jimmytavino

whoa!!! i dunno about That... .. that was some fast FAST acceleration,,,, and he came off that jump streaking fast, instead of following the upslope of the launch ramp.... seems like he should have gone UP much more than OUT... Also seems like there are more than a couple of "ripples" in the terrain of the downhill lslope,, yet he rockets through them, unaffected by them.... cool none the less... very creative!!! jmy gonna watch THAT again.

sure enough JohnRich... when i said "the people in the door", i guess i meant the 2 or 3 who are teamworking the spotting, door opening and then climbout.. together, one can spot, and be trusted,,,,, without having to have people climbing over his back to 'double check'..., one can scan out and around, the camera person can stretch out and GET that shot which dragon2, so correctly notes is BIg on the video... ( i find that a well exaggerated lean out, and hard look DOWN

lots of good points first of which is... YES... If YOU see the light from waaaay the hell UP in the plane,, then people AT the door also see the light!!!! sheesh!!! Hell if we wanted a screeeching shout !! from waay up in the plane,, then we'd do away with the lights altogether, and just have the pilot turn to the closest jumper,,, nod, and then, That person could scream to their hearts delight " AHHHH !!! Door !! Door!! Door Door door door..... But we Don't do that do we????? hahahahaha slow is fast. sure applies here... treat the door like it's a woman, slow and gentle will work wonders. start getting rammy and rushing things.... could be trouble... keep in mind the current status of winds aloft... and if you are opening the Door AND leading the first group out.....DO at least take a GOOD look down, verify the location, check the spot, LOOK for traffic...make an assessment of ground speed, and if it's appropriate,,( i.e. a real sloooow ground speed....) verbally Notify those deep in the plane,, to " relax!!!!! AND leave good seperation between groups"... Often a cameraperson is first out, and therefore near the door... Not sure of others,, but I SURE do appreciate some help with a roll-up door, and NOT some ham-handed horseing of the door.. but a gentle, coordinated effort.. trying to be effective alone, AND keeping cameras away from the plexi, as the door starts to move is tough for me... Those who are standing nearby need to be very aware as well ,, soas to Not get smacked in the head, and can also help to assure the door goes all the way to the stops... As for a cessna.. i tend to simply ASK the pilot, if he or she will be operating the handle,, NO reason at all to be "caught by surprise" when it is time to climb out... Best Door, of an aircraft,, that i EVER got to pass through ????? That big vault -like door which Don Kirlin swung open for us, ( about FIVE minutes after take-off ) when we skydived the Boeing 727.... jt 4 stack 930

hmmmm... So THAT'S what happened to you !!! you Flew Away!!!!! was looking for you , later that day,,, and Like a phantom in the breeze,,, you were gone....... but NOT forgotten. jt A 3914 D 12122

Oh THAT is just Great!!!

I'll second third that motion! Superb, John. Great job John Mitchell vskydiver touched on it briefly, but the first thing i thought of was, "this guy is an FAA Air Traffic Controller", and therefore i'm sure that he CAN operate on instinct, and with poise and clear headed decision making...Bravo!!!! as i read Johns own account of the situation,,, the first thing i was thinking,, when he said the injured, had "fallen below" was... UH Oh.. what about all the other 9 jumpers who coullda been directly above that canopy that was about to be deployed......?????? and in the very next line, the guardian Angel indicates that he WAS absolutely tuned into that very aspect of the rescue, and so, LOOOKED,, checked,, verified it WAS clear above,,,, and THEN deployed his friends Main... WOW... cool, in the face of trouble...NOT impulsive and panic--y and fully attentive to what was happening.... never underestimate the pwer of some of those who are long- in- the -tooth,,,, when it comes to this sport... 9 times outta 10, they'll come through !!!! God bless you John. you should be very proud of yourself.... jimmy

don't wanna go into the ground... so both i and my wife prefer cremation... we have talked about it, certainly not dwelling on it, but enough to know the wishes of each other... If the possiblity exists for organ donation, as long as certain stipulations have been expressed and honored,, i'm ok with that... There should still be some remaining physical components of the body which can become ash, and which is therefore,,,"dispersable". i have about 4 or 5 places where I hope "just a small sprinkling " of those ashes can occur.. geographic locations of importance to me, one example is the hometown cemetary where all 4 of my Grandparents are interred, a number of dear and cherished uncles, and where ,,,, alas,, many other family members have already chosen ( in Life) to be 'laid to rest".. so i want some of MY spirit floating around that place,,,but NOT under the dirt... My survivors will know the 4 or 5 other places where i'd like to see a pinch or two of ME scattered... places of significance to me and mine... ALL the ashes?? dispersed at ONE place,,, even if it is In the Sky....??? no. don't want that. but a small puff, into the air,,, by those with whom i've had the absolute JOY of sharing that Air...

the entire way that we as a society handle the ending to a persons' life, has puzzled me for decades... Sure it's a tough and rough situation, and depending on the circumstances of the passing, can be traumatic.... an accident, injury or a death which causes damage to the physical form of the person, often does result in a 'closed casket',, which i guess is the right way to do it..... though i'm not good about 'wakes' , in the common form... Some are grieving the loss , some are trying to 'celebrate' the life, and so you can have tears and "upbeat chatter" all in the same room... ( and that is usually at a home which is mostly "monetarily profiting" by the whole scenario).. For those whose death was by "natural causes" or whose death did not damage the physical body,,, for family to allow an 'open casket "viewing" ' simply worsens' the memory of the deceased to most any and all who view that scene.... Adults may be able to deal with it,, but children and youngsters can be negatively impacted , by seeing something like that, especially if the person was a cherished "older generation" member of the family.. memorial service???? Sure... do that... but do it without the dearly departeds' body "on display"... and maybe even do it a short time AFTER the interment has occured, be it burial or cremation.... as a whole, we need to change the way we deal with the ending to a persons life... both medically AND memorially... i favor cremation, WITh the persons wishes, being honored in terms of dispersal of said ashes,,, and i favor the spreading of said remains, in many MORE than one place,, if that is the wishes of the decieased... problem is,,, we sometimes fail to have those discussions within families,,, until the death occurs, and THEN it is the wish of the survivors, which becomes the deciding factor, not the wishes of the one who passed... just my two cents. jmy

if you're in that area... go outside that area.... by a short distance... 2 words...the ranch PM me for the reasons jmy A 3914 D 12122

Ice COLD Stella Artois is the BEST,,,,,, after a day of skydives... But i haven't jumped in a couple of weeks,,, so tonight, for me.. Crystal Light One Timers.. !!! mixed into H20 on the rocks!!!! Wow.. How daring is that???? low cal.. No "al".. haven't seen JACK, for decades and decades now...

'silly conditions' is a judgement call. what seems silly to one can be serious to another. Cool as can be, that your Folks and You did not experience such things... Do you have siblings??? sometimes that can factor in... i. e . the OP may have brothers or sisters which could then factor into a Parents' thoughts... Were you still in college when you began jumping??, as is the OP??... or had you already established your independence?? bravo !! if that's the case...then parents can relish in the "adventuresome ways" of the child...especially if they are no longer covering living expenses... Parents have built in sonar about their kids, and as others here have pointed out,, it could be the "apres' jumping" environment which concerns the Mom, more than the time from take-off to landing... who knows... Deference to the wishes of a Parent CAN help build character in a child...even if they are reluctant in their deference.... "if you want to Stand Out ,,, don't be different, be Outstanding" skydive safely jt

BANG BANG BANG !!!!!! hahaha see like i said.. it's ALWAYS better to rent than to buy!!! Geeze Billy,,,, you probably failed to think about How Hard someone Else worked to BURY those two boulders!!!! job sites often have all sorts of shit,,, buried on them, when a house is built,, left over concrete, scrap drywall cutoffs, burned wood scraps, roofing materials and yes..... Rocks!!!!! hahaha i can just see you backing off and then Pounding those boulders!!!! with that machine... "beat it like a was a stubborn Mule!!! ( just kiddin', i would never beat a mule or any animal... though i am losing my patience with a couple of woodchucks, who have been raiding my veggies... THEIR time is coming... jt

.... sorry guys...Chubba and MarkM... I Must disagree..... shall i guess???? that neither of you are parents of children??? Fact is.. a Mom and /or a dad ARE entitled, in fact might be considered to be 'responsible' for their children... If the OP is approaching adulthood, there will be time, soon enough, for "Doing what you want"... but If the OP is still residing at the family home, If the OP is having tuition fronted and /or subsidized by the parent(s), If the OP has bills,, ( car, Insurance, health care, clothes, utitlites CABLE,,, Computer hook up,,, etc etc ) paid for, by the parents, then the responsible thing is to adhere to ANy stipulations which the parent may set.. those who encourage you to "do what YOu want' are incorrect...IMHO... i've been at both sides of this deal,,,and know whereof i speak... never should should one risk the "wrath of the Mother", by being defiant,,, especially just because "some skydivers recommended it"...haahha SEE???? the mother here knows what she's talking about.. i'd be damn pleased that the Mom is so concerned for her child, that she wants to simply protect that child long enough to accomplish the MORE important goal ,, of the college education..The allowance of a tandem skydive here and there, shows a willingness to compromise a little,, on the moms Part.. and so to defy that,, on the Daughters' part... would be unkind and unfair. imho jmy A 3914 D 12122 4 stack 930

BillyVance !!!!! your ability to ENTERTAIN, through the written word , is Fantastic.....!!! " at least the primary objective is done" .... and just WHAT might that 'objective' have been???? Playing "trucks" , like a litlle kid,, in the sandbox.... only with REAL machines???? hahahaha... no doubt man. Deisel engines, HIGh torque trannies and drive systems, and HYDraulics!!!! all add up to some real POWER>>>> as soon as i looked at the clicky,,, to see it was,,,,, what is sometimes referred to, as a BOBCAT,,,,, i could just sense,,, that you were gonna talk about tipping that bad boy,,on it's nose!!! ( before i even read it...) sorta like a cessna pilot who crunches the brakes on a taildragger and bends a prop.... Glad you didn't get pitched right outta that cab....THAT could have been the Worlds Lowest H & P .!!!!! ( only it would have been more like a "HOP & HOPE"....)

gosh... i thought that "photography" consisted of anticipating a shot, composing the frame, focusing and THEN shutter activation... your approach seems more like the "machine gun scattershot technique" ( no offense intended ) it must simply be, a byproduct of the digital SLR 'revolution' .. how revolting..... so then you spend lots of time afterwards ,,,deleting???? Ps.. i think i would be very careful about having ANY DZO's i KNOW,,, screwing with MY camera helmet.... ( yours sounds like a guy who is simply trying to sell picture cds,,, on top of the video..) let's be careful out there.. As regards a hand pendant, I had some good luck 5 years ago with a Sony DSC V1 digi-still... that camera accepted a wired pendant which could turn the camera on and off ( and then lit an indicator light , to tell me that it was ON ) it could zoom the lens, or back off the zoom, and it could fire the shutter... I DID add a plastic 'molex connector' which would let me leave the pendant In the sleeve of my jumpsuit,, ( thanx Bev, for adding that fabric channel inside my arm ) the other end of the wire stayed connected to the camera, and i'd mate up the molex connector which was located somewhere around my chest, when stuffed into my jumpsuit.. in this way i didn't have to feed the switch into the sleeve,,, EVERY time, and in the rare event that i HAD to shed the helmet,, i could break it away, without having it remain tethered to my arm... it worked just fine,, but WAS kind of a pain. I now use a pro mouth switch ( from Sonics shop ) and a laszlo adapter ( from Laszlo ), into my Nikon still... the click on the pro switch is Positive, is obvious, and is durable.. it's tongue activated, never cared for any bite switches, and works really well. jmy A 3914 D 12122 nscr 1817

do you ever find that the P.C. , bridle, or D-Bag tend to bounce around and into your legs or feet, when you pitch so quickly after exit????? ..while using that technique?? just goes to show that there are many ways to do the same thing.. the trick...find something that works, and become comfortable with it NOW.. If you are still jumping a strato Star !!!! OMG !!! a strato star???? as your profile indicates.... I'd be Damn concerned about that 30 feet of 'ropes' coming off your back... UNLESS, or course it's "been modernized" to a slider!!!!!!!! jt

Try looking at things through a beer bottle and see how they look. well,,,, things look fuzzy... but not nearly as fuzzy as when looking at things through a whiskey bottle... jt

hop and pop exits require a different mindset and a different body position as well.. i've seen many jumpers throw, what they think is a necessary and aggressive ARCH....as they leave... But a hands back and to the sides, and a squared shoulders and head high attitude relative to the prop(s), and feet and legs blowing back and up....works best for me.... I've done many accuracy exits and seen many others do the same and that "semi-track uphill" body position seems best... even in a fast exit...pivoting at the door and squaring up to the relative wind would be better than diving head down, toward the tail, or trying to max out a conventional arch... watch exit videos of CRW teams,,, and you'll have the idea... hands down and arms back, ( which actually places your pull hand near to the P C handle) ,, and eyes up and forward, keying in to your teammates exit, will also allow you to smile at whomever may be in the door watching you...!!! I sure hope this past event did NOT cause Popsjumper to get any grey hairs .. sounds like everyone was cool and collected... a testimony to the entire group... carry on jt

did a lot of LOW jumps years ago.. ( might have even been on a few WITH tbrown...) did many like that before i had 500 jumps.. in the days before squares or AADs once or twice exited around 1,600 feet... no problem... most of us were acccuracy enthusiasts then, and a "one dollar each, mini money meet " would be a sure way to get some parachutes in the air...!!! HEY!!!! at least we weren't exiting IN the clouds... we were Under them... OK OK maybe the rudder of the cessna WAS in the ceiling... But we had jumpers who liked to jump and pilots who liked to fly... We always felt that God was setting the exit altitude,, and so who were WE to argue.. Today??? i'd get out @ 2 grand , NO problem... i watched two guys pull a two -way off the step at what the pilot later said was 1,600 feet...while jumping PCs,, but i was ON the Ground!!! watching it... ( didn't need any binoculars for THAT one!!) However on days when the ceiling was NOT an issue,,, I'd much rather push for More altitude...it just makes better Sense ... jt

billy!!!! what is MOST impressive,,, is being able to get that ladder UP into the truck...in the first place...and then leaning it against the tree,, considering that you mostly "maxxed it out" and i did notice that you used a COLLAPSIBLE ladder besides....!!!!.. excellent evidence of "operator confidence"...!!! Too bad your daughter was at the day care... I bet watching her Dad hang the swing,,,, would have been as much fun as riding on the swing!!! carry ON......BV jmy in ny

just past 19 years old when i did 5 static lines and freefall # 1, all within 2 weeks time. just kept jumping, from there... in a few months, i'll start my 38th year of active skydiving. at that point. i will have been jumping for 66% of my lifetime... unless one starts before 20... it's not easy to have skydived for 2/3rds of ones life... even jumping for Half of ones' life is rare...i think.... ...OR is it more common than i realize??? There sure ARE jumpers in their 60s, 70s and 80s,,, but many of those started later on in life... and many MANY who started, decades ago, have gradually gotten away from active jumping...though every ONE of them is still a skydiver... jmy scr scs nscr A 3914 D 12122

if it is a Boogie at your Home DZ, the place where have logged all your jumps and the place that is familiar to you, then just notch up your awareness , pay attention to what could be a faster pace, and use it as a learning experience. If it is a Non Familar Dz and a Boogie, somewhere "outta town", then i'd be a bit more careful... certainly go,

nice post. love about florida? the dropzones. warm temps,,,( usually visit in winter, so its nice) anytime i'm there, it's while "in vacation mode" but one important thing i love about florida

to answer your request USPA number according to my current card is 9452 # 1 SL sept 16th '72 First freefall early october '72 i earned A License # 3914 around '74. That could be when i finally joined USPA...( it wasn't required at dz's then, like it is now,,,) The motivation was so that i could enter the College nationals, which were held in DeLand, november of '74. ( first time ever, to FLA) I had all the jump numbers and acccuracy shots, and other requirements for the rest of the licenses, and even passed all the written tests,,, but I was Lacking,,,,"60 second delays".. Back then you needed some of those maybe 8 or ten, i forget.. and where i was jumping, we NEVER went above 10,500. hahaha. I had night jumps and water jumps etc etc and about 400 jumps, by '75...at the time when a D Lic only needed 200 jumps.. ( hit a grand in the fall of 1979 ) BUT it wasn't until the mid eighties that i finally put in for the D. Took the test again, passed it, got signed off and received D 12122... always felt that i screwed up, by not getting a 4 digit D #.... but "que sera sera " earned the B and c as well, at the same time as the D but i don't know those number by heart. And while Mike Mullins does point out the 'positive press' which the sport received via G H W Bush.. the awarding of a significant D Lic Number to him,, for having basically "joined the elite of the Golden Knights" in a few exits, descents and landings,,, does NOt elevate him to a status which commands such an important license #... i'm kinda old school and am more impressed with things that are earned, rather than bestowed... (ps never understood college " honorary degrees" either.. what a slap in the face to all the OTHER grads, who just knocked themselves out, and bled their parents piggy banks DRY... to complete an education,, And then to have to sit there and watch someone to stroll in and be "ordained like that" )... what a system...!!! but That's a complete other thread!!!!! back to membership #'s.....

when you're kissing someone you SHOULDn't be kissing.... ( no matter HOW good it might feel )..... jmy ( of course..... i wouldn't know ANYthing about such matters...)