PalmettoTiger

The best is when the girls wear shorts with "COCKS" emblazoned on the seat. And Phreezone, yes I'll bring my camera along and take as many pictures as I can get from the ground. I wanted to put some really inspiring lyrics here but none of them fit. >< !!

Wildblue. He said: The 26th though the 2nd. No idea where we'll end up... I just got done printing direction to about 8 different places. I think Z-hills and Lake Whales will be the closest to where we're staying Z-Hills is right outside Tampa (where the game is on Jan 1) and Lake Wales is pretty close by too. But I could be terribly wrong, I'm just making inferences. < !!

That FAQ was awesome. So many things you wouldn't immediately consider, like if you wear clothes for the ride up make sure they won't cover your handles in an emergency bailout, or put a shirt or pair of shorts in an unused ROL pouch. Even if I never jump naked that FAQ has made my life better. Bill von, you get a Gold Star™. I wanted to put some really inspiring lyrics here but none of them fit. >< !!

I'll be at Lake Wales on the 30th and 31st for collegiates. I spy an Ohio resident whose plans look suspiciously like plans to attend the Outback Bowl as well as collegiates - all I'm gonna say is GO COCKS! I wanted to put some really inspiring lyrics here but none of them fit. >< !!

I'm gonna be at Collegiates. Who else will be there? I wanted to put some really inspiring lyrics here but none of them fit. >< !! PS - Happy Birthday to me!! Weather SUCKS, though, can't jump.

Not only cloud ceiling - If you scroll down and look for the 'NGM MOS' link, it has a 3-day wind forecast. Not many stations tho; the closest one to X-Keys is Atlantic City so it's rarely right. Your mileage may vary... I wanted to put some really inspiring lyrics here but none of them fit. >< !!

Do a search on the Gear and Rigging forum for the word 'shades' in the past 6 months, I know this has come up before. I've jumped sunglasses once as a tandem passenger. They were pretty close-fitting prescription shades, but I've lost them and can't remember what brand they were. If I looked down I got too much wind in my eyes, but if I looked at the horizon I was fine. They did wobble a bit though. I wanted to put some really inspiring lyrics here but none of them fit. >< !!

--only 15 jumps this year (so far). pretty weak, but it took a while to save up for AFF and gear. --Got my own gear --spent 5 days camping out and jumping at DelMarVa and X-Keys on my way to school --upsized my reserve --Finished AFF in two weekends after stretching out 4 tandems over 6 months. --plan to finish my A on my birthday (Thursday) and visit collegiates at the end of the month. Best jump: AFF IV repeat - I had failed it a week earlier, and the repeat went beautifully. It was the sunset load too. I remember the float under canopy was just gorgeous; the landing rocked (first run-out) and I was whooping and screaming with joy for the last 300 feet. Worst jump: #18 overall, 14th this year, at X-Keys in September. The jump itself was fine, a Skydive U coached jump. The landing sucked. I flared 6 feet too high, and as a result of the pendulum motion, my feet were too far out in front of me and I was moving slightly backwards as I fell those last 6 feet. Landed right on my tailbone and probably broke it. My entire lower body just seized and I couldn't breathe for a few seconds. I thought I had actually broken my back until I realized my legs hurt too. Plan for next year: stay safe. stay current. Restart the skydiving club. I wanted to put some really inspiring lyrics here but none of them fit. >< !!

I appreciate all the advice. I may not have been clear about my situation, tho. I only have 19 jumps over the past 18 months (long layoffs for school and saving up to pay for AFF and gear). I've also moved from a small DZ to a larger one, where I don't know people well enough to know who is good for advice and who isn't. I'm looking for specific things that low-time jumpers usually don't know about, or tend to forget in the deluge of information in ground school. Things like letting my deployment altitude creep down, too. I wanted to put some really inspiring lyrics here but none of them fit. >< !!

I like A Christmas Story and the cartoon version of Grinch. I haven't seen Nightmare Before Christmas, but I'll try to rent it once I get home. I love the way the music goes along with the jokes in Christmas Story, like when the wolf music from Peter and the Wolf accompanies the bully (Farcus Rhett?). I always used to watch the stop-motion Rudolph movie, but I've missed it the past few years. I think it only comes on once per season now. The other Christmas staple I remember is the animated Frosty movie, but it's not too high on my list. As for non-traditional Christmas movies, there's always the first two South Park shorts. If there's enough interest, I'll put those up on my website for a few days.... I wanted to put some really inspiring lyrics here but none of them fit. >< !!

I recently upsized my reserve, from a PD176 to a PD218. With my exit weight at 242, I realized that the 176 was just asking for trouble when I'd probably already be in quite a bit of it. Not to mention that it's way smaller than my main (230), which adds to the trouble factor. What I'm worried about now is the fact that from the moment I bought that rig, I questioned the reserve size, but I jumped it anyway. What else could I be doing in this sport that is just wrong, but I'm rationalizing away? I wanted to put some really inspiring lyrics here but none of them fit. >< !!

