NickDG

Well, maybe except for "Mom" . . . NickD

Led Zeppelin slayed them at the long awaited reunion concert in London. I saw them in 1974 and always wanted another shot. Please, please, please come to LA . . . NickD

>>My point being if some one jumps my ass without at least letting me know there is a problem they can fuck off.

>>Where are they today?

>>I also grew up in NY so if someone hears me say it and gets all bent out of shape without letting me understand why...I may jsut tell them to fuck off.

Wow, I bet that "Norseman" stamp would be worth something on E-Bay now !!! And Howard, let's watch those "High Hands . . . NickD

Nice, Dave, and lots of "Excellents" in the comments column too !!! NickD

Nice job, Peter . . . I was in on the HOPE system when Basic Research first designed and marketed it. "HOPE" stood for High Office Parachute Escape. And yes, it is still available from Apex (which used to be Basic Research.) The reason Basic Research got into it was one day, after 9/11, we saw the Executive Chute being marketed on the web and I took it to Todd Shoebotham and said, "Look at this, these guys don't even jump!" I saw it as non-jumpers piling on the 9/11 bandwagon and cashing in by using off the shelf technology. In fact there is a hilarious early Executive Chute video where the "CEO" is showing a reporter how easy the system is to don but when the reporter gets tangled up even the CEO can’t figure it out. So Basic Research designed a system, based on all we knew about BASE jumping and taking into account the users would be non-jumpers. But, and this is a big but, it's a last chance ditch effort at life saving. Just something a bit better than taking a flying leap unaided to escape smoke and flame. And we are always clear about saying that. The earliest versions of these systems were first seen (besides Faust Veranso in the 16th century) from Jimmy Tyler in the early 1980s. In a segment for the TV show, "That's Incredible," Jimmy and friends showed off the first modern system for parachute building escape. They used rounds, but they first dropped a steel cable off the building rooftop. Below the fire department tied off the cable to the bumper of a fire engine and backed up until it was taught and at a 45 degree angle. The jumpers on the roof then clipped onto the cable with carabineers and jumped. The rounds opened, retarding the fall, while the cable delivered the jumpers right into the hands of the firefighters. The idea here was even Granny could manage it. Overall these systems have met with uncertainty, and mainly because most people would rather believe they'll never be in a position to need them. And the analogy of a life vest on a boat and a parachute on a tall building hasn't quite sunk in yet. But as the world builds taller and taller structures I think it's just a matter of time. It will just take one person to actually save themselves this way, and bingo . . . And yes, Anne Helliwell, of then Basic Research, jumped the HOPE System at the Potato Bridge and landed it on land without injury. But yes, a non-steerable small round parachute, over an urban area, is a big death sandwich to bite from, but wuffos tend to get the idea when most skydivers don't because they don't over-think it. Donald Trump bought a bunch of them and they also hung in a window of Sporting Goods store in New York's Time's Square and they sold fine. The question you have to ask yourself is this - jump and try - or stay and fry . . . ? NickD

Here's mine. It's the old red type logbook from Steve Snyder Enterprises (SSE) and it held ten jumps to a page. To show how dorky I was, I had this logbook in my back pocket when I made my first jump and as I was walking back in I signed off my very own first jump! I read it as, "Parachutist or Pilot's Signature and License No," to mean, hey I was now a "parachutist" (I didn't know "Parachutists" had license numbers) so I signed my own name. That's why it's crossed out and my Instructor signed above it. I got reamed pretty good for that one back at the clubhouse . . . These early logbooks didn’t provide enough room for all a beginning jumper wanted to write. But on the other hand the later "Black Freefall Logs" offered too much. NickD

When the late George Harris, the guy who owned the George G. Harris Corporation, which invented and supplied the entire sport with F-111 fabric for canopies over many years, finally visited a DZ for the first time, all he could say was how foul mouthed sport parachutist were, and how his wife was in a state of shock. There was even a blurb in PARACHUTIST remarking on it. But since ZP was just coming into fashion we thought, "Ah, fuck him!" But, over the years, I've learned a very simple lesson. Don’t use the F-word in front of strangers . . . it's just not cool . . . NickD

Chris Needles was getting something like $100,000 (of your dues) per year as USPA Executive Director while RDs and ST&As get basically squat . . . NickD

This year (2007) it doesn't appear the Post Office has the Santa letters from children online like they usually do, so check with your local post office. Ask about, "Operation - Letters to Santa." Many of these kids write Santa, not for toys, but for essentials like warm jackets, school clothes, shoes and school supplies. And not always for themselves either. Sometimes it's for siblings or sometimes a hard working parent having tough times. If you can part with the price of a couple of jump tickets please check with your local Postmaster . . . More info here: http://www.operationlettertosanta.com/Pages/santa_tips.htm NickD

