MarkBolton

Thanks for helping an old guy out Nicole! See everyone sometime Saturday.

Jenna: Did I jump you at a boogie at The Farm over the summer? I am a short shaved head guy with a purple rig and jumpsuit. If you are who I am thinking you are you were with a guy and some nice young jumpers?

Funny stuff Chris. He'll just use his back injury as an excuse now. ]I remember when he was a little bulldog no one could keep up with. I'll see everyone there - this is one I always enjoy.

Fascinating thread on several levels. I was allowed to train at 15 and jump at 16 in the U.S. back in the day with a parent-signed waiver. It was a club operation and I suppose if I had been injured, through my own fault or someone else's, my parents would just have viewed it as an accident. We had a few high school jumpers in the mid to late 70s in Birmingham. This thread is the first time I have heard some states evidently hold that parents can sign away their rights to sue on behalf of their kids, although I am unclear what rights a kid or a grandparent might have. I wish skydiving had a similar law to what the equestrian set has been able to push through with regards to liability. Has anyone googled youth liability waiver? In this day and age you sure don't have to drive down to the YMCA and pick up a waiver before signing your kid up for soccer.

I think recreational CRW can get out first or last at single-plane dzs in instances when they hop and pop at the same altitude where the rest of the load is exiting. On days when the uppers are low, I ask for a shorter spot. We are still the slowest falling group. If the uppers are high, I leave last and maybe even ride the plane for some time before exiting. Of course, people need to know some other basics, like not riding a streamering main for thousands of feet. I've never been in the air with a very large board, but have heard they can fall much slower than a recreational 8-way. I am glad to see this discussion pop up again. I was at a dz last month where on at least one load a freeflyer exited first in strong uppers, resulting in a very close opening with a belly flyer. And I'll have to agree with whoever said some freeflyers think exit order should be based on temperature. At the same dz I mentioned above freeflyers were sitting in the back of the plane on a hot day and NOT exiting first.

I just saw you last weekend and I got left off the list? Bitch. I'll be there. Talked to Click recently, he is having major league shoulder problems. Your kid looked great. Your wife is more beautiful than ever, if that is somehow possible.

Bob and Enrique were a class act. I hope they are still in business and I hope you get to jump with them. Last time I was there they had a NOTAM for the whole island and were more than happy to put you out next to your hotel on the last jump of the day.

Thanks, Michelle. I had a great time. David you will have a dvd soon. Hope to see you all again real soon.

I'll be there with a couple of others from Alabamy.

I'm there and even the whuffo missus.

N/A

I'll be there. It will good to see everyone again, I had a slow winter.

Northcave: Here is something I give young jumpers when they get a few more jumps than you: So, it’s just another day at the dz and suddenly the plane is yawing around a dead engine. The pilot desperately wants you out of his airplane and someone is yelling “high speed pass-no poised exits!” and - oh, holy crap! - your altimeter reads 1,000 feet and the door is opening and -oh, holy crap! - people are leaving and now its your turn to go. Hopefully, you have envisioned this scenario before it happens to you. Like all things wicked in skydiving, replacing your negative vibes with a positive, well-thought plan is important. The pilot in command of an aircraft has every right to demand jumpers exit the airplane at 1,000 feet or higher. It is your responsibility to follow those directives. Your quick action can lighten the load enough to allow the aircraft to return to the airport or reach an open field. Failing to fulfill your responsibility can result in the loss of the airplane or the loss of lives such as the pilot or tandem masters and students. The general rule of thumb for students in the past was to deploy the reserve when exiting at 1,000 feet or below and to deploy the main when exiting higher. However, as jumpers’ skills and knowledge increase they may want to deviate from the pat rule of thumb, and canopies that take a long time to open are another consideration. First and foremost, never do a poised exit or jump up and out in any way when making an emergency exit. The possibility of striking the tail is very real. Now, there are some questions jumpers must ask themselves when deciding which canopy to deploy. If your main canopy routinely takes hundreds of feet to open even on a hop and pop, that dictates the use of the reserve and you don’t have to read any farther . Secondly, consider your exit skills. Many jumpers who have not experienced a high-speed pass will go unstable. Can you use an acrobatic move – made against the relative wind if necessary – to immediately regain stability? Or will you have to arch and wait for the relative wind to return you to a face-to-earth position? When exiting from 1,000 feet, you are 11-12 seconds away from putting a dent in the dirt. This is plenty of time to save your life, but there is no extra time. Taking a delay of a few seconds while regaining stability will leave you with little time to set up a landing. If you doubt your ability to remain or immediately regain stability on exit, might the reserve freebag play an important role if you deploy while tumbling? The decision on which canopy to deploy may be a split-second one made as you leave the door. Do you want to land in a tight area with precious little setup time under a canopy you have never jumped before? If landing in a forested area is inevitable, might you be able to slow and sink your reserve better than your main? In short, jumpers should know what is under them at low altitudes on typical climbs and have a well-thought out plan on how to handle aircraft emergencies.

I made my first two trips to The Farm in the past few weeks. It has become quickly evident y'all people are cool as shit.

I'll be there. Looking forward to it.

It was a touching and well-done memorial and there were not a lot of dry eyes in the house.

I'm there. Always a good time. I'm bringing my niece, who will be the first person in my family ever to follow me out of an airplane.

I was at Pell City for the last dance, the first time I had been there in years. It was great fun and a great party and I saw a bunch of people I hadn't seen in years. There was a former DZO from Alabama and another from Georgia there, and I halfway expected to see Billy show up. Pell City went through five owners and I first jumped there maybe 20 years ago. It was always one of my favorite locations for a small dz with a lot going for it. Sad to see another one go.

If anyone knows where a 15-year-old can make a tandem jump within a few hours drive of central Alabama please post or pm me. Don't need the preaching or legal advice rehash - just an answer to the question if you know it.

Goals from the take back the sky web site: * Separate conventional patterns from swoop patterns in space or time at every DZ. * Educate all skydivers on the importance of flying standard and predictable patterns * Educate all skydivers on how to work into a congested pattern safely * Educate all skydivers about proper break-off procedures and separation obtained by proper tracking plans * Disallow spiraling in conventional patterns * Disallow S-turns in conventional patterns * Disallow high performance landings in conventional patterns God help us. It's 2007 and most of us are still striving to achieve these simple goals. And a lot of us somehow think they are not worthy.

I flat pack, basically two flops to the center on each side. I use paid, pro-packing packers from time to time and there is no difference in the openings. I tried pro packing for awhile when the new fangled, slippery zero p came out and didn't care for it. I've made 3,000 + jumps since I've had a malfunction and in fact have never had a malfunction on modern gear, my three were all straps and ropes and rings.

Thanks for the replies everyone. Hey Billy! Come see us sometime!

At the nationals: How many rounds? Working time? Time starts when? TIA

I'll be there Saturday afternoon, looking forward to seeing everyone again.

I received a set of superbands from Aerodyne today for use on my Triathlon. Anyone here using these and what do you thinks of them?