SkymonkeyONE

Yeah, just go to whatever "lost merchandise" crook they sell it to and then you will see it on E-bay in nine days (one day after their official "search" ends). Don't even get me started.

That is utter bullshit, Mark and you know it.

"experienced" is a very relative term. As somone else pointed out, 1000 jumps and a couple of ratings at a Cessna DZ is incredibly experienced, while there are a lot of people at Eloy and some other year-round turbine DZ's that make over 1000 per year yet have no ratings whatsoever. How about THAT for a run-on sentence! When I was an 18 year old kid with just over 100 jumps I had an SL rating, was doing demos, and taught FJC's. When I got my D-license I was jumping at a military club and there really weren't a lot of more-experienced skydivers doing better in the air than me. Yes, I considered myself "experienced" then. I was teaching FJC's, dispatching students as an SL-I, doing demos into bowl stadiums, doing CRW with whatever was over my head at the end of nearly every skydive (we all did), and competing in 4-way. Oh, all of that without an AAD or an RSL. Once again, though, "experienced" was only relative to the jumpers around me. 40 jumps a month was "crazy"; most people did good to make 20 a month in the summer. Things are very,very different nowadays. It's nothing for an affluent skydiver to make 75-100 jumps a month, have two new rigs (with AAD's), yet have no real focus. Go to a busy turbine DZ with under 1000 jumps and try to get on a good RW load and you might very well get smirked at. To me, "experienced" means "accomplished". There are lot of accomplished skydivers with right at 500 jumps; some even less. Guys with every single rating, a PRO ticket, competition RW experience, demo experience, and capable at some other disciplines. Chuck -edit for typo

If you have access to power and you are going someplace that it's hot and muggy, why not bring a small ten-inch high-velocity fan. I HATE sleeping without a breeze blowing on me. I can't believe you travel with an "extra" cellphone! Chuck

The intent of getting your legs up is NOT so that your ass will impact first. We actually want your legs up a bit, knees bent, toes up (like barefoot waterskiing). In that position your legs are going to act as both shock absorbers and and your feet will be set up to slide. We want your feet to touch the ground either right after or at the same time as ours. Taller tandem instructors get over in this regard because your legs will pretty much rest on top of theirs if they want to keep their knees in. Smaller TM's, like me, do the best we can to sit the pair down easilly. I would never ask a passenger to "pike" their legs straight out so their butt hits first. Like most everyone else has stated, if there is enough wind I will stand straight up. If there is little or no wind I am going to slide, slide, slippity slide, then end up standing. If they are heavy drops, I am going to slide farther and faster, then end up on my butt. Chuck

Broken links, Todd.

Outstanding chow! I can't quite figure out what he was attempting. Looks sort of like he was set up for some type of method/wingover. Lovely chow. Chuck

It's actually not a big deal at all so long as you have a spool for a mig.

The wind tunnel on Fort Bragg is named after Matos. I met him in 1984 and jumped with him hundreds of times at the GB club and on the GB parachute team before he PCS'ed down to Tampa and died on that tandem at Z-hills. He was a solid motherfucker. Chuck Blue

????????? Link????????

Katie and I are tenting it now. Gus, you are going to have to put out your awning so that we can pitch our tent under it. Also, I need to plug in a fan so that we don't burn up! See you tomorrow afternoon. Chuck

It's amazingly fun to do two-Cessna formation loads for end-of-day eight-ways. Chuck

Start HERE.

I am 42 and I could not really hear it. I did hear what seemed to be small little "pops", but I don't really know.

I hated it when girls "cake it on". What really fascinates me are the ones who wear makeup on the beach! Come on.

I second Rosetta Stone software. That's what we get issued in special forces to maintain proficiency. It's fantastic stuff. Chuck

I actually just got back from another contract in Virginia on Monday. I rode my Road Glide up there. 85 miles of the 250 mile return trip were in heavy rain. At least I was smart enough to bring my rain gear! Chuck

I say a Rodriguez wingsuit jump is in order then!

It's a brilliant show. Me likey.

Bubbi is one of the nicknames for our dog, Billy Bob

We have been getting a lot of rain from the "former" tropical storm here in NC. It's raining like Noah's flood outside right now. While it's been raining hard for some time, we are just now starting to get the wind. I am pissed; I was supposed to be doing AFF all day today. Chuck

You ain't lieing! Eldon is a total trooper.

Catfish in Texas had one that he got from somewhere. Dan Preston (Atair) had some weird triangular sort of prototype that he sent out for those guys to jump as well. Chuck

PISA, as far as I can tell, will continue to build military rigs (like they started out doing in the first place).

That last pic looks like Eldon.