tdog

I was walking an I-beam doing rigging in a theatre during one of the aftershocks. I had fall protection on, but I needed piss in my pants protection. In 1997 there was an aftershock when I graduated from school just in time for my parents to be in Santa Monica. I was sleeping on the hotel floor and they screamed. It was funny because they were "small". So years after my "first" they were in town for their "first" - all from the same fault.

My first earthquake: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1994_Northridge_Earthquake My aunt lived 1 mile from the epicenter. I called her and she said everything was ok. She was in shock, two days later I found out that she RODE her bed across the room - that the water heater that was bolted to the wall a week earlier to make it "earthquake safe" took the wall with it into the kitchen, and her neighbors lost their entire homes. I was in Malibu, about 20 miles away. The Christmas lights I had strung across my dorm room ceiling swayed and flickered as the 250 car alarms went off in the parking lot. When the shaking was over and the power did not come back on - I thought, "Oh shit - how am I going to wake up for school without an alarm clock". I went back to bed and turned on the radio the next morning in my car and found out how bad it was. So that was my first.

I call Bull Sh&^ on that one! On my 38th jump we got 12 legitimate points on a 4 way skydive. Picture attached. Yes I had a coach and tunnel time - however - don't think you can't do it as I have jumped with others who did not have coaching and were able to do well in 4way well before 100 jumps... In fact, the CSL puts together scrambles every year designed to get people with 50 jumps participating in 4way! I also call Bull Sh&^ to the "no freefly before".... Yes - there is a "danger" of never getting good on your belly if you don't spend time on your belly - but a few freeflies here and there will give you increased range of awareness/motion/skills - that will apply to all skydiving. You need to know the "dangers" of freefly and how to orient yourself so you don't backslide into other jumpers, but I would say BE WELL ROUNDED - try some easy freefly - try some RW - try some tracking - try some high pulls and play with your canopy - try some no-contact CRW, or Legit CRW with a coach... One of the most fun skydives I did this year was "Rock Paper Scissors." It required skill to stay near someone while throwing the symbols.... If you can find the money - go to Perris or Eloy and attend a 4way camp (1 hour of tunnel time + 24 jumps).... You will come back ready for anything.

Mine = Oval HMA (has two flatter sides if that is what you mean) - and the length has been perfect from the factory - I never have had problems with front risers, yet the toggles start to "work" high enough that no range is lost with extra slack...

Now that is an interesting one... A ship captain goes down with his ship or he makes sure everyone is safe. Thoughts? I agree there is no point in two deaths if one can be avoided, but god - that is a hard one.

I had a few professors who chose their books because they were cheap and good. They were proud of how inexpensive their books were - yet the stuff in them was good. I had a few professors who used the same book year after year so they could stockpile them and hand them to the next class on consignment - basically "paying it forward." I would tell your professors what you think... That in this day and age of Internet and other technologies, that costs do matter, and that they should look out for your best interest - which is the $30 textbook, not the $150 version...

Be careful... PD does not like the word Orange - instead it is Tangerine!!!! I once used the word Orange in an e-mail to them and I had to promise never to say that again to keep on good terms... After jumping a lot of Tangerine PD canopies (Stiletto and Katana) - I can say that the "orange" in the picture in the post is not true to real life (it looks too red on my monitor)... The color leans more towards the yellow spectrum like Norman's in this photo: http://www.performancedesigns.com/pdzone/images/photos/Ohio%20Challenge/target17.html

Stop worrying and stop asking too many questions before the course (I.E. this website) You will get information overload, which might be worse than sensory overload. What I mean by that... If you make this experience bigger than it really is, your mind could set you up for failure. "I can't do that", "That sounds difficult", etc... The truth is, AFF is set up so anyone, even mortal everyday humans, can do great. So far I have not taught a superhero how to skydive, all the students have been everyday people. (Duh - superman already knows how to fly, he does not need us - so there would be no reason to design the class for his level of skills.) It is all a mind game... You have to believe you can do it, and be confident. That is easy once you start working with your instructors and realize they are humans too working with you to succeed. This is not a military boot camp trying to test you or break you - but a fun experience. If you over think it, or over research it, or over anything it - it will seem "bigger" or "more overwhelming" or "more complex" than it really is. So don't worry and go jump.

You asshole I'm jealous ... Travis knows I'm just kidding. Seriously, I am now going to bed... You would not have liked the swooping. The winds were 15-20... Too fast for downwind... Too fast to go far. But - I was able to kite my canopy for a good minute and half after landing - without moving my feet at all. Normally I have to walk or run a bit... It was good practice - almost felt like I was paragliding again, but no calories were hurt since I did not have to run.

