SkySlut

yeah, pricey, but if you are going to get serious with RW, like getting a 4 way team together or something...you cant go without it. If you are going to get a team together or you jump with the same people...throw in 25 bucks a piece and get one. Shit, if you jump at Eloy, have Airspeed show you...those guys are great!!! Jack Jefferies Rocks!!! "I'll jump anything!"

yeah, pricey, but if you are going to get serious with RW, like getting a 4 way team together or something...you cant go without it. "I'll jump anything!"

Dont know if it is different jumping on an island (good chance, I would imagine) but I am sure that you would have to have a flotation device at a minimum. Good question. "I'll jump anything!"

www.uspa.org will give you all the listings of DZs in Hawaii if Dropzone.com doesnt have them. I think that a DZ needs to list themselves on Dropzone.com (I could be wrong, but I know that some are in there and some arent). Greg, I dont know how windy it is there, but it really isnt the wind speed that matters...its the gusty-ness of the wind that really makes a difference and what the rotors are coming off of. For example, I jump in New England. There are lots of big trees everywhere and the wind is really gusty, but when I went down to Florida...the wind was higher than New England but it was a constant wind...for the most part it was more predictable because of the landscape. I would never jump in New England with the winds that I had in Florida. I just had to be aware of it and fly my canopy a bit differently. So you should take that into consideration moreso than just the windspeed itself. Although I certainly wouldnt want to get caught downwind in Hawaii...long swim home!!! "I'll jump anything!"

Definately go with used gear for your first rig...otherwise, most of those dealers are good, but consider your local DZ. Most of them are dealers too. You may not get the BEST price out there, but they will make sure that you are getting exactly what you need according to your skills, size, etc. Plus, its good for the DZ. Some DZs will give you deals off rental gear. For example, my DZ (Skydive New England) lets you jump rental gear for free while you wait for your new gear to arrive if you buy it from them. "I'll jump anything!"

Cool!!! Thanks! "I'll jump anything!"

It is really tough to explain on a thread, but as cliche as it sounds...skydiving is a zen sport. Practice with dirt diving & visualization on the ground. If you get your muscles to remember things...it becomes automatic, so when you are up in the air and you have to from point A to point B...you dont have to think, you are totally relaxed and letting your muscles do their thing in the air. Take a deep breath, give a big smile out the door and....Ohhhhhhmmmmmmm. Everything falls into place. The best piece of advice that I have every gotten (Jack Jefferies from Arizona Airspeed) is "If it's hard...you are doing it wrong." Once you get the feeling and things fall into place, you will think to yourself "that wasnt that hard, why the hell couldnt I get that 20 jumps ago?". It happens to all of us, so relax and dont think about it. Prepare on the ground so you dont have to think in the air...let it fly!!! Let me know how you make out. "I'll jump anything!"

If you really want to get da shit...buy (99 bucks) or find someone who has the Skydive University's 4'99 video. That has some kick ass dives from Arizona Airspeed. It goes over each person, where they are at, what body position they have out of the plane and through the dive. It is very, very, very thorough. Check it out if you are serious about getting into RW. Pricey, but a good investment for the longhaul. "I'll jump anything!"

Its a weird thing to try to explain. Next time you are in your car and are bombing down the highway...stick your arm out the window and stiffen up your arm and try to hold it in the exact same place...do you notice how it buffets in the wind? Now, play with your arm and move it around "relaxed"-play with the wind a bit and feel the difference. The only thing that we are doing up there is deflecting wind...its actually simple physics if you think about it and the smallest moves of our arms and legs can cause amazing moves to happen in the air. Point being:If you are stiff, you will potatochip just like your arm did while you were in your car, but if you relax and "feel" the wind and play with it...you will become stable. It may not make sense now, but it will. Its a hard thing to explain. Its can be a vicious circle:the more you try to get your brain to force you to relax, usually the opposite happens and you start to waffle around and then you freak and it just seems to get worse. The opposite seems to be true, for me anyways, the more I forget about holding that arch and all the physical stuff that I need to do to get from point A to point B in a formation...the better off I am. I stop worrying about the little things and start living in the moment and enjoying what is going on. My body knows how to do this stuff, I practice it on the ground and in my mind, the best way for me to have a great skydive is to have fun and forget about all the little pieces that have to be put together in order to get the entire picture. Does that make any sense? Another example is driving a standard:if you actually thought about every single move (push in the clutch, step on the gas, shift, etc) while you are driving...you would probably stall the car or get in an accident. After a while it just becomes secondary and you dont think about it anymore...now you can eat a sandwich, talk on your cellphone, drink a coffee and be flying down the highway at the same time. I know that is very longwinded...sorry! "I'll jump anything!"

