dj_smokie

Have epiphanies all the time (with 45 jumps). First one occured on jump #1. Solo unassisted. Many of my classmates who went through the jump program ahead of me stated that I would not remember my first jump -- how wrong they were! I remember every split second of that jump! I even remember the jumpmaster waving to me as I exited. Once I went over the hill, and was belly to earth, I remember having perfect awareness of where I was in time and space. It was the most surreal experience I have ever had. I remember relaxing and thinking -- this is zen. I am in a perfect state of relaxation and awareness -- and I am thousands of feet off the ground burning through altitude at 120 MPH! I have to say that no jump has ever rivaled that first jump. But I still do have a stupid ass grin on my face when jumping with others or on my way home from the DZ. Everyday of jumping provides epiphanies and new ways of looking at my life and the world. It's a journey not a destination!

Maybe you want to try a valsalva to clear equalize the pressure in the cavities in your head. Simply pinch your nose, shut your mouh, and blow through your nose without letting air escape from your mouth or nose. You should here a small pop and pressure should be relieved. Don't blow too hard or your eyeballs might fall out. If it's a tooth issue, then go see a dentist. Good luck!

First of all, thanks for all of your responses. It's interesting to peer into the thought processes of skydivers in a theoretical situation such as this. And acknowledging the very real dangers of this sport, I think it is something healthy and responsible to address (not dwell upon, however). I have known a few skydivers who seem to have no respect for their own or fear of going in. Maybe it's just young DZ bravado. I once thought I was invincible, but that has changed. As sagan observed, I think that most skydivers are very positive people who have made an objective decision based on calculated risk to pursue a passion that brings so much joy. There are definitely some nut cases though In regard to burning in, if you have something available (partial or total mal), then yes FIGHT IT TO THE VERY END until your fingers and arms are nothing but bloody stumps! If a skydiver has no rig, then yes, find something softer than hard dirt or asphalt to hit. Or maybe track and aim for a hill to "roll" down to diminish the vertical component of your impact trajectory. Regarding last thoughts before burning in, that may vary from person to person. Again as sagan mentioned, I do not think I would feel sorry for myself. I would however, feel plenty of fear and worry for my family and friends. Regret that I would not be able to live another beautiful day, yes. But no feeling of self-pity. This does not mean that I do not value life, but it means that am mature enough to face the fact that skydiving was a decision that I chose to make, and now I am left to deal with its consequences. Also, thank you for all of your support and encouragement while our troops our out here. We do not join looking for praise and thanks -- it is our job. But your thoughts and words are very well recieved and appreciated. I must also mention that no serviceman / servicewoman wishes to "die for their country". There are no positive outcomes in death. Even if you fall on a grenade and save the lives of 10 men -- you are still DEAD and someone is weeping back home. I wish to LIVE for my country and be remembered by how I have done so. Death, is permanent sleep, cold, unnegotiable, forever--game over. There is nothing good in death--maybe valor immediately before it -- but nothing inherent in itself. But that's just my opinion. Like skydiving, serving in the military is a choice in which the individual must make a serious calculated risk and be able to accept the outcomes. I can't wait to get back and share the clear blue skies with you all!

I'm in Iraq right now and have been bored for the past 4 hours. And if you've ever been out here, you know that boredome is a million times worse than being busy. My experiences here so far have caused me to question my mortality. So, I pose this morbid question: If you were in a no-win situation where "fighting it to the end" would make no difference (ex: no rig in freefall, fall out of harness, etc) -- what would go through your mind? Let's say that you are at 10,000 ft when this SOL situation occurs. Personally, I would know that I have about 50-60 seconds until impact. My first thought would be, "F*ck, I'm going to die. This really sucks." Then I think I would accept the fact that I'm going to die then try to enjoy my last skydive. At the point I start getting ground rush, I'd probably close my eyes and think, "This is it..." and burn in. Of course, this is all speculation. We know from observation that the human will to survive is an incredible force. So, even while realizing that I am most certainly going to die, I might scream and flail the entire way down. Thoughts?

Congrats! I'm smoke free for 4 months now after 6 years of accelerating my death.

Before the hangover kicks in.

What does that equate to on land (HP)? LOL.

I love the sound of STI's, ive always been an EVO fan, but Several of my good buddies are die hard superdoo fans. they still would be pissed when they would drag in a 500whp wrx on C-16 and id take his lunch money on 93. Nice! I've got an 05 STi. Putting down 400 AWHP / 401 AWTQ. Bigger turbo and all supporting mods. I haven't had it retuned for sea-level and 93 octane yet...but curious to see what she'll put down on a mustand dyno.

