obelixtim

At least one of the mods is rather over sensitive about things, and has had a humour bypass to boot. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

I have never done a Tandem and my first jump was 20 years ago in Germany. It was a static line (german: Automatensprung) just for fun. A year later i startet my static line progression (german: konventionelle Ausbildung). There a still plenty of places that offer static line in Germany. The faster way to learn to skydive is AFF though. That point is debateable. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

If you can't find a DZ in Germany that will train you to do static line jumps, ( I find that hard to believe), go to Texel in Holland. I've seen quite a few Germans taking their courses. Static line was the only option to skydive in the past. Its much cheaper than AFF, and is a perfectly good way to learn to skydive. I've had SL students graduating to FF in a weekend, and going to 12000 solo within 10 jumps total. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Where's my sugar? My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Yep.... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

I'm curious about the non-lethal mousetraps. So it works and I now have an angry/scared mouse in a box - what am I going to do with that? I also live in London, so where is this wilderness that I am to release it, so that it lives out its days with its mouse friends? Sell it on eBay? London is a bit of a jungle anyway, you must be able to find a spot within a couple of blocks. Plenty of places I could think of within a few blocks of where I lived in NW London, or N London. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

In some parts, if you do that, you'll wake up to find your engine has gone..... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

I have a cunning plan...…...so cunning you could pin a tail on it and call it a weasel. (apols to Blackadder) Easy to catch. (If you don't like traps that squish the mouse, or using poison baits) Set up a trap using a cup/mug and a coin. Smear some peanut butter in the bottom of the cup, then balance the cup on the edge of the coin in a cupboard or somewhere where you know he frequents. Mouse goes to get at the peanut butter, touches the inside of the cup and it will fall, trapping him under it. Now you have a live mouse under the cup. Slide something flat under it, and pick it up, then you can do what you like with it..... Release into the wild, or your nosey neighbours house, or kill it by drowning in a bucket of water. Don't release it in front of the cat.....my cat will just watch as the mouse leaves the scene at speed. I caught four of the buggers within half an hour one time like that, and I've caught quite a few since. My girlfriend won't let me kill them, so I have to take them on a journey to a galaxy far far away and release them. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Standard might be a better option to consider, if later on you want to sell the rig and upgrade to something else. The market for a longer rig might be a bit more limited. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Some times they do. I had a rig returned when the cops raided the house of a known burglar on another matter (dope bust) and found my rig along with a lot of other stolen property. It was obvious they'd thought it was a back pack when they stole it, but then realised there was nothing they could really do with it. I was just glad they hadn't dumped it somewhere. A trick I've used to recover stolen property is to put a classified advert in the local paper "wanted to buy". In this case a mountain bike. Some supermarkets and shops also have free noticeboards where you can put a poster up, which I did. I got a reply, met the guy, and there was the bike. Of course I got it back free of charge, and the individual involved got a free introduction to a knuckle sandwich. If they didn't take the riders harnesses, its likely that they were whuffos who didn't know what they had, and won't really know what they've got till they take a look at them. Then they'll have a problem knowing what to do with them. Just hope they don't dump them somewhere, but if they think they might make some money from selling them you might have a chance. They could be dumb enough to put them on eBay or some such sellers website. Keep a lookout on those sites, and notify any dropzones in the state to keep a lookout for them. You never know when you might get lucky. ETA: If you do advertise, do it subtly. As in: Wanted to buy cheap OLD parachute/s for school, up to $500, or something like that. It might just throw them off the scent if they just see an ad for parachutes which makes them suspicious. They might not know the difference between old/new, or the value, so they might think anything they get for them is a bonus, especially if they want to get rid of them. Long shot, but might be worth a crack. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

I'm not sure what sort of "friction" you are talking about. When checking your rings, the main thing to be looking at is whether the rings have become distorted or warped (out of shape), which may prevent them from releasing properly. Also you should be looking at the webbing, the closing loop, grommets, and the end of the housing, as well as the cutaway cable itself to make sure it has no burrs, dings, or bits of wire sticking out that might catch on the closing loop. Rotating the rings, by itself, does nothing. Also, its a good idea to disconnect the risers every now and again and flex the webbing around the rings to negate any "setting" that can occur after repeated opening shocks. Ask a rigger to show you how to check your gear, and the things to look out for. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Good thing the couch was there to break her fall. I had a cat get stuck in the same tree, 20-25 feet off the ground, same spot, THREE times. Each time I had to climb the motherfucker, grab her and stuff her in my bag and climb down. The last time I used my Sony D1 or whatever its called, in my helmet cam case to record the rescue. I started recording while standing on the ground, calling out to her "HEY KITTY CAT..... DUMB ASS!!" The mini DV tape is somewhere in a box. No idea where it is... I've never seen a dead cat in a tree. They will figure out how to get down eventually, even if it involves a spot of freefall. Your cat was just playing games with you. Had prolly told all his cat mates that he had trained his dumb hooman to climb trees. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

You're kidding right? "inform not enforce" translates to "I can do whatever I want because I wont get in trouble for it anyway". Imagine if the police only 'informed' citizens about the laws they broke and not actually enforced any of them. The FAA needs to step in the other direction and start handing out larger fines, revoking pilot licenses, and grounding aircraft permanently. What do you think would motivate a DZO more to do maintenance, threat that the FAA will come over to them and 'inform' them about the FARs they broke, or threat that the FAA will fine them six figures and ground their entire fleet? Are you really having this much trouble, or maybe I should say lack of trust, at your DZ? Was it an incident or something else that made you feel like you aren't safe when you skydive where you do? Have you talked to anyone else at your DZ to see if there isn't a way to address it locally? I dont have any major concerns at my DZ. However, I have jumped at places which are sketch city and even more mainstream DZs still usually do at least one thing unsafe. I am not going to name names because it simply doesent matter at this point. But I once stood by a girl at a very prominent DZ, one which I am very confident you've heard of, and overheard her instructor give her a WS course. It was her first time flying a WS, she only had 200 jumps and had never jumped a WS. Her instructor gave her maybe 10 minutes of ground instruction, 5 of which was spent getting her into the suit, and then she was on the same load as me. So basically five minutes of instruction and that was her entire first flight course for her first jump... And she had the absolute bare minimal jumps required for a WS jump. You can decide whether you think that is unsafe or not, but I would say it's a pattern of negligence and I see stuff like that at many DZs all over the place. If it's not shitty instruction at one DZ, it's lack of checking rigs when a new jumper comes to visit at another, or maybe a complete disregard to exit order at some other DZ, or maybe failure to ground students when the winds are honking at 20 - 25 knots... Those are all examples I've seen, and I have plenty more. So when I see stuff like that, stuff in which I KNOW that any experienced jumper knows is wrong, I dont have much of a mentality for 'educate, not punish'. Education is for people that made an understandable mistake. Punishments are for those who do know better and chose to break the rules anyway because they dont give a shit. I am not saying all DZs break the rules. Some are fantastic, but not all are. I thought this was about FAA and airplane maintenance. You've sidestepped the discussion nicely. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

You're kidding right? "inform not enforce" translates to "I can do whatever I want because I wont get in trouble for it anyway". Imagine if the police only 'informed' citizens about the laws they broke and not actually enforced any of them. The FAA needs to step in the other direction and start handing out larger fines, revoking pilot licenses, and grounding aircraft permanently. What do you think would motivate a DZO more to do maintenance, threat that the FAA will come over to them and 'inform' them about the FARs they broke, or threat that the FAA will fine them six figures and ground their entire fleet? I don't think you really understand the meaning of "inform" rather than "enforce", as it pertains to how the FAA operates. There are plenty of sanctions for those who wilfully ignore the rules who then have incidents and accidents. Its advising operators how to comply, especially when new operational procedures are introduced, rather than waving a big stick at a pile of rubble AFTER an accident has occurred. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

RIP Sir. A man of integrity and courage. (Unlike private Bonespurs). My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Not what I'm saying at all. I'm saying: "enjoy yourself, but don't fuck up doing so. Especially on my DZ. If you make me discipline you, I will. And you sure as hell won't like it". That has been very effective in keeping the dickheads in line, and uninjured. Horse shit! Who do you hang out with? In 44 years on DZs around the world, I've met a hell of a lot of skydivers. Very few have ego problems. Of course there are some blowhards, but most are down to earth nice people who are good to be around. Blowhards and ego trippers typically get sorted out pretty damn quick. Nah, too touchy feely for me. I don't like to waste time with idiots. And I have zero sympathy for idiots who screw up. Best way is to inform them straight up, seriously, that they need an attitude change, and if that's too difficult, find another DZ. It works. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

(This is not aimed at you MB465) Anyone who jumps just to look cool has an ego problem. Just jumping out of plane impresses non jumpers. Other jumpers don't really give a shit. Just be comfortable with yourself and enjoy what you have achieved. Why the need to impress others? It strikes me as a lack of self assurance. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

As has been said, you have to want to skydive for your own reasons. It doesn't work trying to please others. Wifey is getting her own buzz, so she doesn't really need you to jump for her sake. You've given it a good shot, be proud of that. You have nothing to prove, and no one at the DZ will think any less of you if you decide to move on. Lots of people do. Its pointless putting yourself through the wringer if you are getting nothing positive from it. The suggestion to take up paragliding or hang gliding, gliding or even getting a pilots licence, is a good one if you enjoy the flight phase. Do something YOU want to. Don't be pressured by what others may say or feel about the sport. Make your own decisions and stick to them. I think you've made the right decision. Skydiving is meant to be fun, not torture. Well done on the weight loss. There are plenty of people out there who fall like a cannon ball, me included. Good luck. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

In the below video the jumpers are landing with huge inflatables that look like the ones that will upright people. How often do people drown using the method in the video? How often do people get tangled in gear? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzbr-Cqgdfc Are you seriously suggesting we should dump first time students in the water, or just pursuing a topic of discussion for academic reasons? He's not seriously suggesting anything. Its just he knows nothing about skydiving. Time wasting. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

What if the tandem had a separate video flyer? Doesn't matter. I only mentioned tandem altitude b/c above that you really start to land late, and it does make sense to let the pilot and wingsuiters know there will be a canopy in airspace it normally wouldn't be in. But as well all know, it is horizontal separation that matters between groups, not vertical. If I end my skydive early, whether intentional or not, none of the other freefall groups should be affected. Even wingsuiters should be on a flight path well off the standard flight line. I wouldn't make a habit of assuming anything. Its a bad habit, which sooner or later, will bite you on the arse. What is the problem with informing others of your intentions anyway? More information is always a better option than less. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Looks like they have got all 12 and the coach out successfully. Absolutely awesome job, such skill and bravery by all involved. Sad that it cost the life of a diver, but his sacrifice hasn't been in vain. Really shows the good side of humanity. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

The two most experienced Brit cave divers are just hobbyists, they do this for fun. I think one works in IT and the other is a firefighter. But they are the foremost experts, having developed a lot of the cave diving techniques and equipment they use. I don't think the cave diving community is particularly large. But they certainly have a professional attitude and try to stay out of the limelight. But you can bet the worlds media will be after them when this is over. Wouldn't surprise me to see them just fade into the background - a bit like Homer Simpson and the hedge. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

It really is an international effort....90 divers all up, of which 50 are foreigners.....Britain, Australia, Japan, China, Sweden, Burma, Laos, and the US. The Brits and the Aussie doctor, plus some of the Thai SEALS are the ones who went all the way and are the ones actually accompanying the kids. The others are all engaged in stages along the way, ensuring everything is in place and working. Incredible effort, and extremely dangerous. work. They ALL deserve the highest honours, far more than any of the politicians, celebrities and assorted arse lickers who usually line up for accolades. True heroes. I see that FIFA have invited the boys to the football world cup final game in Moscow if they are well enough. Notable that they forgot to invite the rescuers as well! My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

I thought they had figured that case out? My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Another 4 are now out. Incredible. 5 to go. Hope it goes well for them as well. ETA: Operation suspended again to replenish supplies and rest the divers. So far so good..... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....