riddler

A few comments about knees. First, I've seen more than one person whip out knee pads for the packing floor. Some of the floors are pretty hard, so there's no shame in it. Also, there are packing techniques that involve you getting on your knees very little. For instance, rather than kneeling on the grommets to begin your s-folds, you can stand on them with your toes and crouch. Again, watch other people and they'll give you ideas. Your hands will get mangled - no way around that unless you learn to pack with your feet. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Packing has always been fun for me. Well, not always (Skratch is probably smiling right now) - at the beginning it was frustrating. But once I got to the point that I had the same routine it became fun. I always pack for myself, and I always jump my pack-jobs. Occasionally I'll have a friend at the DZ that's doing some independent packing for jump money, and I'll let them pack for me. Most of them are unable to pack my canopy - the bag and container are too small for the canopy - it's cruel of me, but I smile when professional packers give up on my rig and walk away

I only ask for my slot for a coach jump. I don't do it for the money - in fact, flying with newer students really helps me improve my skydiving, so I enjoy doing it. At the point that I feel I won't learn anything or have fun doing a coach jump, I'll charge $10 or whatever the going rate is. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

This is a good point. I think for a lot of folks it's a race to finish before they run out of money. Sadly, I don't think there's any way to make it cheaper - in fact, a lot of valuable training (canopy control, et al) is left out of AFF to keep the program small and inexpensive. It still costs a lot for most people. Personally, I took 10 jumps to complete AFF, including a tandem. Edit - and that was after spending 30 minutes in a wind tunnel between levels 3 and 4. I know people that did 19 jumps. I know one student that did 26 tandems before her first static line jump. Completing AFF has more to do with your commitment and determination than it does your ability. Most students hit a "hump" at some point in AFF. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

My DZ has a LOT of students - in the summer we fill up FJC with the maximum every weekend and we could easily get more. Of the four folks that actively teach FJC, the other three have instructor ratings (two AFF, one tandem). I am not allowed to teach the method-specific sections of FJC, but the rest of it can be taught by a coach. But I hope to get an instructor rating next year

Yeah, me!

By this, I mean does media/movie/magazine coverage of skydiving promote it, or does it do more harm than good? I've been thinking about it since this weekend's First Jump Course. One of my seven students was a young girl. I was covering the importance of the chest strap and making sure it is properly connected, and how it's possible to fall out of your rig on opening if it's not properly fastened. The resulting conversation went something like this: Student: What if we do fall out of our rig? Riddler: You cannot survive a fall from 5,000 feet. Student: But can't we dive down and get it? Riddler: No, the rig is above you - you only go down. Student: But I saw this Arnold Schwarzenegger movie where someone threw his parachute out of the plane, and he jumped out and flew down to it. Riddler: Well ... Student: Or should we just try to clip ourselves to someone else? So after class was over, I started to think about it. Obviously, media coverage of skydiving generates interest in it, but it's almost never accurately portrayed, particularly with regard to how safe it is - one of my previous students seemed to think that someone dies every day at every dropzone and he seemed disappointed when I informed him that the statistics aren't that severe. I'm sure I was just as naive when I started and I had a lot of the popular misconceptions. So what do you think? Is Hollywood and media coverage of skydiving beneficial, or is it more harmful? Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

I've noticed that riggers build a lot of their own tools and parts. Now if you know AutoCAD, you can design a part online and eMachineShop will build it for you and send it to you. Prices look pretty competetive, and it might be a good venue for anyone that doesn't have a vertical mill and metal lathe sitting in their garage. Here's the story from AP: http://www.comcast.net/News/TECHNOLOGY//XML/1700_High_Tech/7888370f-a394-44eb-9e52-1b5630bbc006.html It's the Internet Revolution meets the Industrial Revolution: a new program that lets people design 3-D objects like car parts and door knobs in metal or plastic then order them online. Programs for computer-aided design, or CAD, have been around for decades, but eMachineShop.com appears to be the first service that checks whether a design can be made, tells the customer how much it will cost. If the customer wants the item the design goes to a "real world" machine shop for manufacturing. The key to this enterprise is free design software provided by eMachineShop that aims to be simple enough for hobbyists and other non-engineers. Prices won't be competitive with Wal-Mart, but Wal-Mart won't make ten copper door knobs, then sandblast them for you. EmachineShop charges $143 for that. The company was created by Jim Lewis, a programmer and self-professed "tinkerer." One previous credit: "the world's hardest sliding block puzzle." Lewis' software company, Micrologic, designed eMachineShop and contracts with machine shops all over the world to do the manufacturing. Even though the Midland Park, N.J., company, which has 19 employees, doesn't advertise, it has handled more than 1,000 orders for things like door signs, motorcycle seats, robot frames, car engine covers, guitar plates and camera parts. The most expensive item it's sold since it began beta testing last year is a $4,011 aluminum, 26-inch diameter part for a high-powered laboratory magnet. The customers range from large companies that make prototypes to hobbyists including Dennis J. Vegh of Mesa, Ariz., who had the company make metal parts for an airplane he's building after a 1929 design. "I had to have the pieces made because they do not exist anywhere," Vegh said. He found the software quick and easy to use. The quality of the finishing has varied a bit between orders, but has been acceptable, he said. "Being able to sit at you home computer, draw up some parts, submit them and 30 days later they are on your doorstep, all without human contact, is mind-blowing," Vegh says. Lewis, the company founder, estimates that with conventional methods, it takes about 40 hours to design a part, get a quote, straighten out manufacturing problems with the machine shop and put the order in. Taylan Altan, professor at the College of Engineering at Ohio State University, agrees, saying the process can easily drag out to two weeks. "One of the biggest problems we have today in American design and manufacturing is that designers know very little about manufacturing," he says. As a result, designers draw parts that are hard to make and require several rounds of modification before they can be put in production, a problem eMachineShop aims to avoid by building the knowledge of a machinist into the design software. For instance, if you're designing a part made of sheet metal, it won't allow you to include a bend too close to an edge _ the machinist needs enough surface to hold on to when bending. Lewis is also working on Pad2Pad, an application that makes electronics. Manufacturers of printed circuit boards, like PCBExpress.com, are already online but Lewis aims to take the concept one step further by also attaching components like resistors, capacitors and chips to the boards. Pad2Pad is taking orders, but is "a couple of years behind eMachineShop" in its development, Lewis says. One problem is stocking the components customers want. Lewis also wants into branch into what is perhaps the least sexy segment of manufacturing: making cardboard boxes for packaging. "My dream is essentially to become the Amazon in the manufacturing segment," Lewis says. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

How about "toast of the day?" I'm sure it's probably been posted here before, but here goes: Voted the best toast of the day at the pub. John O'Reilly hoisted his beer and said: "Here's to spending the rest of me life, between the legs of me wife!" That won him the top prize for the best toast of the day! He went home and told his wife, Mary, "I won the prize for the best toast of the day." She said, "Aye, what was your toast?" John said, "Here's to spending the rest of me life, sitting in Church beside me wife." "Oh that is very nice indeed, John!" Mary said. The next day, Mary ran into one of John's toasting buddies on the street corner. The man chuckled leeringly and said, "John won the prize yesterday, with a toast about you, Mary." She said, "Aye and I was a bit surprised me self!, you know, he's only been there twice! Once he fell asleep, and the other time I had to pull him by the ears to make him come." Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

I totally agree. Mar rocks! She has put together some very memorable jumps that I've been on. And I've been lucky to do a two-way or two with her as well. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

When more experienced skydivers jump with less experienced skydivers, my observation is that it's far more common for the more experienced skydivers to yell and scream at the less experienced ones than it is for the more experienced skydivers to apologize and admit they are wrong. It's already been said, but it sounds like you had too many inexperienced people in that group, which is why things went bad in the first place. You are right about the freefall - low person has the right-of-way. If someone is above you in freefall, it's their responsibility to get out of your way. But you also need to look up (or barrel roll) before opening to make sure you have clear airspace. Just because you have the right away, it's won't make you feel better while you're laying in a hospital bed. On the canopy part - don't waste time kicking and yelling because you think someone is in your way. I've had people do that to me before, and it's STUPID. Just get yourself out of the way. You may have every right to that space, but it won't matter if you are both dead. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Heh - this reminds me of a skydive I did one time in California City. Three-way. One of the guys hit something or someone on exit or in freefall, and cut his face, just below the goggles. The cut happened to be right under the vent hole for the goggles, and blood went spurting up into the inside of his goggles. After we made a round, I looked to my right and saw this guy's goggles full of blood. He broke off and tried to clear them before he pulled. Maybe a better phrase would be never give up as long as you can still move. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

