PrairieDoug

Hey Chris - I'm the guy who picked up his rig while you were talking to JR. (I don't look at this forum often and just noticed your message.) It was great to meet you and I look forward to jumping with you when you're back in the area. Take care, Doug

Jen - Both the rig and the smile on your face are beautiful. I can't wait to jump with you wearing it... if you ever let me. Doug

I psycho pack my Pilot and I also use packers who do a conventional pro pack. I get good openings in both cases and haven't really noticed a consistent difference between them. Doug

Hmmm... I'm pretty sure I need to harden the fuck up.

J - We haven't met, but I'd like to throw in my b-day wishes with the others. You are in the relatively small group of dz.commers whose posts I make a point of reading because they are almost always funny, intelligently raunchy, or thought-provoking. Doug

Good job Marios. I'm doing my coach evaluation jumps this weekend. Should be fun! Doug

I definitely enjoyed Superbad, but think Knocked Up was even funnier. Doug

Yup, sometimes the discussions of a particular incident will get off track like that. But for me the benefits of the incident forum far outweigh the negatives. Seeing the multitude of things that can happen helps keep me vigilant and has directly influenced my response to at least one potential problem. As I was deciding how to respond to a low-speed mal a couple of years ago, some incident reports about people spending the rest of their lives unsuccessfully trying to fix problems flashed through my mind and I promptly cut away. I probably would've done the same thing anyway, but that knowledge helped get me to the right choice sooner, Just my 2 cents. Doug

Ashkit - Congratulations on your A license and best wishes for many safe and fun skydives as you continue to progress in the sport. When your ready to try another PA dropzone, come visit us at the Chambersburg Skydiving Center. Doug

Mart - Have a blast on your jump... afterwards you'll never look at a blue sky the same way again. Doug

I saw Brenda at the Chambersburg, PA CASA boogie in mid-July. IIRC, she said she was heading to Alaska. Yup, Alaska. Doug

What jtval said: You had an awesome run. I'm sure you'll find success and fulfillment with your family and in new pursuits. Best wishes, Doug

I've been completely in love with RR ever since seeing her tandem video. She looks fantastic and has a terrific attitude about skydiving. Check it out on youtube. Doug

Great video! Sometimes 4-way teams get so focused on improving that they forget to have fun. That doesn't seem to be an issue for you guys. I'm looking forward to Part 4: The Successful Exit. Doug

As someone who - much to my surprise - is approaching 50, I love stories like this. They tell me there's a lot more to look forward to down the road. Doug

It's always good to see people making positive changes in their lives. I think you'll like where this path takes you. Be sure to keep us posted about your skydive. Doug

Thanks. I'll take another look at the helmet when I get home.

I'll be there on Saturday!

Dave - Yes, there are slots off to the side on the lower part of the jaw piece, but they are not near the mouth and are blocked by the padding. There's no direct mouth ventilation. Doug

I just got a Mamba full face helmet from Bonehead. It fits perfectly and looks great, but I wonder why the design doesn't allow for some kind of mouth ventilation. As shown in the attached pic, the jaw portion of the helmet is intended to fully cover the mouth. I often use deep breathing as a relaxation technique and this design would seem to limit that. There is plenty of ventilation at the top of the visor, but none near the mouth. I haven't flown the helmet yet, so maybe in practice it's not really an issue. Anybody have have any thoughts or experience with this? Doug

Absolutely. When people work hard at a low paying job that directly benefits me, I like to treat them right. Doug

Hey, if you're gonna miss a boggie, that's a great reason to have. Family bonding and all that. Doug

Wow! Without a doubt the best erotica I've ever read on DZ.com. Ethan is a pretty lucky guy, I'd say. Doug

Sounds intriguing... It would be incredibly refreshing to raise the level of erotic discourse on dz.com. Let's see a blurb! Doug

I continue following this thread because I think understanding the risks involved in skydiving is essential to making smart choices. Tink has shown that in 1999 there was 1 fatality for every 115,000 jumps. The rate obviously varies from year to year, but this figure is consistent with calculations I've seen for other years. Using it can help clarify some of the points that have been made in this thread. Please note - There are all kinds of reasons why the estimates provided below may not apply to any particular individual. The "average" jumper is a statistical creation and we can take actions to improve our odds. However, it's also true that we can't all be above average! If we accept Tink's calculation, then the average skydiver has a chance of 0.00087% (=1/115,000) of dying each time they jump. As several people have correctly mentioned, the probability of death from a single jump does not change from jump to jump - they are independent events. However, what really matters is the cumulative probability of death over a period of time. For example, the expected probability of death for an average weekend fun jumper who makes 100 jumps a year is 0.087% (=100/115,000). The estimated probability of death for someone trying to obtain a D license is 0.435% (=500/115,000). That's about equivalent to 1 fatality for every 225 people who attempt 500 jumps (1/225 = 0.444%). Now let's consider the exchange between Bertusgeert ("Go do 10,000 jumps, and by the statistics, you will be lucky to still be alive") and The111 ("The silliest thing I've heard all day"). The estimated probability of death from attempting 10,000 skydives would be 8.7% (= 10,000/115,000) or about 1/12. Whether that represents "lucky to still be alive or not" is a matter of personal judgment. Doug