skypuppy

in canada all guns are supposed to be registered, a law which is totally ineffective and has ended up costing well over $1 billion dollars since it went into effect (it was supposed to pay for itself through registration fees). Just recently the rcmp began confiscating some rifles that had been legally bought and registered, after which they decided they were not legal. And it is actually quite common here for police to confiscate weapons from someone's estate, and has been a source of grief for some families who have had entire collections taken without compensation. There are places in this province where you can't go to the dump without seeing bears, and where bears freely roam. And bears do cause a lot of property damage, livestock kills and do attack humans (one a couple of weeks ago in my county). Foxes and other small animals get rabies and attack pets and children in yards. Guns are tool to enable you live safely in rural areas, and making it harder to get or use them is not the way to go. Hopefully, in the very near future the long gun registry will be repealed. It is an affront to honest, rural canadians, not to mention first nations people (who incidently have claimed not to be subject to canadian laws as they are their own 'sovereign' nation). Shootings will go on in the city anyway. If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

standard canopy sizes with f-111 fabric pretty much started at 200 and went up, although there were a few 180 square ft. canopies around (or even smaller with some of the square reserves). So in the 80's even if you weighed 150 it wasn't unusual to jump a fury or cruiselite or another of the 220 knockoffs such as the merlin or osprey. Unit, I think, was 210. With the advent of zero-p fabric however, and more advanced airfoils, it is quite simple to get down to a 1 to 1 wingloading without risk, depending on the canopy choice. If you liked how 7-cells flew, I am partial to the triathlon by aerodyne (also good for crw) but there are other relatively tame canopies out there such as the pilot, sabre, etc. If you're at one of the bigger dz's, or can get to one, there are always demo canopies available. If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

When we used to do rotations in the old days we were sticking our feet under the x-connectors as we took a dock. Do the hot teams bother with that any more, or just leave their feet above the slider and hold the canopy over their head? If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

CReW If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

Ummmm. Why would you call that a mistake? If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

I just find it interesting that this sport seems to slowly be moving into the babysitting aspect in all areas from student to experienced. Examples, radios are mandatory, AADs are mandatory, no turns over 90, holding a fun jumper load because you don't trust them to spot through clouds, relying on GPS instead of your own spotting, etc _______________________________________________ What are you talking about? Aads have been mandatory for students since I started jumping in 1979. Radios were common then and are still today, but from some of the posts on this thread, maybe less common than then. spotting throught clouds --- this has always been an issue -- it's up to the dzo whether he wants to risk a FAA violation, or even just use up extra fuel looking for holes. GPS -- that's more a factor of the planes and technology we use today then not trusting spotting.... 7 years in sport and you're talking about the sport moving into babysitting? If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

what about none? If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

by definition, if it's a 'bandit' jump, it ain't legal... Maybe they call them bandit jumps because they coulda done the paperwork if they wanted? If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

One of my old girlfriend's used to say 'It makes me horny to see you open low...' Don't think I opened legally all season. If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

I thought we were goin' in. And I couldn't think of anyone better to die with! -- Bruce McConkey. If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

I know Bill Cole wouldn't mind you using his. The other two I just found on the net. If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

They must be skygods.... If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

I think you guys are doing something great for the sport. I'll be at the Eastern Canada Cup that weekend, hopefully with a rotations team. But I'm glad to see what you guys are doing./ If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

Like many things in life, it depends on where you look. Sparky merriam-webster: a strong liking or desire for or devotion to some activity, object, or concept c : sexual desire d : an object of desire or deep interest Yes, you could look it up in different places and maybe find a variance, but the fact is if some of the definitions include the phrase 'prevents reflection', then the connotation is that 'passion' means an attraction or urge to something that goes 'beyond reason'. I stand by what I said. Although I never thought it would turn into a big friggin' deal. He's the one that was complaining. I simply pointed out that while it was no one's business, what he was being told was essentially correct. If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

by definition, passion is any violent or intense emotion that prevents reflection 'prevents reflection' Therefore, if someone is very passionate about something it is not necessary or be logical or use financial common sense in making decisions. Someone who foregoes common sense or other reasons for taking a conservative path is by definition more passionate about something than someone who likes it but decides to think first before taking action on it. Has nothing to do with my opinion of the OP or with my being a 'skygod' or any other ridiculous things people want to imply. It's simply English.... Essentially all I've been saying all along is the OP has a right to do as many jumps as he pleases for whatever reason he wants, but he should have a thcker skin when/if people make statements to/about him because of those decisions, especially when what they said is essentially correct by definition. For those that think I'm taking things too literally, why do you think it is called 'language'. If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

That is true, some end up at the Bandit dz., or working forever for the Great Master Rigger. If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

I guess some people see being passionate as a very binary distinction. Either you are or you are not passionate. No in between. _______________________________________________ Aaah, see, that's not actually true (at least in my case). The OP actually said he 'is passionate as much as', and I pointed out he can't be. I didn't say he's not passionate, just not as passionate. And it really doesn't matter to me either. I will recommend to people to come out as much as they can, but I realize there are reasons why it isn't easy or possible in some cases. All a matter of what you're willing to give up. Seems to me it's nobody else's business how often the OP comes out, but maybe if he's decided this is how much he'll be out then he should grow a thicker skin. It's pretty simple. He's the one complaining he can't come out enuf. So he's not as passionate as the ones that are out all the time, giving up careers, giving up lifestyles, giving up families, sometimes.... Doesn't make him a bad person, and I never said he was. If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

People like you with their ignorant comments is what gets to me. You have no idea what's going on in my life outside of skydiving, and many people I know from there DO know what's going on & understand that, and don't give me crap for it, and don't make ignorant comments like you just did. __________________________________________________ All I did was state a fact. You claim you're as passionate as anyone about jumping, but you're not willing to make sacrifices to jump more. Ergo, you're not as passionate as many people about it. I'm not giving you crap about it. I never said you had to jump more. Just that if you were as passionate as the people making more jumps, you would be making more jumps. When I was getting into skydiving, money went in order to JUMPS, BEER, RENT, maybe food if there was anything left over. It wasn't glamorous. I'm not saying you should do it. But the fact you're not disproves your claim.... If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

I'm passionate about skydiving as much as they are...but I just can't dedicate as much time to my passion as I want to, at least at this point in time. ________________________________________________ Obviously, you're not, or you'd be living in a trailer at the dz eating ramen noodles. The fact is, if you really were, you'd find a way to be getting in jumps instead of not going out to the dz. It doesn't take a lot of jumps to get a coach or instructor rating to actually start paying for your jumping -- none to start packing. i've seen many packers who make more money than the instructors at the dz. So it can be done. And maybe some of the instructors aren't out all that much to the dz, and really don't know what stage you;re at in your jumping. So they could be genuinely surprised to hear you've got the licence now -- who knows. If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

Cool pics, Wendy. If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

I don't know about the 60's, but saw one on Married with Children when Santa hit the Bundy's house.... If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

I think I did 7 back in 79. Of course, did a bunch more for fun after I became an instructor.... In fact, did one a year or two ago on an old cobra round in a pioneer sport pack. That method is still used by a couple of dz;s up here in the great white north.... With square parachutes, of course. If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

You really haven't been around much, have you. Funny. I was going to say the same thing about you.... If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

You've totally misunderstood my post. I have no problem with radios. I had one on my student jumps in 1979, I gave radio control once I became an instructor in 80-81, I've been chief instructor at a couple of dz's where we've always used radios -- the one place that didn't we used an arrow, so the student was still following instruction from the ground. I've never been to a dz where there was not some form of steering instruction being given to the student during the jump. What I'm sarcastic about is especially people who say they have no problem with being required to use aads by their dz or national association, yet do not think students should have radios because they think the student should be doing things on his/her own.... If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone