skydived19006

Of the four tandem canopies I own, there's one 330, and one 365 Precision/Icarus (before they split so 10 year old canopies), one Icarus 330 (built in Spain I think), and a 365 Precision. As has been said, they all have their own "personality", and the performance seems to vary most due to the life of the line set (Vectran). The 365 Precision doesn't have as nice a flair when loaded light (400 to 440 lb range). I talked with a guy with Icarus maybe 5 years ago and asked what the difference between Precision and Icarus were. He was obviously trying to sell me an Icarus, and said that the Precision was the old Icarus canopy, and that they had made more changes than he could list since then (circa 2000). If I were in the market for another tandem canopy it would be either an Icarus,or Precision, but I'm not really sold on one over the other. Martin Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

Maybe I should put some used ones up for sale on Ebay I did search Ebay for "big girl panties" and one result was simply panties for a not so small woman. BIG GIRLS SOFT IVORY PANTIES 40-50 WAIST GORGEOUS NEW http://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_trksid=p3907.m570.l1313&_nkw=big+girl+panties&_sacat=See-All-Categories Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

have you searched for a pair of big girl panties? Maybe see if you can find a deal on a six pack of em. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

That may be fine for people buying trinkets and baubles, but for those of us who are looking to purchase a Porsche 911 and who do not want to waste endless hours online waiting for "those closing minutes", finding out EARLY what the set reserve price is is a tremendous help. I bid, set my maximum bid, then have the system tell me when I have been outbid and if (ever) the reserve has been met. I fucking hate E-bay, but there are a good number of Porsche 911's that come across the block. Hey Asshole! Exactly where snipe software is worth it's price. People's emotions are a problem (buyers emotions are not a problem for sellers). The typical person will bid for instance $100 dollars for their widget, thinking '$100 is all I'm willing to pay', then sit at their computer and watch it in the last minutes. So, someone comes along and enters $125 as their max five minutes before auction close. Mr. $100 all gets all sorts of adrenalin pumping and enters $105, outbid, $110, outbid, damn! 115, outbid, danm! $120 outbid, shit!, $125 outbid, Fuck!, $130 got it!!! Now, if the guy who'd originally bid $125 had used snipe software, entered the same $125 as his max bit and which placed his bid for him within the last few seconds (notice that he didn't sit at his computer), he won the widget for $102 (whatever the bid increments are at the $100 level). Also, using snipe software the $125 dollar bidder is removed from the emotion, remember, he was at the DZ drinking beer, or in bed screwing another skydivers GF when he won! Now, multiply that whole scenario for a 10,000 car and the $10 snipe software is looking very attractive! This http://cgi.ebay.com/Auction-Sentry-Deluxe-Top-Bid-Sniping-Software-/170487507273?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27b1d8e949 is the one I use. $12.95, hell of a deal. Not a service, but software you purchase and install. Seriously I seldom use it, the majority of stuff I've purchased lately has been Buy it Now. This whole argument reminds me of "good poker players" complaining about "idiots" screwing up their Texas Hold'em game. Ironic how the stupid folks knock out the guy who knows how to play. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

It's a good idea to enter a NOTM, but not required as I understand. Who's to say that jumping onto my friends farm out in the country isn't because his place is a DZ for a day? What's the FAR requirement for a "drop zone?" We've done exactly that, set up a drop zone on a farm property (conveniently this farm had a nice grass runway) for a day and did a bunch of tandems, even had a lots of spectators! If we weren't doing the jumps on a "DZ" it would have been a bunch of bandit (by USPA BSRs) tandem demos all day long! Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

Here's one: http://www.amazon.com/Pyramid-PS15KX-13-8-Volt-Cigarette-Lighter/dp/B0002BA57A/ref=sr_1_fkmr2_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1274111581&sr=1-1-fkmr2 There are links to other models as well. Otherwise what you're looking for is what I call a "battery charger," any automotive battery charger will do the job. Small job, small charger. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

