Airman1270

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Yeah. I didn't mean the jack-rabbity stuff, just a deliberate effort to get moving as quickly and efficiently as possible. Perhaps many of the situations we like to describe as "road rage" would be eliminated if we all adopted an attitude of trying, as best as is possible, to get out of each others' way. Jon

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ We're not slowing to watch. We're slowing because the car in front of us slowed. As long as we're sitting there, might as well glance over as we pass by. Cheers, Jon

The ones I see too often have to do with left turn etiquette. Attention class: When waiting to make a left turn, pull your car straight into the middle of the intersection, wheels facing forward, and wait for your opportunity to execute the turn. Do not sit back there, behind the line, at a green light. Do I really need to explain why? Furthermore, when making the turn, again pull straight into the middle, then cut a sharp turn to the left at as close to a right angle as is possible. Not only does it look cool but it provides plenty of clearance from the car to your left which is waiting there at his red light. (Exceptions would include those really, really large intersections which have the turn path laid out in dotted lines across the road.) After driving for 30 years I'm having trouble understanding why so many people cut those long, shallow left turns which almost take the paint off my front left bumper. And a note to the speed limit worshipers: Fine. I may be willing to go 45 in a 40 zone, but if I'm stuck behind you going 40, so be it. I have nothing unkind to say about you. But if you're going 30 you're a jerk. Knock it off. And, of course, it does not need to take 30 seconds or more to get up to speed. Accelerate rapidly to your desired speed. Light turns green, GO. Car in front of you moves, YOU move. Don't just sit there, waiting until the preceding car clears the intersection before you start to roll. There, problem solved. That was easy. Cheers, Jon S.

FANTASTIC timing. Have been planning to get to the Farm this weekend, but can't do the camping thing. Dad's coming to town, and he loves to visit the DZ but we can't hang around late. Oh well... We have a quaint tradition where he likes to buy the jumps when he's here. I suggested he visit sometime when they have a hot air ballon. Cheers, Jon S.

Perhaps... Do you think I'll need one anytime soon? When are you coming back to the Farm?... , Jon S. .......

I've made about 50 jumps total over the past three years. Don't know your weight; I average about 210lbs. and fly a Triathalon 220. Plenty of speed, but lots of float and I can sink it into a tight spot if necessary. I'm the guy who usually lands last. Nothing wrong with a larger main, especially if you won't be at the DZ at least 45 weekends a year. Cheers, Jon S.

I don't necessarily "hate" Hillary, but knowing she holds me in contempt does nothing to enhance an attitude of civility and respect. Politically, I object to her because every time people like the Clintons get what they want, I lose more money and more freedom. The easiest way to end up in front of a judge in "free" America is to refuse to do what liberal Democrats tell you to do. Cheers, Jon S.

...On the original question, I think marital infidelity is a very important issue - for a GOP candidate that likes to talk up the family values bullshit... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ To a degree I think there is some validity to this point. Given a shared set of political philosophy, I would sooner choose the candidate who has never done drugs, had affairs, been arrested, gossiped, or drives in front of me going 10mph below the speed limit while yakking on his cell phone over the guy who has done these things. But if the choice is: 1) A guy who used to deal drugs and is currently in the middle of an ugly divorce, but supports freedom and limited government, vs.... 2) A fine, upstanding perfectly moral guy with a clean record who wants to raise taxes and impose more legislation on "free" Americans, further criminalizing things that used to be okay, then... I'll take the first guy, baggage and all. Just think of the dirty reelection campaign in a few years... Cheers, Jon

Broke ankle on first jump, static-line round, no PLF (also on September 30th.) Second jump was the following July. Very scared, but performed just fine. Was ready for the PLF at 1000'. You'll be scared, sure, but not as much as you think. Happy skies! Cheers, Jon S.

...Adding a thousand dollar aad to a rig that may cost 3 or 4 thousand, or in some cases a used rig that costs 1000 or less, means you're increasing the cost by 30 percent or even up to 100 percent, for something that could kill you in your chosen discipline... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Don't lose sight, also, about how this affects the jumper retention issue. How many people are in that gray area of financial life, where they can't jump as often as many Perris regulars but they can still pursue the sport and be one of us? This extra cost is exactly what is needed to discourage them and drive them away forever. More important, however, is the effect these mandatory AAD policies have on younger jumpers. As they grow up into the sport, all they know is a world with mandatory AAD's. This causes them to adopt the mind-set that jumping without an AAD is VERY dangerous and, thus, AAD's should always be mandatory. Later, when these pups decide to start their own DZ's, guess what you must have if you want to be a customer?... Cheers, Jon S.

Once, just a little. Mid-90's. Windy day, made a jump but decided not to fly again UNLESS the scheduled high-altitude load was flying. There seemed to be little interest at manifest and it appeared the high load would not go. Ener a friend who invited me for a walk behind the hangar... I did not stay long at the meeting, but as I was no longer a regular participant my brief exposure had a slight but noticeable affect. We returned to learn the load was on a 20-minute call. On the way to altitude my altimeter was reading 6000'. As we had already passed through 6000' a few minutes before I deduced that we were, in fact, above 12,000' and proceeded to add 12+6 to determine our actual altitude. I'm pleased to report that I got the right answer, but it took much longer than it should have. Hypoxia? Loose 3-way, no contact planned. Had a bunch of fun, opened at 3000' almost straight over the landing area, rode brakes & crabbed a bit descending almost straight down to the target. Never did it again. Cheersh, Jon S.

Ahh October: 'tis the season for dirty politics. To What extent are you distracted by such tactics? So often we are told we should not support a candidate who has been divorced, had an affair, was arrested many years ago, belongs (or once belonged) to a politically unpopular organization, is wealthy, receives contributions from this or that group, goes to church, goes to church and really means it, does not go to church, is not hostile to business, is not hostile to gun rights, etc.... In most cases this information, even if true, has zero effect on our lives. However, our lives ARE affected by a candidate's political philosophy and legislative intentions. What does he think government should/should not be doing? Which policies does he support? How does he think they should be implemented? Does he have the courage to say "No" to well-meaning feel-good ideas that would cause harm to people? Does he value basic principles of freedom & liberty, or will he support a constant stream of new legislation in an effort to prove he "cares" about (insert issue du jour here)? I did not oppose Bill Clinton because of his immorality, nor because his entire adult life has been a continuous pattern of deception; I opposed him primarily because he supports policies which result in my losing more money and more freedom. While I am a Bush supporter, I can cite some examples of where I think he messed up. All of these examples involve policy decisions, and have nothing to do with his drunk driving arrest 30 years ago. Your thoughts? Cheers Jon S.

...Anyone else have a good low timer malfunction story??? _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ OK, I'll go first. Mine was my 14th jump. Turned a 10 second delay into a 20 because I couldn't locate my ripcord. Knew I was taking too much time so I sat up and pulled my chest-mount reserve at about 1200'. My 21st jump involved a PC hesitation. Was keeping an eye on my altimeter while looking past it and watching the snowy upstate NY landscape below. Kept this body position while pulling and counted off 3-4 seconds and noticed nothing was happening. Sat up to prepare for a reserve pull and felt some action as the T-10 deployed around 2000'. New Year's Day 1984. Cheers, Jon S.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ That's exactly what I had in mind, except for the part about the 4 pin container. The ones we used in my student days were the single nylon loop kind that we all use today. I'm not sure if I'm being paranoid due to lack of knowledge, or justifiably cautious due to a little knowlwdge. But then, others react this way to my belly band... Thanks, Jon

Next year the 25th anniversary of my first jump will fall on a Sunday. It would be neat to celebrate by jumping a T-10, preferably using a rig with a chest-mount reserve. Static line would be nice, but a freefall rig is acceptable. Anyone in or around Georgia got one available? Cheers, Jon S.

You're only 50???? Wish I could be there with you guys. When are you coming out to the Farm again? Cheers, Jon S.

