LawnDart21

it's in Lebanon, Maine, and it is a great DZ. The people there are some of the nicest jumpers/staff you'll ever meet in this sport. Great scenery under canopy, a full time Super Otter, and SDN has arguably the best bonfires in New England.....LOL If only people could remember them the next day.......They put in a swoop pond last year too. I've made a bunch of jumps there last season (I usually jump at Skydive Pepperell cause it's closer to me) and I had a blast every time i was there. I'm sure as long as you are excited about skydiving and portray yourself as a hard worker, you'll have no problem getting a job there. Be sure to say hello to Papa Smurf for me when you get there! 'I live to EFS" Tom

Is it Plum Island? If it is, I know the DZO pretty well. "I live to EFS" Tom

I apparently sent the same PM ten times.......... OOPS.

Anyone else having PM problems at the moment?

Thanks everybody for your positive feedback, I feel great these days. It's funny last season I had a system where I would jump, smoke a cigarette, and then pack. I would repeat that process all day long. Of all the things i have had to change about my habits, this was the weirdest. Each time I walk back to the hanger after a jump, I reach for my pocket to pull out a smoke.....lol......now I'm pulling out Certs instead of smokes.....LOL Problem solved! Cornholio, I quit New Years Eve day, on 12/31. Not much withdrawl, never got the shakes, or moody, I just put on 20 pounds in 2 months.......From 180lbs, to 200lbs. Thank God I started back at the gym the same day........LOL Otherwise I'd be a balloon, atleast now it's all muscle!!! My waist size actually went down from a 35 to a 33.5 since then.... YAHOO!!! "I live to EFS" Tom

RE: "Gee... it's over 60 here already and it's not even 8 am yet..." I feel much better now, thank you! :-( "I live to EFS" Tom

What was the accident skymama? "I live to EFS" Tom

I live in Taxachusetts, er, I mean Massachusetts, and it just got to a point after the last cigarette tax hike, that a single pack of Marlboros is like $4.50 most places. At a pack a day, 365 days a year, I figured it would cost me atleast $1642.50 to smoke this year. By quitting I'll be able to spend that same money on 86 more jumps. (you'll have to forgive me I work for a bank......LOL) Anyways, thanks for the kind words! "I live to EFS" Tom

RE: "Dude, you should be in Dallas, we have a 7 degree temp after windchill." Ha! 7 degrees!! That's beach weather up here in Boston! LOL We jump year round up here, and some days it's 0 degrees farenheit at 10,000 ft on exit, add windchill to that......now that's cold! 'I live to EFS" Tom

I made a post a few days after New Year's Eve saying that I had quit smoking. Well, it's time for more shameless self promotion!! It's now been 57 days and I am still smoke free! Cold turkey, no patch, no nicorette gum, just stopped cold. Anyways, just thought I'd share my small victory with all of you guys! (My girlfriend Mary quit on New Year's Eve too, and she is also still smoke free!!! Yahoo!) "I live to EFS" Tom

432 jumps, 19 months. "I live to EFS" Tom

The sunset pic I posted is completely unrelated to the full oon story, it's a cool picture that I captured thisweekend off some DV tape. "I live to EFS" Tom

I've only got 430 jumps to date, but by far the coolest jump I have made yet, was my first night jump for my B License last March in Lake Wales. It was a full moon, not a cloud in the sky. I was out first on my pass as a solo opeing at 3000ft. (ie, no one below me), so I left the FrankenOtter head down and turned to face the moon. I held a head down position the entire jump, just staring at this AWESOME sight of a full moon, but inverted becuase I was upside down. It was the most stunning visual I have ever seen. I still remember it like it was yesterday. A total "zen" moment. "I live to EFS" Tom

Anyone interested in trying to win a free pair of Da' Kine freefly pants should check out the Da' Kine Rags site at: www.dakinerags.com Chuck is holding a photo contest and giving away a free pair of freefly pants to the winner. Check it out and enter the contest! Mahalo, Tom

First jump on Sunday, I pitch at 4000ft (thinking I'll just play with my canopy). I look back to see my PC go straight up, pulling out my bridal. My bridal extends, and then I wait to see the bag come off my back, as I always do. Only this time, no bag off my back........I'm falling past 3500ft, no problem, plenty of atitude, I start wiggling my hips and bang the side of the container and "poof" off comes the dbag, nice open, and I'm sittig in around 2600. I check the closing loop when I get down, and it's 21psi, which is not too tight from what I have been told. Next jump, I dump at 4200ft, and again, voila, same scenario. I'm sitting in at 2700ft. I've been using the same packer for like, 200 jumps and she is great, never had any problems. Well, we replaced the closing loop and I haven't had any problems, but the fact that I can't pinpoint what caused the repeated "inconvience" is kind of bothering me. The only thing that I can think of is that I went from a used airlocked 120, to a brand new airlocked 120 (same model) and that the newer fabric is just more volume in the bag pushing against the pin. Any thoughts? "I live to EFS" Tom

3:4:0 3 = It was cold this weekend, we stayed in each night. :-) 4 = Two 2-ways from Cessnas on Saturday & Sunday, COLD. 0 = Nothing new this weekend. "I live to EFS" Tom

I was just kidding around with my questions......LOL.....I forgot it's hard to read sarcasm on here.......LOL........I've heard of Jimmy T, and know that Deland is a DZ..........hee hee hee........Racers are still for old folks and "Belly"ative Workers!!!! Yahoo!!!!!!!!! j/k!!! "I live to EFS" Tom

What's a jump bubble?

I got hog tied in my canopy by the staff at CSS on my 100th jump. I was told it's a Danish 100th jump tradition. They tackled me, rolled me up in the canopy like a cigar, then tied my feet and tcanopy all up in the lines. The worst part was when they were done, they just went back into the hangar and started packing........it took me 20 minutes to untie myself. I finally walked back in the hangar and they all applauded. It was different....but pretty cool/funny too. "I live to EFS" Tom

What is DeLand?

Who's Jimmy Trantor?

Racers are for old timers and belly fliers!!!! Freefliers jump Mirage and Voodoos! "I live to EFS!" Tom

Well, given the fact that neither canopy is rated for that high of a MSW, and both canopies would most likely explode on opening, I'd have to say that I too would let them go. I'd probably fly down to them though, staying just far enough away that they couldn't reach me, then point to my fastened chest strap and smile really big. Now if I was the other person in this equation, if I was falling without my gear and you were flying beside me taunting me, I'd track for your car. "I love to EFS" Tom

My .02 cents: Locked leg exits are a good way to keep eye contact with the person you are with to give hand signals, and is good practice for sitting up straight, but most newbies tend to lean back during a lock leg sit, which can cause a spin, and then as soon as you let go.........it's like skipping a rock across a pond.....bye bye! Lock leg exits also don't allow the student to feel the wind on the bottom of their feet, it doesn't help to learn leg posture. I did a couple of sit fly coached jumps with Max Cohn from Generation Freefly, and we left in a sit train, with me in front and he in back. That exit worked as he was able to slow his fall rate enoughto actually be 45 degrees above and behind me, I was essentially able to hang from his feet and really get a feel for my stability. Once stable, he let go and orbitted around in front of me. I use that same technique now when I coach and it works great. You start out above them when your letting go, so if they cork, your already there. You just need to be able to orbit around them in a sit for it to work well. Hope that helps. "I live to EFS" Tom

I agree, no space ball. Unless your with a AD ballmaster, and even then, I've seen ADs come back without the ball.......(I've seen a 2 foot deep crater in the grass caused by a lost spaceball.) Okay, with that said, I used to use my big black Chey Tahoe as a point of reference in freefall doing solo drills. I would jump, look for my truck, find it, then use it as a point of referernece for 360s. Nothing substitutes another jumper though. Good luck! "I live to EFS" Tom