SC got the Outback Bowl bid, it looks like I'll be in Tampa from the 30th until the 2nd. If Lake Wales is actually close to Tampa, I'll be able to visit Collegiates on the 30th and 31st!! Wahoo!! I wanted to put some really inspiring lyrics here but none of them fit. >< !!

I'm trying to do a little advance planning and I find myself stumped. What dropzones (and DZ.com'ers) are near Dallas and Tampa? DAMN TENNESSEE!!! FUCK THEM IN THEIR EARHOLES!!! Since they couldn't beat LSU, it looks like the South Carolina Gamecocks aren't going to be in Orlando for New Year's Day, meaning I won't be able to visit Collegiates. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. I wanted to put some really inspiring lyrics here but none of them fit. >< !!

The intent may be to dearch a little - if you have access to the last year's worth of Parachutists, there's a good article about how being less stable (i.e. less arched) helps you move more quickly. I wanted to put some really inspiring lyrics here but none of them fit. >< !!

Not to detract from the importance of your question, but just FYI the Quincy death was with a hand-held tube. I wanted to put some really inspiring lyrics here but none of them fit. >< !!

Good eye Zennie!! I wanted to put some really inspiring lyrics here but none of them fit. >< !!

or just get people to click and hold the link, drag it to the address bar, and drop it there. I wanted to put some really inspiring lyrics here but none of them fit. >< !!

hehe Zennie, it looks live you've been DZ.com-dotted. < !!

excellent work, all of it. I wanted to put some really inspiring lyrics here but none of them fit. >< !!

great pics Ann! Only a freeflyer would do his/her home movies with a wide-angle lens... I wanted to put some really inspiring lyrics here but none of them fit. >< !!

oooooooooh, sounds fun. But I'm obligated to drive home on the 15th. SHIT. Maybe I can wrangle an extra day for the party.... I wanted to put some really inspiring lyrics here but none of them fit. >< !!

Behold, the time draws near!! Despite the fact that I actually have a car here this year, I haven't jumped since school started - my last logbook entry is September 9th, to be exact. I didn't jump because I needed to pull my grades up, and spending an afternoon or weekend day at the DZ isn't the way to get that done. Then, my reserve went out of date. I'd been seriously considering upsizing my reserve, and figured I should decide to do it or not before I spend 2 jump tixx on an inspection and repack. Well, the week after Thanksgiving I finally got my shit in a pile. I caught up in my classwork, and even managed an A on my political theory midterm paper (which is a miracle considering that the TA hasn't given an A to any other work from anyone in my class, as far as I know). This week, I did a bit of planning, and realized that if I pushed hard I could finish most of the classwork and administrivia by Thursday, meaning I could take today off and get to the DZ. There was still the issue of the reserve to deal with, though. So I called up Square 3. It turns out they have exactly what I'm looking for, it will fit in my container, and it almost fits my budget - SCHWEET! I don't need to buy Christmas presents for anyone else, anyway. Friday rolls around, and instead of leaving for the DZ right after my 10 am comp sci class like I had planned to, I don't wake up until noon and realize I can't skip my 2:30 class anyway. I did wear my rig to class instead of my backpack, though. That earned me a few stares and questions. (Why yes, I am a skydiver.) After class I bolted to the parking lot, but by then the clouds had rolled in, and most of the afternoon was gone. UGH. But I did make it to X-Keys, and I dropped off Kate at the loft after getting an eyeful of the yellow PD218R that may someday save my life. It should be ready by the 13th, which conveniently enough happens to be my 22nd birthday. I'm thinking at least two jumps to celebrate the double-deuce! The interesting part is that a girl here turns 18 on the same day, so she may go with me and do a tandem, although it's looking more like she'll go on Friday instead because she's already got too much going on Thursday. No problem, I'll jump both days!! Man. The weather this week has been gorgeous for December in New Jersey. It's just been heart-wrenching to stand under a perfect blue sky and have the possibility of breaking a sweat during the first week of December. When I was at the DZ I heard those turbines spinning up and caught a whiff of exhaust, and I was nearly overcome with the urge to jump. Six more days.... I wanted to put some really inspiring lyrics here but none of them fit. >< !!

those are both great. Thanks for sharing guys! I wanted to put some really inspiring lyrics here but none of them fit. >< !!

I wanted to put some really inspiring lyrics here but none of them fit. >< !!

great site man. Reading through the accident reports is useful to me even as a non-pilot; I'm starting to think of what I would do in certain situations and I know more things to be wary of when I'm in the plane. I also got a few chuckles from the reports, like this one about a fuel-low situation occuring at the beginning of jump run: "A skydiver who was aboard the airplane ... looked forward at the airplane's cockpit, and saw the airplane's instrument panel lights lit, and ... upon seeing the lights, and receiving the pilots command to leave, he hastily departed the airplane. " I think "hastily departed" is NTSB-speak for "got the hell out of". I wanted to put some really inspiring lyrics here but none of them fit. >< !!