Leaderboard

The cypres does have the benefit of being in warranty for the entire lifetime if you get it serviced as recommended. The mars has a 2 year warranty. If the battery on a mars does need to be replaced, even though the mfg says it should last 15 years, it would presumably not be done for free. It is great that it shows the remaining battery life left, and it also shows the pressure the unit is sensing for confirmation to a local barometer. If that pressure check is not within the recommended tolerance, then presumably fixing the unit would not be free. Of course the 15 year warranty of a cypres comes at a cost, and most never need to get their AAD fixed at any time during their life. I think we should acknowledge the trade-off when discussing cost comparisons. Another point worth acknowledging is a Cypres can seem to have no problems at all, no problems during the start-up self-test, and then when SSK does the full series of tests including accuracy/resolution at the fire/no fire limits, high/low temp, vibration, etc it fails to meet the original standards and requires repair before returning to the customer. Does this mean it would have necessarily failed to save your life if needed? No, but it does mean that the mfg is not comfortable with the self test being the only check on the proper function of the unit, and for very good reason - some fail! The self test can't check things to the same extent as can be done at the factory. The self test cannot simulate a jump (simulate the pressures on the transducer) to test the entire system, and cannot test it in harsh environmental conditions. It just is a partial check of the health of the electronics. If cost for an AAD is critical, then getting a used unit is also worth considering. If a used unit is bought at the right price, then the cost/year should be about the same as if buying new. I hear finding used units at the right price is the challenge.

I agree only because they have a better understanding of what you're sending soldiers to do and to endure over political decisions. Barring that every politician should spend serious time in Walter Reed Hospital.

I think Boeing is currently wishing that the "regulatory state" had slightly bigger teeth when Trump was helping them streamline the 737MAX certification proess.

I've flown over Penn State a number of times but never landed there. The department head of Engineering Science and Mechanics is a former student of mine (many many years ago) and more recently a former colleague.

People are saying HOA means something else, I think they're saying Horny Old Asshole, but I don't know. It's just what people are saying.

So what's the problem? Ex-wife after his ass with an AR-15? Gophers by the hundreds advancing on his organic asparagus patch? What in the holy fuck requires that someone wake up one day and just know that if they don't have another pistol like right fucking now the entire world will come to a screeching halt? Fuck it. Move to Texas.

Yup, they are now playing "follow the leader"!

I guess that depends on the motivation of the coach/instructor. My husband is a USPA AFF IE and coach examiner and a Master Rigger with a shit ton of experience. He is happy to talk with, advise, pass on useful information to anyone... for nothing. A beer is a nice offering but not required. He doesn't need to be paid to share what he knows with others. It's not about his pocketbook, it's about helping people become better, safer and more knowledgeable skydivers. Not to mention that it makes newbies feel like they are a part of the dz and not a wallet to empty. I know I'm a dinosaur, but I think It's pretty sad that jumpers now expect to be paid to talk to newbies.

Show up, ask at the front desk if there's anyone looking to jump with other newbies. It might be a newbie, and it might be an old fart who likes jumping with newbies. Slow days increase your chance of jumping with the same person twice is more likely, and doing that will really make it easier for you to figure out what you're doing, so that you can either do more or less of it. But slow days decrease your chance of having someone at all -- ask at the front desk if there are people whom you normally should be looking for. Be honest that you can't afford to pay for coaching right now. And if you can afford to stay at the end of the day, do so, listen, and feel free to contribute beer if it's needed. There's no guarantees, but it beats nothing. Wendy P. (old fart who likes jumping with newbies)

jump. as much as you can afford. be honest with the folks at the dz and you will gain experience by doing it. log them all and don't downsize too early. be safe.

Sorry for the lack of updates in the last year everyone. I finally got my rigger rating in December and made another ZP canopy. Here's the video from earlier this year. https://youtu.be/fpTBNnXoY9U It actually flies alright. Unfortunately, despite spending several years and really big chunks of my own money getting my rating, I've still found it difficult jumping homemades at a few dropzones. That, a long with a few other factors, means I'll probably be winding up my jumping for now. It's been an amazing journey, and I've met some great people ( a lot of them are in this thread). I've made some great experiences and I'm happy to be moving on in a relatively positive way.

So, back to the topic at hand... Anyone have a comment about the recent conventions the Democratic hopefuls have recently attended? I've seen some summaries, but as everyone has acknowledged, there are just way too many candidates to separate them out. I would be interested to hear opinions of some of the not-as-well-known hopefuls and their proposals. If they don't seem to stand a chance in this field, what else would you recommend they do to contribute? Thanks.

I really like listening to Pete Buttigieg whenever he is on an interview/panel/talk show. He knows his business -- not just his talking points and platform, but can have a real, intelligent conversation about anything thrown at him. He can admit when he doesn't know about an issue, and actually listens to people with different views. I'm not yet convinced he is ready for the presidency, but I really would like to see him have a prime advisory/cabinet position in the next administration. Maybe once he gets more experience behind him, I'll be more comfortable voting for him for the highest office. In the meantime, he has a really good start. Also wish Evan McMullen would get back into the race somewhere. He had some really good positions in 2016, and demonstrated he understood where he fell out among the two major party candidates. Had he not entered the scene less than two months before the election, he could have done much better as a write-in. Between him and his running mate, I appreciated the domestic, defense, intelligence, legal and foreign affairs aggregate experience. I loved Cory Booker's comments at the convention in 2016, and remember thinking very highly of him at that time. I have been less than impressed with him thus far, however. I think if Bernie Sanders wants to run, he should run as an independent. If he wants D dollars, he needs to register officially as a Democrat. As far as "the party" putting up the candidates -- can't have it both ways. Either "the party" chooses its top choices and allows those folks to run in the primaries, or "the party" stays the hell out and lets the votes come in where they will. I don't have a problem with the DNC choosing their candidate toward the end of the primaries in 2016. It's only been recently (someone fact check me, please -- 30-ish years?) that the parties have allowed such free participation in the primary/caucus process. Used to be some party elders would get together, have some scotch and cigars with a deep discussion, and then ask their preferred candidate(s) to run. I also would like to see the party leadership (both sides) set the standards for what the party stands for (very generalized platform -- like smaller government, free trade, etc), and insists that no one gets the party letter behind their name if they stray significantly from those issues. It would stop these single-issue radicals from hijacking the parties. Let them start their own parties if they want a different focus, or find a candidate that also conforms to the basic party issues as well as your own personal crusade. Once the candidate from that party is determined, then the more focused, prioritized list of issues makes the platform for that election. But, it has to start with the parties setting some standards and enforcing that general platform. Okay, I'm off my soapbox. Had to get that off my chest. To the OP -- thanks for starting this thread. I'll try to add my thoughts whenever I see a specific candidate do/say something as they go. I hope others will do the same. I would also like to see a discussion on R candidates. Sure, the list is limited, but the current president does have a challenger.