MakeItHappen

Jan, do we know the terms of the settlement? No. But I have not read all the court docs. There are thousands of pages in this case now. I just read a 449 page depo. The lawyers are winning so far. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

Update on this lawsuit. USPA has settled with the plaintiffs. SE and Dave Roberts are the only two defendants left and they are not getting an infusion of cash from USPA like the plaintiff. see attachment . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

Glad to hear that you are doing well. Keep up the good work. Now, have you done a GoLow slot or two? Try it with both suits. You won't be disappointed. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

Have you actually pulled the RC and felt the difference between the steel cable and the bungee, stretchy RC? What are the differences? length of pull stroke? pull forces? pull directions? etc . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

As I understand it, parents and legal guardians can sign waivers for the minors they are responsible for and these are legally admissable (I'm not a lawyer but I am a parent) otherwise schools and other organsations who take kids away canoeing or climbing or on other 'hazardous' activities couldn't operate (I know, don't beat me up on the definition of hazardous, its not mine). Not meaning to be picky, but you didn't really mean to say that did you? There isn't some dark legal concept somewhere that we don't generally know about is there? having said that, riggerrob in his post said something similar about a parental consent signature 'not holding up in court'. Does anyone have any links to anything which gives details about this? If there are really any precedents, most grateful to receive them. The school waivers usually are the parent(s) entering into a hold harmless agreement. They cannot sue. But that contract says nothing about the kid suing. There was a (non skydiving) lawsuit a few years ago where the kid sued the parents and the place he got hurt at. I *think* the rules are such that the kid has to wait until he's 18 (or age of majority) before he can sue. I do not know how that works with the statute of limitations either. You'll also find that 'parental consent' becomes very sticky when the parents are divorced. The situation where "Mommy gives consent, Dad objects, kid gets hurt" can make things very bad. I recall some (non-skydiving) lawsuit on this one too. Sorry I don't have links to those lawsuits. Google may be your friend or a lawyer friend that can search case law for it. You'll get better answers by calling attorneys or using the online lawyer help websites. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

That case was fucked up by the USPA attorney and the USPA Executive Committee. The posts partially quoted, taken out of context and/or mis-attributed in the complaint did not in any way shape or form validate claims by the plaintiffs. The lawyer & EC were the people that screwed up, not people that made posts here or anywhere. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

IIRC, the Russians established jump training from AC c1920. The Germans later followed under Kurt Student. The US started much later, c1942. There was a lot of resistance within the US Army Air Corp to even let pilots wear parachutes. Russia and Germany were way ahead of the US on that issue. After US pilots saw that the German pilots saved themselves after being shot down, the US warmed up to the idea of giving pilots a parachute. I have it in a reference that I will be perusing next week or it might be in a book I do not have access to and is out of print (but I read it years ago). I'll list it on Skydive History when I find it. Depending on your definition of 'dropzone' you could even consider the places that the early balloonists dropped jumpers to be 'the first'. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

Lets just say I will have no social life whatsoever the next 6-7 years. The application process really isn't all that demanding; the G.P.A. requirement is 2.5 on a 4.0 scale. But you have to do your absolute best in order to get into the graduate pharmacy program. Hence why I'm not going to have a life outside of school for a long time starting soon. Here ya go: To Whom it May Concern: I am a graduate of the school of hard knocks. This previous education has taught me that I need to apply myself more, be diligent in my studies and cultivate the self-discipline required to succeed. I have set my sights on a B.S. in molecular biology, as a stepping stone to becoming a pharmacist. I realize this is a difficult challenge. I am willing to apply myself more today than yesterday because of the life lessons I learned at the school of hard knocks. My motivation is sustained by early lessons about what an aimless life yields. I implore you to render a favorable decision to my admission to the great university of [insert name here]. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

Check out SkydiveHistory.com One tidbit per day, 6 days a week. Sunday is a day of rest ya know. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

These are the signs. You should pay attention to them. Watch the video again and check your arms and leg positions. What you should be learning on all those last out dives is how to use a change in body position to slow you down and not depend on the jumpsuit so much. Most people dive and then go straight to a flat stable/boxman position. Learn how to go into a slow fall body position at the end of your dive above the formation, then once you match the formation's fall rate, go to neutral and use small adjustments to approach and dock. There is no rule that says you have to be low on a formation to use a slow fall body position. A slow fall body position is a excellent way to brake for speed after a dive. Try this with the small jumpsuit plus a tshirt or long sleeve shirt. See Go-Low Slot FMI on how to practice this without any worry about not getting in the formation. The end result will be a faster dive and less floaty in the formation. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

To add some more to what you are learning.... There are 3 ways to adjust your fall rate. 1. Body Position 2. Jumpsuit size/material 3. Weight You have to evaluate all three after each jump to see if you need to change them. The post dive video is a great 3rd person view of body position. Check your arms and legs. Many people do not realize that they have their legs out of the wind to stay down with the formation. They think they have great body position, but it comes at the cost of not driving towards the center. Booties add a LOT of drag and can sometimes make you have to arch harder in order to stay in position. That is not what you want. I think that after you have done another 100 +100-ways you'll find your big suit waaaaay too big for you. When you first used it last fall, KC came over to me and said 'You realize he's wearing a balloon suit - don't you?' I said 'yes' and had already told you that you'd probably be floaty in it. 'Let him try it because he's so scared of going low. Let's build up his confidence.' Later that weekend and the next, we had you back in the little suit with weights. That was the first time you wore weights. (Did you ever buy beer for that? ;) Remember that you have been jumping on 'camp' loads. The overall experience and abilities on those loads is significantly less than the WR loads. Some examples: - tight 4-way suit with booties and 23 lbs of weight while docking on the 20-way base of a 300-way - tight 4-way suit without booties, no weights while docking on the outside of a 300-way. - tight 4-way suit without booties, no weights while docking on the outside of many +350 attempts. (after some people were cut from that load) - tight 4-way suit without booties, 5-10 lbs weights while docking on the 2nd wacker of a 357-way. - many other 100 to 150 ways with a tight 4-way type jumpsuit with or without booties and 5-20 lbs of weights. I'll repeat this: I think that after you have done another 100 +100-ways you'll find your big suit waaaaay too big for you. If I were to choose between someone wearing your small or big suit on the outside of a 100-way, I'd pick the guy in the smaller suit. If you need that big suit on the outside of a 100-way, what will you need on the outside of a 500-way? . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

I did post it before. Here it is again. 1-800-SkyRide has never been a company in and of itself. 1-800-SkyRide has always been a DBA of another company. Companies that have used the dba include (and may not be limited to) CASC, Inc USSO, LLC IGOVincent, Inc Other skydiving companies that are owned by CQ and/or BB include Atlanta SC, Inc Tandora Inc CAB, Inc CASC, Inc was the first company to use the dba 1800skyride. It was created 8/00 and dissolved 5/08. It owned the DZ at Pell City, AL and became a USPA GM in 2002. The Pell City DZ moved to Prattville, AL shortly before closing up altogether. Many of the SR domain names were originally registered to CASC or CQ. USSO, LLC used the dba until spring of 2007. It was created 11/03 and dissolved 5/08. USSO started using the dba sometime before 10/05. IGOVincent, Inc started using the dba in the spring of 07 and continues to use it today. CQ owns IGOVincent. Atlanta SC was created 9/97 and was originally owned by BB and CQ. Today, CQ is the sole owner. It owns the DZ in Cedartown, GA. Tandora was created 12/03 and owns the DZ in Perkasie PA. They became a GM in 2004. CQ owns Tandora. CAB was a company that rented AC to DZs formed by Cary, Andre, Ben (CAB - get it?). The settlement agreement between SR and USPA was between Atlanta, SC, Inc ("ASC") CASC, Inc. ("CASC") Tandora, Inc. ("Tandora") USSO, LLC, d/b/a 1-800-SkyRide, Inc. ("USSO") Cary V. Quattrocchi Benny W. Butler and USPA. The check was sent to IGOVincent, Inc. Go figure that one out??? That is more about the slipshod work by the attorney representing USPA and the incompetent Executive Committee. About a year ago Skydive Arizona had to go to great lengths to get IGOVincent, Inc added as one of the defendants. FMI see http://funjumper.com/skyride/ There are also a whole host of names that have appeared in BBB complaints. Thanks for asking. It is a convoluted story. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

I always asked them to ship it via USPS to my PO Box. They did that and it cost the $3-4 rate and got to me in a week or so. YMMV . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

I doubt that either one of you know the legacy of 1800skyride ownership. Let's hear it from you two. Dates, owners etc. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

My guess is that it went something like this: CQ: Yo! Jan! Jan: Who is this? CQ: Your ol' pal CQ! Wassup? Jan: Huh? Pal??? CQ: Just calling to ask you, now that you are free, to come play for my team, baby. Whaddayasay? Jan: Who is this really? CQ: HA HA HA HA. I got the action and I'd love to share it with you! Jan: You're outta your &*%^#) (&@(*&(&@#) (*@#$) (*@) mind. Don't you EVER call me again you !@*$#&^*!@&#^*!&@^#*!&@^#*&^!@*#&^!@. CQ: Did I say something wrong? Jan?......Jan? too funny.... I did tell him that joke tho. Who is more qualified than me to update his websites to comply with the agreements? Actually the conversation was very civil and lasted almost an hour. In a nutshell, he was asking what would it take to get the 'Jan Meyer Seal of Approval' for him and SR. I told him to read my deposition and that I'd get back with him on some other things that were not covered in that. It was only an 8 hour depo and not everything was covered. BTW, the story of my depo is interesting. Too long for a snippet here. I also told him I was more angry at USPA nowadays than SR. Anyway, the first week of August is on my calendar to be a witness for Skydive Arizona. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

The story told by the guy on that link Billy provided is unacceptable. It violates terms of TWO agreements that SR has entered into. I think Billy happened upon that post by chance. Just this past week, I happened upon these pages: http://wisn.cityvoter.com/winners/spring-fever/4532/recreation/skydiving?place=1 http://wisn.cityvoter.com/winners/spring-fever/4532/recreation/skydiving?place=2 http://wisn.cityvoter.com/winners/spring-fever/4532/recreation/skydiving?place=4 I was not out looking for SR shit practices. I actually found this from this twitter page. I was just trying to figure out what twitter was about and then saw that. And then said 'Holy fuck - third parties are getting duped too.....wtf? This is not right.' As to ASC and SR being 'not the same thing' - yeah right. There are too many court documents to make that believable. Did I ever tell you guys about the phone call from CQ I got a couple of weeks ago? . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

I'm not sure if I 'get it' either. But as an experiment I set up SkydiveHistory as a handle. All I'm going to do is open up a mag or book most mornings and post some obscure history factoid. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

This assumes that there is no load exiting after the load you jumped from. Hang in brakes long enough and you'll end up landing with the pocket rockets from the next load. Lots of NGs with tunnel vision (not looking around, not following the pattern) that can barely figure out how to steer clear of obstacles. I don't know if the Ranch has multiple AC flying, but if you ever visit Perris, DeLand, Eloy, Spaceland, Chicago etc, you'll be putting yourself and others in a heap of trouble with your tunnel vision attitude. see Take Back the Sky . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

BCA is partnering with the ACLU in a lawsuit against Myriad Genetics. To read more, visit www.bcaction.org. See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamond_v._Chakrabarty http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=US&vol=447&invol=303 . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

It's probably a firewall issue on the local new machine. This is what i do. I disconnect from the internet - even when going through a router that has its own firewall. Just unplug the cable. Then turn off all firewalls and see if you can see the other local machines from all the other machines. Once you determine that it is the firewall, you can turn the firewall back on and give permissions to it to talk to other local machines. The other thing it could be (I seriously doubt you have this problem) is a protocol that is not installed. NetBEUI has to be hand installed on XP. (I doubt if that is your problem, unless you are talking to really old computers.) . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

Watch this video. It talks about how patenting a gene came about and even mentions the patented breast cancer gene. Not only can you patent a gene, the patent also allows you to collect royalties on descendant generations that have the gene. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

I sent that very question to the place that presented the puzzle. They said "Sorry, due to financial conditions, our (org name here) President did not approve a budget for prizes. It would have been something related to (our organization here) from the bookstore." But, as luck would have it, I can award you this - see attachment. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

This came to me from an entirely different industry... but I was so engaged by it, I had to create this for skydiving... see attachment. The Rules: Starting with the letter in the top left-hand corner (and moving only horizontally or vertically), find 17 skydiving terms hidden in the box. Each term starts with a letter horizontally or vertically next to the end of the previous term. The terms form a continuous line leading to the bottom righthand corner. You must use every letter and use it only once. Lemme know what you think about it. SPOILER ALERT: The third post to this thread has the answer. If you want to try without the 'answer' then do not scroll down to read the other posts. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

Lara has resigned from the rose-colored world of USPA. You might find some reasons here. Starting a print publication is extremely difficult. (Been there - done that.) Lara, if USPA rejects or declines your ad in Parachutist, call Truffer and me. We both have stories about how our ads were declined and the extraordinary things we had to do in order to get the ad published. USPA has had 3 staff members, Rhonda, Lambert and Lara, leave in the past year and a half. Shortly before that, Michelle left. All of these people are great workers with lots of energy and ideas. I think the 'Stifle yourself!' attitude at HQ became unbearable and they decided to move on. Good Luck with the mag. I also have many stories to tell. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

WTF? Dude, you need to get a life. It's a movie. I did not like it because it did not live up to the legacy of the original Star Trek series, follow up series and movies. It has several inconsistencies with the previous story lines that Star Trek had. This movie has a legacy to live up to, whereas a run-of-the-mill dick flick would not. Yeah, it's a typical dick-flick, but it slaps Star Trek legacy in the face. Star Wars' prequel did not do that. I'm not a Trekkie, but I did name the dog I got last summer, Spock, because he had big pointy ears. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker