8-9-99 (yes! 2 in one day!)  Level 7 - almost there!  The mission for this jump: Backflip.  This would also be the first jump the instructor wasn't actually holding onto me as I exited the plane.  Bruce was my instructor again.  This jump was pretty much uneventful.  Had a good clean exit into a beautiful blue sky!  Lost sight of Bruce, but I was stable and feeling good.  I made up my mind to go ahead and do the backflip.  I saw from the video later that Bruce was watching me, I just fall like a rock and he was trying to catch up to me.   Right before I did my backflip, I paused for just a second, kinda had to 'pysch' myself up for it!  It was weird, until now I had always been belly-to-earth, and now I was about to flip backwards.  I 'broke the broomstick' over my knees as I was told to do a backflip, and it was beautiful, I don't think I've done a better backflip since then, except for the one that George threw me into the other day!  Ha!  That was fun George, thanks!  Anyway, about the time I came out of the flip, Bruce had caught up to me and gave me a 'thumbs up' so I knew he had seen it.  I did a couple turns just for giggles, and then tried to track away from him.  It had to have been the world's most pathetic attempt at a track.

Again, if I ever get a video capture device, I'll put some more pictures from the actual jump up here.  Anyone have one they'd like to donate?  :)

 

 

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