Tandem student after landing, not to me but rather a general statement: "I need to fuck now!!!" to which I responded: "I'll need to check with my wife on that." It ties into what I was reading in another thread regarding the chemical release induced during activities such as ours. Another which was funny in that she thought she was a lot more clever than I. After opening: "I'm glad I didn't get bigger tits!" Same chick after one of my lesser landings: "That hurt worse than anal sex!" My reply: "I wouldn't know about that." My impression was that she thought she could shock me. Now, if she'd said after opening "Mind if I take these out?" Or, "Excuse me while I whip these out!" I'd have been slightly shocked, and somewhat entertained! Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

On the skydiving side how about the SIMS manual? As in Skydivers Information Manual (mystery "S") manual. Is the additional "S" plural, or an additional word. Maybe "Skydivers Information Manual Skydivers manual". Maybe one should take their SIMS when fixin to go to The Wal-Marts? Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

Kind of like Shit/Shat! One that every news reader constantly uses is co-conspirator, you can not conspire alone so it's redundant. Would we say co-brother, co-friend? "He co-conspired with his co-brother and co-friend." "Myself" is so misused most don't even get it. We probably shouldn't even go into ending sentences with prepositions "Where you going to be at?" "Stupid is as stupid does." One of my English teachers said something to me that I thought somewhat profound at the time. "You should know how to speak and write correctly so you can when you want or need." About 20 years ago I figured out how ignorant people who use a lot of profanity sound when they talk. Seems like they have a 50 word vocabulary. About ten years ago I also decided to attempt to speak and write a little bit more correctly. That said, any English Major could more than likely pick apart my last three paragraphs. And I can't spell worth a damn! Martin Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

"You've got mail!" it's institutional, no wonder we talk like a bunch of idiots. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

I see a couple of ways of looking at that, one being your view. The other being that turning someone away could and in many cases has saved that person's life. I've seen student's jump who in hindsight had no business going, the jump resulting in an ambulance ride. In hindsight it would have been a much better decision to have "turned someone away." Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?do=search_results&search_forum=forum_1&search_type=AND&search_string=I%27ve+got I don't know that I really give a shit either, but "people do judge you by the words you use!" Use words such "irregardless", and "I've got", "you'ns" and you just may be considered to be... Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

That's really a funny misconception to me! I've lived 45 years in Kansas and have witnessed a few funnel clouds, but never one on the ground (has to touch down before it's a tornado). I'd guess though that if I lived out in the country where one's view is not obstructed by houses and trees I might have witnessed one first hand. The misconception comes from the fact that what you see on the news is the destruction, and your assumption that the whole state of Kansas looks similar. In reality, the destruction is very contained, and "big ones" which go through highly populated areas the destruction is quite isolated. In other words, there are plenty of 100 plus year old houses/buildings which have never been subject to tornado damage. What I'm amazed by is the fact that people will build where the construction is virtually guaranteed to be destroyed on a 10 or 20 year cycle. Such as Mississippi flood plain, mud slide hills, subject to cyclical forest fires, fault lines, hurricane beach front property, below sea level, etc. Compared to that shit, tornadoes are a spectator sport! All that said, you're hang'n your ass out if you're liv'n in a trailer house in tornado alley! Tornadoes seem to seek out trailer parks. In reality, an F2 would cut a path of destruction through a trailer park, where you'd see shingle damage in typical wood framed construction. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

The storm chasers were excited about the Wichita area last evening as well, though nothing really materialized. I have seen baseball sized hail, but don't think I've ever seen it punch holes in roof sheathing. We had hail that size in Wichita 10 or 15 years ago, but it hit in older construction, takes more to punch a hole in dimensional lumber sheathing than modern 7/16 OSB. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

"I've got" obviously a contraction for "I have got" which is also obviously redundant. Why not simply say "I have..." which would be correct, or "I got...", which sounds stupid. Actually, I already "have got" my answer. I did a search for "I've got" in the bonfire and found hundreds of subjects from folks around the country, though I didn't check on the UK, Down Under, etc. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

I would suggest that we all send the students who we are do not have the skilz to teach to Jackwallace. Sadly, I looked at his profile and as far as I can tell he has no instructional ratings. That's just sad! A guy with the skill to teach anyone walking the planet to skydive, and no rating. I'm saddened. I soooo wanted to have in my back pocket "There's a guy in Florida...." Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

The waiver I signed here in Oklahoma had something like this on it. As far as I can tell, you still had to fill out the waiver (i.e., put your name on it and initial that you had read each paragraph). At the bottom, in so many words, it says "if you don't want to release anyone from liability, you can pay $500 per jump and keep your right to sue." Even if you picked this, you still had to sign to indicate that it was your choice. I don't think this was on the one I signed in Texas, but I don't recall for sure. Eule I have the "$500 option" on my waiver. A year or so ago I had an IAD student decide to pay the $500. That scares me on multiple levels, but he said he simply did not want to leave his wife without the ability to sue if something were to go wrong. My thought was, so you kill yourself and your wife sues me leaving my wife with nothing. Anyway, I called my attorney, he said that 10 years ago when he'd written the waiver he had actually looked and found insurance that could be purchased for $500. He advised that I talk with the student and insist that there was no way we could do the jump that day, that come Monday I'd need to do some research and find out the actual cost of this insurance, and that it would no doubt be in excess of $500. At that point, he decided to initial the (not purchase) option. The thinking behind that option is a legal maneuver. So, the student who gets hurt of killed does not have the option of saying in court that "The only way they'd let me participate is if I waived them. Therefore I was coerced, or "forced" to sign the waiver." Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

One real memorable guy who had “…done jumps in the army 30 years ago!” He obviously didn’t need any of the long winded pampas instruction we had to offer him, damn civilians! He also didn’t need ground control, ignored me on paddles, and screwed himself in breaking ribs etc. He came back a couple of weeks later and made the mistake of asking me what he’d done wrong. I laid it out in very plain terms (army guy remember), to which he responded “What if I come over this counter and whip your ass?!” To which I responded “We’ll call the police and have you arrested.” He didn’t whip my ass, and we never saw him again. Another drug burn out guy who we did do a tandem with wanted to train solo, we told him no, he threatened to sue us. He didn’t jump, nor sue. Another guy who lied about his age (shaved 20 or so years) did a tandem and loved it. We put him out on a couple of IADs, but he really did not have the physical strength to manage it. I asked him to come talk with me after his instructor had finished up his post jump ground brief. He paid and left without “having the talk”, he knew what it was about. I was going to offer him discounted tandems. We weed out heavy folks every day over the phone, though we don’t refuse them, just advise that they can’t jump at their present weight. We also advise those under 18 that they can jump, but not until after their 18th b-day. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

Very cool! I don't see how you could ask for a better thing to share with your daughter. If you two are ever passing through Wichita on the weekend (and the wind isn't blowing!!), stop by our little DZ! Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

I'd suggest that you add to your list instructional ratings, then working with students! How about a sunrise jump, take off at sunrise minus climb time, watch the sunrise at altitude, jump, watch the sun set in freefall, land, watch the sunrise once again! I've heard of folks doing a sunset XC and drinking an adult beverage under canopy. Ever heard of CRW? Muff dive? Seems to be an endless list. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

It's been gusting in excess of 40 kts (50 mph) yesterday as well as today in Kansas. I feel your pain. I blame it on Al Gore. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

One friend of mine swears that if ever he does get married, it's going to be in Vegas, midget Elvis officiating. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

Something ironic about Search Engine Optiomazition, at least ironic to me. The USPA site has a google page rank of 6, my site has a 3, it's logrithmic, for ever number as I understand the algorithm the site is 10 times "better" more links out there pointing at it, more traffic, etc. So the USPA site is 100 times more "powerful" than mine, great resource right!?! Wrong! They let some automatic meta generator build all the data that the search engines look for (crawl). The USPA titles on every page are "U.S. Parachute Association", now as long as a prospective student is searching for the words US Parachute Association, they'll find it right off! The USPA site could out perform every god damn skyride and proskydiving site on the internet with only a little simple, serious idiot high school kid work. For instance there should be a separate page for dzs in any given state, and the meta data should have words like "kansas, skydive, parachute wichita, topeka, etc." I've for multiple years asked them to work on it, they don't really give a shit about out performing Skyride, they don't give a shit that the USPA site does not come up in searches. "Let's sue them!" Fuck, pay Jan Mayer her standard fee to do this and it would help more than any "USPA Training Center" promotion every will. And, it would help drive customers to real USPA drop zones, and away from the scumbags! "Stupid is as stupid does." Thank you for your time. Martin edit to add, I know that bitching here doesn't do a damn thing to affect change at USPA headquarters. But several years of "encouragement" directed at USPA staff and BOD members had the same affect. Bitching here at least helps me vent. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

Bill, et al In the meantime why don’t you write a waiver request? I had considered doing just that, and asked my Coaches who would be interested in dispatching IAD students, but had no positive response so dropped it like a used condom. What you need to do is write a proposal for a request to waive the specific BSR in order for your Coaches (listed by name). I’d suggest that it’ll the waiver will be granted (I discussed this specific topic with the current USPA Prez while attending an IE certification course), you will need to indicate what additional training you’ll give the Coaches in order to get them “qualified” to dispatch students. This should be fairly simple, just cut/paste from the IRM the portions of the training specific to the SL/IAD I certification course directed at training for Category A, and B, and C maybe just “B” and “C” since the students were trained Cat “A” in the FJC by the Instructor. I’d also suggest that these Coaches will be operating under the indirect (not with them in the airplane) supervision of a current SL/IAD Instructor. You may consider who signs the student’s log book as well? Maybe the Coach does the log book entry, signs it, and the “supervising Instructor” initials? I’d think that the Instructor would still need to sign the license card under the potential waiver. As far as running radios, or paddles (I like radios, then go to paddles on base or final), to my knowledge there are zero requirements in the BSRs regarding qualifications. Coaches can run radios, for that matter the manifest babe could do it. I may be wrong, I didn’t search the BSRs. I’d be happy to help you with your waiver request. I had fun writing the waiver request to let Coaches work with students starting at Cat “D”, which was made standard after one year. Writing a waiver request, proving your point, and especially if multiple folks ask for the same waiver is one way to affect change in the BSRs. I’d also suggest that you email your request directly to everyone on the S&T committee, and I’d personally send it to every member of the BOD. If you send it only to the S&T chair, it very likely will sit with him until the BOD meeting. I’d also suggest that you talk with Todd, and your RD, give em a call! Long-short posting on dropzone.com may make you feel better for venting, but will affect zero change in USPA policy. Write it up, and your Coaches will likely be dispatching SL students sometime this coming summer after the next BOD meeting! Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

How do you quantify the business siphoned off by Skyride? The Sky Knights performs great in natural searches, does a real person answer the phone when customers call? My experience is that the majority of folks are not quite as stupid as we give them "credit." They'll very often smell the fish when connected to the Skyride boiler room folks. If when they call the real brick and mortar DZ, get someone who isn't constantly pushing for a credit card number, they'll end up with you. I'm sure that you can also tell when you get someone who just got off the phone with the boiler room. The DZ might consider spending $50 to $100 a month in pay per click advertising with Google and Yahoo (take back one or two tandems a month, and it's paid for). That's where Skyride is getting %100 percent of their suckers, get in the middle of the middle man business! That said, nothing like natural search results. When shopping for something local I'll very often skip right over the paid listings. My theory has been that anywhere one of "my" customers finds a boiler room pay per click ad, I'll be right above or below. If they find Skyride, they also see me!! Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