Abedy

To ALWAYS check whether pilot chute and bridle are where they must be (i. e. neatly tucked away) Contributed to a bad accident, broken humerus + scapula. To first of all learn to bellyfly really well before wasting time and money on freeflying. Didn't pay enough attention to windsock, resulted in two landings 180° wrong, thank God I was always last and didn't hurt anyone. Got talked to, grounded myself for that day and from then on never forgot to check the windsock. See above, I shouldn't have started with freeflying too early as I know now. OK, as an old fart (41 by then) I had real problems finding anyone to jump with. A girl who started with me always was asked. Yeah, the "two arguments" boys don't have. But that's no excuse - I could have spent the money for instructor jumps on RW as well. Most thing I do not regret, on the contrary. Skydiving has been a source of joy and fun once I recognised that everybody can f*ck up and that one should (or even: must) not put oneself under pressure. First of all enjoy the ride, second only try to catch up with your expectations. There's always something to be learned from any jump, you know I especially enjoy jumps with noobs now and then. Not only is it rewarding (especially when you invite boys for a 1-on-1 jump) but it's always sort of box of chocolate and I often was surprised, had to react etc pp. Helps you improve or train/maintain your skills. And yeah, I should have become TI one or two years earlier, it's so much fun, so rewarding. The sky is not the limit. The ground is. The Society of Skydiving Ducks

Bewildered... even acronymfinder didn't enlighten me? The sky is not the limit. The ground is. The Society of Skydiving Ducks

More like he thought: Do assimilate me, NOW! The sky is not the limit. The ground is. The Society of Skydiving Ducks

I don't think so. We always "carry" our students and if one of the TIs has to do a back-on-back we take care of his student until we can "hand them over." Colleagues told me in one occasion that "this is not 'Con Air'" - i. e. the student is not to be "carried" as if a prisoner (because I held him by the chest strap). But that was that. They just told me to be a little more discreet (e. g. always hold student's main lift web). Well, I usually do that but had forgotten that time, had grabbed him by the chest strap and... just then it was taped (small camera glued to strut) and could be watched on Vimeo two days later The sky is not the limit. The ground is. The Society of Skydiving Ducks

I once burst out laughing when I read a tagline (in the good ol' days of FidoNet) "AAAAA - American Association Against Acronym Abuse" The one above in the subject isn't a joke, but made me smile as well. Anyone got an idea? Well... . . . Here we go: American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities There's more, look here. The sky is not the limit. The ground is. The Society of Skydiving Ducks

And also a good reminder to a) take care no family members of students (esp. tandem students) walk out of the "fenced" area and b) always have a hand at your tandem students gear (main lift web etc) when approaching the plane... The sky is not the limit. The ground is. The Society of Skydiving Ducks

Huhuhuhu... Same problem here - parents of smaller kids have to take care the spoiled little brats don't consume the treats before they are due The sky is not the limit. The ground is. The Society of Skydiving Ducks

I am sure there isn't a single classroom in any of the primary schools and kindergartens around without an Advent calendar. OK, the calendars have become more or less secular items but it would be a shame if they were verboten. But we live in Thuringia (same in Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt) the core lands of Reformation with quite a strong Lutheran tradition, mixed with Atheist adoption/assimilation/takeover of Christian holidays. BTW: Today is what we call "Nikolaustag" - If kids (and grown-ups) shine their shoes (used to be boots, called "Nikolausstiefel = Nicolaus boot) and place them on the door mat the night before, Saint Nicolaus is supposed to come around and put some chocolate, candies, pralinés etc into the shoes. Huhu. He brought me some fine chocolate truffles last night. BTW: Some kids are really disappointed once they are told/find out it's mom or dad who place the treats in the boots... The sky is not the limit. The ground is. The Society of Skydiving Ducks

Lucky you. The "Weihnachtspyramide" is sort of a must in most homes around XMas. One of the biggest can be seen at the Dresden "Striezelmarkt" BTW, it's held the 577th time in 2011. Another XMas decoration are so-called "Räuchermännchen" or "Räucherfiguren". They are carved wooden figurines, looking like miners (traditional Smoking Man) or can also be cops, doctors, teachers, nurses etc etc. They're hollow inside and a small cone of incense is placed (and lit) in it and it gives of the scent through its open mouth. The bigger figurines are quite impressive (and expensive) and I sent two of them to my friends in Western Australia. The figurines are "bird sellers" with small cages with birds on their backs. Very impressive to the mates and sheilas, they told me The link provides a collection of "Räuchermännchen" figurines. The sky is not the limit. The ground is. The Society of Skydiving Ducks

But based on your avatar photo (haven't seen you in RL yet) you bear a striking resemblance to Jeri Ryan (Seven of Nine), especially in this tight suit, huhu... The sky is not the limit. The ground is. The Society of Skydiving Ducks

Do you also have a "Schwibbogen" then? They are typical window decorations throughout Saxony and Thuringia, originally coming from the Ore Mountains (Erzgebirge). After all, chocolate-filled Advent calendars should sell pretty well so once they are "discovered" by supermarket chains they should make their way to the homes of Canadians As for religion: XMas, especially in the Eastern parts of Germany, has become a rather secular holiday. It's much more about family gathering, being together, celebrating peace, presents etc. The core of XMas without religious overhead, so to say. Even in Western parts only about 50% of people attend services at church. The sky is not the limit. The ground is. The Society of Skydiving Ducks

I suppose the German style of celebrating XMas is quite powerful when it comes to spreading around the world. Queen Victoria's husband, Albert brought the tradition of the XMas tree to England, at least according to popular belief. (Haven't done much research since I'm not a Christian.) OTOH, the American style has made its way over the Atlantic and now we have American-style Santas, overflowing ornaments and lights - the whole thing got much more commercialised within about 10 years. The sky is not the limit. The ground is. The Society of Skydiving Ducks

