tigra

It sounds more like a manifest issue than a snubbing, if you ask me. But, then again, I have no real experience jumping at a cessna dz- maybe that's how they do things?? The other jumpers manifesting weren't deliberately getting ahead of you, were they?? And you were doing a coach jump, so its not like you asked to join then and they said no. Manifest just put them ahead of you because that way they could fill the plane and make more money. Don't blame the jumpers, and bring the manifesters some good beer- maybe they will be more considerate next time. (Sometimes you have to suck up to manifest, even if they don't deserve it!)

Hey, I resemble that remark!! My jumpsuit colors and my rig colors are red white and black- shows up real good on video. There's been a few jumps when I wished it didn't.......

Helo jumps are sort of "novelty jumps" so you won't find too many dzs that have them around regularly, but maybe for special occasions, like boogies. We had one for Summerfest last year, and as far as I know it did (still does?) belong to the dz, but it hasn't been around at all this year. Its an expensive aircraft, and if you can't keep it flying, there is no point to have it at a dz. I think Roger made more money from giving rides to whuffos (and jumpers) than from jumpers jumping from it. It wasn't a super big military helocopter, it took maybe 6 passengers? I don't think any special license is required to jump from it, but you should get a briefing on things like how to approach and board it, and the better exit techniques. I made one jump from it and enjoyed it, but the rides the pilot was giving were even more fun than the jump! maura

GREEN Bottles, GREEN, GREEN, GREEN!!!

Exactly!!

Hey, it's all about learning!

I'm just trying to figure out how 4 people from a 7 way belly jump ended up in the same airspace at pull time. If everyone turned 180 from center and tracked away, that just should not have happened. To answer your question, did you do the right thing? Well, no one got hurt and it sounds like you made the best of a bad situation. But I would have a talk with your group about tracking, and the importance of agreeing upon a safe break off altitude altitude BEFORE you make your skydive, and what to do if you find yourself out of the skydive- low or floating, or just not there, at breakoff.

A few years ago, I watched some guy lose his "partial" while we were in a Sky Van. It fell out of his mouth onto the floor and bounced and rolled out that open gap near the tailgate. I felt kind of bad for him, but it was pretty funny- just the look on his face as his teeth were making their exit!

Steve, Comments like that really show your true colors. maura

Jessica, You did the right thing by keeping the dive small. You were able to watch him and get out of his way. AND, later, although he didn't pay attention to break off altitude (bad) he got the point when you shook him off, which was good. You are right to be concerned about safety, especially when you are jumping with people you don't know. But, there is nothing wrong with giving someone the benefit of the doubt and making a jump with them. People did this for you, and its a way of giving back to the sport. (I'm thinking small RW, not FF here....) If things go wrong on the jump and you have some safety concerns, then you need to address them in the debrief. And, if you weren't comfortable with his/her performance in the air, OR his/her answers/attitude on the ground during the debrief, you might need to make a decision not to jump with him/her til he gets a little more experience. Or, if the person seems genuinely concerned, recognizes the mistake and seems willing and able to learn from it, give him another chance. Again, keeping the dive small (like a 2 way) and putting yourself in a control position on the dive. Does that make sense?? Another thing to do, before you go on the dive, is talk to the AFF/AFP jumpmasters if you can. If they know the person you'll be jumping with, they might be able to tell you things to look out for, so you'll be prepared. I've had jumpmasters caution me about EXPERIENCED jumpers I was jumping with when I was the newbie. Good luck with it! maura

now there's a thought! nobody's using an Otter for an RV at my dz, yet.......

I live about 90 miles from my home dz. When I first started, I would go home Saturday nights only to turn around and drive back on Sunday, even if the weather was bad! Then I spent an entire season tenting it, and that got old. So finally, I broke down and got a trailer to keep at the dz. Then I got a bigger trailer, and then I got a bigger trailer.........

Phree, why don't you give it a rest? Your attacks against SDC are getting really old.

As far as the no swearing, its more of a "movement" than a policy. People still swear, I rarely see the peace sign unless I'm flashing it to myself! The campground is big, tent camping is no problem but if you have an RV and need an electric hook up, check with manifest for availibility- they will assign you a slot and tell you where it is. And for you tenters, as a courtesy to the regulars, do not pitch your tent directly in front of or behind someone's trailer without permission. There is plenty of space for camping. There are bathrooms, showers and laundry facilities in the campground, plus plenty of port-o-potties all around. And for those of you who were there last year, I can tell you that the showers don't smell nearly as bad this year, HOWEVER, we do seem to have a short supply of hot water, so unless you are a super early bird, count on a luke warm shower! You should find more info at SDC's website! Hope to see some of you there! And everyone, please be safe! Boogies are fun, but they do pose extra risks. Let's be careful, look out for each other and have fun! maura

I was actually thinking down the road with a bit more experience, after learning to control fall rate, not right away. Sorry if that wasn't more clear, but I was just trying to make the point that sometimes being able to fall fast has its advantages. my bad...... maura

Hey Michele, Quit calling yourself chubby! Your fall rate has a lot more to do with your body position than your weight. I'm guessing Fred has a pretty good arch as well. I also agree with what Zoltan said. Too many people think a baggy suit is the answer to fall rate problems, and it isn't. What you need is a RW suit that fits you, made from a higher drag fabric, possibly with swoop chords and/ or booties. A baggy suit MIGHT slow you down, but really, what happens is that the excess material catches air in places where you don't necessarily want it to catch air, and can cause some instability problems. And if you are already trying to de-arch and stressing over fall rate, the instability just gets worse. So, hang in there, get a suit that fits, and work on relaxing that arch. Things will get better. And there are times when the ability to fall fast without weights can come in really handy. A hybrid dive is a good example of that! Being in the base on a big way is another! maura

I was the same way when I was a student. I really wanted to get everything just right on each dive, and I was more focused on accomplishing EVERYTHING and "not failing" the level than I was on anything else. It took me til my level 11 to get over that, really. Keep it up, and remember, we've all been there! maura

Hey Weasel, I went through AFP at Skydive Chicago a few years ago. If I remember correctly, level 4 is a tough one. This was your first unassisted exit, right? That's always hard, no matter how well the previous jumps went. Add to that heading control, turns AND docks? Anyway, if you're going to get stuck or have to repeat a level, that would be the one. I'm sure your next try will go much better. Don't worry too much about repeating a level; you might still be able to catch up later. Depending on how well you perform, your JM may be able to combine some elements of some levels. I think I did a level 4, then a 4/5 and a 5/6 before I got to level 7. (Obviously, don't suggest this yourself! Your JMs are the best judges of how well your jumps are going and what you are ready for.....) Try not to worry too much about doing each dive perfectly, and relax. There is a lot to do on each level, but each dive is designed with one or two primary objectives in mind. With level 4, for example, the docks are far less important than getting stable after exit and maintaining a heading and controlling your turns. Good luck, and don't forget to have fun!! maura

Hey Michelle, good for you! Don't worry about the folks spreading negative energy, or any of that other stuff ('cept maybe try and land on your feet for the tv people!) It sounds to me like ESPN is looking to do a story about a real person learning to skydive, someone people can identify with. And they chose YOU!! How cool is that???

Well, I was thinking 6 weeks. Then afterwards, I hear it can take up to a year to a year and a half. Guess I didn't do my research!

2 holes, both ears, usually wear small earrings in both. A tiger tattoo on my back, which I love. And I got my belly button pierced last year, which I kind of regret, because it still hasn't really healed properly. (now I have a good reason to tell my teenage nieces not to do it!) I want another tattoo, but won't get anything else pierced! maura

Virtual hug coming your way, Viking. We've all been there! Shit happens, you lived. You aren't the first person to accidently slam the door, or lose track of altitude and you won't be the last! Just remember that those "skygods" on the plane were newbies once too! (even if they don't seem to remember it!) blue ones! maura

I love mine; its loaded at around 1.2 give or take?? I think its a great all around canopy. I'm a pretty conservative pilot- no long swoops or low turns for me, but I've seen other people get some nice swoops out of them.

Just my .2 here.... First, always wave off, even if you think no one can see you. Its just good procedure and a part of your deployment sequence, not to mention muscle memory, etc. Its never a waste of time. 2nd, 2 tries and go for silver is what I've always been taught. Your first reach at 3500' didn't give you THAT much extra time to mess with it. Sure, it would suck to lose a freebag in the dark (F'ing expensive bag, really) but that situation would have been way better than a low pull and possible cypres fire/ 2 out in the dark situation. Not trying to criticize, but this is a safety and training forum, right?? A lot of newbies lurk here, and I'd hate for anyone to think it was OK to search for a handle through nearly 2000 feet. Let's try and learn from this! Blue ones! maura