rgoper

sounds like your getting hosed. call em' up and jump that tail! J/K --Richard-- "We Will Not Be Shaken By Thugs, And Terroist"

A "catastrophic" mechanical fault may have caused a helicopter to crash into the North Sea, according to an RAF crew involved in the search for survivors. Five people have already been confirmed dead and their bodies returned to Great Yarmouth following the crash of the Sikorsky S76 helicopter off the coast of Norfolk on Tuesday night. While the search, particularly for the flight data recorders, continues, Great Yarmouth coastguard said on Thursday morning no further progress had been made overnight. Mr. Blair promised the investigation into the crash would "leave no stone unturned". On Wednesday at 0720 BST Great Yarmouth coastguard scaled down its search and rescue operation for the other six passengers and crew. Two vessels equipped with sonar are still searching the area, trying to find wreckage on the seabed. A diving support vessel from Aberdeen, the Mayo, is making its way to the crash site. It will help salvage the wreckage - and any bodies inside - once the helicopter has been found. Speaking in the House of Commons, Mr Blair paid tribute to the efforts of the emergency services, saying they had responded "as they always do, in magnificent fashion". Four inspectors from the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) are at the crash scene carrying out an inquiry. Flight Lieutenant Paul Hopson of the RAF search team said: "All the indications are of a major mechanical failure." Co-pilot Flight Lieutenant Steve Murkin said: "It looked like it must have been something quite catastrophic. "It was not a controlled ditching as we had hoped." John Balls, of Cromer lifeboat, said that some time may have been lost due to initial confusion over the number of people in the helicopter. "We just got a position and we were on our way. "Then we were recalled a couple of minutes later because they said they had picked up four persons out of the water. "But when we were rehousing they then called us back because obviously there was a muddle as there were 11 on board." Clive Mather, chairman of Shell UK, which chartered the helicopter, described it as a "terrible accident". The helicopter was on a routine trip from Norwich Airport to North Sea rigs. It left Norwich at 1900 BST on Tuesday with nine workers and two crew, flew to the Clipper gas platform in the North Sea, and then continued to the Santa Fe Monarch gas drilling rig. It was on this leg of the journey that the helicopter crashed, two miles from the rig and 25 miles north-east of Great Yarmouth. Keith Chanter, chief executive of Bristow, which operated the aircraft, said: "As it approached the rig, the aircraft inexplicably ditched in the sea." An RAF Sea King from Wattisham in Suffolk was scrambled and five bodies were recovered from the water within two hours. Mr. Mather said the helicopters went through "rigorous maintenance schedules" and had a "very good" safety record. The company has suspended all helicopter flights to and from the rigs in the southern North Sea. Bristow said the helicopter was fully fitted with safety equipment including flotation bags to hold it afloat long enough for people to get out. All the people on board would also have been wearing survival suits - standard practice for traveling to the rigs. The two crew on board worked for Bristow, three of the passengers were Shell staff, three worked for engineering firm Amec and two for Amec subcontractors. The remaining passenger was from Oil Field Medical Services. this just in. i've made the same rounds a dozen times, and nothing ever happned, now, 11 gone just like that. my condolences to the family and friends of each and every one of these fine men. --Richard-- "We Will Not Be Shaken By Thugs, And Terroist"

yeah, i'd be sick to, at the thought of having to jump out of a casa! sounds like fun, wish it were me, instead of you, so i'll just keep jumping out of our twotter. --Richard-- "We Will Not Be Shaken By Thugs, And Terroist"

is that in forum rules and etiquette? no one post whores here, except clay, and he seems to be hiding today. i would never think of post whoring! --Richard-- "We Will Not Be Shaken By Thugs, And Terroist"

when they find whoever purpetuated this horrific crime, be rest assured he will "get his" in the joint. all i gotta say is i hope he has family that cares enough for him to keep sending soap on a rope. remember how long Jeffrey Dahlmer lasted? he was NFL before he ever got there, and nobody seen anything, no charges were ever brought, he just faded into obscurity......... --Richard-- "We Will Not Be Shaken By Thugs, And Terroist"

LOL at Dave --Richard-- "We Will Not Be Shaken By Thugs, And Terroist"

this is the first i'm hearing of this. he's still on the web site in staff bios, but that doesn't mean anything. i'm under the impression he's still there. i've been wrong before. --Richard-- "We Will Not Be Shaken By Thugs, And Terroist"

i can't log onto either one, the apache server gives a "internal error" message, and the other is complaining about a valid certificate, this is on my XP machine, would it make a difference if i was running one of the other machines, the ME, or win 98, or second addition? i forgot to add, even though i have ethernet cards in all of my machines, all of them communicate, except the XP machine. --Richard-- "We Will Not Be Shaken By Thugs, And Terroist"

i've recently bought a new CPU for my office, it has windows XP on it as well. i have run accross a number of programs that win98, 98 second addition, windows ME, etc...will support, but XP will not. any new software you buy, read the system requirements to insure it's XP compatible. --Richard-- "We Will Not Be Shaken By Thugs, And Terroist"

emmie: this is something that is quite easy to do, just remove the old one, measure it from the knot at the bottom to the bottom of the eye on the loop, and make your new one the same length. but if you've never done it before you would be better served to have a rigger show you how your first time. then after you replace this one, make a spare and carry it in your gear bag. hope this helps.

richard finally relents in utter dismay, throwing hands up in air shouting "can you believe this?" in absolute and complete dissbelief at the "holier than thous" but he wonders aloud "what would have happened if he would have trash talked roger?" guys/gals: in the end, all you can do is stand up for what you believe is right, good, bad or indifferent. i've said all i'm going to say, good evening. --Richard-- "We Will Not Be Shaken By Thugs, And Terroist"

politicians are very aware that they will be scrutinized well before placing their name on the ballot. a DZO should not expect the same treatment. so your statement means speculation on the part of the media is o.k.? i would never had know this about Mr. Nelson, if it wasn't for the efforts of the Chicago Tribune can you blame him for NOT responding? i wouldn't either. all they would do is take anything he, or his staff says, out of context anyway. besides, how could he possibly comment on something he had no knowledge of? he was in a meeting with U.S.P.A. officials at the time. i wouldn't have "speculated" either. this event should "unite" us, and not "divide" us, as i stated, if they jab him, there jabbing us as well. are we a sky diving "family" or not? Mr. Nelson probably feels bad enough about the loss of life the way it is, without the added distress of "useless information" floating around. we should all call up the Tribune, and express our dismay. my .02 USD. "People Who Live In Glass Houses, Should Be The Only Ones To Throw Stones" --Richard-- "We Will Not Be Shaken By Thugs, And Terroist"

and now, if i may, try to bring this issue back into perspective. originally i stated that the reporters were "running amuck" that's my opinion. 1) what does roger nelson's past (whatever it may be) have to do with this sky diver's death? answer: nothing 2) what possible positive result could be obtained by the chicago tribune to research this occurence in roger's past and publish it now after this most tragic occurence? ansewr: none 3) why did they bring it up? answer: for monetary gain(s) to sell newspapers. 4) roger nelson in fact committed some crimes YEARS ago, he paid his debt to society, he's done his part. how long is he to be held accountable? the simple fact of the matter, and the reason i even posted this to begin with, is not to contest whether the sky diver was under any influence, or whether roger had (or has) anything to do with it. it struck me odd, and the reporters showed concise vindictive behaviour with the remarks and veiled references that relate to an event that happened before a lot of you guys were even born. what actions have i taken? i have contacted the editor, and expressed my utter dismay for the insinuations against an individual, and a sport, that was needless, and pointless. i don't live in chicago, i live in texas, but nonetheless, i felt this was a "poke in the eye" at sky diving, not just roger. let's face it, roger is "high profile" he's a target, would it not be in our best interests to not stand up for him? and show support for him as well? i really can't understand why this most unfortunate event, and post event reporting would not "unite" us, instead of divide us. if they stick roger, there sticking all of us. NO ONE here can say they don't have a "skeleton" or two in the closet, or that we haven't made a mistake at some point in time in our lives. how would we feel if after 20 freaking years somebody comes back and puts our name, and offense in a nationally distributed newspaper, in relation to a tragic event such as this? in my opinion, and in my heart, it is wrong, it should not have been done..PERIOD. a man has lost his life, will adding insult to injury obtain anyone any further gain? i think not. --Richard-- "We Will Not Be Shaken By Thugs, And Terroist"

***If you don't like what the reporter has to say, take action.If you really think that this is an attempt at trying to limit skydiver's rights, then do something!*** i am doing something, first by posting it here, for all of the dz.comers to see what the tribune is up to, made sure the reporter's names were listed. the article was presented "as is" so they wrote it. i'm not comfortable with the fact that they took it upon themselfs to investigate roger's background, and what that has to do with anything that happened in relation to this particular sky diver's death. if it happened to roger, it can happen to any of us. yes, i am doing something, and i encourage the rest of you (unless of course, you think what they reported is o.k.) to do something as well. it's idiots like this that will have our sport monitored before long if we don't watch them, like there watching us. by the way, just since it was brought up, the only way they could be held accountable for liable, or slander, is if what they reported wasn't true. there ought to be a "statue of limitations" on something, a man's past shouldn't be thrown in his face like that, thats just plain wrong. --Richard-- "We Will Not Be Shaken By Thugs, And Terroist"

.......is it right that they exercise their "freedom of speech" to this extent? see the following article, while certainly enlightning, most of the content has nothing to do with the fatality. this is indeed most disstressing. the media gets away with murder! _______________________________ Skydiver death is site's 6th in a year Local, federal probes under way By H. Gregory Meyer and Maurice Possley Tribune staff reporters July 16, 2002 Local and federal authorities are investigating the death Sunday of a skydiver near Ottawa, the sixth fatality at the Skydive Chicago club in just over a year. Ronald Passmore Jr., 33, a part-time instructor at the club and the father of four daughters, was killed as he attempted a water landing in a small pond, LaSalle County Sheriff Tom Templeton said. In what is called "pond-swooping," friends said Passmore had steered his high-performance parachute in an attempt to skim across the surface like a water skier. "From my understanding, he hit the water hard," Templeton said. "Apparently he did not go in feet first but body first, and he sank into the pond." He was pronounced dead at Ottawa Community Hospital. Passmore's death is the sixth at the drop zone since July 9, 2001, and is the second this year, LaSalle County Coroner Jody Bernard said. Nationally, about 30 skydivers are killed out of more than 3 million jumps each year, according to the U.S. Parachute Association, the sports governing body. Since 1993, Skydive Chicago has had 13 fatal accidents, records show. The drop zone is operated by Roger Nelson, a former world champion skydiver, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 1987 after pleading guilty to running an international drug smuggling ring. Nelson could not be reached for comment Monday. The sheriff called Passmore's death an accident, but the official cause will not be determined until a coroner's inquest is held, Bernard said. It will take about two weeks until toxicology tests for drugs and alcohol are completed, she said. The other five fatalities since last July were all accidents, Bernard said. Drugs were found in the system of one of the skydivers, she said. The Federal Aviation Administration, which oversees backup parachutes and planes in the lightly regulated skydiving industry, is investigating, said spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory. LaSalle County sheriff's officials are interviewing witnesses, Templeton said. Passmore, who friends said had logged more than 1,500 jumps, had been living at the drop zone for the last two months, the sheriff said. He had most recently lived in Butler, Ind., near Ft. Wayne. Passmore is the second instructor to die this year at Skydive Chicago. On May 18, John Faulkner, 28, collided in midair with another jumper, rendering him unconscious, and his backup chute failed despite being equipped with a device to open it automatically, Bernard said. The automatic opener has been sent to its German manufacturer for examination, Bernard said. It may have been damaged in the collision, she said. On Oct. 6 two jumpers died when their parachutes became entwined. Eight days later, a skydiver died after his primary chute did not open and another chute opened too late, authorities said. The other death occurred on July 9, 2001. Skydive Chicago is listed as a large skydiving center based on the number and size of its planes, said Betsy McStay, the associate director for group membership of the U.S. Parachute Association. It is one of the Midwest's busiest drop zones, logging about 75,000 jumps a year. Nelson, the Skydive Chicago operator, is one of the association's national directors. On the day Passmore was killed, the association was wrapping up a board meeting at the drop zone, which will host the national championships in September. Nelson, who was captain of the national champion skydiving team in 1982, pleaded guilty to federal charges of heading a ring that authorities said brought millions of dollars in cocaine and marijuana into the Chicago area from Belize, Colombia, Jamaica and Mexico. Sixteen other defendants were convicted. At the time of his sentencing, Scott Mendeloff, who was an assistant U.S. attorney, said that despite promises to surrender his wealth acquired through the drug ring, the $1 million that Nelson surrendered was only about half of his profits. As part of his agreement, Nelson led investigators to a home near Steamboat Springs, Colo., where they dug up $250,000 in Kruggerands and 225 pounds of silver coins. Nelson began skydiving at 16 and became a pilot. In 1981 he opened Skydive Sandwich Inc., which became one of the country's biggest sky diving schools. He later opened Air Charter Inc. A co-defendant implicated Nelson in several drug shipments beginning in 1978, including one 550-kilogram load of cocaine that Nelson flew into the U.S. in 1983. Passmore's former wife, Christine, broke the news of his death to their four daughters, who live with her in Butler. She said his passion for the sport led to their divorce. "When he first got into it, I begged him, `Please quit, it'll kill you,'" she said. "He was extreme. You couldn't slow that guy down." Copyright © 2002, Chicago Tribune ______________________________ this is "over the top" i consider it unprofessional conduct on the reporters behalf. it's bad enough a man has lost his life, and leaves a wife and child behind, now these guys try to ruin another's reputation. the faa is investigating this latest incident as other news articles relate (too many to mention) the press suks, why do they go out of there way to dig up dirt? hope there aren't many reporters out there! --Richard-- "We Will Not Be Shaken By Thugs, And Terroist"

happy birthday scotti! many more. all the best to you and tammi. --Richard-- "We Will Not Be Shaken By Thugs, And Terroist"

as would i. the democrats had over a billion dollar surplus, in addition to an overbalanced budget. stock market was steady on the incline curve, most of his (clinton's) administration. as do i, just got burned this time. but i'm from texas, and have an allegiance to texan politicians, i'm rethinking this even as we speak. my father was a "yellow dog democrat" but i don't buy into that theory. big money is what buys the opinions and actions of our governing bodie(s) it's time to shut that B.S. down. and where do we get off plea barganing a "turncoat/traitor" who was putting our boys in the sights of his russian made ak-47? back in the civil war days, they instantly hung/shot/eradicated all insubordinates, this fellow should be no different. he HAD to have some information to give them in exchange for his plea bargain. i've just got the red-ass for "turn coats" sorry. --Richard-- "We Will Not Be Shaken By Thugs, And Terroist"

am i under the missimpression that a verbal contract is as good as a written one? i've always considered it that way, maybe i'm wrong. --Richard-- "We Will Not Be Shaken By Thugs, And Terroist"

Dude, I get your point, but you are making way too many assumptions. And don't make it sound like all these corporate crooks just started this shit when the republicans took office.*** i'm not trying to make any "points" here, merely trying to get other's views/opinions on the matters i've made notice of. as i said at the outset of this posts, i knew well in advance that it would draw mixed reviews/opinions, so we should all think about these things, as they do adversely affect each, and everyone of our daily lives. these are matters that are dominating the morning news, the midday news, cnn, want me to go on? don't get me wrong, i voted for them, as did i his father, i'm just regretting it right now is all. --Richard-- "We Will Not Be Shaken By Thugs, And Terroist"

not legally, it is a felony! --Richard-- "We Will Not Be Shaken By Thugs, And Terroist"

jimbo: i know a "dodge" when i see one! what about the traitor? i don't see anyone expressing their views/opinions on this one. are we afraid to disscuss this? surely not. i am proud to be an american, but i think were in trouble right now, and unless we do something, i'm afraid we'll fall only deeper into despair. last time i looked, and did some research, it was the american voters who are supposed to be in control, are we? --Richard-- "We Will Not Be Shaken By Thugs, And Terroist"

ok, lets say this is true. then by what merits do we judge a president's performance? let's say this is true. then who do we give the credit for the good economy during the clinton administration? alan greenspan? let's say this is true. who is in control then? the citizens of the u.s.a.? i hope your right, i sincerely do. but i know there are a bunch of folks out there right now pretty much unsatisfied with the current administration. it's either highly coincidental, or just the "cycle" of economic woes, but the economy always seems to do better when we have a democrat in the oval office. we've just started to scrape the "tip of the iceberg" with all of the economic scandals that our current administration has been involved in, or with. the insuing investigation into halliburton will yield quite a few unsavory results i'm afraid. and what about making "deals" with traitors? that don't hold water with me, current administration, or previous administration....that's B.S. i'm sorry. --Richard-- "We Will Not Be Shaken By Thugs, And Terroist"

bill makes an excellent point, in that we need to be ready for anything. BUT...in the event of an emergency, it's one thing to risk something happening to your gear, no matter what the altitude, but somebody just fooling around? NAH, that's an ass whooping offense! what if this jumpers reserve pin came dislodged during this "cute little antic" of tom foolery? anything could have happened, good thing it wasn't me, i would have reacted in a very negative manner when all was said and done. whoever pulled this stunt needs to be grounded to think about what they did for at least 30 days for their actions, just my .02 USD. i failed to add earlier, that i generally don't wait for anyone to aid me in exiting an aircraft, i jump out all by myself! the only time i left when i wasn't supposed to, was on a raft dive, i was on the starboard aft corner, we were in a casa, and we went to "zero g" 1 count earlier, so i got forcefully pulled out of the aircraft, it was either hang on, or let go, so i hung on, then the raft exploded! --Richard-- "We Will Not Be Shaken By Thugs, And Terroist"

....to say the least at the remarks of our president on the economy, (he stated that the economy is suffering a "hangover", from the economic boom of the 90's....puke!) stock market and his previous actions as a board member at Harken Energy during the 80's-90's prior to having been elected governor to our "great state" of Texas. i feel no better about having voted for the jackass and his co-hort Richard "Dick" Cheney, once president, and CEO of Halliburton, oil industry giant leader in oilfield services, and supplies. because of my close affiliation to the energy industry, this is embarrassing to me personally as well, to know that people in my industry could be such thieves, cowards, liars, and not even think twice about ruining people's lives with their lies, deceit, and inside trader information. i can say, with sadness i am sorry for what they have done, i now, impatiently await their apology to the people they represent, and i believe they should be personally responsible for the restoration of personal lives that were damaged, distressed or ruined because of the financial distress they have caused these fine upstanding blue collar workers, just trying to make a living, and support their families, and relationships. it makes me as sick to see corporate giants in other sectors in the U.S.A. to try and "cash in" on other's suffering and duress, i just heard over cnn that Playboy (yeah, go hef, you stupid F**K) is courting some of the ladies at Enron to pose for his magazine, what a demeaning project, not only for him, but for the ladies that will no doubt take part in the project, just to make some money. these are sad times, i am sickened by our politicians conduct, and past activitie(s) their actions have focused on every industry giant in the U.S.A. all you hear is how everyone is being scrutinized and investigated by the S.E.C. which by now is under scrutiny as well because of it's leader (who once was P.C. for a lot of the politicians now under investigation) this scandalous behavior has the potential to bring the economy to it's knees. Wubya, and Cheney, your day is coming, both of you have even condoned “making deals with traitors” re: John Walker Lindh, and to think they gave "Slick Willy" such a hard time about getting a "hummer" in the oval office, at least he wasn't stealing other people's money. i know this posts will bring a mixed review, and different perspectives from other's in the various industries and professions, that's what i want to hear. what is your feelings about our current status in the "White House" i can't believe i voted for the clowns. “Just Like The Pied Piper, Led Rats Through The Streets, We Dance Like Marionettes, Swaying To The Symphony…..Of Destruction Dave Mustaine --Richard-- "We Will Not Be Shaken By Thugs, And Terroist"

Scott: did the person(s) who pushed you out have an explanation for their actions when you confronted them on the ground? you did confront them? did you report the incident to the s&ta? before you go off getting upset, and venting about it (which is kewel) make sure you utilize all the tools available to your self to have the "perp(s)" admonished. if it happened like you said, it's in violation of certain safety aspects of the sport. in response to low altitude exits, do them, do them regularly. the whole idea is to be stable, and acclaimated to low altitude exits, so in the event of an emergency, there won't be any panic. take care: --Richard-- "We Will Not Be Shaken By Thugs, And Terroist"