wolfriverjoe

377- You bet it would change their status (and whole outlook on life) My best 1st jump story: Several women came out to do tandems. They worked together and apparently came up with the idea at the bar after work. One was very nervous, looked like she wanted to back out, but was unwilling to "be chicken". I was catching tandems that day, and when she landed she said (IIRC) "Oh my God, that was so awesome! I see why you guys do this! I am NEVER going to do it again, but I see why you do it!" Ckret is NOT Johnny Utah. I watched the Bank Robber Nickname video and he has more than 2 expressions on his face and never says "whoa". For his wife's sake, I hope he isn't James Bond. You want to know who he really is? Ephram Zimblast Jr. from the very old "FBI Story" TV show. Even looks like him. Georger- My "skydivers can fly" speech was more to point out the differences we have from other posters. Sluggo and Snowmman have made comments about us (That I took as kind teasing and gentle jokes-however, others took great offense) and I wanted to voice my opinion. It gives you a different perspective, but is not for everyone. I don't think Cooper considered any of this during his planning. I believe he only saw it as a method of escape. I believe he planned on jumping right away, and thought the flight crew wouldn't know when he jumped. If (as he originally asked) they went to Mexico before realizing he was gone, he would have a serious head start on the search. When the steps weren't down on takeoff, he had to improvise. The "bring your own rig vs have the FBI get them" was discussed quite a while back. Someone who is better at searching than I may point it out. In short- Bring your own gives gear you are familiar with, but if you leave it where it can be found gives FBI a trail to follow. If he didn't have his own, getting it would be difficult (no E-Bay back then) and too big a chance of seller figuring out what happened. Having FBI provide gear makes it untraceable, 2 rigs makes FBI think you are going to make crewmember jump with you (reduces chance for sabotage). The Pioneer might not have a seal on it, Cooper would have no idea who packed it (or how), and it may have had a large warning label about deplying in excess of 150mph. I was taught how to do a gear check very early, and there's not much else he could have done. Someone (Guru312?) brought up the near impossibility of reclosing the nb6 on the plane without special tools and knowledge. (Tosaw's account of Cooper opening and inspecting it is highly suspect, and so are the pills) Snowmman- The Parachutist article I mentioned earlier (still can't find it) talked about the nb6. No sleeve. Good for higher speed openings. Openings described using words like "brutal" , "vicious", and "painful". There is a story at my DZ about a jumper using one of the pilot rigs (pilots wear emergency bailout rigs because the door opens). He wanted to get a jump on a round. He pulled right away to have deployment speed as low as possible - didn't want to get to terminal. Opening shock took his shoes off. I can't swear this is true (deliberately jumping energency rigs is not legal), but that's the story. When I fly the plane, using the emergency rig is truly a last resort. I can't say for sure, but the harness adjustments aren't that complicated. 2 leg straps and a chest strap. 1st jump course covers making sure leg straps are even (you need to be level in the harness) and the connectors are pretty intuitive. If (as I believe) Cooper had a few jumps, getting into the rig wouldn't be too hard. Ok, this is long enough. BTW Lisamariewillbe is right. This is a highly entertaining thread. "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

Funfall: Both cards were included with my SIM. One is the old style with the individual skills (2sides), the other is based on the AFF progression levels (4sides). Couloirman: The SIM doesn't seem to specify, but does say that jumps to meet licence requirements must be logged and include (among other things) exit altitude and freefall time. That would indicate to me the others don't count. But I could be wrong (often am). "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're a laywer, you get a lawyer answer: It depends. Some DZs only offer one or the other. Some people want to get to freefall right away. Some people have more money than others. I went static line. It has the advantage of introducing concepts more "one at a time", but can take longer. As a S/L student you will get more canopy control early on, because you don't start off doing full jumps from 10k. I think that's good, because when (not if) you have a screwed up freefall jump or bad opening, the canopy part of the jump will be much more ingrained, and you will not be overwhelmed by a whole new and different experience while trying to come to grips with what happened during freefall (This isn't just theoretical- I had it happen). Both are good, lots of people do AFF, and I'm sure someone will post in favor of it. In the end, you get your A license, and that's what really counts, right? "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

The Integrated Student Program in the SIM goes through each level of AFF and the jumps after that. It isn't the exact syllabus used (each DZ varies) but its close. "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

Nice photos of the gear snowmman. Those aren't quite the connectors I thought, but pretty close. Even though they are bigger, you still couldn't get more than 2 fingers in them, and I don't see getting the straps on the nb6 into them. Getting the reserve attached securely enough to use it as a reserve probably isn't possible. But that's not what you meant, is it? Getting the dummy reserve container attached well enough (or at least thinking so) to use it as a carry pouch? Hmm. Looking at the other pictures of just the nb6, I see a couple places where that is quite possible. And something else- Cooper inventory: 1 Briefcase (including bomb-real or fake) 1 Large bag of money 1 Training dummy reserve (container, butchered canopy and lines) 1 Overcoat/raincoat What happened to all that stuff? We (you guys) have discussed the lines cut from the good reserve that was left behind, but I never saw mention of the training dummy-canopy or lines. Could Cooper have used those lines and the canopy to tie up the money bag or the briefcase more securely than has been considered so far?? There was some discussion of the danger/stupidity of wearing the coat going out the door, but was he? Ckret- Did Tina or Alice specify in their statements whether or not Cooper was wearing the overcoat while he had the parachute on? If not, did he stuff it into the reserve container? I doubt that he just tossed it, or the rest of the things out the back stairs before he jumped, If so something would have probably been found by now. Someone (georger?) commented on Cooper's desire to leave early, but not being able to have the rear stairs down, chose not to go out the open aft door. Look at a picture of the 727 and you will see why. Also why I haven't suggested that Cooper tossed anything out the door while plane was over Puget Sound right after takeoff. Anything going out that door in flight is going into and through the engine. Last thing for tonight: Disclaimer-This is not a flame or personal attack. If I could convey "tone" it would be the patient, slightly exasperated, but still kind tone of somoene trying but fully understanding the futility of explaining color to a blind man. I also took the above quote as the light joke I believe it was intended to be. Snowmman- This is why we call you guys "whuffos'. Skydivers don't think we can fly. We can fly. That's why we (Me anyway) do it. Yes, we are "flying" straight down. More of a plummet really. But it is flying. Look at some of the videos. When we leave the plane, we control our bodies by the position of our arms and legs (and whole bodies). I feel like superman flying through the air. It is like nothing else. Look at some of the wingsuit videos and you will see something even closer to true flight. (I am not qualified for that-yet) And yes, I know that even though I am flying, I need the canopy open over my head or landing is going to be truly awful. You whuffos don't/can't/won't understand it. That's ok. I don't understand a lot of things. But keep in mind that we have a very different view of life, each other, and the world in general because of this. BTW-I'm not using whuffo in a derogatory sense. Its just handier and "cuter" than 'non-skydiver' "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

A bunch. A group of people I hang out with got together in 2001 for the first annual jump. Static line FJC. I missed that one, but made the 2nd. Another guy and I are the only two in eight years to keep going long enough to get our licences, but we still get 10-15 each year. Some are repeats, some make the one jump a year for 3 or 4 years, but most are first-timers and only do it once. I present it as an invitation to try something new and very different; one of those "always wanted to" things. "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 get it every jump. For me, the high speed descent of freefall makes it worse. If I am flying the plane, I can clear my ears as I come down and am fine on the ground. When I jump, I clear my ears under canopy, and again on the ground, and again on the ground, and again on the ground. One jump or a bunch doesn't seem to matter. I'm not a doc, but it seems as if I get some minor swelling in there somewhere, and as the swelling subsides, I need to re-clear. No other after effects, but there have been times when I clear my ears for the last time 3 or 4 hours later. Yawning, swallowing (chewing gum promotes swallowing), pinching the nose shut and blowing your nose (GENTLY!) all work, but most effective for me is to open my eyes wide(bug them out) and wiggle my jaw around. Gets lots of funny looks from the whuffos, but works for me. "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'm pretty cautious and attentive to detail when I pack and put my gear on. The fact that all your pack jobs opened so far indicates you are too.

Georger- I'm blushing. Thanx for the compliment. You were talking not to long ago about nylon rope and its properties. 550 paracord isn't really nylon rope. It has a core of 5-7 strands of nylon wrapped with a woven (cotton?) outer cover. It is thin, flexible, holds knots very well, and is strong-550# test. Any good army surplus store will have it, either near you or online. Snow- "Kludging" reserve to harness probably not possible. The attachment hardware isn't "snaplinks" (i.e. carbiners) like climbers use. I think (not sure, I'm not that old) its B-12 connectors, more like on the end of a dog leash. They are still used to attach the tandem student to the TI. Para-gear has them on their website under "hardware" on page 3. You can get your pinkie finger in them, but that's about it. Rolling up the harness strap would be way too big. I doubt the reserve attachment differed in any major way. DZ would have to be able to attach any reserve to any main, and would keep that kind of stuff standard. Like with the B-12s, I'm not old enough to have really been there, someone who was may want to correct me (please do so) but this is my understanding. As far as jumpers knowing one and other, there are only about 30,000 active in the US today. While we certainly don't all know each other, there usually isn't more than 2 or 3 degrees of seperation between any given jumpers. It really is a small community. That's one of the reasons I try to be polite here. I don't want to flame the person who I will be asking to join on a jump next weekend. (Quade's wrath the other reason of course) "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 already being discussed in S&T under "Students do the craziest things" "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

Yep. Not to mention "I pulled Tim out of the crotch" or "Tim pulled me out of the crotch". I don't try to explain that one to the whuffos. I just say sitting backwards on the strut. "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

The pilot of the plane can sign also. At least in the US. Its in the SIM. "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 don't list your home DZ, but if they have a 182, your commercial lic. will let you fly jumpers. That way, you can hang out at the DZ and get paid. Talk to the DZO and pilots. The only bad part is you can't fly and jump. (more than once anyway) Being a jumper who flies is pretty fun. It is pretty strange to be flying along with three people hanging off the strut. "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

No, I forgot to add that it is the most incredible thing I have ever done, I am surrounded by the greatest group of people I have ever met, and my only regret it that I waited so long to start. "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

Cheaper...HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Remember Lethal Weapon 2? They had a five minute discussion on what a 3-count was. Is it 1, 2, 3 THEN go? Or is it 1, 2, 3 (go on three). All the skydivers I know go ON 3. "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

Like someone else said, this is far easier to show than tell, but I was taught to look at the knots. When the nose is between your legs and the canopy hanging off your shoulder, the knots in each line group are all at the same level, and the different groups are at different levels. (For a 9cell) there will be 4 knots at each level, and the A, B, C, D, and steering will be at lower levels as you progress. Hope this helps. "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

[replyI was very sore and exhausted from packing but it was worth it.

Cautious is GOOD!

Quote Now I'm no doctor, but I'm going to take a wild guess and say that your ears and throat are somehow connected and that the water i feel is actually blood and its somehow dripping into my throat. Quote Yes, its called the eustacian tube. It is the path that allows air behind the ear drum and allows pressure to equalize. The inner ear is also where your spatial orientation is established (kinda like your internal attitude gyro, but not really). When your inner ear and visual picture disagree, motion sickness is the result. Motion sickness, feelings of water in your ear, and spitting blood all add up to inner ear problems, IMO. DON'T SCREW AROUND!! See a doctor, preferably an ENT specialist. BEFORE your next jump. "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

Perhaps I should have been more detailed, but I try to keep my posts short. The student incident happened 20+ years ago. I haven't personally seen another one since. Fuel starvation is not something to be taken lightly. It often ends in destruction of the plane and injury or death to the pilot and passengers. It is a totally preventable situation for which there is NO excuse. Also, it is amazing how often there is usable fuel in a tank that just wasn't selected. In this particular situation they got lucky and hopefully learned a lesson. (edit to add) If they had gotten luckier and made it back to the runway, we probably never would have heard about 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

Its not a big deal. Nobody hurt, no damage to plane. No need to notify NTSB. I don't think FAA needs to know either(not sure on that). All they had to do was put on some fuel and they could probably take off right from there. It doesn't happen every day, but it does happen. One time, at the flight school I was working at, the student bumped the fuel selector, engine died right after takeoff, put it down in a cornfield. They taxied out to road and had sheriff deputies block traffic, took off from road. They were back at the airport before the news crew showed up. End of story. "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

[reply One team at nats was funny (they were serious), the light would go on and the guy in back would yell "DOOR", then he'd be the one to open it Ok, I have a total of 4 "roll up door" jumps. All the rest in a 182. In the 182 the person opening the door calls "DOOR" just before opening it. I was taught to do this to let everyone know that its about to get windy. Lets the pilot know that plane os about to start flying different too. Not done in bigger planes? Feel free to make fun of me. "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

If you find out any good ones, let me know.