RonRandomguy

Hey Antibac, I just wanted to say that I've read 'most' of the posts on this thread, and I have to say...I have the same problem as you. Well, almost, I have a tendency to flare too low, instead of too high, but either way, I suck at my landings! Hoping to get better at them soon, as it looks like you have done recently. Anyway, no real input here, just thought I'd stop by, scribble on your post, and say hi. :-) Take care. Life's not permanent, don't take it too seriously! :-)

I apologize to you. I did not mean to offend you 'Chicken of the Sky', I guess I just assumed that you were a guy, since the majority of the people in this sport are guys. None of that matters though, you have a lot of talent, and I for one, would really like to see you profit from it, while letting the rest of us get a good chuckle out of your cartoon. I seriously hope that I did not offend you, and if I did, then I truly am sorry about that. I hope you make the decision to take your art further, and entertain the masses.

Well, 'SkyMama' beat me to the punch, but I was going to suggest the exact same thing. They're a relatively new mag, but those guys/gals are funny as hell, and I think your comic would fit in PERFECTLY there! Now that you've signed up for AFF, I really think that your artistic talent, matched with your ability to describe everything in a humorous manner, could make you a little money bro. I've never done a tandem jump, but I can totally imagine what you were describing. And, the way you described the feeling that I have in the sky, like we're trespassing, and don't really belong there, was spot on. You seriously do have some talent, and I for one, would love to read your comics in that mag, since I just signed up for a subscription. You could just make it into a complete journey of the duck, and everything that he goes through, just like you did in that comic. I hope to see your work in that mag, and remember, that kind of stuff looks great on a resume, you know? I'm not sure how much help I could be, but if I can write a letter or something to 'Blue Skies', then I would be more than happy to do so. Hope to see more of your work, and that your AFF program goes well. Take care bro. Life's not permanent, don't take it too seriously! :-)

Well, I have a few ideas, although I'm even more of a noob than you are, so not sure it will be too helpful.

First, let me say that I think you're making a very smart decision about finding someone who you're not quite so attracted to, so that you don't get distracted. That's an excellent plan!! Second, I totally understand what you're saying. It seems that there are A LOT of women out there who are so attracted to me, that they get too distracted even doing normal, everyday things, not related to skydiving. I think that's why they usually put a restraining order out on me, because they just like me too much, you know?!?! Seriously though, I wish I had some real input for you, but I can say that I paid for the 'A' license package as well, and it is cheaper in the long run. I would also find out what exactly is included in the total package, because it may vary from DZ to DZ. For instance, does it include a packing class, or maybe a canopy piloting class? Just something to consider, and you can compare the cost of each, compared to what is included. Alright, hope you're doing great, and take care.

I'm a complete newbie, but I believe that you're allowed to jump at 16. There is a section in the (SIM) Skydiver's Information Manual, Section: 2-1.D.1.b, that says, "16 years of age with notarized parental or guardian consent", under the 'Age Requirements' section. So, I believe that you can jump with a USPA accepted drop zone, and would probably be a bit more safe in doing so? Anyway, if you want some more info about where I am getting this from, then let me know, and I would be happy to give you more info. Check out the USPA website though, to make sure that all of this is correct, alright. Welcome, and take care. Life's not permanent, don't take it too seriously! :-)

I only had the privilege of knowing Jeremy for one day, he was my AFF instructor for jumps 2 & 3 on June 10th, but he certainly made a big impact in my life. As a matter of fact, I had to do a cutaway on my AFF level 5, and it's probably because of his constant drilling of emergency procedures with me, that I was able to walk away from it. He was not only an amazing instructor, but also a truly genuine and caring person. There is no doubt that he is missed by everyone who knew him, and that the world is darker without him. We miss you bro, and you will never be forgotten! Life's not permanent, don't take it too seriously! :-)

Hey, that's a really great description of how to 'relax'. I never thought of it like the shocks of a car, and that's an awesome analogy, thanks for your input, much appreciated. Life's not permanent, don't take it too seriously! :-)

@ PopsJumper: Hey, has anyone ever told you that you're a bit of a smarta$$?? Just messing with you bro, you know I think you're awesome. Hey, by the way, I've ordered the 5 DVD set, 'Survival Video Series' from ChutingStar, so I should be ready to answer any and all questions that you may have for me, when we see each other again. As a matter of fact, I'll even bet that you won't be able to ask me a question about EP's that will stump me. Go ahead, give it your best shot!!! OK, I guess I'm being a bit of a smara$$ now too, huh? PS- I haven't forgot about my 'payment', for graduating AFF, which I will have with me when I come back...hopefully next weekend. See you soon, and I'll be ready for you. Life's not permanent, don't take it too seriously! :-)

Bro, you are in luck, because I have got lots of advice for you!!! ***** Disclaimer ***** (Do not take any of this advice, as it seems that the adviser has completely lost his mind! Furthermore, taking any of this advice is likely to cause you serious financial and legal problems, and possibly even death. DO NOT DO ANY OF THE FOLLOWING SUGGESTED IDEAS!!!) 1) Knock over a liquor store. [Don't forget to grab some beer while your there though, to supply the DZ once you've graduated.] 2) Put on a mask, preferably one of an ex-president, and then rob banks. [It worked pretty good for the guys in the movie, "Point Break"....well, at least until he got caught and had to kill himself.] 3) Kidnap someone famous, and then demand a ridiculously large ransom for their release. 4) Become a crack dealer. [But, make sure that you only sell them little cut-up pieces of soap. I hear it looks the same, and you won't be contributing to the drug problems of today's youth.] 5) Become a male prostitute, or a porn star....although, be prepared, you may have to do some things that you're not particularly proud of. ...and finally, 6) You can sell blood plasma to earn money...but, make sure that you don't do it at least 5 hours prior to jumping, and make sure you eat the cookies, and drink the juice that they give you. It helps build your blood sugar levels back up. ***** Disclaimer ***** (OK, so the guy who was writing the above advice has been subdued, and the following advice is probably a bit more acceptable....or, at least it's sane and reasonable advice.)

Hey, I really like 'riggerbob's advice. He's got an excellent point, which holds true for anything, not just skydiving. Also, and I know that I'm a newbie to the sport myself, but, always keep in mind, that if you don't feel comfortable and ready to do a jump, you certainly don't have to. In other words, if you think you need more time to learn whatever it is that you're learning, then take the time to do it. There's nothing wrong that, and if it makes you feel more confident, then all the better. I'm sure you'll do great out there, take care.

@ MikeJD: Thanks bro. The thing about following my harness up, until I reach the handles is definitely good advice. A few of the guys at the DZ told me the exact same thing, and it makes total sense, so I've been making sure to add that to my practice routine. Thanks for the feedback, I appreciate it. Take care. Life's not permanent, don't take it too seriously! :-)

@ psychoswooper: Now that you mention it, I believe there was a black stripe down the side of it. It also had very large numbers on it, also in black, which indicated the size of the parachute. After posting this, and reading all of the comments, I've come to the conclusion that I'm just freaking blind, and that wasn't the main issue with me finding the handle....hmmm, maybe it's time to go get myself tested for colorblindness, huh?!?!

@ Divalent: LMAO! You crack me up bro! Of course, I checked out your profile, and it looks like your home DZ is The Farm too....so, wouldn't that also make you a farm animal??? Anyway, I don't think that Andy, or anyone there, would ever lead me wrong, just because of a lack of beer. Everyone of those guys/gals there are freaking awesome! I love being there. Hope to jump with you sometime man, take care. Life's not permanent, don't take it too seriously! :-)

@ RogerRamjet: To be honest, I'm not sure if there is a hanging harness there or not? I'll have to find out. But, you're right, that's exactly what the issue was, the handles were much farther up, than they are when I'm on the ground. I guess that's pretty much common sense though, so it probably should have crossed my mind at some point, huh?

LMAO! You know, I was thinking that the name Andy sounded really, really familiar, and then this morning it dawned on me who that is. And, yeah, your avatar totally resembles you.

@ dks13827: You certainly have a point there! I'm guessing that the people that I've talked to about this, at the place that I jump at, must feel the same way. When this happened, the only thing 'they' were concerned about was whether or not I was alright, but the only thing I was concerned about, was how I screwed up, and I felt bad about it. It's kind of like when you crash your motorcycle, and your first thought is, "Is my bike OK??" Of course, I've always learned things the hard way, and so, I'm sure skydiving is not going to be any different. I'm just glad that I walked away alright. It certainly could have been worse. Something similar happened to a girl that jumps there, but she ended up breaking her back, instead of walking away from it, so I know that I am VERY lucky that it turned out the way that it did. Life's not permanent, don't take it too seriously! :-)

@ cloudyhead: No, I definitely don't think that this would be considered a 'high-speed' malfunction. The data from my Altitrack altimeter indicates that I was falling at a speed of about 40-50 mph, once I was able to remove my arm, and was trying to fix the problem. So, I DEFINITELY had quite a bit of lift which was reducing my speed. I can say that I'm really thankful that I had this type of malfunction for my first cutaway though, because I learned that there isn't really much time to react, and I'm not sure that if a 'high-speed' malfunction had occurred, that I would have been able to walk away from it. That type of malfunction scares the hell out of me, and I hope that I never have to deal with one. Although, I have already made the decision, that I will never let my personal 'hard deck' opening altitude reach below a level that I feel confident about being able to react to it time, so I guess that's a pretty good lesson to come away with. No daredevil type s@%t for me, with the exception of my wanting to one day get into the sport of swooping. Life's not permanent, don't take it too seriously! :-)

@ tbrown: Thanks...although, I think I would have been happy to wait until the 'hundreds or thousands' of jumps before experiencing a cutaway. LOL. I am very happy that I spent some time watching 'cutaway' videos on YouTube though, because it didn't seem quite so scary after watching them. And, I must say, everything happened exactly the way that I was told it would, so that certainly increases my confidence level in the equipment too. I'm just glad that my instructors kept drilling me on emergency procedures, and how to deal with them, because IT WORKS!!!

@ bclark: Thanks bro, and it seems that everyone I've talked to at the facility that I jump at, agrees with you too. I guess I might be being a bit hard on myself about it? I just felt really bad about it happening, since it was completely my fault, and I really didn't want to have to cutaway. But, I guess everything worked out in the end, and like you said, with experience comes more knowledge, and I'm sure I'll do better the next time I have to cutaway. Thanks for posting, I appreciate your feedback. Life's not permanent, don't take it too seriously! :-)

@ Irishrigger: Thanks, I'm glad I passed too, now I can start working toward my 'A' license. As for the color of the jumpsuit, I don't think that anyone had ever really considered that they were the same color. Hell, I should have realized it too, but I didn't, you know. Either way, I think my main problem in finding the handle, was that it was higher up on my chest, since the main was partially open, than I was expecting it to be. Lesson learned though, and thanks for the feedback, much appreciated. Life's not permanent, don't take it too seriously! :-)

Thanks Divalent, I didn't even think about buying beer for the cutaway handle, that's a good point. I was lucky about one thing though. When I landed, I was telling my instructor that I was pretty sure that I knew where the main chute landed so I could track it down, but apparently, it landed in the DVO's front yard. I was pretty happy about that one.

Thanks, I'll see if I can track him down. I'm new to 'dropzone.com', just registered tonight, so I'm not very familiar with how everything works just yet. But, I'll figure it out, and look him up, thanks for the feedback, take care. :-) Life's not permanent, don't take it too seriously! :-)

Thanks, that's good advice. I've also been practicing how to locate it by feel, by running my hands up the harness, until I reach the handles. I guess that's basically the same thing that you suggested though.