BikerBabe

I tend to agree with you. Some of the things I've heard from the "expert instructors" at my DZ: 1. Arms in the "lazy-W". It helps you stay stable, you can control your fall rate or any other number of reasons. 2. If you want to turn fast, look in the direction you want to turn 3. Bend your spine in the direction you want to turn (the laws of physics need not apply...) 4. If you go unstable, put your body in a big X! Arms and legs straight out and stiff (!!!!) 5. Tracking: look down, chin to chest, and not a word about de-arching... Plus many others. Argh. It's painful. And when I suggest the tunnel to people, all I get is "OMG! That's SOOOOOOOOOOO expensive!" The thing is, I want to get my coach rating, and I'm going to have to teach parts of the FJC under the supervision of these people. And they are going to tell me I'm teaching it wrong when I tell the students something different from what they learned 20 years ago. I'm not saying all the instructors are like this, but a few definitely are set in their ways... Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

WOW! (OK, a little part of me is hoping they don't get it until Thursday, so I can be there to see it) Way to go...if only 5 people were out, then it already IS an unofficial new world record, right? Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

you know in the end Gawd...it's bad 80's techno-pop hell! Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

One other piece of advice. When they take the measurement that goes lengthwise around your torso (from your neck, between your legs, and back around), ARCH! Otherwise, the suit will be too short for you in the torso and will prevent you from arching like you need to. Yes, you'll have some extra material in the crotch when you're walking around on the ground, but it will be much better in the air. Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

Ooooh, I can't wait to see this! We'll be heading down there early (EARLY) Thursday morning in our camper.... It's gonna be a blast! Good luck to everyone on the jump! Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

Yeah, I just got back from a business trip to Florida, and I couldn't believe how cold it was! BRRRRRRR! It felt like New Mexico! Of course, it was only cold for the 2 days I was there... Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

I don't think the movie was garbage. Actually, I thought it was pretty good. The thing I liked most about it is the good portrayal of US intelligence flights in the Cold War. Especially the U-2 that was lost over Cuba during the crisis. Much of the general population doesn't even KNOW a U-2 was shot down over Cuba, and I thought the treatment of it in the movie was a just memorial to not only that incident, but the several (and I mean SEVERAL) others in which US intel crews lost their lives. Yes, Costner's accent was laughable, but I thought Greenwood did an excellent job portraying JFK. Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

At least rent it. There is SOOOO much good stuff on the extended version. Not only the extended movie, but running commentaries by the director, the screenwriters, the post-production crew, and the cast (that's 4 DIFFERENT commentaries), plus more background info than you could ever wish for...including some fascinating stuff about how the CGI effects were done. Including a couple little "easter eggs" that you might get a kick out of. My hubby and I will be seeing TTT on opening night here, but I'm always up for repeat viewings! Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

Hey, did any of those planes crash? Lose a wing? Have a mishap? Proof positive that duct tape does, indeed, hold the world together!!! Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

The weather people here suck! They said we'd get 1, maybe 2 inches of snow out of this storm. I woke up this morning to 6 inches and it's still coming down! (see pics) I can't get out of my driveway...the kicker is I was actually planning on doing some real work today. I guess I'll go shovel snow now... Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

Holy hell, Kris, your avatar is freaking me out. I'm gonna have nightmares! Actually, our worst drive ever was when I was moving to NM...we were hauling a big trailer full of all my stuff with a full size van. the drive from Witchita Falls to Amarillo was done in a 40 mph crosswind at about 45 mph (it was all we could do). It took 6 hurs! UGH! I can't imagine wishing that punishment on even the worst enemy! Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

I was more impressed by the fact that Halle and Pierce wore FactoryDivers! My husband thinks I'm the biggest geek in the world because I loudly whispered (very excitedly), "Hey! FactoryDivers! I have one of those! Cool!" Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

Perfect chance to hop in the tunnel for even just a few minutes. Talk to the folks there...those that work there are good coaches, and if they are too busy, they can hook you up with someone who can work with you. Heck, even if you only get 15 minutes, trust me, it's worth it. Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

Well, I hate to say this, but if you do want to get those ratings you mentioned, your best bet is to either hit the wind tunnel, or bite the bullet and do 2-way drills with a coach or someone you trust that is a good belly flier. Your belly flying skills aren't going to improve that much just by doing big ways. You may get to be a good swooper, but once you're in your slot, you aren't doing too much of the type of flying you'll need in order to get those ratings. You need to be able to turn on your center point, vary your fall rate (sometimes dramatically), move forward, back, and side to side, and be so solid and stable that someone who is deliberately trying to flip you or put you unstable won't be able to do it (especially important for AFF). Seriously, if you can't do all those things well, how can you demonstrate or even expect a student to be able to do them? If you decide to get coaching, I would recommend starting with fall rate drills. I know, it's boring, but believe me, you'll need it. Then move into the translational movement (forward, back, sideslide). THEN, only then, work on turns. I'd say the quickest (and most fun!) way to get this done is to save your $$ and hit the tunnel. Go to a Tunnel Camp, either with the NSL, or Airspeed, or whoever. Tell them what you want, and they'll work with you to see that you get it. As for your question on slots...a good load organizer is never afraid to cut people, and the other jumpers on the load know that. Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

Nope, not this year. They wanted the AZ meets to coincide with the Airspeed skills camps. Just a side note...there will be teams in those AZ SSL meets who will be competing with an Airspeed member as their fourth...that's part of the whole skills camp thing now. You bring two teammates/buddies to the camp, then the last day you compete with an Airpseed person as your fourth. I certainly hope those teams decide to compete as guests. Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

It's the same time as/during the holiday boogie...traditionally Christmas break for the colleges. Should be a fun one to watch this year! Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

LOL...we'd be the talk of the hangar... And what would happen if she just happened to have a Freudian slip ? Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

Dude, it's a stilleto. It's notorious for off-heading openings. Many high performance canopies are... I'd say learn how to steer your opening with rear risers, because it probably isn't going to go away. Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

Well...We had some interesting suggestions for a team name that didn't pan out: Arizona Estrogen (I think it has a nice ring to it...) Climax (Come....jump with us! ) The Cunning Stunts (think about it) We decided that those didn't project the kick-ass attitude we have...we want to be taken seriously! Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

Think Marilyn Monroe... Gentlemen Prefer... Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

PM-ed you Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

Can we put this in General Skydiving Discussions instead so it doesn't get lost? I'm interested, as well. thanks Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

My new 4-way team (AZ Audacity) is all female. I think another all-female team just formed at Eloy, too. I am so excited for the season to start! Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

Check out this thread...over in the RW forum: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=242032;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unread some good pointers in there. Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

My parents just bought a brand new Jetta TDI...49 mpg. And I'll tell you what: I'm in love! That is one awesome car! We are the proud owners of a full-size diesel van. We just got it. Our old van would get about 9 mpg. This one gets 16-17 mpg on the highway AND has more power. Now...if I could only afford a Jetta... Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!