wolfriverjoe

#1 Fill out your profile. A few details on where the paper is for would be nice. College? High School? Junior High? Your questions: 1 Always wanted to. I have always loved flight. Flying dreams are awesome. 2 Yes. exhilleration (sp?), euphoria, and an incredible adrenaline/dopamine rush. The amazing sense of accomplishment that is a result of facing major fears and doing it anyway. A much greater appreciation for life (my own and that of others) that comes from the realization of how close to death we are (everyone, not just skydivers - how dangerous is the freeway at rush hour and how many realize it?). Major ear popping. That's the short list. 3 Fear and nervous in the plane until the door opens, then anticipation, then the most amazing thing in the whole world - flight. The oddest thought I had was during a solo tracking dive- holding the same position most of the jump. At about 7500' I had a sudden realization of exactly where I was and exactly what I was doing. I was 3/4 mile above the ground, plummeting towards it at 120mph with no support and only the parachute on my back (that I had packed) to keep me alive. Very strange sensation. Still cool. 4 Check my profile - 6 years and almost 200 jumps. NO plan to stop until I have to. No, it was a smart-ass response referencing the horrendously biased "survey" from a week or so ago. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

RENT THE RIG!!! You will be going through several downsizes between your 1st jump and the first one you buy (probably fairly soon after your A). Buy used for your first rig. Lots of reasons. Search "Buying first rig reccommendations" Some of those threads are still on the first or second page in the Gear or General forums. Your first gear purchases will probably be a helmet, goggles and altimeter. It's nice not to have to use one of the sweaty, stinky helmets off the student rack. Your own altimeter and goggles are "nice". Wait until you have a few jumps before buying anything. Ask the instructors and other jumpers what they are using and what they reccommend. Follow their advice. Take ANY advice you get here with a huge grain of salt. Including this advice. How long it takes is up to you. Minimum 25 jumps, plus any you have to repeat. How often can you afford to jump? DZ scheduling, weather, your schedule. It could take days, weeks, months. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Lots of reasons. The pyro charge in the cutter degrades. The capacitors degrade. The circuit boards and their circuits degrade. NONE of these faults would show up during the self-test. The manufacturer says not to use it after 12 years. There isn't a "Mission Impossible" self destruct at 12 years and a day, but considering what it does. I will follow those reccommendations. Search "Cypres after expiration" for a lot more discussion. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Fixed it for ya "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

LOL that brings back memories. I miss Bravo 3/47. I kind of missed C 2/47... then I woke up. Guess I forgot to mention, that statement was made at what, bout 2-3 am to a bus full of half sleeping people who had no idea what they just gotten themselves into. HUH?? Would someone elaborate?? I'm not following at all... They are talking about arriving at Basic training the first day in the Army. "Bravo" (B) company 3rd Battalion was the unit they were assigned to. I went through 9 weeks of school, 1 week (and about 3000 miles) with a company trainer driver. THEN - my first solo trip was to downtown (sort of) Chicago. Do you know how many low bridges there are in Chicago?? "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Destroy or hide all means of rescue. Demonstrate my survival skills. Break out the chunky metal watch and boardshorts. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

I have a couple different ones. Porn stash. Real Valuables- It's called a safe deposit box and it's at the bank. My mom's diamond ring, my dad's gold watch, important papers and such. Semi-valuables- Secure spot in the house. It's called a gun vault. The key to the safe deposit box is in the gun safe. Private Memories - Pictures and cards of old relationships. My weding ring. They are just in a shoebox on a shelf in the closet. Even though the relationship is over, there were still good times, great memories, and I'm not willing to throw them out. I don't keep them a secret from a current SO, but I don't pull them out often (maybe once a year or less). "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Getting those back in a box at/after a breakup is one of the more painful things I've dealt with. OMG - *ouch*... I don't know how she could have given that back.. I've received so few I treasure every word.. Of course the ones I got when I was like 12 are actually more funny than romantic!!! DAMN.. Well done you for writing little notes - shame on her for not appreciating them. That's the part that hurt the most. She said they were too good to throw away, but she didn't want to keep them. I burned them, but still have a couple cards she gave me (in my secrets box). "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Yes. Usually just a short note or a card with a few sentences in it. Getting those back in a box at/after a breakup is one of the more painful things I've dealt with. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

made me chuckle.

