skyjumpenfool

Pilot in C,c,command!

In that vein, I'll add to this discussion... Back in the day, (It's always a good idea to find a soft chair when I start a story this way) it was a windy day so we were, as we often did, sitting around going thru safety scenarios. One of the very experienced, highly respected jumpers brought up an interesting “what if”… “You’re in the plane, the door is open, it’s spinning and about to crash and you cannot get out. Is there anything you can do?” After a long silence, his reply was, “Dump your parachutes (main & reserve) out the open door/window/hole in the fuselage, anything to slow the crashing plane down. NEVER GIVE UP!!” A very short time later, this jumper was involved in a plane crash that killed 7. At the crash site, his reserve was found open outside the plane. Speculation was it probably opened on impact, etc. But, knowing this person, I’d like to believe he refused to give up. Wow! That's a hard story to tell. Hope this doesn't open up any wounds. Blue Skies! Birdshit & Fools Productions "Son, only two things fall from the sky."

If you really want some excitment, insult the Alpha female!

Yep! And just look at how good those helmets are working. You never see players with head injuries? Birdshit & Fools Productions "Son, only two things fall from the sky."

Sugar Alfa at the Freek Bros. Convention. I was sitting up by the Pilot when he started swearing shortly after takeoff. The jumper by the door, instead of getting the hell out, started working as jump master timming everyones exit and checking gear before we exited. Everyone stayed very calm and all went very well. Birdshit & Fools Productions "Son, only two things fall from the sky."

WOW! I guess all I can say is "Ignorance is bliss". Birdshit & Fools Productions "Son, only two things fall from the sky."

I'm with Top and Twardo on this one. I've spent way too many nights on the ground over the past years. I'll take a good bed and hot shower anyday.

I've been jumping my Wings for several years now. I have yet to run across any problems. I bought it over the Vector because I won a 50% off coupon at a Brest Cancer fundraiser. Im also still jumping a very old Vector (CRW rig). Both will get a hardy thumbs up from me. Competition is our friend. It helps keep prices down. But moreover, it makes them work harder to develope good stuff. My personal oppinion... You'd be happy with either! Just stay away from that Racer? Birdshit & Fools Productions "Son, only two things fall from the sky."

I'm sure this was before you were born, but, I was a national champion gymnast. When I started skydiving, it was a huge advantage. Not because I got extra attention, but because I had the air sense that a gymnast/diver developes along with fear of nothing (which is not always a good thing). I was able to do things that others had no idea how to do. I enjoyed tumbling on the grass landing areas which drew a lot of attention. And, that got me invited on dives I had no business being on. I think that most "gymnasts turn skydiver" will tell you that the biggest advantage is the way we're able (due to formal training) to break down a movement pattern and learn it. A big part of which is visualization. Back Loops... A gymnast initiates a salto by punching with the legs, reaching with his arms, driving his chest and pulling the knees thru. Skydivers initiate back loops by reaching for air with the hands/arms and driving the knees. It seems to me, that once initiated, a back loop is a back loop. You'll find that after the first 1/2 somersalt, you can go to the layout and initiate a twist just the same as you've learned as a gymnast. Divers... pike kick somersalts work very well to initiate forward twists. Same in skydiving. Divers and gymnasts initiate twists differently. Divers wrap the arms to the head (higher) while gymnasts wrap the arms to the body (lower). The reason for this is that gymnasts usually land feet first while divers always enter the water head first. Both methods work well for skydiving. To stop any somersault/twist, Flare and arch. Eventually, you'll fall flat and stable. When you get lost (and you will), Flare and arch. If you're a skilled gymnast, be carefull not to "Z" out. Birdshit & Fools Productions "Son, only two things fall from the sky."

Read all the posts!! Lots of good discussion.

