Aviatrr

2:10:15(minutes spent trying to freefly in that little torture device known as Skyventure) The torture portion is because I can't stay in as long as I want(too damn expensive!). Mike

Well....I got to jump this weekend....but thanks to the weather, 2 of my jumps were only from 12,000'! Oh, but the rest were 13,500+. Mike

Congrats, Missy! Now hurry up and get your A so you can start jumping with the rest of us! Mike

My favorite beer is free beer. Mike

Years ago I saw this toilet seat at a novelty shop that had a motor and timer in it. After there was no weight on it for 1 minute, the motor kicked in and it lifted the toilet seat. Never seen one again, wish I had bought it then! Mike

Hey, Lisa....why don't you call PD for me and ask 'em to build me a Velocity 45...I saw that little VX46 Luigi jumps, and it looks pretty cool...so I want one smaller. Don't worry, I'll be loading it under 4.5:1. I'm a freeflyer, so I need this canopy. Mike

There will be plenty of places to stay.....but....are you really driving from Chicago area?! Mike

Reston should be less than 100 miles from Skydive Orange(www.skydiveorange.com). It's been many years since I've been there, but there are several on here that are regulars there that can fill you in on the details. Mike

Ya know....my boss does something similar....he makes me get on an airplane! Unfortunately, he doesn't allow me to take my rig. Mike

You didn't smell him? So....what....were you guys in two different planes? Mike

Uh.....I'll be in Dallas(at DFW airport) a week from Sunday for a week for some training... Mike

Holy shit....those are incredible! Are those with SF3's or an earlier model suit? Mike

One day I picked up my rig after getting a reserve repack, and headed to the DZ the next morning. Second jump...spinning mal...as I was chopping it, I remember thinking to myself....DAMMIT! I SHOULD'VE WAITED THREE MORE DAYS! (the last repack would have been valid for three days after I chopped this one) I later realized....pretty shitty thing to be thinking of at a time like that...but, then again, it made me realize that cutaways didn't scare me anymore(this was my third). Mike

If you don't know how to pack, you're gonna be hating life when you go to a big boogie, or a small DZ, with no packers available(or none there at all), and you get stuck sitting out watching everybody else have fun.....either that, or you get in two jumps because it takes you 2 hours to pack since you have only done it once. I pack my rig most of the time. Sometimes I will have a packer do it, but only if I'm too busy to.....and then it has to be somebody I trust. Usually, I'll take the extra 10 minutes to pack my rig myself. Mike

You allow them to wear weight? Or are you referring to extra body weight? Mike

How long has it been since your prescription has changed? When I started looking into it, I was told my prescription should be steady for two years before I have the surgery. Well, it hadn't changed in the previous 3 years, so I was good. Otherwise, after they do your surgery, your vision can still deteriorate a bit. Most people that have poor distance vision have changing prescriptions(as their eye finishes "growing") until the late teens or early twenties - some as late as nearly 30. I went to a surgeon that many friends of mine had been to. Most of them were part of a study with the airline that they are pilots for that studied the side effects of LASIK as they pertain to flying. All of the people I know that went to this particular surgeon came out with 20/20 or better with the exception of one - and he has 20/25(but wore contacts with a -8.0 power before the surgery). I paid for mine up front, but that's all that was the only way they did things there. No financing. Many places will hook you up with a company that can finance these days, though. Mike

Whoa, wait a sec.....you mean wine comes in bottles too, not only boxes?! Mike

We're talking about exactly what you think we're talking about....continue, please! Mike

Can't help ya there....I don't know if they do or not. Call 'em and ask! (800) FREEFALL Mike

I had LASIK 3 years ago. I've never jumped completely without any eye protection, but I have had my goggles come off before. No big deal - it was just like when they came off before I had LASIK(except I didn't have to worry about losing my contacts). It's not comfortable by any means, but tolerable. I wouldn't suggest it for the first 30-60 days while the flap heals...although, the doc told me it would be strong enough in 7 days to withstand it if my goggles came off. I sometimes jump with just sunglasses, and all the air coming from the side doesn't bother me. I was blind as a bat before...now I'm better than 20/20(usually 20/15, 20/12 occasionally if I am perfectly rested, the weather is perfect, the planets are properly aligned, and the light is perfect). Mike

If we don't use all the tickets we buy, will the leftover tickets be refunded before we leave? Hopefully nobody has that problem... Mike

Cool...sounds good to me! I heard they packed some pretty wicked mals on the main for a couple people. SIGN ME UP! Mike

I'll be heading to Lake Wales on Sat.....not sure about Sun, yet. If you decide to go there instead, look for me. Mike

I'm sure you're joking here....but I hear too many people say that and they actually believe it. If anybody believes that driving to the DZ is more dangerous than jumping out of an airplane, they're incredibly stupid. When you step out of an airplane, YOU ARE DEAD UNTIL YOU DO SOMETHING TO PREVENT YOUR DEATH! I joke with my friends and tell them I'm a "dead man flying", but it's essentially the truth. Of course, with AAD's, people can argue that you have a 99.9% chance of surviving if you do nothing other than turn on your AAD before the jump...well, they'd probably be right...but that's another issue. We can't just say that skydivers are subject to X amount of risk by jumping Y times per year. It varies person to person. Who's more likely to get killed in the sport - a jumper that does 200 jumps a year, flies a large canopy at under 1:1 wing loading(and a reserve the same size), and has an AAD - or the guy that does 1000 jumps a year, flies a cross braced canopy loaded at 2.5:1(and a reserve at 2:1), competes in pond swooping, and does not use an AAD in their swoop rig? Of course, many people would say the second jumper stands a higher chance of getting killed in this sport, but again....it depends on the people. I, personally, would think the first jumper is more likely to be killed. The second knows their canopy intimately...and, let's face it, more people die under a perfectly good canopy than in any other situation. Mike

Coming in from where? The road? No....the intracoastal....well, that's if we let a CReWdog lead the way.. Mike