Boat launch...

Birdman666

Well-known member

Sep 18, 2013

9,904

258

San Antonio, TX

Parrots

Presently have six Greenwing Macaw (17 yo), Red Fronted Macaw (12 yo), Red Lored Amazon (17 y.o.), Lilac Crowned Amazon (about 43 y.o.) and a Congo African Grey (11 y.o.)
Panama Amazon (1 Y.O.)

• Jun 22, 2015

• #1

Another one of those terms that means something completely different to a skydiver. GO BOATING! YEEE-HAAAAH!



I was the front float on this jump. My primary responsibility was to keep the nose of the boat from coming up. If it did, we flip... As you can see from the second photo... IT DID! And I had to... errr... ummm... use my head, and put my shoulder into it...



I've done eight of these, and you flip about half the time. The force of the wind pushing up is pretty difficult to overcome, once that nose comes up you are over and back. Too much weight in the front and you go out and OVER. So, getting it out the door without flipping is really the hard part on these.

BUT THAT TIME I DID IT!!!

 

Last edited: Jun 22, 2015

OP

Birdman666

Well-known member

Sep 18, 2013

9,904

258

San Antonio, TX

Parrots

Presently have six Greenwing Macaw (17 yo), Red Fronted Macaw (12 yo), Red Lored Amazon (17 y.o.), Lilac Crowned Amazon (about 43 y.o.) and a Congo African Grey (11 y.o.)
Panama Amazon (1 Y.O.)

• Jun 22, 2015

• Thread Starter
• Thread starter
• #2

This is one of my all time favorite skydiving photos... PERFECT BOAT LAUNCH!

 

OP

Birdman666

Well-known member

Sep 18, 2013

9,904

258

San Antonio, TX

Parrots

Presently have six Greenwing Macaw (17 yo), Red Fronted Macaw (12 yo), Red Lored Amazon (17 y.o.), Lilac Crowned Amazon (about 43 y.o.) and a Congo African Grey (11 y.o.)
Panama Amazon (1 Y.O.)

• Jun 22, 2015

• Thread Starter
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• #3

LAUNCHED FROM 15,000 FEET; STABLE AT ABOUT 12,000 FEET...

 

OP

Birdman666

Well-known member

Sep 18, 2013

9,904

258

San Antonio, TX

Parrots

Presently have six Greenwing Macaw (17 yo), Red Fronted Macaw (12 yo), Red Lored Amazon (17 y.o.), Lilac Crowned Amazon (about 43 y.o.) and a Congo African Grey (11 y.o.)
Panama Amazon (1 Y.O.)

• Jun 22, 2015

• Thread Starter
• Thread starter
• #4

FLY! FLY! FLY! YOUR BOAT...
AND HOPE YOU LAND GENTLY IN THE STREAM...
MERRILY... MERRILY... MERRILY... MERRILY...

Yeah, even the songs are a little bit different.

 

Weezerj

New member

Mar 29, 2015

381

1

Portland, Oregon

Parrots

Illiger's Macaw (Loki)

• Jun 22, 2015

• #5

I n s a n e

 

OP

Birdman666

Well-known member

Sep 18, 2013

9,904

258

San Antonio, TX

Parrots

Presently have six Greenwing Macaw (17 yo), Red Fronted Macaw (12 yo), Red Lored Amazon (17 y.o.), Lilac Crowned Amazon (about 43 y.o.) and a Congo African Grey (11 y.o.)
Panama Amazon (1 Y.O.)

• Jun 22, 2015

• Thread Starter
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• #6

Wait... there's more!

 

OP

Birdman666

Well-known member

Sep 18, 2013

9,904

258

San Antonio, TX

Parrots

Presently have six Greenwing Macaw (17 yo), Red Fronted Macaw (12 yo), Red Lored Amazon (17 y.o.), Lilac Crowned Amazon (about 43 y.o.) and a Congo African Grey (11 y.o.)
Panama Amazon (1 Y.O.)

• Jun 22, 2015

• Thread Starter
• Thread starter
• #7

The girl in the front of this boat was laughing so hard she nearly fell out...

 

OP

Birdman666

Well-known member

Sep 18, 2013

9,904

258

San Antonio, TX

Parrots

Presently have six Greenwing Macaw (17 yo), Red Fronted Macaw (12 yo), Red Lored Amazon (17 y.o.), Lilac Crowned Amazon (about 43 y.o.) and a Congo African Grey (11 y.o.)
Panama Amazon (1 Y.O.)

• Jun 22, 2015

• Thread Starter
• Thread starter
• #8

TIME TO GO, EVERYONE OUT OF THE BOAT...





At break-off time, the rear float essentially tips the boat over, by flying forward, and down while still holding on to the back end of the boat. This, of course, turns the little rubber boat into a catapult, and sends everyone in it hurling across the sky, safely away from the boat, and each other...

 

OP

Birdman666

Well-known member

Sep 18, 2013

9,904

258

San Antonio, TX

Parrots

Presently have six Greenwing Macaw (17 yo), Red Fronted Macaw (12 yo), Red Lored Amazon (17 y.o.), Lilac Crowned Amazon (about 43 y.o.) and a Congo African Grey (11 y.o.)
Panama Amazon (1 Y.O.)

• Jun 22, 2015

• Thread Starter
• Thread starter
• #9

OUR WORK HERE IS DONE...



And that's what I do for fun in my spare time... when I have spare cash...

Neither of which I have had recently.

 

OP

Birdman666

Well-known member

Sep 18, 2013

9,904

258

San Antonio, TX

Parrots

Presently have six Greenwing Macaw (17 yo), Red Fronted Macaw (12 yo), Red Lored Amazon (17 y.o.), Lilac Crowned Amazon (about 43 y.o.) and a Congo African Grey (11 y.o.)
Panama Amazon (1 Y.O.)

• Jun 22, 2015

• Thread Starter
• Thread starter
• #10

weezerj said:

i n s a n e

Click to expand...

only half right... Insanely fun!!

 

Pinkbirdy

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Feb 26, 2013

2,203

1

Clifton Springs Newyork

Parrots

macaw,LS2,congo grey,2Blk Hd caiques,Hawkhead,yellowstrk lory,Blue frnt amazon,sun conure ,Yellow sided greencheek ,Goffin ,Rosebreasted Cockatoo,Greenwing Macaw,Blue and Gold Macaw,Nanday conure,Ecle

• Jun 22, 2015

• #11

OMG !!! Im speechless If you can do that you can do anything [right] It must feel wonderful [like a bird ] .Cant say Ive done anything like that . Biggest deal for me was learning to ride a motorcycle.

 

OP

Birdman666

Well-known member

Sep 18, 2013

9,904

258

San Antonio, TX

Parrots

Presently have six Greenwing Macaw (17 yo), Red Fronted Macaw (12 yo), Red Lored Amazon (17 y.o.), Lilac Crowned Amazon (about 43 y.o.) and a Congo African Grey (11 y.o.)
Panama Amazon (1 Y.O.)

• Jun 22, 2015

• Thread Starter
• Thread starter
• #12

I've done a few hundred of these...

What if I told you that riding a motorcycle was WAY more dangerous than skydiving?!

I had a bike for three weeks. Had to lay it down twice due to cars changing lanes almost directly into me...

I don't do motorcycles.

I'll stick to my rubber ducky.

 

Pinkbirdy

New member

Feb 26, 2013

2,203

1

Clifton Springs Newyork

Parrots

macaw,LS2,congo grey,2Blk Hd caiques,Hawkhead,yellowstrk lory,Blue frnt amazon,sun conure ,Yellow sided greencheek ,Goffin ,Rosebreasted Cockatoo,Greenwing Macaw,Blue and Gold Macaw,Nanday conure,Ecle

• Jun 22, 2015

• #13

I agree motorcycles are not safe

 

J

JerseyWendy

New member

Jul 20, 2012

20,995

24

• Jun 22, 2015

• #14

Mark, I swear, if only you could have seen my face as I was saving those. :54: :32:

Totally AWESOME!!! I admit, that looks like TONS of fun!!

You are one crazy dude. (I mean that in the nicest way possible!!!!)

 

OP

Birdman666

Well-known member

Sep 18, 2013

9,904

258

San Antonio, TX

Parrots

Presently have six Greenwing Macaw (17 yo), Red Fronted Macaw (12 yo), Red Lored Amazon (17 y.o.), Lilac Crowned Amazon (about 43 y.o.) and a Congo African Grey (11 y.o.)
Panama Amazon (1 Y.O.)

• Jun 22, 2015

• Thread Starter
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• #15

Oddly enough, and most people will find this counter intuitive, but I find this stuff incredibly relaxing...

It's as safe or as dangerous as you make it, really. Pack them right, they open right. Open at a safe altitude, and you have plenty of time to fix it if something goes wrong...

Trash pack, open low, and swoop the landing area? Sooner or later the ground will get you. It's pretty simple really... (don't do stupid things low to the ground.)

I pretty much lost any sense of fear by the time I had my license. You can't fly scared. You tense up, you lose your ability to fly. The more relaxed you are, the easier it is...

And some of my stupidest jumps, have been the most fun...

There are things in life that you never forget. This is one of them.

I miss my old DZ.

 

Christinenc2000

New member

Oct 8, 2014

3,320

4

North Carolina

Parrots

Big Bird _ Blue & Gold Macaw

• Jun 22, 2015

• #16

Breathtaking. I use to want to sky dive...... got older and realized NO NO NO

Amazing pictures Mark. Still think you are a little nuts LOL Jump out of a good plane to ride in a boat with no water under it............ Yeah you are nuts LOL

Thank you for sharing

 

GreatBlue320

New member

May 5, 2015

771

0

Parrots

Baxter - Illiger's Macaw (hatch date 5.1.15);

Taylor - Black capped Conure (RIP 3.14.15 - miss you every day little "Girlie")

• Jun 22, 2015

• #17

How long did the 2 divers stay in the boat before they had to abandon ship?

Great photos - amazing.

 

OP

Birdman666

Well-known member

Sep 18, 2013

9,904

258

San Antonio, TX

Parrots

Presently have six Greenwing Macaw (17 yo), Red Fronted Macaw (12 yo), Red Lored Amazon (17 y.o.), Lilac Crowned Amazon (about 43 y.o.) and a Congo African Grey (11 y.o.)
Panama Amazon (1 Y.O.)

• Jun 22, 2015

• Thread Starter
• Thread starter
• #18

At that speed, from 15,000 feet, you only get about 30 seconds of free fall... til you have to break off and get serious. We broke this one off at around 5,500, so close to 10,000 feet of free fall in the boat, and then opened at 3,500... so another 2,000 feet or so of just screwing around in the sky on your own time.

There are times when time seems to move in fractions of a second intervals. This was one of those times. I remember every millisecond of this jump. Especially the part where the nose started to come up. NO! WE ARE NOT GOING TO FLIP THIS TIME! We're going to pull this one off...

 

Last edited: Jun 23, 2015

OP

Birdman666

Well-known member

Sep 18, 2013

9,904

258

San Antonio, TX

Parrots

Presently have six Greenwing Macaw (17 yo), Red Fronted Macaw (12 yo), Red Lored Amazon (17 y.o.), Lilac Crowned Amazon (about 43 y.o.) and a Congo African Grey (11 y.o.)
Panama Amazon (1 Y.O.)

• Jun 22, 2015

• Thread Starter
• Thread starter
• #19

We actually recovered the raft after this jump, and got a second jump out of it.

Two people in the raft. Four people around the raft. Four chasers.

Once we got the boat stable, the four chasers swooped in, and hung vertically from the leg straps of the four people around the outside of the boat, and turned it into a 10-way hybrid...

Needless to say, with the weight of 10 people in freefall, that little rubber boat went like a bat outta hell... unfortunately, we didn't have a camera flyer on that load, because that would have been one worth blowing up and framing.

 

Last edited: Jun 23, 2015