elfanie

Ok...what does it mean if you funnel an exit? -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings

OH YES!!! Now I found it... I'm sorry...my mistake. Yes...right here...here it is...you're right, Joe Jennings. *nodsnods* You're absolutely right. -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings

So...below 3K you noticed she wasn't pulling...you tracked over to her and were able to deploy her reserve before deploying your own chute and landing? Yeesh. I bow to you for that...wow. I'm...even more impressed than I already was. -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings

Nope... I just looked through the book. Authors Joshua Piven and David Borgenicht forward by "Mountain" Mel Deweese No mention of a Joe Jennings anywhere that I can find. -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings

actually...if you mean the author of the book, the author is Joshua Piven and David Borgenicht... Drat. And I searched...really I did. -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings

Alright (Ivan)...I searched and didn't see this posted anywhere...so I'm going to go ahead and type it in. I just got The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook used at a bookstore...and one of the topics is "How to survive if your parachute fails to open". This should probably go into "talk back" since it's humerous....but I do believe they are being quite serious. this is quoted...no comments added by myself. HOW TO SURVIVE IF YOUR PARACHUTE FAILS TO OPEN 1. As soon as you realize that your chute is bad, signal to a jumping companion whose chute has not yet opened that you are having a malfunction. Wave your arms and point to your chute. 2. When your companion (and new best friend) gets to you, hook arms. 3. Once you are hooked together, the two of you will still be falling at terminal velocity, or about 130 miles per hour. When your friend opens his chute, there will be no way either of you will be able to hold on to one another normally, because the G-forces will triple or quadruple your body weight. to prepare for this problem, hook your arms into his chest strap or through the two sides of the front of his harness, all the way up to your elbows, and grab hold of your own strap. 4. Open the chute. The chute opening shock will be severe, probably enough to dislocate or break your arms. 5. Steer the canopy. Your friend must now hold on to you with one arm while steering his canopy (the part of the chute that controls direction and speed). If your friend's canopy is slow and big, you may hit the grass or dirt slowly enough to break only a leg, and your chances of survival are high. If his canopy is a fast one, however, your friend will have to steer to avoid hitting the ground too fast. You must also avoid power lines and other obstrictions at all costs. 6. If there is a body of water nearby, head for that. Of course, once you hit the water, you will have to tread with only your legs and hope your partner is able to pull you out before your chute takes in water. -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings

Ok...with a Horny Gorilla...do you have to start with the round? I did one with my JM...and on exit he had one foot between my two feet on the step. As we exited....we didn't actually do a round, he just sort of swung ME into position, locked legs, and we sat back and did thumbs up to each other (and I blew him a kiss). He was the one in control..and there was only the two of us. I don't beleive we ever really did a round...we just linked legs coming off the hill. does that count? or do you have to have a stable round, both arms docked, before the swing in? -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings

*makes notes* those definitions are extremely helpful...thank you!!! anyone have any other terms they'd like to share..? And there are a ton of skydiving books...but is there a skydiving DICTIONARY anywhere? Keep them coming..please!!! (oh...and I know what a Horney Gorilla is. no need to define that one. ) any other positions/terms you'd like to share? -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings

I dunno... I think that when there's moisture...temps seem exaggerated. What I mean is...to me, 100* here in Arizona is nothing compared to the 89* weather I had when I visited Cancun with 98% humidity. However...when there's humidity and it's COLD, it feels much colder to me...because the damp cold makes it 'stick' to you..just like the damp heat feels hotter. It's been getting up to the mid/high 70's here lately (highs when we jumped on saturday and sunday were like 77-78*). I'm still shivvering when they open the door at altitude...BRRRR!! But it's relatively mild...gloves are even optional. It was chilly...but not "cold". And it was gorgeous on the ground. I know that the weather channel predicts 55* on saturday...but...well...it's the weather channel, and that's many days away. We'll see what happens when saturday is closer. =) I'll be jumping in Coolidge on Friday if anyone wants to join us...(if it doesn't rain.) I won't be able to be at eloy until Tuesday...probably tuesday afternoon. -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings

In the neverending quest for knowledge... there have been terms which I've seen used which I have had a heck of a time figuring out... such as when talking about RW....talking about "Wackers". Now, looking up things...it appears to me that wackers are the sort of "threads" of people coming off the center...? That the "end wacker" would be the person at the tip of the star's points? And I've heard several times about freeflyers "corking". I've gathered that it is when a freeflier suddenly loses speed and ends up way above his/her fellow fliers... but why does this happen? What can be done about it? Mantis position....when belly flying, your arms are in front and benieth you like you're praying and your knees are more bent....right? Is that correct? there have been other RW terms that I've heard and not understood. I've tried looking these things up...but it's harder than you'd think. Even the "skydiving terms" sites I've found don't have a lot of these. Is there anyplace ya'll can point me to that will have some of these terms defined? Or can anyone post one comprehensive post with a bunch of terms and their definitions so I can use it as a reference? I just recently heard the term "close the accordian" from a guy I jumped with who said it means when you're flying an open accordian and you move forward and take leg grips... I just would love to have a list of some of the less-common yet commonly used skydiving terms..? Anyone care to help me with this? -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings

*gigglefits* whuffo you wanna dive down off of a perfectly good boat? -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings

*blows AggieDave a kiss* I wasn't referring to you.

then you should get to that point...not start at that point. there is a guy at a DZ (that, for obvious reasons, will remain un-named). He's a really nice guy...he really is. but his delivery sometimes...*sigh* You wouldn't necessarily know that he's as nice as he is because he's so....abrupt? Harsh? He's military..and he takes his job very seriously, as well he should. But...just because you're new and inexperienced doesn't mean you're stupid. means you have yet to learn...and there's a big big difference between "yet to learn" and "stupid". Yet to learn simply means, "Fine..then TEACH ME!" This man has a *tendancy* to treat people like they are stupid....and that rubs some people the wrong way. For me..as a newbie...it made me both want to say, "go screw yourself!" and yet curl up into the fetal position and want to cry. I found him very intimidating and he made me feel very stupid. He could have done the same educating in a way that was less intimidating, less authoratative..and I would have been more receptive to it. This man is brilliant...he made a comment to me that he LOVES that nobody thinks of him as a "skyGod", but the fact is that he's as much of a SkyGod as anyone out there jumping....but sometimes his message delivery is such that it stings and you're too busy licking your wounds in the corner because he just verbally smacked you down to actually listen and want to hear what he has to say. If the drill-seargant routine is the only thing that some people will respond to..then it's understandable if you end up communicating to them in that manner. but for the rest of us...it's counter productive (and not real nice) to start off there. -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings

So what would you get the "skydiver who has everything" for Christmas? I have a few people at my dropzone that I wouldn't mind getting them something for Christmas...but I have no idea what to get them. I got my DZO a huge bottle of beer (I mean huge..like...at least a foot and a half high. Bigger than most wine bottles.) But it doesn't seem "enough"... There are two people in particular I'd love to get a present for...my DZO and my JM that did all of my AFF jumps with me. If you were a VERY VERY experienced jumper...what would you want? I got my AFF JM some nice Bourbon and a skydiving ring to thank him for his training and instruction with AFF.. but now..what for Christmas? ideas? -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings

Oh no no no...hasn't put me off at all. In fact, just got my "A" this past weekend and I have 33 jumps now. =) did I find out what was wrong with the canopy? No idea. None. Couldn't see any lines twisted (thought maybe that would be the case), never saw anything wrong with it. I thought about what went wrong, what I would do differently... Next time I jumped that canopy...no problem. both toggles were the same. Next time..no problem. Next time...you're kidding me!!! The left is sticky again??? Same exact feeling/problem. I took extra care to look and didn't see what could be causing the problem. This time when I flared, I brought it to half brakes, grabbed my hands together like I was praying, and pushed both together. I figured I'd either land in half brakes (which would be ok) or I"d flare evenly (which would be ideal)...but I was NOT going to bury one toggle without the other again! Got it to flare and landed beautifully. Jumped it a few more times...and the last time I jumped it and had a problem with that left toggle I YANK-YANK-YANK-YANK-YANKed the toggle several times, also shook it while in a turn...and it loosened up. *shrug* the speculation is that maybe it's getting some sort of tension knot above the grommet or something? I have no idea...but it looks just fine on the ground... *shrug* At least now I know what to do if one side doesn't want to flare well. *wink* And, more importantly, it was a lesson learned without major injury...YEAH!! I'm all for those lessons!! -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings

Ya know...that's exactly what my DZO said...and he's a guy with TONS of experience!! (I mean TONS. Someone told me that they thought he'd done something like 3000 TANDEMS! He's really really good...) and the next couple of jumps..I tried...I really really tried...because I respect this guy and do NOT want to be one of those jumpers talked about on this board who are arrogant and don't want to listen to advice. My problem is that to me..looking at the horizon when landing is like not looking where you're walking. I look at where I expect my feet to land because I'm looking for what I'm going to step on, things to avoid (like little bumps in the ground or rocks or grass or whatever)... so everytime I try to look at the horizon...I just...can't make myself. I'm afraid I'm going to misjudge horribly. I know that there will have to be 'the first' time that I land looking straight at the horizon...but how do you make yourself do it? I always look forward about 45* ahead of me... how do you do it??? -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings

I'm still an infant in the sport as well...but... I think my scariest moment thus far would have to be... I was just cleared for self supervision. My exit weight is around 165, and I had been jumping a manta 288. (I'd pull the toggle to turn, and could probably count 2 full seconds before the canopy responded, it was so lightly loaded) So now I'm about to jump a Nav 220. HUGE difference! Still a big canopy for me...but it was so flippin' different from the 288. Jump went fine...pulled....played with the new canopy in altitude. Found that it felt like the left toggle was a little "sticky"...took much more force to pull it down than the right. (enough that I thought "do I chop? No..I can fly it, I can turn it, I can flare it...it's just very very difficult to do.") I practice flaring at altitude, and couldn't get both toggles to flare evenly because the force required was so different between the two. So...please bear in mind that I'm an idiot student cleared for self-supervision and this is my first solo jump. So I'm busy watching my husband below me land...and go so distracted that I ended up not turning for cross and ended up WAY WAY downwind. (I turned upwind and my first thought was, "Oh no! I am NOT making it back to the DZ!") I'm all but blowing into my canopy to get it to fly further. The 288 would have brought me back, but I wasn't used to the 220 and was sinking faster than I'd expected to. So now I'm coming in...in the desert...praying I get over that fence...lifting my feet just in case....looking for a spot to land...there it is...get ready and...FLARE.. As I flared, I got to about half brakes and felt that left stick. I gave it everything I had, and my RIGHT toggle went down, my left didn't budge. My canopy dove to the right, making me just about horizontal to the ground. In that moment, in just a flash, I remember thinking, "This is going to hurt." My body turned sideways as my canopy went sideways and we both crashed into the ground at the same time hard enough that I bounced back up into the air a little and barrel rolled through the desert a ways. I scared my DZO...as well as my JM's who were watching from the landing area. Immediately, as soon as I stopped rolling in the desert and realized that I wasn't broken, I put a hand up and waved. In the space of time that it took me to wave (about 1 second), one of my JMs had thrown off his gear and was beginning to sprint out to me. The DZO stopped him, saying, "Wait..she waved..." I still had a radio on (I wanted to wear it, and told everyone not to tell me what to do unless I was totally messing up) and the DZO said into the radio, "If you're ok, give us another wave...." I stood up and waved... I tore the jumpsuit on the hip/thigh from about my waist down to the knee...but didn't break anything. I think that moment when my canopy and I were only about 10 feet off the ground and almost horizontal was the scariest thus far. (hook turns? What are those. I have NO desire to do that, thank you!! I'm doing absolutely everything I can to make this as safe as I can....I don't need to introduce anything to make it scarier at this stage of the game. heh.) I know that this isn't going to compare to 95% of the stories that will be posted...but it's the best I've got. -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings

Should I hide my head in shame? I don't ride motorcycles...don't scuba dive, don't hanglide, don't parasail, don't surf, don't rock climb, don't hot air balloon, don't bungee... I don't smoke, don't do drugs of any sort (I have to be REALLY sick to do even Tylenol or Sudafed), rarely drink (I've been tipsy/drunk two times in the last 7 years. actually, I've only really been drunk one time in the last 10 years, and that was a week and a half ago at my Christmas party.) I'm a very boring married mother of three children...who happens to LOVE skydiving. I even get twitchy if my husband is driving the car too fast on the freeway. If ya gotta love me...love me for who I am. -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings

I'm still a baby in the sport (just got my "A" this weekend), but wanted to share a lesson I learned this past weekend. I wear glasses...my eyesight isn't really bad, but I do wear glasses/contacts all of the time. I'd been wearing my contacts every time that I jump so that I wouldn't have to worry about glasses..finding googles to fit OVER my glasses, etc etc etc. For Christmas, my husband bought me some prescription goggles. Exact same goggles I'd been wearing, just with my prescription in the lenses. So out I go on Saturday (day before yesterday). First jump of the day, my new goggles, I'm excited. Jump goes great...canopy ride was fun...came in to land. I've been doing really good consistant landings, stood the last 8 of 9 jumps I did easily (9th I went to a knee not because of the landing, but because my toe caught on the ground and it dumped me to my knee. ie. I tripped.) So I come in for my landing...and you all know how you have a "rhythm" to landing. You flare..and a beat later there's the ground...step it out..etc. this time I came in for my landing...good spot, right in the middle of the grass next to the peas...and flare... hold it... WHERE THE HECK IS THE GROUND??? hold the flare... OH CRAP!!! Held the flare...stalled the canopy about 6' off the ground still and just crumped onto the ground (plf'd as much as you can with NO horizontal speed and just being dumped straight down). I guesstimate that I flared about 15-20 feet too high..and could have SWORN that my feet were about to touch. I got a lot of crap about that...but I swore it was my goggles. (and got crap from everyone about 'blaming' the goggles and yeah yeah..likely excuse...ha ha.) Next jump of the day....just about waited until my feet actually felt ground...but wanted to flare about 3 full seconds before that. Next two jumps were standing..but still didn't feel right. Head back out to the DZ yesterday...this time with my contacts in. *snort* Ok...so first jump of the day....everything's fine...coming in for my landing...there's my spot...get ready....and FLA- I got the toggles MAYBE to my shoulders before I was on my butt sliding across the dirt. I was actually sitting ON THE GROUND when I "finished the flare" (why? Because I always finish what I start.) I looked up and someone yelled, "YOU FORGOT TO FLARE!" *heavy sigh* Lesson? YES...glasses/contacts/goggles...can make a huge difference. Be ready for that and fly with super extra caution when it comes time to land. Depth of field can be altered enormously depending on your eyewear...and as it is, I'm no longer going to jump my prescription goggles. I didn't give my eyewear enough credit and I learned my lesson without injury (thank goodness). That early flare could have really had a bad outcome. I just thank goodness that I'm not a swooper or something with messed up depth of field. -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings

I'd be amazed to know that the reporters who do the "sports gone bad" or "real tv" type programs even spend 30 minutes finding out before reporting. *snort* just watch Real TV for a few days....egads. From a tandem video.."He pulls the ripcord and the pilot chute come out, but nothing happens. The cameraman watches helplessly as they plummet to earth.." umm...that's a drogue you idiot. However...there was ONE that I saw that, honestly, they didn't seem to dramatize enough. It was the failed bungee-skydive where the bungee broke and smacked that guy in the head? (I'm sure everyone's seen it) The cameraman is shown as saying, "I got as close to him as I could get to see if he was ok.." and starts describing the gash in his head and cracked goggles. But what you SEE is that this guy did CReW and linked with this barely conscious guy! Not only that...but he LANDED linked, telling the guy when to flare because he was in and out of consciousness. they focused on the jump, the biffed bungee...but nothing about the landing. I can't even stand to watch Real TV anymore. ick. -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings

Ya know...as someone who used to be very obese...I'm 5'2" and have lost 200 pounds (exactly..to the pound) and am now in a size 6/8... I'm very sad to read the responses to this thread. "barf" and "gross" and all of the other cruel cruel remarks that have been made about this man...just really really saddens me. Because I know that if I met any of the people in this room in real life...and we sat down and had a beer together...nobody would think twice about being kind to me. Yet I know that 2.5 years ago...that you all would be saying "barf" and "gross" and "gag" about even just looking at me. Just...saddens me. I'd much rather make fun of someone because of who they are (mean, selfish, stupid, etc) than what they look like. *sigh* -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings

Yep.....I'm no Doc but I believe you die at 106F. Nope...children run fevers higher than adults...and that's what my pediatrician recommends. (they actually said they don't get too worried about it until it gets closer to 106*...or if it won't come down. -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings

awww...that's so sad!! Everyone deserves someone to bring them chicken soup and hot tea while they are sick. I'm sorry you didn't have anyone there to pamper you....that's the ONLY redeaming thing about being sick. Being cared for. -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings

Eeep... I NEVER take anything to reduce a fever unless the fever itself is becoming dangerous. I, personally, wouldn't take anything to reduce a fever in ME unless it got to be above 104*...and even then, just enough to bring it back to around 103-104*. My kids I won't give them anything for a fever unless... 1. their fever reaches above 105*. or 2. they haven't been able to sleep and are still not able to sleep and the sleep has become a priority above allowing their body to fight what they have. (and then only enough to allow them to sleep) Most of the doctors I know recommend against taking anything to reduce a fever as it takes away your body's only defense against what is attacking it. My fever went up to 103* with this flu...but only lasted a day or so, so not too bad. -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings

Had the flu...wasn't too too bad. Long...but not too horrible. (know it wasn't a cold by how quickly it came on, as well as the 103* fever) We don't beleive in the flu shot...so nobody in my family gets it. tips to preventing it or lessening it if you get it? Stay healthy...eat well, sleep enough, take care of your body and keep it as healthy and strong as you can. =) -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings