BoogieBob

0:3:1* (Raeford keg pending) 2 jumps today. First one landed near DZ-center in turbulent air...totally slid that one out on my arse but managed to stand-up near the end of the lawn-mowing process. Second jump was much better...smacked a nice toggle-turn onto final out near the sock (where Tony said the landings would be friendlier). He was right and I knew it the instant I started pulling both toggles down. The landing was so nice I actually had to exclaim "Oh baby, that is SWEEETTTT!" to the amusement of a couple of jumpers who I landed near. I'm still constantly wondering about my pack jobs whenever I pull the pilot chute out. I do ask lots of questions in the packing areas though (thanks Josh, Liz, MonkeyLip, et al) and I haven't had anybody rush over to me saying "HOLY CRAP....DON'T DO THAT!!!" .

Donde estabas hoy? No recuerdo vistiendote. De veras, "El Perrito" ha usadome en realidad. Siento tan usado. Solamente quiero responder para communicar que, cuando estoy emborrachado (ahora, por ejemple) puedo hablarla mas-o-menos efectivamente. Tal ves, cuando estamos bebiendo cerveza (tal ves del "keg" que voy a comprar presto) puedesprestarme las palabras que no he encontrado en las escuelas (secondarias y universidades). Te prometo que no he usado ningunos servicios como "Altavista" para convertir? esta communicacion del ingles a espanol. Con esto, me descanso...y abre una otra cerveza para celebrar la vida que estoy viviendo. Salud!

Regarding everything, ESPECIALLY CANOPY SIZE, ask your instructors...they know you better than we do. As for my personal (albeit limited) experience, I absolutely LOVE my Javelin Odyssey. Likewise, I am completely enamoured with my Sabre2-170 main. The rig I bought also has a PD176R reserve in it as well as a Cypres-E. (Can you tell I am partial to Performance Designs canopies?) One more reason to ask your instructors. They know...just ask 'em!

I did one jump today and I was sitting across from him on the plane (he was a tandem master on this particular dive). I thought about taking a picture but realized that the camera (which I DID take to the DZ like I said I would) was in my car (which was located approximately 8500 feet below us at the time I was thinking these things). I didn't think to take any pictures once I got on the ground again. I was hungry, so I bought Billy Bob and myself a Whiffle Burger. He (Billy Bob) ate about half of the french fries and maybe a sixth of the burger meat. He was just too helpless-looking when he was sitting there next to me with his night-jump flasher on his collar. I gave him the last bite of the Whiffle Burger and started toward Aviator's to return my plastic basket. Billy Bob just took off toward the packing area. I feel so used .

I disagree for one overall reason -- "depersonalization." I am a low-time jumper. I believe the incident reports are to relay a set of occurences which led to a conclusion. The occurences could be duplicated by Jumper X or Newbie Y and could lead to the same result. I think that the moment someone thinks less about the details of the incident and more about "who" the incident involved the incident loses a lot of the educational force that it could possess. The focus is on the incident. The jumpers equipment, jump numbers, etc. are usually given to offer an idea of the experience level of the pilot. Going beyond this is detrimental to the effectiveness of incident reporting.

I will agree on this. Not because "I have to since I skydive" but rather because "it breeds a social gathering and induces a decided sense of reflection on some major event." After I packed my rig for the first time the other day, I walked into the bar and INSISTED that I buy SOMEONE beer for my accomplishment. I stated rather blatantly that I feared a mal if I didn't buy. Oh, the opening? It was NOICE!!!! I didn't get knocked unconscious or anything. It was one of the smoothest on-heading openings I've had under my Sabre2 (okay, I've only got about 5 jumps on it).

Thanks. From what I've heard, this should be good for a laugh.

I've had eight Bud Light's and I'm watchin' Point Break now . I can't figure out how to get my PC to boot into FreeBSD on /dev/hdb3...I can't even mount the partition from Slackware or Debian . I should be going to bed now, but I think I'll cook a half-pound of bacon and think about this.

Just saw your post. I'm checking the TV at 11:37pm EDT...some guy is trying to strangle Keanu and there's a reel-mower in this scene. Did I miss the "skydiving scene?" I'd really like to see that.

Here's something I wrote about a contact-related experience I had recently. http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=638606#638606

Hey, I just skydive there.

Consider yourself fortunate.

I can tell you that he did, in fact, do it. Maybe I'll take my digital camera to the DZ this weekend and see if I can obtain some evidence for you.

You are here. You are not there. It is better to be here than there. UB where UB, glad you're here!

Very nice Dave . This does kind of explain the whole "Luke wanting Leah" thing.

House of Pain, that's definately the way to be. Jump out, jump out and GET DOWN. Welcome to the forums. I envy you for being able to jump in a country that is foreign to me. Maybe someday I'll be able to do the same (I'm thinking Brazilian coast skydive followed by...how do they say at Raeford? Cockatilios?).

