Baksteen

Hm. Shame.. I can imagine why a lot of forwards speed would seem scary. Trying to slow down is IMO in itself not a reason for the bowling talk. In my short career I have seen student gear with incredilbly short brake lines exactly once. The chute (a 210) stalled on me when I was pumping the brakes right after opening, I had the toggles approximately at hip level*. Difference was that I, having forty-ish jumps at the time knew what was happening. Having opened high I was able to dial in the flare and have an oh-so-important standup right on the target. *My DZ rented this gear when too many of our own student gear was in repack. The issue has since been addressed by its owner. As do I. Your point being? "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

Medevac... there's a nice trauma I was skiing in Soelden this February. If I didn't know any better I'd think the yellow helicoper to be some kind of shuttle system to the nearest town.. Slightly off topic, but anyone whining at the over-regulation of skydiving, look at skiing/snowboarding - the other end of the spectrum. Everybody is free to do as they please and take others out with them. Like that snowboarder who went out of control and took out this guy who was actually stanidng still, bumping him over the edge of the skiing slope - right into some boulders. The second guy struck his head on a rock, there was a lot of blood and he had to be airlifted out. The snowboarder meanwhile just got up and moved on at breakneck speed, without even a glance at the second guy. My friend and I tried to catch the snowboarder as others were already attending to the injured person, but since we were not suicidal, we never caught the guy.. "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

You DID notice there is an entire thread after that original post, didn't you? "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

::0 the weather on saturday basically sucked, with overcasts as low as 500-1000 ft. Sunday the weather was unexpectedly better, but it was also laundry/cleaning day. "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

"ook eek" "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

Advantages for Dutch jumpers: A - you need an Instructor on site, but you do not need to find a JM for every jump. While for freefalling students anyone with a B or higher can be JM, it saves you some hassle. B - No more medical examination needed; eligible for camera flying provided one has at least 250(?) relative jumps or (for filming under canopy only) 10 CReW jumps. Also, you can JM it over lowly students, meaning that on any jump you could have a sort of living streamer with you which is useful to check your spot. C - No instructor on site needed, no more hanging harness examinations etc. Congrats, you're a truly self sufficient skydiver now and apparently you have enough brains to pass the infamously difficult theoretical examination as well. The D-licence however is a seperate story. Provided you have a valid C-licence, all you need is 500 jumps to qualify. While the D is still necessary if one wants to become among other things a full instructor or TM, IMO the additional requirements for those ratings kinda make the licence obsolete (ie 5 hrs of freefall and 1K jumps for tandem). edited for clarity "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

This is the case at my DZ as well - so yes, I heard about it. "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

:: No going to the DZ for me as my new flatmate moved in on Saturday. Sunday was bad weather anyway, so my friend and I decided to go to a Big Band concert. It was nice, as well as inside in the warm.. "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

Sooo... does that make you a pessimist for taking too small a glass, or an optimist for thinking the liquid will fit? "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

+1. That is the question. I hate pinappple so if someone forces a drink of pineapple juice on me in a way that i cannot possibly refuse politely then it's "Thank GOD the glass is half empty.. Does dat make me a pessimist? "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

+1 (though I'll go with Famous Grouse if you don't mind) "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

It could be argued that she is "attacking" the Democrats, or even black people in general since she claimed the attacker was black. Personally I think it's BS, but you know how some people are.. "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

Do you know the acronym "RTFM"? There's a similar one; goes "RTFT" "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

When I only had a few jumps I got this great deal on someone's only slightly battered altimeter. Nothing digital or "cool", but servicable enough. The colour black can just about be recognised on its casing. Then winter approached and I bought a full-face helmet. It might as well fit on my noggin so I bought new. The gear dealer asked me which colour I preferred. Thusfar I hadn't even given colour the slightest thought, but I settled on a black one as I happen to like black and because it looks good (equally bad) with everything. The jumpsuit was next. Embarrassed that most people had to bend double backwards (or go into a sit) to keep up with me (yes, I'm exaggerating) I decided I'd get as much cotton and cordura as I could-->custom suit. All the cool kids were getting black suits with red grips at the time so I decided I'd get something different, navy blue with yellow for variance and some silver highlights. Turned out the suit looked incredibly cool (to me - and other opinions don't matter) rather than the modest suit I had intended. Then my gloves gave out. I purchased some akandos and had the choice between white and black. Since I am allergic to white in any of my gear (way to much risk of dirt stains) I went with the black ones. Fast forward a year. Finally, finally I had managed to save up enough to buy gear. A friend gave me a great deal on his old my new jav3 which fit me like a glove and which happened to be completely black. As the main I had decided upon getting (Storm) was not available second-hand, I decided it could bloody well be in colours I liked. Suddenly i realised that black, the only colour which did not come back into my jumpsuit, was the only colour of all the rest of my gear. (except for my once-grey shoes) Cor... So I chose the canopy you can almost see in my current avatar: navy-navy-yellow-black-yellow-navy-navy...with a silver slider (which is in my neck when I land) - all the colours of the rest of my gear are represented in it. Yet when temperatures drop I'll be jumping that glow-in-the-dark jade-coloured "warm suit" again.. It may look horrible but at it keeps me warm, which is much more important to me than looking coo- er, good. Then again, if I turn blue with cold I'll match my jumpsuit...Cool! edited for the most obvious/dumbass spelling and grammar mistakes "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

Yes, tunnel IS the perfect training tool for freefall. But if I can't afford skydiving for a month after a tunnel camp then what's the point? To me tunnel is EXTRA, something I invest in when I can afford it. that's just a matter of time "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

hehe... Parallelogram, trapezium - tomayto, tomahto... I'll, er, try again later... "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

There is a very easy solution to this argument.. Mnealtx should go green. Forget the US election; MNEALTX FOR MODERATOR "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

A sort of checkbox in your user account then? "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

Is that a rocket in your pocket or are you just happy to see me? "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

Read my sig, fill in the gaps and reflect upon what it means. Over here you can jump with just about anyone you like, provided both of you have graduated a RW-instruction course. Of course you're expected not to organise a noob-eightway or whatever, but twoways are fine. Even if you get to make only one point after a funneled exit, you still had some fun. Er, you did - right? "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

A breast biopsy of which a sliver of 0.0002 inch in thickness was cut and subsequently stained with a chemical contrast fluid and magnified 400x under the microscope. However, i felt that had I put it like this in my original post, the joke woould be somewhat ruined. "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

Old skool? "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

That's exactly my point. "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

Re: motorcycles without helmets I'm inclined to give you another tune, namely Beethoven's Fifth: DUH-DUH-DUH-DUUUMB "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

Ah, but that's just the thing, innit? If the DZ or manufacturer does *not* "attempt to waive gross negligence", these and any other example you care to think about will be filed under "gross/intentional negligence" by any attorney worth half the money they are paid. After all, if you do not make risky stuff "as safe as possible" is that not automatically gross negligence? That's why I agree with skydiving waivers, overreaching though they are. OTOH I wonder if a determined attorney couldn't get the entire waiver dismissed if the waiver is too outrageous. "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom