CanuckInUSA

You say she was above you, so at that point you had the right of way. But somehow you neglected to tell us how you and her all of a sudden you found each other at the same level (with her now in front of you?). Did she hook down in on top of you (in which case yes she was in the wrong and needed to be talked to) or did you not help the situation by staying in brakes allowing her to over take you (she may not be innocent, but people need to fly predictable patterns and flying slow on final isn't all that predictable to those not paying attention to your progression). I'm not trying to lay blame here on you or her, it's just that you didn't describe very well how she went from above you to being in conflict with you. It's important to be calm when talking to people on the ground (abusive behavior is often greeted with an abusive response). Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

The world as we know it today would not exist. Germany would not have stopped in Europe. They would have conquered the entire world. You do know (hopefully) that German submarines were patrolling off of the major North American cities preying upon anything that would float. Had Germany developed the bomb before the US did, you got to know that their V2 (or V3, etc, etc, etc) rockets would have delivered their payload to NYC and all other major North American cities. Japan's desire to dominate the Pacific did the whole world (at least the free democratic society we westerners value) a favor by waking up America before it was too late. America's isolationist policies may have worked in the 19th century. But it was out of date by the time the 20th century was in full swing. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

and who knows what would have happened if US cities and industries were bombed the same way German, British, Russian and Japanese cities were bombed. Nobody should take anything away from the effort the US put forth in that epic struggle. But to come off saying if it wasn't for the US is disrepectful for those who had to endure much more hardship that the average American citizen. The good did prevail in that war and we can be thankful for that. But it was a collective effort. One nation didn't win that war, many did. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

People are going to swoop regardless of whether or not they have been formally trained. Plus Jim doesn't offer a "swooping" course. His instruction is personally tailored towards the current skill, experience level and goals of his students. That's why he can get away with charging money for it. Hey I don't want to start a war here or anything. You do bring some valid points to the table. But having knowledge is better than having none and one shouldn't be criticized because they sought out that knowledge on their own accord. Keep the dialogue open and who knows, maybe a few years from now the skydiving canopy control scene will be much more structured that what it is now. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Thanks for the feedback folks ... I think I'll pickup the PC version, even though there are plenty of other things ... like finding work ... that I should be prioritizing on instead of playing this game. I've only got about 2 minutes of time with the XBox 360 version under my belt playing it at a local store before x-mas. And without the much needed basic training (or maybe it was using the console controllers and not know what was what) I got wasted by the bad guys pretty fast and I let the kids show me how to play it instead of embarassing myself in public. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Who's Jim Slanton? I never heard of the dude. Now while I don't disagree with everything that you say (some of your points are valid), I can tell you that Jim Slaton doesn't market his instruction at people wanting to learn how to fly canopies. Jim markets his instruction towards people who have a basic swooping foundation and want to take their swooping to the next level and/or want to learn how to be competitive swoopers. Who are you to criticize his instruction when I'm guessing that you haven't even taked to him about his knowledge let alone done some coaching sessions with the dude. Jim is very knowledgeable and very passionate about what he does and he's just trying to find his niche for making a living doing the things he loves to do. I never knew that the great AndyMan was such an authority on aerodynamics and canopy flight that he could be openly and publicly criticizing Jim Slaton's instruction. Jim Slaton rocked my swooping world with the coaching I have received from him (on three seperate occasions). He's explained swooping to me like no other person ever has done and he's armed myself with enough knowledge and practical experience about Ground Launching that will (hopefully) prevent me from doing something stupid in that arena. Of course he's not the only authority out there as there are plenty of other knowledgeable and experienced high performance canopy instructors and while I agree with Chuck Blue that one shouldn't need to spend money to learn something about canopy control and/or high performance canopy flight, why do some feel the need to criticize those who have choosen this path? Of course just because someone has received instruction from a qualified individual doesn't mean that they know all that. All the instruction in the world won't help if we don't put this instruction into practical use through showing good judgement in the air, practicing what they were taught, staying current and staying within our skill and risk tolerance levels. So talking about this topic is good. But some instruction (be it paid coaching or just talking over beer) is better than no instruction at all and some of this instruction has been individually tailored towards specific goals that the student is looking for. Plus while it's still in it's infancy levels, there are people who do provide the three levels of canopy control instruction (basic canopy control skills, advanced canopy control and high performance canopy control). Why are some people so quick to criticize what's available today. We're all continually learning and what may exist today might be improved on tomorrow through the lessons that we learn now. One only needs to look at www.canopypiloting.com on the feedback that's being offered by many people towards what the CPC should and shouldn't be. Canopy control instruction is good, but it's still the canopy pilot who influences how successful or unsuccessful their jumps are. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Are there any "Call of Duty 2" users out there and if so what are your impressions of the game and what platforms are you using? Plus are you using the normal version or has anyone tried the "Big Red One" version (or tried both versions). I wouldn't say that I'm a monster World War II buff, but that war has always strike some curiosity in me and I'm thinking about picking up the game (just for shits and giggles). I've been reading some of the reviews (which usually come off positive), but I thought I'd ask here as well. As far as platforms are concerned, I would love to pick up the XBox 360 version, but for more than one reason that's not going to happen anytime soon. I do own an XBox (with San Andreas Grand Theft Auto being my only game), but I am thinking that the PC version might be better since I do a have decent gaming computer at home. So what do people think about this game? Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Without a doubt the US was very influential in helping to win World War II for the allies against the Axis powers. But countries like the US and Canada had it easier compared to the people in Europe and Russia. The civilian and manufacturing sectors of North America never needed to worry about being bombed like the civilian populations of Europe were. So much of the material used to win the war was built here and supplied to that effort. It was a team effort. I think Germany and Japan lost the war more than any single allied country won the war. Poor military planning on Hitlers part (like opening up the eastern front before the UK was conquered) was very very influential on the wars out come. It was a team effort with the US playing a huge role in supplying men and material towards winning the war. Oh and some of the battles and human loses in that war were staggering compared to the types of battles we see nowadays. It was an epic effort that's for sure, one that each and everyone of us who values our freedom needs to be grateful for. So to the soldiers and people of all the allied nations, I say thank you for your sacrific. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Oscar Delta Yankee an officer? I second your Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Texas wins 41-38 ... and it was a hell of a good finish. Good thing I didn't care who won or who lost. Congrats to the Longhorns ... Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Hey Ben what's up dude? 26 seconds and TX has the ball on the 9 4th and 5. Good finish that's for sure. Make that TD for TX. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Definitely not!!! 38-33 USC with 3:58 left in the game. Is this one of those last team with the ball wins games? We shall see ... sorry TX but go SC. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

I exercised my democratic right today by voting in an advanced poll for our up and coming election here in Canad'ia and rest assured my vote did NOT go towards Paul Martin and his corrupt Liberal party cronies. Of course I'm only one person and time will tell as to whether Canadians (or should I say Ontario'ians) are willing to accept the same old same old status quo from this Liberal government. Of course I fear any sort of minority government something we're likely going to get regardless of whether it's the Libs or the Cons gaining power three weeks from now. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Yes CNN should apologize for this blunder. Now this is a question (not a statement) but who actually leaked this information about 12 survivors? Was it CNN or something like Rueters? A local (free publication) newspaper ran a story today in their rag about the 12 survivors and I couldn't help but think that they're not really happy with themselves today as well and while it is a free rag, one wonders if they will issue an apology as well. Oh and 1 surviror is better than none ... Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

What do you expect from a troll? Just an unrelated observation though. It's not only the 100 jump wonders who are messing themselves up under canopy. The last canopy related fatality (Australia) and femur (Kansas) we done by experienced guys. Swooping while fun is not safe. I slammed into Mile-Hi's new pond really really hard back in early September of 2005 and definetely would have femured had it not been over water. I like to tell myself that this wouldn't have happened over land as the depth perception over water is more tricky than it is on land. But I will never know now will I. The bottom line is that I didn't properly level out and my knee dug into the water and I was sent head over heels for the ride of my life and did suffer multiple injuries (none the required a hospital trip though). I think we need to all take responsibility for our own actions out there, but having good canopy control coaches accessible to the masses can only help us. I know Mr Slaton rocked my swooping world when I did some coaching with him back in 2004 and then again in early 2005. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Even small canopies load up. I can't just pull down on my risers of my Velo 103 expecting that I'll be able to hold it indefinitely. This is normal and all part of the process of learning the performance envelop of the canopy. Plus don't worry about all this talk of "you lose more altitude the higher up you are". We know that the air is thinner up top so this is normal and helps build a small safety buffer into your start altitudes once you bring it down closer to the ground. It's good to know what altitudes to start your turn at, but it's more important to build that sight picture of knowing when to get off of the risers and give your canopy time to recover. Swooping rocks, but it's unforgiving of the errors that we can make and there are no short cuts if you want to do it reasonably safer than the uneducated. It takes many many many jumps of learning the performance envelop and building your sight picture. Good luck ... be smart ... be safe ... don't hurt yourself (and this applies to each and every one of us). Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Love the wingsuit pic!!! Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

It's not as simple as how much altitude will you lose on a 90 or a 180. A lot will depend on the turn rate. A quick snappy turn will not lose as much altitude as a slow carving turn (likely what you did on your 180). But the quick snappy turn is harder to be precise and it also adds less time to evaluate and correct for any mistakes you may be making. The secret is to do a lot of experimenting up high and to attempt to keep your turn rates fairly consistent first before you start varying your turn rates. Learn the performance envelop of your canopy before you bring it low to the ground. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

To die from some sort of nasty cancer that eats away at me for a few years. I'll take your steamroller scenario anyday over a prolonged illness. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

I hope so because while the first 9 1/2 months of 2005 were something to remember, my last 2 1/2 months of the year would be something to forget. 1) Rising debt (I haven't earned any income since April 2005) 2) Diminished savings (of course I didn't have to do all those skydives) 3) Zero job prospects (I am working towards upgrading my skill set) 4) Shitty weather (nothing but rain day after day, week after week), I forgot what the sun looks like. 5) Nothing but expensive repair after expensive repair on my house (a rental property in Calgary). 6) Failed attempts in trying to date some women in this new town (who wants to date the unemployed) 7) Haven't made a skydive in about 6 weeks (shitty weather and diminished savings) 8) Family members not happy that I don't share their commercial view of x-mas. 9) Being unable to be where I wanted to be over the holidays (Eloy Holiday Boogie) 10) Still waiting for payment on a canopy I shipped last month but no sign of the money yet (hoping that I'm not being ripped off here). 11) Likely need to sell more gear, but can I afford to get scammed by more than one person at the same time? Yes the last 2 1/2 months would be months I would like to forget. I did survive my New Years jump(s) off of a certain local fixed object. So all is not bad. Hey I can only blame myself for the predicament I find myself in. Jumping has been a blessing and a curse in my life. I am grateful that I've been able to experience the joys of playing in the skies, but one really needs to find balance in this life because the whuffo world doesn't give a shit about what we do and is ever so willing to shit down your throat when you don't live up to their expectations. If I want to survive in their world I need to find balance in our world and as I said, I only have myself to blame for the current state I find myself in. Oh and while I was typing this (less than stellar post), my old cat of 16 years just shit and puked on the carpet (no shit). Hey I can handle the puke (it's likely not her fault). But the shit? That just fucking sucks. Yes things can only get better from here on out ... Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

It should depend on the ground speed of the aircraft as well as the size of the group ahead of you. Slower ground speed and bigger groups need longer seperation times. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

This is a sad time for the BASE community. I wasn't close to Tom, but I did meet and jumped with him on several occasions in Twin and in Moab. The knowledge that I will never be able to fall asleep in the wee hours of my car at the Visitors Center parking lot in Twin only to know that I will be awaken by Tom doing one of his early early morning jumps will never happen again. Fly free Tom ... we will miss you ... Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Happy New Year back at you!!! It's raining here in not so sunny Vancouver BC as well. We got one in last night and time will tell if anything will happen again tonight. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Yes I am aware of this. A couple of summers ago I watched Jamie do a forward flip, have line twists and fly dangerously close to that far shore. Fortunately he never gave up, climbed his risers and got out of his twists to make a nice splash in the water. Plus I've also seen guys doing round jumps coming too close for comfort to that far shore. The span in potatoville is one of the safer BASE jumping sites. But it's still a BASE jump and I don't need to be telling you about how unsafe BASE jumping can be. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

It wasn't that wet nor was the wind that bad. In fact the wind made standing up the landing rather easy. So in summary, I'm glad I got to share (possibly) my last jump of the year with two other cool peeps. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over