Well, I don't know about between first and second jumps. My log book says I did them on the same day. As for the nervousness and apprehension, I STILL get that in the plane on the way to altitude. It dissipates rapidly when I hear the throttle drop back and the door opens. Then, I'm in the door, looking out...then I'm in the open air, falling with reckless abandon toward the earth in a sincerely incredible fit of adrenaline rush. The emergency procedures are an excellent thing to rehearse constantly (even on the plane ride). Those reahearsals may be the very thing that gives your muscles the memory to operate effectively when your very life most depends on it. Don't worry about the "nagging little voice." You know your emergency procedures and you know your gear. You know what you need to know to survive. On jump run, the only voice I hear is one saying "It's WRONG to stay in this airplane...get out and FLY!!!!" Welcome to the forums and good luck on your AFF jumps

0:3:1 Jumped once Saturday (lost a contact lens in freefall, flared WAY early and SLAMMED into the ground - but I stood it up); Also on Saturday, I got a girl from work to go out and do a tandem jump. She thoroughly enjoyed it. I've got my dad lined up for an October jump and I may have another co-worker jumping soon as well; Two jumps on Monday with a MASSIVE CHOW HOSER of a landing on the second jump (I'm glad SM1 was, um, "resting" in the Rancho Deluxe and didn't have his camera rolling for that landing ); I still owe a keg at Raeford (SOON people, SOON)...but I brought a cooler full of forty beers and some ice out to the DZ on Saturday. I drank ice water and had my first "Kenny-Burger" (awesome).

* Have traveled more in 27 years than many people do in a lifetime; * Raeford is my home DZ; * SkyMonkeyONE took a couple of nice pics of me after my first jump on my new rig (thanks Tim, Joey & John ); * I made the cardiologist and his staff laugh many times at my cardio-consult this week; * I packed my rig for the first time on Tuesday (haven't JUMPED that pack job yet, but I've already double-checked the reserve card for currency ); * I only scratched my elbow a tad when I hosed a cross-wind landing on Monday (the container took most of the "burn" as I slid across the DZ on my back ); * To my knowledge, noone has pics or video of the aforementioned "landing"; * I got my new Dropzone Jewelry necklace in the mail today (thanks Merrick & Pammi

You used much less text than me to express the same thoughts I was intending to convey. HH would be pleased. Some day I'll break out a thesaurus and try to effectuate your succinct expression of the essence of communication. (Yes, Merriam had to help me with even that line.) You do obviously have a gift for it (as if you have not heard THAT before ). Cheers. BoogieBob

Willkommen!! I'm sure you'll be doing demo jumps into Nürburgring very soon. Good luck to you and welcome!!

Try making your way down to AZ, USA in January. I hear there's a massive annual invasion that takes place somewhere down there (Ground Zero=Eloy).

Why, when riding along Hwy. 211 on 5 July 2003 did I suddenly think of a tandem skydive my friend told me his aunt had done once? Why, when riding along 401 through Raeford, did I think of someone, somewhere having once said that people skydive near Raeford? Why did I look on the internet for "that Raeford place" where I was told people skydive? Why did I ride out there on 5 July 2003 with the intent of watching some skydiving? Why did I meet some guy named Chuck Blue that day who was totally willing to set me up for a tandem skydive the next day? Why did I return on Sunday 6 July 2003 to do a tandem skydive? Why did I enjoy it so much? Why did I go back? Why did I enroll in the AFF course out there? Why do I find myself continually looking up to the sky? Why do I always grin so hard my cheeks hurt when I'm watching skydiving videos on the internet? Why do I go to sleep thinking of the incredible 90-degree snap-toggle turn I did onto final that day? Why do I look up when hearing a plane overhead and try to determine if it's "jumpable?" Why does everything I've ever done seem so trivial now? Why do all of my sorry, sad days of existence trying to get into the military usually end up with superiorly satisfactory days of jumping at Raeford? What have I done to have bestowed upon me such an awesome sport as skydiving? Why, during my AFF instruction, did I read, time and time again, a certain page from Skydive Smokey Mountain's AFF manual, containing some text of the following nature: FROM THIS MOMENT ON YOUR LIFE WILL BE FOREVER CHANGED AND THE WAY YOU VIEW YOUR WORLD WILL BE PERCEIVED IN A DIFFERENT LIGHT AND PERSPECTIVE. Why didn't I believe it? Am I still dreaming? Please, don't wake me...

As for .45 semis, I have a Ruger P90. The only "mal" I ever had on this weapon was my fault for not pushing the clip in all the way (the first round didn't strip). As for "good solid handgun," I am partial to my .44 Magnum Super Redhawk with 9.5" barrel. Tactically, I'd take the P90, but there is something about holding a cannon of a revolver in your hand that is intriguing. I do remember eagerly sitting down to watch a Dirty Harry movie after getting my Super Redhawk...when Eastwood did the "this is a .44 Magnum..." line, all I could think was...Geez...his is SMALL!!!

I'm a lowtimer myself. I've made my last three jumps in street clothes and I rather enjoy it. Like the others here have mentioned...I made sure my shirt was well tucked in. Also, I would be wary of jumping in shorts (bare skin shred easy). I have worn jeans each time I've jumped in street clothes. I did take my "street theme" a bit too far today though. I decided to jump out of the Otter in street clothes with my sunglasses on (in lieu of goggles). I figured since I've ridden my motorcycle close to 100 with those sunglasses on that I might give it a try. This has worked for hop-n-pops out of the Cessna twice with no problems. Well, guess what...somewhere around 9000 feet...my right contact lens decided to freefly of its own accord. So now I'm trying to land with no depth perception (I was lucky to have even one good eye). I flared too early, and waited, and waited, and wai...SLAM...there it is (I did stand it up...but I'm VERY lucky I didn't injure myself badly). On the Sky Kat shopping list for Sunday: "One pair of good goggles...suitable for contact lens wearers..."