I love it when you "old farts" go after each other. OP. Think about this.... Unless you're buying all new gear, color is of little concern. I'd recommend you finda good used rig (regardless of color) that fits you and will suit your needs for the next 500 or so jumps. Then, You can order a jumpsuit, helmet, gloves, canopies, etc to match. Just remember, do not start out with Pink like the posters above... Birdshit & Fools Productions "Son, only two things fall from the sky."

Agree and disagree. If I've pulled at normal pull altitude and the opening appears to have gone smoothly, I like to look around for traffic while harness turning towards the DZ before brake release. I can also check my slider and give the canopy a good look during this time. Since this only takes 2-3 seconds, I should not have lost a lot of altitude (under a good canopy) in that time. If I have to go to EP's, I have a better understanding of where I, and others, are. Plus, I'm now flying in the correct direction while doing control checks. Birdshit & Fools Productions "Son, only two things fall from the sky."

You can, and, I have. Birdshit & Fools Productions "Son, only two things fall from the sky."

Hmmmm? I can visualize the add for employment in the newspaper... Apply now for a Blow Job!! Birdshit & Fools Productions "Son, only two things fall from the sky."

I think this was the original team (1979/80?), before you're time. As I remember, you were still called "Pete the Pup" when this picture was taken. One third of these guys are no longer around. Picture by John Killdahl (sp?) I believe. Left to Right... Tom (T-Bone) Meyer, Gregg Johnson, Mike Hayden (kneeling), Stan Cronister, Jim Hancock, Gregg Pillon(sitting), Me , Gary Hoffman, Randy Iverson. I think this pic was taken at Baldwin. Thinking they could fly a Beech 18 out of a 2800 foot grass strip. As it turns out, they had to empty the plane, and barely got it off the ground before the (raised) RR tracks. After that, we mainly flew out of Flying Cloud or South Saint Paul. Birdshit & Fools Productions "Son, only two things fall from the sky."

Dug this up at a recent retirement party for an old Northwest Pilot. Who are these guys? Birdshit & Fools Productions "Son, only two things fall from the sky."

This one (see attached). Shown with the active matrix adapter. Birdshit & Fools Productions "Son, only two things fall from the sky."

Find an old HP 5370C scanner with an "Active Matrix" adapter. They are absolutely wonderfull converting negatives to Digital. The adapter shines light thru the negative and the scanner is adjusted to scan that light. You can scan severl negatives at a time (strips) or one at a time. I don't have an example to show you, but the quality of the scan is really good. Birdshit & Fools Productions "Son, only two things fall from the sky."

For on thing, when brousing the adds, the date shows up in a colum that is too small. So, it uses multiple lines. (see attached) Use a better date format like 09-16-12 That will probly solve some issues/ Birdshit & Fools Productions "Son, only two things fall from the sky."

Anchovies just take up space that could be filled with sausage and pepperoni !!!! Birdshit & Fools Productions "Son, only two things fall from the sky."

So, you're saying I need to load that old FB VHS and relive some old memories, or, plan for another boogie this year?

I'm acually very confident in my skills. I know for a fact that I can fuck up a skydive with or without booties. Birdshit & Fools Productions "Son, only two things fall from the sky."

1)What's your personal motivation behind jumping out of an airplane? I started jumping a very long time ago. Probably before many of you younger jumpers were even born. At that time, there were only three voices in my head. We took a vote, and I lost. ....."Squirl!" 2) What factor does adrenaline play in YOUR own skydives? Most thinkle peep I'm under the alcafluence of incohol. (read that three times really fast) That's just the adrenaline. 3)What factor does pushing your skills to the next level play in your time in the sky? Well, now the voices in my head are all laughing out loud. Clearly, pushing myself to the next level has never been a priority. Time to put the tin foil back on my head and go over to the SC forum..... Hope this has been helpful. Birdshit & Fools Productions "Son, only two things fall from the sky."

So.... I think I'll order the new suit with either NO booties, or the extra large booties. Go big or go home. Right? Birdshit & Fools Productions "Son, only two things fall from the sky."

Birdshit & Fools Productions "Son, only two things fall from the sky."