I hope this doesn't come off as bitching, as much as asking for the advice of people who might have experienced the same thing. Simply put, skydiving has changed my life forever. I LOVE this sport. It's all I can think about 24/7. I dream of jumping every night. I would do unspeakable things to be able to jump everyday. I'm still a student and beginner in this sport, so I'm hoping it's just a temporary obsession. I've always been a level headed person -- able to reason, think things through to find the most logical answer, and to plan for a successful future even if it took years of schooling, training, and hard work. It was downright painful to get to where I am today(reasonably successful)... After I made my first jump, I was ABSOLUTELY in love with the sport. Colors seemed brighter, food tasted better, and I could put up with the daily bullshit at work because...I was going skydiving again -- nothing could upset me. One day, as I sat in my piece of shit cubicle, I nearly had a mental breakdown. WTF am I doing here working a white collar job that gives me no inherent satisfaction just so I can make money? Human beings were not meant to live like this! And I began to feel really depressed that I wasn't somewhere warm skydiving. All of a sudden, everything became mute, boring, and unfulfilling. Since then, I've had a complete shift in my life paradigm. I want to quit my well paying job. I want to move to somewhere warm and work part times jobs so that I can jump all the time. I want to do what makes me happy NOW. This scares me, because i recognize that this is irrational thinking. So here are my questions for anyone who has felt like this before. 1) Does this obsession pass? 2) Has anyone left a secure and well paying job they hated to pursue their true passion in life? And if so, what were the negative repercussions? 3) Who actually LOVES their current job? Thanks.

I have a record of 12/14 soft standup landings at this point in my illustrious skydiving career. I feel pretty confident landing a 220 student canopy now. 1st PLF: 1st mil jump ever. 2nd PLF: 1st AFF jump ever after a long break. Am I overly confident and eventually gonna eat dirt in higher winds / smaller canopies? What constitutes a "perfect" landing? Is the definition different as your skill level and experience increases?

Girl. FAIL. LOL!

While it may be fun to have the neet quip this is a topical forum and thus more serious in nature than Bonfire. No, it would not be real cool to put someone in freefall that was not expecting it just so we can have a "yahoo" moment. But yes a floating exit has been done. I've seen the video done in a Twin Otter. The jumper was on the floor near fetal position. Zero G (negative Gs put you on the roof) and then pushed left rudder which rotated the plane away from the jumper and the jumper "went" out the door. I apologize if my sarcasm was misleading, especially in the safety forum. I wholeheartedly agree with you that it would be a very dangerous thing to attempt. I'm actually really surprised (or...maybe not really all that surprised) that someone has already done this. Can't you technically be floating at -0.5 G's? Wouldn't you have to be at a full -1.0 G to be totally pinned on the roof of the fuselage?

"Uh, sorry Goose. WE happened to see a MiG 28 do a 4g negative dive." What would be REAL cool is if the door was open while pulling negative G's and someone did a real "floating" exit out of the door.

It sounds doubtful that somebody would do this. Can you link to this story? If I'm low enough that the cypress is going to go off, I'd probably go for my reserve. If somebody is really recounting a story such as this, I'd highly suspect it as a excuse to explain not pulling. Initially I thought there might be a reason people had allegedly waited for their CYPRES to fire (being an absolute n00b). But it seems to me that the people on the CYPRES testimonials are either stupid of lying. "26. January, 2006 / Save_06-01-26.jpg New Zealand… Quote: “2nd jump on new rig. Deployed at 3.000ft waited, looked over shoulder to check pilot chute inflated o.k. Reached behind felt bottom of container to feel if container flaps open. No. I knew Cypres was going to fire any second so waited. Cause of incident: Bridle incorrectly routed. Lack of familiarity after 15 years of using racer elite rig.”" I think one or two other accounts may state that the individual "waited" for their CYPRES to fire, because it was going to fire anyway. LINK:http://www.cypres.cc/Sites/englisch/Frameset_engl_skydiving.htm[/url]

If you should, goodness forbid, find yourself in freefall and realize your chest strap is misrouted or not done at all...is that the best thing you can do--grab risers? And, like Mitsuman, after I finished AFF, it was a lonely place to be. No one really cared abut me. Unless I asked specific questions or asked for a gear check, I was on my own. So, I decided that the only person I could trust at this point was myself. I'm reading the SIM cover to cover and asking as many questions as I can...even though it probably annoys people.