DrewGPM

I'm 5'10 260, without gear. Can't make it to Texas...but count me in for WFFC!

Sorry, I missed the Australia thing. For some reason In thought you were England. My post is of no help to you. Maybe you could email that guy...I'll bet he'd put the Aussie stuff on there.

I saw a tandem student that 6' 8", 290 pounds...he was one of those full contact fighters...not an ounce of fat on the big bastard! The TI was 160-180 pounds...so they stayed under that 500 pound limit people...but just barely!

The more strippers I meet, the more the generalizations about are proven to be based in fact. Lot's of issues going on those pretty little heads. And it seems that longer someone stays in that business, the more messed up you become. One friend told me it's almost like being an addict. She wants to stop stripping...but a regular job is boring and the money sucks. She has "quit" stripping a half dozen times. She is currently somewhere is south Florida, stripping! She discouraged everyone from getting into the business. There are exceptions to the rule. One woman put herself thought Harvard by stripping. She wrote a book about the experience...sorry, can't think the name of the book. I've met a few other that seem pretty centered...but i've met far more that were messed up in the head. It is a tough job to do and maintain a healthy attitude toward life....I give credit to anyone who can do it. Best of luck to the original poster. My apologies to any emotionally stable stripper...I mean DANCERS...who take offense to my statement.

The Intermediate class of the BPA is Randoms A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q and blocks 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 13, 14, 17, 19, 21.) according to the dive generator at http://www.ivanpeters.com/index.htm?page=/skydive/drawgenerator/

They had a great Safety Day at Skyknights! The anouncement that the PAC750 is gonna be there all season was a HUGE surprise. Kudos to all the folks that made that happen.

a deaf, mute woman that owns a liquor store and a drop zone...is that too much to ask?

Can't remember her name...but I think it's Kim. She's the lazy woman on the team that has lost EVERY immunuity challenge so far. And The Contender is my new favorite! That show kicks ass. I didn't want to see either one of those guys go home tonight. Can't wait 'till the next episode.

I found Skydive Chicago's other planes, 10EA and 30EA. Why did the third plane get listed 220EA? Seems pretty confusing to have 220EA and 20EA. Does that happen very often?

Skyknights is open. They are hosting a big Safety Day on Saturday. I doubt there will be any loads going up...the forecast is for a high of 28! Stop by for a great Safety Day...they kick things off at 9:00 http://www.skydivemilwaukee.com/

Good point! I meant to include that in my post too. I was going to suggest doing some 2 ways, focusing on eye contact and flying your slot (no contact). Build good individual skills, then you can start building good team skills. Once you have a team, it's not a bad idea to do some 2-way drill dives as part of your training. The 4-way people I know spend most of the non-team jumps doing 2-way drill dives. They seem to be the BEST way to improve individual skills.

I am all about the cross country jump. Especially at sunset...what a way to close out a great day fo freefall! I take an insulated bag with me...filled with dinner and a drink. Nothing better than a nice burger at 12,000 feet! I love the freefall, but nice long canopy ride helps me unwind from the adreneline filled day.

I find that there are two things that solve the separation problem. Eye contact and flying your slot. When you are looking at the center of the formation, you notice any separation right away. We worked on this during the dirt dive and while we practice on the creepers. Creeper time is free, freefall is expensive. During the dirt dive, make a point to maintain eye contact with the person across from you. Do the same while you're on the creeper. This is really helpful when you're turning 90 or 180 degrees from the center of the formation. When selecting points for your skydive, start with ones that keep a clear center...like stairstep diamond and donut. Work your way up to formations like bipole and phalanx, which make eye contact really tough. Flying your slot is a little tougher to work on. When you're swimming in a pool, you can stop swimming when grab the side. People tend to do the same thing on a skydive. Soon as they take grips, they relax. When the grips are released they tend to slide away from the center. Sometimes they even float or go low. Remind people of this and tell them to fly toward the center of the formation in between points. A great way to work on this in the air is a no contact skydive. Plan your 2 or 3 points, but in the air, nobody takes grips. They have to fly ALL the time. It's a really tough skydive, but you learn SOOOO MUCH!

not sure you should be posting that number in a public forum...just a thought. Best wishes to the injured person.

Sure, it's tough to support skinning ANYTHING that is still alive. I'm against that...I think we all are. But the hunt itself may be needed. There are lots of places that use hunting to limit the size of deer herd. They do it because the herd gets so big that the local food supply is not adequate. Eventually the much of the herd will stave. When they get desparate for food they start crossing highways and get hit by cars...thus they become a hazard to people. In case you are wondering, the insurance industry is the main supporter of this, not the hunter. Hitting a deer with your car costs them a ton of money! So I won't sign this petition until i hear from the other side. Anybody in Canada know the details behind this program?

We are preparing a safety day presentation for RW, specifically for 4-way. We have a lot of input from experienced team guys, but very little from camera folks. We are pointing out that the video person is an important part of a 4-way team, so all safety standards apply to her/him too. We are adding that the videographer always gets the center, but someone should remind everyone of that on each jump. Encourage good tracking and responsible break off altitude. Are there any other safety things that the team members should know about that team mate with the camera on his/her head?

I hope this doesn't sound mean...but what the heck did they teach you during your student jumps? I can see how you MIGHT not hear about F-111 fabric. It seems crazy that anyone would get to 50 jumps without learning about wing loading. I think it's on the A license tests! It's in the SIM for sure.

I agree, but are there specific concerns for the team member with the camera on his head? I suppose he should be watching for accidental deployments...nothing like a pilot chute in your face to mess up your video. and be prepared for that occasional slacker with the lazy track. But those are general rules for all vidiots...not just 4-way video. maybe it's a question worth asking in the video forum

rehmwa mentioned that the camera person always gets the center of the formation, and he/she should open earlier that the rest of the team. Not sure what other camera person related safety notes to make. Any suggestions?

exacty what she said!

That's a classic answer! I bet that's why so many belly flyers fart in the plane...gotta make sure the "afterburner" is empty, otherwise they'll fart in freefall and go low! Are you the same person who told a reporter that skydivers don't breathe during freefall? Apprently we absorb oxygen through our skin at that speed. We also don't jump through clouds because the water in the cloud would clog our pores and we would suffocate. I saw that report air on television...TWICE!!! Funny stuff. I'll keep an eye for the skydivers fart for extra speed report.

We made three jumps, then one of the guys had a reserve ride. Our day was over, i couldn't have been happier! I wasn't drunk, but I felt very unsafe. I was only jumping because it was a meet. At dinner that night we discussed how stupid that was. Haven't done that since!

I apologize for any mental distress caused by my suggesting not drinking. There were two key words omitted in my statement. I meant no hard core drinking... The idea of not drinking at all is laughable, especially for me! I was up till 3am drinking Guiness and doing shots of tequila...meet started at 7:30am. Lesson learned, I flew like crap! I was also unsafe...my hangover left me less attentive during gear checks, lazy during tracks and my I was much less aware under canopy.

Thank you all for the great stuff! I knew I count on you guys! I think everyone learns the "no drinking the night before camp" thing the hard way. please note apology and correction in my next post

Anybody have thoughts for topics to be discussed on Safety Day that relate to 4-way training and competition? I have some ideas, but i'd like to hear from the rest of you.