tbrown

So, ah - do any of you budding young pornographers have tales to relate from the American Boogie ? We're all ears out here in the flatlands..... Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

A sad end to a pitiful life. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

You're committing suicide every time you get out of an airplane until you decide to alter the inevitable course...by throwing out a limp piece of cloth that you hope will catch air and pull out a little stainless steel pin that you can bend with your fingers. If nothing goes wrong there, then all you need if for a bunch of slack lines to release in the proper order from a bag that is being drug away from you without any real sort of stabilization, then dumps a mass of material (without shape) into a 120 mph slipstream. You're then relying on the fact that air should go into the mass of material and sort it out...taking you from 120 mph (or faster ) to near 0 mph in somewhere around 4-5 seconds (try that in your car and see how safe you feel). If all that doesn't kill you, you've still got to fly this inflated mass of nylon through the air with no source of power to create lift if you need a go-around or something. You fly into some sort of a pattern with a bunch of other people who probably have no true flight training, then attempt to time a last ditch effort to create lift from your mass of nylon just in time to keep you from glancing off the ground while going 25 mph. You make it sound so scary....the funny part is though that thousands of people do exactly that several times a day on almost any weekend. I guess the bottom line is that we need to be free to make the decision for ourselves and not have some "well meaning" government calling the shots in order to "protect" us from ourselves. I could probably use similar language and style to describe how you get out of bed, shower, dress and make breakfast every morning. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

The things actually work amazingly well. Sadly, if you look in the Incidents thread, some poor guy in Germany just died because he messed around with a spinning main down to around 500 ft before he finally cutaway. His reserve was actually deploying when he hit the ground. If he'd just acted sooner, he could've written his own "my first cutaway" piece. This really IS a no-foolin' sport. It's not for everyone. we all have to accept that the worst can happen - and then do our damndest to make sure it doesn't. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

I'll drink to that. Even though I'm a pro-Obama type. Burris is a shitbag too, and a lying shitbag to boot. Why don't we all grow up and admit to one another that ALL politicians are skanky to the core ? But as regular decent hard working types won't step up to the plate, we have to choose which ones we think are the less evil ones. That's never changed - and never will. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

For WHAT, having an affair ?? Grow the fuck up. Even though it would mean one less Republic-hole in the Senate, I think it's a ridiculous reason to resign. Everyone knows politicians of any stripe are just like rock stars - they do it for pussy. If the Republic-holes want to fume about their Christian family value image, that's their fucking problem. I'm enjoying the show. Newt Gangrene shot the family values bullshit in the head when he forced one of his many ex-wives to sign a divorce settlement just as she was coming out of anesthetic from cancer surgery. A devoted family type that Newt... If Ensign feels so miserable about the whole thing, he can just go out in the garage and hang himself. That's his privilege. But resign from the Senate ? Ridiculous ! Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

I am not suggesting ANYONE chop cuz they have line twists or a stuck slider (unless the feel they need to) and as I stated in my original reply (obviously the specifics of the mal would matter).....If you believe its fixable, by all means fix it, but once you realizxe or believe it is not fixable, dont wait to chop because you reserve might not work properly, thats all I was getting at. First, I once watched a friend under a hung up slider break his back on impact. A hung up slider is really serious if it's 3 ft or more above the risers - your wing can't take it's proper shape to fly you safely. My friend "tried to fix it" until he realized he was too low to cutaway, at which point he had no choice but to settle on his malfunctioned canopy being better than a freefall impact. He could have avoided a lot of pain and suffering with a quick cutaway somewhere above 1500 ft. Second, while I'm a believer in doing things like pulling both toggles down to chill out a misfired brake, and some decisive twisting around to undo a line twist, this is no time for improvised rigging. "Low speed" malfunctions are especially dangerous precisely because you'd like to think you can fix them. When you have a screaming high speed baglock, you're all action, hyperventilating "oh shit !" while you pull handles so fast you can hardly remember how you did it. But a "low speed" mal gets your nerves on edge. It's a bad feeling, you want to make it good and you have too much time to get scared of cutting away. It's what I call "Titanic syndrome" - fear of leaving the big "safe" ship in a lifeboat. After all a ship that big can't really sink, not with YOU onboard, can it ? Hell yes it can ! Whatever the problem is, check your altitude. Observe your hard deck. If you have a little time and altitude, make ONE attempt, then check your altitude again. If it's not cleared by your hard deck, go for your handles. Aside from saving yourself, your self confidence will get an enormous boost. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

This asshole lives and preaches in MY town. What a fucking embarrassment. I just HATE preachers who justify lunatic shit like this with the most obscure scriptural technicalities, like "imprecatory prayer". In all my life, and several different denominations running the gamut from Roman Catholic to Assemblies of God, I've never even HEARD of this bullshit. All assholes like him do is drive people away from the church - and someday he'll have to answer for it. In the meantime, he still really does belong in jail. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Nothing a Republic-hole says surprises me. they're the White People's Partei and are currently undergoing an ideological purge to drive out their last voices of moderation. Soon only the purest blooded Aryan assholes will remain. They're SO fuckin' stupid they don't even realize what a good looking woman the Firs Lady is. But they're not as stupid as they're just plain EVIL. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

In fact, what right wing wingnut got fired for advocating or rejoicing in the death of Dr. Tiller ? None. Letterman's boosting his ratings while Conan is taking over the Tonight Show. If you don't like Letterman, don't fucking watch him. That is all. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

The guy belongs in jail. He has clearly used the public airwaves to advocate the assasination of the President of the United States. That is a felony. Lock his ass up and throw away the key. I'd have said the same for any fucking preacher who might have said the same about Bush, though I've never heard of an instance of that happening. A lot of you on these forums are too young to remember what a presidential assasination, or even a near assasination is like. I was 8 years old when JFK got it and 25 when Reagan nearly died. It is NOT the American way and it's time the wingnuts woke up to the fact. and while he's in jail, beat him until he's a cripp;le with a shattered jaw. Fucking preachers, I hate em all. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

While skydiving is inherently dangerous, I don't really accept the claim that it "isn't safe". I'm a rather cautious person and if jumping was really that dangerous, I wouldn't do it. Which is why I choose not to BASE jump or get into canopy swooping. I did take a 22 year break from the sport, partly to raise a family, and partly because I'd lost so many friends in the old days that I was finally spooked into believing my number was coming up if I didn't quit. My list of friends who have died is at least two dozen names long and I can never remember all of their names at any one time. Thankfully, almost all of them are from the old days and have been gone for a long time. After returning six years ago there are finally two new names as well, plus one good friend who was seriously injured last month. But even though I broke a leg five years ago, I'm feeling pretty upbeat about jumping these days. I believe the sport IS safer than it used to be. The reward so far outweighs the risk that it's not bothering me these days. But that can always change, in a year or in a day. It's a very personal equation and I respect anyone's choice as to whether or not they want to stay in "our little sport". Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Start a fire in your room when you leave. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

I'd never have 18 kids in the first place (got myself fixed after two). But 18 girlfriends sounds like a challenge I'd be willing to take on. You didn't say I'd have to keep the difficult ones, five or six would be plenty after a while. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

It's only been a day or so now, doesn't anybody have a single thought about James von Brunn shooting up the Holocaust Museum in Washington ?? Or the fact that he killed a guard ? WTF people, we've got pages and pages of assholes calling Sonya Sotomayor a "racist" and nobody's even started a thread on the real thing walking into a museum and killing people. What the fuck is WRONG with you people anyway ?!? This isn't an anti-gun rant either, I am completely in favor of law abiding citizens' right to bear arms, so fuck off on that angle of the discussion as well. Maybe the Republic-holes who are calling Sotomayor a "racist" should run van Brunn for Congress. He's not dead yet and seems to be their kind of guy. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

