MakeItHappen

Well the thing is that most pets do not require extensive medical treatment for most of their lives. The 'bet' you make with the insurance company is that you pay a lot of money and hope that your pet does not need it. This is a perverse type of gambling. Or, if you self insure, you can look at it as you betting that 'my pets will live healthy lives' and never need the insurance. I'm investing on my own to take care of them. If you are pessimistic about your pets then by all means, send money off to allow you to sleep at night and give you that 'good' feeling of they are taken care of. Then there are times that no amount of money can save your pet. You may, one day, have to put them down. I don't wish that on anyone, but it is the 'best' thing to do under certain circumstances. The thing is that you are young (at least compared to me anyway) and will probably see many of your pets die- you know based on actuarial tables you should outlive your pets, several times over. There are times that no amount of money can save your pet. The way to save for these catastrophic events is better via conventional and conservative investment opportunities. I heard stories of people spending $10k to $20k and then some on their dying dog that only lived a few more months. I wish it was easy to say 'Hey, I don't have the money.' But when you have the money and realize the pet needs to be put down, it makes it all the more harder to do so. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

Perhaps I was not clear enough on the self insurance. I made a sample table on an annual basis that will show you that investing the 'premiums' into a cd at 4.5% would work in your favor. It would take less than 5 years to have the extra $3500. Most pets live a healthy life. After 15 years you'd invest $9720 and then have +$14K to use. Compare this to the same premium payment amount $9720 and a healthy pet. What do you get for that money? Self insurance is the best way to go, you just have to be diligent in putting away the money for your pet. And then you can use it at your discretion and not the insurance company's discretion. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

You did not mention your premiums. Say you took 6 months of premium payments (plus any extra to get a 6-month CD) and put them into a 6-month CD at 4.45% and then kept reinvesting that over the lifetime of the cat. Every 6 months, you'd add in the premium amount. After several years and a healthy cat you'd be ahead. If the worst case happened and your cat had some major injury or illness, how many 'good' years would pay off those bills? Vet bills are something that can be self-insured, especially for someone that has already paid $8k for vet bills. Self insurance allows you control over the money and 'benefits'. You can lend a paw to the wayward soul that comes unexpectantly into your life too. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

I haven't looked at pet insurance for a long time. The more financially solid way to ensure pet health care is to self-insure your pets. Put that premium away in a savings account or CD. This way ALL the money you put toward a 'premium' and interest accrued is available for you to use if needed. You can also invest in an index fund or DRIP account, but your principle investment is at risk. As an example, RePete got bit by a baby rattlesnake 7 years ago. That cost ~$1200.00. Her recent battle with hemangiosarcoma cost ~$1200. She got rabies shots every 3 years and the 'annual shots' every other year. (The discussion about over vacination is another topic.) Flea/tick treatments only when she had fleas or picked up ticks. No annual checkups - she was healthy and did not need a vet to tell her she was perfectly healthy. You can get annual shots at your local pet store cheap or just buy the shots at a local feed store and administer them yourself. That can be a huge savings compared to an office visit and have the vet give the shots. Cost of insurance at $25/month for 10 years would have cost $3000.00. Katie, my lab, had numerous vets bills over nine years. Pin in her leg from being hit by a car as a pup, mast cell tumor removed, eating some kind of poison, injuries from a tragic 'dragging' behind a car driven by an insane woman, and finally her battle with lymphosarcoma. Pete and Phoenix had virtually no unusual vet bills in their lifetimes. All in all, the odds of having a HUGE vet bill is small. It's better to self-insure. If you don't have a way to set aside a grand or two for emergency vet bills then maybe you should wait until you do. Other considerations are the vet bills that you run into for rescue pets that enter your life. It makes more sense to stash your stash into something you get to keep and use it when you need to use it than 'pay premiums' that are 'gone' forever. Insurance for the usual/mundane office visits and shots is a money maker for the insurance company, not you. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

Actually, there has been one AFFI rating given out to someone that substituted WT time for FF time. See the Winter 2007 USPA Minutes. I don't agree with WT time = FF time, or even many hours of WT = 1 hour of FF time, either because there is so much more to a jump than just FF skills. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

RePete's Blog about her Fight with Hemangiosarcoma I have a bunch of drugs that were renewed last Friday and have never been opened. If you need Aceprom 25mg, Rimadyl 100mg, Tramadol 50 mg or Sulfa-Trimethoprim 480mg - let me know . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

I am grasping for ideas to say to my vet this afternoon. I do not expect a diagnose or treatment for this via the internet, but just something to say to my vet 'what about this or that?' RePete has been on antibiotics since last Thursday. Her leg is getting more swollen each day. She does not put any weight on it at all now. Her thigh is now tender to the touch, so massaging that area is out of the question. Her paw, much more swollen, is not tender, so massage works on that. Attached are the lab reports from last week. What should be the next step? Any ideas? Can a spider bite do something like this? When RePete was bitten by a baby rattlesnake, her paw did not swell this much. Katie, my lab, had lymphosarcoma and died within a month of the first signs of swollen glands. Osteosarcoma has treatment of amputation. What's the best way to find out if this is the problem? . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

FMI see Line Snags on Grommets . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

I aplogise, I was referring to the World Championships (at Gera in 2006) which is generally referred to as a World Meet. I was refering to the last World Meet 2007 in Stupino, Russia. The official logo had World Meet in it, maybe it was a World Cup. My point is that it is a photo of the French national team. Where it was taken and by whom is not the problem. Most world level competitors jump and compete all over the world. So it would be ok, by you, if a pic of some US team taken in France by a French photographer made the calendar cover shot instead of a foriegn team taken at a US DZ by a US photograhper? Some how, I think you'd complain about that too. What if the photo was some boogie or invitational type jump and you did not know the nationalities of all the jumpers. Would you still complain? Pretend for a moment that the jumpers were from several nations, including the US, would you complain about it then? BTW, Willie Boeykens had a calendar shot in the past couple of years that was way cool. It had jumpers from several nations in it. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

At the last World Meet there was one team from the US. It was the freestyle team of Bryce Witcher and Jason Peters. At the next World Meet Airspeed will represent 4-way, but not 8-way, even though they won 8-way at US Nationals. Knight Trax will represent the US in 8-way. FastTrax Blue will represent the US in Women's 4-way. As far as the calendar cover shot you are complaining about, the caption reads "The French National 8-way team trains above Skydive Arizona in Eloy. Photo by Mike McGowan." That's a jump done in the US and a US photographer taking the shot. The next World Meet is in France. France trains at a US DZ. (Now it is SDA. It used to be Perris.) . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

Rose Wagner, the Ultimate Team Mom, was born July 18, 1938 in Iraan, TX, the daughter of David H. Mitchell, Jr., and Sarah O. (Russell) Mitchell. She grew up in Denver City, TX, where she graduated high school in 1956. Roy came to town that that summer on a summer job before his senior year in college, and that is when they met. Rose attended Mary Hardin Baylor College in Belton, TX, for a year while Roy finished his senior year at the University of Missouri. After graduation, Roy took a job in Lubbock, TX, and Rose married him there on August 29, 1957. Rose and Roy had four children, all boys, including identical twins, Chris, Ted and Tim and Kyle. Chris started skydiving in 1976 and Rose was a reluctant mother of a skydiver. After Chris made the Golden Knights team she fully supported her son, Chris. Ted and Tim soon followed Chris onto skydiving, and Tim also became Golden Knight. (Ted wasn't eligible for the Knights because he was an officer in the 82nd Airborne.) Rose became the 'Ultimate Team Mom' by being there and also providing delicious home-made fixin's for the entire team. Rose was especially known for her wonderful deep-fried chicken. Word of this could not be kept secret and many other jumpers, beyond the Golden Knights, also feasted on her delicious food. She once fried the chicken at home, put it in a suitcase, got on a Southwest Airline flight, and took it to where the team was performing. The Golden Knights recognized her contributions by making her an honorary Golden Knight at their annual banquet in 1995. After the Golden Knights, her favorite team was Deguello, although Airspeed was a close third. Her favorite skydivers included all those who were jumping at the old Spaceland in League City, TX, in the mid- to late-1980s. Rose brought her culinary talents to the Go-Fast 300-way in Eloy, AZ for the entire Blue sector. Rose also fed the judges at US Nationals, where her sons, Chris, Ted and Tim, were judges. Rose and Roy moved to Arizona in 2002, so they could be closer to Ted and Tim. They both continued to support US Nationals. Rose Wagner, The Ultimate Team Mom, was known far and wide in the skydiving world. Rose is survived by her husband, Roy, of 50 years, her four sons and their wives Chris and Mary, Ted and Pam, Tim and Amy, Kyle and Tracie and her grandchildren David, 21, Laura,19, Ryan, 5, Reagan, 3, and Riley, 3. David and Laura are also skydivers. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

Rose's Tribute page Details and further updates will be posted there. Laura - did you get my email? Your dad sent me a bunch of pics. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

Yes. Dave Gold was an engineer that worked on military and NASA parachute related projects. Most of his publications were J. of Aircraft, AIAA J or governmant docs. I'd have to go browse my files to see where he worked because I can't remember. His documents were donated to the Parachute Musuem at Wright-Patterson AFB. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

The shaved part of her coat oozed a bit after the sample was taken. The vet said that was because she was licking it. But it hasn't oozed anymore. No checks for fungal stuff yet. Thanks for any help. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

It is with great regret that I pass on the news that Rose Wagner has passed. She died yesterday 10/31/07. I just talked to Tim Wagner and he asked that some sort of announcement be made. Now, Rose was not a jumper. I do not even know if she ever did a tandem jump. Rose's skydiving legacy is primarily in her sons: Tim, Ted, and Chris. She has another son that never took to skydiving as the other 3 did. Rose was known to the Golden Knights for many, many years. She made this awesome home-fried chicken that she brought to the DZ and served up to the Knights at almost every Nationals since the early 80s. Rose was made an honorary GK in 1995. Services will be in Texas, where she grew up. Details to follow. If you want to send a card or email, please email me at aerosoftware_AT_makeithappen.com _AT_ = @ to get the addresses. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

One of my dogs has a problem that my local vet cannot figure out (yet anyway). RePete's right rear leg had what looked like a simple bruise on 10/16. We (Max, RePete and I) went to the local PetCo for some food on the 16th. We left there about 7:30pm. Both dogs were just fine with no limping or anything strange. About 2 hours later, the dogs heard something in the yard they had to 'go check out'. They ran out of the house. RePete limped tho. Hummm... what's up with that? RePete's leg had a small bump, that looked like a fresh bruise, just above the hock on the outside of the leg. The puffy-ness was on the outside of the hock. The only tender part was her tendon. The next morning I made a vet appt for the next day. Later that day RePete was putting weight on the leg and I figured it was not broken - just a bruise. I cancelled the vet appt. I iced the leg with frozen peas and gave her an aspirin 2x daily for about two days. A week and a half goes by and RePete seems to be recovering from this bruise just fine. The swelling went down and dissipated into the surrounding area. She was putting weight on the leg. Last Saturday, the swelling went back up, big time and she started doing the 3-legged hop to get around. She still did put weight on the leg, but not as often and not when she wanted to move around faster. I took her to the vet on Tuesday. They took xrays, blood sample and fluid sample of the area. There were no abnormalities in the xray. No broken bones or signs of cancer. The blood tests came back normal, including the clotting time test. The cytology came back normal too. No cancer cells found. RePete has a normal temp, appetite and bowel movements. So when I talked to the vet this morning, she said to pick up some antibiotics, just in case in was some sort of infection, but she does not know why the leg is the way it is. Her husband also looked at RePete. They are a husband/wife vet team. They do not think it is 'just a bruise' healing in some bizarre way, but something else is going on. They don't know what that may be. Poisoning has been ruled out. Cancer is still a possibility, but nothing shows in the xrays now. RePete is 10 yo. Got bit by a baby rattlesnake about 7 years ago. Had some fatty tissue blobs removed about 2 years ago in the area that is swollen now. She has two other fatty growths that are still soft and do not seem to be mast cell tumors. The vet said to continue warm compresses and gentle massage of the area. And also get her to walk around on the leg to help dissipate the blood. She said draining is not really a solution because the blood is not collected in a pocket (like a blister or cyst). So, any vets out there have any idea on what this might be or how to treat it? Two pics - one from earlier this summer, one from yesterday. Thanks. . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

Yeah, I know, people do not like long posts, but here is one anyway... These are snippets from the USPA BOD Meeting Minutes. They pertain to an underage tandem done by Bill Booth and changes to the USPA BSRs about age requirements. After that I give 'my take' on the issue about underage tandems. From Winter 2004 From Summer 2004 See also page 27, Attachment B from Summer 2004. It is an image that cannot be copied here. You really need to read this first before reading the rest of the post. From Winter 2005 On 12-17-03, Bill Booth was about to do a tandem jump with his 17 yo daughter (only a few months away from her 18th birthday) at a high profile demo event (Wright Bros Centennial). There were 3 USPA BOD members present at this event (Glenn Bangs, BJ Worth and Madolyn Murdock). They realized a waiver was needed for a non-licensed jumper to do a tandem into a demo. They also happened to be on the EC. Mike Perry was contacted by phone. These 4 EC members represented a quorum of the EC. They passed the waiver on the spot, literally minutes before the jump. After the demo jump, the spectators asked for autographs. Bill's daughter signed her name and "age 17". One of the BOD members saw this and said 'uh-oh'. At the next BOD meeting (Winter 2004) when this interim action was presented to the FB for approval, another BOD member asked about the age of the passenger. The BOD members that were at the demo said the passenger was underage and no waiver was granted for that. They did not know she was underage until after the jump. There was a suggestion for a retro-active wavier, but that was shot down, mainly because some people were pissed at Bill (aka "he knew better") and not because they would not have given it, if it was asked for in advance. Because several BOD members felt that Bill Booth had 'pulled a fast one' on the USPA BOD the BSRs were changed at the next meeting (Summer 2004). The new BSRs lowered the age requirement on tandem jumps. Bill Booth was also contacted by his RD and asked to submit an apology letter. (Bill Booth was awarded the Gold Medal for his contributions to tandem in the summer of 2003. This situation was a big embarrassment to USPA.) At the Winter 2005 BOD meeting, some BOD members realized that the non-waiverability (NW) of the age made it impossible to grant exceptions. So the BSR was changed to allow exceptions with FB approval. Immediately following that change were two 'Make-a- Wish' type requests - two dying children that wanted to do a jump. That combined motion passed. It is interesting to note that there were 4 BOD members that objected to the change in waiverability, yet two of those people actually voted for the 'dying kid tandems'. Now, here is the place that I think USPA has totally fucked up its rules, waivers and implementation. USPA has in place a system where a dying child can request a waiver to do a tandem jump. That may seem like a good and compassionate thing. The big drawback is that it may potentially expose USPA to a tremendous liability. I always vote no on the 'dying kid tandems' because it would be a very bad situation for any underage kid to die on a tandem, and add to that that the kid was sick, perhaps not physically capable of doing a tandem, etc, then you expose USPA to something it does not have to endorse. The strange thing is that the healthy DZO kid waivers never get to USPA. They are done and then profuse apologies follow. It is probably because USPA can say, 'just wait until the kid is 16 there is no reason to push this now.' I really don't have a problem with DZO kids (heathy ones) doing a tandem at 14 or 15 yo as long as the waivers are asked for in advance. I do not think it is the best interest of USPA and its members to grant waivers to 'some dying kid that always dreamed of flying'. The kid is sick. He may die. He may die sooner because of the physical requirements of a jump. This is even after the 'after the fact' incidents that show that 'not everyone is capable of doing a tandem jump'. This should suggest to the FB that the sick and dying kids should not be granted waivers, but the healthy DZO kids maybe could be. --- sorry to make this even longer, but because of some posts that were censored I'll add: USPA Statement of Medical Fitness: Part of the BSRs Part of the SIM Any medical type statement that a DR may give a 'dying kid' for skydiving never sees the light of day with USPA. Sometimes the people claim they have them. Sometimes nothing is mentioned about them. But I cannot recall a single instance where USPA asked to see such a permission slip. Even if USPA did see it, USPA has no expertise to grant exceptions based on a DR's note, made by a DR that has no idea what physical/emotional/mental stresses may occur on a skydive. I won't comment of the alleged underage tandem in this thread because it is an ongoing issue. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

I doubt if Dan does day-to-day rigging anymore, unless you count sewing buttons back on as rigging. He does keep up with the major changes and advances. patents, etc Also at the PIA symposiums, he absorbs a lot of info there. He gives talks and introduces VIPs on occasion. You can almost always find him in the Press room at PIA Symposiums. Most of his parachute efforts nowadays are in the historical preservation side. He worked a lot with the late Jim Bates, recruited Howard White, and even me. As Jerry and Howard mentioned, he stopped jumping after getting seriously hurt. But as I recall the injury was from a parachute tow accident. A truck was towing a ram-air with Dan under it. The parachute dived for the ground and he hammered in. I think they did not have a quick release at the jumper end of the cable. He also did some of the early slope soaring, but I don't think he got hurt doing that. Re: indexing I think the PM1 and PM2 were all done manually - long before you could get the software to make them for you. One of his other books was one of the first ones sent to a printer as a pdf file. Re: his email Send an email to me and I will forward your message. Aerosoftware_AT_makeithappen.com _AT_ = @ Forgot to mention that Dan did a handful of jumps in the mid 1990's at Santa Barbara. I think that was the last time he jumped. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

Dan is alive and well. He travels the world giving talks, mostly about publishing. I have known him since 1983 or 84. Talked to him a couple of weeks ago. Never jumped with him. He stopped jumping before I started. He's on the board of the musuem and very active with PIA. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

Dave, I do believe you are phishing here, but maybe not. If a TI did an under-age tandem and had a formal disciplinary action taken against them, she/he would not be eligible to formally run for RD or ND for at least one year. They could not hold the position even if they were elected as a write-in. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

The age BSR by USPA is waiverable by the FB. Most mfgs also require an age waiver. Usually, the waivers are granted for dying or very sick kids, but it is usually not a unanimous decision. If you do it without a waiver (especially if the kid is healthy and has a high expectation to live to be 16), there might be a penalty. Penalties (in recent years) have been: - write a letter of apology to USPA - $1000 fine by mfg, no action by USPA (I really don't think this fine was actually paid tho.) - TI rating and TICD appointment suspended for 90 days - suspend TI rating for a year In this case, it is probably better to ask permission first as opposed to doing it and then apologizing profusely later. As far as 'news of this getting out' - that happens in a number of ways. Most often the proud papa or uncle shows the video in the hanger in front of a bunch of jumpers or posts something to the internet. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

And actually the Fallbrook fire looks equally close to Perris, but to the south. And there is another fire about the same distance to the west, but it doesn't look like any are too close to Perris (or Elsinore). There was a fire just south of Diamond Lake earlier today. I do not think it was the Fallbrook/Witch/Rose etc fire. The smoke was too low and you could see the eddy structures in the billowing smoke (from Hemet). It 'looks' to be out or contained because the smoke is not so bad now. The upper winds have changed directions. The smoke is now coming over Hemet. Upper winds are now SW to NE, but light. The light outside has that eerie look - kinda what Mt St Helens ash looked like from Illinois. And btw, the Witch fire and the Poomacha fires have combined and are 100% out of control - headed north. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

So Bill (and Andi) I was privy to a conversation... It went like this. Ma Eagle: What are those people doing? Pa Eagle: They are trying to 'Fly like an Eagle' Ma Eagle: They look more like turkeys and chickens. Pa Eagle: Yeah - they just don't know that the 'can you land it that way' is what flying is all about. Ma Eagle: Go figure - they think that falling and redirecting your self is all there is to flying. Pa Eagle: Guess they don't see the 'stop before you impact' part of flight. Ma Eagle: so you think that crazy human with the WS will be able to land safely? Pa Eagle: Not a chance, they don't have the proper aerodynamics. Ma Eagle: Yeah - they'll probably make some slope to accommodate their trajectory. That's cheating- not really flying. Pa Eagle: Yeah, when they cheat the landing they will all cry out 'Now THAT'S what flying is'. Ma Eagle: If they only knew the truth.... . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

That would be SNM #17 He drowned Feb 5 1981 in Lake Elsinore. TV commercial, he had a mal and used his reserve. He landed in chest deep water. Was seen waving arms and taking off gear. He stepped into a hole and took an hour to find him. That's what the article says. Someone else told me the same thing. He landed in a place he stood on the bottom of the lake with head above water and then started walking out. he apparently found some deeper water and drowned. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

Here's the SIM stuff: Here's the FAR stuff: I do not know if the FAA gave approval of this jump. I highly doubt it. I do know that USPA was not contacted about a waiver and none was given by USPA. The jump was done at a USPA GM DZ. BTW, USPA cannot grant waivers to the FARs either. Re claim of "There are probably at least 100 chuteless jumps over the past 3 decades" Rod Pack Jan 1, 1965 Bill Cole - two some place in eastern US Jimmy Tyler - two in Mexico (because they could not do it legally in the US) Andi Dachtler - Aug 2007 Germany (or someplace in Europe) I have also heard stories that Patrick DeGayren (sp) did some post-exit hook ups with someone that was the chuteless-dummy. They supposedly did a handful of them, until on the last attempt, Patrick could not hook up with the guy. The chuteless one went in. I think these took place in France. Greg Gasson's jumps were not chuteless. He was attached to the parachute system. Movie scenes depicting chuteless jumps were all 'Hollywood'. They were faked - hidden rigs etc. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker