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Another good choice is Gold Coast Skydivers in Lumberton MS. They have an otter, plus a great vibe and family atmosphere. Come on out and I'm sure you will get all the help with packing you need. But what do I know?

I expected a comment on this one. What happened is that I had a hard time breathing once I got out of the plane. That led to a quick decision to try for a record FAST time down to more familiar territory. I was disappointed to not have a longer flight, but it was still a lot of fun, and the longest I've had so far. But what do I know?

this is just a friendly "what have you done" question...

I'm going to vote on this one with my wallet. I have 90 jumps on my Intro and will only consider another Tony suit now that I'm ready to upgrade. I'm 6'1" 195 and thinking of a SM1. I know it's a lot more wing, but feel I can handle it if I get the arm inflation mods. Any advice from the flock? Hey Tony, still got my measurements? Fast Ed But what do I know?

Is there a good place near the DZ to have a large bonfire on Sunday? If a suitable area is availabe for firewalking we should set that up. All that is needed is enough wood to make a nice bed of coals 3-6" deep, 2' wide and 10-15' long. Wood with nails is best avoided. If this is possible, I will walk on the coals to honor America's Veterans that evening. See Y'all there. Fast Ed But what do I know?

Wingsuiting: All for it, but needs more jumps. Single: Yep. Downside: Get in line... And no, I don't give out her phone number! But what do I know?

Good job Granny! I have been watching your posts for a while, as I'm a Grandpa myself, and enjoy proving that us 'experienced at life' types can still have fun. My first h&p went pretty well, which was a surprise, because I was pretty nervous, (scared shitless?) about it, and had mostly done 'creative' exits at that point. Having gotten through it, i was in no hurry to do another one, but after getting my A, I signed up for a canopy control course without realizing they were going to be from 5k. After getting through that, I was OK with them, but still didn't do any more until a couple of months ago when I made my first night jump. That was beautiful! Anyway, the main thing I'd have to tell new jumpers is that it gets easier, and the only thing that makes it difficult is your own nerves. Practice on the ground, and in your mind. Relax, it's fun. But what do I know?

Only on accuracy jumps... (Helps to "stick" the landing.) But what do I know?

2 boys and 1 girl. She is the youngest at 26 and a jumper too. We have had some super 2 ways together, but the best was watching her do a front flip on a tracking dive. It was her first time tracking, and she nailed it. Do I sound like a proud daddy? You bet I am.

I have an Optima, made by the same company, and that's how mine works. The only time I hear that third one is if I'm still falling fast. I have always deployed by then, but sometimes I'm not fully slowed down yet and heard it scream at me. PS: If it goes off I don't think you will fail to hear it. But what do I know?

I believe that the best race car drivers are thoroughly familiar with the machinery they drive and many of them started out prepping their own machinery before being picked up by a works team. I agree with you, but think that it is not required to be a good driver. Look at Tom Cruise in 'Days of Thunder.' I'm only arguing this because of being stuck out in the Gulf of Mexico on a rig and can't jump I know I won't win. Your suit is cooler than mine. But what do I know?

Sorry for being argumentitive. I've been trying not to respond to this, but can't help myself! Are the best racecar drivers mechanics? Do we really have to LOVE rigging? Seems like a pretty narrow view to me. To the OP: I rate myself AWESOME... I have a cool suit! But what do I know?

I would have continued to get high every day I wouldn't be getting high every weekend. I wouldn't have all the great friends I have now. I wouldn't feel like Superman either. Yes, a scary thought indeed. But what do I know?

Me too Mike, your name is still missing on the Skyfest Wingsuit list!! Frank Thanks for the replys - looking forward to flying with you guys! I need some advice on floatation gear. What do I need and where can I get it? Will it interfere with flying much? But what do I know?

I got this message about Emerald Coast Skydivers located 25 miles West of Pensacola: "We will be flying a super Otter for our beach boogie this year. We will be jumping Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday (23 May - 26 May). As reminder for those jumping the beach you will need at the minimum a "B" license, 100 skydives and flotation gear. We hope to see everyone again this year for our annual event. Emerald Coast - should be really fun for you!!" I haven't jumped there, but I'm going. It would be cool if some other birds showed up. But what do I know?

It may save your butt!! It might have saved mine! Yep, I have been doing it wrong - just as you illustrated in the video. Thank you for setting me straight before it became DEAD wrong. But what do I know?

how old were you when you first started skydiving? Gave myself a tandem for my 56th birthday. I was rich then. Now I'm 57 and broke. And happier than I've ever been... What to do? Whatever it takes! But what do I know?

What are these 'regulations' you speak of? DZ's can regulate anything they want to, and I have heard of jumpers being requested to show their altimeter if suspected of pulling too low. This has not happened to me, but a few times my deployment altitude shown was lower than the BSR's for my license, and I wanted some clarification. Thanks all for your answers. But what do I know?

I don't think that just because i'm a new jumper that I shouldn't be allowed to take advantage of the convenience service a packer provides... I will agree with this one. Gear knowledge is important, sweating my ass off is not. I'm old and lazy, and also wanted to get a lot of jumps. If you can afford it, support your local packer. Having said that, I pack my own chute now for several reasons: a. Wingsuit. b. Lack of funds. c, I can do it faster and with less effort now. d. It's not summer in Mississippi. NOTE: Using a packer is no excuse for not understanding, inspecting, or maintaining your gear! But what do I know?

Deployment altitude is regulated for skydivers depending on the license held by the jumper. Altimeters with logging features record a deployment altitude, however, some would argue that they actually deployed higher than the recorded number. This discrepancy has been discussed on other threads, but I have not found an answer to this question: If the altimeter reports a lower altitude than the 'legal' altitude for a given license, is the jumper in violation of the regulations? But what do I know?

I often land at the same time as the tandems, but find it easier to avoid them than a swarm of canopies that often results from regular jumps. I would think that anybody ready to try a wingsuit should be able to land without causing a problem for anybody. As an Intro flier, I recommend it for anybody that wants a very user friendly suit with good performance. At Z-Flock several people commented on being surprised at the speed and lift I was able to get with it, and I'm no expert, or lightweight either. It's very fun to fly, and less stress to know that you can easily get out of spins or canopy problems due to the arm freedom it allows. The quality and service I got has been unsurpassed; 47 flights and it looks brand new and beautiful, at least to me. The low price and buy back program are great, but I don't think Tony will be getting mine back. But what do I know?

Thanks Phil! My new favorite Z-Flock vid, (cause I'm in it!) Thanks also to all the other great folks I had the opportunity to meet there. Great fun - Looking forward to the next one. But what do I know?

I think there is a wave of birds on the way that will amaze everybody. The first time I saw one I had to do it, and I've met a lot of new skydivers that feel the same. The expense keeps a lot of people out, I admit. If somebody asked me, I'd say it would cost about $15k to become a proficient WS Pilot, assuming 100 WS flights. I'm not trying to start a debate about how proficient that is, but I'm hoping to be half way decent by then. Another thing this has me wondering is how many older fliers there are. How big could a Flock over 50 be? I've met a few, and I am. Does anybody else have gray feathers, or know of any birds that do? I'm guessing not many, 10-20? But what do I know?

It all comes down to the situation, how you handle it and LUCK I agree with DSE: The better prepared you are, the luckier you are. Your story is awesome. From one lucky guy to another, all I can say is, 'Nice landing!' If you didn't get hurt, you did it right. Not to say that you did everything right getting there... Thanks for your story, and everybody that has offered advice on this subject. Mark, I thought I should never fly over jump run, even though there is a lot of vertical separation. Isn't that a rule or something? There were 2 tandems on that load but I only saw one after I opened. It was far away.

I agree that it would be better for me to fly with others, and will be happy when there are other birds at my DZ. I saw the possible risks of flying alone, and have kept my prime consideration the safety of other jumpers. I can fly a straight line and go where I want to. My flights start by following the plane, which makes a left hand dive after I get out. When I'm about ½ mile from jump run I turn left and begin my downwind leg. If I'm going too fast I'll curve it out away from the DZ. Usually this works, but since it was really windy I overshot the downwind part on this flight, even though I started it miles away from the DZ. At that point I wasn't sure what to do, although with the benefit of not flying over the ground at 100 mph, it seems obvious now to just turn around or deploy. The problem with turning around was that I make pretty wide turns and didn't want to go over the DZ, possibly endangering others, or go the other way and get stuck out there. I didn't deploy because I was having too much fun, and I'm an idiot. Well, enough making excuses for myself. My next plan is to head off for some much needed coaching. Look out Zephyrhills, here I come. I'm really looking forward to meeting more of you in person at the upcoming Zflock. But what do I know?