I'm calling for mandatory firearm training in all schools, the younger, the better. Make it a required class, and that will take the thrill out of it for almost all kids. I would no more want the public schools to teach my kids how to shoot than how to pray. Period. That said, when I was young, we found a BB gun in the basement of a house we had just moved into. My dad set up a basement target range and taught us all safety and marksmanship according to what he'd been trained in the Navy. And although I've never chosen to own a gun myself, I've always valued his instruction. I just don't want the government shoving ANYONE's program down school kids' throats. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Yup, it's there... "I've still got my "Support Your Local Hooker" T-shirt. I was at the meet in 1977, and was on the winning team in the 5 way scrambles. The prize was a 30 minute gift certificate, and according to my logbook entry the name of the prize was "Christine." Oh yes, there's a trophy. The girls though my solid red Paradactyl looked like a giant valenetine. Joe, knocking on the door in the morning: "Harry, are you up yet?" Female voice from under the covers: "Not yet, but I'm working on it." Blue Skies! Harry " That's a quote from our friend, the late Harry Leicher, aka "It'llclear" at these forums. Harry went in last year after a massive heart failure left him unresonsive under a spinning canopy at Perris. He is greatly missed by many many skydivers and many more pilots who he trained as a flight instructor. He was a wonderful, one in a million kind of guy. Check out his memorial in the Blue Skies thread. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Dude, that was awesome. They even saved the little girl and her daddy. I liked the little plug for skydiving at the end. Seven years old and I was totally hooked. "Use only the best equipment - and keep it safe !" Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

One of the more interesting things about this whole mess is that Judge Sotomayor cannot defend herself under the rules of the game. She has to wait for her hearing before the Judiciary Committee before she can say one word. But in the meantime, the Republicholes can heap all the lies and vilifications they want on her in an attempt to poison people's minds against her. After all, character assassination is not only their specialty, it's their hobby. I say let them, because in the end most Americans get fed up with an underdog who's been jumped by a pack of thugs. I think the Republicholes will turn public opinion even further against them. And in the end, Justice Sotomayor will be seated anyway. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

I'm glad you left Perris off your list. Wouldn't know about narcotics, except that they're illiegal and uncool to be asking about. But they're still a fact of life in America, so I don't think ANY dropzone is drug free after hours - though they're all mercifully more discrete about it than the wild and woolie days back in the seventies. As for the rest, you can find them all at any of these dropzones. Just yesterday we were observing two busty female cannibal types drinking beers out by the pool at 9:30am and were agreed that both would probably be available by noon, especially as some "gentlemen" were already bringing them an additional pitcher. So definitely bring your videocam along. And by the way - we do have some really excellent skydiving, if you feel so inclined.... Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Looks terrific ! So, does she have a sister ? Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Complete bullshit. Complete garbage spewing Republican slash & burn "we may not run this country anymore, but we can still trash what's left of it" bullshit. Her judicial record, if anyone would bother to READ it, tells the whole story. But the Republicans either can't read, or don't want to read anything but their own bullshit. so they'd rather call a woman who's realized the American dream a racist, because it's easy, cheap, and emotional. It's bullshit. I won't even debate this asshole crap. It's just complete and utter bullshit. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

I think that's a lot of it, just like I think a lot of the anti Obama spleen is simply because he's black and has a foreign sounding name. On the other hand, since I was myself referring to her as "Heil Hillary" only last year in the primaries, there is something to her style and personality. She's a very smart and determined woman and I certainly don't hold her ambition against her. But she's smug and condescending. She lacks believable sincerity. I wouldn't want her to wish me a happy birthday. I'm grateful that she's NOT the President this year, though I still think she's a good fit running the State Dept. The fact that her husband behaved like an asshole during the primaries helped to finish her off. She and Bubba both share an incredible lawyerly arrogance - when they didn't like the way the vote had gone in the Texas caucuses they openly talked about a legal challenge, not to the outcome of the cuacuses, but the WAY that Texans choose to hold them. It was like if Texans wouldn't vote their way, they could sue them into submission. Mr. and Mrs. Obama are lawyers too, but they don't project the kind of "we can do anything we want" arrogance that's the trademark of both Clintons. I mean, what IS your definition of "sex" anyway ? Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

You two need some big strong men to carry you around the dropzone. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Well a lot of them do because they've had it drummed into them by the terrorist FOX Network that it's okay to kill anyone FOX doesn't like. I think Bill O'Reilly and company should be rounded up under the patriot Act and taken to Gitmo for a bit of waterboarding to see just how much they can tell us about all this. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !