Kelly

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Everything posted by Kelly

  1. flew to florida with a friend. we had 2 gear bags between the two of us, and were able to carry them on. lost a gear bag in florida and were left without a way to transport one so we asked about taking it on. The lady at U.S. Airways said no, but when we explained the importance of the gear to her she went to EXTRA measures to make their journey a safe one. We put them in boxes and put the boxes in plastic bags. She put about 10 "FRAGILE!!" stickers all over them, taped and secured them shut. they offer 2,500 insurance for regular lugguage. for an extra 23 dollars i got a total of $4,800 in insurance. For a jump ticket and some mid day snacks my rigs safety was a little more gaurenteed, well worth it. http://www.geocities.com/flynfroggie/skydiving_friends.html
  2. at cross keys you have youre options between: pancake(s) bagel(s) or plain ole' toast http://www.geocities.com/flynfroggie/skydiving_friends.html
  3. just got home from 8 days at zhills. weather wasnt the best and i only did 4 jumps. coulda went hard core but i want to enjoy my skydives, not wonder if my fingers have fallen off. I liked the huge airport. My first jump I couldnt help but see the airport, then it only took recognizing the landing area and determining if i could get back home safely. A lot of it was new. They Free Fliers go out first, then the belly fliers. That sorta freaked me out. but nothing bad came of it while i was there. Also, people were landing however they felt. I hadn't jumped at a dz w/ a swoop pond yet, so that may have been a factor. but it wasnt just the swoopers, it was a lot of other people too. But the landing area is relatively large, with outs all over the dz, so the option is yours if you want to either A) dump low, spiral down, and land amongst that or B) dump at a reasonable altitude, hold in brakes, land farther out and give yourself the time to analize whats going on. You just have to be heads up and decide whats on your level to handle. the parties were fun, this coming from somebody who didnt even drink a sip of alchohol the ENTIRE time there. The bonfire was going every night, good for those of us who had to camp out in the cold. They managed to get in 3 loads for NY EVE night jumps, all 3 of the loads were full. TK was around a lot and easy to find. It's definitally a plus when you see the DZO on a daily basis and you dont wonder what they look like. I asked manifest a question about landing patterns. Within minutes i had several instructors finding me to answer my questions. (they have no set landing direction on no wind days. I definitally thought that was good awareness on the busy manifestors part. The food there is cheap! And Janine absolutely kicks butt. All together i had a really great time out there. It's only the 3rd dz i've had a chance to jump at. Lots of freefliers, and load organizing for the belly fliers every day. The camping area is close by, the bathrooms are convienently located, the deck is huge, enough chairs to go around, big rig racks right near the landing area, plenty of ashtrays so there isnt much worry about a cigarette burning your gear. Oh yeah, i only got bit by 2 red ants the entire time there. For florida, thats good.
  4. hello! i was the chick sitting on his left, wearing a 'freefly cross keys" grey sweatshirt and a monkey claw hat. I grabbed a little piece of him (what i could) but didnt think he was seriously hurt until i saw the ambulance out there. man, that was the biggest fire ive ever seen in a pit! he got damned lucky. liquor... it causes trouble :) http://www.geocities.com/flynfroggie/skydiving_friends.html
  5. I miss eloy! how is everybody out there? Im guessing everybody was relatively okay cause i didnt hear anything bad... how the the NY eve party? http://www.geocities.com/flynfroggie/skydiving_friends.html
  6. PS WANNA BUY A FROG? ____________________________ let the bidding begin at......... mE! ME! ME!!! whats the deal? you got a prince there?... hmmm http://www.geocities.com/flynfroggie/skydiving_friends.html
  7. nope. we should get to zhills by midnight friday night... that is if we can call pancake tomorrow by 3pm and remind him to stay sober to pick us up :) were not sure what were doing for sleeping arrangements tomorrow night. im bringing a little tent, a nice blanket that british airways kindly *donated* to a friend who gave it to me and an air mattress so im set. saturday morning we'll be there bright and early!! frucey will show up sometime this weekend. so who will be in zhills? ~me, fruce, dove.... http://www.geocities.com/flynfroggie/skydiving_friends.html
  8. come to zhills! meeet me and fruce and the rest of the gang from xkeys!! http://www.geocities.com/flynfroggie/skydiving_friends.html
  9. wait one minute. i want to see the study that said pot doesnt effect driving. I've been in EMS for 2 years, and ive pulled kids out of cars who were dead, half dead, or wishing that they were dead because of thier injuries. kids who just 'smoked a little pot' at a party instead of drinking so they'de be okay to drive. ive also studied a guys skull and skin that was imbedded in a windshield because of drugs and alchohol. I had to look at it to determine injuries, give reports to er staff, write my report, learn from it. Pot is mind altering. it does effect your skills. motor and social. Im not anti smoking, but i am anti denial. so please, dont tell me it doesnt effect driving. because ive had to treat my friends for MVA's because of it. And ive had to stand there and tell parents that their kid might not live because they 'smoked some pot' enough said http://www.geocities.com/flynfroggie/skydiving_friends.html
  10. give examples, specific instances or situations where youve bettered yourself. as far as the college thing goes. been there. done that. took a semester off. now im enrolled and looking forward to getting back into school with a high degree of excitement. This is the second time ive taken a semester off, and its working for me. This time though, im taking classes that interest me. at my college you have to sit with a counselor and choose your classes until you have X amount of credits. Ive got 45 now so i can opt not to see a counselor. Education is important, a degree is an 'extra'. i always say that i'll have 400 credits before i get a degree.. but im learning about things that interest me. the drugs.. ask your parents if they ever smoked pot.. were they drinkers.. see if there is a way to relate your expierieces to theirs. Explain to them why you do it, how you see its effect on your life. Or even stop smoking pot and tell them you've stopped. demonstrating self control will score points. your sister... man, thats your baby sister. youre little girl. your pride and joy. the happiness and biggest pain in your life. Growing up she delt with the same shit mom and dad delt out.. you two CAN relate. If you find yourself getting angry, look at her, tell yourself how much you love her, how it hurts to see her hurting, and those angry words will disapear. Dont be afraid to show her your emotions. If what youre sister is going thru scares you, then let her know that. Men do cry.. And, coming from personal experiences, when your brother(s) are so worried, and so pained by what their little sister is going thru that they express true sadness and pain, it really puts a connection there. You've got to understand that shes not 'launching the verbal' because of you, shes just venting to you, at you. youre there. youve taken her shit in the past and forgiven her. so youre a gaurentee to always be there. We hurt the ones we love.. weve all hear that saying before. Reason we do this is because their family, and they should be there no matter what. we can take out all our emotions on them, and unlike boyfriends or girlfriends, they wont walk away. our deepest fear is that they will, but usually hope keeps that fear in check. realize that most people dont know what they want to do in life. I've had this discussion with a much older friend reciently. I went to arizona and came home knowing more about myself then when i left. he told me that you dont have to know where you want to be in 10 years. The trick to living life is to understand and accept that your future is not gaurenteed, nor is it known. Commitments are not really commitments, their just temporary patterns in our lives until we decide on another course of action. Dont worry about that 'career job'. That friend talked to me about education, life experiences... he told me that goign thru life i want to get as many 'legs' under me as possible.. the more legs i have to stand on the more backups i have when somebody or something comes thru and tries to knock me down. Somebody can knock out three of my legs, but if ive got twice that many, im going to be okay. I know, the analogy is kinda different, but he's german, and that was his best translation. and its a damned good one too. so give your parents specific examples of the good parts of your life. dont be afraid to admit where you went wrong. learn from your mistakes, they can only make you a better person. Talk to your sister, let her know that her pain is your pain. that you love her no matter what. and remind yourself of that next time youre butting heads. Get some more legs under you, whether it be thru trade school, specific classes, volunteering (ive got a lot of certifications because im a volunteer EMT, all it cost is my time and im qualified to do a lot as far as EMS goes, specific scenarios where only specifically trained personnel can be a part of the rescue) whatever. Even just internships can form connections that might help you out later in life. Go back to college. take classes that you want, even if its a "marylin monroe studies' course or something.. its feeding your brain, and sparking your interests. good luck http://www.geocities.com/flynfroggie/skydiving_friends.html
  11. I've taught a lot of students how to do this and some jumpers that were a little farther off student status.. youre best bet is to get a rigger, instructor, or even an experienced packer to show you how to do it. Learning how to hook up a main to a container (this is what youre asking right? not how to hook up a canopy to risers..?) and connecting the PC is a good lesson. Just make sure that whoever teaches you teaches you how to do a continuality check. For future purposes, and if youre even going to use a demo canopy, the risers are generally rubber banned together with the right riser on top. But dont assume that correct. get somebody to teach you, make sure they do a line check. IF they dont, find somebody who will run each outside line, and the steering lines up thru the slider to the canopy to make sure that it runs continuallly. You should have somebody supervise you the first few times, until youre comfortable. You'll walk away with a better understanding of your gear. http://www.geocities.com/flynfroggie/skydiving_friends.html
  12. chris, i cant find your email anymore! send me an email so i can tell ya about the rest of my vacation. i miss ya' and all your ball bustin :) but seriously (haha), i had a lot of fun hanging out with you, glad you got the chance to do such a benificial camp and learn so much. I told you your 4 ways with friends would be so much better now :) kel http://www.geocities.com/flynfroggie/skydiving_friends.html
  13. Kelly

    Wow

    HELLO!!!!!!!!!! i believe this is BEEEEEEERRRRR!!!!! come on guys, 2 people posted hellos and both failed to realize the firsts? geeze, you guys are slippin.. oh yeah, hello! welcome! this site contains a lot more than just the forums.. take a good look around. http://www.geocities.com/flynfroggie/skydiving_friends.html
  14. i just found this information about the raven... there was an incident with a raven ripping a good deal at eloy while i was out there. I believe that he was overloading it highly, but im not sure.. anybody with more details on it? im not trying to trash any one company, but two raven problem stories in less than 1 month.. gotta put that out there oh yeah, i had a total and dumped the reserve. a raven was in there, and i landed safely, a little rough, but safely. im underloading it, but ive got to say something good about raven (dont want to get hate mail) http://www.geocities.com/flynfroggie/skydiving_friends.html
  15. im not driving there with bruce, but he'll be down there too. Between me, bruce and my friend sarah, not to mention everyone else, you wont be able to miss us! were an odd bunch and prolly shouldnt travel away from home in large groups :) http://www.geocities.com/flynfroggie/skydiving_friends.html
  16. wasnt there a very good safety article written by another dz.com regular? ah hemmm mrs. thread starter... did i see your name in there? congrats!! http://www.geocities.com/flynfroggie/skydiving_friends.html
  17. a bunch of us from xkeys will be heading to florida this weekend to visit zhills. if youre there make sure you say hello!! http://www.geocities.com/flynfroggie/skydiving_friends.html
  18. good point.. but make sure that youre putting your clothes in a hard suitcase, just in case they wont let you take your rig on and you have to transfer it to a safer piece of luggage. you can always switch them out.. putting your clothes in your gear bag and your rig in a suitcase. i almost had to do this because of an excess luggage problem, and it really freaked me because my suitcase is a P.O.S. cheap walmart last minute buy. I would have felt safer doing it if it was good luggage. http://www.geocities.com/flynfroggie/skydiving_friends.html
  19. im posting here because tracking seems to be more of a freefly type jump even though youre flying on your belly.. i want to see how slow i can go. should i de arch and just fly that or should i go for a hard core flat track? I did a tracking dive and got my fall rate down to 94 and 98 mph but i was also dearching to get back up. so im not sure which one caused such a slow fall rate. i dont want to adapt my clothing. i want to see what control i have with normal clothes on. so if anybody can give me any tips to get my fall rate sub 90 mph please help!! thanks ps- this is just for my amusement, ill be doing a solo jump. http://www.geocities.com/flynfroggie/skydiving_friends.html
  20. i didnt have any problems. I flew from phili to phoenix then to tuscon, back from tuscon to phoenix to philly. I just brought a discreet black gear bag (used $40) that isnt covered with any skydiving patches, logos or anything. it's really small, and my rig fits in it with little extra room. You have to have ID when you go thru security so make sure you also have your cypres card with you at that time. If you can carry one you can carry the other. on friday im flying to florida, again with a layover. if there was a problem, i'd be surprised. oh yeah, i originally flew to AZ the same day that that plane crashed in NY (the accident crash), within hours of the crash, when it wasnt known if it was an accident or more terrorism. and i had no problems. http://www.geocities.com/flynfroggie/skydiving_friends.html
  21. merrick did it wrong!! he should have gotten you a new freefly suit and put a weight belt in there!!! 2 gifts in one. did you ask him why you cant wear your weights? haha http://www.geocities.com/flynfroggie/skydiving_friends.html
  22. nice one frucinator. it sounds like a story you told me about driving to california.... (JUST KIDDING!! i believe that one!!!) Christmas dinner was hell, thanks for leaving me to deal w/ that one solo :) http://www.geocities.com/flynfroggie/skydiving_friends.html
  23. ill never complain about the openings under a spectre.. i was packing one day and about to shove the nose in.. i got distracted and just placed it there. a little push (barely).. stopped talking a few minutes later, pulled the tail up and around etc etc.. came time to deploy (and this is how i know it was a fast opening) and i was under a full canopy so quickly that my excess chin strap slapped me in the face (nice cut too), I winched my head to the side (it hurt!!) and hit a riser with the side of my helmet.. this was only a few jumps after my total so a fast deployment wasnt an old memory to me.. not saying at all that the spectre opened anywhere near as fast as my reserve, just that they both ended with me a little sore the next morning. Other than that, ive jumped a spectre 46 times (tried for 47 :) and my only complaints are packer induced.. not the canopys natural characteristics. saying 'spectre' is like saying 'sink me down quick!!' to me.. and thats one of the reasons why i brought one. I've also noticed the quick altitude loss as i downsized. less time in the air, quicker approaches to the landing area. I'm more aware of my spectre's flight characteristics since ive been to eloy. I attribute that to more experience and more awareness, a better understanding of canopy flight and the need not to re hurt myself. a big factor also was the decrease in anxiety. at home there are so many acres of trees everywhere, at eloy all i had to worry about was cactus's and dust devils.. I Felt more at ease and could put more attention on my canopy flight. the landings are all pilot based, as with most canopies i'd imagine. I pounded in under my spectre more times than i care to admit at home. when i got to eloy, higher elevation, one size larger canopy, more awareness, a determination not to get hurt... all these factors contribuated to me having fantastic landings now. I can even experiment with the flare and still have a good feel for the canopy. It's all about your attitude, youre awareness. http://www.geocities.com/flynfroggie/skydiving_friends.html
  24. Kelly

    chopping?

    mine happened so quickly that it wasnt until i saw my S.L. PC and freebag falling away and i was under my reserve (only a couple of seconds) that i realized what i had done. It was an instict, no thought about it. But that was with a high speed mal, so i didnt have a few seconds to look up and analize what i was about to do... i was screaming in joy, kicking, fists pumping, yelling as loud as i could. i cant remember a time where ive been that happy, felt that safe, or felt so alive as i did at that moment. but i like scary shit, so the whole situation was the kind of adrenalin rush that gets me going the most. http://www.geocities.com/flynfroggie/skydiving_friends.html
  25. another question. for your tandem rating you need to have a reserve ride. Does this have to be signed by an S&TA? or can it be witnessed by any person holding a license? http://www.geocities.com/flynfroggie/skydiving_friends.html