The course will teach you everything you need to know to skydive once.

Oh... I almost forgot we have a football team... I was too busy skydiving yesterday and snowboarding today. On that note - I hurt all over, I am going to bed.

For the first time in a long time, I disagree with one of your posts.

When I was in college I worked in a scene shop. Every spring, to celebrate the completion of spring cleaning - we had "The Shop Olympics". Generally speaking, it involved disabling or duct taping all the safeties into the "dangerous" setting and shooting things - or using welders to start intentional fires in non-weldable things like 2X4s. Nail guns had three events. Speed, Accuracy, and Depth - all into a dartboard made of Styrofoam.... I guess we are lucky we never got a nail in our legs...

You forgot the part between waiting for the canopy to inflate and the canopy being fully inflated... The part between is where the fun happens..

You mean the ability to receive free factory training, profits from parts sales to the independents and do-it-yourselfers, and wholesale parts for the work they do???

This place has 12 bays, and 4 guys working at the service counter - and lots of guys working in the shop. It is as big as a dealer... But yes - it is so awesome...

I love the place I go to... Bear Frame and Axel... $72.50 = Alignment, Full oil change, Front end inspection and Brake Inspection. I don't know how they stay in business - as the labor for the oil change was $5 and the oil was $16... When one of our company trucks got an estimate at the Dealer for $4200 for major front end and brake work - Bear did all the work for $600. I don't think my hard earned money will turn into their paycheck even if I wait that long. They probably will pay me to do the work, since they are always so cheap.

By Crisp I meant where you could see a clear intentional start and stop. These skills help in AFF as the ability to stop an intentional turn will allow the skydiver to stop an unintentional turn. Often the first few minutes in the tunnel have intentional turns, but they are "mushy" and "Drift" like the steering wheel of a 1976 Ford LTD...

Meeee toooo... That is why I am shocked that I am going to get twice that! No leaks, no nothing! I love Toyota 4runners....

Duh. I drive the mountains a bit for sking every winter. I also drive stop and go traffic to work 10 miles each way, 35MPH speed limits, and 20+ stop lights. Except for the weekend trips to the DZ - all city...

There were certain laws in this universe that were never meant to be broken. The law that car brakes NEED to be replaced, say every 50,000 or 60,000 miles is one of those laws. I took my 4Runner into the shop at 60,000 miles and they said, "You still have 85% left." I did not believe them. Now, at 100,000 miles I took it in again, "it is squeaking, the brakes have to have worn out by now." I just got a call - 35% of the brakes are left - and unless I promise the brake shop to not bring it back again until it has 130,000 miles, they will not give me my key back because they are sick of seeing me for unneeded worry. So how often do you replace Your brakes. What type of car/truck?

From what I've seen the instructors can have them turning and going up and down in 4 minutes. In 10 minutes they can have them doing side slides and forward and back movement. Of course it does depend some on the instructor and the student. Turns yes. Crisp intentional turns with crisp intentional stops, and that is more challenging in 4 minutes - and the stops/heading control are one of the things that makes AFF go super easy...

What has NO effect?

Yes - more is better - but some cannot afford an hour... If you can afford 1 minute do it. What to work on? Get to the point that your tunnel instructor has let you go and you are not bouncing on the net/glass - and then 90 degree turns with crisp starts and stops... With those skills you will nail AFF. If 4 minutes I doubt you will get to turns, but it will still be the best investment.

I really didn't want to make this a immigration argument - however two things... 1) Yes hospital fees are effected by those who cannot pay. However this does not explain why pharmaceuticals, malpractice insurance, etc are so much more expensive here, and the other "bloat" in the medical bills. It is definitely the dog chasing its own tail. The costs go up for all, all cannot pay, so the cost goes up even more - and the endgame is that no one can pay. Example - if you donate your organs - the companies that process your body mark up your parts so much, the arteries in your leg that can be used in heart bypass, cost $20,000. Why? Something is wrong here - and it is NOT that the illegals cannot pay as this is the price before hospitals add their markup. 2) For everyone who says that illegals come to the US and don't pay into the system - that is wrong. These individuals are taking the near minimum wage jobs that Americans used to take, and even with papers that are not legit - employers are forced to deduct Social Security and Medicare at the same rate. However, since their papers are not legit, they cannot use these benefits they are paying for. Imagine - if the doomsday folks say that Social Security will be bankrupt in (for the sake of argument) 30 years - how much sooner would it be bankrupt if all of a sudden all the undocumented workers stopped contributing today.