...What all do I have to do to safely get in the air again? Yes, I gotta rent until I have my own gear... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Jump. Do a solo, or a simple small-way with someone who knows your current experience level. Plan for a high pull, and enjoy the ride. (This, after all, is the main reason you got into the sport in the first place, right?) Don't worry about the anxiety, it's part of the process. This does not need to cost more than a single jump ticket. I don't care how long you've been on the ground. If that "A" license means anything at all, it means you have learned the basics and can safely jumpmaster yourself. You should not have to endure a bunch of formal ground training. Take a ride in a hanging harness if one is available, go over the wind direction & pattern with an instructor, and get on the plane. Due to the current legislative mind-set of the sport's leadership you may be required to pay for some extra training, but you don't need it. Happy skies! Cheers, Jon S.

Sometimes the meanings are not difficult to figure out. Last week I had a dream in which we had moved, for whatever reason, into the unused upstairs floor of my Mom's house. My wife & I were trying to have some marital time, and Mom kept coming up with excuses to come upstairs to check on something. She even came into the room to make sure that my wife had set the alarm for work the next morning. I said "Mom, what are you doing?," to which she replied in a huff that it was HER house, etc.... Anyone who knew Mom would get it, as she spent years obsessing over others' lives while allowing hers to rot away. She had perfected the art of snooping & prying, while making it appear she was just focusing on some innocent detail and that we were overreacting to minor annoyances. Furthermore, my wife shares some of the qualities Mom had that eventually led to my parents' divorce. The conclusion: This dream illustrated how, even after her death, "Mom" is still distorting my marriage. Or it could have been the burrito I had for lunch. Either theory is equally valid. Cheers, Jon S.

October issue of what? Readers Digest? If that was meant to empress you can see that didn’t work. If you are that familiar with having your work published, why are you surprised that it was edited to meet the publications guidelines? (whatever publication you were talking about),,, _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ No intent to impress, just to allow the reader to better understand my perspective. It's not like the guy who almost never writes and gets his first letter published, then freaks out because it wasn't exactly the way he wrote it. Frankly, PARACHUTIST has treated me very well over the years. I have few complaints. Overall, I wasn't taken completely by surprise by the editor's decision, but thought it unecessary given the context in which my comments were made. That's all. It's the kind of "oh, by the way..." comment I'd have made to a group of friends hanging out at the picnic table over a sunset beer. Some of the people responding seem to think I'm far more bothered than I really am. I think it's funny. While I think the original text would have communicated the thought very well, I'm not wandering the streets at night pushing my stuff in a shopping cart, muttering and drooling on myself over the matter. And you're right: I did not clarify exactly which publication we were discussing. My error. Cheers again, Jon

N/A

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Relax. It was just an observation. Jon

...Have you ever done a ride-a-long with any type of law enforcement? I know you said someone in your family was a cop or something? If you haven't I would suggest you do. That is if you can handle sitting in the patrol car without getting nervous. (JK) It might make you understand a few things a little better. I'm not saying it would completely or even change your view point a little... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ It would enable me to understand the day to day realities of the job, but I'm not sure it would help me understand why they think they have the right to stop a guy and demand his ID just because he's walking along the roadside at 2:00am. I've been taking late-night walks for 30 years and have almost never been hassled. There was one time where I fit the description of someone they were looking for, but within moments they realized I wasn't the guy and thanked me & drove off. No search, no demand for ID, and no snoopy questions about where I was going, what I was doing, etc. I made it into my mid-30's with a good attitude about the police. That is, when I bothered to think about them in the first place. I really never gave the issue much thought. Of course, when I was driving along smoking pot with my friends we'd take care not to attract attention, but even then there were no hard feelings and no ugly attitudes. When I graduated into adult life in the mid-70's it was understood that the only way to attract a cop's attention was to do something wrong. I hung with a crowd that did not get involved in fast driving, throwing bottles & other litter from the car, shoplifting, burglary, assault, etc. The only trespass upon the law was getting high, which we were discreet about. We did not do things that would have resulted in many trips to the courthouse. I think back to my cross-country drive in 1978. I was 20 with a car full of my stuff and a bumper sticker that read "Warning - I Brake for Hallucinations." A California cop cited me for excessive smoke (from the tailpipe, that is) but otherwise did not use the occasion to further check me out and carry out a search. Today, I believe the bumper sticker alone would have triggered a visit from the K-9 unit and they would have arrested me for the tablespoon of weed I had packed away in my stuff. Today, it is not necessary to do anything wrong in order to be stopped, questioned, and even searched. Furthermore, we can now be hassled for doing many things that until recently, were perfectly legal. This change in the legal landscape has the effect of eroding respect for police. I still have plenty, but it's not the same as it used to be. My brother-in-law is a retired New York City cop. We share the same philosophy. (I'm sure he doesn't appreciate some of my comments, but he knows me well and understands what I DON'T mean when I say these things.) He focused as best he could on serving the public and chasing bad guys. He resented being used to hassle people for minor violations and would restrict this activity to the barest minimum he could without losing his job. If ordered to "boot" at least four illegally parked cars, he'd find four and no more. Furthermore, he'd look for local residents who presumeably knew the city laws, rather than the poor out-of-town visitor who is easily intimidated by the experience of driving in Manhattan. He'd write a ticket or make an arrest if he had to, but otherwise would seek to resolve a situation without doing so if it could be avoided. Much more to say, but my time's limited. Happy weekend, and hope you can get some sky. Today is the 24th anniversary of my first jump, the weather in Georgia is beautiful, and my rigs are out of date. Sigh, Jon

...That is so cool. You're just like Chuck Norris... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Nah. I'm uglier. Can you think of ANYTHING that someone could do that would make you very angry, even though you spend most of your time living a quiet, peaceful life and not bothering anybody? Would you get angry if someone decided to feel up your wife while she was shopping at the supermarket? Are you saying you WOULDN'T become insulted & annoyed, and possibly use force to defend your family? I think I have a very high tolerance for mistreatment before I risk reacting in such a way. Interfering with my children is one of those trigger items. The issue is not that I might react with force; the issue is that you would just stand there and allow it to happen. There is very little a cop might do that would provoke me in this manner. I'm not a fight waiting to happen, especially if you mind your own business and leave me alone. Cheers, Jon

...Please, if you wish to make nonsensical ad hominem attacks, have the respect for yourself and for the rest of us to at least bother to know what the hell you are talking about. If you think DZOs shouldn't be allowed to require whatever the hell they want, wouldn't this put you on the side of more regulation and, ergo, bigger government? If you're willing to throw such a big temper tantrum because somebody didn't want to repeat your grade-school name calling, why don't you just take your crayons and go home?... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Wow. "Temper tantrum?" Yes, the kettle is indeed black. Many, many good points being made in this thread. It's no surprise the editors would be wary of using the word, but there's a different standard between using it freely in an article vs. allowing a reader to use it in a letter. Yes, requiring an AAD or forcing an experienced jumper to pay for "recurrency training" after a few months off is far from mass murder. "Nazi" is a harsh word used to illustrate the enforcement of unnecessary regulation. In this context it was quite effective. Someone may be offended by the word; I'm offended that they're telling me I can't skydive safely without jumping through their short-sighted regulatory hoops. "Fascist" didn't occur to me, in part because I've never bothered to understand the precise definition of the word. We hear it frequently in political debate, but the people using it usually cannot define it if you ask them to do so. No conspiracy accusations here, just the belief that the people involved spend much time in an atmosphere where political correctness dominates the landscape. This is the sort of culture that has littered the national vocabulary with such linguistic roadblocks as "congresswoman," "spokesperson," "firefighter," "African American," "servicemen and women," etc. Besides, I think I said that I wasn't sure and could be wrong. I support the right of business owners (not just DZO's) to run their businesses as they see fit, and am not only opposed to more regulation but think we should roll back many existing regulations. Whether it's a law or just a DZ policy, the effect is the same: I can't jump there. Requiring AAD's is shortsighted and is hurting the sport by preventing some people from participating, as well as creating a mind-set among newer jumpers that failure to use an AAD is dangerous. These are the people who will be opening their own DZ's in a few years. Since all they know is life with mandatory AAD's, they will likely carry on the trend. This will make it more difficult, as time goes on, for people like me to participate. I gave some thought to posting in "Bonfire," but decided this forum would suffice. This is the part where I trust the moderators to make a correction if necessary. No blatant attempt to flout the rules here, just possibly some poor judgement. Apologies available upon request. Thanks all, Jon