Wow! You got some really nice-looking wooden Nussknacker (nutcracker) figurines. If they are REAL ones (i. e. from Germany, more precise from the Erzgebirge (Ore Mountains) area) you must have spent a fortune? Don't tell me they're cheap Chinese replicas I added a pic of a Ore Mountain-type (decorative) nutcracker (from the town of Seiffen) which looks pretty much like the ones you have. The sky is not the limit. The ground is. The Society of Skydiving Ducks

Good picture. You should (and probably will) use it in your cartoons which I'm looking forward to Yepp, that's a lesson to be learned again and again. You can't change the weather. Or as we put it in German: "Die meiste Zeit des Lebens wartet der Springer vergebens" (Roughly: Most time of their lives skydivers wait in vain.) Cheers and take care. Greetings from rather cold and windy Gera (just came back from the Weihnachtsmarkt and had a glass of white Glühwein.) I'll leave the German words to you to figure out, you'll manage, I'm sure The sky is not the limit. The ground is. The Society of Skydiving Ducks

I can imagine things like "Waaah, you're gonna get hurt, don't jump" and "No way this messy pack job will open at all", thought-balloons like "After all, I can chop it, at least the reserve will open just fine" and finally "Wooooh! It has opened just the way it was meant to - why was I so anxious?" Wish you lotta fun for your next jumps. Weather permitting (which is just the problem in Thuringian winter) I should also be able to do some occasional fun jumps but apart from that I'm sort of envious you can jump The sky is not the limit. The ground is. The Society of Skydiving Ducks

Foreword: Couldn't jump this weekend due to high winds and low clouds, so bugger... got to scan DZ.com for articles to reply to in a most annoying manner just to kill some time Replying to your question: Taken from a text(*) I use with my student nurses and medical assistants: "It may sound rude, but if you are sick or begin to feel sick, see your GP and stay at home. This is the best way to protect your colleagues from getting infected by you." Well, this is just the side of how to not infect anyone at work. But the idea works in general: Since you are vulnerable to a person running a fever, coughing and sneezing at your home the only way for you to avoid getting infected is to leave premises... If Normiss caught the "real" flu (not just a cold bug for which there isn't any vaccine) AND none of you had got their annual flu shot in time... then be told to endure the wrath of the germs Just kidding. I don't even know if it is sensible to get your shot for seasonal flu in Florida? (*) Simple rules to stop the spread of flu in the workplace The sky is not the limit. The ground is. The Society of Skydiving Ducks

Well, that's sort of reassuring as we're going to Mallorca for or "Between-the-years" holiday We like dining in "native" (read: non-touristy) restaurants (with menus only in Mallorquin) in small villages P.S.: Rabies is also almost eradicated in Germany but the emphasis lies on "almost". You never know. Did you also had vaccination programmes (with the vaccine in baits) for foxes? Was done here in the 1990s. Remember I almost choked due to laughing when I read an article with the headline "Oral vaccination of foxes" (Schluckimpfung der Füchse) in the newspaper. The sky is not the limit. The ground is. The Society of Skydiving Ducks

Or PdF's Atom tandem gear The sky is not the limit. The ground is. The Society of Skydiving Ducks

Just wanted to share this link and being curious as to whether tough skygods would admit to watching it on a regular basis? And yes, there's loads of cute duck stuff Speaking of cute: I dunno if "Krtek the Mole" (The Small Mole) is popular in the US but the cartoons were some of my (and our kids' ) childhood favourites. Just came to my mind as the author Zdenek Miler who recently died was featured on the radio right now. One of the Mole cartoons, fitting this time of year And one with ducks, of course The sky is not the limit. The ground is. The Society of Skydiving Ducks

Just being curious... Do you have an Advent Calendar at home? We're not Christian but we have secular calendars. My wife's calendar is quite huge filled with Chocolate truffles for each day - she's quite slim so good on her Mine is much smaller, with a jelly bear every day. "Normal" Advent Calendars just provide nice pics (usually for kids) behind small "doors". There are also "adult" issues, but well... Shah? I haven't seen a skydiving-related Advent Calendar so far, would be great, huh? The sky is not the limit. The ground is. The Society of Skydiving Ducks

You might ask the fellows referred to in this article on how to prepare them Since it is in German, the content in a nutshell: Hygiene inspectors found a fox - already prepared for cooking - in a Vietnamese "Asia" fastfood diner. The couple running the diner claimed it was solely intended for private consumption. The consumption of foxes is prohibited in Germany. One reason for this is they may carry rabies or trichinae. The premises were closed on the spot. P.S.: Wild squirrels are cute to look at but might carry rabies or parasites as well. The sky is not the limit. The ground is. The Society of Skydiving Ducks

Well, in Germany (unless you are a teacher, educator, trainer, Catholic priest etc) you don't have to care about the federal state. The "Schutzalter" (more or less: age of consent)is the same throughout Germany The sky is not the limit. The ground is. The Society of Skydiving Ducks

Huhu... but the funniest part is that Americans have to wait until 18 The sky is not the limit. The ground is. The Society of Skydiving Ducks

Germany: 12 years (14 recommended, though) Minimum size of 1,40m (4'7'') Loads of great destinations for a family vacation and... loads of them got nothing to do with Frankfurt, Hamburg, Berlin or Munich How about paying the Green Heart of Germany - Thuringia - a visit? The sky is not the limit. The ground is. The Society of Skydiving Ducks

Congrats!