skydived19006

No BSR regarding wind speed for licensed skydivers, even for a demo. You may be thinking of the suggestions in section 7 of the SIM? Everything outside of section 2 (BSRs) are suggestions (BSRs are really suggestions too, but the USPA will pull ratings if so deemed appropriate), and therefore no enforcement. Also, no FARs regarding wind speed for skydiving. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

Do you realize that everything you currently purchase has an imbeded tax? A loaf of bread has an imbed tax in the neighborhood of 23% currently. Remove that existing cost of production, and the free market will reduce the cost of a loaf of bread, add the tax back, and the loaf of bread costs about the same. I have read the book, maybe you should. I'm not going to retype the book, or web site here. The truth: The FairTax rate of 23% (when calculated inclusively like income tax rates) has been thoroughly researched to provide all the revenues now collected under both the income tax system and through FICA payroll taxes. Reports otherwise are largely based on the President's Advisory Panel on Tax Reform which declared the rate would have to be much higher. What the Panel failed to make clear in an amazingly shameless sleight-of-hand is that they never studied the FairTax legislation as it exists in pending legislation. They ignored $22 million of FairTax research and, instead, quietly devised their own national consumption tax which they loaded with the exemptions and deductions they felt were "politically realistic". They also failed to calculate the effects of elimination of the FICA tax on annual taxpayer burdens or on the distributional effects of the FairTax across the income spectrum. Upon completion--and after declaring a national consumption tax flawed--they then refused to publish their underlying assumptions. http://www.fairtax.org/site/PageServer Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

Did I say "flat tax", or point to a reference for a flat tax? I think I said Fair Tax. The Fair Tax is not a flat tax. It is not a tax on income, it's a national sales tax. It is not designed as a tax increase or decrease, but budget neutral. So, no it's not designed to bring tax to the point to match spending, but then as far as I know not tax proposal proports to do that. What is the FairTax plan? 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 1025) 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. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

So it works for our elected officials! Good point, what's the hold up?! Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

http://www.fairtax.org/site/PageServer It's more like %23 "tax-inclusive." And the with the Fair Tax, the poor pay nothing. The guy who spends more pays more, so the rich get socked. That should make the socialists happy. So the government says "we need more", the people will tend to revolt because that means a tax hike, a tax hike that is transparent, and virtually impossible to pass off as punishing achievement. I know, it's not exactly "From each according to his ability, to each according to his need." So, you won't be happy. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

Not nearly the problem that the corruption in our government is. I see actor to key grip compensation ratio as a big issue as well. What can we do?!? Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

I may not have written that response very well. The FAA was not given any names or locations, but general questions. To be honest, I did not personally go to anyone, someone else did. That said, I don't care if you flame me about it. Have at it! Here's your reminder: Stay away from my DZ. And have a nice day! Martin Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

I agree, but show it on stage at a large boogie, and the pictures will show up here and there. Years ago before the advent of digital technology, and the internet, there was quite a bit more public nudity at boogies, at least in my experience. Damn technology! Martin Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

I thought wind limits might have been in the waiver, or indirectly in the waiver as well. I looked through a couple, and looked at the notes I added. Nothing regarding wind limits, or reference to anything indicating a wind limit. There's generally one person assigned to administer these waivers at each FSDO (or at least at the ICT FSDO they all go to the same guy). In response to this demo, the ICT FSDO may very well require a wind limit be noted from this point forward. I think that the S&TA who signs off on the waiver should also be responsible for setting a reasonably safe wind limit. If the demo is into a mile square open hay field, with no trees, buildings, etc. Maybe 25 is a good number. I don't think anyone here would argue for 25 to be the max number for a stadium. Martin Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

"In general the art of government consists in taking as much money as possible from one class of citizens to give to the other." [Voltaire] "The government consists of a gang of men exactly like you and me. They have, taking one with another, no special talent for the business of government; they have only a talent for getting and holding office. Their principal device to that end is to search out groups who pant and pine for something they can't get and to promise to give it to them. Nine times out of ten that promise is worth nothing. The tenth time is made good by looting A to satisfy B. In other words, government is a broker in pillage, and every election is sort of an advance auction sale of stolen goods."[H. L. Mencken] Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

I have a couple of things to say about it. If they had planned on using the photos, and this is the reason that they set up the contest, that's just down right low down dirty trick. If it was an afterthought, it's still at bast not nice. I knew that they didn't ask for permission, simply because it wouldn't have been given. It was really a rhetorical question, but I had not thought about the blanket permission that is more than likely included in the waiver. One thing that this will do is cut into the hippie vibe, and reduce the number of boobs I see at boogies in the future. One thing I have noticed over the years is that most skydiver girls get "educated" regarding showing skin on stage at a boogie. They see what happens to the images recorded on the dozens of cameras pointed at them. Now those images are showing up in an internet ad campaign! Look mom! See what I did in Iowa! What happens at a boogie, stays at the boogie. That is as long as it wasn't recorded. Martin Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

I'm curious. Did Velocity Sportswear get permission from the girl "performers" at Couch Freaks to use their image? Would they even need to have permission? Not complaining, I love it. Martin Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

That oil will only continue to appreciate in value. Are we going to be stupid, and use it now, or are we going to still be in control of our destiny in 50 years when supplies become scarce? So in 50 years the "It's a world market..." argument will no longer apply? I know, I'm now arguing both sides. How about Nuclear and clean coal? Will Obama still be an advocate of these if/once he's elected? Or, next time oil goes up, will we be saying "should have done it years ago, doesn't help right now? Martin Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

Ayers never actually killed anyone. As I recall, none of the bombs planted by Ayers even injured anyone. I think the bomb at the Pentagon was about 2 pounds of explosives and broke a water pipe? True, his wife/girlfriend did blow herself up trying to make one that would, but . . . that wasn't Ayers. Motivation was the same, McVey was simply more proficient. McVey didn't live enough to advance to the pillar of society Ayres has become. What a waste of potential. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

Bill Ayers, fast forward and you get Tim McVey. Let's say that Tim had done his time, and been released. 30 years later some politician has ties to Tim McVey, who's been quoted in the NY Times saying "I don't regret setting the bomb, we should have done more." Said politician launches his campaign in Tim's house, takes donations from Tim, sits on boards with Tim. I don't see a problem with that. You tell me, what's the difference between Tim McVey and Bill Ayers, other than the time line? Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

It's CEOs job to keep a company profitable. That is what they're paid to do. This country doesn't want large cooperation to thrive here, if they do they're evil. Since the large cooperation are evil, we have to punish them with higher taxes. After isn't "making things fair" what the tax system was set up to do? It has nothing to do with funding government, just equalizing the play field. So, our government tells business to go away by penalizing them for achievement. They leave, and we cry about that too. You can't have eat your cake and have it too. I tried this theory with a girl friend once. Every time she did something good, I punished her. Damned if she didn't leave me! Obviously she was a bitch! Martin Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

Under 2.25 in Wichita today. So, since the price of gas is now back down to a "normal" level, and oil has came back down, do we still need to drill? I guess we can do nothing, wait until gas is back at $4 a gallon, then say "drilling will not help, it'll be 7 to 10 years before anything we do now gets to market. My guess is that we'll do nothing now, then a couple of years down the road say "We should have done something in 2008! What were you guys thinking?!?! And continue the typical blame game. "You guys did it." "You guys didn't do what you should have!" I'm going to quit monitoring my tire air pressure now that gas is cheap again! Fuck it! Back to my old ways! Martin Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

I can't either, but then it is a free market. If I could command 10 million in salery, and find someone to pay it, as I say "everyone goes home in a lemo!" Ironically, why do we seldom hear folks complaining about an actor being paid 10 million to appear in a movie? Why is there not a rule that a professional athlete only earn up to some arbitrary amount? Here's an idea, why should the federal government not simply confiscate all professional athletes, and actors earnings above $1,000,000/year? They don't need it, call it being patriotic! Everyone knows that those actors and athletes are a bunch of damn greedy folks anyway!! I know that this "solution" won't help the economy, or our deficit, but it would make me feel better. I don't know why it would make me feel better, since I'd be no better off. Maybe someone can why enplane it to me why screwing someone else gives me such a warm fuzzy feeling? Being a DZO, and screwing fun jumpers every weekend, you'd think I'd already have the answers to this question. Help me understand this! Martin Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

I love the idea of penalizing big business for success. It's a good idea as long as you don't work for a big business, hold stock in a big business, or purchase anything produced by a big business. They have three choices when faced with higher taxes; cut costs such as employees, cut earnings, or pass the raised cost of business along to their customer. None of these are good for the economy, and all affect the poor, yes even the homeless. Oh, fourth option is to find a more friendly place to do business, that's good for our economy! I think that when talking tax hikes they should all be realistic, and admit that they're going to raise taxes on the middle class, as this is where the money is! The whole "95%" thing is also bullshit! In excess of 40% pay no federal income taxes currently! These are primarily for fun: "The government consists of a gang of men exactly like you and me. They have, taking one with another, no special talent for the business of government; they have only a talent for getting and holding office. Their principal device to that end is to search out groups who pant and pine for something they can't get and to promise to give it to them. Nine times out of ten that promise is worth nothing. The tenth time is made good by looting A to satisfy B. In other words, government is a broker in pillage, and every election is sort of an advance auction sale of stolen goods."[H. L. Mencken] "I have little interest in streamlining government or in making it more efficient, for I mean to reduce its size. I do not undertake to promote welfare, for I propose to extend freedom. My aim is not to pass laws, but to repeal them. It is not to inaugurate new programs, but to cancel old ones that do violence to the Constitution or that have failed their purpose, or that impose on the people an unwarranted financial burden. I will not attempt to discover whether legislation is "needed" before I have first determined whether it is constitutionally permissible. And if I should later be attacked for neglecting my constituents "interests, " I shall reply that I was informed that their main interest is liberty and that in that cause I am doing the very best I can." [Barry Goldwater] WHY I THINK VOTING SHOULD BE RESTRICTED This is one of my favorites. From Alexander Tyler. No, he wasn't writing about the United States. This quote is well over one hundred years old. Tyler was writing about the fall of the Athenian Republic. "A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves money from the public treasure. From that moment on the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most money from the public treasury, with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the world's great civilizations has been two hundred years. These nations have progressed through the following sequence: from bondage to spiritual faith, from spiritual faith to great courage, from courage to liberty, from liberty to abundance, from abundance to selfishness, from selfishness to complacency from complacency to apathy, from apathy to dependency, from dependency back to bondage." The last of these quotes is the most interesting to me. If you think that there's any truth in it at all, then where do you think we are in the process? My opinion is that we're near the end of the process, and therefore near the end of this grand experiment we refer to as a democracy. Martin Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

I'd agree with Rob, by 100 you either have it or you never will. I think I had around 1000 tandems before starting with hand cam, but that's because I had 1000 tandems before I looked into it, etc. I sold the first few videos I did when working out my technique. I've found that I'm constantly evolving my technique as well, with probably 500 hand cam tandems. One thing I figured out quite a while back was that it works better IMO to face away form the sun, and keep the camera in the shade of the tandem pair. That is unless the sun is low on the horizon, and the faces are well lit. I keep my hands down and in front of us for deployment. I don't like grabbing the risers through deployment with the camera on my hand, and it gets cool footage of the canopy opening. I've also started to try and get the student to fly the canopy more, so I can keep my camera hand out of the toggle. Otherwise, I'll fly with only right toggle for a while up high. This was summer of 07, posted by my student, so not cherry picked by me. We had a group of Spaniards here in Kansas, interesting. After opening you'll notice that I'm pointing the camera at the horizon, look closely and you'll see a 360 degree rainbow. Another thing I like to do going out 2nd from a 182 is to stick the camera out the door to film the first pair leaving. I dive, and let the thing flip, still generally have the drogue out within 2 to 4 seconds. http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=L_azF7gTfT8&feature=related I use a glove built by Riggerrob. Things I like about it, is that I can pull out the viewer, and look through the camera in the airplane, or under canopy, or for that matter on the step, if I need to. When down to less than 5 min of tape, the red led flashes, so I have to look through the camera for record/standby. No cam eye on my set up. Martin Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

