miked10270

Hi Dutchboy, Yeah, 4 'planes on flightplans were hijacked and deviated from their flightplans with terrible consequences... My point was that since this happened there WILL be changes in an effort to prevent any repeat of this happening. I suppose that it could be called "Closing the stable door after the horse has bolted" - the point is that when an atrocity happens then "The People" want to see "The Government" doing something. As an example (or several) look at the present UK gun laws: One sick person using a magazine fed rifle (Hungerford) and ALL such weapons banned. One sick person using a handgun and ALL such weapons are banned. This was despite (almost) all of these weapons being held by law-abiding citizens who had been "positively vetted". Of course, gun ownership in the UK was practised by a small minority. Mike D10270.

Hi there, Don't get your hopes up too far just yet - I suspect that it'll be some time before GA gets moving again. Until now the FAA has allowed a "free skies" policy in which aircraft in the US can largely fly anywhere they want! For example, a friend of mine recently ferried a 'plane to Florida from further up the East coast. His "flight plan" consisted of "No particular course, speed or heading... I intend just kind of following the coastline down". This was accepable to a succession of ATCs. In the future expect this policy to vanish. It now seems completely unaccepable for ANY aircraft to fly without (or outwith) an acceptable flight plan. As such, commercial, scheduled aviation is getting to start to fly again (but heaven help the pilot who deviates from his flight plan - I suspect that depending on the deviation, he could face being shot down!). Of course, these atrocities will have a fundamental effect on attitudes to skyjackings in that future attempts are VERY unlikely to succeed. Henceforth, the median airline passenger will probably be willing to fight a skyjacking "to the death" on the basis that his self-percieved chances of survival are nil. If you were on a 'plane which was being skyjacked how far would you go to thwart the skyjacking? As such, any repeat of these atrocities is more likely to involve the use of GA aircraft. So, which type of GA aircraft commonly allow a significant number of relative strangers to board - and recommends that they carry knives!!? I suspect that parachute centres are going to have to register, and they're going to have to notify takeoff times and be restricted in where they can fly on the climb to altitude. It is conceivable that some centres may be forced to close. Expect our sport to get more expensive as the costs inherent in increased regulation is passed on. Mike D10270.

Hi there, Yeah... Bill's got it on one... Despite the fact that the "suicide Squad" which perpetrated these atrocities seemed to be singularly lacking in parachutes it's gonna be "checked baggage" from now on. Best advice would be to seek out a suitable hard case to take your rigs. Mike D10270.

Hi Speedy, As I said, I think the perpetrators of these acts are fundamentally wrong and insane... But regardless of this, have they achieved their objective...? YES!!! Have they done it effectively...? YES!!! In short, They have done what they set out to do VERY effectively? (OK - just as the Germans did in 1934 - 1945, perhaps even more so). Within this constraint they have carried out a VERY efficient operation and their planning & execution is (like it or not) admirable for it's effectiveness and efficiency. As to the "appropriate" response: It has been a cornerstone of American police for decades that "Mass destruction WILL be met with mass destruction"!! Remember the days of the cold war and "Mutually Assured Destruction" (appropriately "MAD")? I am personally (presently) thinking that the biblical phrase "An eye for an eye" (OK - it's not strictly biblical) is going to be popular ("Vox populei - vox Dei"), and a public and spectacular response will be demanded. For years, America has sought to bring Osman Bin Laden to (American) justice without success. Rewards amounting to a "Kings Ransom" have been offered without success. Will the current Federal Administration decide to "use the stick" now as well as the "carrot" previously offered? Would the destruction of (hypothetically) Kabul be seen as a way of both satiating the understandable american demand for retribution AND a way of pressurising the delivery of Bin Laden to Western justice? It is a fudamental belief of Fundamentalists that their adversaries are evil and lack moral courage. As I said, in the case of Islamic Fundamentalists they absolutely believe that America WILL NOT strike back against them (& lets face it, you cannot strike back at the actual perpetrators... They were at the front of the 'planes and are already dead) so they can strike at America with impunity. In short, what WE view as a "surgical strike" is viewed by them as a weakness. Mike D10270.

Hi Y'all, Yeah, I know it's been a while.... I suppose that like everyone I've thought of little else in the last 24 hours other that the terrorist attacks in the US. I read the posts here & I suppose I just want to share thoughts. Firstly, in common with all the other sane people, I am appalled at what happened and my deepest condolences go out to ALL the victims of this atrocity - the dead, the wounded, their familiies and dependents, and also to the survivors and their families. A LOT of people are going to need help in the coming weeks, months and years. If you can, then be there. One practical way to help RIGHT NOW would be to stop skydiving for 6 weeks AND DONATE BLOOD. Remember that skydiving and blood donorship are incompatible so while skydivers usually avoid blood donorship like the plague, this is an exceptional situation and I personally feel that the sacrifice is warranted. Just a thought. Secondly (and I suppose that this is where it starts to get contentious) I must admit to a reluctant admiration for the state or organisation which perpetrated this act of atrocity. The purpose of Terrorism is to terrorise and in this they have been successful. Can anyone deny that "The Great Satan" is in a state of terror? While I have absolutely no doubt of their fundamental insanity their methodology and professionalism in the execution of these acts cannot be faulted. In a single day The United States has been shaken to it's very core. The commerce, military and transport which is at the very foundation of the American way of life and beliefs has been successfully and spectacularly attacked. Incidentally, I assume that the failed attack (the 'plane which crashed in Pennsylvania) was aimed at The World Trade Centre in Chicago or THe Mall of America At The Twin Cities? Perhaps (posthumous) thanks should be given to the passengers & crew of that aircraft of whom it can be assumed have seized the situation and prevented this tragedy being one of even greater magnitude. Islamic Fundamentalists genuinely believe that while "The Great Satan", and the "First World" in general is technologically advanced, her people are Idolatrous and cowardly at heart. In short, they do not understand us (as we do not fully understand them. Retribution for this act will, I'm sure be terrible, it remains to be seen whether it will include reciprocity - They have caused "mass destruction" and perhaps the response should be proportionate (by this I mean that you should all sell your shares in glass manufacture 'cos Afghanistan / Syria / Iraq / Iran is going to be turned into glass!!). In the wake of the "Lockerbie Bombing" a strategic strike was ordered against Libya! Finally, I did see MacAulay getting some Flak for his post. On a purely personal note, when I started at work today I did make a similar comment - something to the effect that had I been either on one of the aircraft or in the building then both me (and my rigs) would have been OK 'cos I can do both BASE and skydive. The only difference was that this was said to a smaller group! a black sense of humor DOES EXIST (!!) and to be honest, it's only a matter of time before the "tasteless" jokes start to appear. For example... "What's the difference between a Mercedes and a Nissan?" (Answer: you wouldn't see a princess DEAD in a Nissan). I bet Prince William and Prince Harry really laughed at that one. Be tolerant of people like MacAulay who are only guilty of a poor sense of timing and circumstance - save your rage for the perpetrators of this act. Mike D10270. PS: Something of a poll... When the state or organisation is identified, should the US use "Weapons of Mass Destruction" against Texas.... Whoops, sorry, I meant the state that is responsible. Let's face it, what's the point in Nuking Texas?

Hi Streak, Fear kept under control is healthy... Skydivers should not worry about their fear... Skydivers Bank Managers should be VERY worried and fearful... Mike D10270.

HI there, This is ONE opinion, from ONE school of thought... MINE!!! My argument is that while there have been major technological advances in main canopy development in the last 16 years (like 9-cells, ZP, elliptical, cross bracing, airlocks) which have resulted in more efficient canopies which can be safely flown at higher speeds and higher wing loadings, reserves have effectively been stuck in a time warp. They are almost invariably 7-cell F-111 canopies (effectively from the "Fury/Pegasus" era - the early 1980's). SPeaking as someone who blew an ankle apart trying to land a 220 Fury like a Sabre... THESE (reserve) CANOPIES DO NOT FLY LIKE MODERN MAINS!!! 7-cell F-111 mains were not produced in sizes significantly less than 200sq.ft and were not intended for wing loadings significantly greater than 1.0lbs/ft2. My argument is thus: If you are under your reserve then something has already gone to shit. you are probably already upset at the implied costs of you being under your reserve ($60 - $2,000) and are probably 90 seconds or less from landing. This is not the time to try to learn to fly and land an unfamiliar highly loaded canopy with significantly different construction and (hence) flying characteristics from the one you are used to! At this tme you want a nice, safe, tractor of a canopy. So... exit weight (lbs) equals minimum reserve canopy size (ft2). This assumes you are fully conscious... If not, then would you land a heavily loaded canopy downwind at quarter brakes with your eyes shut and expect to survive, 'cos that's where you're going if you're unconscious under a Cypres fire!! Mike D10270.

Hi Merrick, The AR-11 was manufactured by Aerodyne Research a few years ago. As the name suggests, it was an 11-cell, with a constant aspect ratio (not elliptical). The idea behind this was that if 7-cell was better than 5-cell, 9-cell was better than7-cell, then the next step in canopy design would be 11-cell. It was ZP & while pack volume (& price) was up a bit there was nothing "radical" about either it's construction or performance. Once open, it performed like a slightly souped up Sabre - glide angle was better & turns were sharper. Toggle input was a bit lighter. I say "Once Open" because, as Aerodyne later said... "This canopy displayed "Quirky" opening characteristics(!?)" I took this to be Diplo-speak for "prone to mals"! Then again, I wonder how it would respond to a Psycho or Wolmari pack. Perhaps it was a case of the canopy being in advance of the packing methods available (like the Sabre not taking kindly to side packing which was common at the time of it's introduction). Anyway, Aerodyne ceased production when it introduced the Triathlon. Perhaps this was a shame... perhaps in these days of canopies becoming increasingly specialised for certain uses the 11-cell (or 13, 15, 17-cell) may be THE answer for RW canopies where nimble handling and good glide angle are the important factors. Mike D10270.

Hi Philly (Why have you chosen a username referring to a popular -in the (Y)UK- brand of over-processed soft cheese?), Yeah... I pasted the link over from Modern Humorist - what a bunch of witty $hits they are!! I suppose I'll just have to paste the article itself, so here goes: "Admit it: You want to survive an airline disaster. You aren't looking for a disaster to happen, but if it does, you see yourself coming through it. The good news is that you're not out of touch with reality—you can do it. Sure, you'll take a few hits, and you can count on some sweaty flashbacks later, but you'll make it. You'll sit up in your hospital bed and meet the press. If you are considerate, you will keep God out of your public comments, knowing that it's unfair to sing His praises when many of your fellow passengers lack the means to offer an alternative view. Let's say your jet blows apart at 35,000 feet. You exit the aircraft and begin to descend independently. Now what? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Two Obstacles: Height and Acceleration First of all, you're starting off a full mile higher than Everest, so after a few gulps of disappointing air you're going to black out. This is not a bad thing. View it as a brief respite from the ambient fear and chaos. At about 15,000 feet, you’ll come to and begin the final phase of your descent, which will last about a minute. This is a time of planning and preparation. Look around you. What equipment is available? Look carefully. Perhaps a shipment of folded parachutes was in the cargo hold, and the blast opened the box and scattered them. One of these just might be within reach. If so, grab it, put it on, and hit the silk. You're sitting pretty. Other items can be helpful as well. Think of the maple seed as it gently wafts to earth. Can you find a proportionate personal vehicle—some large, flat, aerodynamically suitable piece of wreckage? Yes? Mount it and ride. Remember: Molecules are your friends. You want molecules of solid matter hitting atmospheric molecules in order to reduce your rate of acceleration: thirty-two feet per second per second. Just how fast are you going? Imagine standing atop a train going 120 mph, and the train goes through a tunnel but you do not. You hit the wall above the opening at 120 mph. That's how fast you will be going at the end of your fall. Make no mistake: You will be "motoring." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Every Cloud You Plummet Through Has a Silver Lining Much will depend on your attitude. Don't let negative thinking ruin your descent. If you find yourself dwelling morbidly on your discouraging starting point of seven miles up, think of this: Twenty feet is the cutoff for fatality in a fall. That is, most who fall from twenty feet or higher die. Twenty feet! It's nothing! Pity the poor sod who falls from such a "height." What kind of planning time does he have? Think of the pluses in your situation. For example, although you fall faster and faster for the first fifteen seconds or so, you soon reach "terminal velocity"—the point at which atmospheric drag resists gravity's acceleration in a perfect standoff. Not only do you stop speeding up, but because the air is thickening as you fall, you actually begin to slow down. With every foot that you drop, you are going slower and slower. There's more: When parachutists focus on a landing zone, sometimes they become so fascinated with it that they forget to pull the ripcord. Since you probably have no ripcord, "target fixation" poses no danger. Count your blessings. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Trees: Not All Are Alike Once you have mastered your fears, you will think: trees. It's a reasonable thought. After all, doesn't the soothing "Rock-a-Bye, Baby" tell a tale of survival? You will want a tall tree with an excurrent growth pattern—a single, undivided trunk with lateral branches, delicate on top and thicker as you cascade downward. A conifer is best. The redwood is attractive for the way it rises to shorten your fall, but alas; the redwood's lowest branches grow dangerously high from the ground. Having gone 35,000 feet, you don't want the last 50 feet to ruin everything. The perfectly tiered Norfolk Island pine is a natural safety net, so if you're near New Zealand, you're in luck. When crunch time comes, elongate your body and hit the tree limbs at a perfectly flat angle as close to the trunk as possible. Think! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Snow: Nature’s Icy Pillow Snow is good—soft, deep, drifted snow. Snow is lovely. Aim for snow. Remember that you are the pilot and your body is the aircraft. By tilting forward and putting your hands at your side, you can modify your pitch and make progress not just vertically but horizontally as well. As you go down 15,000 feet, you can also go sideways two-thirds of that distance—that's two miles! Choose your landing zone. You be the boss. If your search discloses no trees or snow, the parachutist's "five-point landing" is useful to remember even in the absence of a parachute. Meet the ground with your feet together, and fall sideways in such a way that five parts of your body successively absorb the shock, equally and in this order: feet, calf, thigh, buttock, and shoulder. 120 divided by five equals 24. Not bad! Twenty-four miles per hour is only a bit faster than the speed at which experienced parachutists land. There will be some bruising and breakage but no loss of consciousness to delay your press conference. Just be sure to apportion the 120-mph blow in equal fifths. Concentrate! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Heroes Who Fell to Grace Think of others who have gone before you. Think of Vesna Vulovic, a flight attendant who in 1972 fell 33,000 feet in the tail of an exploded DC-9 jetliner. She landed in snow and lived. Vesna knew about molecules. Think of Joe Hermann of the Royal Australian Air Force, blown out of his bomber in 1944 without a parachute. He found himself falling through the night sky amid airplane debris and wildly grabbed a piece of it. It turned out to be not debris at all, but rather a fellow flyer in the process of pulling his ripcord. Joe hung on and, as a courtesy, hit the ground first, breaking the fall of his savior and a mere two ribs of his own. Joe was not a quitter. Don't you be. Think of Nick Alkemade, an RAF tailgunner who jumped from his flaming turret without a parachute and fell 18,000 feet. When he came to on the ground and saw stars overhead, he lit a cigarette. He would later describe the fall as "a pleasant experience." Nick's trick: fir trees, underbrush, and snow. But in one important regard, Nick is a disappointment. He gave up. As he hurtled to German soil, he concluded he was going to die and felt "a strange peace." This is exactly the wrong kind of thinking. You cannot plan aggressively while experiencing "a strange peace." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To conclude, you must resolve to survive the second your jet explodes. Here are some encouraging words you can repeat on your way down. "Keep a-goin'." —Frank L. Stanton "Failure is not an option." —Ed Harris, as the guy in "Apollo 13" who says, "Failure is not an option" "Hope is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul And sings the tune without the words And never stops—at all." —Emily Dickinson" Mike D10270.

Hi there, Student rigs shouldn't be uncomfortable... Relatively heavy, perhaps, but not uncomfortable. The secret is in the adjustment of them, which is generally far greater than experienced (custom) harnesses. A commonly forgotten aspect of student harness fit is the main lift web length adjustment. Let's face it, unless it's been properly adjusted for a 4'10" student and then put on (attempted?) by a 6'6" student, the lift web length is taken "as is". The point where the lift web ends & the "leg strap loop" begins should be just under the Iliac Crest (sticky out bit of bone 3 - 4" under the ribs at the side). This should set the front of the leg strap about 40 - 45 degrees to the horizontal with the "comfort pad" (strangely absent from my old Racer - but not missed) around the crotch. The other point (which has already been raised) is leg-strap tightness. Nice and tight (and guys... "3-Piece suite in the middle of the room). Chest strap loose enough to allow a comfortabe arch. The important thing about the leg straps being tight is the harness doesn't slow down (on deployment) before you do. compare a hard push to a hard punch... which one hurts? In conclusion, adjust the harness to fit, and get the legstraps tight... That way, all you'll have to complain about is the weight of the student kit. Mike D10270.

Oh yeah... Second thing... P-Tiger. If you're worries about surviving "the worst, then check out http://www.modernhumorist.com/mh/103/freefall/ Mike D10270.

Hi there, 2 things strike me in this post... Firstly, Wave off Vs alti wave... PERSONALLY(!!) I am in favour of teaching "wave-off" ONLY as a direct precursor to deployment (as a warning). While I appreciate that in most AFF programmes this would be done at 5,500' it is surely not meant to convey "Hey guys (&gals)... Guess what... We're at 5,500' AGL"... It's meant to convey to those who may be close & above "I'M GOING TO DEPLOY" (so get out of the way!!!!!). As the skydiver progresses, qualifys & lowers his deployment height then 5,500' tends to lose significance (except to me... that's usually when I complete the first point of 4-way). In effect, my position is that I expect an air signal to signify something significant (like "break-off" or "deploying NOW") and not as an indicator of a non-significant altitude which I would hope I was aware of anyway. Mike D10270.

Hi Mac, Welcome to the world of the "Sabre-SLAM!!!!!" Common opinion is that the bigger the Sabre, the worse it behaves, and lets face it, the Sabre was never actually designed to be a ZP canopy (it's actually the "PD 9-cell" but made out of ZP instead of F-111 so the design is a good 15-20 years old) but that said, it works and works well. Anyway... can I suggest you "Wolmari-pack" it. http://www.parasale.com/wolmari/wpages/wolmarpack.html Quarter the slider & pull it forward to shield the nose. Don't roll the nose(!), ROLL THE TAIL LOTS! Hope this helps, it works well on my Sabre. Mike D10270.

Nope... Not the Phoenix Az airport security guard who had problems siphoning fuel from a 'plane at night & used his Zippo as a handy torch. Not even the Bosnian student demonstrating his juggling skills and not noticing that the pin had fallen out of the hand grenade he was using... Actually this raises an interesting discussion topic - "Is there a shortage of balls in Bosnia?". "Close but not quite" the NZ teenagers who "get a buzz by inhaling....... Wait for it...... Insect Spray !!!! Nope... It has to be the NZ Government who is responding to the "Insecticide Sniffing" craze by printing warnings in the bug spray cans! Let's face it, anyone dim enough to willingly inhale insecticide is kind of unlikely to be able to understand the warning printed on the side of the can. Knowing New-Zealanders as we do it's enough to make "dating" sheep socially acceptable - at least it gets the kids out in the fresh air! Mike D10270. PS, Scots don't "date" sheep. Historically they STOLE sheep from the English (which is why the English never "dated" sheep - they had none left . That's why Scots wear the Kilt (& no underwear)... Imagine the psychological effect in battle of a 220lB Transvestite hurtling towards you, his kilt flying seductively up from his thighs, shouting a Gaelic battle cry that sounds suspiciously like "Come and get it, big boy..." and all you have to defend yourself with is a Pike (which is basically a poxy penknife on a stick!

Hi there, Nice try on the sponsored research, but I'm afraid it's alresdy been done (!) By glider pilots. The information IS out there (somewhere... can't remember where) but it's a factor of increased sink rate & consequent penetration against wind speed & direction. Glider Pilots have actually had it reduced to mathematical equations and graphs! This conclusively proves that they need to get out more! Anyway, short version (for us) is if you're travelling forward, or with the wind, reduce sink rate (back riser). Moving into wind increase penetration (front riser). When you land out, remember to smile sweetly at the farmer and he MIGHT give you a lift back to the DZ! Mike D10270.

Hi there, "We prefer those pretty Texas Girls with that sweet Texas Twang" Yeah... Right... and let's not forget their liquid brown eyes and gently swishing tail? I assume that the "Sweet Texas Twang" is the sound made by the barbed wire breaking as they escape from their field! No, fair's fair, I have seen some spectacular sights in Texas... The early morning sun glinting through the pink & green clouds over the chemical works... & let's not forget that old Texas weather saying - "Red Sky at night... The refinery's alight". Finally, a quote from General Sherman (by the way, he didn't invent shirts) - "If I owned Texas and Hell, I'd rent out Texas and live in Hell". Mike D10270. PS. This post seems to have too many long words for the average texan but if someone from Alabama could perhaps translate for them...

Hi Jessica, "Nice thought, but Texans don't forget". Interesting concept... Does this mean that Texans actually know things and so don't forget them? Or do you subscribe to the commonly held opinion about Texans? Anyway, I have the advantage in that I know where all you Texans live... Errr.... Texas!!!? All we've gotta do now is get some extra hard corks for our popguns! Oh... And some extra long bits of string... Or maybe even some elastic so we gan reload faster! Oh BTW, just a short note for those of you who are neither Scots or Texans, the antipathy between Texans, the inhabitants of Texas (that bit of Mexico even the Mexicans didn't want) and the Heroic, Intelligent wonderful and MODEST Scots basically stems from the habits of Scotland (the country) and Texas (NOT a country). The Scots national dress is the Kilt, a sort of woolen skirt, and Texans tend to shoot on sight anything even resembling a transvestite!!! As such, one can easily see how poor lighting, combined with those eyesight defects common in Texans (or any grossly inbred community) can cause misunderstandings with serious consequences. Mike D10270.

Hello again (at last!!!) What can I say... F***ing computer viruses (virusi, virii ??). It seems I lost about a month of my life between anto-virus programs, formatting... & ultimately F Discing this bloody box! Needless to say, my initial anti-virus method, which consisted of waiting for a moonless night & sacrificing a cloven hooved animal didn't work... It would have done, except the sacrifice sort of went unnoticed among all the foot & mouth barbecues! Anyway, I'm back - and can I just say how delighted, even humbled I am to find I've been missed (& that's with my serious head on). Thanks everyone. Right, enough of that, time for some more "clinical sanity" (BTW... still to sort out my favourite emoticons). As all of you may gather, rumours of my lack of madness ARE exaggerated. I'm still fine, as is Iona, and the Dog continues to sleep soundly. I was thinking of another visit to the US, but what with the state of the £ to the $US, plus of course the fact that I had considered invading Texas armed with Full Metal Jacket... Well, actually a popgun loaded with "full stringed cork" (hey, this is the (Y)UK... You gotta go with what's still legal over here), I thought it might be safer to wait until more texans have forgotten about me... Shouldn't take long.... Anyway, bye for now, gotta get the rest of my (cyber) life back together. Mike D10270.

Hi there, Reversed as in the rings sitting behind the riser (against the harness). In the early days of Type 17 (skinny) risers, there was some concern expressed about loss of riser strength with the grommet hole for the loop. The answer offered was skinny risers without the grommet through the riser & hence the reversed rings. This unfortunately resulted in a loss of mechanical advantage over & above the loss incurred with mini rings! In addition, several manufacturers grounded their reversed risers in the last 2 years (for various reasons). Kiril, Can I suggest that you identify the manufacturer of your risers & check with them if they still consider these airworthy!! Better safe than sorry. Mike D10270.

Husband: "Our sex life is boring!" Wife: "how?" H: "we always do it Missionary style!" W: "So what do you want to do?" H: "I want to do it Doggy Style!" W: "What's Doggy style?" H: "You know... you've seen dogs do it!" W: "OK... Now I get it, but just one condition...!" H: "What's that?" W: "You've got to pick a street where nobody knows us!"

Heh heh heh... History lesson time again

Hi Skymedic, I may be "Teaching my granny how to suck eggs" here, but I suspect that you don't jump frequently in nil winds. This can often be the worst conditions to jump in because you have nothing to work against on your approach to landing! Perhaps the most important lesson learned from this is to consider not just your landing area, but also your outs - in effect your "Plan B". Plan your approach & landing early (like when you're walking out to the 'plane(!!)): "Where do I want to land?" "What is the wind direction & strength?" "How fast will I cover ground on approach to landing?" "If I want to land exactly there, what do I want to be over at 200', 300', 500'?" "What are my overshoot/undershoot/out areas?(for if & when I misjudge it)". Personally, I've looked at a DZ, looked at the load emplaning, looked at the wind (or lack thereof), THEN deliberately landed out in a "student area" & took the long walk back 'cos it seemed the safe option at the time. Hope this helps, Mike D10270.

Hi there, Speaking as a Skygod.... (Hey Sangiro, there's no emoticon for "Bollocks") Seriously, I've only ever heard the term used in the UK in a derogatory fashion, but I suppose it all depends on the circumstances and the tone of voice used when calling someone a Skygod. I'm not too sure about the US, but in the UK there seem to be several tones of voice you can use to make it clear that while you're saying one thing you mean the exact opposite. Mike D10270.

Hi there... Right, I'm back... & I gotta share this (although I'm not sure that Landover Baptist Church aren't confusing Scotland with certain antipodean countries...)! "The Lord Reaches Into His Bag Of Tricks And Pulls Out An Old Standby – Pestilence – To Save Christian Marriages Throughout Scotland. (Edinburgh) After tearful good-byes to sheep incinerated as a result of the recent foot-and-mouth epidemic, farmers throughout the Scottish Highlands began sodomizing their once-neglected wives again. Women who had all but given up on ever feeling the connubial touch of their spouses responded with relief after decades of neglect. As an elated Gladys McHaggis of Inverness told the missionaries from America's wealthiest church, Landover Baptist, "I said to my Ewan, 'It's either me or ewe.' But all the ultimatums in the world wouldn't get him to drop his kilt and come down from that bloody paddock. That cheap little tart – strutting about the pasture like a sheep half her age. Talk about mutton dressed as lamb! Truly, it was the Lord who took pity on my broken heart and killed that little four-legged harlot. But, in truth, He was just a week ahead of me. It's not so easy getting your hands on a gun in these parts. Not like Republicans in your America. When we enjoy a round of shots, we mean whiskey." Landover Baptist missionaries immediately responded to the Lord's widespread smiting of cattle throughout the United Kingdom with relief. As Mrs. McNamara told the BBC: "When the Lord gets it into His head to do a lot of killing, I always get a little nervous to see how it all pans out. I was very relieved to watch how He chose to handle this shocking bestiality epidemic in Scotland. After all, He only killed those cheap little seductresses who wouldn't have led anyone astray if they had been made car-seat covers a long time ago. As all Christians know, the Almighty usually leaves the animal sacrifices to us, as He likes to be the one to kill people. There are thousands of randy farmers in Scotland who should be very relieved that the lamb died for their sins." After giving husbands a few days to reacclimatize themselves to pummeling moist openings on a real mattress for a change, the Baptist missionaries set about warning the couples not to get too carried away. "We told them not to push their luck," said Mr. McNamara. "Even if a ewe is an unrepentant slut, you can still get a nice cable-knit sweater out of her. But with a debauched women, you're left with nothing but the memory of someone God is rightly torturing in Hell." Mrs. McLoudplaid, living near Ben Nevis, was less sanguine than many wives about the Lord's repatriation of her husband. "While I am happy to have my love back for supper," she confessed, "the years of separation have taken a toll on his chivalry and gift giving. It's not like it was when we first married. As a Christian, I'm not one to complain, but I much preferred getting Belgium chocolate to this business of his popping corn-meal in my mouth after we make love." Another wife complained, "I know all the men in town are going through a difficult adjustment, but it is annoying for my husband to hold on to my hair for dear life while he is riding me like a bronco around the living room. Wigs are very dear and I have gone through three in the last two weeks." Thousands of wives also remarked that it makes them feel uncomfortable when their husbands ask them to put on wool slacks and sweaters as a precondition to intercourse. Mike D10270.

Hi Phrog, If you don't have your "A" License, then take along your logbook & any video you have. "Expect" to do a L7 dive (the half series qualifying dive) with a Left 360, Right 360, backloop, track & track turn. Also possibly a "clear & pull". these should be sufficient to prove to the S&TA that you do have the basic survival skills to work towards your "A". Mike D10270.