tbrown

I agree, obsessed sounds so much nicer... Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

I was a 4 year old hula hoop maniac, I could go on forever with that thing. Tried it a little while back and almost hurt myself (sigh....). Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Gosh you sure are purty in a hat....how's that song go about "keep the hat on" ? Oh yeah, your question, right. I had a head case girlfriend back in school, like thirty years ago. She actually attacked me with a knife once, it was sudden and over some small thing. So it didn't last very long after that (we had to both find new places to live). Been married to a wonderful woman now for 23 years, she knows how to scream like a jet engine when she wants, but I'd hardly call her a bitch. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

I haven't held a license in ages, but I used to sell life insurance. Most of the big companies will cover skydiving, scuba, etc, but they will usually rate you. With the big companies it isn't too much, usually a little higher than what they'd rate you for smoking. The company I worked for required USPA membership because they respected USPA's safety standards (see, we do get some benefits inn strange places). When you apply, they'll ask you a whole bunnch of questions, including "hazardous" activities, which will specifically include skydiving. Don't try to hide it, because then if you bounce your false answer could void the entire policy and your family would get no more than a refund of paid premiums. The part about "being stuck with you" after so many years, is called INCONTESTABILITY. The waiting period varies according to the laws of whatever state you live in, but it's anywhere from 1 - 3 years most places. Incontestability allows the company those years to discover anything you might have hidden from them about your health, activities, any criminal record, etc. During the waiting period, they can void your policy if they find you witheld something substantiial from them. Once the waiting period is over, you've become incontestable, they can no longer challenge anything about your background, so long as you keep up with your premiums. In my own case I really lucked out because I hadn't jumped in over 12 years when I bought the policy and became incontestable some 5 or 6 years before I started back up again. It's not any easy out for most people, unless you've already had a policy for a few years. If you do hold a policy that's a few years old, grill your agent hard about incontestability. He'll probably be shocked to hear you know about it. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Nothing wrong with newbies jumping together, but keep it small, like no more than 3 or 4. In the old days that was basically how you learned RW (huh ? That's a term used in the old days for formation flying on your belly...). We'd just sorta flail around in 2, 3, and 4 ways until we'd eventually start getting it right, usually by the end of summer and just before the first snowfall. Keeping it small will allow you to work on the basics, on your skills. Especially if you're jumping with a steady friend or friends. You'll be frustrated with poor results if there are more people than that (you're going to have to deal with some frustration as it is, regardless, but that's part of learning). The other huge consideration is safety. I'm still remembering a 6 way load back 25 years ago. I wasn't there that day, but knew all six people involved. Only one of them had over 100 jumps. On the face of it, they really shouldn't have gone as a 6 way, two 3 ways would've been safer and might've prevented what happened. One of the newbies dumped underneath somebody else. The guy who dumped survived with massive bruising all over his body. The freefaller who was dumped on went in without a pull (probably knocked out & we didn't use AADs in those days). It was a bad day and it coulda shoulda been prevented with a little more common sense. Be safe, have fun, try to stick with the same friends so you can learn faster and always welcome experienced coaching any way you can get it. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Get the finger checked out. Besides, it will look hilarious with a splint and/or big bandage on it. Especially after several beers.... Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Yeah, all true, but I remember back in the seventies when I was appalled at the $420 price tag on a Paracommander. And $5 to 7500 and $8 to 12,500 were just about killing me because I was making something like $4.11 an hour and paying $165 a month for rent. It's never been a cheap sport. As tough as things are, and they are tough, we should be grateful we're not paying the kind of prices that are common in Europe or So. Africa, where we hear that $25-30 a jump is not uncommon. Are things going downhill ? Maybe so, I'm hoping not. Not hiding my head in the sand, just refusing to give up hope. Or in the worst case, to get in as many jumps as possible before it becomes too difficult or impossible. Sorry to hear about your injuries, hope you're recovering well. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Prozac is an antidepressant, not a tranquilizer. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

To clarify one thing, a grammatical mistake. I realized it might appear I'm challenging Sangiro's ownership of these forums and that is not the case, nor my intention. The comment was aimed at the same fellow the rest of the comments were aimed at. Sangiro absolutely owns this whole website, it's his property and I absolutely respect that. I just wish he'd keep the cyber bullies on a leash a little better. I have no regrets about ANYTHING else I said. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

42%. I even tried to guess opposite, if they looked sexy I voted for virgin & figured that the ugly ones were gettin' it. Oh well... Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Okay pal, here it is in plain English. (Lots of plain english deleted) (I know I'll get in deep shit with Sangiro for this, but Jesus Christ, does this guy OWN these forums ?) Sangiro does indeed own these forums. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Just my opinion, but I don't think new people with low numbers should be using old canopies that have gone out of production. Para Flite used to be THE premier sport canopy company in the business. Their decline and eventual exit from the sport market leads me to conclude that their products just couldn't cut the mustard. We see a lot of people still jumping the original Sabre canopy, which is basically the canopy that drove Para Flite into their tailspin. But the Sabre's a proven design, one that's since been improved on, but even the original is still widely used. If you buy the Turbo, you're comitting yourself to a canopy you won't be able to sell for any kind of a decent price. A Turbo might be fun for a canopy collector with the experience to enjoy its flight characteristics. But for you, start with something that's widely used, accepted, and understood. There are oodles of used Spectres and Sabres out there for great prices. And even a brand new Pilot can be had for some great discount prices. If you were just learning how to fly, would you rather learn in a Cessna or a Curtiss Jenny ? Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

