Bill_K

That cats one is asweome, well heck they both are. How many plane loads and typs of planes were involved? How long did it take it to build, did you go to extra alititude?

Babi, I've been using a Mamba since early on and can't think of anything else I would rather be wearing. It's comfortable, the lense locks into place, yet it opens with one hand very easy. I always pop the visor up as soon as I'm able to under canopy. (I.e. all my other safty stuff is done, SSS, etc. Once I'm headed back and all is under control.) It is a bit pricey, but like everything in this sport or life you get what you pay for. Oh and another pro, I've already replaced the visor once and that was cake. Makes it nice when it gets scratched up from use. All in all I've been very pleased with it. Stay safe, BK

Never thought of skydiving as a motor sport, but I guess when you put it this way it makes good sense. I also never complained about the cost either. I've found creative way's to fund it and will continue to do so into the future.

Yes. Why would you get spanked on deployment?

Your control check should come before all of that as well as knowing your exact altitude. If you fail a control check 1,000 feet lower, then everything else did not matter. You could run into a HUGE spinning problem when you unstow brakes. What if you got a tiny loop of brake line caught in your glove? Just think about it and stay safe man! If your loosening your chest strap before you unstow your brakes, and if for some reason you have to chop after you unstow... what's wrong with that picture. That seems to me like it could suck pretty bad if that chest strap is to loose. Probably not as bad as a mis routed chest strap but still. SSS, then do the rest, hang in breaks, head out of the way, what ever, but make sure you can fly what you have back first. Stay safe...

Do they show an in flight movie and serve beer with that?

We have the Army team Sliver Wings at our DZ and those guys are always shooting for a big X out there. That said, I pick a target on every jump. I learned that in Scott's course. It's my goal to be standing with in 10 feet or less of that mark every time. Sometimes due to traffic, winds, etc. I end up a long ways from it, but I still pick it and go for it.

Right off of AFF I was lucky enough and stubborn enough to be jumping with others. If you take the hop-n-pop's out of the mix I can count on one hand the number of solo jumps that I've made since I got off my AFF status. Now I go looking for others to jump with, even trying to learn new things like sit flying, I have a couple of people that I will seek out and wait out a load to jump with. What I am saying is that I learn more and faster by jumping with others! If you can find others that are better than you to jump with (pretty easy for me) it's that much better. I can't tell you how many larger ways that I've been on where I'm the only one under 500 or even 1000 jumps that I've been on. After every single one I find the organizer and/or other senior jumpers on the load and ask what I can do to improve, or talk about the jump in general. I will also ask somebody that I know on some of those groups (before we take off) to watch me and give me coaching on this or that so that I can learn. I do this on just about every jump that I make if I can. Sometimes the groups are to small or people to busy, but most of the time I'm able to get some feedback, and in some cases even provide it. Hey Pop's jumper, remember that picture? That was this time last year...!!

Relative to others doesn't stop at 3 ft. There is way more to flying with others. Ya, like the guy that goes low on the formation and then flies 'under' it and then does a back flip to "find" the formation. Like 30 feet or so below the formation... Anyway, that's another forum... That aside, I've been in the tunnel several times, I went right between my level 6 and 7 of AFF and the coach had me work on body position, my pull technique and showed me how to turn with one arm on my back etc., lots of good basics!! When I went back and did my level 7 my AFFI asked what had changed, he could tell a distinct difference in my flying. The next time I went back I was in the mid 70's in jumps and I started learning mantis. Each time I've gone in I told the coach the items that I wanted to work on. In each case they helped me learn a LOT. I think though that the best way for me to learn a lot in skydiving is to make a lot of jumps in a short period of time. The weekends where I get to go out and make 20+ I learn a ton, where the weekends that I only get to make 4 or 5, like this one I still learn, but not nearly as fast as those other weekends. BK

Thanks Skymama... I'm still bumm'n that I did not get to meet you at Dublin... How is Lake Wales? That seems pretty close, I'm trying to find something that will allow the family to do their thing and me to do mine. I may work it out to do it on a Friday or Saturday too. Any tunnel packages that you might be aware of? I need some more tunnel time too... can't ever have to much of that.

What are the closest DZ's to Orlando? That jump all week? Thx, BK

Ditto that!! Thanks to Spence, Don, Jean and all the others that worked so hard behind the sceens to put on such a great time for us.

Huh? I made 24 jumps at Dublin and EVERY load I was on it was addressed in the plane. Hell I was the first one there on Wed asking for a clear definition of which side to land on in order to be sure I was out of the way. Spence and Don quickly pointed it out and it was communicated many times over throughout the weekend. So if somebody did not know they did not spend to much time asking because the word was put out, time and time again. BK

So if its sunny why are you posting here you should be off jumping... Wind?

For being a weather day today, it sure as hell was fun!!! Managed to make all 5 loads yesterday, and got 10 more in today. I sure hope the weather proves those goof's wrong again tomorrow!! Good times, good times... Spence, this is one hell of a good time man. Thanks for sending that Otter one last time tonight... That was very cool of ya!! Is it Friday yet?!?!?

Are we on a call yet? This work thing is a drag the day before... I have a feeling I won't be getting much done today... grrr...

Oh trust me on that much, I will register first thing. I guess that I can always 'help out' until the object of my affection arrives. I would like to start jumping on Wed. though. Really want to try and get to 100 during this thing.

What time's the first load on Wed? Do I get to sleep in a little before driving down?

Chuck didn't have the spectacular crashes last year, that was me. What kind of planes ya bringing? Can I play too?

Well stop doing that and lower them back down so that we can all jump more!!

I'm coming too, but I'll let somebody else screw with the list to add me in where ever Skymama feels fit.

My 2007 goals: 1. Fly and Stay Safe! 2. Get more jumps in 2007 than I've got total at this point. Maybe with some luck my C. 3. Take the next canopy course from Scott Miller, took the first one this year. Gotta learn this canopy flying stuff better. No swooping, just wanting to be safer!! 4. Get a second rig so that I can jump more!!!

Congrats, now the fun really begins. Fly safe...

Is this you? http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/simplyputsi/detail?.dir=4523re2&.dnm=ca7dre2.jpg&.src=ph

Ah... girlfriend... sorry about that. I'm married and when I see two people attached I jump to assumptions. You must do the same type of work that I do, I got in about 5:50 myself. BK