BikerBabe

I love reading about your adventures, Michele. Don is right...think of all the positive things that happened on that jump! Congrats on the landings...and next time, if you're getting drug or the canopy won't deflate, as you're walking (or sliding) forward, step on the pilot chute/bridle/D-bag. The canopy might stay inflated for a while, but it can't go anywhere and you can take your time deflating it. It works! Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

I'm a leftie, too. It's gotta be genetic...my dad and brother are both lefties as well. I HATE spiral notebooks...I'm a looseleaf snob...I'll only use looseleaf! Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

Well, I for one am glad that the alert security personnel at LAX are saving us all from the terrorist GI Joe organization. I'm telling you people, GI Joe is much more insidious than Al-Qaeda, and much, much better equipped. Wait and see, that will be where the next attack comes from! ermmm...isn't that going a slight bit overboard? Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

The number of g's itself probably wasn't very high. maybe 2-2.5 at the max. It was the amount of time that your body was subjected to the higher G-loading that affected you, coupled with probable mild hypoxia. I've done about 60 centrifuge rides, and 5 minutes at 2 G's can be just as bad as 30 seconds at 9 G's. On another note, euphoria is only one symptom of hypoxia. Actually, hypoxia symptoms vary from person to person, which is why people recommend doing an altitude chamber ride at least once in your life, so you can learn to recognize your own symptoms. Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

I'm really frustrated at the inconsistent application of their "policies". Last weekend was the first time I've had any trouble carrying my rig on the plane. I've flown with it several times since 9/11, sometimes I get stopped and asked about it, sometimes I sail right through, and last weekend I was told to check it. Because I've never had to before, I wasn't prepared to check it, which is what made me angry. I had to put my gear bag in a box and buy the extra insurance. I wasn't upset about having to check it, I was upset that different security people apply the policies differently. Next time I'll just check it and save the hassle, because I never know what is going to happen. Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

I would recommend getting out to Calhan (Front Range Skydivers) if you can. They have a Caravan, but most importantly thay have awesome people and a great staff. Have a good trip! Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

What? It's not supposed to rain in Arizona! Actually, it was raining when I was there 2 saturdays ago, too. Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

LOL...I wear my $10 Wal-Mart specials. 1. I save money. 2. The time it takes me to lose a pair of sunglasses is inversely related to their cost. I ONCE bought a pair of hot-looking Oakleys, and I kid you not, they were lost a week later. Then I bought a slightly less-expensive pair of Guess sunglasses, and they lasted about 2 months. I've had my $10 Wal-Mart specials for over 2 years...see reason #1. Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

naw, you don't really want to hear about rounds, do you? OK, I guess they're good for water jumps or intentional cutaways. Or finding out if your PLF training really sunk in. 5 jumps (and landings) on a T-10 were quite enough for me...I think my knees are still hating me. But seriously...as someone who may try a BASE jump someday, I, too, am interested to read about their experiences and I think they should be allowed to post here if they feel so inclined. We're all "parachutists", right? Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

1:3:0 The beer is for my first non-Air Force Academy team demo. 2 other jumps were 4-way...fun because we were finally able to get a notorious floater to go low! We had to strap 10 lbs of weight and the tightest suit we could find on him, but it was worth it. Seriously, this guy's avg. speed on his belly was 108 mph, until today. That's TAS, not SAS! 0 because my husband is out of town. Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

hmmmm... Nice job, Majik! As for Airspeed...I don't know about them, but I would always much rather be the underdog going into the big dance...it makes you work that much harder. I wouldn't count them out yet at all. And don't forget about the Knights... Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

I'm at Kirtland. This is my hardest assignment yet, since I'm not near a DZ with anything larger than a Cessna! LOL...see...they spoil you in the AF! Actually, my home DZ here does have the nicest people in skydiving, as far as I'm concerned... Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

Yep...Dewey was there...you know him? Think I'll leave this thread, since I have just found out that I am not in the military... Call it what you like, Clay, but at least I got my first 250 jumps, including AFF training, several airshow and stadium demos, and my military JM rating all for free. Now...I have a demo to go jump... Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

erm...I was taught via AFF. In the military. But I guess it's a special case. At the AFA, you get your Air Force jump wings by completing 30 hrs of ground training and then 5 unassisted 10-sec delays. If you like it so much you HAVE to do it again (like me), you can try out for the team, where the first thing you do is an AFF progression. Interesting fact: as far as I know, the AFA is the only place in the US where your very first jump is a solo freefall... So...there are exceptions to every rule, I guess. Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

Well, we're forming a new one...all chicks (erp...but we're not girly-girls...no worrying about hair and makeup here, and serious pass the rock time). 2 of the girls are Eloy regulars (and I've been jumping there so much I may as well be), then there's me, and a girl who's moving there from the UK in Nov. (FrikkenSkydiver, where are you!) I can't wait. I'll be out there for training again Aug 17/18... Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

Ah, well, I'll be at home, too. I have to save my $$, now that I'm on a team in AZ and I'll be flying to Phoenix every 2 weeks next year. But I'm doing a demo this weekend and getting paid $70 to do it! Woohoo! That's almost 4 jumps worth of $$...or almost one round trip tix to Phoenix... I think giving up Rantoul/Lost Prairie/Richmond/etc to do what I've always wanted to do in this sport is a fair trade. Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

Amen, Clay. Don't forget the 30 days per year paid vacation... Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

You forgot Fat Tire...best beer ever! But you'd have a hard time finding it east of the Mississippi... Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

Can we say..."one sandwich short of a picnic basket"? Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

What Justin says is right on the money. The point of basic training isn't really to grind you physically to the ground. It's really to re-mold your identity from the rebellious, authority-defying teenager that you were into the (somewhat) conformist, order-following private/airman/sailor/cadet. The attitude is that you can't be a good leader without having been a good follower first, which makes a lot of sense. The way they do that is by taking every vestige of your previous life away and slowly replacing those with military values (or whatever you want to call them). Why do you think they shave your head? Yes, it's practical, but really it's so that everyone starts the same. I went through basic training with the attitude of "they can change the way I behave around authority, and they can make me respect the need to follow orders, but they cannot change my basic personality." Maybe that wasn't the best way, but it sure made basic a heck of a lot less stressful and even kind of fun in some places (I loved the ropes/confidence/obstacle courses). Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

LOL...I think Eric just described my office...are you down the hall from me, by any chance? The AF base shares the runway with the "international" airport here, so not only do I see airliners and GA aircraft coming and going all day, I also see F-16's, C-130's and choppers... But it's cloudy today, so it's a small consolation. Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

grrrrrrrr..... I'm really glad the awesome enlisted folks I work with don't have this attitude. Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

Viking, if you are already in college, I would seriously try for a 2-year ROTC scholarship. If you have done decently well in school so far and show a committment to continue doing well, you have a good shot of getting one. There's always the service academies, as well. DON'T LAUGH! I attended...uhhmmmm...a small, private college just north of Colorado Springs and there were several people in my class who had 2 or even 3 years of a civilian college under their belt before they came. Plus, I joined the jump team and got my first 250 skydives free! (a little-known perk...) Yes, the pay is less. Yes, you have to follow some rules that may seem silly. But the benefits to you personally far outweigh the downsides, in my opinion. Bottom line...it's totally up to you, but I wouldn't rule out anything at your age...you have tons of time to decide! Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

Saying no is hard, but you have to do it sometimes. When you're at a small DZ, it's really hard to tell your friends who have 35 or 50 or 75 jumps that you would rather do two 2-ways than a 4-way. They're excited to do 4-ways! They want to, especially since that's the biggest formation we can make at our DZ (Cessna 182). I can't make them believe that they will learn a heck of a lot more on a good (or even halfway decent) 2-way than they would on a funneled 4-way. They have to learn that for themselves. I don't want to hurt their feelings, either. The funneled 4-way is frustrating for them because it doesn't work, and it's frustrating for me because I want them to have fun, and I can tell they're frustrated! I think a lot of people turn to freeflying because they get ahead of themselves trying to do bigger and bigger stuff without learning to fly first. They get frustrated at the repeated funneling, so they give up. Of course, many of them find it hard to believe that I would rather do a 2-way than a 4-way. I just tell them that I have a lot to learn still, as well, and nothing beats a good drill dive for that! Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

LOL...the berets...LOL! Well, if I make it that far, I pledge here and now to never have my head up my ass. I'm not that flexible, anyway. Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!