fasted3

Here is the line in your post that hit me: "pride was hurt the most though" I crashed probably 100 times out of my first 150 jumps. Really. But I didn't get hurt. I had no shame, any you shouldn't either. Concentrate on not getting hurt and don't worry about anything else. You will get it sooner or later, if you last long enough. A good PLF will make up for a pretty bad landing. Get good at that. Any landing you walk away from is a good one! Next, the flair is really important. You have to do it, all the way and at the right time. Your instructor will help with that; listen to him. Get video of your landings as much as possible. That makes it easy to see where you go wrong and you can work on it from there. Hang in there. One day someone told me that I have such nice landings. I thought, if you only knew. But what do I know?

No, he was replying to a post that said "Parachutes even when properly packed can fail to open." Did you read his reply? He even quoted the part he wanted to reply to. Notice the 'bad luck' part? He disagreed with that, and so do I. You said it could also be caused by bad body position, and I agreed with you too. Which part of 'I agree' do you have a problem with? Now if you want to say 'bad luck' is the most common cause of mals, we can argue about that. But what do I know?

I renewed my membership a few months ago and did not get my card. After about a month I sent them an email and got a prompt reply saying they had some problems but would get right on it. The new card came in within 2 weeks. You do know that the yellow card is a temporary license right? You can use it as long as it takes to get your regular card. But what do I know?

Sure do. Post Katrina there were rumors of gangs heading out to the area where I was living. My neighbors got together and made plans about how to deal with them if necessary, and yes guns were part of the plan. I won't argue that they have their place, and in the long run would vote against any overly restrictive gun laws. My post was about seeing the other side too. I'm more moderate than a lot of the self proclaimed gun nuts, and this thread seemed to be getting out of hand. Lock and load in 1.5 seconds (too slow sucker!!!), loaded guns stashed everywhere, and a 6-shooter on the hip to walk around the house? Sorry but it just got too much. I wonder if some take it too far and cause the anti gun bunch to feel justified in going too far the other direction. I don't claim to have any answers here, just some comments about it. But what do I know?

Yep, got my bell rung real good like that, and it didn't take much. Couple of buddies came out worse but I'm not sure how much it took. My understanding is the same, it's the electrolysis rather than the heat when we did it. But what do I know?

Great post. Thanks for taking the time to write it. Made me think of this one: If at first you don't succeed... Skydiving is not for you. But what do I know?

I put that because I can't figure out WHAT you think. And I don't think I'm going to be able to. So I'm giving up. Sorry. But what do I know?

I will jump in here, but with the disclaimor that I'm not sure what to say. I'm more for freedom to own guns than not, but reading this stuff is shaking my beliefs. You guys sound like you live in Beruit or something. The idea of people walking around their house with a loaded gun in a holster is insane. I see a lot more reports of accidental shootings and murders than self defense, and by a large margin. Even intentional incidents often don't need to be solved by gunfire. Some guy innocently walks into a person's yard and gets blown away, for example. I'm still not in favor of taking away your toys, but I've gotta tell ya I'm starting to wonder. And that comment about slapping the parents was priceless. Their toddler kid just shot her baby brother dead and they need to be slapped. I bet they would rather be shot themselves instead. One other comment real quick. Some claim we need them to fight the government. Fat chance. You won't last 5 minutes against the black helicopters if it ever comes to that. Sorry for the rant. Carry on. But what do I know?

Never mind. But what do I know?

Ahhh, a new master plan... psssst, Ask Swervy who those balls were for How come you're posting instead of jumping? Get with it man and post some details. But what do I know?

No, he said bad luck accounts for very few mals. I agree that bad body position is more common than bad packing. In my case it was anyway. I agree with him that bad luck is not a good reason. Most cases that are written off to bad luck or shit happens are likely due to a reason that is just not figured out or admitted. IMHO I don't want to argue percentages though. If anyone wants to blame their problems on bad luck, have at it. But what do I know?

OK, I'm slow, bear with me. Prop 8 is to prohibit gay marriage. And you are against Prop 8 But you don't see it as discrimination. Because it applies to everybody, both straight and gay. Right? But what do I know?

Well so much for my reading and comprehension. So you are not opposed to gay marriage? But what do I know?

I agree. I think you have been remarkably consistant. What do you think of this law? Everyone shall be free to drink the beer of their choice. As long as it's Budweiser. But what do I know?

I wanted to fly in a wingsuit from the moment I saw one, but had convinced myself that I was too old. What the heck, I could at least do a tandem, so off I went. There was a guy jumping that was even older than me, and before we took off he told me that he had just ordered a wingsuit. I think that was it for me. The jump was just a formality. But what do I know?

I'll take that as a no. And I will not answer your question either, but will rephrase it so I can: Do I need to do wingsuit jumps to know that it is actually flying? Yes. Run along now. But what do I know?

How many wingsuit flights have you made? But what do I know?

Check out the title of this thread. Maybe it is you in the wrong place, O Master of the Sky. But what do I know?

Oh we are all experts here. And in the bar too. But seriously... Having given this some thought, here's what I think. Lots of jumps - Maybe Gets paid to skydive - Probably Gets paid to watch other people skydive - For sure But what do I know?

Very sad to read this post; veterans deserve better than this. I think trade schools should qualify too. I have the GI bill to thank for jump starting my life after getting out of the army in 72. They paid for commercial diving school, at a trade school in Cali. in fact. They did not cover SCUBA lessons though, and I don't expect they would have paid for skydiving either. But what do I know?

Hit "Quote" not "Reply" then their post will show up in the window. Erase some of it if you want. But what do I know?

Were your ears burning? But what do I know?

I see what you're talking about, but I meant in a more general way. For example, some of the DZ commers are expert skydivers in my eyes even though I don't know the details of their skills. Then there is one case I remember reading about that referred to an 'expert' skydiver with something like 75 jumps under his belt. I suspect that most of us would be skeptical of that. Oh yes, I am definately an expert myself when I'm in a bar. Otherwise no. But what do I know?

What are your requirements to be considered an expert? How many jumps? Any other requirements? But what do I know?

A diver. There was a show called Sea Hunt that I loved. The idea of going underwater, breathing and swimming around like a fish was so cool. I also dreamed of flying like a bird, but never thought that would be possible. Dreams can come true. But what do I know?