freakflyer9999

I don't know how fast you drive, but it is 195 miles from Gatesville to Whitewright.

Why isn't it air time or freefall time? Log it. It is definitely experience flying your body. The USPA may not count it towards ratings, but who cares? It's your log book, you can log anything that you want and tunnel time is a great learning experience. As common as tunnels are becoming, I'd be willing to bet that the USPA eventually recognizes tunnel time for training purposes. Who knows, they might even require it one of these days. KG

Get a nice card or make one on your computer telling her how you feel. Put it somewhere that she is sure to find it. I always pin them to the wall in front of the toilet. May not be a romantic place, but she always finds them. I usually buy a dozen or so at a time for 49 cents or so. Then I randomly pull a card out and write a note inside. Also you can write messages to her on the mirror using dry erase markers. Send the biggest bunch of roses that you can afford to her work or some place where her girlfriends will see them. Cover the bed in rose petals with the appropriate background music and candles. Don't wait for a special occasion. Doing these things at times that aren't expected makes the biggest impression. She'll also be the envy of her girlfriends when she brags about it. (and she will) My wife and I will celebrate our 25th anniversary this year and she definitely has enough jewelry and other objects. It hasn't always been smooth sailing, but taking the time to let her know you care helps calm the storms. Kenny G.

Reese's Peanut Butter Cups seem to have worked well for me.

Try one of these: Real Doll

My bumper sticker says: D.A.D.D. Dads Against Daughters Dating My 16 yo daughter hates it, but people constantly make comments about it.

Skydive Texas is out of business, but Skydive Dallas is still going strong and Eagleflight Skydiving in Granbury is flying a couple of 182s. They have a boogie coming up in June that they are bringing in a Casa for. Come on out and enjoy the view over Lake Granbury.

amen. I'll second that. amen.

Someone dropped a teddy bear at the WFFC in 97, but when the teddy bear had a total malfunction, people on the ground swore they had seen a skydiver bounce in the cornfields. The ensuing search effort cost a significant amount of $ and partially stopped jumping as well while search aircraft combed the area. The teddy bear owner even confessed to manifest, but the search continued just in case. So be careful even when you're packing for a Teddy Bear.

Sounds like you have already bought it if you've won the auction. Are you looking for a reason to back out of the contract you entered when you bid on the item??? Isn't before you bid a better time to find out what you're bidding on? Just curious because of your wording (in red) above. Perhaps you already have every intention of honoring your bid.

I too left the sport for 5 years. When I returned, I sat through a modified First Jump Course and made 1 hop-n-pop. This is what the USPA says in the SIM. A LICENSE USPA A-license holders who have not made a freefall skydive within— 1. 60 days: should make at least one jump under the supervision of a currently rated USPA instructional rating holder until demonstrating altitude awareness, freefall control on all axes, tracking, and canopy skills sufficient for safely jumping in groups 2. 90 days: should make at least one jump beginning in Category D with a USPA AFF Instructor or in Category B with a USPA IAD Static-Line, or Tandem Instructor before proceeding to unsupervised freefall B LICENSE USPA B-license holders who have not made a freefall skydive within the preceding 90 days should make at least one jump under the supervision of a USPA instructional rating holder until demonstrating the ability to safely exercise the privileges of that license. C AND D LICENSE USPA D-license holders who have not made a freefall skydive within the preceding six months should make at least one jump under the supervision of a USPA instructional rating holder until demonstrating the ability to safely exercise the privileges of that license.

I have a borrowed MT-1XX that I now have 3 jumps on. The first 2 jumps were sub terminal openings that were pretty nice, however, my last jump (15 sec delay) yesterday was a slammer. I have dark blue bruises on both legs about 2 1/2 inches wide by 8-10 inches long. I do not have a packing manual for this rig, but was using the packing instructions for the MC-4 that I downloaded from the internet. Flat pack, fold the A lines past the B lines, then stack the A lines on top of the B lines. Roll the nose tightly, then bring the C and D lines over to the stack, clear the stabilizers and cocoon as normal. Slider was fully up against the stops. All lines were tight. Took one wrap with each rubber band on the D bag. After this I just stuffed the rig into my gear bag and didn't bother either inspecting it for damage or repacking. I'll do that in a few days after the soreness in my legs subsides a little. BTW, I started to ProPack, but I have been out of the sport for a number of years and trying to ProPack something this large (370) seemed to be a daunting task. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

ditto

I think I'll just borrow the money and file for bankruptcy.

Straight from Mr. Booth himself, Category B is "unlimited" and therefore weight isn't a TSO issue. Vectors are Cat B, i'm sure there are others. -Blind My gear dealer confirmed this today with Relative Workshop. The Vector 3 does not have a weight limit per se, but does have a shock load limit. It is my understanding that this effectively gives the jumper a speed limit that varies by weight. I wonder if the FAA is going to have a radar on the ground to measure my speed coming at them. Hmmm???

I used to keep a Band-Aid over the scratches my helmet received sliding across the runway at WFFC in 97. I really don't think I would be here if I hadn't had the helmet on.

And then there are those who went to the better part of the A&M system, Tarleton State University. We call ourselves half-ass Aggies.

My best friend had a similar incident 5 years ago. The result was he spun his canopy into the ground and was killed by the impact. Two pilots who witnessed his 1000-1500 ft spiraling descent stated that he appeared to be unconcious. We're not sure whether he passed out due to the spin and was therefore unable to take corrective action or if something else disabled him and he just happened to jab his hand through the brake line loop. Either way the spin resulted in a high speed impact with the ground.

I had about 150 jumps when I bought my first elliptical, but I also upsized at the same time. I went to a canopy that was 15 sq. ft. bigger than what I had jumped for the past 75 jumps.

I AM LEGAL EVERY TIME I FLY. I have never flown an airplane either over gross or out of CG. As a 300 lb. pilot I must always pay attention to weight and balance. BTW, I did not say that I was a jump pilot. I also did not say that I was smart (I'm posting to this thread), but if I ever do fly jumpers I guarantee that I will be within allowable W&B. Perhaps we should create a poll and ask the skydiving population "Is there a weight limit on the aircraft that you jump from?" I doubt that we would get any serious "No" answers.

My logbook is in the car, but I know without looking that I have many jumps with Jerry Schrimsher. He really enjoyed putting together low pressure skydives for low time jumpers. I know that there are literally hundreds, if not thousands of skydivers who Jerry helped learn to skydive. Jerry is missed tremendously. Blue Skies

Just remember it is not important how well you skydive but how good you look doing it. Buy color coordinated items and never ever buy one of those geeky looking protec helmets. They just aren't cool and besides I doubt they would protect your noggin much anyway. Seriously. I wouldn't buy anything more than a pair of goggles and a logbook at first. Most DZs supply the necessary items while you rent gear.

I'm curious about what motivated your post. Do you really think that it is news to us big guys that the planes we fly in have weight limits? Do you really think that we're too stupid to consider weight when we manifest a load? I am both a skydiver and a pilot. I weigh just under 300 lbs. I can not get into an airplane with out considering not only total weight, but also CG. When I get into a skydiving plane I always plan on taking a position near the center of lift if possible. If I'm truly concerned about a particular load and exit order I will discuss it with the pilot or bump from the load.

I'm not forgetting it, but I'm also not counting on it. When I first started skydiving in 1994, I weighed 265. By the time that I finished my A license 4+ months later, I weighed under 200 lbs. and ultimately got down to 180 lbs. I was motivated and lost the weight. Since then I have gained and lost a couple of hundred lbs. I know how to lose the weight, but obviously I'm not willing to keep it off. Just a year ago I went from 305 to 265. Now I'm back to 295. Food is my stress reliever and unfortunately I have had a lot of stress in recent years.

Not true. I'm not registered for the draft, nor was I ever required to do so. Though I wasn't required to register, I had already decided that I would move to Canada if the draft had continued. I wasn't against the possiblity of giving my life for others, but I was against giving my life in vain. That was a different situation though. My son is registered for the draft and my advice to him is to understand what he is being asked to do and then to make a decision based on his values. He and I have discussed this on several occasions. He has indicated that he would be willing to serve, however he would not be willing to serve in a position that would require him to take another life.