hukturn

If anything is "recommended" or "required" at the USPA level, DZO's will jump on board and take it as gospel. That is why we do not need another BSR. Leave "Big Brother (aka USPA) out of it. Let the DZ’s make their own decisions. They have already turned DZ’s into profit machines, let them shoulder some responsibility. Let them determine what they need at their operation. Besides, BSR's can have waivers. So, how will someone know if there is a BSR swooping segregation waiver on file when they visit a new DZ? You could open the door for greater liability. No, the solution is not to segregate landing areas. What happens when a newby decides he wants to try swooping and hooks into someone at the swooping area? Is that any different than swooping into someone in the main landing pattern? The result is the same. You may actually add an aggrivating factor by segregating landing areas by increasing 1st response times to anyone who is injured. What happpens at a beach boogie where everyone is landing in the same pattern? You can not easily seperate landing areas. What happens when a student takes a long spot and turns his fial into the swoop area? No, I do not buy into the BSR arguement. The answer is at the local level, not Federal.

Sorry to play the Devil's Advocate, but I feel inclined. Your arguement validates the need to avoid a BSR for seperate landing areas. We don't have to pull at 2000ft, we chose to because we feel it is safer. So, take a similar position at theDZ level. If the DZ wants a seperate landing area, let them do it because they feel it is safer instead of mandating another BSR. This is not about Regulations. This is about poor choices which may affect our future. Let the DZ's manage the problem at a local level. We live by too many rules already.

"Yeah" it can generate money...just not as much money as Tandems and AFF. So, how do you get the DZO buy in? Not gonna happen because too many DZ's are business rather than Skydiving Centers. Maybe there are alot of people who would take the hop-n-pop. But, when you combine all of the factors it becomes a very difficult (probably impossible) task.

Sorry...Dude.

People don't want static lines. The DZO's dont want it because it does not generate enough money. The Jumpmasters don't want it because it does not generate enough money and not enough freefall time. The students don't want it because they don't get the bragging rights. I just don't think that you can sell the S/L notion these days. I know, this just sounds like I am bitching for the sake of complaining. It is not about "glory days". It is a genuine concern. Have we outgrown ourselves? Do we "really" want Skydiving to be mainstream? Remember, if the more people who come to the sport, we will proportionately introduce stupid people. I dunno...but I am beginning to believe that the first jump student should come and go. When they come back a second time...that is the one we should start to try to retain. Make them stay for the parties, induct them into our lifestyle. Make a whole day out of one jump. Man, I waited on the DZ entire weekends just to make a static line. Why? Because I believed that the people at the DZ believed in me and wanted me there. I partied, I trained, I crept, I sat through video after video, I was in the harness trainer and I loved it all. Skydiving did not just happen in the air. Skydiving was being a part of something bigger than myself. Skydiving is not a business..Skydiving is a lifestyle. Moderators; Is there any way to combine this thread with "New students don't stick with it?". This is the same subject.

Hey...do you happen to know a guy at any of the San Diego DZ's named Terrance Watson? Used to know this dude and I haven't seen him since about 1993.

"Yes"...you bet. When I was going through Airborne School in Ft. Benning, GA. I had 136 jumps whilst going through jumpschool. Several of my Blackhats were on the Silver Wings Demo team. And, one of my Blackhats (female) was actually dating a guy that is well known in the sport. So, I laid a very low profile. Not cool to be identified as a skydiver while attending Airborne School.

The boy and I cooked out brats and made homemade ice cream. Wifey-poo and I had the parents and in-laws over. Of course, my birthday is tomorrow so, I get the double whammy for fathers day and my birthday. They grow so fast. Not sure what I am gonna do when he wants to skydive. I hope he is a surfer...literally. I can afford the surfboards more than jump tickets in 2022.

Post: "He sounds like a crater looking for coordinates. " That is too funny! I am laughing out loud! Really though, cut him away. Who cares about his ratings. If he is doing the things you say, you will encounter more probelms than benefits from him. If the S&TA or DZO won't get rid of him, leave. Find another DZ, yourself. Sooner or later either that guy will bounce, leave or your DZ will lose a large portion of it's business because of this jackass.

Guys...I think she means ground launch with a paragliding canopy but use the skydiving harness. My home in VA (the farm where I grew up) has lots of hills. One is directly in front of the house is about 700' with about a 45deg pitch. I have seriously thought about ground launching under my main from that hill.

My English Mastiff and I have had alot of fun. But, he is old, now. He goes about 170 pounds and is a little light for his breed. Males often go around 225 pounds. I have handled and trained alot of dogs. The reality is that all dogs bite...it's just a matter of what you have to do to get them to bite. No children should be left alone with any animal. So, don't think that biting is breed specific. Aggression in a Chihuahua is the same as aggression in a Pit Bull. The only difference is the amount of damage they can inflict per bite. Here is my webpage. It is extremely outdated but there are two pages from there with pics of my Mastiff. http://users.adelphia.net/~bigdawgz/index.html

Wow...did you guys read that he will be the bestest jumper in the world? What good will it be when he can't make a load because of the personality. But, I'd bet that his girlfriend could work her way onto a load. And, she doesn't even skydive!! Listen, Li'l Dog. We've seen alot of people come and go. Slow down, take a valium. I recommend that you buy alot of beer before showing back up at Cross Keys. I believe that Bill Legard is there. Go tell him who you are and how well you skydive. He can probably get you onto one of his skydives.

There used to ba a dive pool simulator available a while back. I believe it was the programming of Tim Wagner. Visit him at omniskore.com and ask if he still has it. Of course, there are probably a ton of them out there. Or, you could just start engineering, which is much more fun. If you are interested in organizing, try to stick with symmetrical formations. It makes for good video which makes the skydive appealing for the particpants.

When people look like ants, pull. When ants look like people, pray.

Look at the planet? Why? There is no need to look down. We have GPS, so we don't spot. We have Altimeteres so we don't have to look at the earth, we have Audible Altimeters so that we don't have to look at the Altimeter and we have AAD's so we don't have to listen to the audible. I love it!! C'mon guys, technology is great!

There are stupid questions but this is not one of them. You probably did not get to see an entanglement video sample because the complexity of recreating this would be extremely difficult. Not actually recreating, but resolving the problem would be too difficult to risk making a video. Just like anything else, the probability of encountering this problem is realitive to how you are skydiving. If you introduce the possibility, then there is greater probability. I don't know if they still teach this, but try to remeber these three things; Pull - under any circumstances, pull prior to impact. Pull at the proper altitude. Pull stable. These days, stability is also realative. With freeflying, skysurfing, and all of the relaed place you an a body position whch may not be chest to earth. In many instances, you can pull in these body positions, but in introduce greater possibility for problems. So, when I state "stable", I mean chest to earth. If you are stable, you are in a body position that is most likely to avoid entangelement. Avopid wearing things which may induce entanglement, such as speed lace hooks on boots.

Absolutely. The party is gone. Or rather, it is done in smaller segregated units. But, I also agree with your discussion regarding the Skydiving has changed. In fact, since I don't drink these days, I would rather invest my time in the air than at the parties. So, I do. I made six RW jumps last weekend...five with people under 100 jumps. Why? Because more experienced jumpers invested in me when I was young. Teams are great. Cometition is fun. But, I think we have lost perspective. If you back up to 1993-1994, that is where the changes start. I was still a very young jumper. But, I was jumping with people with extremely high proficiency. Look at the World level Teams. I remember the 1993 GK 8-way teams coming out to the DZ to jump with people. Not as coaches or instructors...just as skydivers. But, where are they now? Do you know how thrilling it was to only have 100 jumps and to to 4 and 8 way with World level skydivers? Many DZ owners have shifted gears. Thet want the new business instead of the old. They think that they already own the older skydiver business so they stop catering to the experienced jumpers. DZO's used to invest in Skydivers. Hell, they used to be skydivers. And, if they were the ones sitting on the ground because of a Tendem being sent up, they would be pissed, too. So, raise jump rates, bump loads...well, I think that we can all understand how much of this an experience jumper will accept. Too many people forget where they came from. That is our problem. Me, I am happy with my home DZ. Absolutely love it, the people, the history, everything about it. And, I have loved my home DZ since the first day I set foot on it. But, when I visit other DZ's, I wonder how they will survive and propegate the sport.

Seperate landing patterns are not an answer to the problem. The problem is in the decision making process. Unfortunately, you may never change this. But, there are too many other variables to make such a broad spectrum BSR. Too many "what ifs", too many different sized dropzones, too many levels of experience, there are just too many variables to impliment a new policy higher than at the DZ level. Of course, it has only been a few years past that some DZ's decided that if you weren't using an AAD, you could not jump on their dropzones. Cool...I jump elsewhere. I fought dozens of AAD arguements for a decade. If you want one...great. But it is a personal choice. Now, I am a little softer in my old age and I do have an AAD in one of my rigs. But, that is my choice. So, my biggest concerns is this. Stop making choices for me. I do 90's and 180's. But, if someone wants to do more, have at it. Do it responsibly. Don't overtake other canopies in the sky. This is not just about canopy collisions. This is about making choices. I believe that we are regulated enough.

I think that alot of people are missing the point. The lifestyle has changed. Not just at the DZ, but that is where many of us have invested our interest. I posted last night, in a thread, that it has changed. In some ways the sport has evolved well and in others poorly. I had a very Fandango-like 1st jump course. That movie is an excellent representation of how the sport used to be. It was a brotherhood and we just happened to hanve the commonality of jumping out of airplanes. Now, we make a few jumps and head our seperate ways. I am as much to blame as anyone else. I don't drink anymore, I rarely hang out for the parties. But, I invested my time. And, I continue to invest in young jumpers. When they see the investment, they want more. That's the hook. Alas, many DZ's talk about wanting "up-jumpers". But, they bump loads to send up Tandems. That is yet another indication of how DZ's have decided that this is a financial endeavor instead of a Skydiving Center. This all has a trickle down effect. For the most part, a large part of Skydiving is gone. It is still strong in some places. Unfortunately, most of those places are spiritual rather than geographical.

52,887.

USPA maintains a list of records. Someone on a seperate forum on this site posts NC at 41 way. Forums>Skydiving>General Skydiving Discussions>Existing State and National Records Sorry, but I don't know how tim place a link into a thread response. Now, I know that I have completed larger than 41 in NC, but I guess that there was simply not a judge available at the time. Why? Got something in mind?

Study after study and what do we have...nada. Why waste our time. The losses are coming because the demographic of the sport has changed. Even ten years ago, the sport was still owned by long-haired hippie freaks. And, it was cool and we all had fun. Free flying was done at the break off of each RW jump followed by a little CReW. People aren't staying because we have changed the sport. People came/come because of the brush with death. They stayed because the people made it a rockin' place to be. Have we all simply outgrown it? When was the last time you saw the dance of the flaming asshole? When was the last time you had sex on the beacon? When was the last time that you thought you shit your jumpsuit after a hard night of drinking? If you want to skydive, do it! If yu want people to come back to your DZ, give them a reason. And, money should not be your motive for people to come back...growth and passion.

Maybe you could skip the pit and go for a tuffet?!?

Nope...SL student whenb I started, though. Wouldn't mind having the SL JM or I. Care nothing about Tandem or AFF ratings. Any upcoming course in the midAltalnic?

I almost tried to buy a Ducati off of E-Bay got $10K. Got real worried and backed out. Turned out to be a good idea...scam. Here are some e-bay contacts for this stuff. moreinfo@ebay.com spoof@ebay.com rswebhelp@ebay.com stopfraud@ebay.com