steve1

This is an idea the Govt. should promote to all illegals in the U.S. before deporting them (assuming they have not commited a serious crime). Might help the military meet it's recruitment goals and might also instill more of a commitment to being an American instead of viewing the U.S. as a cash cow. ...................................... This can create all kinds of problems though. The language barrier is one. In the 70's I trained with many Puerto Rican soldiers who couldn't speak English. I can see the reasoning behind getting more troops, but lowering the standards too low is asking for trouble. Can you imagine the problems that this would create if you went into combat with people who couldn't even communicate with each other....Steve1

...................................................... In the Vietnam conflict South Vietnamese Soldiers joined up for the money and benefits. Many claimed that they weren't good soldiers (for the most part), and were only in it for the cash. Money and comfort from starvation can have a big affect on people. I wonder how many American soldiers really believe in what they are doing over there. I know there are many, but maybe they too just signed up for the cash. Just some left wing food for thought, and I'm no lefty....Steve1

......................... I wish someone would have told me some of this back in the 70's. Noone I knew covered their capewells or threw away any of their rip cords on purpose. Actually I got kind of rattled on my second malfunction back then, and did drop my main rip cord on my second mally. I gave my chest mount a pull after cutting away, and the handle seemed stuck so I said the hell with the main rip cord and gave it a toss and finally got the reserve to open. I think one of the most interesting malfunctions that I recall was watching a streamer. (Do you remember Sam Scott....Fred?) At any rate Sam somehow got on like twenty second delays. Every time he would start spinning like a top and then finish by opening his main. This was kind of entertaining to watch from the ground. I don't know why someone didn't put him back on hop and pops. One day Sam was jumping and needed a reserve. I said hell, I've got a reserve you can borrow. So I loaned him Randy Jone's belly mount which didn't have a pilot chute. Sam wasn't trained to do cut aways yet. So anyway there he went spinning again, but this time on opening he had a streamer that wouildn't clear. Sam did as he was trained and just pulled the reserve (without cutting away). It saved his life but he ended up burning all kinds of holes in the reserve from friction, (by opening against the main lines). And then he kind of forgot to pay for getting the reserve fixed, or packed. Randy is still pissed over that one. I know that Sam still shows up at Lost Prairie once in a while. Maybe Randy will too. I wonder which old fart would win if they scrap it out. Sam's definitely in better shape. But Randy is a wild man ex-logger. I don't think being old and fat will slow him down much! Anyone want to take any bets on this grudge match. I mean it's only been about 35 years. And then there was that malfunction Randy had up in Canada. He had a May West, and was jumping another reserve without a pilot chute. He threw it out in the direction of spin, but it went up inside his main. Somehow he pulled it out and threw it out again. This happened a couple of times and then he slammed into the snow and frozen ground. His reserve never did deploy! Well Randy was banged up some, but that didn't stop him from drinking that night. He was jumping with the Canadian Army freefall team and his money was no good that evening. It kind of helped back then to be young and dumb and really tough!...Steve1

.......................................... That was one of the argument for banning the so called, "Saturday Night Specials". After all they were cheap and some poor, low life, scoundrel might buy one....Steve1

............................................ My God! What's the world coming to? I remember when you could buy a brand new high powered rifle for that kind of money. I've read a lot of good things about the 416 Rigby. I had no idea that factory ammo could cost that much. Reloading would probably save a ton of money. I imagine the cost of brass is still high though....Steve1

Quote I saw some copper plated stuff a while back I forget what the core is made of. ......................................................... I use copper plated lead shot for turkeys and coyotes. I believe the purpose of this is to keep the shot from deforming during firing, and it results in a tighter more uniform pattern....Steve1

.................................... Kallend, Does this mean you are contemplating a shooting sport? I never thought I'd see the day! If so, I hope you enjoy yourself. I have to warn you though...just like skydiving, guns and hunting can become addictive. I don't know a lot about the new types of shot. In the old days we always shot ducks with lead. That's a thing of the past now. Steel shot is usually mandated for water foul, but ballistically it doesn't shoot as well. That's why othe metals are being experimented with. You probably know more on this subject than I do. Rifles have always been my passion, not shotguns....Steve1

........................................................................... This is the case in many places. I think the fact that we now have fewer places to hunt has a lot to do with this. Instead of finding open land where wildlife thrives, instead of finding open land where you can actually fire a rifle, there are now houses, highways, and towns. In the few places where you could once have a quality time hunting, it is often overrun with other hunters. There is often few game or birds left in such places to hunt. So, if you can't have a good time in the field why even bother hunting. I hate to be so negative, but this is how I am beginning to see the sport. Perhaps this is just another sign that our planet is overpopulated....Steve1

I wonder if the other guy, who was shot, was part of an unrelated incident. I'm not sure I see how this could mean that they were both in the same shootout with each other.... I'm surprised conflicts over hunting areas doesn't result in more violence. I've been in a couple disputes myself, when some out of state hunter tried to run me off property that his guide said was private. I knew the land was public land and I refused to leave. Then a huge argument, complete with name calling erupted. Everyone was packing rifles and things could have gotten out of hand. When I later contacted the state lands people and the game warden, little was done about it other than a small amount of lip service. No citations were issued and they refused to do anything to the guide service that was hunting that public land. The second time it happened, on the same land, the guided hunter told me I was trespassing, and I said bull shit. This led to another argument. When I called the state lands people the guide service said it never happened. Since I was alone, there were no witnesses. This is one of many reasons I am thinking of bagging hunting. Even here in Montana, there are just too many hunters trying to find a decent place to hunt....Steve1

Great story Guru 312! Brought back a lot of memories. Tell us another one....

......................................... My early days of hunting, with my trusty ole Daisy BB gun, were wonderful. Few birds were safe in my neighborhoold during those years, and none of us shot our eyes out. When we graduated to Pellet guns this was really a big step up. These were really high tech compared to our measley BB guns. We could then hunt truly big critters, like gophers and squirrels. This was first rate, high adventure for a kid. Although I was growing up in a single parent home, being raised by an alcoholic father, all that was forgotten when I was afield with my rifle. To tell you the truth, I think it was fishing and hunting that pointed me away from trouble and kept me from becoming a drunk like my old man. I knew there was better things to do in life, than what some of my juvenile delinquent friends were doing. I feel sorry for kids who don't have fishing and hunting available to them, or for those kids who live in a country where you can't even keep a pellet gun in your home. Just my two cents worth....Steve1

I think one of the big problems with a PLF is that most people don't get enough practice, and never do learn how to do one properly. A side PLF is more or less a roll using your side. Anyone who has been through Army Jump School will spend weeks practicing this before making their first jump. And then there is PLF practice usually before every other static line jump after jump school. Most skydiving first jump courses spend little time practicing PLF's, so is it any wonder many people just don't "get" how a PLF can save your bacon. I made a low turn a couple years back. I slammed into the ground with tremendous force. I later ended up in shock, in the emergency room, from all the pain. Nothing was broken. I think what saved me was because I landed with my feet and knees together and twisted to my side on impact. If I hadn't attempted a good PLF I think I would have been carried off that field. As it was I was able to hobble to a vehicle under my own power. So, that was one of the times a PLF has saved me from serious harm. There were several other times back in the 70's when I know it kept me from serious injury. I now do a lot of slide in landings on windless days. I think that too is a valuable technique. So far I haven't hit any gopher holes. For some landings I agree that sliding in works better than PLFing....Steve1

I'm confused, is this a extreamist Christian game or a extreamist Islamic game? ...................................... Good point!

I thought I was?? Keep posting Chuck, even though you're no longer our favorite moderator...

My very first cut away was on a paracommander. My retainer line was way too short and I ended up with a pilot chute caught in some modification holes. This caused a turn, but rather than mess with it, I decided to cut it away. I always wondered if I could have landed it okay, but I was trained to..."If in doubt, whip it out". So that's what I did. No one in our club was trained to cover their capewells when cutting away. So I guess I was lucky not to snag anything on my only two cut aways. I might add that my body position was really crappy on both also....Steve1

...................................... Okay, I'll admit I'm an immoral bastard....This isn't something I'm very proud of, But, a few summers backI pencil packed my reserve and was busted. I didn't put another riggers name on it though. If anyone wants to flame me for this I've got it coming. I am a rigger, but all I have is a chest pack rating from back in the 70's. I still have my seal. Since I couldn't find a rigger (I live in a really isolated place) I figured I'd pull a fast one and put my seal on my reserve, and then sign a fictitous name. A few weeks later I ended up on a big RW load at Lost Prairie. I tracked too far to get clear and ended up with a Cypress fire. Since I needed a repack I had one of Fred's riggers pack it for me. My seal is almost the same as Fred's. We trained as riggers together back in the 70's and Fred's seal is almost the same as mine. Anyhow this other rigger noticed the similiarity, and asked Fred if he knew this rigger's seal. Fred put two and two together and figured out that something was fishy. Then I was confronted by them on this. So, here I am showing up at a friend's drop zone. I end up going low, and then I'm found out to have a pencil packed reserve. I felt like shit, and deservedly so. Fred should have sent me packing. The thing is, Fred is really a square shooter, and he gave me another chance. He undoubtedly has higher ethics than I do. I'll tell you one thing....There's no more pencil packing for me. I learned my lesson. I may still be an imoral bastard, but I no longer pencil pack....

Back when I was young and dumb, invincible and bullet proof, I almost always cut off my own cast. My thinking was, why pay a doctor to do something I could do myself. One time I showed up at a new job in the woods with an arm still in a cast. It was way back in the boonies and it took a week before one of the main bosses showed up. I was running a chain saw that day, when he came walking up. He had his heart set on firing me because my arm was still in a cast. So that night I cut it off and returned to work the next morning. Since my cast was gone, they kept me working. Oh, I could go on and on about some of the other stupid things I've done. One summer, I broke another arm at a rodeo. Since it was my free arm I could still ride broncs (during the weeks that followed). So that's what I did. I had another friend who rode bulls with his spur embedded in a cast on his foot, and he rode well that way. Never have broke anything skydiving. Have sprained the hell out of a my ankle a few times. I hope my luck holds. Now that I'm an old fart, my bones may be getting brittle....Steve1

This is really funny, but at the same time, it sounds just like home....Steve1

Gutsy move. That's the way to be heads-up, just like skydiving - keep thinking all the time, and never give up. Glad you're still here. Too many people would just freeze up at a moment like that, and then they're doomed. I have this theory that skydivers are more likely to remain calm and rational to take action to avoid accidents, than most other drivers. Because they've become accustomed to thinking and acting under extreme stress. You are a case in point. It does make you feel good to still be able to function in a situation like that. There was really no time to think, and your instincts just kick in. I've often wondered what I would do in a scenario like that. They say you should never turn into the left lane, because the other guy could wake up and hit you there. It just seemed like the right thing to do at the time, and luckily it worked....Steve1

Gees it feels good to be alive. This morning I came within inches of a head on collision with a pickup going 60 or 70 right at me. I was flying about the same speed right at him. Apparently the other guy fell asleep and headed into my lane, on a two lane highway. He may have been drunk. There was no place to go, I went to the right as far as I could go without going off and embankment. So at the last second I made a quick turn into the left lane missing him by about an inch. The roads were icy so I was lucky my tires allowed me turn that quick. So, then this other dip shit flies into the ditch almost rolling his truck, tearing off one of his wheels in the process. He may have been drunk, and I'm leaving the police to sort that out. I've come close to deaths door more than once in my day, a couple times skydiving, and I'll tell you, it feels great not to be in a body bag after something like that happens. I've had some work related problems eating at me recently, but having a really close call puts things back into the proper perspective. It makes you realize that it's not worth sweating the small stuff. Life's just to short for that. I'm going to go home tonight and celebrate another day on planet earth....Steve1

It sounds to me like Greg Nardi needs to fire some people. Again, I'll bet he doesn't realize that customers are being run off by some rude employees. As far as going low. I know that Greg has more insight into this than most jumpers. The lowest I have ever hummed it down to was 500 ft, with a para-commander back in about 74. Greg was on that load, and he wasn't much higher than I was. Yes, we were all grounded for a while, and we knew we had done wrong. And wee all accepted our punishment without complaining. Greg, is also one of the most generous people I know. That's why I question why there may be no reinversement on some jump tickets. I remember when he owned a restauraunt here in Montana. My money was no good in that place. Whatever I ordered it was always free when Greg was around. I was a fellow jumper, and he was looking out for me. His brother Steve needs a kidney now, and Greg was first on the list to donate one of his. I've made a lot of jumps with both of these Nardis. and they are both first rate people. That's why it bothers me that people are bad mouthing Titusville. I'll bet Greg doesn't have a clue what's going on....Steve1

I made my very first jump from a jet. It was a C-141 at 1,200 ft. courtesy of the U.S. Army (back in 1970). And the pucker factor was great!....Steve1

Well said!...

I wish Greg Nardi could read some of this. As far as I know he still owns the dropzone at Titusville. I'll bet he has no idea that the manifest lady is running off customers. Maybe she is the one who should be run off. Any company that has a lot of employees is bound to hire a ringer at some point in time. Let Greg know what's happening, and I'll bet he'll change it. I started jumping with Greg and his brother about 35 years ago. He's a stand up guy and a very easy going person. I doubt he'd run a dropzone that had overly strict opening altitudes. I've never jumped at Titusville, but hope to some time in the future....Steve1

....................................................................... I agree with this....But there have also been many people over the years who have done everything right, and yet were killed by a bear. That's why I would never feel safe hiking out through the wilds of Denali Park or even Yellowstone Park without some type of backup. I don't care how bear savy you are, there's a pretty good chance that, over time, something bad would happen. I'm not afraid of bears, but I do have a healthy respect for them. ........................................................................... there's a huge difference between the black bears of Yosemite, and the sort of bears in Alaska. The grizzlies are pretty damn dangerous, regardless of what you're doing, and the polar bears will go out of their way to get you and eat you. reply] .......................................................................... I agree again, but black bear kill far more people each year than any other species of bear. You can do everything right and still be attacked by one. I remember one starving black bear that killed three people in a very short period of time and then started eating them. As far as everyone being allowed to pack a weapon in a National Park...I can see your point on this....But I can also relate to the other side of the argument. So this makes for interesting discussion....Steve1