FallinWoman

Hey scott-two things. First, I cutaway at 2000ft, not 1000. My decision altitude is 1800, but I tell myself 2000, just to be safe. Second, not only did I not kick the packer's ass, I will ask him to pack for me again. He made an honest mistake, feels awful, and certainly learned something. Thanks everyone for your support. I cannot tell you how much it means to me! Blue skies, Anne

I should be good to jump next weekend, unless the playoff gmaes are here! By then my rig shoudl be packed!! thanks for your support, Anne

Why can't the people at my DZ be as supportive as you all are? I really expected them to be the ones to soothe me after all of this, and instead it is a group of people whom I have never met. I had no idea that perfect strangers could become so important to me. Thank you!

thanks, Don! After so many people saying I had made the worng choice, it is nice to hear someone validating my decision! We will get better at those landings!!!

I had a jump last weekend that I would like to tell all of you about. It has taken me a week to get the courage to share this story. I know that a lot of you would have made a different chioce, but I ask that you consider where I was coming from, not where you are. Background: I had 81 jumps, eight on my own gear. I never land on my feet. I love skydiving, from sitting by the door on the ride to altitude, to throwing myself out of the plane, to RW, to flying my canopy....I just happen to hate landing. It scares me to death. I was getting pretty comfortable on the student gear, at least to the point that I wasn't terrified each landing. Then I went and bought my own stuff!! I went from a 230 to a 190. I am probably 200 out the door. The 190 seems SOOOOOO fast to me, especially with the face plant landings that seem to be my norm. Last Saturday: I did a four way with three really experieced people. I gave the count, exit went great. I only went low a tiny bit once. I reached for a few grips, but all in all it was awesome. An eight point four-way. SWEET!!! Tracked and pulled, under canopy by three grand. Stowed my slider, went to release my brakes. They were stuck. Tried again, and again, and again... they were in knots. ( I had payed one of the packers to pack for me at the end of last weekend!) I spent the next one thousand feet trying to unstow my brakes and attempting to flare with rear risers. As I got lower and lower, I started shaking and broke into a cold sweat thinking of landing this canopy in half brakes. It scares the shit out of me under perfect circumstances!!!! At two grand, I chose. I cut-away. I experienced a huge sense of relief when I felt that canopy leave me. Even before I pulled the reserve. The reserve opened perfectly, I landed fine. I have taken nothing but shit for my decision. One of the only people to support my decision to chop is a woman who is having as much trouble landing as I am. My JM whom I also thought was a friend summarily dismissed my decision as stupid without even asking about my thought process. I just wonder what these same people would be saying if I had tried to land it and broken my legs or worse. Wouldn't they be saying, "She lands like shit all the time, what was she THINKING trying to land with rear risers!" My goal is to get good enough at landing this canopy that I would not cutaway in similar circumstances. Had I been under the Skymaster 230 on that jump I would have landed it in half-brakes with rear-risers. Just not my super-fast, brand new, face-plant inducing canopy. (It turned out to be a $300 skydive: lost freebag, lost reserve handle, repack, bottle of tequila, case of Heineken, gear rental the rest of the day......) Anyway, thanks for listening! Anne

To answer the original question, I have only seen two firings in the 14 months that I have been going to the DZ every weekend. Both were students. One did about five things wrong, I cannot believe he lived to tell the story... The other fought a spinning mal so long that his cypres fired at the same time he finally cut away. He was fine. none of the experienced jumpers at my DZ have had a fire in the last 14 months, as far as I know! (and they jump with cypreses!) Blue skies, Anne

Congratulations?!! My condolences?!! Now...you go out and find a job where they appreciate all that you do and how well you do it!!! They are actually out there. I went through three teaching jobs in four years before I found the right fit. I am having a blast this year! Something great is out there for ya! Blue skies and happy hunting! Anne

Seriously, what restrictions are you talking about? I feel that the only "rules" that are in place do not interfere with anything I want to do and are there to keep me safe. I am thinking supplemental Oxygen above 15 so I don't get disoriented, lighting on any jump after sunset so other people don't run into me and kill me, land in the same direction so you don't have a collision with another jumper and get hurt or die.....

