2009-07-26 Jumps 101-104 Helicopter Jump

I was so amped from yesterday's jumping that I decided to go again, and it was an incredible day.

I got to the DZ around 1:30pm after doing a bike ride in the morning and making a few stops on the way. There was still a lot of time left to jump, so I went about making it happen. I downsized to a 199 today, and it worked well for me. No hard landing. The next time I rent it, I need to remember to visually check the brake lines to see how bowed out they are so I can get an idea of how long the brake lines are so I can hopefully use that as a reference in the future.

Jump 101
3-way head down hastily arranged and not very well executed. Shane and I asked this other guy if he wanted, while on the way to altitude. We broke apart and this guy was doing a back-fly spin above us while we waited for him to come down. I was concerned for a second that something wasn't right.

Jump 102
2-way head down with Shane. We weren't as stable and I think that the difference of me in my suit and him in t-shirt and shorts gave us problems.

Jump 103
Solo jump, but the ride was worth it. My first helicopter jump, and Shane M. was piloting. The ride was absolutely incredible as we skimmed along the ground and just over the tops of trees. A bit of aerobatics worked into the ride too. Very very very cool! For the jump, I climbed out on the skid, waved good bye, and fell backwards. I was holding my camera the whole time and the video was pretty cool. I'm working on editing it now down into a fun show rather than just a documentary.

Jump 104
I lurked on Brian F's and Kathy Lynn's docking attempts. I flew above them the whole time. I started to see myself in the position of a camera flyer which was pretty cool.