tbrown

Oh yeah, with my dad in a Ford Pinto with a 4 speed stick. We used to go out to an empty village that was being developed from nothing, then went bankrupt. So it was deserted, except had streets everywhere. Now I'm teaching some friends' 18 year old how to drive a stick because that's what they got for her. They don't have the patience for her either. So far she's doing alright. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

I'm an "old guy", so I tend to listen to older rock stuff, a lot of which I associate with good times on dropzones in the seventies. The Cars have a bunch of tunes, especially "Let the Good Times Roll" that are great. Some of the older Rolling Stones, like "Gimme Shelter" or "Parachute Woman" (they really did such a song, it's a great dirty blues on thheir Beggar's Banquet album). Blue Oyster Cult's "Don't Fear the Reaper" was a serious cult classic in the sport back in the day. Mostly it just has to have the adrenaline FEEL to it. I try to explain to people that it's not quiet up there, but a shrieking loud adrenaline packed minute of weightless thrills. Anything thhat conveys that feeling is good. And that includes a lot of Hendrix. He's absolutely timeless, nothing at all dated about his music. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

One of the videographers pulled at what looked like a little lower than I. He had a really long snivel and my heart stopped for a second as I thought I was about to watch him go in. Anybody who passes you by when you've just dumped is going to look like that. They're not crazy, it's just a little unnerving to see how fast YOU were just falling until a moment ago. The only camera jumper I ever saw go in was in Florida, back in the seventies. The guy had been grounded from a number of dropzones for chronic low pulls (below 2 grand, which is a LOW pull in anybody's book). Anyway, he was shooting a 16 way dive and after breakoff was filming another one of the jumpers cutting away from a streamer malfunction. The other guy's cutaway and reserve opening went just fine and then this guy pulled - below a grand. It was a ripcord deployed main and the spring mounted pilot chute bounced right over his head and snagges his camera. There was no time for a cutaway, so he did the only thing he could and pulled his reserve, entangling both canopies and wham. The whole thing was over so fast that even the people who saw it didn't understand exactly what had happened. He really truly pulled WAY too low. Below 2 grand is too low, below 1 grand is way too low. Considering the nature of his problem, pulling at a correct altitude might not have necessarily helped, but he'd have had more time to work with it. But pulling between 2 and 3 grand is and should be considered perfectly acceptable for an experienced camera jumper. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

There are a lot of things in our sport that might be considered a breach of human rights, simply because there is a low tolerance for people who cannot or will not jump safely. I think we've all known of some student who was handed their walking papers because they couldn't get the hang of pulling above 2 grand or some other inane kind of behavior. This isn't a sport for eveybody, some people simply should NOT be skydiving. But speaking as a person who takes an antidepressant and who has had periodic brushes with depression for many years, I don't see any reason why a person who is managing their condition can't skydive, or even why it should be anybody else's business. Personally, and I can only speak for myself, if I'm having a problem with depression I don't even want to skydive and won't even go out to a dropzone. For me, skydiving requires a degree of confidence and feeling good about myself in order to get on the plane, if I'm not feeling good about life the last thing in the world I want to do is amuse myself by taking a calculated risk on my life. I also think a lot of mental health professionals are nutty as fruitcakes themselves. A lot of them aren't even MDs anyway and I'm not about to let some nutty PhD pass judgement on my ability to safely enjoy myself. If you look closely at your USPA renewal, we're all supposed to have some kind of a medical certificate from a doctor, or else sign off on some kind of a statement swearing to god that we think we're good to go anyway. I think we just have to leave it at that, or else strictly enforce the medical certificate thing - and I don't think USPA's going to do that. This is starting to sound like some of the other "fad crises" that periodically pop up in these forums, like people who suddnely get concerned that their reserve might not open, so maybe they should wear a second reserve, etc. Last year in thhe U.S. there was ONE death where suicide MIGHT have been a contributing factor, with an older jumper who had suffered a stroke a few years back. But he was also jumping older gear, had no AAD and in light of his medical history it was probably just a cascade of events that resulted in his unfortunate death, and though possibly a suicide, it doesn't appear all that likely. The Brits on the other hand seem to have had a bit of a rough patch with this issue lately. But who was the latest one to go ? A walk-in first jump student, who appeared "completely normal" ? We all have to look out for our friends, but requiring a stack of paperwork is neither practical or desirable. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Without coaching it's simply crazy. I mean there are some people who learn quickly enough and/or have enough natural ability that they should be allowed to progress quickly, but it would take coaching to evaluate that kind of ability. The PD website has an article on the performance and flight characteristics of the Vengeance and if I recall, it uses a Stiletto as the closest comparable canopy. As for not paying you for a repack, I'd get the word out and ask that all the DZ's in your area ban this little boy's cheap ass until he pays you whatever you want to charge him, at least double, if not more - and refuse to ever pack for him again. Hell, just file a police report and have the little bastard arrested. a night in jail would do him some good. He doesn't sound like he has the maturity to skydive at all, let alone fly a high performance canopy. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Yes, but it does not mean you will not either. I think a clinically depressed person should be cleared to skydive by a mental heath professional. Skydiving Instructors, or DZO's that I know are not qualified to make that call. That being said I don't think that anti-depression meds should automaticly ground anyone either. But I think that is a case for a mental heath professional as well. I can think of enough local jumpers to form at least an 8 Way team called "Lexipro". They're all well adjusted people who use a little prescribed chemical assistance to regulate some painful moods. Actually, they're the ones taking the RESPONSIBILITY for their health enough to do something about it. There are too many people out there, and in our sport, who ignore it, try to tough it out, or drown it in alcohol. They're the more potentially dangerous ones. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Medications are the same as alcohol when driving. If they impair your ability to drive, they're a DUI. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

I think sitting as close to the door as possible is a part of the experience, so they can see people fall away from the plane. It's an unforgettable sight that still gets me every time and it just blows their minds. Unfortunately there have been just enough nimrods who have actually tried to jump, with the result that most places require a seat in the cockpit, or else have discontimued the practice altogether - which is a real shame. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Ai chihuahua !!! Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Nice puppy dogs (they are puppies, I hope). Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

No, actually it isn't. I'ts closer to Love Canal than, say L.A., but that's about it. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

LSD Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

I used to own and psycho pack a 190 Spectre and never had a problem with it. As far as rolling the nose, I can't imagine why anybody would want to roll the nose on a Spectre, unless they want or enjoy 1000 ft + openings. I did notice that your timeline sequence includes waving off and clearing your airspace. You need to realize that you're doing that in freefall and burning up something like 176 ft per second while you are. A fair evaluation of your deployment time & altitude can only begin with the moment you throw your p/c. If you start there, I wouldn't be surprised if you cut your altitude loss almost in half. I jump a Pilot nowadays and have helped a friend to Psycho pack his Pilot a few times. I definitely notice a difference in the amount of material that can be pulled out to the side of the pack roll, which I attribute to the shorter height of a 9 cell canopy vs the height of a 7 cell. My old Spectre always left me plenty of room to pull material out to the side ( I never did use a bridle extension - they're not really necessary, but are recommended if you decide to settle into Psycho packing for the long term). Finally, Psycho packing is really just a different bagging method - even PD agrees with that. Until you actually roll the thing up like a sleeping bag, it's identical to a Pro-pack. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

yes, but remeber, us 25 year olds have experiance and aren't to the point where we need a geritol like the 30 year olds... I'm fifty and I stand by my remarks. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Well they let Bush ride a mountain bike don't they ? Nobody stopped Jerry Ford from beaning innocent golfers on the head. And WHERE was the Secret Service when Jimmy Carter had to fend off the ferocious mad bunny rabbit with a canoe paddle ?! I don't see how they can tell the Prez he can't do anything he wants, as long as it's legal. They might shoot anyone foolish enough to pie the guy on his hundredth jump, it might be safer to ask the First Lady to do the honors on that occasion. They'd probably have to have a GK carry the "nuclear football" on every dive. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

I didn't realize that Japan and Italy already have the 767 tanker. It is amazing how long the KC135 has served, and they still have 500 in service. The tanker is so crucial to the capability of the air force, it is awful that the scandal at Boeing led to the delay of such an important program. It's a shame that the 767 line will have to close down, but in Renton, WA the 757 line has shut down too (they're narrow & widebody sister ships). Both are eighties designs and have been surpassed by the 777 and surprisingly, the 737. As for the ethics, Boeing's a perfect example of giving the wrong people enough rope to hang themselves and they've done a magnificent job of it. During the years I was there (1988 - '93 and 1996 - 2002), mandatory ethics training was instituted for the rank and file on the floor - which was exactly the wrong place for it, as none of Boeing's ethical problems orignated on the floor. We got more solemn bullshit messages from crooks like Phil Condit and Harry Stonecipher about how critically important ethics were, while the boardroom was a cesspool of insider stock trades and Phil & Harry keeping a harem of women employees. They offered A JOB at Boeing to the woman at DOD who was in charge of bidding the 767 tanker program (she's in prison now, but not them). Phil finally got sacked after too many scandals, investigfations and cancelled contracts. Harry had to go when he was conducting an extramarital affair on company email (how stupid is THAT ?). Boeing used to be a cool place to work, but their upper management has turned the place into a shithole and a whorehouse. And the greater Seattle and Southern California communities have had to suffer from it. Personally I refused to accept a recall offer last summer, just in time to avoid (another) strike by the Machinists Union (they're another lovely story, if you've got a month or two to listen). Boeing's just another once great American company that's taken a running leap into the dumpster. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

I've wanted to fuck her ever since "Lost In Translation". (No translation needed.) Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Mine is just like the Pilot canopy on the home page. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Nice. The old website was really not worthy of such a great dropzone. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Wouldn't "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" be more suitable for the Skagit Valley in April ?? Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

I remember it, was there once in 1974. Didn't jump though because of the winds, I was still a student. Also didn't have my USPA membership taken care of yet - they gave me the card and that's how I first signed up. Met two people there who I saw more of at Seneca Falls. Carole went in about a year and a half later, Pete is still jumping nowadays I think, he was a dedicated Style & Accuracy guy. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

My brother in law moved his family from Arizona to Georgia six or seven years ago and his kids told us "You wouldn't believe what they call the Civil War in school!". Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Shrink wrap her car. When all the teary goodbyes are said, add something like, "Oh, we'll be seeing each other soon", because you will. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

This Saturday, April 29th will be an Appreciation Day for Sparky at Perris Valley, in conjunction with the monthly celebration of Air Trash Day (you don't wanna know...). Come one, come all and wear something orange! Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

"American Idol" my ass, "Teletubbies" are on ! Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !