steve1

In NorthEast Montana (where I live) it's been around 28 below this past week. With the chill factor it gets down to as much as 80 below. The snow is at least a foot deep. So, in other words...it's been a while since I jumped last. I survive by staying in the house most of the time, doing taxidermy work next to a warm stove, and dreaming about jumping. If you are thinking of moving to Montana don't pick the Northeastern part. It's a good place to freeze your gonads off. That's why I have such a high squeaky voice.....Steve1

Sorry you're leaving. I learned a lot from your input on these forums. I hope your break from skydiving isn't permanent though. I took one for 25 years, and it's great to be back. At any rate....Best of Luck in the future to both you and Sky Kat.....Steve1

Quote[ a lot of time was spent hanging around as a student, without jumping. I would spend many consecutive weekends at the DZ, and never get to jump. But a lot of info was absorbed during that time. reply] I remember hanging around all day and only getting a couple jumps out of our club Cessna even when the weather was good. Much of the time the better jumpers would jump with you though, and it was a great learning environment, just hanging around BSing. The most jumps anyone had in the two clubs I jumped with back then was around 600. You were considered really really experienced or Sky God material if you had 500 jumps then. I remember when Fred Sand broke a 1,000 and thinking that was awesome. But anyhow, I wouldn't want to go back to those days. Today places like Eloy, Elsinore, and Perris (and many other modern DZ's) spoil you in a hurry. And then again a para-commander isn't near as much fun as a square, but I'd sure like to jump one again (at least once for old times sake).....Steve1

[reply (I'm around C29, sector 2.) Say hello to Hod Sanders and Blaine Wright. They're also in sector 2 (a couple of older Montana boys). You'd have a lot in common with Blaine..... He's a design engineer. Hod was on Mirror Image with B.J. in the old days.

I always used rear risers to land my PC. About eight or ten feet up I'd do a chin up on both rear risers. Lot's of people would pull the toggles down to land a para-commander also. B.J. Worth used to use toggles only, every time I saw him land. My para-commander was not short lined so there was quite a bit of oscillation when making a turn. I used to take advantage of this on windy days....I'd run with the wind and then hook it into the wind at the last second. If you timed it right you had a nice soft landing without backing up. If you were too late on this hookturn you would hit the ground a lot harder, but at least you weren't backing up. I thought I invented this, but have since heard of others doing the same thing. I hated rear PLF's on windy days. French para-boots helped a lot back then......Steve1

Lot's of students have this problem. I'm not an instructor, so take my advice with a grain of salt. I don't mean to give dangerous advice, but I've often wondered if learning how to do a turn the other way might help. It would certainly bring you out of a spin. Practicing in the wind tunnel would be an excellent idea. Opening your main when you are in a spin isn't good. I watched a guy, back in the 70's, who had a spinning problem. He was doing longer and longer delays and his spinning wasn't getting any better. One day he openned in such a fast spin, that his main turned into a streamer. He wasn't trained in how to do a cut away and just went for the belly reserve that I loaned him. He burned a bunch of holes in it as it deployed against the streamering main.....but he did survive. A wind tunnel would be a great place to practice and get the bugs worked out in my opinion.......Steve1

I quit back in the mid-70's and then started up again a few years ago. What a great feeling it is to be back! The thing is though I know what it feels like to be burnt out and I don't want it to happen again. One of the big reason that I think I quit was that I was really focussing on the negative crap in our sport and I started having trouble seeing the good. I also probably needed to focus on a different aspect of our sport. Back then all there was was RW, Style, and Accuracy. Noone in our club did much other than RW (which I fell back in love with now) but it wasn't too advanced back then and not nearly as much fun or challenging as it is now. If RW starts to get old for me now I think I'll try freeflying or birdman or even a little base jumping. There's just so many different aspects to our sport now. And yes, I was a broke bastard back in the 70's. That was another reason I started looking for another sport. I knew another guy in our club who later became famous in our sport. He had money handed to him and all he did was jump. So anyhow a personality conflict developed and I said the hell with it and started rodeoing. Sold my red-devil para-commander and Super-pro container and harness. Man I'd love to have that rig back now! So anyhow when I'm confronted with something negative in our sport now, I try to look the other way and think about the time when I was at Eloy last winter or at Lost Prairie last summer. I've wasted way too much of my life thinking negative........Steve1

I heard a news account of a guy in our town who was struck by a stray bullet in the shoulder. It didn't penetrate but left a big bruise. I would imagine this was fired from a steep angle, probably ran out of energy and fell to earth. I wish I knew the caliber but this wasn't given in the report. I KNEW another guy who was hit by a stray bullet that came flying out of nowhere over a ridge, when he was hunting. He wasn't as lucky and died. He was hit squarely in the chest and it penetrated his heart. I don't know if there was an exit wound, or what caliber. It was probably a big game round that had plenty of energy left. It's all too easy to get excited when hunting and shoot without thinking what's beyond your target. Most folks don't realize a big game round can shoot three or four miles. Just another reason to be careful......Steve1

