JohnMitchell

No kiddning? That sucks. I'm not sure, but I bet the FAA requires them to brief the seatbelt. I even mention in my tandem briefings that we'll wear seatbelts for takeoff.

I have no idea but Twardo told me you had to be part carpenter to fold up the wooden parts.

Ouch, day before Thanksgiving. Yeah, I was working that day. Sorry I don't recall the ORD delays that day. But it's been a quiet season overall this year, except for a hurricane or two.

Uh oh, wingsuits, wing suits and squirrel suits all flat line. Bird man peaks back in the 1920's, during the hey day of aviation experimentation. Thanks for the new toy here.

Yep, I just checked it. Base jumping is on the rise.

Wow, we sure didn't get much press back in the 1800's. I don't mind not being in the public eye so much. Maybe it's BASE Jumping that's stealing our thunder.

Yep, but hopefully without Jar Jar Binks. That's Ambassador Jar Jar Binks, remember? Yeah, the last 3 movies (first made) I loved, but I can barely watch the prequels.

One of my daughters lives in Sault Ste. Marie, MI. To fly anywhere out of there it's a Delta Link flight, two per day, down to MSP, then wherever you want to go. Last summer she bought tickets to come to a family reunion in SLC. Flight out - Mechanical delay first leg, missed her early afternoon flight from MSP to SLC. Evening flight out of MSP - mechanical delay, almost canceled. Got into SLC at 2:30 am. Fine, at least that tired girl made it to the party. Flight home - SLC to MSP actually launched on time. But while we're road tripping back to Seattle in the minivan we get a call from her in MSP. The flight up to Sault Ste. Marie is a mechanical cancellation and this is the 2nd day it hasn't even gone! There are 3 flights worth of people waiting to get on the plane, according to my daughter. At this point, she called her fiancee to make the 12 hour round trip drive to come get her. She said the airline wouldn't refund her ticket. I told her not to worry about that, just to get a hotel voucher and wait for her guy there. To finish the story, I got on the phone with Delta and gave them pissed-off-middle-aged-man until they refunded that leg of her ticket and gave her a $250 voucher. But she and her now husband say they'll drive up to Canada before they'll fly Delta Skylink out of S. Ste. Marie again. This was not her only flight out of there that was screwed up, just the best example. Beware of airlines with aging fleets.

You know, I just realized I haven't seen a Ground Delay for ORD for bad weather yet this season. It's usually a daily to weekly occurrence this time of year. Enjoy it while you can. I'm sure it can't last all winter.

A la Star Wars, right?

I'm sure you're right on that, John. It was just a hope.

My heart goes out to those families whose lives have been shattered by the latest visitation of evil. I hope they know the entire nation mourns their loss. To anyone out there contemplating such a horrible act, and I don't think anyone on DZ.com would, please get help. There's something wrong in your head.

Too many long talking scenes. Some of the battle scenes drug on too, descending into video game style foolishness. But I'm not a LOTR devotee, Someone who's really into it might savor every moment. I did love the dinner scenes at Bilbo's home. To bad the rest of the movie lacked the light comedic touch.

Nick, we cannot thank you enough for your service to our country. Please rest in peace, knowing you have our undying gratitude.

I met and jumped with Larry years ago down in Perris, much better jumper than I was at the time. Super "UP" kind of guy.

All glory is fleeting. Last line from the movie Patton.

The reserve pins on the Racer are on the pack tray side of the container, next to the person wearing it. It's practically impossible to dislodge them by accident. Make sure you get your pincheck before you put the rig on, though. On most Racer reserves, it seems the poptop is snugged down pretty well. I don't see it being much of a snag hazard, either the plane or lines. I made about 2000 jumps on them and had no problem. Doesn't mean it's never happened though. Racers have 2 pin reserves. That means if you install an AAD you'll need a setup with two cutters, of course. That's my opinion, for what it's worth.

I was thinking of a car really, but that DOES have 4 wheels. Need the room for V and skydiving gear.

Vskydiver and I camp in our Dodge minivan at LP every year. We set up an awning outside with a table, camp stove and a couple of coolers (one for food, one for beer, of course ). We sleep in the back of the van on an air mattress. We have cardboard window shades for all the windows so it's quite dark and private. All our gear goes in the front when we crash out at night to keep it safe and dry. It's a little cramped at times but I like being snuggled tight with my sweetie.

Holy F&^%$ SH*&^%! Glad you got out of that one. I've got about 5-6 engine out exits but no losing control ones. Those suck.

A rig on your back is a damn good idea in a DC-10.

If the battery technology wasn't still such a wild card, I'd love to have an electric car. One with a 200 mile range would handle 99% of my driving.

That baggie was cleaner than expected. That WAS a creative engagement. Good thing she didn't say "No". That poor guy would have to return the ring . . . the hard way. BTW, I had a cavity search the other day! Dentist said it all looked good and to keep on flossing.

flawed design Best reserve pin protection on the market. I think the main pin could be better protected. My couple of racers were definitely the most comfortable rigs I've owned, right up there with my Infinities. What is the major design flaw you see? BTW, Racers aren't ugly, just very spare and functional, like a race car. Nothing wrong with that. Overbuilt and clunky annoys me more.

Man, what a show! Who else watched that last night? The best part for me was Grohl and Noveselic playing with Sir Paul. Local boys make good!