skycc

It's my adult fun, I just don't enjoy doing anything else as much. Also, I'd have to agree that the complete mental escape skydiving gives us is great. It makes jumping my perfect stress reliever. I recently lost a very good friend and it was the ultimate test for me to see if the distraction was still possible just days after his death, especially since he was a skydiver and I thought about him constantly at that time anyway, but it was particularly hard to not see him at the dz. Although I was very sad on the way up in the plane, I was distracted during the jump just as always. It's amazing, doing nothing else in life compares to the fun and the mental break that our wonderful sport provides. It's been that way for 18+ years for me, and I hope it always will be.

Wow, hadn't looked at the license #s in a while...I'm feeling kinda old now with my number of D-14847. But I'm only 38, that's not old I hope.

0:11:BEER! I don't usually owe beer after 18 years of jumping.

I miss my friend very much...this is so hard. I will never forget you, Michael.

First of all, thanks for your service and be safe. I got a couple of stories...even though it's not the same scenario you are asking about I wanted to share mine, too. I have also been in a similar situation as another who replied, got open under my reserve at 300 feet. That time I was still trying of course but cutaway a little low and had a hard pull on my reserve. Finally got it pulled just in time. Another time I got stuck in a downplane until about 1 second or so prior to impact. Nothing to do on that one, but my partner in the downplane got us both out of it at the last second by flipping himself to face up, twisted both my ankles badly but we lived! The ground rush was VERY intense both times. Both times I thought I was dead, both times I profoundly just said "Shit." I guess that surprised me since I'm a Christian I wouldn't have guessed my last word would be cussing, rather than praying. In your scenario, I'd like to think I'd actually manage a quick prayer and find some peace at the end, but I really have no idea how I'd react. My thoughts might turn to my young kids I'd be leaving behind and that would be sooo hard for those last seconds.

Thanks I didn't know how to make it a clicky I guess. :)

After 18 years of jumping I finally made it to 2,000 jumps. Here is a link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COdA6E-Alzw Clicky is below thanks to madhatter. Props to Nic Mendez for his great video, stills and editing. And for his mad pieing skills, he got me good! He chose the song, I love it. Thanks again Nic, for coming on my jump and for making it so special. You rock!

Yes there was, and it was NTPC. I jumped there from 1991-2000 until it closed, was on the last load. So we must have crossed paths, I was out every weekend and started doing AFF in 1994 so I was working out there by that time, and doing static lines starting in Jan. of 1992 fairly often, too. Yep, Forest "Big Daddy" McBride ran the place. When it closed, some had gone to Skydive Dallas, some to Skydive Texas, and some down to the cessna dz Caddo Mills. Some of the best days of my life were spent at that dz.