danornan

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Everything posted by danornan

  1. danornan
    Z-Hills and Deland for the grass, airplanes and staff.... Oh ya, fun too....October through April is the best time.... Dano
  2. danornan
    I serve on a local university committee that effectively works to prevent cruelty to animals in laboratory research called IACUC (Industrial Animal Care and Use Committee) and I don't think we would have allowed any of the preceding experiments. :-) Dano
  3. danornan
    Google soft scuba weights. Same as solid except a bag of lead pellets. Much softer and flexible. Same as skydiving weights. 1-5 pounds. Dano
  4. danornan
    I know next to nothing on rigging for a flag demo, but have you considered soft scuba weights? Dano
  5. danornan
    Like comedy, there is a bit of truth in every joke, and the same is true at the DZ, from what I've heard. I've been married for quite a long time and for me personally, I've always felt it was best for my marriage to not hang around at the DZ too long after the sun set. I could never live there, just too many temptations..... Dano
  6. danornan
    The top of my tib was crushed about 16 years ago and 2 years after all of the surgeries and PT I was back to jumping with pain medication, ice and elevation. Accidently I found that by swimming several days a week with fins and limited arm motion, I went off of the pain medication and have cut the discomfort my 95%. I still need ice and elevation after swimming about 1/2 the time, but by strengthening the muscles above the knee, it took the pressure off of my knee. and one last thing, stop running...... It's not going to help your knee, only make it worse. Dano
  7. danornan
    Good article but like affirmation, without taking action, just words. The wilderness course mentioned is involved and does take some time. In the mean time though, most communities offer basic first aid and local fire departments can generally direct you to different levels of training. Every skydiver can easily carry a cell phone (disposable one from Walmart !) with important numbers preprogrammed along with a basic map of any new area you might be visiting. This is simple and can make a difference. In the basic first aid courses today the steps are to stabilize and dial 911. Things that anyone can learn.
  8. danornan
    The community should make them stick to solo's until they can learn to do otherwise. MUCH EASIER said than done ! Dano
  9. danornan
    As a newbee in 1986, I don't remember more than 4 DC-3/C47's at Z-Hills until my first Turkey Boogee, but it blew me away....More than 1,200 people were registered and there were always canopy in the air. Having just learned to skydive, I thought that all Drop Zones were like Z-Hills ! It was still an amazing time for me to start. Dano
  10. danornan
    In the old days it was located on the chest strap and then it gradually moved to the wrist. Since I only glance at mine occasionally I wear it on my mud flap. This makes it always easy to see and out of the way. Frank, of Look Ma makes a great adapter that works and is inconspicuous, but always there. Dano
  11. danornan
    I think this thread started out with good intentions, but in general, any topic on Drop Zone.com seems to take lots of twists and turns. Too bad it's not more professional, but that's another topic... It's always a good idea to have a cell phone with you for many of the above reasons, along with the number of manifest and, in particular, if you are at a new DZ, a good map or rough sketch of the area for an off DZ landing. No negatives I can think of. I did have a need for one 5 years ago at a new DZ with an injured skydiver, away from the normal landing area. He was carried out by helicopter and the cell phone made a big difference. Dano
  12. danornan

    Tampa, Florida

    danornan replied to Twoply's topic in The Bonfire

    The east side of Tampa ( Temple Terrace) is less than 30 minutes from Z-Hills and a great place to live. I've been in the Tampa Bay area for quite a while and can give you more specific info any time. Deland is about 2 hours away. If you dive (SCUBA) the Gulf is close and the East coast of FL, one of the best diving destinations is only 3 hours away. Lots to do and housing is low compared to a lot of the country. I hear though that rent is high. We just don't have mountains ! Dano
  13. danornan
    I use and have in the past, returned one of their products. The service I received was excellent and I wish other companies has service as good. Unfortunately, many skydivers abused the great service, returning goods found or way out of warranty and to stay in business, L& B had to adjust their very liberal policies. They still make a very good product with a limited customer base compared to many other sports. Dano
  14. danornan
    The requirements have to do with skill set and possible situations. No one ever has to make a night jump. Not even for demos. You can always come down with the airplane if it is too dark. Much too dangerous for a requirement. Dano
  15. danornan
    I agree with you 100%. I have made several and they were fun, memorable and uneventful, but in my opinion, way too dangerous to be a requirement. Everything that can go wrong is magnified. Glad you lived, but you were lucky and not good. Plan better next time and get lots of good local advise. Use the internet as a guide, but verify with your local instructors. Dano
  16. danornan
    I've got one I don't use any more. It a medium size and will hold about 12 pounds if you are interested. $20 and shipping. Dano
  17. danornan
    When something bad happens, God is just testing us. Dano
  18. danornan
    Mike was a friend to many and will be greatly missed. He added much to the character of Z-Hills. He died way too young.... Blue Skies Mike..... Dano
  19. danornan
    Seems like the really dedicated employees tend to care more for the company than the company cares for them. It's rare for companys to take the opposite view and sadly way too many employees are disillusion. I was lucky to work for two large corporations that did treat their employees very well, but that is probably unusual today. Dano
  20. danornan
    Thanks John .... Max really did add to the color at Z-Hills... Dano
  21. danornan
    No....... I have not had a knee replacement, yet. After crushing the top of the tib, (5 operations in about year to fix) I was told that I might need an artificial knee in about 5 years. It was strongly suggested that I not run. I swim a lot and ride a bike for therapy and so far, there is very little discomfort. Running was discouraged. Dano
  22. danornan
    It was the repetitive motion of running that was frowned upon, not just a short run out. My surgery was 15 years ago and since then I've probably made 1,500 jumps or more without any discomfort. I did do a boot camp several years ago that involved too much running and had to stop because of the pain. Skydiving, no problem. Running no. Dano
  23. danornan
    Don't know about the artificial knees, but I have had major surgery on one knee (crushed the top of the tib) and was told to not run on it. I could resume normal activity, but running would not be good for it. Dano
  24. danornan
    I loved it and I hate rap... Congratulations Bill.. Dano
  25. danornan
    ALL superstition (for John, in the context of this discussion) is wrong... Doesn't matter how you label it. Dano