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A note to all . . . please keep any discussion of pricing, availability, or how to purchase this product confined to PMs. That will keep this post within the parameters of the Forum Rules regarding advertising. Direct interaction with manufacturers is obviously of great value in the Forums, as long as it is information not solicitation. Thanks!

Skydiving is not safe; there is a great deal of inherent risk. What makes skydiving different from other risky activities is the amount of effort taken to mitigate the risk. Through advances in equipment technology, modern training methods, and focusing on safety at all levels (beginning with each individual), the risk becomes acceptable to a large percentage of people. The key is this: people have to see that there is some sort of life benefit on the other side of the assumed risk of making a skydive, and want it bad enough to bust out of their comfort zone to experience it. Being a facilitator for first timers to have that experience is one of the reasons I enjoy tandems and AFF so much. Comparisons with driving are common, although I prefer to make comparisons with flying. They are regulated by the same agency (in this country, the FAA), and it is easy to relate FAA Certificated Riggers as being "Parachute Mechanics." My advice is to be careful of statistics; both in using them and receiving them. From my experience statistics can easily be manipulated to benefit the viewpoint of the one who is presenting them. Me? I have been jumping out of airplanes for almost 22 years. Skydiving continues to provide a life-forwarding energy for me, and has become normal to me and my family/friends. I have also gotten to share the joy of the sport with many of them. I continue to learn to this day, trying to make myself better, safer, and better able to teach others. In that regard, I hope I never "arrive."

Hey gang, The original poster exercised their privilege of removing the original post. No need for me to know the reason, but since the conversation was so constructive, I clipped all of the replies and put them back in here in G&R with a new subject line. Arrive Safely John

http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1209714#1209714 It is money well spent, and will fast forward your canopy flight skills. I recommend it! Arrive Safely John

I would be in for between 6 and 12, depending on the price - not for resale, rather intended as gifts to friends. That is a really cool shirt. Arrive Safely John

Mega Repost Arrive Safely John

PM Beezy Shaw. Arrive Safely John

Duly added. Arrive Safely John

Admit nothing Deny Everything Make Counter-accusations Arrive Safely John

Read this thread and visit the hyperlinks for more reading - especially the Forum Rules. After that, if you are not sure about the content you are about to post (whether or not it is appropriate, which forum it should go in, how you can phrase something such that it is not a cross-post or advertising, etc.) - PM a Moderator with your questions before you post. Moderators don't have full privileges in all forums - only the Mods listed at the top of each forum can use their privileges there. Meanwhile, it's nice to be needed. Arrive Safely John

What a great game. I can breathe now . . . Way to go 'Canes!!! Arrive Safely John

Safety and Training. There are many other threads on the subject in the forums, most of them in S&T. Arrive Safely John

Watching Game 6 last night was like passing a kidney stone. It was very painful. I am hopeful for tomorrow night . . . Arrive Safely John

That looks exactly like a lineover to me as well. Not very far over (deep), so it seems to have either cleared itself or cleared quickly once the TI put pressure on the opposite rear riser. I once cleared a lineover on a Silhouette 210 by pulling on and releasing (snapping) the affected riser (line group). After that I was told that steering in the opposite direction (away from the lineover) may clear it by allowing the line to slip back off the canopy. I cleared a lineover on a Sigma 370 tandem canopy by steering opposite the lineover with the rear riser (brakes still stowed). Arrive Safely John

OK . . . make that "Freefalling Together." You can find them here: http://www.skydivingmagazine.com/miva/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=SBS&Category_Code=1B Arrive Safely John

Those books are called "Falling Together." I have two volumes: up to 30-way and up to 60-way (I think). I don't have them here (I am currently away from home). I believe there is a CRW set also: "Stacking Together." Arrive Safely John

Jennifer, First, thanks for this post. My Dad died in September of 2004 and I miss him. I have been thinking all week about being able to tell him happy Father's Day in some way other than speaking it out loud into space. Through your genius you have given me the means to do just that. My Dad taught me more about life than I could possibly list here. Most importantly he taught me the important of relationships and how critical it was to hold people dear. Loyalty to friends and family was big with him and continues to be so for me. He practiced that with me, and I with him. My Dad always told me that I had turned out better than he had. He said that I was different, a "much better man" than he was. I tried very hard, openly in person and through email and letters, to show him just how much I was exactly like him. I repeated often in our later years together, and thanked him for how I turned out. Rest easy, Dad. I honor you today and always. Arrive Safely John

Thanks to Paul Quade, our illustrious Moderator, for correcting my mistake in the original post, and thanks to those who pointed it out. I'll have to buy Loy a beer next time I see him. Cheers, Arrive Safely John

I stand corrected. Unfortunately, I am unable to edit my post in this forum. I had not actually asked him for his D number - that came from my skydiving friend who introduced me to him. Oops! Arrive Safely John

Instructors only please. What courses, seminars, books, videos, experiences, events, etc. do you consider valuable for continuing education and training in your particular instructional discipline - not only to improve your own skydiving skills, but to improve your ability to teach students? Please include your skydiving instructional discipline with your response. Me? Two training events in the last three years have improved my teaching skill set a great deal: -Solly Williams coaching me on flying the mantis body position in the wind tunnel - his techniques on training body flight in general improved my ability to train students on the box man body position for student jumps. -Scott Miller's canopy piloting course - I changed a lot of verbage, corrected a misconception I had, and adopted a couple of ways of explaining canopy flight (especially flared landings) that are working really well for me. I look forward to reading your responses. Arrive Safely John

Wednesday night I had the pleasure of meeting Loy Brydon, D12, at a Tucson saloon. Loy was one of the original Golden Knights, and held several postions including First Sergeant. He hasn't jumped in about 15 years, but he is in great shape for being 74. I will certainly bump into him again . . . Arrive Safely John

I PM'd you my cell phone number. Give me a call - my melon is about the same size as yours Arrive Safely John

45/50 I have Alaska, Hawaii, Oregon, Missouri, South Dakota left to visit. Arrive Safely John

Baby Love by The Supremes Arrive Safely John

In the future, if you want to update a thread, please reply to your original thread instead of starting a new one. Thanks. Arrive Safely John