skydived19006

N/A

I agree, also the majority of tandems come out with a friend, and they also tend to want to "jump with" their friend. We use the "jump with your friend", well actually "ride up with your friend" to sell hand cam over outside video. We have two TIs working generally, and the the TI also shoots outside video. 10 tandems with outside video, is 10 jumps each, or 20 tandems (10 each). The TI gets an additional $25 if he shoots hand cam, and the DZ sends the airplane up with $500 ($200 tandem, $50 video) in revenue if it's hauling two tandems both with hand cam. I'd spec HC all day long, but we are small! The TI does everything from answering the phone, running the cash register, and if the TI happens to also be the DZO, plunging the toilet, hauling trash out, cleaning up all the trash left behind by the up jumpers, etc. etc. Martin Maybe worthy of it's own thread, but why do skydivers leave so damn much trash behind? Hell, the average McDonnalds customer does a better job of cleaning up after themselves. That little rant said, I do have more than one skydiver who will go around and pick up after the others, vacuum the floor, answer the phone when I'm not on the ground, even clean up shit after a skydiver deposited it on the restroom floor. To those guys, and girls, I say THANK YOU! Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

Because it's the approximate mid-point between Here and There. If that's the case, you pass through at 70 mph on the ground, or 500 plus at 30,000' plus. It's often referred to as "Fly Over Country" for a reason. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

What bothers me more than anything about the methods has nothing to do with the methods. It seems that many in the sport seem to think that Static Line, and IAD did actually die out in the 1980s. I get AFF instructors who come through Wichita for one reason or another. They often tend to have no interest in learning/obtaining an IAD rating (some are Air Force stationed here for multiple years). They often know nothing about SL/IAD and have no interest in being educated. Hell, even USPA treats SL/IAD as a red headed step child, and only something that they are forced to support because a few of us retards out here in fly over country still want to do it. The USPA/Jay Stokes/Army recently produced some really cool educational video for AFF, I don’t see anything like that for SL/IAD coming any time soon. I have no distain for AFF, when I have an AFFI available, I’m more than willing to hybridize my progression, especially for those students struggling with a freefall issue. As has been stated many times, the problem is generally with the way the method is applied, as opposed to the method itself. I’d be very interested to see out of curiosity how many skydivers each year earn their licenses through the various methods. USPA could add a line to their A license form, and/or license renewal form. Yes, it’s data of little use, but then gathering our occupational data is of equal value (I always lie about my occupation when I renew. Don’t tell!) Of the 274 DZs operating in the USA, my guess is that well over 200 are operating one to three small piston Cessnas. Of those, the majority are “still” offering SL/IAD as a training option. Granted, I didn’t go through the data base and compile any data, but Static Line seems to me to be alive, well, and turning out more than a few competent skydivers! Come on out to Kansas Nick, I’ll put you to work! Remember, we’re all weekend DZs, and you’ll probably need a day job! Martin Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

Well, it's many factors. The quest for lower hood lines for aerodynamics. The advanced pollution control plumbing. The addition of air boxes and remote airfilters, all the plumbing for fuel injection, everything has air conditioning and power steering. Most I think it's the shrinking of the engine compartment for streamlining and weight savings to blame. So, the extra work is due to making cars more efficient, and "reducing the carbon footprint." That being the case, any environmentalist willing to put his wallet where his mouth is should be more than happy to pay twice the price! It's all for the earth after all!!! Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

If you have the sun, go with Buffalo! You won't be spending time mowing the damn yard on the weekend. Or unlike me, your place won't look like a crack house because your yard is so out of control due to you always being at the airport! I'm don't talk in public about the "other grass." Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

True - Reagan and GWB proved that. Did revenue not increase during the Regan administration? As I recall, through the years Regan was in office taxes were decreased, and income to the government increased. Problem was that spending increased in excess of the increasing income. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

It's nice when the malfunction is something fairly simple and straight forward! Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

It was 3 or 4 years ago as I remember that the numbers changed. D numbers below D27000 for sure were 200 jump min, and above D28000 I'm guessing are 500 jump min folks. There was a "rush" for quite a few folks in the 150 to 200 jump range at the time to hit 200 before the rule change. Martin Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

You're not D29999, maybe you'll be D30001? Here's a fun one: 000072 Bush, George Herbert 03/31/2010 D-020000 Gulf I know, I know, I'm doing it again! But then everyone already knows that George Herbert Walker Bush has D20000. I wonder if GHWB sends in his annual dues. And, look at the USPA Member number, #72. Heck, Lewis Sanborn has a higher uspa member number (notice I'm toeing the line by not divulging Lu's membership number) than GHWB. Interesting. Also, since I was going to potentially blow the big roll out of D30,000 it still isn't listed in the online database. And, that email has yet to hit my inbox. So, another 12 years to 40,000? I bet longer with the 500 jump requirement. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

I was informed yesterday by someone deep within the Association that posting information gained by my access to the USPA Credential Verification was a misuse of the information. So, if I had theoretically just checked the data base, it would not be appropriate for me to disclose weather I had discovered that D29999 has been assigned, nor to whom, nor to which region. So, I'm not gon'a do it! So, you didn't hear it from me that the next one up will be D30,000. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

"There's iron in your words." I love quoting The Outlaw Josy Wales. Anyway, sure a lot of this may be lost on those who are burnt out doing 1500 tandems a year. What may stick is that this stuff will get you more money!!! Tack on an extra $100 a day in tips, and it just may be worth your time to "entertain" your students a little. I've seen the difference in tip money depending on how much fun I have with my tandem students. It's not hard, it's not rocket surgery, if you have an ounce of personality, and the majority of us do (though I've seen a few who don't, or who would be better off keeping their mouths shut!). Just treat them respectively, as a friend, show interest in them, maybe think about using a few less of the extremely repetitive and often stupid jokes and lines. The majority of your students already admire you for what you do, how many times have you heard "You have the coolest job!" Granted, it may be all but impossible if you're working a DZ set up with a production line. As TI you're handed a student, and a rig with the airplane waiting. Land, shake hands, and introduce yourself to your next student. Hell, your student more than likely will not even have the opportunity to hand you a $20. You do have the ride up to spend talking with your students. I do not envy those who are a cog in an assembly line, though I'm sure Henry Ford would be impressed Martin ACDZ. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

Just an observation/question. Which search engine do you prefer? I for one think that Google kicks Yahoo's ass! Yeah, I know that there are other search engines out there, but many use Yahoo in the background. My primary reasoning for this opinion is that Google consistently naturally ranks the Kansas area DZs above all the bullshit SR sites (don't know about your state, go take a look)! The bullshit "Kansasskydiving.com" consistently beats me on Yahoo. I don't think that my yahoo ranking makes a damn bit of difference to my business (I am on the first page third or fourth down for "skydive wichita"), but it still does upset me a little bit to be "beat" by SR. Yahoo is obviously a crappy judge of character. Oh well. Not much I can do about Yahoo. Maybe it's a little therapeutic to at least be able to bitch about it here? Go Google!!! Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

It might be nice to have a list of questions, descriptions of forces, potential hazards, etc to send with an older person to his/her doc. "Take this, and discuss it with your doctor, have him sign it, then come back." It sounds like you're already 90% there TK. Help me out man! Something like this could be a good FAQ, and link to the doc? Any law dogs here feel free to chime in as to why we shouldn't put this information out there! Martin AC DZ Wichita Ks Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

6 away, 29994 is a guy in the Mountain region. Names and USPA license numbers are pretty much public aren't they? I didn't post his name, but I will 30,000! Martin Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

As of right now, the latest D# issued was 29991 to Liz Ashley, Region: Foreign Martin USPA 104570 A19518 C25348 D19006 (hence the DZ.com handle. I started using that name back in the 90s with an AOL email account. Just entered it one day here to look at the forums. I'd pick something more interesting now, but don't want to screw with starting a new account.) Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

I think that his point is, it's a bit of the pot calling the kettle black. As I understand, breaking copy right by sinking music to our tandem videos is violation of law and prosecutable for multiple infractions up to $25,000 each. That's $25,000 multiple times for each and every single video. Do 10 tandem videos in a day, you just may be liable for $750,000. Do it 200 times in a year, you could be looking at $15,000,000 +/-. So, if you look at the dollars involved in the violation, or settlement, yes there are degrees of law breaking. Sort of like the difference in violating a speed limit, and murder 1. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

I think you don't drink enough. You need to push up your tolerance so you can drink and not have to deal with the hang over. Works for me, but then I never drink more than 8 or 10 beers an evening, especially if I have to skydive the next day! Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

Primary problem with many fixes it that they do nothing to empower government. Why would any politician worth his salt ever vote to reduce government? Just like the poor voting to end or reduce a handout. What is the FairTax plan? http://www.fairtax.org/site/PageServer?pagename=about_main The FairTax plan is a comprehensive proposal that replaces all federal income and payroll based taxes with an integrated approach including a progressive national retail sales tax, a prebate to ensure no American pays federal taxes on spending up to the poverty level, dollar-for-dollar federal revenue neutrality, and, through companion legislation, the repeal of the 16th Amendment. The FairTax Act (HR 25, S 296) is nonpartisan legislation. It abolishes all federal personal and corporate income taxes, gift, estate, capital gains, alternative minimum, Social Security, Medicare, and self-employment taxes and replaces them with one simple, visible, federal retail sales tax administered primarily by existing state sales tax authorities. The FairTax taxes us only on what we choose to spend on new goods or services, not on what we earn. The FairTax is a fair, efficient, transparent, and intelligent solution to the frustration and inequity of our current tax system. The FairTax: * Enables workers to keep their entire paychecks * Enables retirees to keep their entire pensions * Refunds in advance the tax on purchases of basic necessities * Allows American products to compete fairly * Brings transparency and accountability to tax policy * Ensures Social Security and Medicare funding * Closes all loopholes and brings fairness to taxation * Abolishes the IRS We offer a library of information throughout this Web site about the features and benefits of the FairTax plan. Please explore! Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

Put your trust in google. http://www.powerballs.com/ I could get it spinning to 10,500 rpms with my right (good wrist). Don't know if I'll ever come close to the 16,000 record numbers. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

Most tandems I've seen, granted though that my experience outside my own DZ is boogies, the majority of tandem students are not given altimeters. My feel is that the vast majority do not give tandem students altimeters, but most of those folks aren't going to post here that they don't because they know that they'll get flamed about it. "You're breaking BSRs!" "You should be training!" etc. I'll admit that my DZ could make our tandem skydives more educational, I don't let them pull, I even take the toggles away at 1000'. It's what I prefer, granted not the best training. Flame away! I/we will spend time encouraging, and explaining to folks who show any level of interest in continuing our IAD training, even discount it $40 after a tandem. If you want to learn to skydive with us, you take the IAD FJC. I do understand training tandems, and how it can empower the student more. Martin Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

I did a few this weekend, it's been 6.5 weeks. I took another TI up Sat afternoon, if I couldn't handle all the toggle pressure, he could either do it, or take a large share. I took the toggles from him, and had no problem with the flair. The last one I did yesterday was a 215 lb woman, so 485 suspended under an Icarus 365. The flair pressure on that one may have been pushing the limit a bit, but it went fine, and no damage to my wrist. I'll be hard at it again next weekend, back in the saddle throwing drogues! I did order one of the gyroscopic balls, there's still room for regaining strength, flexibility. Martin Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

Well, that sounds totally logical and reasonable, I wonder why I didn't think of it. I can't help but think that if this thing passes, the people will awaken when it starts to hit them. We'll see what happens at the ballot box at that point. Kick a person in the nuts a couple of times, and they will tend to start paying attention. Have a nice day/weekend. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

No, we have not. I looked at a few web sites, all quoted the debt at 11.5 trillion, well here 11,515,064,224,509.82, but this is old news, it's growing by around $7,000,000 a minute. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

No need to worry … this will not apply to the airline industry, you don’t think AlGore is planning on flying commercial do ya ? This is a total farce … how many ton’s of JP-5 / F-44 / AVCAT are burned every day ? Aircraft carriers in the gulf hold 2-3 million gallons of JP-5 .. enough to be used as ballast .. and get a refill of 1 million gallons every week according to the Military Channel. Do you think that they are going to create CAFE standards for the airline industry not to mention the RAIL ROAD industry or god forbid ... the MILITARY. http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/portal/site/nhtsa/menuitem.43ac99aefa80569eea57529cdba046a0/ When it all boils down … AlGore claimed he “invented the internet” but perhaps he really “invented GLOBAL WARMING" or as it’s now known GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE .. but it really should be known as GLOBAL WEALTH DISTRIBUTION How many ton’s of AVCAT do you think they burned on Air Force 1’s little picture taking trip over New York City a couple of month’s ago .. let alone the FUEL used in the president’s trip to G-8 conference ? Remember …. all of the vehicles that have to be transported ahead of the president let alone the fuel used on AF-1 is actually transported to the refueling site from a “secure source” .. I would say "it's politics as usual", but this stuff is "as usual" to the 10th power! Have we not just increased the debt by $10,000,000,000,000? The Republicans were not exactly spend thrifts either, but nothing nearing this shit. I'd much prefer government gridlock! Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