Two more jumps - Comabt Equipment & Mass Exit. he first -- onmce the clouds lifted enough for the ceiling req'd, went just dandy -- althought a "shorter" time in the air leads me to believe they dropped us below 1250 -- liek at 1000 or so...Heavier gear meant a more rapid descent - but my landing was about the same as yesterday.
Third jump - rained b4 hand - in fact started right as we boarded the bus to take us back to the airfield - went nuts. 15 people out of each door at one time - staggered by 1 second...I landed out of the plane right on the edge of a canopy - slipped away luckily enough. Then had to slip to avoid _another_ collision...but good PLF...
Got back - stuck on rigger detail - putting reserves away & shaking out chutes...Not too bad but got back later than most -- decided not to eat my MRE - sick of them - am opting for a powerbar & Twix. Roll call at 0800 in the morrow.
When I'm in the air - it's a mindless thign almost. The fact of what I'm doing & where I am escapes me. I am not afraid - I have too much faith in my equipment & the laws of physics. The shock from the chute opening is identical to catching a fall on the climbing harness - just there is a lack of a rock face in this instance. the safety factor is probably about equal - in both cases, that is, if one knows what one is doing...
There really is no time for philosophy or pontification up there anyway - it's serious shit requiring keen awarreness. The ride is _short_ & many things must be done correctly at the right time. Concentrating on anything but the matter at hand is dangerous.