Name: Marcelaine Wininger

	Nickname: Ms. M

	email: Lady_Flight_Inst@hotmail.

	First Jump: October 10, 1999. I started AFP at Skydive Chicago on my 50th birthday, June 29, 2000.

	Jumps: Nearly 300, including the 6 static line jumps that I survived in the U.P.

	Naked Jumps: 0. My landings aren't good enough to do a naked jump!

	Rig: A beautiful neon-pink Reflex.

	Main: Spectre 150 turquoise, neon pink, tangarine, and lemon yellow. Very pretty.

	Reserve: Raven 135 white. If you see it, please come running.

	Malfunctions: Four. One was high-speed. I have the reflexes of a cat, though, and I stood up three of the four reserve landings.

	License: D24581 ("When it came, I cut it in half and gave half to Nicole for setting up the night jumps and half to John for flying me down to Chicago so that I could do them. (Then I ordered a duplicate from USPA)."

	Home DZ: Skydive Chicago. Why? Because my best friend jumps there. I've come to love the place and the people. I cry when we close the trailer for the end of the season.

	Skydiving achievements: I was the resident, feature writer for the Y2K 300-way record attempt. Several of my articles are still on line. (Thanks to Ron Olson for his gorgeous photos that illustrated my words.)I'm proud of my Falcon, Double Falcon, and Eagle; and my 3rd place SDC Iron Man plaque. It's in my classroom. Most of my students are teenage boys; they think I'm a skygoddess. But, they don't know any better.

	Other DZ's I've jumped: Baraga, Michigan, Skydive Arizona, Skydive Lake Wales, Skyventure Orlando.

	Aircraft I've jumped from: C-182, Super Otter, Casa, Skyvan, Twin Otter,  DC-3.

	Most Memorable Jump: When I did my graduation jump at SDC and my best friend

	gave me a freefall kiss.

	My non-qualifying TF jump on Mother's Day was pretty cool too. Being on

	Juggler's 500th jump was awesome. My first sit fly was exhilirating. Oh . .

	. they're all wonderful.

	My Skydiving Story:

	A couple years ago I started dating another pilot. He told me that he spends a lot of time at Skydive Chicago, and it would be nice if I accompanied him there. But he warned me that DZs can be boring places for non-jumpers and that I might hate it. I started going to the DZ with him in April, 1999; I made friends with the jump pilots, laid out in the sun next to the pond . . . and watched. I kept observing and gathering information while I made up my mind if I wanted to try skydiving. I was attracted to the freeflyers, because they are so happy all the time. I decided to try it. My friend stopped short of forbidding me to jump at the "local DZ" here in the U.P. (It's out-of-busines now.) But he was very worried about safety issues. When he went out of town for a few days, I did six terrifying

	static line jumps here in the U.P.  Last summer on my 50th birthday, I started the Skydive Chicago student program. It was exhilarating. The Skydive Chicago staff did a great job. If this is a midlife crisis, I hope it lasts for a while.

	Style: RW, but I want to learn freestyle. I did my first successful sit fly

	recently. It was a rush.

	Employment: Teacher of high-risk youth; Commercial Pilot; Flight instructor; Feature Writer; Farmer.

	Where I live: I live on "Happy Valley Hill", in a little cabin on my apple farm outside Houghton in Michigan's beautiful Upper Peninsula. I am under a Victor Airway and can see the Huron Mountains and the Lake 30 miles away.

	Hobbies: My life is a magic carpet ride. I'm always having fun. I enjoy working on my farm, flying, fixing and working on airplanes, skydiving, writing, sewing, baking, breakfasting with girlfriends, singing, shopping, learning new things.

	Personality: I'm happy, friendly, supportive, and nice.

	Favorite Color: Pink.

	Favorite Flower: Daffodils. I plant hundreds of them each fall on my farm.

	Pets: My angel-in-fur is George, my Ragdoll cat. He's a retired stud from Madison, Wisconsin. I also have honey bees. The first presents that my boyfriend gave me were three bee hives to put in my coral. I didn't know he was hitting on me. . . Last summer he gave me a new queen for one of my

	hives.

	Words to live by: "Do Good. Avoid Evil."

	Skydiving goals: I try to be a good role model for girls, so I want to become a very good skydiver and be on lots of women's records. I'd like to get really good at 4-way. I like the intimacy of it. I watch skydiving vidotapes every morning with breakfast. I want to have a reputation for being reliable and heads-up. My feet may be on the ground, but my heart is always in the sky.

Copyright © 2004 TeamFunnel. All rights reserved.
Revised: January 20, 2004