wildfan75

A little over a mile from my dz, we have a 6000 acre "blue field". I'm told "back in the day" they used to land in the lake all the time. I asked someone whose been around quite awhile why we don't do it anymore. They said that one time someone had an unintentional water landing (an emergency). All the boaters were used to those crazy skydivers landing in the lake and so no one responded and no one helped the guy. Eventually people realized that the guy was in trouble, helped him and he got to laugh about it with his buddies around the bonfire with a case of beer that night. My dz stopped doing intensional water landings shortly after that. What's the phrase? Complacency kills? Doesn't go for just skydivers. We did do intentional water landings two years ago in a coordinated training drill with our local fire and rescue department. We both learned a boat load, not pun intended, about things that can go wrong. If your dz is by water, I highly suggest regular drills with your local fire, police and rescue folks.

If you did AFF at Skydive Twin Cities, they offer free retraining in the spring to returning students (or at least I'm 99% sure they do). You might have to repeat a level, or two, but shouldn't have to start from scratch. Ultimately the best thing to do would be to contact the dzo or an instructor from your dz. They can give you specific details in regards to what you've done and what they would have you do when you returned in the spring. I know a lot of instructors and dzo's in the MN/WI area. If you need help getting in contact with one of them in the off season, send me a PM, I'll probably be able to facilitate communications.

Maybe for your water training they'll just throw a wet towel in your face. They should have you do the hop and pop from 3500' to get your license. I don't want to be the guy shoving you out of the plane on an emergency exit 'cause you balk in the door. A neighboring dz closes for the winter and we always get a bunch of AFF trained turbine babies (it's okay, I admit I'm a Cessana brat). We asked one guy two years ago what's the lowest he'll get out at in an airplane emergency. He thought for a few moments and said, "4500' to 5000'". He did a lot of door dives that winter.

I'm probably late to the game, but wasn't the same questions asked about doing hook turns with tandems? And wasn't the same questions asked about jumping with ellipticals with tandems? Todays fad, next week's standard... (Note: I do not condemn nor approve of any such behavior or claim to have any experience that would allow me to have any sort of educated or uneducated opinion in any way shape or form.)

Make it's just the angle of the picture or the wide angle lens, but it looks a little more "horizontal" to me than your regular run of the mill line twists, potentially indicating a spin. If I were to have a spinner with a potential deployment altitude on my lower end of my deployment range (it was a big way), I would have cutaway too.

Gang Green! Gang Green! As long as you remember to put a tape in your camera, have your battery charged, and remember to turn it on before exit. (Did I cover all the basics?)

Follow and befriend 50-100 jump wonders that have gear that are a proper fit for you (container, main and reserve). Be especially kind to those that: A) Recently started dating a whuffo with expensive taste that they are infactuated with. B) Recently got engaged to a whuffo C) Recently announced that they or their significant other is pregnant. D) Recently lost or might loose their job. E) Are having some legal trouble. You'll be in the prime position to "help them out". On a more serious note, make sure you're not setting impossible standards for your first rig. Yes, everyone wants a freefly friendly rig with a Sabre2 that's used just enough that it's managable to pack but doesn't have more than $2500 for everything. My first rig was a more than safe old Vector2 with a Silhouette 170. Could I freefly in it? No. Could I jump my ass off in it? Yes. And that's all that mattered to me.

You're getting your own tent. Not sure if that's a good or bad thing for you, but I know it'll be good for me...

My thoughts are with Spaceland and the rest of Dennis's family this evening. When I was in Spaceland in May, I had the honor of being introduced to Dennis. It was a rather brief introduction, but I remember him for two reasons. The first, that moustache. The second, there seemed to be some sort of energy field that followed him. I couldn't help but notice when he was in the room, in the plane, in the loading area... BSBD, Dennis.

I'm above apologies, begging or groveling. Get used to "Get me a beer, bitch!"

Gail--It'll be great to finally meet the infamous adventurechick! Not only will I grab a beer with you, heck, I'll even pour! See you at the beer truck! Bolas--Careful...How do you intend to get from Eau Claire to Fort Dodge?!?!?! Woohoo!!! I'm excited. It'll be my longest trip to Couch Freaks yet. My jump budget and liver are going to hate me!

That conversation went about an hour and a half too long, but none the less was a great and relevant conversation. I think Todd made referece to the AFB in his signture line on dz.com. For just $99 today... Thanks for bringing up that memory, Paul. And Erik, that video footage of Todd on the strut during the barrel roll...One of the first videos I every saw when I started jumping (along with the tandem you did with the school principal where you bite his hand). They're both on the computer in the student room, and are watched several times a year.

It's been "years" now...2 years to be exact. So crazy. Two years ago right now, I wish I would have thrown a hissy fit.To make him stay home that day. I guess here's to Todd, raise your glass..

Am I going mad or is there not a Couch Freaks 2010 thread yet? Mods, please tell me I'm going mad because sanity isn't my thing...

It's been awhile since I replied to these threads... 0:3:0 Celebrated my 4th Skyversary on Wednesday. Unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate for me to jump on Wednesday, Friday or Saturday, and my sinuses limited me to 3 jumps today. But damn, this is the best sport ever!

Me whatever number we're on: Hi Lynn Broberg, On 10-Jan-2010 someone submitted their contact information in response to your ad in the Dropzone.com Classifieds. Please reply to this email to contact the person directly. Username => douglas2009 URL => http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/classifieds/detail_page.cgi?ID=87302&d=1 Name => Phil FromEmail => Phildahmi@yahoo.com City => Leeds Country => United Kingdom Comments => Good day, happy weekend, i want to know if you still have it for sale. If you still have it for sale i want you to mail me the last asking price and also if you have more pictures. I await for you response. Regards

Sorry to bring up a on old thread but Bob's streak came to and end last weekend, at over 10,000 jumps without a cutaway. I'm kind of bummed to not have been there to see it (happened at Perris), but glad to know it wasn't my packjob (regardless of what happened or why).

Same as what I pay when doing coach or instructor jumps: $15 to 10K' and subtract $1 for every 1K' less.

Yes, and you realize that when we Wissota-ites talk about going "going south to some place warm with an Otter for a winter skydiving trip" we're talking about Skydive Chicago, right?

Tara, Here's "Lynn's Guide To Not Fogging During Winter Jumping". I'm from Wisconsin, remember? First, don't keep your face shield up. Fogging occurs when you mix warm with cold. While you're sitting there on jump run with your face shield up, you're essentially breathing all your hot air onto your face shield and when you get out, you're mixing that hot/warm air with cold air...FOG! Don't ride to altitude with your helmet on your head. Same reason as above...you're waming up your the inside of your helmet. Breath in through your nose and out through your mouth (out the mouth hole). By doing this, you're taking the warm air in your helmet out, and pulling in cooler air to help "equalize" the temp. I've never fogged up in freefall, and now that I have a few more jumps, I'm pretty good about immediately controling my breathing as soon as I'm under canopy (in through the nose, out through the mouth). Also, most face shields come with anti-fogging stuff on them. When you go to clean them, only run water on them, and never wipe them dry (you'll only be wiping off the anti-fog stuff). But the biggest issue that I see you're making is putting the face shield up. Keep it down! And put your helmet on at the last possible, comfortable moment.

Talk to a rigger. They should be able to sew, have materials and usually have a creative mind for these type of things. Todd's ash bag was similar to Phree's, was made by a rigger and the release went flawlessly. As far as other things, one thing that I came up with was to put out a log book (the kind that are two per page) as the guest book and asked people to either write something to Todd, or to share a favorite Todd quote or Todd story, or whatever they wanted. It's been therapudic for me to take that out once in awhile and read it. Definitely gets me laughing!! And however the event goes, don't sweat the small stuff.

You jump with a Cypres (No, I won't point out that you don't know how to spell. My guess is that you jump a Saber). Pussy.

Bob Stumm and Mary Bauer manifested as "Get the fuck out of bed" for load one on a Sunday two years ago, and then were purposely late to the loading tent so they'd repeat it a few times. I guess no one was up for them to jump with.

4th year for me! Year one was my first Otter and first Skyvan jump, not to mention when the first time Todd hit on me. Todd laughed at me when, after my first skyvan jump and had a perma-grin, I told him I was going to make t-shirts that said "I Jumped The Skyvan!". Year two was my first NPSL meet at Couch (including my 300th on round 5) and was on and celebrated Todd's 5000th. I remember his amazing smile that whole night long. Good times. Year three I was still in my haze, less than one month after Todd died. Did my 500th and had the honor of Todd's AFFI-E from a month prior sign off my D-license (Thanks Mike!) Year four...TBT...but I know it will be memorable! But nothing like a good sausage fest, which I have not claim too. See all you Freaks at Couch!!!

Did you do any front riser stuff? That is my single complaint/thing I didn't like about the Pulse (front riser pressure too much*). If the front riser pressure wasn't so much (and the bottom skin came in neon pink or royal blue), I think I would have actually bought a new canopy after demo'ing it. *RE: Front Riser Pressure, I don't use it to swoop. I use front risers to burn altitude in situations where S-turns aren't safe or desireable to create seperation for landing.