http://products.mmm.com/us/home_leisure/products/home_leisure.jhtml?powurl=GSYXRVH4GLbeGSHCV1ZFXKgeGST1T4S9TCgvMVX0XDF8RQgl Not a very efficient URL, but its the link to all the scotchgards that 3M makes...they got quite a few of em. I think that I am going to go with the outdoor upholstery stuff...if I can find it! "I'll jump anything!"

The only place that I have seen that simulatot is at ESPNZone in Manhattan. I also saw a picture of someone using one at the PIA Symposium. Maybe you could contact someone @ PIA.com and see if they have a list of vendors that attended this years symposium and see if they can help you out. "I'll jump anything!"

Just make sure you post a picture so everybody can see how it turned out... "I'll jump anything!"

If you are having major problems with the Sabre (I havent been whacked yet...knock, knock) give a shout over to Scott Miller from PD. This guy knows everything about canopies, packing them, flying them, etc. He may be able to give you some tips on not getting whacked. "I'll jump anything!"

I would make sure you go to a reputable piercer...I have heard stories of nerve damage, but it is only the hood. I say go for it! "I'll jump anything!"

Heard the same thing for guys too. My not so evil twin at the DZ has his done and he said it wasnt bad...but not for me thanks! "I'll jump anything!"

Yep, I agree. I love the fact that nobody knows that I have it...and if they do see it, people are extremely suprised. Its fun. A buddy of mine got his done and bled like a stuck pig though. Really nasty. "I'll jump anything!"

Yeah, I got my nipple pierced and it hurt a good amount, even considering the amount of aneasthetic I drank beforehand. The piercer said that it is worse for a guy to get his nipple pierced than for a woman...so if you want to go that route...you have that going for you. It took a really long time to heal properly-9 to 10 months. ughh. "I'll jump anything!"

Right on!!! That is excellent!!! Some girls I know have em and they are pretty happy with them. There is only one I know that gotten it taken out because it felt to good when she touched herself, worked out, got caught in a stiff breeze, whatever...I thought that was pretty interesting. "I'll jump anything!"

yeah, weirdest thing...because she didnt tell me and I had no idea it was there. Total bonus. You know a girl means business if the has that piece of hardware. "I'll jump anything!"

Have you been with a girl with a piercing downstairs...thats very interesting!!! Its kinda like finding two prizes at the bottom of the crackerjack box! "I'll jump anything!"

Fancy?!?! Is that what they call it in Europe??? "I'll jump anything!"

Well that would explain the beerfoam mustaches the women wear or are those real mustaches??? "I'll jump anything!"

If you cant or dont want to get em both...go with the belly button piercing. I love em! "I'll jump anything!"

I think that it would be pretty cool to have more in the section for competition news. Special inserts for say...Arizona Airspeed, Sebastian XL, Generation FX or for Freefly teams as well, i.e. Monkey Claw, Psycho Circus, the Flyboyz, etc. I understand that there may not be much to report on during the "off-season" but maybe you could get information on the camps that they may be running or get some of these guys to post an article on flying techniques or competition tips. It would be good for your readers, I would certainly check this section daily to see what is going on with the best in the world, and I think that it would be good for the teams because they would be able to get more people interested in their camps. More importantly, I think that it would be good for the sport as a whole by getting more skydivers interested in learning from the best. Just an idea...but I would love to see it! "I'll jump anything!"

It is possible...it cost my roommate about 100 bucks to get it converted. Hope that helps. "I'll jump anything!"