Jasmin

Oooooh, you checkin on me?!! Love it!!! No country like it!!! Don't mind the USA though, used to work as a TV presenter for Nickelodeon years back. Love Arizona. I could live in Arizona. Instead might have to settle for NY state, but I don't mind too much.... Yeah if you're intending to come over, and are here during the Christams-New Years period, thats when we have our nationals, its cool. In October Equinox is on (boogie held every 2 years). so we're up for some fun. If you're heading over, give a yell, we've been having some crazzzzzy parties of late.....oh and a big-way tube exit is on the cards which will entail mass carnage, I'm sure (I know, I'm organising it!!).

Yeah, tried a REALLY baggy suit on for RW and still fell fast without arching. I did a jump with a girl: her in a sit, me on my belly....As for freeflying, I'm getting a lot of body out there to get my speed down, but rare is the person who can keep with me in a stand. I'll see how bagy goes for now, I've been borrowing baggy suit and ok pants.

Sorry for my grevious err ommiting Bird-men: Jari darling please forgive me!! If you read this before my e-mail, I'll be around too. I've changed my itinerary again, as soon as I know the dates for certain, I'll let you know. Yeah, you'll love the skyvan. Ours has about a 20-30 minute turnaround. It just depends how full the load (and fuel tank) is, and how hot it is (it don't like climbing with a full load and with full fuel tanks in 35^C heat!). As for the noise: you guys are going to be so hyped up, you'll swear you couldn't hear a thing!!!!

ditto. Logistically, wow!

Ok we're getting a little absurd now. Its a matter of opinion, just like lanyards/RSL's, but there are things you really should enter into this equation. My thought on it is: my life is worth more than a canopy, so I jump with a reserve. My life is worth more than most things, so I jump with a cypress. My GF just had a cypress-save a few months ago now, and I can guarantee you that she thinks her life is worth more than the cost of an AAD! If you don't think people should jump with AAD's because they become "too reliant" on them, or because "you should be able to do it yourself" send me an e-mail and I'll put you in touch with a friend who passed out skysurfing, or 2 guys who had a collision whilst freeflying, or my friend who just plain lost awareness. Even better yet, read the fatality reports of those who lost altitude or conciousness and thumped in. Do you insure your home or your car or your health? Do you take out travel insurance? Why would you contemplate it? Beacuse s*** happens, and you don't always have a say in where or how it happens! "It never happens to me" is a little too idealistic, don't you think?!

That, was about the cheap and used bit...tee hee hee!

In general, skyvans are noisy and slow , and I love the otter beacuse its quiet and fast, and thus equals more jumps and hearing at the end of the day. However, Mr Bills, Tube-exits, 10-way speeds, big-ways, freefly, skysurfs and tandems are a bloody breeze with the rear door. Yeah baby! Love it, hope its there when I'm over!

Not yet.....

I have a semi-ellipt, (ignore my profile, my current canopy is similar to a sapphire) and it opens fine when trash-flat packed. I can trash-flat (and be sure I don't have a line-over or step-through) quicker than most people can pro-pack, but that's just what works for me. I pro-pack and I flat pack, it just depends if its my first jump back, a low-altitude or specific jump. Pro-packing was meant to give a more consistant record of on-heading opens, this isn't the case, its as reliable as flat and psycho packs in most cases. In the end, it comes down to whatever works for you. If it opens, it flies ok, and it doesn't break your back, fine. Mainly: check your lines and your pilot chute. If these are ok, it WILL open, just don't expect it to be pretty.....

I Love it!

I once heard a really good joke about that: if you're a feminist stop reading at this point..... Y'anyways to cut the fun out of the joke the punchline is that she was a WIFE: W(ash) I(ron) F(bring this bit on!!) E(tcetera)....hmmm its almost enough to put me off marriage for life. Have to find a man (versus say, a boy) to get to that point though! On that note: No Matt, never ever ever!

How many people have to die, downsizing before they have the skills to fly it, before we'll start waking up?! I hate reading the fatality reports and seeing people smack in again and again, because they're on canopies they can't fly, or can't handle when conditions go from marginal to s***. People are downsizing because of jump numbers and not because of skill-level. I've been jumping for 3 years and I'm happy on my canopy, I'd like to downsize but when I can pull off that really nice swoop at the D-pit, consistently, in all conditions, I will. But there's nothing stupider than seeing THAT girl fly a Saber 120 in on half breaks because "its pretty fast"...that pretty girl later went on to nicely break her leg when she was forced to do a low turn, didn't quite pull it off and hit a fence....its not worth breaking bones over, is it? More to the point, its definately not worth dying over.

Note in one of the 8-way rooms at my DZ: "If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you...." (And more importantly:) "Learn from other peoples mistakes, you won't live long enough to make them all yourself." Ouch matey!! Good on you for learning, bravo for having the guts to post it so that it might serve as a warning for those who haven't yet learnt. Oh, ps, Awesome photo!!!

Believe it or not, the police have a funny habit of making the charges fit. So although I've yet to hear of a law specifically detailing BASE-jumping as illegal in any country, you'll get charged with something (as some of us know first hand). Walking across freeway bridges is illegal in many countries, they'll get you for that. Attempted suicide, they'll try and get you for that. (This is my personal favourite: after all, if it were suicide, why would we wear a rig?!!) Tresspassing: especially if its a National Park or Reserve. Behaviour resulting in grevious bodily harm: if you or your mate gets hurt. Y'anyways, you get the idea. I still think it holds: if you're prepared to do something dangerous and something not condoned by the government of the country you're doing it in, you must be prepared to face the consequences. And as sad as it is, I can see their point of view: I've lost many friends to BASE jumping, both here and abroad, and the footage (and feelings about it) ain't pretty, let me assure you! Hang around skydiving for awhile, watch mates bouce and have building/cliff-strikes (and see the result). When you've seen that happen, you'll think a little harder about why specific sites are "illegal". I'm not anti-BASE, its just we need to think a little harder about why people would want it to be illegal and address those concerns (and then we can all have a little more fun!). Nb the safety display jump at El Capitan is a prime example of how NOT to go about addressing these concerns. www.darwinawards.com

I hear 'ya. History repeats itself, its only the players that differ. This antagonism between these two countries, and in fact these two peoples, is not new. Take into account the centuries of conflict and hatred between them and put this flare up into a little perspective. Today its Pakistan and India, tomorrow who knows....Russia and China maybe? We thought the Cold War would be the undoing of us all, and it nearly was. This is not a new conflict, this animosity is not based on some new concept that we haven't seen before. Perspective peoples, perspective. The ones we hear about are often the ones we shouldn't really be worrying about. Individuals or corporations taking on nation states? Now THAT scares me!

I'm talking about suits. When freeflying was in its baby days (before I was jumping) the trend was for baggy, now I see a lot of freeflyers going for tighter suits. I'm about to get a new suit, so I'm posing the question which is better? I know baggier does give a lot more control but I also have the problem of falling very very fast (belly or head up/down).

I have trouble with water pressure too, but generally I'm fine skydiving. Its only if I get the flu, the pressure build up is unbearable when freefalling. The problem isn't going up, that'll make her feel better, its when she comes down. But unless she suffers from severe sinusitis (check, she'll know) she should be fine.

Immigration. Can't access this site from work Thank goodness for lunch break, but thank God for the weekends. I can't even jump right now: my reserve is out of date!!

Joe!!!!! Bad Bad boy!! As for oral, well its a very good way of getting your own way!! Not that I know!