NickDG

Just wanted to let everyone know I met with my doctors this morning to see what the pathology report said about the testicle they removed. It was cancer. I'm now going on a strict regiment of surveillance and possibly radiation treatments to check any further spread. I'm feeling pretty good right now, but I developed a blood mass in my scrotum that's kind of painful but the doctors say my body should absorb that mass in time. I think I caught this one in time, and have confidence I'll be okay. It's odd someone my age gets testicular cancer, as it's a young man's disease. So all you guys in your thirties check yourself for lumps down there, or better yet have someone do it for you. And thanks again for all the good wishes expressed upboard. I can honestly say you'd have to go some to beat the BASE community in that regard. NickD

Just to echo what "C" said, I also talked to Russel's parents this morning and it seems the doctors did a bit more metal work than first planned. But, as of now, he says, Russel came through the surgery just fine. Papa pBASE also asked me to pass on his warmest regards to the BASE community for showing so much love and support for his son . . . NickD

More than a few wrote me about Chris over the last few days (for the List) and while I didn't know him it's clear he was very well liked and respected . . . Blue skies, Chris. NickD BASE 194

Just ribbing ya Jarrett . . . I've had guys your age shagging for us that shortly became first rate packers. NickD

Assuming Dad's a rigger your being 14 years old is no matter as you did it under his supervision. However, you didn't mention if the canopy was ever inspected? And I hope he tells the customer, so he/she can share your joy . . . NickD

>>Thalidomide was never approved in the US:

Fast Forward to the year 2050 Jan, You know I've always been a fan of yours, and that is a great piece of writing . . . I really hope you rise in the USPA hierarchy. With you as Executive Director I could actually look forward to "Capital Commentaries." As it is now I don’t think I've made it passed the first paragraph of that dribble in years. The USPA hasn't represented average jumpers since the days Norm Heaton kept the membership names in a shoebox. NickD

Maybe someone can upload an old PARACHUTIST article called "The First Seven Seconds" by Roger Hull. Nothing since has explained it better . . . NickD

I was born in the 50's . . . "Leave it to Beaver" was reality TV. My Mother's full time job was raising me. TV was Black and White (and so was photography). Strangers weren't dangerous. We trusted the Government. I received just one toy for Christmas. I was allowed to wander all of New York City by myself. I really did "Like Ike." My parent's biggest fear is I would become a beatnik. Gas was 20 cents a gallon. My allowance was 50 cents a week. We didn't cut or ditch school we played hooky. My parents and teachers spanked me. Policemen were men. My grandparents lived in our house until they died. We practiced "Duck & Cover" once a week in school. My father taught me how to test "Tubes" from our TV at the local Drug Store. My Mother was given the drug Thalidomide while pregnant with me. The TV News is just fifteen minutes once a day. We all read the newspapers. Making or receiving a long distance phone call was an event. Being a Lawyer was considered an honorable profession. NickD

Just before my first jump. And yes, that's a football helmet . . . NickD

From my own experience (the BPA's stance on BASE jumping) and from what many Brits have relayed to me, the BPA are a bunch of fuddy duddies . . . There are many DZs here in the States that would go out of their way to help you. Look at the USA skydiving group called "The Pieces of Eight," they are all amputees! Look at this friend of mine at http://zerop.net/base/ Why you fellows haven't overthrown the BPA is beyond me . . . Good luck to you and please keep us posted. NickD

I would have been BASE 193, but the fellow I was with didn't feel up to freefalling the object and I had to hold his direct bag . . . BTW, does anyone know who BASE 195 is? It's always been a blank on my un-official list. NickD

Ravens aren't that bad. Many brands of canopies had\have built in turns. And they don't require a pull test during repacks like some same era PD reserves. I've never heard of an airworthy one blowing up and many had hundreds and hundreds of jumps put on them as mains. I, and many others, made many slider removed BASE jumps with them in the early days of BASE and never had any trouble. (Not recommended today as we have fully dedicated BASE canopies.) Make sure it's airworthy and the wing loading is right, check here www.precision.aero/about-precision.htm for any service bulletins and it'll be fine . . . NickD BASE 194

Russel Metlitzky hurt himself on a night bridge jump and is currently at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles. I went to visit him today and his injuries are one broken ankle, one broken femur, and one broken hip. He's scheduled for a mechanical hip replacement this coming Monday evening. Of course he feels no pain and is in good spirits. I also met his parents and they are very cool people. His Dad joked that since Russel is on the 7th floor of the hospital he might get his "B" while there . . . I'll leave it to those there at the time of the jump to fill in the details but Russel said after a two second slider down delay his legs came up and hit him in the face. He didn't fully realize how badly he was hurt and actually went to work for two days after his return home. If by chance you don’t know Russel he has a web site here: http://zerop.net/base/ You can leave your best wishes here, or send a card or note to: Russel Metlitzky Room 7129 Cedars-Sinai Medical Center 8700 Beverly Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90048 NickD BASE 194

Do I recall this story right? Lew Sanborn and Jacque Istel both qualified for the "D" license at the same time, so they flipped a coin. Lew won and Jacque Istel became D-2. NickD

>>nah I just wanted a name so I know who's videos to look for.

Here's mine, 2800-feet over Kaneohe, Hawaii in 1975. NickD BASE 194

As for the Lutz (Sparky) thing I was there and working with another student at the time. Moley is the main/side JM and Rocky is reserve/side JM. Both are excellent AFF Instructors and good friends of mine but neither are internet types. We had a "murder session" after this incident and if they posted here they would each say the following. To be fair to Lutz many FJC students try to pull the wrong handle and JMs can usually correct that mistake. The rigs are student Talons and the main ripcord and cutaway pud can be fairly close together. In the hanging harness' Perris used at the time they weren't close together at all. A lot of things went wrong on this jump. The first of course was the student skipping the "look" part of the pull sequence, the second was his first jump instructor (I won't name him as he's no longer among the living) not teaching how different a soft pud feels from a hard knob. The third is Lutz fighting Moley from repositioning his hand. After Lutz pulled the cutaway handle Moley correctly deployed the student's main. That's SOP. The idea is the RSL will now deploy the reserve. Now two more out of the ordinary things happened. Perris is using snap shackles to attach the RSL and the shackle somehow came open before pulling up on the reserve cable. (They use connector links now.) The next thing is Rocky on reserve side didn't notice Moley stayed in position after the main deployment bag lifted off, something mainside isn't supposed to do. This might have been a tip off something wasn't right. Rocky let go and turned to track as Lutz is pulled from his grasp, but before the Three rings released. And technically reserve sides responsibility ends at line stretch. If Moley had left after deploying the main, and then Rocky did what he did, Lutz would have probably gone in. At the time Perris had a single AAD (they were FXCs) attached to the mains and they are set for 3500-feet. That idea in itself is another whole can of worms . . . Moley then dropped down into Lutz's sight line, with Koji, the cameraman in hot pursuit. Moley began making pulling motions on his own reserve handle. That's the only thing that saved Lutz as he was totally freaked at that point, had no ADD, and no clue what to do next. He finally pulled the reserve handle at Moley's urging and the rest is how you see it in the video. He paid no attention to the radio or the instruction he had about canopy control earlier in the day . . . NickD

Is bottom right, Pat Works . . . ? NickD

I believe the Pigeon Falls and Las Vegas tunnels were the first two built for civilian use. The day the Vegas tunnel opened (1983?) we drove up from So Cal and are among the first to "fly" in it. I say "fly" loosely as even though we are used to skydiving with big jump suits we faired little better than the people off the street. While they called it "indoor skydiving" tunnel operators at that time didn't promote that angle to skydivers as they weren't yet aware that market existed. They had a few injuries early on (they were bouncing Grandmothers off the walls) and after a while it closed down for a few years. I remember it being very noisy and very hot . . . However, even though it had just opened they already had "tunnel rats" who after business hours cranked up the speed and flew naked with amazing skill . . . NickD

A few people wrote me to say they didn't notice the slight stutter I did on the Triax BD 2004 DVD. So I took the discs to a store that sold DVD players and played them on over a dozen different machines. On two I noticed the flicker, but on the rest it played just great, so it is machine sensitive and not a fault of the discs. In the end it doesn't matter much, as even on a lesser machine not everybody will notice it. BTW, a store employee plugged one player into a big screen and we drew quite the crowd . . . The original review is here: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1567326;#1567326 NickD

>>no I dont mean death day, how morbid can you be? Honestly...

Blue ones, Gus . . . the sport is a lessor place today . . . >>so I went to rec.skydiving to ferret out a little about him.

You mean like, Death Day . . . ? No thanks, I think most of us remember close friends on the actual anniversaries of their demise. And I never liked the idea of President's Day either . . . NickD

>>"I never knew what my trampoline was capable of till he jumped on it" I think it was your tramp. what kind of stuff was he doing on it ? and what kind of stuff do you do on it ?>>Spellcheck! Dwain