I ordered the wrong size risers from him by mistake. He took them back with no questions asked. Very fast delivery of what I ordered. I plan to do buisness with him again someday.....Steve1

I guess I'm overdue for a reprimand. I have trouble staying off this site. The guy before me, in my office, was fired because he supposedly was checking out porno sites, so I know our computers are monitored. So I hope I don't get fired for being a DZ.Com addict. It's all Sanquiro's fault.....Steve1

Thanks Jeanne...Come again to Lost Prairie and we'll make a bunch of jumps. Damn this cold weather and no jumping is wearing me down. Maybe that's why little things are getting me down. We've also had a rash of suicides lately at our school where I work. Three students have hung themselves in the past month. Two others in a nearby town. Playing counselor is wearing me down. I guess that's another reason I have a case of the ass toward authority figures. There's so many worthless parents out there and too many hurting kids to keep up with. But anyhow, let's talk about something brighter. To tell you the truth all this bickering is really dragging me down...Steve1

By your own admission you have been stopped many times for traffic violations. And now you want to sulk and whine because a police officer told you off? Incredible. I think you need to re-evaluate your driving habits pal. You know, I've had a drivers license for well over 35 years. Hell yes, I've been stopped more than once. My insurance rates are low because it hardly ever happens. In fact I'll bet they are lower than yours....pal. As far as my being a whiner, I'd really rather jump with you than trade insults. I've always felt like there were a lot of good people to talk to on these forums and I didn't mean to set off such a hot bed of controversy. So maybe we all need to lighten up a bit, including myself.....Steve1

[reply The fact that you even consider grabbing the .357 as being an option, says alot to me. While it is entirely your right to do so, the fact that you had a loaded .357 on the seat next to you with children in the car.. reply] How many times do I have to say that I never considered grabbing a gun and start shooting. For the third time....I am saying that this could have happened in another situation, with another individual. As far as the 357 being there. We were going hunting 500 miles from home. When I travel with my family I usually take a weapon. This may not be your cup of tea, but it is my right to do so. My kids are grown, know about weapons, how to use them, and we were going hunting. Please don't take things out of context and try to paint a picture that isn't true.....Steve1

It's a great story. I heard it a couple years ago. I too have wondered about whether or not it really happened. It sure could have. My lab will automatically fetch anything thrown....Steve1

[replyw They are human beings. Good, bad, nice, mean. I have found, however, that if you treat people (any people!!!) with respect, generally it will go well. Anyone can be nice for 10 minutes. Steve1, you may be a nice guy, but after reading that, I think the officer may have just been treating you the way you treated him. Thank your lucky stars you weren't cited. Ciels- Michele (edited to reflect the poster to whom my post is directed.) There was absolutely nothing I did to this guy to provoke his anger....Other than the traffic offense. I was very respectful and said almost nothing in return. Sure my patience was wearing thin, and it may have started to show in my own body language. The only thing I said that might have been disrespectful was toward the end when he asked me what the hell I was thinking by using the wrong turn around place. And I gruffly replied I was thinking about turning around in a rural area. If you are saying I provoked him, it's simply not true. As far as the story about hurting cops, maybe that was in bad taste, and I too feel bad when a police officer dies in the line of duty. Maybe I should try to be more understanding with the job they do. Part of my problem is that I do have problems with authority figures who are ass-holes and those who abuse the power they are given.....Steve1

I'm just stating that in this scenario things could have escalated into something much bigger in another situation. I'm not saying I would have done this, but someone else might have. You push someone too hard and things of that nature do happen. As far as people not playing with a full deck...don't you think law enforcement attracts people like that at times. I'm sure police academies are aware of this and do what they can to weed them out. There's lot's of great police officers out there, and I think you're one of them, but the ones that aren't need to be taken off the streets, in my opinion.....Steve1

I would think that it would be in a cops best interest to treat others with respect. I've been given tickets over the years, from police officers who were truly professional. I went away from these situations disliking the ticket, but liking the officer who gave it to me. I agree that if you are going to get a lecture it should be from a judge not the officer on the scene. This whole situation could have escalated into something ugly just because this guy wanted to play "bad ass". I mean, if I were a little crazier I could have pulled one of the two rifles I was sitting next to. Yes, they were loaded and ready to go (which is legal in my state). Or I could have grabbed the 357, which was also on the seat. Of course I wouldn't have done this, but it could have happened. And over what, a minor traffic offense. I've seen the same thing happen with employers. Many of whom were on a power trip and thought they could treat others like crap and then are surprised when it comes back at them. The saying of, "Don't throw stones, if your own house is made of glass," comes to mind. At any rate, one more story.... I knew a cop from Butte, Mt. who was once shot and left for dead. I used to lift weights with this guy and was really impressed with what a great guy he was. Not to mention he was one stout guy in the weight room. The other day another cop told me what really happened......At one time he was very belligerant and heavy handed in how he handled law breakers. Butte is a very tough mining town and home of Eble Keneval (among many other bull-headed people). Well eventually he rubbed some bad guys the wrong way and they decided to retalliate. The ambushed him one night, shot him four or five times, and left him on the street for dead. When he recovered from his wounds his attitude and demeanor on the job was completely changed. After that he treated bad guys with a lot more respect......Steve1

Thanks, Sebazz. I need to think more about jumping and less about all the assholes in life. Maybe the reason I'm so grouchy lately is because I haven't jumped in three months, and my job is wearing me down, lately.....Steve1

I think someone who is a loose cannon has no right to wear a badge. Someone like this brings disrespect to all that do that job. I do have respect for most law enforcement personal, but not all. This guy was going far beyond what his job description entails.....Steve1

QuoteI am curious as to what you did to get pulled over. Freeway cops tend to get wound over the prospect of pulling dead children out of overturned wrecks. reply] Deuce, I know you are in law enforcement, and believe me I have the highest respect for most people who do that job. My brother was a cop and still in law enforcement, and hell at one time I wanted to be a cop too. But I still think this guy is a jerk and was on some type of power trip. There are lot's of folks who thrive on this kind of thing and I'm sure the police academies try to weed them out. Somehow this guy got through and his true colors were showing, in my opinion. As far as what I did.....I needed to be heading the other direction on the freeway and was having trouble finding an exit. I was in a very rural area with little or no traffic. I spotted one of these emergency travel lanes that are everywhere adjoining the two directions of traffic. Cops and other authorized personal use them all the time. Since there was little or no traffic I used one of these to turn around and head the other direction. As far as placing my family in danger, that simply wasn't the case. There was never a danger of being hit. I just broke one of the rules. I was willing to pay the ticket if given one, but I don't feel I deserved a ration of crap from this guy......Steve1

I was recently stopped by a Highway Patrollman for a minor traffic violation. I was going hunting with my family when I was stopped. To say this patrollman was a jerk is an understatement. His voice was angry, his body language was angry, his distain for us was very apparent, and it was lecture time from the get go. I felt like a kid in the principals office as he went on and on about how dangerous I was. He even went so far as to say he may have to arrest me. After a few minutes of this my patience was gone and I really felt like jumping out of my pickup and nocking off his smokey the bear hat. I wonder how many other people he has pushed over the edge in his career at being an asshole. And then to end it all he said, "For some inexplicable reason he was going to let us off with a warning." I've been stopped many times for traffic violations, but have never been given a riot act, by a complete jerk, in front of my family. So my question is, what can I do to complain about this idiot. Is there a office to call, that handles such complaints. Will anything be done to investigate a dip-stick suck as this? I would think if he has a history of this they ought to get rid of him. Thanks........Steve1

Do they still have sew on patches for the Mile High Club? I knew a few folks who were members of this pretigious club back in the 70s. If I remember right there was two feet up and two feet down shown on the patch. I haven't seen this for a while. But then again most jumpers don't wear patches any more. In the old days it was considered cool to wear any patch you earned on your jumpsuit.......Steve1

I hit a deer once and it was dead when I walked up on it. I hate to waist wild game so I took it home and butchered it. The only problem was there was so much bruised meat that I cut about half of it into dog food. And yes, this was probably illegal. But they way I look at it, it was the right thing to do.....Steve1

You can get a direct Army surplus Garand for as little as $400... Go here: http://www.odcmp.com/ and click on "Sales". At gun shows they usually run about $800 and up. I haven't fired one since my army days, but I loved shooting the Garand. The one I shot was very accurate, well balanced, and the recoil wasn't bad. I preferred it over the M-14. It may not be the perfect weapon for a combat or even hunting weapon though. I'd hate to pack a garand too far because of the weight. In combat situations the ammo might get too heavy if you were packing several hundred rounds. The heavier recoil and noise might also get too you if you fired one too much. Limited magazine capacity might be another drawback. I never was a big fan of full auto, so semi-auto suits me fine. But for accuracy I prefer a bolt action. Lot's of knock-down power. Really fun to shoot!. I'd like to own one some day. Maybe when I get too old to jump I'll be able to afford one....Steve1

Wow! What a weapon.