happythoughts

VW racing 520 hp 1962 VW van. (not available in some areas)

I'm waiting for the Palin Real Doll.

"They're not dolls, they're action figures..." action figures

The 2004 Madrid bombings happened three days before Spain's general elections. It was purported related to Spains involvement in middle east military actions. The idea was to make a point that Spain should get out. France has dealt with security issues since the 70s and Carlos the Jackal. There were so many bombings that driving in embassy residence areas was a risk. Most of it was arab vs Israeli conflict. Now the Israelis are not the target, it is the French population. So, here we go again.

Turn down the sound before clicking. Noisy video. Chinook A Chinook submerging its tailgate to pick up a raft.

Ok, that clears it up. We were discussing two jumps. If you are light, you may want to try a weight belt. Just a few lbs so you don't struggle to stay down. Otherwise, you may reach down and come over the top. (experiment with diff amounts) For exits, 4-way can teach you a lot. There are many great examples in the dive pool. If you get some friends together, and plan to do some 4-way regularly, you can get some pointers on exits from other 4-way people. I have found that I can spend 100 jumps figuring something out, or just spend a day with a coach and they tell me. (If 4 people split the cost of a 4-way coach for a day, it isn't that expensive.) Sounds like you are on the right track.

So busted. well, he did say "4way exits"..... the assumption I made was that his reference to "front floater" was just OC. Not 3 out, or 8 way launches or anything else. (Though I do think about 8way outside people as just hips leading and get that 45 degree stairstep picture in place for all 5 of the chunk) However, the mechanics are similar for any outside exit - do what it take to present that hip to the wind. "think" whatever works for you to think - or not, if that works for you. Etc. Lots of pretty good advice so far in the thread. Earlier... "The position I was having problems with is with 3 people outside and I am closest to the wing..." He mentions 3 outside and he's doing 4-way, so one is inside. Even with the inside taking chest straps and aggressively coming out... that 3-way will whip around or fold. No structural integrity, not an easy launch. Making life hard on himself. He also describes "base" as what 4-way people call "tail". I suggested the 2-out, 2-in standard configuration to aid in his learning curve.

If you are interested in jumping with 4 people and doing linked exits, why not go with the standard 2 floaters and 2 divers configuration that 4-way teams use ? Then you could the standard 4-way dive pool to find cool stuff to do. It sounds like you have 3 outside and 1 inside. That is something more complex. The person inside has to be very aggressive during the exit and the timing has to be better. It can be more difficult than fun. If you want to do front-float, that is a different thing. As Tony said, perhaps practice that skill without grips on the launch. I guess I am wondering what you are attempting to do. What is the important thing? Launching chunks? Using 4 people? Front floating?

It's all good. This is fascinating stuff and I hope you keep us posted.

So busted.

That's the thing. Point is inside the plane, not front-float. I think he is reading the competition 4-way sheet and it is confusing him. The Otter exit picture is mirror image of the Porter pic. He should probably be rear-floating as tail, behind OC. As OC, I've never had a front-float in 4-way. The link I added shows everything. (edited to add - Team Fastrax - Exit photos - from multiple angles ) We really need one of the super experienced 4-way people on here (like Ron) to chime in on this. Going to PM him.

I think you are right. Skydiving is something, but it isn't everything. Make sure you come back on here and nudge some people in the right direction.

I jumped with 4 people last weekend with 30+ years in sport and no rigger ticket. Read your profile, didn't see rigger, you won't see psychic in mine. I was trying to visualize how the issue evolved. Sounds like you have it covered. Good luck.

Seems like all his 4-way exits should have OC and tail, not OC and front-float. I think that the 4-way sheets confuse people because they were drawn up for international competitors with the door on the other side, like a Porter. So, you get a mirror-image picture to work from. He may be launching that piece bass-ackwards. Plus, if he is light, tail might be the ideal slot for him if his timing is good.

Most of the 4-way exits have the other floater as tail, coming off behind the outside-center, not in front. The problem that you describe is common to 8-way exits where there is a front-float and front-front. Putting 5 outside and 3 inside for piece launch. Model your position with you hands. You should be high and outside of the OC. The most common issue is that the front-float doesn't get off into the clean air to the left. Part of that is looking to their right, watching the count, and keeping their head turned towards the OC on exit. Then, they spin to their right and fold under. They way I get around this problem is to have the OC use their left hand to lift/push them slightly up/left on exit. So, watch the count, pick it up, and go with it - but when stepping off, look where you are going and trust the rest of the group to do their job. (It is similar to being an out-facing point and trusting that others will be doing their jobs. ) OC can provide a mild lift/push on exit.

When I was working for a large telecom company, they would block spam-emails by content. If there was something suspicious in the subject line, it was rejected. So, when I distributed a lot of high-level designs, none got through with the word "document" in the subject. It isn't always the site, sometimes it is the links on it.

It seems like this issue would have been resolved in round canopy development. Otherwise, high speed round deployment (like aircraft ejection) would stress the lines and canopy too much immediately. Rounds "squid" and flatten for a moment during the time the drag decelerates the jumper. A conversation with a rigger who works with rounds may be a good direction.

In the first part, it shows him coming through the window and the shards of glass around him. I'd hate to have one of those beat me to the mat and then land on it. All that stuff was falling around him and I wondered if it was some kind of fake safety glass. The pieces did look big and pointy. Can you imagine when King Kong hit the ground after the fall from the Empire State Building ? You know there was two street cleaners looking at each other... "Yep, this is overtime."

Old Yeller

LMAO Snow White and the Seven Warts

the new bad Skydiving --> base off skyscraper --> jumping off skyscraper without rig --> this. Crap!

Beauty and The Yeast

For college students, the linkage is supposed to be to future opportunities. I know students who just graduated from college and cannot find related work. That information makes it way among the current students. Hard to establish the linkage between the effort required for college-level study and a return. For the non-college prep student, I favor a more applied direction to the study. From high school, we should be graduating people with valid work skills. Something beyond minimal mathematics and reading skills.

...and in other news... Next... dogs and cats living together.

Glad you are safe. The good news is, you didn't have search for your main.