chopchop

As everyone has said, everything just becomes really, really clear. My first one I had a ton of altitude, cleared my line twists but had a tension knot that sent me into a spin. It all seemed slow. Like, OK, clear the twists, twists gone, OK, hmmm, that's not good. RIP!!! Ah, that's better. Beautiful baby blue PD reserve taking me home. The next one (the next day) violently spinning mal, also very clear, Goddammit, not again, unhook RSL, can't get it, screw it, pull pillow, stuck, both hands, RIP, woohooo, shit, where'd my stuff go... never to be found again. Anyway, time slows down under a mal as your mind starts going through the process very quickly. chopchop PD makes canopies all day long, you only have one life, when in doubt, cut away...

Everything is cheaper in Lodi. Maybe you could afford AFF in Lodi? Have you checked their AFF prices or just their static line prices? chopchop PD makes canopies all day long, you only have one life, when in doubt, cut away...

"So Dz guys my big ones help with free fall" Do they invert on naked jumps cupping air and slowing down your fallrate? ,but seems like most guys just like a "b" What do you guys like better?" A to DDD, pink to molasses, big niples and small, I like em all- just so long as their firm - not too hard, not too soft - just firm chopchop PD makes canopies all day long, you only have one life, when in doubt, cut away...

Hope you heal fast man. I thought it might be a good idea just to go to a dz for an hour and hang out. Bad idea - stay away while you are hurt - it just makes the hurt hurt more.... watching big way dirt dives and beautiful swoops - my leg started aching like the day i broke it... chopchop PD makes canopies all day long, you only have one life, when in doubt, cut away...

woohoo... went to the hospital today and got a walking cast. Doc says I can jump in it in a few weeks if I am careful. Wahtever that means. And off in 5 weeks. Soooo happy to dump the gimp sticks. chopchop PD makes canopies all day long, you only have one life, when in doubt, cut away...

Kelly - will you save my life next? pretty please w/ tequila on top? chopchop PD makes canopies all day long, you only have one life, when in doubt, cut away...

thanks Lisa, I've lowered them already but not quite that far. I'll lower them more and see how it goes. chopchop PD makes canopies all day long, you only have one life, when in doubt, cut away...

Jason - I think it means you've got the best drugs, man. Now - SHARE... chopchop PD makes canopies all day long, you only have one life, when in doubt, cut away...

Can't say it is the answer for everyone but I have had two cutaways where the RSL did it's job before I could get silver in my hand. The first one was a pretty mellow chop. The second one was a violently spinning mal with me on my back. I tried to disconnect the RSL but couldn't catch the little handle thing. Ended up turning on my side a little and chopping. The interesting part is I had a hell of a time pulling my cutaway pillow - it took both hands because it was pressed so hard against my body. Now, given enough altitude and I had it that time I probably could have gotten stable, found my silver and deployed my reserve. But what really happened is I arched into the relative wind - the cutaway launched me straight out, the reserve sprang off of my back and I was pretty quickly swinging down under my beautiful blue PD reserve. Pissed off about the cutaway and trying to spot my main but safe. I don't know that an RSL will be good in every situation but it sure worked well that time. oh, yeah, and the time before that time. chopchop PD makes canopies all day long, you only have one life, when in doubt, cut away...

Thanks for the kind words guys. And Merrick for checking out the scene and sharing his healing experience. 6 weeks seems like an eternity. I usually jump every weekend, planned on being in Elsinore and Perris Thursday and Friday, Z-Hills next weekend and again early Dec. Anyway, went to a speed-healing course over at the community college this afternoon and they kept trying to teach me how to read fast. Does anyone know how that helps healing? Is there a correlation between speed-reading and speed healing? - Maybe I'm a little blurry from the medication still chopchop PD makes canopies all day long, you only have one life, when in doubt, cut away...

Hey Broken Eagle - I'm feeling your pain. Hope we're both back in the air soon.. chopchop PD makes canopies all day long, you only have one life, when in doubt, cut away...

So, with Byron closed, me and a couple of friends made the trek to Lodi. We hooked up with 3 belly-fliers and planned a 6-way RW jump. I was a diver. The 4-way base exits and the other diver and i are right behind it. It funnels as we float above watching them rebuild it. Ok, rebuilt, we swoop in and start turning points. YAHOO!! so much fun, everyone is flying their slots perfectly. Planned breakoff is 4,500 feet. Nice and high. Now - a little background. My ProTrack has been in the shop for a month and I am jumping with a friend that I have jumped with at least 100 times. She is always altitude aware and I have been getting lazy with her on most of my jumps and usually having a dytter. Anyway, 1st mistake - I wasn't altitude aware and assumed we had broken off at 4,500 and did a nice long track. Well, apparently we had burned through 4k turning the last point. Long story short I was in the saddle at 1,200 feet looking at a landing area quite a bit away. OK, 2nd mistake, I can make it if I let go of my toggles and hang on my rear risers all the way home. So, 500 feet comes and goes and I still don't have my toggles in my hands and I still think i can make it so 3rd mistake, not getting my toggles in my hands with plenty of altitude. 200 feet - 4th mistake, just a little further and I'll turn in. 50 feet - 5th mistake, I'll turn flat using my risers, then grab my toggles and speed up a little to flare. Should have never let go of my rear risers at that point. Missed my toggles and had a no-flare landing at which point I made my 6th mistake and failed to PLF. So, feet, knees, feet. Ah, standing - hope no one saw that. Hmmm... been a long time since I made that OOOMPH sound when landing. Probably gonna be sore a while. Well, let's stow the brakes, and daisy chain the lines, get back in and pack. Wow! look at the grass stains on the knees and lower legs of my RW suit! OK, start walking. Hmmm... soemthing feels strange inside my left leg. like the bones are moving independently. Uh-oh, I think I broke a bone. Ok, only 50 more yards - this feels really strange - starting to hurt. OK, 10 more yards - hey there is someone from my jump, maybe if I tell him my leg is broken he'll help me into the hangar. OK, he's helping me but this is hurting. In the hangar - they are all telling me where to sit - Fuck it - the floor right here looks really good Right NOW! As I sit there, this guy starts de-breifing the jump - What the Fuck!? My leg is broken - let's gather my shit and go to the hospital. Yep - broken left fibula. Nice clean break. Anyway, I could have made a better decision 6 times that would have not let this happen. Boy - do I feel stupid. No skydiving for I don't know how long and these damn crutches are hurting my armpits! chopchop PD makes canopies all day long, you only have one life, when in doubt, cut away...