And it won't leave your battery all sticky. Affixing a (pre-1982) penny near each battery post will prevent corrosion in the future. I always smear the posts with vasaline jelly, works wonders stopping corrosion. Vaseline works ok, but they make dielectric grease that is designed for it. I buy it in the little foil packs for about a buck. It's labeled "Bulb Grease". Beg or borrow a voltmeter/multi-meter. Your system should be at 14 volts +/- a little when it's running. Bad battery connections can cause all sorts of trouble. Some cars need the battery in the circuit or they completely shut down. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

0,1,0 A nice 2-way from 10 out of a 182. Nothing fancy, just turned a couple lazy points and knocked the rust off. My home DZ is still under water from the spring thaw, but the next closest has cool folks. I did safety day there this year. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

This is a "boxers or briefs" argument. Both are good, both have advantages and disadvantages. In either case, the license requirements are the same. You must demonstrate certain skills, and (in the US) have 25 jumps. JUST MY .02 - I did static line, and I found the pace/direction of it suited me. Developing exit skills, canopy control skills and landing skills before freefall was an advantage. That way when I got to freefall and was a little overwhelmed by it, the canopy ride was familiar and almost comforting. Others prefer AFF because it gives them all the skills all at once. And having "2 guys hanging onto you" means the instructor is right there to help and that can be more comfortable for them. What suits you best and what you are most comfortable with is what's best for you. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

You really seem to be a whole lot happier now that you aren't in Pennsylvania anymore. You have gotten a lot more positive in the threads that you start. Sorry for the interuption, but I had to comment. Ok, back to the fuckery "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Of course not. That's what I love about them.

I am sure skymama will get right on it... Something tells me she is cursing my name and is looking at the ban button right now. No, I think she made the foolish mistake of thinking we were behaving and went to bed http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=3538837#3538837 "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Lots of smaller DZs are weekend only. We have real jobs during the week. The Cessna 182 is the most common jump plane out there. It takes 4 up to 10k just fine. Just a little slower than a turbine. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Ding!! Most loans (at least those through normal banks/credit unions) don't have any pre-payment penalty. I paid off my last 2 cars and my house well ahead of schedule and saved a bunch of money on interest I didn't have to pay. I just made sure I specified "extra towards principal" and sent one check. But check with whoever it is that the loan is coming from. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Wow, you shoot too? I'd like to continue this discussion, but guns are a "no-no" here, so I started THIS over in SC. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

This was in the Bonfire, but the rules are pretty clear, so I am starting this. That's what my Dad does as his "stay busy" retirement job. He manages our county pistol range... mostly law enforcement, some civilians. I LOVE hanging out there with him when I can. Me loves shooting .... Yes, I get to hang out at the range and get paid for it. Less than minimum wage, but I'm not doing it for the money. Other than "silly season" (sight in time, before deer hunting) It's really relaxed, standing around talking about guns, shooting all that. Here's my third home (after the house and the DZ) http://www.kaukaunasc.com/index.html I had a fun experience yesterday: A guy brought his nephew (older teenager) shooting for the first time. He shot a 22 rifle, .32 pistol and a 9mm pistol. The uncle had a .357 revolver too, but after seeing a few rounds fired out of it the nephew declined. We all agreed it was probably the smartest decision. The kid had a lot of fun, shot reasonably well for the first time, and was safe. One of my favorite things down there is seeing first-timers have a good experience. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

My history may be a little flawed here, but... Wasn't the Battle of Lexington and Concord (the "shot heard 'round the world") that essentially kicked off the American Revolution a case of the Brits going to the local armory to remove the cannons and shot that were stored there? They weren't as concerned with the rifles as with the cannon the citizens had. They wanted to disarm the local militia. They failed. Feel free to correct me if I'm mistaken. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Don't dismiss the tandems out of hand. They can be great learning experiences if the instructor teaches you instead of giving you a carnival ride. The experience of going out the door, first freefall, first opening are often a blur anyway. Doing the first canopy ride (and especially the first landing) with the instructor right there is a great help. Instant feedback on what you are doing, showing you how the wind affects the landing pattern, pointing out how to (and not to) see height above ground just before landing, ect. All those are valid reasons to go tandem first. You can learn a lot if you want to and if the instructor teaches it. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Just my $.02 - Go visit them. Hop on your cycle and visit a couple different DZs. (use the locater to find them) Hang out a bit and watch how they treat the students/visitors. Some DZs are more "Get them up, get them down, Next!". Some are more friendly and welcoming. Find one you feel comfortable at. I'm from the midwest, so I know nothing about Sussex or The Ranch. Cost can be diffficult to figure. Some places offer package deals, but the packages can vary. Graduating AFF and getting to your A license are two very different things. Some may include video. And on and on. Make sure you are comparing apples to apples when looking at packages. And you may (probably will) have to repeat some stuff. Or need more than the minimum 25 jumps to get your A. However, how much will it really cost? In the long run?? ALL OF IT!! Every last dime!! And worth EVERY penny of it "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Just finished the breakfast dishes, enjoying a cup of coffee too. The sun is shining, temp moving past 40 heading for 50s. A couple more "house" things to do, then the dog and I are going for a walk.

I know that nitrogenated beer has a really creamy head to it, very small bubbles. Is N2 ice cream kind of like that?