What if this girl is telling her friends, "There is this really cute guy in my photography class. Just seeing him makes me smile!! I am kinda worrieed that he doesn't like me or isn't interested because he doesn't talk a whole lot and he had yet to ask me out!" Just a thought...there is one way to find out....

Damn, I actually have to work form 8 til three. I have enough time to check e-mail. but not the forums. My job sucks!!! Blue skies ( and real jobs,) Anne

nope... I need some help... Oh, please help me.....

I can unwrap a starburst with my tongue. (exercising those muscles is important...)

Ok, I'm gonna try to get you guys out of the gutter with a real response. i can flare my nostrils. When all my fingers are straight, I can bend just my pinky finger down without moving the others. I can skydive. ( and that is pretty special, I tell you!!!!) I can set off the metal detectors at airports with the screws in my face. (dubious distinction, I know!!!) Blue skies, Anne

I jumped a DZ when Pd was touring there. I think the best advice would be to talk to whom ever is there with the canopies. They know there stock better than any of us could. Of course, they will not tell you about Cobalts or other makes of canopies. In terms of what to demo from them, though, they will be extremely helpful and they are knowledgeable. Have fun and be safe! Anne

Sometimes a close-ish call is exactly what we need to remind us how serious this sport is. I started getting more and more complacent about my pull altitude. It got to the point where I wasn't under canopy until 2 grand, which is also my decision altitude. I opened in a slight spin once, at two grand and FREAKED!!! I realized that I needed to pull sooner to have enough time to make decisions about my canopy. I am back to throwing out between 3.5 and 3 grand. Nothing major happened, just enough to remind me how serious this all can be. You have officially been reminded to release at full arm's length. Now DO IT!!! Blue skies and strong throws, Anne

So cool! Congrats!

How are you exiting? Poised or hanging? I found that my poised were less stable than hanging exits. When hanging from the strut, you are already in an arched position, all you have to to is hold thru your count.

We don't really seem to have a problem with landing patterns. True we only have one king air, but that is still thirteen people in the air at once. I think that we seem to solve it by when we pull. I tend to pull high (3k-ish) with my 1.08 loading canpoy. Those people loading higher also ted to pull lower, be they belly or free-fliers. I often see guys from the groups after me go beneath me toward the landing area as I hang out up high. We also were taught to make a wide pattern if we have a slower canopy. If we need to s-turn, we turn away from the landing area. This provides a narrower pattern lane for the smaller canopies behind us to use to land before us.

"Believe me I'm weird!" Ah, sis, no one here doubts that in the least........ But we love you for it!!!!

How cool are your parents? They lent you the money for SKYDIVING????? My Dad still won't talk to me about it. I had to lie to him to get money out of my trustfund to buy my rig!!! (I am really not as bratty as that just sounded!!!)

i didn't know that HH is a hottie!

Leave it to Viking to turn a perfectly respectable thread into something sexual.

I just saw video yesterday of a guy I know jumping a t-6 (or a t-16, I don't know planes) The plan was that he would hold on as the pilot did a roll at 70-80 knots and when the plane was stable inverted, he would let go. The roll came at 140+ knots. When he let go he did not fall realtive to the plane, but went straight back and struck the tail. He emerged with a gash on his head, that was all, but it was pretty scary to watch. Most skydives are done leaving a plane that would be hard to hit and leaving a plane flying alone in the sky. Hitting an airplane seems to require special circumstances. (although I hit my hand on the step of a Cessna 182. I only know this because I have the video. I never felt a thing!!)

Hey BA, I noticed that you are from Missouri. So am I. Where are you planning to jump?

I was surprised at how good it felt just to be at the dropzone. before I even jumped today. Last weekend was supposed to be a huge weekend (CASA) and since we couldn't jump, I chose not to go out. In light of how I felt today, I probably would have felt better last weekend just being there around such awesome people. I had such a good day, and that isn't even about my jumps!!! blue skies, Anne