yoink

Is that the one with the completely closed nose and inlets on the bottom skin?

This was my experience jumping a borrowed Vengeance for half a dozen jumps. Yup. They flew like an angel, opened like a bitch, varied from canopy to canopy and probably cost more to produce than a standard ram air wing.

I love the Ozzies.

You don't fly much, do you? There is not a snowballs chance in hell that the TSA has any interest or responsibility in rebooking a flight for you. None. Zero. They'll simply say either 'you should have arrived earlier', 'That's your problem', or (if you really annoy them) 'Bend over., Sunshine. Let's see what else you're hiding.'

I think you'll get a biased answer in this forum... Personally, I've gone with finance and banking. The untouchable secret government who run the world.

Replace the panel and learn the lesson - canopies don't belong anywhere near barbed wire. Use gates in fences if you land off - that's what they're there for. If you caught it on landing, well, you're far far to close to a hazard. Don't do it again!

H A HA - Fresh Meat! Take everything here with a nice big grain of salt.

How many Americans on the American boat? Have you seen the size of Americans these days? You could never be competitive with more than a couple of them on board. Ballast?

I'll bring the beer and popcorn.

Say what now? They are both designed to make a hole. There's a huge difference between a melee and ranged weapon. Both a drill and a hand gun are equally dangerous. They both are capable of equal objectives which is to make a hole. They are both cordless Pass. I can't meet this level of crazy.

Say what now?

No worries - text communication sucks.

Let me see you say that in the middle of a car jacking with a gun to your head. You see his finger tightening on the trigger and you have a gun in your hand . . . You prove the point. In that case - yes. Defending yourself is your right - in that particular case it's your privilege to shoot the carjacker - punching him in the face probably wouldn't help the situation. I pinch your nipple because you irritated me - what are you going to do? Shoot me? Then you've abused your privilege... As tk says - you absolutely have the right to defend yourself. The level of defense needs to commensurate with with how you're being attacked.

Ok. I feel I may need to clarify - text based communication being open to misinterpretation as it is.. Firstly - I have a degree in neuroscience. I don't think you have any sort of neurological disorder. I apologize for the poorly made joke unreservedly. Secondly - I never said anything about 'real sportsmen' or implied that you weren't welcome. Some people get off on dangerous situations more than others- there's no judgement implied in that, it's a physiological fact. What constitutes 'dangerous' is as individual as what constitutes 'beauty'. Some people (many AFF graduates for example), feel that exiting a plane at 3,500ft is supremely dangerous and have that adrenaline rush you're looking for from that. Others (maybe you - I've no idea) consider 1000ft to be fine. The point is, that whatever floats your boat that there is an acceptable level of risk for the commercial sport of skydiving that is defined by the rules we adhere to. If you can find excitement within those, and that excitement drives you, then fantastic. You'll be happy. But if your excitement requires something that falls outside of those boundaries, then you should find something else to do and not burden everyone else with your need for that high. Remember - you came on here asking an answer to a question only YOU can really answer. Was the jump you did a Tandem or AFF one? If it was tandem, I'd recommend doing an AFF jump and going from there. If if was an AFF one, I'd say you need to make a decision - is 'fun - I guess' enough? If so - keep jumping. If not, move on.

Rhaig I agree with you. You're not alone in your opinions.

Black and white huh?

Sure! What's the pay?

It depends on the person. I've seen students get so worked up that they puke, and students who seem pretty unfazed by the whole thing. Possibility 1 - you have a neurological disorder that is affecting your cholinergic system. Pretty unlikely. Possibility 2 - If you're focusing on what you've learnt, sometimes that single-minded focus can block out external stimulii. For others who may have been thinking about jumping for many years, the reality never matches the fantasy or expectation they've built up. Possibility 3 - Skydiving just doesn't push your buttons. That's fine. Find something that does.

Stop thinking about it... You've putting the most negative spin on it that's possible. Focus on the good things and try to distance yourself emotionally from the bad. To be a successful skydiver we're compelled to LEARN from our own mistakes and those of others... Some fear and respect is a good thing for that. Too much is not. You become a self fulfilling prophecy. Supposition: I did poorly last time! What if I do again? Result: You perform poorly. Find your centre again. Balance good and bad and then go from there. Focus on objective lessons and remember THIS IS FUN. If you've worried, you 're tense. Tense skydiving is bad mmmkay? ;)

What are you basing that fiction on? The increasing number of jobs, better than expected economic growth and increased international trade? I'm not saying the US is great by any standards, but your statement is just ridiculous. You should write for The Sun with that level of fantasy and hyperbole.

I can't tell you how much it depresses me when I hear a student say this. If students are scared of hop and pops then we're doing a shitty job teaching them. The fact that you were contemplating cutting away an entanglement only solidifies that opinion... Good job fixing it - next time don't freak yourself out. Ask to do some high hop and pops so you can feel how much time you really have. There's nothing to be scared of.

Bill was referring to the idea that Al-Qaeda is supporting the rebellion and by NOT boming the crap out of the country (but finding a diplomatic solution) the risk of general chaos is reduced, thereby putting more of a limit of the activities of Al-Qaeda.

Think they have enough motors hanging off the back of the rescue boat? Shows you how fast the big sail boats can go!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-24022866 Kerry proposes a solution in jest and the Russians call him on it! Go team Russia! I would approve of sanctions and the confirmed confiscation and destruction of Syrias chemical weapons as a decent middle ground. If it's achievable it sounds like a reasonable solution to me.

So many red flags with your thought process, mate... Seriously - these posts are setting off all my alarm bells. Let her learn ONE thing at once. A normal skydiving canopy handles nothing like a paraglider, let alone a student one. And ground launching is an advanced skill and again very, very different on a speedwing. 25 jumps is nothing. You say 'just for groundhandling' - I call bullshit. Even if you have the best intentions in the world that 'just groundhandling' will end up with 'just a small flight' that will turn into 'just a simple 2-way'... Seriously, it's great you want your girlfriend to be into all the stuff you like, but the BEST thing you can do for her is to let her go at her own pace, and let professionals teach her.