Bill_K

I won't be there this weekend. I get to be daddy this weekend for my middle boy who is turning 10!! Sorry John, but he wins out. I'll be back the following weekend though, will you be? We need to try and get Gary out there flying with us though. We need to up the flock to 4, that would be fun.

Hey Jon, where you been, have not seen you in a while... What do you mean "keep up", you fly with above, below all around me like I'm sitting still... with that 10 ft. frame of yours you go like a bat out hell dude... Not sure what you mean by my openings? PS. Notice the avatar? That's a screen grab from the video you shot last time we were out flying together... needs to be updated now that Marion has his fancy new suit though...

Awesome, thanks, reading through it now. Going to print it to take home and have handy as well. Thanks again for all the help!!

DOH!!! Well doing a little googling around it actually lead me back to Scott's book and low and behold, he DOES cover that starting on page 192. Reading more now... Clicky

Chuck, can you recommend some other "during the week" stuff that I can do to help build those muscles up? You know that "PT" stuff, which I am actually doing now and have managed to lose some weight, but have a ways to go...

I was just wondering if any of you other Sr. guys in this area have run into issues with arm fatigue at pull time resulting in what feels like a hard pull? I've had it happen a couple of times now and am wondering if this common or if others ever experience this from time to time?

Here here, VERY WELL Said!!!!! I rode out there with Don to collect you that day and I was commenting to him how he never comes to pick me up. He looks at me with this serious look and says, well look at you... enough said. I did mention though that I was glad to know that there were guys like him at the DZ and should I need a ride I know he'd give it to me. If you've ever seen me lumbering around you'd know why I 'need' the walk back from landing out a little bit. Don and Jean, love ya guys, you da bestest!!!

Wowzers, when does he sleep?!?! Awesome site, the time lines of both the WS and his personal bio are awesome, very interesting and educational. Thanks for posting...!!

Thanks for the post and reminder!! I think all to often this one statement at the end goes over looked!!

Don, that's just to dam cool man, now you'll never get your head in that helmet!!

And your point would be??? Freak'n awesome video... dam I wish I could have been there.

Don't wish too hard. Winds were honking today, all day. Not much jumping was had, 2 jumps is the most some made the whole day. Sunday looks like it may be the better, knock on wood. Still has to be FAR better than being stuck in the office. Much more fun to enjoy the time with the flock... bummer about the winds though. Hope today goes a LOT better for everybody there. BK

Well here I sit still at work wish'n like hell that I was there... have some nice long flights, wish I could be enjoying the fun!! BK

Some sort of overly smart nerdy type job I'm sure...

I think he's the top right in the base. BSBD, glad to have met and jumped with you Alex...

Ah, that makes more sense. Your still old...

So is that 30 since moving to Skydive Orange or 30 students total? Nice write up! You're an old man there Scott...

Yes I very much do and had I not had a bad sinus infection two weeks ago while I was down there I'd have been there. I had my rig and suit with me too.

I'm both a new WS flyer (17 flights so far) and am heavier pilot (68" & 225lb out the door). I purchased an PF Acro here on DZ.com used and so far am really liking it. My goal is to improve to the point that I can do more flocking. I really want longer flights in bigger and bigger flocks. Oh and I don't want to be the base all the time. I'm really looking for some coaching and ideas on how to improve in this suit before I go buy a more advanced suit. What are the things I can be working on when I'm out flying, both solo or with smaller groups. We have 3 more WS's at my DZ and 2 of those are up for a flock just about anytime. Thanks in advance for all the help & ideas!!

Since skydiving is an aviation related sport, perhaps a comparison to learning to fly airplanes would help you see the point. Let's say you have a private pilots license but only have 50 hours total time. You may have the skill to safely fly and land an Otter because you're god's gift to piloting, but there are good reasons why you wouldn't be able to get into the left seat of an Otter with only 50 hours of experience flying any airplane. The majority of those good reasons involve the safety of other people. ACTUALLY in the USA there are NO requirements for total flight hours for a private pilot to be allowed to fly a multi-engine airplane. ALL you have to do is demonstrate that you have the necessary ability, to the satisfaction of the FAA. Yes and no. The requirement to fly that muliti with paying pax is still a minimum of 250 hours, so again, yes and no...

There are many creative ways to bring this cost of entry down!! Start here for example. Many complete rigs to be had, or you can piece together what you need. When the time comes and you want to buy your first container you can again be creative here. You can buy a container sized for a 170 for example and put from a 150 up to a 190 in it usually. (Check with the manufacturer first.) You may have to change D bags, but you can get much use out of that new container before you have to get a new smaller one. By the time you need one you'll have a year or two or three or more in the sport and you can resell that container to put toward your new one... In other words if cost is an issue you can find ways to be creative and over come it.

And you'd still get a 200-jump wonder complaining about how the 300 limit oppresses him (and it will be a 'him") because he's Ahead Of The Curve. So I say regulate, pick numbers, enforce. As someone upthread said, they'll get over it if they really are God's gift to skydiving. Trust me when I say; if properly enforced some of these restrictions are not a bad thing (NOT SAYING REGULATE EVERYTHING). I was told that the recomendation for doing a WS jump was to have 200 jumps, etc. So when I heard that we had a first flight course coming to our DZ and I was ~35 or so jumps shy of that number with 5 weeks to go, I set about getting those jumps. In otherwords I met the recommended number, even though it required me to really accelerate my jump rate per weekend for a month. I did NOT question that number, it was set by those with much higher jump numbers than I have, which in turn tells me they have a LOT more experience and wisdom in the sport. Those numbers are there for a reason so I followed them. Turned out to be one of the best things that I ever did for myself and what I like to enjoy in Skydiving!

Not if you do it at my DZ. Instructors, packers, and the DZO are there trying to make living. If you fuvk up, and bring the ambulance, the FAA, or the laywers to the DZ, you're risking the welfare of the DZ itself, and the employment of said workers. Let's say the damage from your incident is limited to the day of the incident, your actions stand to shut down the DZ until the helicopter has left the field, and how many tandems are going to want to jump after seeing an 'expereinced' jumper crater in? What about that lost imcome? Who is going to compensate the staff for that? Every hour of sunlight on a day with good weather is where those jumpers make their money, and when you soak that time up being carefully peeled off the ground, it hurts more people than you think. You want to act like a dickhead, do it with your own plane, at your own DZ. Otherwise, realize that jumping at a DZ is not a god given right, and have some respect for your fellow jumpers. Wow, well, well said!!!!

Get another 100-150 jumps, down size for that first time and make a bunch of jumps in different weather, oh and be on the receiving end of that a time or three, then come back and tell me why your ok to be in the right sport. I've sat out many times due to winds or conditions that I did not like. I've also been dumb and been that last guy that make the load turn. And it all comes down to the mood that I'm in that day. If I'm in a jump whore mood, I'm making every jump and I don't care. If I'm in a relaxed just there to enjoy life mood, I'm much more likely to sit it out. Give yourself some time in the sport and then lets talk about this statement again. I downsized the first time at about ~110 jumps. I went from a 225 to a 190, which I've now put over 100 jumps on the new one. My reasons for downsizeing, partially the statements above. I was at Dublin last year loading my 220 at 1:1 or 1:0.9 and in the strong but steady winds I could not get any drive. So after talking to my local S&TA and the instructors that did my AFF and much thought and care I moved down to a 190. On my VERY first load on the 190 I had the misfortune of getting to do a down winder on the first landing. Guess what though, I ended up running it out and being just fine. However I had made a conservitive choice with much care and thought put into it, something different and the outcome may have been much different. My reasons for downsizing were so that I could jump in stronger winds and make it back. I now load a little over 1.2 give or take depending on the time of day if you get my drift.

I'm very willing and happy to accept a level of risk to engage in this sport. What I don't want is the guy with ~100 jumps loading up at 1.9 and not understanding how to fly a pattern making that choice for me. When he's in the sky with me putting me at risk of being taken out because he's free flying for example and I'm belly flying and he pulls later, but has to come down through my airspace because he's landing faster and takes me out, well he's made the risk choice for me.