squarecanopy

Ya, no joke! My boss came by my office after seeing the vid and said "See there, that whacko sport is going to kill you yet-I guess I will just have to take out some more life insurance on you." I got my heart rate up to about 150 just watching the video - Just burning a hole in the sky.....

WOW-THAT IS DEEEEEEP. Just burning a hole in the sky.....

Hey, Dave, nothing personal man but I HATE brussel sprouts and I am quite sure that anybody who would put those nasty damn things in their mouth would eat shit and bark at the moon.... Other than that I really have no opinion on this subject. Just burning a hole in the sky.....

Well said Travis! I am just now getting a decent sitfly in the tunnel, and it sure is nice with the air turned up high to have an "out" when I screw up in a sit. Just burning a hole in the sky.....

What Monkeyboy said. Absolutely. Just burning a hole in the sky.....

That is a very extreme statement. In my world, if I thought I knew such DPREs, I would feel morally obligated to do something about it. Lives are at stake. So, what you gonna do? This isn't a case of gossip about people's private lives, this is a case where you clearly state that there is a serious, life threatening, breach of safety. The FAA wants to know, and so do I. I second that. I have minimal experience with rigging but many intentionally safe years in my field of professional endeavor, and we all must take seriously a breach of training that puts a third party (sometimes unsuspecting) in jeopardy. You never know, the life you save may be mine. Just burning a hole in the sky.....

Exactly!!!! Sartre hits the nail on the head AGAIN!!! Just burning a hole in the sky.....

Peeing in the shower only makes sense. Urine is sterile, so no bacterial problems, and the water is running anyway and it goes into the same drain down the line, so it really is a practical thing to save water. So, YES!!! I am a conservationist, and I am doing my part to save the planet one pee at a time. Just burning a hole in the sky.....

Ya, it hit -22F that night at my house west of Castle Rock. I have seen -28F on my thermometer ( YES, MIKE, YOU CAN SEE TEMPERATURE) at my house on rare occasions. I have jumped at Mile High when it was 50 F on the ground and 5 F at 12,500 AGL (about 18,000 MSL). But you aren't up in that real cold air long, and ...it is a dry cold.... Just burning a hole in the sky.....

Hey Thomas, My plates in my right tibia/fibia ache slightly when we have a large barometric/temperature change. It really is slight compared to yours, so it sounds like Swedishcelt's advice is something you should think about. I broke mine in May 2004, was off jumping 15 months, but now I can run 2 miles at a time with no pain, wakeboard all week, softball, etc. I would worry if it is hurting alot, I would go see the Doc. I did talk to the ortho surgeon who screwed me back together about removing the implants. He is a really good doctor whom I respect alot, his opinion was unless the plate causes problems leave it alone. It is expensive to remove, and of course the recovery time from the surgery means no jumps for a while. BSSL, Bill Just burning a hole in the sky.....

I think whether they have to scrap that airframe or not, those men owe their life to the integrity of the Beechcraft airframe. Most airplanes would have shucked the wings under that kind of stress. I have about 2300 hours in Beechcrafts and I love their structural soundness. They are great to jump out of too! Reminds me of the story from WWII of the P-38 in the Pacific that got into a high speed dive, controls froze, and the pilot recovered from the 20,000 foot dive by cranking up elevator trim tab into it-the Air Corps scrapped the airframe after the investigation, and the engineers that examined the rather warped fighter determined that it was likely that it had attained supersonic speeds or close to it- Just burning a hole in the sky.....

That's pretty much it. Only if I am showering with my wife I don't pee... Just burning a hole in the sky.....

Well sorry to hear that you shared our experience- that is ironic! Judging from the piles of snow in my yard and on my road, it may be longer than I want to wait to jump around here again. The tunnel definately helps, the air temp in this one is alot more tolerable than the Eloy tunnel. Hope you have a good time this weekend ! Just burning a hole in the sky.....

I second that emotion! I know several Colorado sky/tunnell babes that fit in that catagory!! Just burning a hole in the sky.....

Billlllllllllllll!!!!!! I didn't know you used language like that. I've succeeded in corrupting you as well. Boy, that is no shit. Just burning a hole in the sky.....

Anybody's ass in particular you are looking to kick? Just burning a hole in the sky.....

Hey Mike! The weather really has been lousy. If it is any consolation, the weather in Arizona has been crappy too, we went down to Eloy two weeks ago to get into the sky and it rained 3 out of 4 days that we were down there, Ended up only getting 7 jumps in, two of those in light rain from low altitude, came home to the prospect of maybe never getting to jump here until July or so. Just burning a hole in the sky.....

HEY MAN - I resemble that remark.... Just burning a hole in the sky.....

I got one for Christmas from my sons (now did I raise them right or what?!?!!!!) and I am loving that helmet! For all the reasons that have been already stated, plus two more: It is much stronger than a fiberglass helmet, so better protection-which is why we wear them. And it is very light-about the same weight as my open face Z1, which is the only other helmet I have used. I have jumped it 7 times now and flown it in the wind tunnel at Eloy (cold as hell the night we were there) and it is the BOMB!! Blue Skies Safe Landings Bill Just burning a hole in the sky.....

Hey Zing- That is a great story!!! My vote so far is the Twin Otter. It is twin engine reliable, gobs of power, STOL, and slow on the jump run, which makes climbing out much nicer. I love the King Air because I used to fly in one years ago with my dad and for the great rate of climb, just as long as we are making a diving exit. Otherwise that 100 knot jump run speed just beats the tweedle out of you if you climb out. I started jumping out of a 206 at Calhan CO and the slow rate of climb meant a long time at higher altitude, resulting in alot of hypoxic jumpers. If you are doing H&P's it is a fun ride- Just burning a hole in the sky.....

Deb, You are going down the same road we all have-scared witless but not able to stop yourself from jumping- the fear subsides into a healthy respect for the challenges, and the joy just grows. It will burn a great deal of your time, money, focus, and energy and WORTH EVERY BIT OF IT!! A cool side benefit is that you will be teaching your daughters to be bold and to pursue the extreme things in life if they are of a mind to, rather than whuffo through life and miss all of this!!

Monique, I was in the same spot as you are now in June of 2003. My 18 year old son wanted to do an AFF jump for his birthday, and me like a durn fool went along and jumped too. I just got my B license and all I do is dream about skydiving when I am not actually jumping out of POA's (Properly Operating Aircraft). My son has put his skydiving on hold right now to serve in the Marine Corps. I think it is great that you are supportive of your son, and I can tell you from a technical/field engineering background and an intense interest in aircraft and the equipment that we use, I am quite at peace with the fact that the risks present in skydiving are manageable with good training. The container and canopy designs, evolution and improvements of our gear has been so significant that I am sure the most dangerous thing your son will do on that day is drive back and forth to the drop zone. The freedom and natural high of skydiving is only available to those who get out the airplane door, and is so worth the time, effort, money, and risk!! My younger son is now an accomplished wind tunnel monkey and skydiver, and my wife is learning to tunnel fly as well, so it really has taken hold in our family and it all started with that 18th birthday celebration.... Let us know how it comes out!!! Blue Skies Safe Landings!!

Even though I don't know him, I am very sad for the Bisson family and Jeffrey Bisson's skydiving family. My gratitude for his sacrifice is not easy to put into words. As the father of two Marines (who are also skydivers), I pray that nobody ever has to post something similar about either of them. Blue Skies, Jeffrey Bisson...Thank you, God Bless you. Jump easy, fly free... Just burning a hole in the sky.....

Hey Marc, You have already gotten the best advice- Demo the canopies you are considering-winter is a great time to do that as the demand for the available demo canopies is lower. I personally have settled on the Sabre 2 because I like the way it flies and I have gotten help to get it to open nice. I have a pocket slider on my new 210 ( used but new to me) and it came from the previous owner like that-really eases the opening. Also, the packing trick to soft Sabre 2 openings is to roll the nose on the outside three cells on each side inward about one roll, but leave the center three cells completely exposed, and make sure the nose side of the slider in particular is well exposed before you fold up. This will make for good openings as well if you decide on a Sabre 2. Good Luck, Blue Skies,Safe Landings! Just burning a hole in the sky.....

Hey Dave, It's gotta be cold in Ohio in the winter-do you just tough it out on winter days? I am getting ready to try a Freezer and I will post my results after jumping it a few times- it is getting dow to 0 degrees F at 12,500 around here, from now until end of March Just burning a hole in the sky.....