There have been quite a few emails, and phone conversations. I was not the primary person, but involved. The USPA RD is involved, conversations with the FSDO, etc. The insurance carrier doesn't really care. They very well may deny a claim in a situation such as this, it gives them an out. They were contacted as well, Insurance Technologies that is. As long as no BSRs were violated (wind limit suggestions for demonstration jumps are not in section 2), USPA has nothing to "prosecute." The FAA has nothing in the FARS regarding wind limits for skydiving, so no violation. The guy at the FSDO has been educated a little bit over the last few days. Basically didn't know enough to know what he didn't know. He may now require something in the notes on the waiver regarding wind. In the end, this team knowing that educated folks are watching may help. I wouldn't want to be the subject of a forum post such as this. Let alone all the emails, and phone conversations that have occurred over the last few days. It's also funny (to me) how people perceive the SIM as rules, when only chapter two are "requirements." On top of that, the BSRs only apply to USPA members. For instance I can legally take a 10 year old for a tandem jump. If I'm not a member of USPA, and jumping Eclipse gear, there's no violation of anything, and I can thumb my nose at USPA! Check with your RD and see if you can get a waiver to something in any section of the SIM, other than Section 2. He/she will tell you 'No, it's not a BSR. We can not give a waiver.' Or 'You don't need a waiver.' At that point your only concern is everyone's safety. If someone or something does get hurt, if violating "industry standard practice" will cause you to lose in court. Martin Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

Ok, so the wind wasn't quite as bad as I made it out to be, just 20, gusting to 25 at 11:00 am. I should reconsider my wind limits for demos. If we raised it to 25 for in town stuff with the typical no down wind outs, turbulence, etc., we'd have to cancel a lot less! More money for us!!! Then again, we're just a DZ who will put together four folks every once in a while to do a demo. We're not "Professionals", apparently the wind doesn't affect their canopies like it does us non professionals. I can't say that I knew this, I learned something today. http://www.falconexhibitionskydiving.com/ Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

I absolutely agree. I quit because I educated myself on how they operate. I enjoy sharing the experience of skydiving with our students. Sharing the experience of being fucked over by Skyride with my students was not at all pleasurable for any of the involved parties (save Ben and Cary)! The student being screwed over by Skyride absolutely taints the whole experience!!! When the customer asked why he paid $300 for what I list at manifest for $190, and I as tactfully as I could instructed him 'Because you're an idiot, and gave your credit card number to the first person you talked with.' Then they say in so many words 'But you enable these crooks by trading with them, and therefore you're as guilty of the fraud and depiction as the criminals in Georgia.' My only response was essentially 'You're right, I'm a piece of shit business owner, and I participate in screwing people over.' I simply could not stand the constant taste of shit in my mouth. Obviously some DZOs have developed a liking for the shit sandwich that is Skyride. Martin Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

That's interesting. If they're not paying the DZs, they're cutting their own throat. I've never denied doing business for a few months in 04, I will say of things I had issue with, getting paid was never one. If this is true, it could signify a downward spiral. Martin Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

I did look back through the whole thread, and did not notice any post by you suggesting anything that would break a USPA suggestion. I use "suggestion" because they have very little enforceable authority. "Rule", or "Requirement" would suggest that they can back it up! You are very determined, and don't like to be told "no." I just thought you'd want to run your DZ without a bunch of know it all folks with USPA trying to tell you how to run your business. Therefore, why stop at allowing 16 year olds, why not 15? If 15, why not 14, and so on. Don't tell anyone at USPA, but my kids may skydive at 10. Shhhhh, I'm going to keep it a real tight secret. Oh, don't tell their mom either, I have to live with her! Martin Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