JohnMitchell

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Content

    19,322

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Feedback

    0%

Everything posted by JohnMitchell

  1. JohnMitchell
    I think that's a very intelligent opinion you have. I've brokered that deal in the past.
  2. JohnMitchell
    Thank you. I see these terms misused a lot. So do I. I remember talking to a pilot one day about CG shift affecting the climb rate of the aircraft. As I stood next to the plane and talked about reducing induced drag of the tail plane, he said "Okay, now you're trying to confuse me with science."
  3. JohnMitchell
    One thing to remember is that every flying body has, for a given weight, an airspeed that will yield the highest lift-to-drag ratio, or glide ratio. This speed, if held correctly, will get you the most distance traveled/ unit altitude. Faster than that and you will go less far. Same for slower. Pilots call it Vy. I'm always trying to find that sweet spot in the middle. Maybe I'll borrow some electronics to look for it.
  4. JohnMitchell
    Drag is on the same axis as airflow. Lift is any force generated perpendicular to the air flow. I think they might have been talking about high alpha (angle of attack) vortex lift. Check out the high alpha vortices on this bird.
  5. JohnMitchell
    Being a former round jumper also, I do a pretty damn good PLF. I did one just the other day landing with a tied-off steering toggle. No worries, just a little dirt on the suit. I've also seen too many people not PLF and break ankles and legs needlessly. A good PLF is really that effective for high rate of descent or obstacle landings. I wish more people were better at them.
  6. JohnMitchell
    Exactly what Rob says.
  7. JohnMitchell
    Trackball, anyone? My first workstation was an FAA radar scope with a trackball. Spent almost 30 years using one up to 8 hours a day. I have one for my home computer too. Love 'em. And no pad required.
  8. JohnMitchell
    Yes, they wouldn't all fit under the bed anymore.
  9. JohnMitchell
    Well that's good to know. I thought someone had broken the handles off the card catalog cabinet.
  10. JohnMitchell
    Makes all the difference in the world, right?
  11. JohnMitchell
    Our health care system is seriously messed up. Many small doctors are being bought into large corporate medical practices that then begin charging pretty much whatever they want for procedures. Insurance companies get huge discounts but still play the game. We spend about double what most countries do for health care, and it's not really any better. If your insurance covers it, fine. If not, tell the facility you're self insured and ask for a discount. I've actually done that after the surgery because the cost was higher than anticipated. I made a good case and they cut my portion of the bill in half. Good luck.
  12. JohnMitchell
    Whoa!! They make drivers for those screws? I can't tell you how many kitchen knives I've fucked up over the years. Andy, that's what Vskydiver USED to do, until we started doing all kinds of remodeling projects together. Now she's damn handy with a lot of tools. Lemme see your guy card for a minute. I gotta punch a hole or two in it.
  13. JohnMitchell
    Original models were with high drag/low lift round canopies, so that assumption is pretty defensible. Even square canopies, as they are deploying with brakes set, are at an angle of attack way past their stall AOA, and are therefore acting mostly as drag devices, not lift generating airfoils. My explanation was qualitative, but not exactly quantitative. Parachute opening rate seems to be related to indicated airspeed, so the "low density" argument is countered by the "high true airspeed" factor. I'm certainly not a fluid dynamic expert, but have read of the hard openings due to premature deployments on HALO jumps. The physics were explained in that article and seem very common sense to me too.
  14. JohnMitchell
    Mae.
  15. JohnMitchell
    That, of course, is the best strategy. No one can argue that. But it didn't hurt to ask. And the customer (Nerra) didn't deserve an ass chewing from some employee because of it. That's poor customer relations and I wouldn't want that person working for me. Would you?
  16. JohnMitchell
    dominatrix
  17. JohnMitchell
    Tunnel time would be great, and review and practice your emergency procedures until they're are reflexive. No one likes a malfunction, but the big surprise is how easy they are to handle if you've been properly trained. It's tough being a student. Try to spend your spare time visualizing the jump going perfectly. That's what World Champions do in our sport.
  18. JohnMitchell
    I know a couple of tunnel guys have short sleeve jumpsuits that they wear at the DZ also. Maybe I'll try that with an old jumpsuit. Naples? Our daughter and son-in-law live in Ft. Myers. We were just down visiting and swung thru your town for the wonderful beaches there. Nice neighborhood ya got.
  19. JohnMitchell
    Ah, I have to confess ignorance of that law. Thanks for the update. Even with the compromise, the peasants will no longer profit their masters even more by dying. That's a good thing.
  20. JohnMitchell
    I have one I use for the occasional sit-fly and I like it a lot. It's basically just a small strap with a buckle I thread thru the hip rings.
  21. JohnMitchell
    I know someone who had a hard opening on a very well fitting custom rig. They fell out of the back of the harness, hanging from the leg straps by their knees at 2000' (yes, this is the stuff of nightmares. . . ). They were able to climb back in the harness and make an uneventful landing. Someone less athletic or limber might have died. Since then that person will NOT jump without a cross connector. This type of thing has happened more than once. I say bring back the belly bands and saddle straps, but the wouldn't be stylish. The real reason you arch when you pull? So the harness doesn't slip off.
  22. JohnMitchell
    Really? For a Walmart employee? Loss of knowledge? Nope, it's plain and simple greed, IMHO.
  23. JohnMitchell
    That's a lotta pimp hand goin' on. A huge range of emotions on display. I'm gonna have to watch it again.
  24. JohnMitchell
    Interesting. I'll remember that for my next physical.
  25. JohnMitchell
    We all laugh but it's something really important. I had one and got a clean bill of health for 10 years. The prep work is no fun but with full anesthesia, I don't remember anything of the procedure.