All depends on what you mean by "religious". Regardless of denomination or creed, I see it as two different types of religious. One is the "Pharisee" type, who like to go around pointing the finger at all the "sinners" (though any faith will tell you we are all sinners). They tend to stand more for thhe AUTHORITY of organized religion and tend to be bullies. Then there's the kind who prefer not to showboat their faith, but to live it. They instill it in their children, they practice a loving, giving, and forgiving brand of religion. These people are just trying to struggle their way through life while finding and hopefully creating some hope for the people around them. They also tend to shun the organized Bible beaters because they've had quite enough of them. Jesus had quite a lot to say about the High Priests and Pharisees & it wasn't very flattering. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

I'm just surprised they're not investigating US. We all own parachute systems capable of gliding over 20 mi. if we open them high enough, not to mention what a terrorist with a winsuit could do on a nighht dive. That and our easy access to all those twin turbos. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

So why am I thinking of Wiley Coyote ?? Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Go ahead. At least by now you understand there are two wars going on and you'll probably be going to at least one of them. At any rate, you won't be like some of these dumb kids who think it's just an occasional weekend in exchange for free college money. And it is serving your country too and that's an honorable profession. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

You coulda used the freebag for a breech cloth, by wrapping the bridle around you like a belt.... Roger Nelson told a story once about a naked night jump where he landed in the middle of a county fair. He wrapped himself toga style in his canopy and ran like hell. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

No option for just leave things they way they are ? Phooey! Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

[Now do you understand? Yes your grace. A thousand pardons, your grace, my eyes are opened and even now I am spanking my unworthy bottom. I never did answer the question though, how low would I go ? Aside from my equipment having a built in limitation of 750 ft, I wouldn't go below 2 grand. I've got a family and if somebody doesn't think enough of their own life to use an AAD, then why should I care ? Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

My ego's been torn to shreds and my heart broken a few times I think Phreezone says it best, "If it can't kill you, it's not a sport, it's only a game". I'd suggest you ask your girlfriend to start getting rough with you in bed. And if you don't have a girlfriend - go out & rent one. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

"Okay Flyboy, let's have a look at your packing card !" Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Ron, you're always talking about "dependency" on AAD's. I read a lot of your posts and have a high degree of respect for your opinions, save for the AAD issue. I don't think an intelligent decision to use an AAD equals "dependency". In the old days, the seventies, I made over 500 jumps without any AAD. We didn't think they were reliable, we thought they were potentially dangerous. We always used to say they were a good idea in principle, BUT.... Those were in the days before the Cypres settled the reliability issue. And those were the days when real people I knew went in because they never pulled, pulled too low, were knocked out, etc. Real people with hundreds, or even thousands of dives. They're dead. Bobo Bonadies is dead (and I used to know him in the old days). They're DEAD. Nowadays I jump with both a Cypres and a RSL. I'm not on fucking training wheels and I don't "depend" on them. My wife and kids might be depending on them, but I'm not. I just think it's nice to know that if I'm knocked out, something's going to save me, even if it does sully the "purity" of the sport. God willing I'll go through all my future years of jumping without ever having a Cypres fire. There are people who have retired their first Cypres after 12 years without it's firing once. That's the basic idea. I did say that anyone who's awake and conscious after a Cypres fire deserves a kick in the ass and a grounding to ponder their future in the sport. And I menat it. An AAD is not a toy of convenience, or a backup for the terminally lazy (and if you're THAT lazy, then something's gonna getcha no matter what...). As for the "yuppie" argument by the preceding gentleman, forgive me for not recalling your name, I am no yuppie. I was laid off from Boeing two years ago, have been getting along on half the pay, have a wife & two teenage kids and bought my rig with genuine U.S. plastic, which I'll be paying off for years to come. I am no fuckin' yuppie. But if I can afford it, anybody can. By the way, if you go to the Incidents column, there were two freeflyers at Cross Keys who weren't paying attention to their altitude. the first one was snapped out of it by his Cypres firing. He's alive. The other guy was a "real" skydiver, who elected not to have an AAD. He pulled his reserve, but too late. He's DEAD. So say what you want about "dependency". The living and the dead speak more eloquently than anything you or I can say. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

About two years ago, an AFF Instructor named Robert Bonadies, or "Bobo" to those who knew him, was killed going for a low save on an out of control student. Only the student had a Cypres in her rig, Bobo didn't have one in his. He actually caught her and got her main opened, then went in as her Cypres fired her reserve and she landed under both canopies. He violated the procedures going below 2 grand and the real tragedy is that he didn't need to and only killed himself. It's been debated as to whether he actually endangered his student by giving her a double canopy situation. Maybe he did. His motivation was selfless and the Carnegie Foundation actually gave his family a medal. But it was a pointless way to die. The situation we're debating here doesn't even have to happen if everyone would just cough up the $1250 it takes for a Cypres. All this blather about "depending" on AAD's is a bunch of crap. Anybody who is conscious and awake after a Cypres fire needs a good kick in the ass and a grounding to think things over, but at least they're alive. This shit just doesn't have to happen anymore, it really is that simple. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

We have two. No more (I'm fixed). They're teenagers now, good kids and two of the best things that ever happened (Thing One & Thing Two...). But if I can't ever point to anything else I've ever done with my life, I can point to them and really mean it. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

I don't use an audible myself (yet), nor am I an instructor. But the things are a fact of life and a lot of students will be buying them sooner or later anyway. Might just as well admit that and start teaching them how to use one properly. I see no harm at all in setting a flatline at 2000, or even 2500 ft for a student, and maybe setting the "pull" tone for about 500 ft lower than they're supposed to pull (4 grand for an assigned 4500 ft pull, etc). That way, if they even hear the beep they know they're late. If they're doing their job, they won't hear a thing. And a flatline is a flatline, every extra warning can only help. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !