stratostar

I'm well aquanted with the many fine old timers you have around (Jump Hawaii 79-81). Say hi to Clarance Lopez and Flip Holstine (sp) for me. Aloha. Oh yea kick Johnny Stewart in the shin real hard and ask him where my T-shirt is...... you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

Kim, (and everyone else) Thanks for sharing your story. (S) I think too many soon forget, once they get a few years into the sport and some ratings or a medal, that they too were once a lowtimer who couldn't fly. They learned on their own or in MOST cases some old fart took them under their wing and showed them the way. (right Kyle?) In my first post one might think I ran into a ton of skygods @ Perris Valley, not true at all, in fact not a one. Everyone (but one staff person) was more then welcoming and went out of their way to see to I got on some great jumps and had a good time after hours. The "types" I speek of are a bunch in the In, Oh, MI, Ky, Ill. part of the country as well as other places I have traveled. You know the ones who are fat as all fuck, jump only on weekends and never spend all winter in SoCal or FL. yet their jump numbers go up 1000 to 1500 jumps a year and the DZ's they jump at would be lucky to fly a 1000 loads in a "midwest season". Their to busy struting around with their tail feathers displayed out the end of their walking bill board jumpsuit. If you ask them anything their to busy staying focused on the up coming dives to answer or help put out a 5 second delay because it would mean that they can't sit by the door and take invisiable grips for the whole ride to Alti. and have to fool with a student for 2 min. Yet some how these people can keep ratings year after year and never use them. Most, if not all the others around them know their full of shit and yet don't call them on it, instead they seem to want to stroke the ego of this asshat who did 5000 jumps in 3yrs in the midwest. These fucknuts have yet to be asked to attend a WR, yet act like their gods gift to human flight and if they quit jump'n today the sport would come to a halt without them. Like I said there is a bunch out there who need a big ass ego check, your not all that, now get over yourselfs already. P.S. I will LO'ing again this year @ the 2007 Richmond boogie for the lowtimers and those who wish to have a NO STRESS, NO PRESSURE skydives, if your a lowtimer and plan to attend the boogie and not sure if you will find a good time, good dives, PM me. you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

Son, I been jumping with low timers for a good 20+ yrs. every weekend. I'm that guy who trains them and keep's jumping with them in order to build skydivers. So it's up to the new guys like you to take over, so hurry up I'm getting tired of teaching all weekend. It is sad to see many of the young jumpers I (and many like me) have spent our time to teach and train to be skydivers turn into a bunch of stuck up pricks, cuz that is NOT the way the were shown! The reason I posted this story for all to read is because, I have been to and jumped 17 states and 55 dz's across the USA and at many of those dz's the types I speak of rule the roost and you can't get the time of day from them let alone get on a load, if they have never heard of you. So it was refreshing to be at one of the huge DZ's and see the "world class" skydivers doing what we do, having FUN and letting everyone play in the rain deer games, it didn't matter they didn't know me, there was no "credit check" or phone calls made to check out my back ground as a camera flyer, no one asked to see my log book. But I was asked on many more loads by the LO and group as a whole. No one came down demanding a lift ticket because someone was in the wrong slot or had the wrong grip, in fact they were laughing about it and cutting up on each other, in other words JUST HAVING FUN! And that is, "what it is all about"..... Having Fun! you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

Thanks the really good ones I might send in. And thanks to the rest of you for your understandng of my point of view. you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

I was just out west for a business trip and was hanging out at Perris Valley over the last weekend. While I was there just chillin looking for a formation to try and get on, I was eye balling one of John DeSantist's big ways and thinking about asking to get a video slot. I was checking out the dirt dive and thinking it over cuz none of those dude know me, when TC Weatherford swooped the slot. So there I was back to SQ 1. When I noticed another LO putting together a dive, he looked over at me standing there with my camera gear and shot a smile my way, so I went over and asked if I could have a video/still slot. I was asked if I had done any of that (video) before, it's all good these dudes don't know me. So I'm on the load and there is a hand full of guys who were all on the world team on this load and were there for the 100 ways. (were fun jumping now after a day of 100 way attempts) Also on the load I find out after the jump was a kid who was making his 40th jump and it was only his second RW jump ever. Well they took him out on the dive in an easy slot and turned 2pts almost the 3rd too. What is the point to my story you ask? The point is this, this is what it is all about my friends, some of the best skydivers in the world asking a kid with 40 jumps to "come on and jump with us kid", and you too some camera man we don't know. Much fun was had by all and I heard thru a friend the kid was down at Jim Wallaces school after wards asking "what is the world team" There are many of you out there (you know who you are) that have your nose stuck to far up in the air or some DZO's ass and walk around acting like your shhhhit don't stink and your the greatest thing to happen to skydiving after the invent of the square canopy. You bring an up tight vibe where ever you go and drive people away from the sport because your to good to jump with someone who might fly the wrong slot or take the wrong grip, god for bid they can't turn a 97 pts in 2 seconds. You get pissed off when others have a good time on the plane and go yahoo on take off. You don't need the bungee on your leg straps because your so uptight your asshole sucks your leg straps up. The bottom line is some of you need to get over yourself and see what is really all about....... Go jump with a noobie and give back for a change. Thanks world team members for the fun jumps. you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

Ground shots can be a lot of fun and you never know what you'll get sometimes.

OK I couldn't stand it and I had to go look, everything I said about wire colors was true, if your going to wire a Olympus n20e. For digital rebel Xt and 10d, 20d's, I assume XTi too. You should find a [RED] RED &White wire (and an outer strand of silver) red is hot and white I left out and the strand is to cold/ground. on my pigtail. Look at yours to see how you have it wired and what colors you have. and see #5 above.

I see, are you talking about HD cams only? just wondering, but your way up a few levels in editing needs. you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

Take the batt. out of the body. This code is from using a off brand lens. (RTFCM) If removing the batt. don't work change lenses and try it again after you remove and replace the Batt. you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

Why? Are you having range issues? you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

Well, 1. I jump a 20d and the plug to the cam is not the same. 2. I don't want to post advice and have it be wrong. 3. My advice is to take a look at it (the wiring) 4. I did help another soder up his XT with a 2.5 plug, if I remember correct it is the same as the 20d as for how the three wires are run. There should be a white, black and brown wires. ( I'm not opening up mine to look) but the two wires that run the motor fuctions of the camera (auto focus and shutter) need to be together and the the other is ground and need to be alone. You will need to open up yours and look, my guess is you have left out one wire (brown or black) So you need rewire it and do a test with the wires to see what one's run everything. But as long as it is the same as the 20d ( I believe it is, from memory) white= ground, black=shutter, brown=auto, hook up black and brown together and it needs to be your hot lead and white is ground and is the cold lead. On the blow switch it shouldn't really matter what plug you hook up hot or cold as long as there hooked up in a circut. I think my hot leads are on the top. (long prong) 5. seek advice of a local camera person who can help you in person and has done the wiring before, so you don't fry your camera. Because I would have to open mine up to look to know 100% how I did mine and I don't have the time to do that, now. Oh yea and mine has an extra step in it, blow switch to 2.5 RCA female. camera to digital plug to 2.5 RCA male. Sorta of a "pigtail" in other words. ( I use the remote shutter on tripod at times and need the digtal plug free to travel not hard wired to my helmet.) Good luck, hope that helps you. you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

I don't have any problems getting mine to run the auto focus, and I run it about 90% in FF, must be how you wired it. And the rest of you guy's are cracking me up with all the talk about how long your bite switches lasted. I've been using the same blow switch for the last eight yrs, twice I did have to replace the eye dropper rubber, so I went to 24-hr. drug store and got a new eye dropper and pulled the rubber off, for maybe 2 bucks total. So how much did those new bite switches cost and they lasted how many years? you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

I'am always getting asked to sell mine to that crowd, and where did I get it,never heard of that brand, or WHY did I get grippers on my FF suit? you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

Ya got me on that one, As of today I heard many a name called on the pa for PV. you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

One and two last week, 3 today. It was alive and flying yesterday @ the end of the day, no loads yet. They were taking a poll this evening for the new name, Blue fin or super blue. I think the blu fin name won? you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

Bob lives in MI some place, I don't contact info, but I might be able to find a waver and get it. D-1 lives in MO I think. I bet the top pops knows. you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

Ya better get your interview on then, these dudes is no spring chickens. you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

For tons of old photos from the 60's you need to track down Bob Sinclair he did a lot of the early hollywood shit like ripcord, beach blanket bingo and a ton of other early camera work. I just saw him making the rounds at in Z-hills in January, so he should heading north soon. It will take you a good hour or so to look over the scrap books he totes around, and the stories he can tell ya. I f you haven't met him you need to. you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

Yes they did him well, hats off to everyone really for such huge turn out & support. I would have posted the better images but I have sent them off, so if they don't used I will post the good ones. you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

BUMP. It is never to late to send a donation to a great cause, if you can help a brother out please do. The turn out was great and raised a lot of funds to help Koji, but not all that is needed. Every dollar or donation, small or large, helps Koji. Thank you in advance for your help. You can send donations to: W 4 Project W PO Box 32 Perris CA 92570 You can visit their website: www.projectwalk.org. (attached photo, Skyhawks present a check and photo to Koji) you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

I have always said if you want to kill yourself fine go right ahead and do so, you want to endanger others with your actions get the fuck off the DZ! It is no diff then if you want to jump a bed sheet, fine. if you want to hook yourself into the ground, fine do it away from where others are landing and the students don't have to watch it. How can you expect to be taken seriously as a safety advisor if you're going to selectively advocate such reckless behavior? I didn't say I thought it was ok, don't put words in in my typing! What I'm saying is if there is anyone I know who can do as safe as it can be done it is this guy, and if I was going to do it he is the guy I would turn to for help in doing something that crazy, not because he has a ton of jumps but because he has the experiance (many years worth) of doing it. Just like if I wanted to get into the PST I would ask JC or Clint to train me, swooping is just as dangerous as low pulls. you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

For me it would depend on what BSR is busted and who did it. For example, my 73 yr old jump buddy who has been jumping for 50 yrs now smokes it down and pulls under 1k, I won't say a word to anyone other then him and then I will only give him a little shit for it. WHY because he has been pulling low longer then I have been alive,and has more low pulls then most people have jumps and if he is down and dirty he planned to be there, that is why. Now one of my students or fresh A license dose the same thing, they will be met in the LZ and have a good talking too and based on their answer I will decide what action to take, give the wrong answer you get reserve handle yanked and grounded for 30 days. They do it again there is no talking to just a handle yanked, 3rd time I will ask the DZO to send them packing. Now having said that, I have only had a couple people who just didn't get it and it wouldn't matter how many times you talked to them. The last lowtimer I met in the LZ was at last years Richmond boogie, she will tell you, I was standing in the LZ waiting on her to land after a low pull (1500ft) with under 70 jumps. What was said was, why did you pull well under 2000, she said I pulled a 2.5, I said bullshit the fans not the players, why did you pull so low? Answer was the velcro on her wrist mount was in the way. I laughed and said you really need to think up a better excuse, who do you think your fooling here, if I see you pull that low again I will ground you the rest of the boogie, now go get packed and get your deployment alti back up where it should be. She went on doing as she should and thanked me later for calling her on it. The reason I didn't take any action (other then telling others to keep an eye on her) was because she knew she screwed up bigtime. Now just reading that story it could sound as if I was being a dick, when in fact it was a normal tone of voice and she knew she was busted when she landed based on the smile/blush on her face and she did try to think up a good excuse. There has never been another issiue with this person pulling low and I don't think we will see it again unless there is a really good reason to be there, and we haven't had a problem with her again. At this point I could care less about the BSR's being broken, unless your one of the students under my supervision or a instructor working with them, or endangering the well being or lives of others around you. Now FAR's is a whole other story. DZO's & S&TA's should be enforcing them but a lot don't and some are real hard ass about it and you won't see many busted if any at those DZ's. you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

No that ad said "at 2000' the last thing you need is pretty gear." I'm sure if i dig around I still have that ad, it was and is one of my favorite ads of all time. in fact I still use that saying today when people trip out on jumping retro rigs like my vintage SST like that used was in the ad. you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

I'm sure you saw that in after thought I said this, So yes I would agree my number was too high. So what I'm trying to say is I see some I's who have never spent any real time under any other canopies then student ones and then right on to HP wings and spent very little time learning under lighter WL's those canopies, but yet moved on as fast as they could to smaller wings and they are now teaching the same and pushing students to do the same as them, after all their not dead, so it must be ok. P.S. nice to have met you, next time I hope to not be working and can sit and talk. you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo