mr_music11

If it were only me.. plane IS goin down.. I have the opportunity to adorn the "save my ass" suit and get outta door/opening... Im on it.. damn skippy sure gonna try.. might have to fight a few to do it..but yea.. gonna try it... (if wife was with me, then Im putting the chute on her and giving her the fastest pre jump prep EVER!! and praying that she obsorbed something by osmosis or watchin any of my jumps, that she land safely) If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

I never said "larger DZ's"..and just in my thinking if I go to my local DZ where they run a PAC 750( and would assume this to be true for any aircraft used for jumping) and ask for a lift to 13k, if Im the only one, they will tell me no because there are not enough people to get the aircraft in the air ($$ to run the craft).. If I pull out enough money, Im sure that they would take me to altitude. Thankfully, with 6 people paying $24 each does the trick. Now, if you're supposing that demand would be so high @ every DZ, that the DZO's have to start turning down clients because of limited supply and starts charging MORE just because they CAN, because of that demand... well, that is a possiblity (also part of the supply and demand equation) and is then what I would call GREED. Thankfully, the DZO's that I have met are not of that nature and are truly trying to make the sport as economical as possible because they understand that the cheaper that they can make the sport, the more people that will be around the DZ making jumps. If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

IMHO!! I do not have a degree in economics, but have a fundimental understanding of supply and demand.. that said.. I love skydiving.. although not for everybody, sometimes just info or the slight encouragment is enough to bring another person into this wonderfull! sport.. the more people getting in (hopefully staying in)hopefully means more people at my nearest DZ. The more people that are there.. the cheaper that jump tix can be sold for..(there goes that supply and demand thing) Now, don't get me wrong Im not flaming anyone for sharing/not sharing, encouraging/not encouraging others to join.. it just happens to be in ME to share that passion in me that has so consumed my thoughts time and money. Regardless of whether that person ends up jumping or not. BUT yes Im tryin to make the money part of that equation as cheap as possible!! by enviting more to participate ) That being said.. blues skies to us all

Thanks for the post and thanks for the banter! I am one of those 'pre 100 jump wonders' and have seen footage of this manuver and often wondered about the mechanics of it! Dont worry Im not trying it (yet!) as my jump numbers are not where I would want them to be.. I am VERY conciencous of my saftey and mortality! blue skies! If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

You either HAVE been to Davis/Skydance in Nor Cal or you SHOULD.A great!! place to jump. Just north of the main landing area is a gun club where... yes, you can hear the sound of gunfire while coming in.. definatly keeps you on your toes to fly the right patern.. landing there might give you more holes than you were born with!! If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

Unfortunatly, I haven't had the chance to get up there yet(have been on a personal medical grounding for the moment..booooo!!! ) But plan to get to Lincoln as soon as possible. This article speaks to the same issue of people moving into an airport area and then complaining about the noise from the aircraft.. how stupid!! Now, if they had their property BEFORE the airport was built AND also registered complaints with the city before the airport was built, then I would say there would at least be SOME merrit to his complaint. However, if the complainers property was purchased AFTER the airport was there.. then.. SHUT THE F*** UP and deal with with the normal operations of an airport (including skydiving activities!) ..and did someone say boogie in Lincoln???? say the word.. I'll do my best to be there!! until then... blue skies If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

I originally did it because it was on my "bucket list". But after my tandem.. it was on! I had always wanted to fly and had started to pursue a private pilots license in my late teens and early 20's. Money ran out and I was unable to complete my training. Fast forward 25 years and my desire to fly was still there, so my beautiful wife got me a gift cert to go towards flying lessons. Time and weather never permitted those, and boy was I glad. I ended up exchanging that gift cert for my AFF instead. Soo, now I truly KNOW what it is to fly. To be a part of the sky in a way that only birds and skydivers can know. It has changed my life and the way that I look at everything. I now have a confidence that I didnt know before. I now have a sport that empowers me to do more with life that just what is doled out to me. Thank you to the community which so readily embraces so many and changes lives. Blue skies If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

My wife is a non jumper.. not goin anywhere NEAR a jump plane or craft. She's the one that says the plane has to be going down in flames for her to jump. That being said, she was the one who got me addicted (little did she know @the time! ) She got me the 1st tandem and also paid for 1/2 of the AFF class ( was originally a gift cert for flying lessons which WAS a passion that I wanted to pursue.. until skydiving and now that is on the back burner,but still consider it for the future) Since that time, she doesnt want to go the DZ MOST of the time,cuz it is fairly boring for her. She does still support me. She knows how much happiness it brings me ( although she wishes that I was a little less manic about it all and doest quite understand why skydiving consumes my thoughts @LEAST once a day if not more even when Iam not jumping/which I havent latley cuz of health issues... but thats another story!) She too requires a phone call after every jump.. and I ablige her as it is the least that I can do to bring her peace of mind and me the continued support. Every now and then she will suprise me with the desire to go to the DZ cuz she says that she enjoys watching me land. My grandkids think Im one of the "coolest" papi's around and also seem to enjoy watching the colorfull fabric fall from the sky so aptly put by a 5 yr old. I guess, all that said, its all about balance in ones life. What makes you happy? If that is a s/o , wife, husband... whatever.. what also makes that person happy? Compromise is often part of that equation! It will be diff for ea person and situation, and my answer, might not be the answer for another..with that said.. I hope that blues skies are always the result! peace/blessings If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

Throughout my student training, those that I had signing off my card were not necessarily on the load that I completed something. Granted, the DZ folks knew my face as I had been there quite a bit, so finding someone who was authed to sign off wasnt that difficult and they just took my word for it.(in my VERY short career as a skydiver, I have found this to be the norm, seems to be "on your honor" type of system) I didn't pencil whip my app as it COULD pose a saftey issue with me and then those that I would be jumping with (NOT a risk that I was willing to take, and with your post I can see that you aren't willing to take that risk either/good for you) However, I would think that you might be able to strike up a relationship with either a DZ or authed person who could sign off on your previous jumps based on your word and maybe some conversation about your experience(s)/jumps. Good luck... blue skies

Thank you.. and for sure that is a console to me. And at the same time a taunt! The sky IS always there! A beautiful thing to look at... and an even more beautiful thing to fly thru! blue skies (as I TEMPORARILY live vicariously thru you all here on DZ.com ! If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

Ok.. so... in advance, thank you for reading... thank you again if you actually respond... for I am venting here and just need the companionship of that community which understands.... with that said... Damn it!! I have grounded myself for medical reasons. No details.. just that it's better right now that I dont jump. But boy howdeee was that a tuff decision. Early in the skydiving career.. still WAYYYYYY juiced about getting deeper into the sport... but safety has and always will be a priority in my life, including my skydive life. And with the issues at hand.. I need to make sure that ALL is well, before I put my life at risk in ways that Im not ready for. After all.. better to have loved (skydived ) and lost than to never have loved (skydived ) at all. With that said... I am soooooooooooooo waiting, wishing, hoping/praying... that I will soon be able to return to those blue skies which seem to call me everyday. Thank you for your thoughts, concerns and prayers (as I can use all those that I can get) Until then my fellow friends.. live life to its fullest! blue skies If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

QuoteI started jumping in June of '06. My husband gets a huge laugh out of watching me go up an escalator! I am terrified of heights! With that being said, nothing beats jumping out of a plane after a long week of "whatever"! This is my 100th. Quote wow.. thought I might have been one of the only ones who doesnt like heights, yet loves to skydive... what a WIERD dichodomy! huh? thanks for sharing. blue skies If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

I can only HOPE that one is honost with their jump numbers. As inflating them can only increase the risk of that jumper.. (risk of injury, embarassment, loss of credibility etc) I am thankfull for the person ( instructor, DZO, fellow skydiviver ) that questions where their gear or words of wisdom are heading. As I have stated in other posts, the safer that we can make OUR sport, the better. blue skies. If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

"self regulation" should ALWAYS be in place. Everyone needs to know their own limits. I know that I know MOST of mine and do NOT ever cross those lines. As we all know skydiving is an inherantly dangerous sport. Minimizing risk is the name of the game. With that said, I'll always ask for a gear check or give one without solicitation to ensure that I and others around me are safe. The more safe that we can make this sport, the better! Blue skies! If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

If skydiving is what a guy does to get booty.. he's in the wrong sport!!!... bar hunting is a lot easier.. and a whole lot cheaper! although not free, but for the price of a few drinks and a little conversation.... If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

I have learned in my VERY short time in skydiving, that most of my pre concieved ideas of what the skydive to be.. and what it ends up being are 2 different things. Not always varying greatly, but enough to notice that there is always a difference. Of course in my mind I have the "perfect" jump is planned. Learing what the difference was with each jump makes me a safer skydiver. Now.. onto your question, and I dont really have a solid answer as I have made some landings that you would quantify as "good".... however just walking away from some of those landings, I knew that it was a landing where I walked away, not that it was "good". I guess IMHO I would say that you should concentrate on perfecting ALL parts of your skydiving and you will find that ALL of your skills will increase, including your landing abilities. thaks for reading.. blue skies If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

me personally... nope... dont have the desire to push that particular envelope.. more power to those who have the guts to DO IT.... Im in the NOT doing it catagory If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

IMHO I would agree with the other posters that packing the chute in the d bag is the most difficult part of the pack job, and the one that I needed the most practice at before I even started to "get it". Until you actually have the gear that you will be packing into, I don't know how much extra good that will be for you.. as it seems that you will be doing a lot of practice as soon as you do get it. Not saying that learing/practicing the flaking... slider quartering.. (all the pre packing of the d bag steps) etc would be a bad thing.. but again, sounds like you are'nt going to have any procrastinative tendencies that will keep you from practicing when you do get your rig. What ever you choose... blue skies.. enjoy your new rig! If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

As with other posters... although I voted $50, it may before OR after that! My passion for life leads me to experiences that are hard to put a price tag on. Skydiving is one of those things that will ALWAYS remind me that I am alive and kickin'.. so its something that I want to do as long as I can.. no matter what the price! Of course that will be determined in the future! blue (cheap) skies! If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

actual: 40 look: depends on if Ive shaved my moustache and beard.. shaved:late 20's not shaved: early 30's (and only becuz of the grey in the hair) feel:my brain says Im mid>late 20's ,but physically.. well... that depends on the activity of the day and is it THAT day or the DAY AFTER. The older I get, the slower I recover from.. well, just about everything.. running, walking, skydiving, playing with the kids/grandkids.. and I'm just about convinced that coeffecient of gravity increases with ones age! Cuz it seems harder and harder to pick my self up after falling, the older I get.. see.. heavier gravity for us old folk! LOL blue skies If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

I have a ZP Triathalon 175/the thing that helped me the most was after I flaked and got the parachute on the ground.. making sure that the width of my cacoon was no wider than the D bag...(of course with all the air out and making the folds before it re inflates) then make your folds so that the folded, cacooned parachute is approximatly the same size as the D bag. good luck. blue skies If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

I paid $500 for my Triathalon 175... I love it! flares great.. very responsive. If you get it, learn what packing results in the "good" opening. For mine (and I say MINE) I have to give the nose a VERY slight roll to ensure a nice soft opening. Overall... I love my canopy. If its the right canopy for you, get it! You'll enjoy it! If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.