airdvr

A man was playing a round one day. He came up to a Par 3 where things had backed up a bit. There was a beautiful woman there. He introduced himself, they bantered back and forth, and he asked her if he could play in with her. She agreed. After the round he asked her if he could buy her a drink in the clubhouse. After a couple of drinks he asked her if he could buy her dinner. She replied "why don't we just go back to your place and I'll give you some head." Needless to say he readily agreed. The next day the same thing happened. They met on a Par 3, played out together, drinks, head. This goes on all week. Finally on Friday, after the drinks, they go to his place but this time he's got a different idea. He says "You know, I've really enjoyed this week, and you really give great head, but tonight I thought we could have intercourse." She leans in seductively and whispers in his ear, "There's something I have to tell you. I'm really a man." His face and neck turn beet red. He's obviously upset. She looks at him and says "You're upset because I'm a man aren't you." He looks her sternly in the eyes and says "No. I'm upset because you've been playing the red tees all week!" Please don't dent the planet. Destinations by Roxanne

I've been in the car biz for over 20 years. You can get a good deal on an e-baymobile if you do it correctly. 1. Look at the feedback on the seller's. Find out what others have to say about them. This is critical. If someone really wants to be successful selling on e-bay they will pay particular attention to their feedback ratings. 2. Many come with a warranty. I wouldn't even consider a purchase like that if it wasn't warranteed. 3. Buy from a dealer...you have much more recourse if the vehicle isn't what they said it would be. I wouldn't touch an e-baymobile from a private owner unless I could see if first. 4. I've alwyas felt that an e-baymobile should be something you can't find on every corner. No need to take chances on a Taurus off of e-bay when the dealer down the street has 10 in stock. Please don't dent the planet. Destinations by Roxanne

The coach rating is a businesslike approach to a business problem...customer retention. A DZO has to pay particular attention to this problem because the turnover rate for jumpers is extremely high. If the DZO doesn't retain new jumpers and "grow them" into experienced skydivers his business will be in big trouble after the first turnover. The old approach was to have the "wannabe's" hang out at the DZ hoping to lurk a load with the more experienced guys. DZO's can't afford that approach anymore. Somewhere are stats that show its takes 3 times as much money to get a new customer as it does to retain a current one. Please don't dent the planet. Destinations by Roxanne

Just finished reading the technical paper. Interesting but it lacks one significant area. It assumes that all jumpers who died under an open canopy were looking to increase the percieved risk factor by doing HP landings. Somewhere someone needs to separate the data to identify those who were doing a HP landing and those who weren't. Please don't dent the planet. Destinations by Roxanne

Very interesting article regarding "Open Canopy Fatalities"http://www.noexcusesrigging.com/ArticlesEssays/LayOverview.htm The techinicla paper is bit more...well...technical. I haven't finished reading it yet. You can find it here http://www.noexcusesrigging.com/EssaysArticles.htm Please don't dent the planet. Destinations by Roxanne

Hmmm...so I should perform surgery on myself? There is a very good reason I want a rigger to pack my reserve....they know more about it than I do, or if I'm making a mistake packing my main I don't want it repeated on my reserve. The "do it yourself" argument is pointless. There's lots of things in this life I could do myself...but I don't. It doesn't mean I shouldn't have an expectation that it is being done correctly. It's their mistake. The mistake I made was in beleiveing they knew what they were doing. I really hope not. There's a reason the FAA requires reserves to be repacked by a licensed rigger. I beleive its the reason that a reserve mal is extremely rare. Compare the number of reserve rides to the reserve mal rate...pretty small percentage. Look...I don't know you...don't know if you're a good person or not. But I know you are a LICENSED rigger, and you have a responsibility to your customers. That responsibility is to put a parachute in their container that has been packed correctly...the best job you know how. And, its not as if that pack job is open to interpretation. Lots of $ have been spent by the manufacturer to figure out the best way that thing is supposed to be packed. I expect my rigger has done what the manufacturer wanted done. After that, its every man for himself. Please don't dent the planet. Destinations by Roxanne

Now that's just not right! Please don't dent the planet. Destinations by Roxanne

You realize you are placing that complete and total faith in a fallable human being, right? Every rigger is gonna fuck up some detail in their time. It's unavoidable if they rig for long enuff. Well...I have to tell you...I wouldn't think a misrouted steering line is just "some detail". It's basic 4 line check stuff and there may be others running around with pack jobs done incorrectly. If you're saying that at some point a rigger will pack a canopy wrong and I should just accept that I won't. And...I am not trusting my life to the rigger...I'm trusting it to the last parachute I have. That parachute must be in there right...no excuses. I certainly wouldn't excuse a pilot for missing "some detail". I don't expect any less of my rigger. You should gauge your response to this screw up on the riggers attitude and willingness to accept responsibility. Accepting responsibility for that type of screw up is like robbing a bank and returning the money, accepting responsibility, and thinking you're not going to jail. Sorry...I have an expectation of riggers to be above reproach. I think anything less than that is unacceptable. Please don't dent the planet. Destinations by Roxanne

I guess that depends on your POV. I'd venture a guess and say that the rigger beleives education is the way to go...but we're not talking about the stupid kid at McD's who can't get your freakin' order right. We place complete and total faith in our rigger's ability to put a pack job in our container that will deploy correctly and have a greater probablility of opening. I don't know whether that particular error would cause a mal or not...but it's so blatantly obvious its inexcuseable. And, if I'm not mistaken this poor soul walked around for 120 days with it like that. Bottom line...not acceptable and the rigger needs to be reprimanded...officially. I think it wouldn't be a bad idea to let us all have his name here so we can decide whether we feel safe with one of his pack jobs in our container. Please don't dent the planet. Destinations by Roxanne

Years back the chief pilot had a little Cub he tooled around in. We set one of those Bartles & James cardboard advertisements near the runway. You know the one...life size with both those idiots holding a wine cooler. The pilot came by and took their heads off with the prop. Please don't dent the planet. Destinations by Roxanne

OK...so let's assume for a second that the rigger stepped on his dick on this repack. Is there some board of review or something for riggers? If the rigger did this through inattention he needs to be seriously reprimanded or maybe even have his ticket pulled for awhile. Please don't dent the planet. Destinations by Roxanne

56 miles to Cleveland Parachute Please don't dent the planet. Destinations by Roxanne

Anyone have any more info on this? How would I know if this mod had been done? Please don't dent the planet. Destinations by Roxanne

Made all of my jumps on a pull-out system. I ditched it last fall and converted my old Racer to a BOC throw out. Man...what a difference! Too easy to lose the grip on that damned pud...it was so tight against the container that I could only slip my 2nd and 3rd fingers under it. I much prefer grabbing that hackey...its just much more comfortable. Please don't dent the planet. Destinations by Roxanne

It's the biggest reason I took a 10+ year break from the sport. It just hurt too damned much. There's alot of good points on this thread. I'm just getting back into the sport, but I have a very different viewpoint now. I know that its as safe as you make it (with the odd exception that is uncontrollable). It would seem a rather easy task...just slow down before you hit the big rock that's right there in front of you. Please don't dent the planet. Destinations by Roxanne

I want everyone here to know how much I appreciate the input. I've been feeling like I'm a bit "behind the curve" when it comes to the equipment. So much has changed since '92. My beer jump on a ZP canopy was last fall, and I couldn't beleive the handling difference from the old 111's. Then I proceeded to get a Sabre spanking that was a real wakeup call. I can still feel the ache in my back. Now I'm flying a fairly highly loaded Tri. Just want to be able to walk away so I can jump again. Please don't dent the planet. Destinations by Roxanne

I think my problem is my "old school" style of flaring. It comes from putting over 1000 jumps on a Delta Cloud, which means get all of the flare you can as quickly as possible. I'm thinking maybe flaring a ZP is more of a staged thing...maybe it'll plane out at 3/4 brakes and then I have the last part to bleed off speed with? Problem is I'm kinda chicken to attempt that type of landing flare for fear that I'll stove myself in. Is there a way to test that theory with a nice wind to land into? Please don't dent the planet. Destinations by Roxanne

I kinda disregarded that advice. I've been doing this long enough to know that I'm too chicken and not stupid enough to try that one. Please don't dent the planet. Destinations by Roxanne

Hehe...at that speed its more like a slide with a tumble thrown in for style. Please don't dent the planet. Destinations by Roxanne

Its possible...except that it does flatten out nicely so I don't think its a brake line length issue. Its just that when it planes out I'm sill covering ground way too fast to run it out. Please don't dent the planet. Destinations by Roxanne

OK...here's another one. Jumping a Tri 190 loaded at 1.3. I love the way the canopy flares and planes out except in no wind conditions. Can't seem to get it slowed down. I've been told I should try final at 1/2 brakes and then flare. I'm not into swooping because I don't look good in crutches. Your thoughts? Please don't dent the planet. Destinations by Roxanne

Interesting that "Flagship Detroit" has the right hand door. There was one like it at Quincy back in the '80's. It was awfully strange exiting from the "wrong" side of the plane. We went up in it once with only one pilot and I guess he wasn't experienced at dropping jumpers. Managed to stall it on jump run...that was an interesting ride What about the other 3's...I'm talking "Agent Orange" (remember the chemical smell inside that plane?) or "Sugar Alpha"? Anyone know whatever happened to those? Please don't dent the planet. Destinations by Roxanne

I think its a bit sad that the 3's aren't used anymore. That was a different style of skydiving requiring major diving down to the base unless you were in the first 5 or 6 out the door. That was a blast! And who can forget your first ride in Mr. Douglas...the blue glow...the rockin tunes...and Rickerby's mural depicting the hand of the reaper. Wasn't Southern Cross owned by the Columbian Gov't at one time? Please don't dent the planet. Destinations by Roxanne

What I remeber about that ship was how freakin' loud it was inside the plane. Didn't it have some mods done to the engines that upped the HP? Please don't dent the planet. Destinations by Roxanne

Lou...really enjoyed reading your story. It is fun for the experienced folks to re-live the excitement of learning to fly again. I think we have a tendency to get a bit complacent as we get more experienced...and forget what fun this really is. I layed off jumping for over 10 years and just got back into it this fall. I never realized how much I missed it. Continue having fun and be safe. Please don't dent the planet. Destinations by Roxanne