skydived19006

Good luck on the 10k price point! I'm not a tech geek, but have been involved in a few media room installations. A good projector and lens can run $8,000. If you do an integrated system with touch screen for simple operation you're also pushing the cash cow along fairly fast! Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

I like your thinking. The idea of putting a recommendation in somewhere other than BSRs would seem to relieve the USPA without "sanctioning" underage, but still "allowing" it. Not a BSR, then not something that anyone would be putting their ratings, memberships, etc on the line. It would also satisfy the "The FAA looks to the USPA..." argument. Martin Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

I've just been through several thousands of pictures looking for ones of Gary Pond. And these are at least somewhat organized. I can't imagine trying to find any more pictures of an airplane. HW I didn't think so. That airplane especially would not have been around much back then. My guess is that it was a "Take the door off and seats out for the weekend." kind of thing. Martin Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

Ok off topic, but it appears that one of the two airplanes in the picture Howard posted is currently hauling skydivers in Kansas! N8882X now has around 11,000 hours, of which about 8,000 (minus any time I don't know about) are skydiver hauling time. Gene Sawyer purchased N8882X in 1986 and converted it for skydiving at the OZ DZ in Lyons Kansas and flew skydivers there until 2000. I purchased it in 2001, from a guy who had moved it to one of the Wichita DZs at the time. I had no idea that it had earlier skydiving history. You think you have any more old pictures of N8882X Howard? Not that you would have even knew you had the one you posted. Martin Myrtle Air Capital Drop Zone Wichita Ks. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

So JP, your thought would be to remove the "16 with parental consent" option? Most of us automatically go to tandem in our thinking, and I understand the manufacturers concerns, and requirements. I didn't specify tandem, should 16 year olds, with no valid waiver be allowed to do AFF, IAD, or SL? If 16 is a "yes", then why not 14? Should the USPA simply step back, and require a valid participation agreement? Parental consent as I understand will not hold up in court, a parent can not forfeit their child's right to sue. In Nebraska the Age of Majority is 19. With 18 as a rule, the manufacturers and USPA are still on the line with an 18 year old minor in Nebraska since there can be no valid waiver. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

Which way? Eliminate the age requirement, or make it Legal Age of Contract? Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

Should the USPA be in the business of deciding which children are mature? I think not, back to Legal Age of Contract, or get out of it all together. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

There are a couple of waiver requests on the S&T agenda for the upcoming USPA BOD meeting. These two waiver requests happen to be coming from two DZOs for their 14 year old sons (one child already has 70 plus jumps). I've been toying with a BSR language change suggestion, and bouncing it around with another DZO, another S&TA, and a lawyer. Here's what I've come to (my opinion): 1. The USPA should eliminate the age requirement from the BSRs. This is an issue of law not a USPA rule issue. 2. Change the rule to simply state that all jumpers (that seems to be what USPA calls people who exit an airplane with two parachutes...) be of Legal Age of Contract within the State of their activity, and a validly executed waiver be on file. USPA requires that GMs sign a Pledge, part of that Pledge is that GMs include USPA as a waived party. Therefore the current 16 year old rule is moot, except maybe for non USPA GM DZs. How can I include USPA as a waived party if no valid waiver exists? BTW, notarized parental consent does not a valid waiver make. People kept throwing into the argument "USPA is hanging their ass out if they approve 14 year olds to jump." How is 14 different from 16, or 12 under the law? Again, you're quickly back to Legal Age of Contract, period, no exceptions. 17 years of age plus 364 days is no different from 10 years of age with regard to the valid waiver. If the BOD in inclined to allow waivers to the age requirement, maybe it would be best that the USPA stop "sanctioning" the activity and eleminate the rule all together. Basically leave the DZO to hang his own ass out by himself if he so decides. I'm sure that at least one National Director/DZO/Father of 14 year old skydiver would agree with me on this. Thoughts? Martin Myrtle DZO, S&TA, IE, Father of underage sons, etc. Edit for my very poor spelling Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

Out of curiosity I looked through the Certifications Unlimited (Jay Stokes) calendar, no IAD/SL courses scheduled, but there's time come April. http://www.my.calendars.net/jaystokes/d01/04/2010?display=M&style=B&positioning=A Same story with Skydive Ratings http://www.skydiveratings.com/schedule.html Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

It looks to me like they're pretty serious about it! My wife is the football fan in my house, I commented to her that it seems with all the video technology, they don't "waste" much time showing the cheerleaders anymore. Maybe LFL is the compromise? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZcSEE7TuGU&feature=related Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

After I'd broken my arm, and before taking students I took another TI up who generally works/jumps at SD Kansas. After practicing a few flairs with all toggles I instructed Jeremy to take his hand out of the toggles. He asked me to repeat that a couple of times before complying. I wouldn't have had a problem with him having his hands in the toggles, but the point was to "stress test" my wrist. He didn't like giving away the toggles, which from my perspective was funny. Martin Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

Weenie. +1 Remember how you used to get that feeling in your stomach when you first started jumping????? Ride front without chicken handles when you want to feel it again...... Especially with someone you don't know.........on their first Tandem ................Thats when you learn weather or not you trust your own teaching skills and judgement.....LOL You're simply taking options off the table. Just because the handles are there doesn't mean that I have to use them, but I do have the option if needed. We could jump with no reserve (though it's illegal), the main usually works, just like most TI Candidates are generally fine. I could trust my teaching skills, and judgment, just like I trust my packing skills, but I'm still going to carry a reserve parachute, and Instructor Handles. Martin Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

My videos tend to run 8 to 9 minutes, I run the freefall in slow motion, then again at full speed, throw in the pre-interview, in plane interview, a couple of minutes under canopy, and 30 second post interview, they just end up that long. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

Yes, it was the course last week by Jay (one Coach, two SL IEs plus me the "tandem guy". I know that he's always "there" to answer any questions, and I plan to use that resource! Actually, I'm an Stunts Eclipse and USPA Tandem IE. I own four Eclipse rigs, and wanted the rating to grow my own Instructors (I know these guys!). I started with Eclipse because that's what I need, but can see getting the UPT ratings, and potentially Strong as well. I also know that not going in front is an option, but not really the option I'd choose. If I'm going to turn them loose on the public, I should be willing to put myself in their trust as well (with Instructor handles). Martin Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

I just earned my Tandem IE last week. My primary interest is my own staff, and working with people I've known for quite a while, or from first jump. There will come a time when I'm working with someone I don't know. Granted, I'll be working with them before I'm in front of them, but the prospect is still a little unnerving. We all know skydivers who just should not ever be a tandem Instructor, poor judgment, poor skills, general idiot, etc. If it's someone I've never met, what to do? I guess that I could ask where they jump, then find (me find) a couple of folks at that DZ who could give me a reference? What's typically done? Yes, something that I should have asked my IE Course Director. And, obviously something that I can still ask him. Just seemed like a good topic for this forum as well. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

My understanding is that USAirnet is using NOAA or some other souce for the data (just like all the rest). USairnet simply has more stuff like cloud ceiling forecast which the ground based masses don't really give a care about. Garbage in, garbage out. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

Go Kansas! Skyride still affects Kansas, they attempt to harvest Kansas customers and send em to MRVS, or FF Express in Mo. What about Wyoming? I think that they have no Skyride affiliated DZs as well. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

Out'a her apartment, and back to your mom's basement. If she says "Can I come along?" Then I'm guessing that she'd love Amsterdam too. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

You guys are all sick, this much is obvious. Now that this fact has been established, where's the damn video link?!? It's funny to me that this is really a large enough issue that they would prosecute. The dog is traumatized about as much as if he'd been licking peanut butter from her fingers. Do dogs really care about their peanut butter sub-straight? Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

It's amaizing how people talk to police! She not only was stupid enough to shoot video of the dog "trick", but she should have at least known enough to keep her mouth shut about the situation. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wXkI4t7nuc This video runs fairly long, but explains very well why you should NEVER talk to the police, guilty, innocent, regardless, it'll never help you to talk to the police. It should be required viewing at a minimum of everyone nearing 18 years of age. Better to start at the age of reason (kids can be charged with some fairly major, and life changing shit these days!), and about every other year thereafter. That said, I think it's ok to have a courteous but curt conversation whenever stopped for a traffic violation. That said, you discuss the violation. "Do you know why I stopped you today?" "No I do not." "Do you know that you were speeding?" "Is that the reason for your stop?" "Have you been drinking?" "Is that the reason for your stop?" "...video of you on the computer?" "No comment." Or simply lawyer up at that point. "Stupid is as stupid does." Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

How so? Was that in the a contract between the manufacturer and buyer? Is there an oblication incurred through the TSO process? My bet is that they DO NOT have that obligation and can walk away at any time. Caveat Emptor. Certainly a bankrupt manufacturer has no obligations. You may notice that I ended that sentence with a question mark. That little tidbit came to me through hearsay. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

Some people would still obviously still make a first skydive. The DZ I started at trained only Static Line (as in no tandem) up to 1999, it was a "mom and pop" DZ. The DZ I now run is still a mom and pop DZ with one 182. We do three times as many first jump students as did the Lyons DZ. So yes, skydiving would go on, but student traffic and revenue would dramatically be reduced, I'd guess by at least 50%, more than likely more than 2/3rds. Obviously just conjecture. All of that though is somewhat off topic (thought I started it). I'm primarily interested in the death of civilian tandem skydiving in the USA. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

Rumor has it that Bill Booth has been heard stating “Another incident like that (referring to the student falling out of the harness in Ohio) could result in the end of tandem skydiving. I’ve given this some thought, and am curious how this doomsday scenario could/would play out. Is Bill thinking that the FAA would step in and illegalize tandem skydiving? Or, is the thinking that all manufacturers for one reason or another (like a suit forcing them into bankruptcy/reorganization) would walk away from civilian tandem gear? I would think that for tandem to simply “go away”, it would have to be due to government action. If for instance Strong Enterprises, UPT (Vector/Sigma), Parachute Laboratories Inc. (Racer), as well as all the canopy manufacturers walked away from civilian tandem, it wouldn’t instantly shut down tandem in the USA. I’ve been jumping Eclipse tandem gear for nearly 10 years without factory support. Spare parts would virtually instantly be an issue. As I understand the manufacturers are obligated to support their gear for 10 years? If they all closed out their businesses (reorganized to support sport gear and military?) obviously they would not be supporting the gear in the field (such as was the fate of Stunts/Eclipse). Would American DZs have the option of using foreign manufactured gear? Could a foreign manufacturer start manufacturing for instance knock off SE/Racer/Sigma/Vector drogues? Were tandem skydiving to be eliminated, it would most certainly change the landscape as we now know it. The vast majority of turbine aircraft would go bye bye. I’d think that many DZOs would simply fold up their tents. DZs would revert to what things looked like in the late 70s/early 80s, small mom and pop DZs and clubs for the most part. I’d think that a few large operations would survive somewhat as they do today. SD AZ doesn’t seem to survive from tandem revenue for the most part. What do you think? Maybe Bill Booth will share his thoughts. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

Most of what we do every day does not "result in a significant improvement in safety." If that's the litmus test, then why do we let video fliers near a tandem. Put every thing we do to that test, and we lay in bed until we die. If I take a shower I could slip fall out, hit my head on the toilet and be found dead with my junk in my hand. Should have simply stayed in bed. Merry Christmas. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

Taken out of context, I'd have thought you farted on the airplane. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