Ron

How about an AFF I without an "A"? Should that be allowed? PRO without a license? "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

I do not have an "A" or "B" license, but I do have "C" and "D". Also, the USPA basically got rid of the "A" with the license card and stamp. So, the USPA does not seem to want those fees that much. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

And if your profile is correct, I had my night jumps AND earned my "D" before YOU ever made your first jump. I also had an Instructor rating. Is my opinion more valid than yours now? And this is a discussion about AN AWARD. Part of that award is currently defined as having a "D". You do not have to like it, but this is an AWARD we are talking about. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

You are free to not get a "D".... That means also that you are also not entitled to the benefits that having a "D" includes. No, you only earned PART of it. The other part is to have a "D" and that means having shown the skills that the "D" entails. And in the end.. It is an AWARD and part of that award is to do EVERYTHING it asks. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

What happens if you lose your logbook? So if you lose your phone, the same thing happens. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

Best thing you can do is to avoid getting advice from here and listen to your instructors instead. The worst students I ever dealt with were reading rec.skydiving or DZ.com to "self diagnose" and came out to the DZ with "advice" they got from some dude with a cool screen name. Skydiving cannot be learned from the internet. And as much as you may be come addicted and as much as others in your same position want to help...... Skydiving cannot be learned from the internet. People on her only have YOUR view of the problem... A personal view about an issue that you don't clearly understand. You need an objective view based on years of experience and actual knowledge. So, just hang out and any "advice" you get from here: 1. Remember that you can't learn to skydive on the internet. 2. Run EVERYTHING past a real life honest to goodness living breathing instructor And all I said..... Remember to use #1 and #2 on IT as well. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

I find that the more jumps I get... the more I realize that there is life outside of skydiving. At 100 jumps I thought anyone was crazy for wanting to do anything else. At 1000 jumps I I could leave the DZ for a really good reason. Now at 5000 jumps I sometimes have to drag myself to the DZ "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

Really????? Ever see Europe's gun laws? Fact is trying to paint any group or area with a wide paintbrush is oversimplifying and most likely going to be wrong. The villagers in the article have as much, if not more right, to be upset about the base jumpers than the base jumpers have to jump. Still, this is about the US national park system allowing things like rock climbing and gliding but not BASE jumping... And that is wrong. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

Done.... I don't BASE anymore, but no reason why it should not be allowed "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

Hell, you could use DZ.com. If someone had created a post in the swooping forum about the guy that pounded in at Spaceland.... Naming him, and explaining why. Then Every swooper going to the nats and on DZ.com would have seen him. Heck, post a pic so anyone can avoid him. Nothing official, but it could still work. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

This just screams "Walk away" to me. And there is nothing wrong with that. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

Just guessing huh????? I seem to recall several hours spent in the tunnel with some team that had a name like a VCR button "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

No issue.... We used to have a phrase we used to use a lot before there were tunnels: "That is nothing a thousand jumps will not fix". It seems now the thing is to say: "That is nothing an hour of tunnel will not fix" The hardest thing in this sport is to *not* give advice. You mean well, you are so excited you want to share it..... But with experience you learn to know when you are unable to really help.... And the best you can do is either nothing, or just reaffirm what others are telling them. Be safe "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

The guy is beating himself up for not being good with only 3 MINs of practice. Some would think a guy with 5500 jumps, three instructor ratings, and a few national medals might know how to teach and react to a student better than a guy with 120 jumps and no ratings..... Just saying. No one said he was reckless or dumb. We are stating that he is having an issue THAT MANY PEOPLE HAVE and that maybe, just maybe, he has unrealistic expectations of himself. Someone with 5500 jumps and been teaching skydiving for 15+ years might have seen this a few times in those 15+ years and might actually know a way to handle the situation. Someone with 5500 jumps and been teaching skydiving for 15+ years might actually know that the TECHNICAL aspects of his issue are best left for those qualified instructors that actually SEE him and can fix the issue in person, and that any technical advice from 1000 miles away based on the perception of what the guy with 4 jumps THINKS he is doing is not worth much for a TECHNICAL debrief anyway. Someone with 5500 jumps that has been teaching for 15+ years might know that the BEST thing he can do is to let the guy know that someone with 5500 jumps 3 ratings and several nationals medals thinks that the guy with 4 jumps is being a little too hard on himself and he should relax and compare other activities to his current situation and get a more realistic set of expectations on himself. You think this is the first time that I have seen a guy in this situation? "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

A GoPro costs around 200 dollars. There is added risk to jumping a GoPro. Why should an Instructor have to pay 200 dollars and not expect something in return? "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

You have three minutes of practice..... You expected to be good? I have never golfed, so would it be realistic for me to expect to be good by the 8th hole? My wife does not know how to drive a stick..... Will three minutes of instruction set her up to succeed? "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

Yes.... For some people the doubts are larger than others, for some people the depression is deeper than others. You have been very open and honest about our fears up to this point.... this leads me to think that you are more in touch with your emotions than others.... So, it is pretty normal for you too feel these things more than someone else. Nah, for me it is the people not the activity that really matters. Sure it starts with the activity, but then melds into being around the people you care about. Last weekend I was coaching an 8way team.... I made exactly ZERO jumps and had a great time. This weekend I will be running a 4 way competition... I plan on making ZERO jumps and will still have a good time. That's all you. You can change that, or let it bother you. You can't control the events that got you to here.... You CAN control how you feel about it and you CAN decide on where you go next. So it is common.... And so strong that people sometimes do really stupid things like rush back before they are 100% and get hurt again and have to stay out longer. But after all of this.... You really need to understand that YOU are in control of how you feel about this. Does it suck you can't jump? Sure. But you can still be a part of the DZ without jumping. An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. "A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy. "It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego." He continued, "The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you - and inside every other person, too." The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?" The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed." Which wolf are you going to feed? The one that focuses on what you CAN'T do at the DZ and all the fun you think you are missing? Or are you going to feed the one that lets you build fantastic relationships with people who you like and like you and enjoy all the fun you CAN have? "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

1. You think that it is better to mess with a malfunction till you are either saved by an AAD, or hit the ground? 2. You think that a reserve pull would somehow cause your main to rip off your head when freefall was not doing it? "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

Looking back.... Would you have done anything differently? "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

Yes, but it does not change the fact that brakes will shorten your glide. The only difference is that higher winds will show a greater difference. I have done it and I disagree with your claim. I have qualified for a PRO rating on a Star Trac I, Sharp Chutter, Stiletto 107 and V96. The canopy does not have different settings for no wind and wind. The same input brings the same result. The only difference is that in a no wind day the change will be harder to detect. You are trying to claim that brakes only slow down the canopy when there is a headwind wind.... The very act of flaring proves that is not correct. It makes a BIGGER difference in higher winds, but it still slows a canopy down in zero winds. Same input yields the SAME result of a shorter glide.... It may be so small to not even notice on a no wind day, but it will not suddenly change physics and extend the glide in one situation and shorten it in another. And as you asked for me to do it.... I have done it on several canopies from xbraced 88's to 366 tandem mains. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

In separate landing areas? Eloy has two major landing areas, the main area and the student area. Where were these separate landing areas? "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

How many collisions have you seen from separate landing areas where a guy on final is hit by a guy turning base? "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

The point is you said" And it is false. False. It is a BIGGER change, but your logic that it does not work without a head wind is false... The canopy does not know if there is a headwind or not and does not have a switch that changes the functions of a control group based on the position of that imaginary switch. Does head wind make the relation of canopy speed and ground speed more observable? YES, but it does not change the physics of the universe. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

Yes, but I fail to see how to design an area that will entice people to spread out and use all 60 acres. One way that WILL work is to require it and enforce it. I am open to other suggestions to encourage folks to land in the less crowded areas. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

Yes, but what are the real chances that a person will wake up sometime below 750 feet after an AAD fire and have time to really do anything? And if I were to have an AAD fire, I'd rather it be on my MOST stable canopy and the one that is MOST likely to open in the event I am not stable. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334