BikerBabe

Hi Paul, Congrats on AM-490! Are you a cadet at the Academy, or ROTC? If you are in Colorado, I recommend checking out Skydive The Rockies. The owner there is a former staff member for the Academy program, and knows the 490 program very well. the website is here: http://www.skydivetherockies.com/ There is a special student progression that they do there that is specifically meant for AM-490 graduates. If you're not in Colorado, it might be worth it to go there to do your student progression. If that isn't feasible, maybe have your DZO or S&TA at your local DZ call Bob Pierotti at STR and talk with him about what AM-490 did for you and how to get you rolling. If you have anymore questions, please PM me, I'm more than happy to answer them. Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

We've done this every year for, well, 15 years, and it's a lot of fun. Really it's more partying than jumping, but it makes for a great weekend away. We have a few water rigs (rounds) that visitors can borrow, as long as you have done water training and are willing to pay for the reserve repack. Or bring your own water rig!! The annual water boogie is upon us yet again! September 6 and 7th, we are taking the plane to Lake Conchas, NM for water jumps. The cost last year was $20.00 for the boogie fee, $15.00 per jump ticket, and $10.00 boat fee per water jump. Camping and lodging is available at the lake. Landing areas for non-water jumps are at the campsite and nearby golf course. No water rigs are available for rent. Water training in accordance with USPA guidelines is required. The plane is a C-182, but it climbs to 10,000 feet AGL in about 20-25 minutes. You don't have to do a water jump, of course, you can land near the campsite or on the golf course if you want. Our Cessna is one of the best in the country, by far...it's been heavily modified, it's roomy (we only put four in there) and well-padded. Here's a little movie that was put together a few years back with some footage: http://www.skydivenm.net/vids/waterboogie2003promo.wmv if you're interested in coming out, either PM me or email skydivenewmexico@yahoo.com. More info can also be found at www.skydivenm.net Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

Here's a question. I know USPA and the TSA are working on this, and policy is getting updated to reflect that work. However, would it be helpful if a rigger that lives near a major airport called the local TSA manager and offered to come out and do a "show and tell" session with the agents? Meaning, bring a rig out (reserve unpacked) and actually SHOW the people what all the parts are, what is inside there, what that coiled metal thing is that shows up on xray, etc? I guess it would be up to the TSA managers, but maybe it's something that some of the riggers around the country could start trying? I think I might suggest this to our riggers and see what they say. Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

I guess I'm a sad eighties-lovin' weirdo myself. I love Squeeze. Black, black coffee in bed.... Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

I just got mine a few weeks ago, and I love it! It has a narrower profile than my old Vector, which is nice. As for the main pin protection, yeah, it has a tuck tab like the old Javs, but I can lift my entire container by the main pin cover when it's closed, and it won't come open. Pretty cool. I really like Infinity's version of the "interior" riser covers, too. Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

Interesting poll, however, I don't think "skydivers" as a group are a good statistical sample of the general population in regards to this issue. Just from personal experience, most of the atheists/agnostics that I know are skydivers, while very few of my non-skydiving friends are atheist/agnostic. I think it would be a very interesting sociological study to look at why the percentage of atheists/agnostics (I use those for lack of better terms) is so much higher in skydivers (and possibly other "adrenaline" sports) than in the general population. Especially considering that conventional wisdom says that someone involved in a high-risk activity might tend to rely on a higher power moreso than others who are not (the "no atheists in foxholes" hypothesis). For the record, I do believe in God, but I was an atheist for a loooong time, so both perspectives are not unknown to me. Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

The Halloween boogie at Eloy is always a good time, especially with the party and costume contest on Saturday night. Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

YAY! I have a feeling all my money is going to go right up that little tube. Of course, now that MY TEAMMATE is the newest tunnel rat, I KNOW we'll be spending a lot of time in there! Congrats, Christy, if anyone deserves that job, you do! Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

From the opposite-sex point of view: My husband supports me 100%. He knows me well enough to know that a)he could never MAKE me stop, and b) if I stopped, I would not be the same girl he married. He doesn't skydive, but he does have his own passion that keeps him busy when I'm away training or just hanging out at the DZ. That's the key, I think. Your whuffo SO has to have a passion that IS NOT you...something they can do while your away. For my hubby, it's racing motorcycles. I'm glad he's supportive, because I'm spending a helluva lot of money on this 4-way passion, and if his support was any less than 100%, there's no way it would work. Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

That weekend is AZ days, with $13 jumps...so you picked a good weekend to go! Tom is the local organizer. If you ask at manifest, they will direct you to him or anyone else who might be organizing. Have fun! I'll be in New York that weekend, else I would jump with you for sure! Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

Our club has had a continual battle with our airport. The way we got around it was we finally pooled the members' donations and bought 5 acres of land about 3 miles away from the airport. That's where we land. All we do is load and take off from the airport. They know if they try to prevent that, it becomes a pilot/FBO issue, and they don't want to deal with that...right now we're just another Cessna taking off at the airfield. Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

Bill, have you considered it might be a medical problem, rather than a skill problem? This has happened to someone on one of my skydives before, actually at an Airspeed skills camp. The guy had 400+ jumps, and was a good skydiver. He just sort of blanked out during the skydive, started backsliding and potato-chipping, and very clearly "wasn't all there". Craig Girard caught him and dumped for him. Very similar to what you described. It had nothing to do with his skydiving ability, and everything to do with the fact he had a rare medical condition that when he was in an arch, it cut of blood circulation to his brain stem. Hopefully you can find this girl and get the full story. Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

LOL, I must be hyper-sensitive to both, since the only difference I see is that Go Fast makes me less jittery than Red Bull. Both give me energy. I guess that's the caffeine...Go Fast has a lot less caffeine than RB does. And I definitely think it tastes a lot better. Of course, I'm biased. My husband is sponsored by Go Fast. Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

Can't believe how close this is already...where did the year go? Airspeed is looking REALLY good, by the way. Can't wait to see how they do. Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

LOL...I didn't mean that...get your mind outta the gutter! Maybe if you plan on any trips out west to a certain new construction site at a certain DZ.... Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

As a new 4-way copmpetitor, I'd have to agree with what everyone else just said. I'd even say it's on the upswing. take a look at www.omniskore.com and check out the 2002 nationals results. RW (formation skydiving) still has the most entries by far, and seems to still be growing every year. Since you live in CA like it says in your profile, Perris and Elsinore have plenty of opportunity for 4-way, especially with the new tunnel opening in Perris this fall and DanBC as the new GM at Perris. I see a lot of young skydivers turning to freeflying because it's something you can practice alone, and it's a scary thing to be a newbie and try to find people to jump with, much less find people to do good, rewarding RW with. As for swooping, well, everyone has to fly a canopy, no matter what you do in freefall. I've seen swoopers from all walks of the skydiving life...it's just a larger audience. I'd say that the guys who badmouth "belly flying" as boring have never been on a 20+ point 4-way, the kind where you open your canopy and are actually breathing hard from the effort and adrenaline. Personally, my team and I are trying our hardest to encourage newbies into at least giving RW a try before throwing it out the window. What we've seen is that it's much more enjoyable for them if it's organized in a manner that's positive and fun, as well as providing them with the opportunity to be on some successful skydives. We're not claiming to be Airspeed, not even close, but those skills camps are out there, too, for the more experienced among us. Welcome back! Andi Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

ACK! their CD rocks...nice to hear an actual guitar solo again. Too bad Big Radio can't play their newer single more often. I don't listen to the radio, since the only decent station pulled some corporate crap and canceled my skydiving buddy's morning show. She kicked ass as a DJ and they pulled the show with no warning! I've since decided to boycott all radio unless it's an independent station. rap and death metal tend to annoy me, too. Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

1 teammate with a bitchin' new job:19:0 Found out my teammate got a hell of an opportunity that could turn into good perks for my team (Maybe I'll let her tell you what it is, but suffice it to say that many of you may be seeing more of her in the future... ) 19 good training jumps with some incredible swoops at the end. I love my Jedei... Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

On the unipod exit, I hold on to the plane with my right hand, and the OC's leg with my left. Our IC takes the grip on my right arm. That way the formation launches intact. On the C exit, we chose to do it with me catted on the OC, instead of the IC. Yes, it's the B random, but it works better for us out the door. It's really a matter of choice based on your team's continuity plan and also your team's comfort level and ability with different exits... Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

We have no rated USPA coaches at my home DZ. We also do not do AFF...only Static Line. Most of our rated SL instructors are also tandem masters, except for 2. So on a typical weekend, the two non-TM instructors are teaching the FJC and working with the students who are still on static line. If they get a chance, they will go jump with the folks who are off the dope rope and onto their freefall progression. Many times they don't get that chance. So we've had to slightly modify the program...The S&TA and the other instructors got together and decided that I would be allowed to jump with the students who were cleared to jump solo from the top. If I land and tell one of the rated instructors that the student did, indeed, perform 90-degree turns correctly (for example), then the rated instructor will sign off that portion of the card. They trust me, and I like jumping with newbies. I'm not a rated Coach yet. I pay my own slot. However, when I do get my rating, I will have my slot paid for. I would say the rating makes the difference. Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

So who will be the coaches? Does this mean no more Airspeed skills camps? Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

Why is there no eye-rolling smiley? As for loud pipes...whatever. I'm in the "they piss non-bikers off enough to hate all motorcyclists so they try to take away our rights" camp. s'okay, though, I'm sure you'll appreciate your loud pipes when you're broken down on the side of the road and I pass you at 120.... And loud pipes are no match for good defensive driving skills. Shit, people on cell phones in their hermetically-sealed SUVs can't hear trains at crossings, what makes you think they'll hear you? Man, I sure had a great time last weekend, walking down Cannery Row in Monterey and seeing nothing but sport bikes lining both sides of the street. A sort of "anti-Daytona", if you will. One guy rode down the street on his Harley with loud pipes, and all he got were disdainful looks. Gimme the growl of a Ducati over loud Harley pipes any day! Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

I love my Oxygn A3. You might hear that visor can flip open, but the ONLY times that has ever happened on mine is when I was a dumbass and put a replacement visor in wrong. One thing I would recommend is finding someone who can put a snap where the velcro is, especially if you plan on taking it in the tunnel at all. The velcro will wear out quickly, like any other piece of gear in the tunnel (it's harsh on gear). Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

1. For the past 7 years, a Vector 2. As of today, an Infinity. Pictures are attached below. Pros: the interior riser covers, lower price, customer service rocked, and it fits wonderfully. Cons: uhhh...I gues I just have to get used to a slightly different d-bag and closing setup. from my 3 jumps on it so far, I would have no qualms about buying another Infinity. Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

That's my 4-way team's logo...Audacity Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!