If you're looking for other than the mainstream flying pablum there's the Pacific Flyer here: http://www.pacificflyer.com/ I know the guy who publishes it out of Oceanside, Ca and he employs pilots all over So Cal to deliver it free to all the airports. When the WX is down they've been known to scud run and just push bundles of them out the door. And yearly he does a hell of a sweet swimsuit issue! There is also an East Coast version called the Altantic Flyer (but they aren’t connected to the Pacific one): http://www.aflyer.com/ NickD

And this one, without editorial, because I've always thought it the best cover shot of all time! It captures exactly why we jump. If it had a caption, it would be . . . "The beginning is best - and the rest is just practice . . ." NickD

Outstanding! Thanks for doing this, I loved re-visting the covers from when I started in the 70s. And I'm going to have fun with these . . . NickD

Like "some" things maybe the best way was the old way . . . In the ealry 80s when tandem first came out and we grabbled with this same problem, we hung a chest mounted reserve on the wall of the airplane. Then if there was a fire or something really funky below hook up altitude the kid had the same chance the rest of us had. I'd much rather, as a tandem master, shove an innocent student out the door going through a grand with a hope rather than what someone upboard said about with or without them. If you aren't willing to give your life for a student then don't take the twenty bucks . . . And don't go around calling yourself an Instructor . . . NickD

No worries, students, in general, tend to fall fast. It's not until they start actually trying stuff that they slow down. The late Al Frisby said it best. "The dumb bastards, they install slinks, then they strap on lead . . ." NickD

1. It never snows. 2. Nobody minds if you smoke a fatty at night. 3. Night jumps whenever there's interest. (See # two.) 4. Student program staffed with people who aren't "students" themselves. 5. A DZO who’s one of us. 6. Lot's of international visitors. 7. No townies 8. Jumpers and their families you've known for 30 years. 9. Balloon jumps. 10. A local Ghetto - with cheap rent and easy living. NickD

Yes, I know well about those problems . . . When I took my Rigger written at the San Diego GADO I had to spend a half hour convincing them that, "Yes, you do give that test!" Maybe you missed where I said the FAA should hire experienced jumpers to oversee their regulation of skydiving. NickD

What a mess . . . The December PARACHUTIST landed in my box today and I caught my mailperson (a young woman) looking at the cover. "I've always wanted to do that," she said while smiling at me in all her wuffoe glory. You should have seen me go straight into my act of, "Yes, skydiving is wonderful, and that magazine is put out by USPA, our governing body, and yes, if you want to jump, here's how you go about it." Maybe it's ingrained in me after all these years, and maybe, I thought as I walked up my driveway, it's because I don't really hate USPA at all. But like a son or daughter who didn’t live up to their potential, I'm just flat disappointed. But, I realized hopefully, it's a new day now because the "Needle" is gone . . . I don’t think USPA suffered a more milk toast Executive Director since the days of "Curt" Curtis back in the early 1980s. But USPA needs a "leader" now more than ever. (And if you don’t believe the Executive Director really runs USPA tell that to Bill Ottley). So I sat down and hopefully opened the magazine and, oh boy, the new guy either didn’t start well, or got handed a nice welcome to the job. The front of the magazine started with a Skyride advert and the back end was the memorial to the Caravan crash victims. I think, as editor, or anyone with a say, I would have suggested doing that the other way around. Maybe it's time the general membership directly elects the USPA Executive Director. Because what we get now is rife with cronyism and continuation of regime. And I think drastic changes in direction, every so often, would get us more toward the place we ought to be . . . Edit - Okay, I just learned that advert isn't skyride, so never mind that part NickD

>>The non-AFF-I usually jumps reserve side, FWIW. Technically, that shouldn't be done, but those of us who know about it also know this person's actual qualifications pretty well, so it really doesn't bother us much.

Just saw this up board. Probably the reason Jan was wearing the gag . . . Wonder how much of our dues went down this "settlement" rat hole? NickD STATEMENT CONCERNING ACTIVITIES OF 1-800-SKYRIDE AND RESOLUTION OF LITIGATION AGAINST USPA The USPA announces that on November 29th, 2007, it restored the Group Memberships of Atlanta Skydiving Center, Alabama Skydiving Center, and Adventure Skydiving Philadelphia, and the Individual Memberships of Cary V. Quattrocchi, and Benny W. Butler in full. All parties have reached an agreement to resolve the litigation pending between the parties in federal court and to ensure consumers can enjoy the sport of skydiving. The USPA has further discontinued the “consumer alert” previously posted on its website concerning complaints regarding 1-800-SKYRIDE. Among the USPA’s primary objectives is to guard the integrity of the sport of skydiving by demanding that USPA members uphold the basic ethical principles outlined in the USPA Constitution and other policies. However, within these parameters and in accordance with state and federal law, USPA members are free to conduct business as they choose. Consistent with its policies and procedures, the USPA does not—and will not—seek to regulate the business activities of its members. http://www.uspa.org/about/index.htm

Me run for office? I've got too many skeletons in my closet. I'd get creamed . . . NickD