Basejumper.com - archive

Has the award ever been re-assigned to someone else. Let's say BD'06 that someone got a fractured tailbone prior to the first listed injury and didn't go to the doctor until today...

I think it's the first person that gets their badge cut off.

is it?


(just to clarify, it wasn't me)

How was your jump Andrew?

oh, boy... it was the most amazing thing ever.

*STORY TIME*

Woke up hell-ish-ly, early after being up talking in the lobby until 3am the night before. I went with 3 other jumpers to dirty earnies, where I shoved pure greese down my throat for breakfast. We sat around there for a couple hours.

I met a new jumper in the parking lot, and warmed up in a van with him and a friend. We then walked up to the security fence and walked at a fast pace towards the exit point. The line was already ridiculously long, so we found the last of group one and got in there.

Tom eventually found me, and out of pure luck I was the first one of his FJC students in line. He decided it'd be best for me to jump near the rest of the crew from kansas so I went in line with them.

When it finally came time to jump, things got hectic. I was super anxious. I had put on of my leg straps on wrong (nothing fatal) with a twist. So, I got that fixed up and continued on to the platform. Tom tried to get me to go hand held, but I really really didn't want to... so I didn't. I went up to the edge and looked over. I looked over to the guy who was supposed to be telling me to go, and he said it was all mine.

I swung my arms back, and jumped. It was a semi-okay exit... not the best though, or up to par with what I expected out of myself.

In the air, I got up to a two second count, before I felt myself going a little head low. and I pulled at about 2.5 seconds. (with 3 seconds planned) Mixed opinions on if I actually went head low or if it was the natural transition of jumping.

Canopy ride went fabulous. I landed 6ft passed and to the left of the target, standing up.

Then I had a perma smile on my face the rest of the day. I got repacked up and went to wait in line. This is about the time of the fatality. So out of respect most of the kansas crew discontinued jumping. sat around earnies for a while basking in the glow of jumping of a bridge and getting drunk.

THE END

and if you care enough to watch the exit, and critique here it is

http://www.andrewkarnowski.com/exit_video.mp4

Why did you really really not want to?


Terrible camera work! :-P And your hand is going in for you pilot chute just as you reach the bottom of the frame. Did you free fall like that for another second or did you coun't quicker than you think?

Congratulations on your first jump.

all my training up until that point had been for a stowed exit, I took that pilot chute and bridle out of the plane staled to practice.

Just felt more comfortable that way. *shurg*


---

camera work, yes terrible... but what can you expect out of a mom on a sony handheld camera? I free well with my hand back, I noticed that as well. (or maybe I counted quick...)

THANKS!



(sorry, edit = i can't spell)

How so? Do you mean that all of your skydives have been stowed? Or are you including the "FJC" that Tom gave you? If so, why did he want you to go hand held?


Well, people on board aircraft in flight tend to get a bit nervous if the door is open and a pilot chute is not stowed!

no... i meant practicing my base canopy was with a 42" pilot chute and 9ft bridle.

Tom suggested slider down, handheld jumps to all his FJC students.

Andrew did great! becuase he was using my gear.lol!

And for all you other future first timers it was not luck. Andrew not only participated in Tom's FJC but he also put a bunch of jumps from a plane on the same canopy he was jumping at the bridge (A BASE Specific canopy) and also spent the better part of the last few months mentally and physically preparing for this trip.

Congratulations Andrew! You represented the KC crew well.

PS: The DFH award thought was for one of our other first timers who had a nearly perfect jump as well but had a pretty big thud in the landing area. He also had about a dozen jumps on that Mojo prior to the bridge but when your 250lbs jumping a 280 with a tail wind...

Congrats again to Andrew, KansasSkydiver, and Jason... you guys all made it look easy! but that is what preperation and BASE specific gear will do for you!