those who don't want to grab fabric. I don't mind, as I think it's all canopy relative work, and much learning is possible. But I also treat it as if we were going to dock. Keep in mind, some of the quickest wraps can occur when one canopy hits another from the side. If both canopies are heading in the same direction, it's not usually a big deal. But off-heading contact is something that often needs to be managed. Even no-dock CRW or "simple bumping of end cells" should, in my opinion, be briefed as though some contact will happen outside the plan... and at least one of y'all better know when it's better to turn tail and avoid the contact altogether. Otherwise, you are playing with fire. -eli

A bunch of people already showed up for Otter loads today. Castle Valley jumps tomorrow, and Mineral Bottom canyon loads on Saturday!! I love Moab....

23 have pre-registered for the boogie who say they are interested in wingsuit flying. some have their own gear, some are still dreaming of having enough jumps. but not bad as the boogie hasn't even started yet....

wait a minute, we have access to a log cabin?? this would be quite rustic, and a nice addition... if true. is it true? can we make it be true? we'd serve hot chocolate for the pre-brief and s'mores for the debriefs! you think the tunnel would be ok with a campfire in the lobby? -eli ps i'm wondering how someone who calls himself "stormy winters" has the slightest question about something like winter camping.....

how's your connection into Manchester, NH (MHT). we'll be doing camps at Skyventure New Hampshire south of Manchester... -eli

muscle memory is an amazing thing. i preach it. i practice it. i go through a mock deployment and cutaway sequence dern near every jump. i teach students not to over-think total malfunctions or emergency exits, as even if we "waste time" cutting away a non-deployed parachute, it's still quicker than freezing up and doing nothing. situational awareness is also an amazing thing. as in, the ability to assess a situation and be aware of the proper response. sometimes, blindly going to the cutaway handle then immediately to silver is not the best course of action. sometimes the best way to avoid a traffic accident is to hit the brakes. other times, we should hit the gas.... my only cutaway was after a wrap. the situation started around 4000', and i had time to sort it out. i first had to untangle the other jumper's pilot chute from my foot. after i cut away, i paused for a brief second to make sure i was clear of the whole mess before deploying my reserve. my left hand was on the silver handle, ready to go. no RSL on my CRW rig, so i wasn't waiting for that. i was ensuring a clean deployment, and used that split second to be a bit more belly to earth. granted i was at a higher altitude, and still altitude aware. i wouldn't have paused lower down, and may not have even cut away in the first place. i think muscle memory can help us pull the handles in the right order. situational awareness ensures we think-- instead of blindly applying the same procedure to every emergency. exact training cannot prepare us for every situation, because not every emergency fits into a category with an exact label. but even so, we do teach not cutting away under 1000 feet, something that relies on situational awareness. we'll tell a student to go directly for the silver handle when getting out of an airplane low in an emergency. and apart from what i teach students, i know i won't cutaway a non-deployed canopy. my wrap and all of the above are departures from, or introduce conscious pauses to, "cutaway->silver." i feel adaptability is a good thing, part of what makes us smarter (by a hair) than iPhones. -eli

So... to keep it on topic, I agree with the cutaway for the individual in question. If you don't feel comfortable landing a canopy, move on. I do have a question, though... If we assume: brakes stowed = flying in brakes ...and we know how to flare from a braked approach.... What about reaching above the toggle, grabbing the brake line, and flaring using that? I ask as I had my excess brake line jam up last jump on the straight-pin attachment point on the back of my left toggle. I got it out using force (after some gentle attempts failed), but afterward I was going through my options. I was going to use the hook knife on the brake line before cutting away, as I'd rather land on rears than with one stowed brake and one unstowed, and I'd rather land on rears than cutaway.... but when I thought about it later on the ground, I wondered if there was anything wrong (apart from getting a good grip and having to reach really high) with flaring using only the brake line. In this case, I may have even grabbed the right, unstowed brake line at the same point, just so i could have flared "evenly" with right and left. Any thoughts? Seems like it should work.... Thanks! -eli

Thanks mucho to Amanda at PD who was a rock star getting all the canopies out to everyone. I had a blast on the Katana, and Pulse, and Storm, and Optimum.... yummy canopies. Also thanks to Keith Thivierge for his amazing organizing with the CRW demos. Such a good time!!!!! -eli

Back flying and sit flying are so closely related that I don't think we should separate the two as much as we do. As skydivers, we think that back-flying is remedial, or simply a "bail" position... when in fact it is just the slow airspeed version of sit. In both orientations you use (primarily) the back of your body to fly. Get good at your slow fall, whatever the orientation, and your fast fall will benefit. I agree with Chrisky that sit flying is easy to learn, and can be easy to hold stable in the sky, but learning movement can be tricky (and made easier with the immediate feedback in the tunnel). -eli

I planned on packing three or four thousand times before ever jumping my own packjob. One of the packers let me borrow his rig to practice on, and just after I finished my second-ever packjob he swept it up, put it on his back, and started heading to the plane. "Wait, wait," sez I. "I don't know what I'm doing!!!" "Nah, I watched you," sez he. "It'll be fine, I've got a backup!" I sat horrified on the ground as the plane climbed to altitude. I held my breath as each canopy opened. Where the hell was my friend? Long story short... it was fine. That being said, I was very glad someone else jumped my packjob before I had to (somewhere around jump 12 I think). To those that say there is no point in jumping a few times first, I think there IS value in not having a million things running through your head. There's a lot going on in those first few jumps. Waiting for 50 jumps to pack your own? Yah... that's likely overkill. Also, I think knowing how a canopy opens, first hand, is very important. When I can't pack my own rig, my first choice is always a packer who also jumps. No offense, but I've seen a couple of crucial packing errors come from non-jumpers. Anyone can make a mistake... I was guilty of forgetting to cock my pilot chute last year... but I've only seen a non-jumper forget to uncollapse a slider. Why is one mistake more forgivable in my opinion? And what does it have to do with jumping? Not cocking your pilot chute can lead to a scary moment or two, and in rare cases could lead to messiness if the main doesn't come out.... but an uncollapsed slider can (and has) broken necks. I don't know of a single jumper that has experienced even a slightly snappy opening that will forget to take care of their slider. Please, please, please know that I have, and do trust non-jumpers to pack. And there are jumpers that I wouldn't let near my rig if they packed for free. The point is more what one learns by jumping. It is certainly possible to overthink the process. And probable that jumping one's own packjob is more intimidating than it needs to be. Thank goodness I only practiced twice and not three thousand times like I planned.... However, I don't think it's fair to say that jump experience has no bearing on understanding how a canopy opens... or driving home which steps are more important. Take nbblood up on the offer to pack for him, and let him jump it once so your nerves are calmed... but then get out there and do it! Even if you resort to using a packer on busy days or for newer canopies... there is the argument that learning to pack can help someone decipher a malfunction and react more effectively.... so when it comes to risk management maybe we should pack before we ever jump at all! How's that for multiple takes on the same issue! Zoinks! -eli

for what it's worth, i prefer 2-way events. i also think 3-way can be fun, but i've never seen that in an organized competition. the spectator in me enjoys the visual appeal of 2-way artistic events. the participant in me enjoys dancing with fewer people, either in an artistic or standard event. large groups turning points as part of a draw has certainly always impressed me, and seems easier to judge (as fewer will challenge a raw count than the subjective impressiveness of a routine). but when it all comes down to it, give me two people dancing around each other. but that's just me! all of this being said, i do echo ari's question as to format, regardless of number of people per flying orientation. cheers! -eli

dunno if this is truly on topic, but i'll attempt to reply. are you suggesting that American criticism of Bush in a time of war only adds fuel to the terrorists' fire? if so... 1) Terrorists hear both sides Just as terrorists and Iraqi dissidents hear about Americans who don't support the war, they hear about those that do. If the war has solid support, most of what they'll hear is that support. If it doesn't, we've got bigger problems than worrying about puffing up the hopes of a few dissidents. 2) Our national debate on the war is not the big news you imply. travel a bit. the criticism of bush and american policy is coming from everywhere, not just the US. international protests against Bush are much bigger international news than a democratic dialogue going on within the US. 3) Stopping domestic reporting would not stop the flow of information most of the overseas reporting comes from places OTHER than the US. it would be arrogant to assume everyone gets their news from CNN and ignorant to assume the same information wouldn't come from somewhere else. 4) There has to be a time for such dialogue if this "War on Terror" is going to be going on for a very long time, does that mean all criticism is supposed to be suppressed until it's over? when and how are "patriotic" americans supposed to express their views? 5) The debate must happen to guarantee our long-term freedoms if someone, even if he's the president, is doing something that should be examined, commented on, and even critiqued, it is our responsibility to look at the problem and address it. that does mean public dialogue. 6) The debate might just help our international standing The fact that the rest of the world does see SOME challenge of Bush means they don't completely hate our entire country. we're still the biggest and best out there (in nearly every respect), but we can't afford to have an entire world against us. Conclusion) Does the challenge of a President's ideas give hope to those who resist him? Sure. Which is why dictators and tyrants have long squelched public criticism. No matter the idea, there will be those that oppose it. But if the idea is good enough, it will succeed (and likely even be improved by listening to some of the critism). Please let me know if I've misunderstood you, but I find it very hard to believe public debate about the war has led to our inability to control the situation because we've gotten some terrorists' hopes up. -eli

in the order they spew from my brain: - bee keeper - fish pusher at a salmon cannery - 2 pizza places - every job they could think of - recyling program driver (garbage man) - bartender - bouncer - university audio visual tech nerd - machinist - university webmaster - dot-com founder x 3 - government ditch digger (i dug, filled, and redug the same ditch twice... seriously) - 9-volt battery engineer (somehow) - magazine article writerer - skydiving... stuff. since i'm looking to pad my resume, where does one study to become an International Woman of Mystery?

I can't speak for Kansas City, but I would like to speak for skydiving. For there seems to be a lot of effort going into tearing the sport down, literally handing negative ammo over to those who would create more problems for the sport AS A WHOLE. On that note, I would like the public to hear that the sport is mature enough to handle the problems detailed here. Each of the potential conflicts has a rational solution, already mentioned in this thread (communication between DZ and heli pilots, etc). On the note of whether the area can support a turbine DZ, time will tell. But in this case, I believe that will be more dependent on the actions of ALL the DZs in question, and not the population of the area. In my humble opinion, 1.2 million people is enough to keep a single turbine AND 2 Cessnas going. Whether these planes are at 3 airports or 1 is up to y'all. There are 3 Otter DZs (and a couple of Cessna DZs) near Boston to the west and north. I'm not counting the DZs to the south, as they could be drawing on the population of Providence, RI, or even New York. Either way, the population comparison is more than fair. The DZ furthest north draws a very large percentage of its business from the very unpopulated states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. How? A healthy marketing budget, and full-time commitment to spreading the good word. AND keeping the fun jumpers happy, as that's at the core. That Super Otter keeps on hummin'. It's unfortunate that it is assumed there are a finite number of tandem students in your area. Not only can effective marketing increase the number of students, but did anyone stop to consider the fact that more students beget more students? If you play your cards right, the buzz at one DZ can help all the DZs in the area. If everyone fights over a small pie, someone is indeed going to starve. But if some of this negative energy was converted into productive marketing, the pie is going to get bigger. New England isn't all love and roses, but recent years have seen -- first acceptance of the fact that competition does exist -- second acceptance that no-one wins when skydivers bash skydivers. There have been shared ad campaigns (to advertise SKYDIVING), and DZOs are even coordinating their events calendars to not step on each other's toes. This isn't some "make love not war" shit... it's just business owners realizing that no-one wins when energy is spent dragging the other guy down in an effort to make yourself feel better. As in, it hurts the bottom line. For this lesson didn't come easy... as soon as one DZ starts ramping up the buzz, the others have to follow suit. Sink or swim, they say. Of course no two situations are the same, but surely there is something in what I've said that is relevant to your situation. Only you know that for certain. Those are my facts. -eli

Does this imply there should only be a test if it's a requirement? I understand that some will ignore the rules, no matter what they are. But just because there are people who will ignore good advice doesn't mean the good advice shouldn't be given to the rest of us. While a stand-alone chart would give me a guide based on universal trends, it would do little to confirm that I am actually on pace with that trend and ready to downsize. If the only tool presented by the experts is a chart, why would beginners feel there is anything more to the story? We use jump numbers as minimums for license requirements, but we also add skill and experience objectives. Why would this be different? I'm not asking about this only for other students, I'm saying as a student myself (at 400+ jumps), I would LOVE to see a skills test put together by people more qualified than myself. The only skills test I've ever had suggested to me is the PRO-ratingesque 10-in-a-row test. I can see using the chart as a guide, maybe even a minimum requirement if it comes to that. As it stands now, I will downsize when my skills say I'm ready, not my jump numbers. I'm just asking for help in assessing my skills.

I can see allowing people to test out, as it rewards gifted and/or fast learners. But what about the slow learners? Will a stand-alone chart give them false security that they're ready to downsize, simply because they completed their 300th jump? I'm not one for more rules, but even a self-imposed skills test that has been created by professionals might help people decide when they're ready. That way, you can look at the chart, see that you're ready to give yourself the test, and if you pass.... fly, baby, fly.

Is the test out option for gifted pilots to advance at their own level? Or do you mean someone would have to pass the test AND have enough jumps?