Hey Lummy, looks like me and my little troupe of skydivers will be going to Lodi. We have to call it an early day - 4:30 or so and Davis is just too much of a hike with traffic and all. Have a good time at Skydance and thanks again for the invite. chopchop PD makes canopies all day long, you only have one life, when in doubt, cut away...

hey lummy - thanks for the offer. I'll let you know. I am trying out figure out wht the rest of my group wants to do. i just broke the new to them about B.A.S. chopchop PD makes canopies all day long, you only have one life, when in doubt, cut away...

That is a possibility. Went there once and didn't like it very much. Maybe I didn't give it a chance. Love Lodi though and I haven't checked out Monterey... chopchop PD makes canopies all day long, you only have one life, when in doubt, cut away...

Good call lummy - yep, closed for now. Just called Mike and he said he put in waivers but it didn't look good. Open again next Wednesday though apparently. Looks like Lodi or Monterey this weekend... chopchop PD makes canopies all day long, you only have one life, when in doubt, cut away...

T-1 by day, DSL by night - at your service. and looking forward to a faster dropzone.com... chopchop PD makes canopies all day long, you only have one life, when in doubt, cut away...

Hey Zennie, Coming out to jump with us in Byron? I am sure you guys will be fine. Maybe I am just naive but I feel the enhanced security measures will protect us. I'll look for you this weekend. chopchop PD makes canopies all day long, you only have one life, when in doubt, cut away...

I always jump in sunglasses haven't had a problem although I held them on my face during high speed exits form the casa at quincy. Use croakies or something similar. They are much more comfortable than goggles and they never move - my goggles did. The only thing is you have to clean them between jumps. I always have like tear splatters or something in them after each jump. Doesn't seem to matter whether it is belly, sit, or head down, they are always dirty afterwards. chopchop PD makes canopies all day long, you only have one life, when in doubt, cut away...

I think I did.... got this terrible rash... chopchop PD makes canopies all day long, you only have one life, when in doubt, cut away...

I voted yes thinking that even if they only have a 10% chance of making it down alive with a parachute, it is better than none. I admit I hadn't considered the fact that a bunch of idiots might try their first base jump from their office on Friday afternoon for no apparent reason. Yahoo!!! Splat! Or the possibility that people might not see it as a very last resort. They may take the chance on the parachute rather than suffer some minor burns or other injuries less severe than death. In retrospect I think having these around within reach of untrained people without the proper respect for the situation they would be facing upon leaving a highrise is a bad idea. It could cause more deaths than save lives. chopchop PD makes canopies all day long, you only have one life, when in doubt, cut away...

BTW, it's more of a really big pond, (or swamp)than a lake... and watch out for the alligator. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Thanks for readjusting my expectations. i was actually buying into Michelle's "artistic expression" and looking forward to the beautiful scenery when I jump in Elsinore next month. Now I'll just look forward to what I am sure is a dz full of fun skydivers. BTW Michelle, been to Skydive Dallas a couple of times and deva is right. Great place with cool people. It is so much fun and rewarding to travel in this sport. I extend almost every trip I go on a day or to to check out the local dz. You meet the coolest people... chopchop PD makes canopies all day long, you only have one life, when in doubt, cut away...

That was pretty f*cking cool. Scary but cool. chopchop PD makes canopies all day long, you only have one life, when in doubt, cut away...

Oh, no!! First Big Brother and now this!! Skydive Perris Valley is already the dz that keeps everyone honest with their gear... now Skybytch is watching every move we make. Lisa, you're on top of the worrrlllldddd!!!! chopchop PD makes canopies all day long, you only have one life, when in doubt, cut away...

I think most cops are pretty good people - extraordinary actually if their motivation is to serve and protect. Unfortunately, some of the circumstances they end up facing messes some of them up. Look at those beauties we had this year in Quincy. They, not us, were looking for any excuse to cause trouble. What put them in that frame of mind? I had some neighbors (husband and wife) here in SF that became very prejudice against black people basically because of the beat he worked. Frankly, if I had to face the same things SniperCJ refers to, I probably would be a wreck. Kudos to you CJ for managing to keep your head on straight doing that job. chopchop PD makes canopies all day long, you only have one life, when in doubt, cut away...