horwichg

It's a clock that occasionally cooks stuff

Hey Guys I finally got around to getting a video up on youtube, and I thought I'd share it with you. This was my final jump of the summer at Eden North, in Edmonton. I was flying back to the opposite side of Canada the following day, so this is what we did for my send-off. It was a Mr. Potato Head Skydive from 13500', and I was holding the body. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnfCvgJUriE

A blonde is watching the news with her husband when the newscaster says, "Two Brazilian men died in a skydiving accident." The blonde starts crying to her husband, sobbing, "That's horrible!!! So many men dying that way!" Confused, he says, "Yes dear, it is sad, but they were skydiving, and there is always that risk involved." After a few minutes, the blonde, still sobbing, says, "How many is a Brazilian?"

I love it. I'd buy one. I've got one I made with a picture of a plane that says "Thanks for the lift. [picture] I'll find my own way down"

Um...I got my solo on Jump ten (done in 9, plus one fun jumps to get the jump number) and my A on jump 25 (done on 23, 2 hop-n-pops for the numbers) However I also know students who are working on their A with 93 jumps...some just don't do what is required.

I have been jumping this helmet exclusively this season. It is the most comfortable helmet I've ever put on. It's very lightweight, and incredibly comfortable. After takeoff, unless it's very warm in the plane, or I'm having a conversation, I usually just leave it on my head. Even with the comfort, it still fits very snug. I've made a 2-way RW jump from 12.5k with the chin strap undone, and it didn't go anywhere (although I wouldn't recommend this to anyone). The M1 cuts out most of the wind noise, which I find to be great when trying new things, or doing something that needs a lot of concentration. The internal audible pocket does a great job of holding my Neptune, with a fabric pouch which is mounted under the liner. It is very simple to remove the instrument. I have no trouble hearing the Neptune on it's Normal volume setting. On numerous occasions I've been bumped on exit, or while moving around in the plane, smashing my head into all different parts of the plane. The helmet has stood up to the abuse, on showing one scratch, and one scuff. I would highly recommend this helmet to anyone.

From that, I got 12pm EST on July 21st, 2008. Anyone else?

No sir, I did not used the F-word. It is just known by others to be a new experience for myself. And Denren, there will be mucho-beero when I get back to ASS. Don't worry about that!

do you have a lot of tunnel time? HAH! I see what you're wondering. It wasn't real VRW, more "Forced" VRW. For a celebration of my A CoP, I was pulled into head down by a friend. I've also done some sit with another friend/coach, working on proximity and a couple docks.

Hey all, Did my first 3-way today. I've done some 2-way RW and VRW, but this is the first with 3. Some shouted "BEER" the second I hit the ground, and some say that 3 isn't beerable, but 4 sure is. Which group do I believe?

We have a group at my DZ called the "Flying Anvils" who are 6 guys that average at around 230 pounds. For a friends hundredth, who is under 150 pounds, real small guy, he did a 5 or 6 way with the anvils. They put him in the middle and held on for the ride. I've never seen him smile more.

I do my sit flying in either shorts and a sweater, or I wrap the bottom of my pant legs in duct tape, and wear a sweater. Seems to work great.

It's an illness known as "cat scratch fever" and it's caused by small amounts of fecal matter entering the wound. Think about what a cat does as soon as it takes a dump...It buries it. The claws often get small pieces of poo stuck to them, and this enters your skin when they scratch. Always always always clean out cat scratchs immediately.

I get butterflies every jump between the point when everyone starts gearing up, around 9k feet (helmets on, cameras on, final hand shakes) and door opening at 12.5k. Once the door opens, for whoever is the first group out, the butterflies get sucked out with the wind. It helps now that I'm on a bigger plane than I started on (caravan from a c-182), so now there's more jumpers talking and joking and carrying on. It helps take my mind off the unimportant parts.

I used to work at a gas station/convenience store, and people would forget cards all the time. Most of the employees would put a little note on the card, saying the date/time it was found/left, and then it would be taped to the cash register so all the other employees knew about it in case someone comes looking. I, however, was famous for leaping over the counter, dashing out of a store full of customers, and chasing cars across the little town. I found a wallet one day, and although it didn't have any credit cards, it had a debit card, and a kids high school ID card. I looked up his family in the phonebook, and called every one with that last name until I found him. And it's all because I'd hope someone would do the same for me if ever I needed it. Do onto others, right?

I jumped in skate shoes a bunch. The flat, smooth sole makes for some great sliding landings But one day I was wearing my Addidad sneakers, and got called to jump when a spot opened up on a load. As I was throwing my rig on running to the plane, I didn't have time to change shoes, and I likes it even better. They are indoor soccer shoes, so they have a tight fit, but smooth sole. I love them for jumping. Basicly, as long as you can point your toes, and aren't going to snag lines/pilot chute/terrain, go for it.

Hey All The presentation went great. I didn't have time to grab anything to give them, which I regret not doing, but other than that it was a blast. I kept it short and sweet, and tried my hardest to relate what I was saying to what they had been taught (I skimmed through the lesson plan that I grabbed from the teacher) I opened it up to questions, and was bombarded with them. From what I remember about guest speakers in school, that's a great thing. I'd only ask questions if I was interested and paying attention, so that's cool. The class then showed me their parachutes they had made, and we had a little contest with me as the judge. It was a lot of fun, and a great exposure for them to the sport. Thanks for all the tips everyone

Thanks. That makes sense. I'll keep it all "air resistance" based, as thats what they are learning. I think I'll throw in something about arching vs. cupping to speed up. With a little explanation, they'll see that the actual jump is about air too, not just the canopy ride. And great tip about letting them try on the rig. I think I'll tie in the reserve handle first though

Hi Folks I'm going to be talking to my cousin's sixth grade class tomorrow about modern parachutes. I know I'm no expert in the field, but I do understand the basic principles, and that's all they'll need. They are doing a unit on air and air resistance, and have discussed airplanes, hot air balloons, and parachutes (think rounds). My cousin came home with a task to create a parachute from a plastic bag that could carry a small payload to the ground as slowly as possible, and this inspired her to ask me about presenting what I know to the class. I figure I should talk about how a rig works (from PC toss to open canopy) This would incorporate what they have learned about air resistance in their parachutes, and allow them to see some relation to todays modern canopies. I would also talk about the way the slider works, cupping the air to slow the canopies opening, preventing injury due to rapid deceleration (caused by, you guess it, AIR RESISTANCE). I figured I would follow that with the differences between rounds and squares, such as the cupping of air in a round, versus flight like a rigid wing in a square. Am I correct in believing that modern squares create lift much like an air plane wing? (low pressure on top, high pressure underneath) I would then talk about how a canopy turns, by creating more drag on one side or the other, and flares (major deformation of the wing causes greater lift?) Am I way off the mark on any of this? Anything else you would mention to a young group, who will most likely be more impressed by the fact that they've met a "real live skydiver" than any of this mumbo-jumbo? I will bring a rig with me, and I'll open it up to show them various parts of what I'm talking about, but I think I should also have a slideshow of images, showing various aspects of what I'm talking about. If you have any images to suggest, I'd love that as well. (Think illustrations of canopy in flight, canopy in brakes, canopy in turn....) Video links would also be great. I'll be researching all this myself, but I figure the more people that help, the better it'll be, so any help/suggestions are greatly appreciated.

That happened to a friend of mine 2 weekends ago. He said it opened "slower then usual", but it still opened fine. I packed it for him, and saw absolutely nothing unusual with the bridle/d-bag/pilot chute Sometimes these things just happen. Glad it all worked for you, it could have gone another way.

Thanks. Very Informative. Due to the initial two replies, I think I like it here already.

I'm ridiculously new to the sport, only passed AFF1 so far. The whole community here a DZ seems like the kind of people I want to learn from. (not basic technique, I'll leave that to my JM). I'm hoping someone can explain the tradition of bringing beer for firsts. Starting, most obviously, with "What is a first?" Thanks.