I have a cousin that's been working for TSA for about a year now. He says that morale there is low, but what else would we expect? He does say that there's a chance that the TSA won't get a renewal at the end of the year. I think if that were to happen, it means that airports will begin taking over their own security details, as long as they abide by federal guidelines. It would be interesting to see how airports change screening processes without having TSA there. Also, the rumor is that penalties for attempting to carry on prohibited items will increase soon. It's "expected" that people know they cannot carry on scissors, large knives, etc. The first penalty is rumored to be an automatic $250 fine and getting put on a list. The fines go up from there, with possible jail time for repeat offenders. All of the above are completely unsubstantiated rumors. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

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If you have really good insurance. Most will only cover things that are permanently attached to your vehicle. Everything else is homeowner's or renter's insurance, which probably has a deductible so high that it'll be hard to file a claim. Insurance is a waste, except for big-ticket claims. It's also gonna be hard to prove the value of those tools, since they are uncommon and probably many are home-made. I feel for ya - I've been slowly acquiring rigging tools for a year, and I don't even have 1/3rd what I need to pack a reserve. No tools are irreplaceable, but rigger's tools are pretty close. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

If you're gonna take pot-shots at people, it's only fair to let us know who you are Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

I don't think it means necessarily that it's a wizard prince, just a prince. Hermione is probably out because she would be a princess. But you are right - we can only guess for now. I think it is probably someone we know, because JKR has stated that she almost used the same title for the second book, Chamber of Secrets. So it probably is someone that is at least in the second book. Personally, I think it's Hagrid. We already know that he's half-giant, so he could be half-blood royalty of either the human or giant race. The second book is a clue, and it has a strong tie-in with Hagrid because COS revealed how Tom Riddle got Hagrid expelled from Hogwarts. Neville was my original guess, but he didn't play a strong role in the second book, and his only defining moment so far has been when he tried to stop Harry, Hermione and Ron form going out in the first book, which earned enough points to win the house cup for Gryffindor. IIRC, it has been revealed that his parents were killed by Voldemort for not siding with the Death-Eaters, so I think he'll play an important part in the end. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

... would be my second guess, but I think there is someone else that might fit the title better. Neville was definitely the first person I thought of, though. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Not sure if it's been posted but last week, JKR released the title of the new Harry Potter book - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. No word on when it's going to be released. She has said that the HBP is not Harry or Voldemort. Anyone want to guess? I have my guess, but I'm interested in other people's theories.

I would pay for a lifetime membership myself if it included the instructional rating fee. But I wouldn't turn down my parents buying me one either! Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

For me the best way to deal with stress is to have a plan. That doesn't work for everyone, but it may work for you. If you are worried, think about what you would do in many different emergency situations. For most major malfunctions, the standard emergency procedures will correct the problem. That's why I spend a lot of time practicing the EPs. The ones that scare me are the ones that I don't anticipate. I don't always think very quickly in new situations, and I don't want to have to become creative in a sport where seconds make a difference. I prefer to think of as many possibilities as I can beforehand, and have a plan for the different eventualities, then practice them in my mind or even with my body (pantomime?). Most malfunction situations are covered with standard emergency procedures. But what would I do if I could only cutaway one riser? What would I do if my steering toggle got stuck in a full turn? What would I do if I landed on a rooftop? What would I do if I hit the plane on exit and broke one arm? These aren't everyday situations, and they require a different set of procedures. You can't think of every possibility, but by studying and learning from other's mistakes, you can have a plan for the most likely possibilities. Keep reading dropzone.com. There is a lot of good information here. Listen to the stories of the other jumpers around the bonfire - the things that happened to them may also happen to you someday. Or even better, you might realize that with a procedural change or equipment change, you can prevent it form happening to you in the first place. Practice your procedures - the standard EPs as well as the unusual ones. Good plans and good equipment and good procedures will reduce the chances of getting hurt. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

I think it's the operating costs that are cheaper for the PAC than the Otter. One engine instead of two means cheaper startup and fuel costs. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

I really think for your average AFF student, it's better to wait until after AFF to learn to pack. Why waste the time, considering half of the students never finish AFF? OTOH, if you are a packer and just waiting until you're 18 to jump, you will probably have hundreds of pack jobs before your first jump, so why not? Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

If they're really nervous, I like to watch them pack my rig, then I will jump it. Usually by the next pack job, they're ready to jump it themselves. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

If you see a Lionfish, be sure to point it out to everyone. Lionfish are not native to the Atlantic or Carribean, but after Hurricane Andrew destroyed a Florida aquarium and released six Lionfish in 1992, there are now estimated about 1,000 of them from southern Florida to North Carolina. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD