Tonto

$13875, weekends only - and I spent it all on gear, travelling, an extra rating and inproving my skills. Good deal if you ask me! t It's the year of the Pig.

Read my post again, and you'll see that your post makes no sense. Apart from "a few dives in Eloy" all other expenses were gear, travelling or course related. Besides - as a working skydiver, I can assure you that skydiving is not free, and those who paid me to teach them paid for a lot more than just the ride. t It's the year of the Pig.

And when's that going to change? I took my daughter for her 1st tandem when she was 8 (I/m not in the US - so lets not start down that road.) My other daughter is now 6 and is nagging as hard as the elder one was at her age. She'll also go when she's 8. As soon as they learn to pack - I'll start a jump fund for them. You're not dreaming about jumping with your child if you can make your own dream come true and choose not to. t It's the year of the Pig.

I've never bought a helmet. t It's the year of the Pig.

Looking through this thread it appears that the best flight is from a Classic One, averaging just 31 MPH, and with the pilot at 6 ft with an exit weight of 180lbs. I suck. Maybe it's because our surface elevation is 5000 ft AMSL, but the best I've got is 111 seconds, exiting at 11 000ft and opening at 2000ft. That's an average of 55mph - and on an S3. I did do a 236 sec (3 min 54 sec) from 20200 ft opening at 3000 ft in Eloy, but I don't think high altitude stuff counts in this thread.. I'm 5'11 and exit weight is 187lbs. I seem to have the distance thing nailed and get very high ground speeds off GPS, but have never averaged under 55 mph, with a slowest ever of 49 mph. t It's the year of the Pig.

I don't think. I run on memory. It's a cro magnon thing. So, as a user on this forum, please explain to me how I would be able to respond to a thread in Bonfire - in SC. Anyone - do you know your drills for a sense of humour malfunction? Ooops... Maybe I should have posted this reply in Safety and Training... t It's the year of the Pig.

I think by some people she just means her. Ahh. OK. I don't call myself some people. I thought maybe she meant some other people. t It's the year of the Pig.

So are you saying that Sadam Husein should be released? t It's the year of the Pig.

But... but... That makes so much sense! Of course, after a lifetime of martial arts, I see the same thing here. Everyone pushing their style, when in fact, we're all the same to everyone on the outside. t It's the year of the Pig.

Well, looking at the age thread - I'm in the top 15% I started this poll to see if I was in the top 15% for jumps too. Kinda a "dead reconing" to see if I'm still on the right road - which I think I am. I'm sorry if this is mathematically inaccurate. Perhaps you could define a poll to correct that shortcoming? t It's the year of the Pig.

Yeah. Snooty bastards. I'm down with the little people with under 4500 dude. I share your pain. t It's the year of the Pig.

What. Better than "See you on the flight line?" Or "He was too slow - so we killed him!" t It's the year of the Pig.

In reply to To add to your list: Altimeters were on your chest strap Ditto Pilot chutes were on your belly band or leg strap Ditto - and twisting them killed. I lost a friend that way. Jumping PC's was required between rounds and squares Nope. As long as we had 50 jumps on a round - we were good to go. My 1st square jump was on a Viking Super lite.. Wore no goggles Ditto Wore cheap plastic hockey helmet Ditto Constantly played hacky sack while waiting for the load in the 182 with no door Ditto! If you dropped the hacky or pointed with your finger, you got kicked in the butt Ditto! Touching it without saying "Hack in" resulted in ass kicking too - and it was known as "The game played with a ball that does not bounce by people who might." Everyone packed their own chutes Ditto Leg straps were much easier to put on Ditto Dogs were not allowed on the DZ Ditto - and still arnt here Packed on the grass and used tent stake to hold the rig We "stood tension" for each other? Smoking was not allowed near packing Ditto - and still isn't here Beer had to wait until the plane was tied down Ditto "D" licensees were few and far between Still are here. I'm D515 - and they may just be getting up to 900 now.. I don't miss those days too much. Skydiving has grown incredibly. I think between when I started in 1985 on rounds, and was jumping a Jonathan 120 eliptical 7 years later was the most rapid change. Crossbraces are not new. those of us who can remember the Excalibur know that. Wingsuits are as old as the hills. The new generation of designers have just learned to keep the designs safe. The people using them can easily make them dangerous again if they choose to. What I like about today is the pace people learn at. I have former students with a thousand dives who can whip me in 4 way. Whether they can catch a wild AFF, do CRW, a demo into a 60 000 seat stadium, etc, I don't know - but they certainly look like they can. For me - the good old days are right now. The sun is up, it's summer, I'm packed, and tomorrow I head for the DZ, the same way I have for 20 years. Filled with eager anticipation for what the day will reveal. t It's the year of the Pig.

My thoughts exactly. t It's the year of the Pig.

Well, your math is right on. I did 20 years earlier this week, and this weekend I should manage 4500. Most of my dives are from Cessnas in Africa. Up til 1000, I was in a 4 way team. 1000 to 1500 was in Kansas, El Dorado, mainly Tandems. Then back to South Africa, into a CRW rotation team training for the world meet, and Tandem and AFF. till 3000. Since then, mainly AFF until recently, when I started with Birdman. A bunch of big sequencial tossed in there, about 100 demos. I'm waiting for burn out - as its burned my friends, but I really like what I do - have many friends who are former students, and I've mixed it up enough to keep it interesting. Split an hour in the tunnel with my GF in Perris last month, so this year I hope to become a better freeflier. Always new goals, and the old one. Stay alive. t It's the year of the Pig.

I had the exact situation when I checked in at Perris last month. Solved that by giving my logbook to my SO to sign the last entry. I had my logbooks from 1000 - through 4500 dives with me. That's a lot of forging to try and get on a load. At Elsinore it was a different story, as I know Lob quite well, and we go back a long way. t It's the year of the Pig.

Ha! I'm OLD, dude. Watch it - or one of these days I'll make you stand and take your seat on the bus! t It's the year of the Pig.

Once again, a story of excellent customer service, well above and beyond what is expected. I have used several Pro-Dytters, and as MOP's in SA require them for freeflying, have often loaned one to former AFF students of mine starting to freefly. I KNOW they're all older than a year old. While at the Holiday boogie in Eloy, mine stopped working. I carried on using another, and when I returned to SA, contacted Mads at L & B. He asked that I send it in for a service - no charge. A week after sending it off, he mailed me back. They've decieded to send me a new one. No surprise why I keep buying their products - and I'm looking forward to the new range being released. Thank you LARSEN & BRUSGAARD. Thank you Mads. t It's the year of the Pig.

Agreed. The leverage advantage of "regular" 3 rings is lost. I've used them in the past - but won't ever do so again. t It's the year of the Pig.

Do I make the 85% cut? t It's the year of the Pig.

Yeah. Buy some shoes. [Edit] Visit the Blue Grotto[/edit] When in Pompeii, ask the guide to show you the knock shop. Sexual positions have changed little over the last few 1000 years... t It's the year of the Pig.

He's going to need more than luck. A change of the laws of physics would help - and maybe research into landing canopies loaded to 12.5 to one, without a flare - on your face... t It's the year of the Pig.

Bwhahahahaha Hooo... Ahhh.. thanks for that.. t It's the year of the Pig.

I'm OLD! I started on round parachutes. Before the Fax machine. Before CD's Before Tandems - when the only way to learn was Static line. When we stayed away from people with AAD's Flew in Cessna's without doors - even in Winter. The only turbines we jumped were C-130's Spotted ourselves - as there was no GPS. When 7 cells were "radical" and reserves had 5 cells - or were round. When we needed to do water jumps for the licence - not just a briefing. And yet I feel completely at home in today's skydiving world. I love my wingsuit, my GPS, my Neptune. I'm glad I started on that old gear though. I'd have killed myself on the stuff available today - just as others are doing. I look forward to what the future has to offer. t It's the year of the Pig.