MikeJD
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Everything posted by MikeJD
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Hope you're wearing a rig? Actually, when I read further I found that he has a reserve parachute attached to his harness. Smart guy!
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I'm not sure why, but that looks scary as hell. "Control is achieved by releasing ballast to ascend, or by bursting balloons to descend." What if too many burst and you've already dropped all your ballast?
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I hesitated to open this thread, in case you were actually saying it was NSFW...
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Inherited from a friend, for when I can't find something - "If you were my [altimeter/car keys/jacket], where would you be?"
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C182 and Skyliner (kind of a mini-Skyvan) for my short-lived static line course. Britten-Norman Islander for my AFF.
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Seems to me - and I hope I'm right - that there's ever more room for all the disciplines in this wonderful sport. In the UK, at least, I noticed that after the initial freefly 'fad' a few years ago, RW/ FS had a bit of a resurgence. I know quite a few freeflyers at my local DZ who are always keen to get onto big-way belly loads. And freestyle - which I thought would probably lose out to freeflying - also seems to be making a comeback. We even still have the occasional Classics meet. I say, we've never had it so good. Vive la difference!
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This incident is one of several featured in the documentary 'Dead Men's Tales', which is well worth a look if you haven't seen it. It's about narrow escapes by parachutists and skydivers, combining (very well done) reconstructions of the events and interviews with the people who were there. It's a British film, made in the early 90s, I think, by Leo Dickinson. Not sure how easy it is to get hold of now, especially outside the UK.
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Depends what you want your tent for. Mine's just for weekends at the dropzone during the skydiving season, so I've gone for convenience over durability. The poles stay attached to the fabric and the whole thing's articulated kind of like an umbrella. So it's quick and easy to put up late at night after beer...
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A little off-topic, but try saying 'beer can' without sounding like a West Indian saying ' bacon'. It can't be done. Actually, maybe with an American accent it can be done...
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That's an easy one - although it helps if you're of a certain age The lovely Kate Bush - The Man With The Child In His Eyes... Edited because I forgot to add my own. This is probably pretty hard unless you're a fan (or a Google cheat!): it's from a very celebrated lyricist who's been around nearly 30 years... ...The sky fell over cheap Korean monster-movie scenery And spilled into the reservoir of the crushed capsule hotel Between the Disney abattoir and the chemical refinery And I knew I was in trouble but I thought I was in hell...
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Most often I'm so busy at work I could do with a slow-down button. I long for the times when there are too many hours in the day... Or how about a rewind button for the times when you've said something to your boss that you instantly regret?
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At the end of 'Don't Look Now', where the 'child' in the red raincoat that Donald Sutherland has been pursuing turns around... That's quite an old film. Was made in the 70s, I think. I first saw it as a teenager and it freaked me out!
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I've been on a couple of skydiving trips to Dubai and had a blast. The dropzone was at Umm Al Quwain - pretty spectacular, with the sea in one direction and nothing but sand in the other. And of course the weather was fantastic, although the heat is a shock to the system for us Brits. I have a feeling that DZ is now closing or has closed, and is being replaced by the new one.
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Point Break. Seriously! Yep, it's famously absurd - but for me it captures the sense of freefall better than any other mainstream movie I can think of.
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Just spent 9 hours at my desk in the office. On a Saturday. And for no extra money. But I'm about to head out - it's a bank holiday (i.e. 3-day) weekend here in the UK, so I still have two days for myself. My rig is packed, my tent is in the car. The sun will shine tomorrow, my friends will be at the dropzone and there'll be beer in the bar tomorrow night.
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Haven't applied for mine yet - no time to jump - so I couldn't comment about this year's turnaround. But in recent years I've found them to be pretty quick. And I always do mine at the last minute...
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There are a few favourites at my DZ, although some of them are getting a little old, including: "If someone's lost a roll of £10 notes wrapped up in a rubber band, we've got good news for you. We've found the rubber band." Also, some memorable one-offs from over the years: To a friend who'd broken his neck and was walking around in a metal halo - "Jon, DZ control have asked if you can stand inside the packing shed. Apparently you're interfering with the student radios." And, to a (single) instructor who was chatting up a female student - "Andy, your wife's on the phone. She says the contractions are coming every five minutes now." People have the most fun on the PA when the weather's bad and we're bored.
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Damn, that statement ROCKS!! I'm gonna use that at the DZ and sound really cool and pretend I made it up myself... Reminds me of someone else's take on canopy flying - 'Be a pilot, not a passenger' - which is another nice way of putting it.
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I've used them twice in an emergency - once to hold the aircraft door open when the regular fixing point broke on jump run, and the second time when my bootie zipper broke at the boarding point. Got evidence of that one! Useful things to have around.
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I take Sudafed pretty regularly when I'm jumping. Never noticed any side effects but it does work pretty well to unblock my ears and sinuses. The only thing is, it may be on the list of banned substances if you're taking part in any major competitions.
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In my experience being the friend and wishing you were the boyfriend is a kind of torture. And if she's spent enough time with you and has any kind of intuition - and she must do, she's a woman! - she probably already suspects how you feel. How about doing something that doesn't put her on the spot? Send her a card or flowers, or both! That way, if you make her day she can get in touch straight away - and if not, she can think about how to let you down gently.
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I can think of some people who'd be up for that even with the top on.
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Better give it a bump, then. I hope to be there...
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Hey, what happened to the old thread? I thought that one would keep being resurrected for ever...
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What's clicker training all about? Please tell me it works with cats. In fact, please tell me anything works with cats.