jimmytavino

wow pyrotechnics,,,,,, And a Demo,,, And a night jump.... any others joining you on this...?? Are you ALL Pro-rated??? Will there be other canopies in the air??? or is this a "one man show" ?? What might be, the prospective landing area???? wide open?? or tight??? will it be well lit?? are there plans for a Wind Indicator? to be located at the landing area?? If you Do proceed, then use good judgement. don't become distracted while "lighting Up"... to the point of compromising your place in the sky, relative to the place on the ground, where you need to land....Winds on a Night jump seem to have a way of changing, from what is expected... be careful of embers,,,,especially once you land, be careful not to stain, or soil , or burn, any part of your gear....OR your body... imaginative thinking is fine... but you may need to thoroughly test any such incendiary device, on the ground, well before utilizing it on a Night demo....with others in the air, and spectators on the ground... Not sure if fireworks ( sparklers etc) and rocket ignitors even Belong in a jump plane in the first place.....I like the sound of battery powered light BULBS, or trailing streamers,, which can be seen easily once you're on final... Even if you can rig something... just be sure you don't go stacking the deck against yourself.. there was a bandit demo around these parts, in 1973 or so. where these 2 or 3 guys jumped P C 's into a rock concert over Watkins Glen raceway.... one guy lit a fuse, with the idea of lowering a charge, ( we were told it was an M-80, but it mightta been TNT ) down below himself, on a lanyard, so that when it went "boom".. all the rock and roll fans, would look up,,, to see HIM...... yeah... welll....as it turned out,, he could not reel out the lanyard, and couldn't toss away the connected explosive, and the damn thing went off,,, right in front of him, and he suffered fatal wounds to his chest and torso......very sad... he was a VERY experienced and aggressive skydiver for the times, but he did something rather foolish, and it cost him... please be careful....smoke is one thing and is touchy enough, just is it is... adding sparks, and embers, and glowing discharge, is even EXTRA touchy.....go easy, so you can go again... cordially jimmy

hmmmmm. what was your exit altitude???? what were the other two jumpers doing??? while you were playing with your cheststrap in freefall??? Clouds at 1,500 feet????? and you are In them..??? man,, as others have stated any cloud layers, anywhere NEAR the Dz should be noted during the climb to altitude.. a mental note of where the tops and bottoms are, should be made.. WITH the understanding that they CAN change between the climb and the exit.. A good reason Not to freefall in them.. Now then you say,,, you didn't feel the reserve fire???.. hmmm must have been preoccupied i suppose.... There's a concept called 'expanding awareness'... paraphrased it means, knowing what is happening.. throughout a skydive, tuning into waaay more than some tunnel vision view of only the jumpers right in front of you... Combining aeiral awareness with spatial awareness, with visual cues, with your internal 'clock', and always with safety in mind... Did you not see the other 2 jumpers deploy??? or did they also get down into AAD territory?? are you using a student AAD or an Expert?? (different firing settings)... good deal that you are ok....sort of shows how much we can get away with..... thanks for sharing... jimmy

agreed.. h2O balloons come off a double stretch slingshot,,,with a ton of velocity.. and water is heavy !!.. caught unaware, a jumper WOULD be distracted, and if hit would be pissed off BIG Time !!!. better to make a 4 by 8 foot bullseye target. out of a sheet of plywood... set it up some distance from the boarding area . Let jumpers test their skill by launching one balloon each, at the target...while they wait for the plane Miss the plywood altogether,,, pay an extra 2 dollars for the jump...( your cost for taking the chance) hit the target,, save 1 dollar off on the outer ring, 3 dollars off on the inner ring and 5 dollars off on the bullseye..... Same thing can be done with flagstick and some 9 irons, or pitching wedges,, and golf balls,,,, closest to the pin wins... ... some fun could be had during weather holds if a simple playground ball is kept handy.. An impromptu game of kick ball, can be fun, if there is a grassy area so there are no twisted ankles,,,, no other equipment is needed, (except for bases), and EVERYbody knows the rules of the game... be CAREFUL with any sort of canopy kiting, or tethered flight....Parachutes work better when the are coming down,,,, and NOT going UP... jmy

"because I want to do it again" . . . . . . why???????????????? J

You're silly! Not that I'm really that hot now, but I definitely wasn't back then. I had very few dates in High School. \ Hey !.... I too, had very few dates in High School.... ( as in None .. hahaha) ( and I was the varsity football captain.... go figure!!!!.. I have seen Pictures skymama, which you have posted here, from when you were in H S and College, and if you say you're not hot,, so be it,,, BUT you certainly were, and still are, preety and I bet you had lots going for you then, since you still do... NOW... As to the original question,,,, 4 yrs... no summers. had to take 21 credits my spring semester Sr. year.... but managed. Majored in Anthropology and Minored in History.... When asked what did I "take Up" . in college , i used to reply. " The seat of a more deserving student" !. Also majored in Skydiving, started the fall of my Soph. year. graduated college with 325 jumps.. .My folks drove 350 miles for commencement in the morning and a visit to the DZ for the afternoon. I made 3 jumps,, that day, including one of my early Jumps on a Para Plane Cloud, ( 1975)... My folks loved the visit... without college, who knows if I wouldda found skydiving.... jmy

right.... probably not a bad idea to eliminate them... IF a bumper isn't securely and correctly TACKED to always stay with the link....a loose bumper could, theoretically get loose, slide UP the lines... YIKES,, and be a real problem... Even on a main..... it's real important to monitor slider bumpers, for just that reason.... Tighness around the link, and hopefully a waxed thread stitch... if heavyweight plastic tubing is used for the bumpers.. they can stretch and work their way up towards the suspension lines.. I check mine each time i set my brakes... with the change to slinks, it seems the issue is eliminated altogether... disclaimer...not a rigger, though i do try to pay attention to the subject of our gear and to the changes and improvements which are constantly occuring......

any idea why the brake line is NOT running through the appropriate slider gommet???. not sure if reserves require slider bumpers on the french links.. but it sure wouldn't hurt... what else?????? j t edited to add...... Could this canopy have been used by a lightweight person, as a BASE canopy??????. or does the lack of a pc/bridle attachment point prevent that ?

right....since you not only lock people OUT ,, you also lock people IN..... true enough, fires and other immediate emergencies don't occur very often. but when they do.. time is of the essence.. A better ( and less costly ) approach than changing the locks, is to duplicate the keys. Take the appropriate key for each deadbolt, and with a teacup hook, or small nail, hang it on the upper part of your door casing, hinge side, within reach of the youngest or shortest person, who lives there.... An intruder, would be hard pressed to find it, if they break the glass from outside, But you or anyone could quickly grab it, and unlock the the cylinder to make a fast get-away... without the need of chasing down your keyring first.....Plus you can use and then return that key, each night when you lock up, instead of having to dig through your purse or pocket every night, prior to turning in.... stay smart, but stay safe. as to leaving our home or cars unlocked, I must say, that if we are away, the house is locked, i never leave keys in the ignitions anymore, but I don't necessarily lock all our cars and vans, each night..... so far so good.....luckily our immediate neighborhood is rather safe... jmy

........we share the same history.. never in a plane til the day i made my first jump...

Where Did God Come from??? Man made God..... as Homo Erectus transitioned into Homo Sapiens , his brain complexity grew...( perhaps from abundant nutritional benefits of seafood, as mankind ventured from the grassland plains,, and towards, rivers and oceans). The vegatative diet of early man only took him so far... meat was a good protein supplement but seafood was richer... so anyway.. as man's brain grows and thought becomes more complex, and questions are being asked.....Often there were NO answers... especially if the true explantation for something was scientific... So a "God" figure... very conveniently answered "the unanswerable"..... Why did the wind blow? Where do the herds come from" What explains Lightening and Thunder...? How does reproduction happen... reproduction of the animals around them, of the trees and grasses, and plant life, of the very concept of DAY....... which always ends with the disappearance of the sun... but then, the Sun RE-appears...!!!!...... Surely early man. did not know Solar System Concepts, and DNA .. RNA comprehension was still a million years in their future. So man creates a Deity a Spirit, and in some cases many Gods' within their world. to answer the unanswerable.... Then As we came into the recent 10,000 years and writing and recording of things began, the concepts and foundations of God...were transcribed as FACT and of common acceptance....and so. we simply have been raised all our lives with the concept of God...and the sense that God is all around Us... and that works for me....Regardless of Who created Who..... jmy

I think it was Johnny Cochran who said... " The justice system in this country isn't Black, it isn't White, it's Green".... There are many things and people in this country who are Positive, Contributing, Hard Working and Virtuous... too bad the media, ( everything from TV gossip shows, to magazines, to newspapers, to the Damn network and cable system Evening News programs)....choose to Ignore the good,,,, and instead concentrate on the "wild and crazy" types.. the Misbehavors, the Naughty....the lousy role Models get the attention...Even Here... She really should spend a month or so in Jail... the charge,,,Past underage drinking, ( how long does the statute of limitations fun for that???)....Unwarranted Arrogance,,, MisUse of ALL sorts of cosmetics,,, BAD Judgement, in Lots of things.....Potential disgrace to the name of her GrandFather!!!!!.. the REAL Hilton Entreprenuer......Remember here.... Paris and Nikki's Daddy,,,,, was the heir of the ORIGINAL money Maker(s).... True the father may still be involved in the business,,, But He too ( not certain of Paris's dad's name)...was brought up in a " well- to - do" "Jet- Set" lifestyle.... Some of those who are weathly by inheritance or good fortune to be born into HUGE wealth...ought to make an effort to use that wealth for productive and positive purposes, and not for self indulgent, over abundant, careless behaviors, and useless commodities.... whoa...... and all i wanted to do was quote OJ's lawyer.........

then i stand corrected not sox but steve haas. love those shot and a halves... jmy

picture...bird 9 the guy in the middle looks to me,,, like it could be "Sox".. ( John Rostocks).....and yes . a young Mike Truffer...in the first shot,, to the left , in the foreground.. clear photos.... nice scanner... jimmyT

"best show ever" ...Yes i agree... Saw him in concert a couple of years ago... Just Fantastic..... I dunno if it's the michrophones, instruments, amps, or mixing boards.....but EVERY note, every lyric, every sound,, was Spot On.. for EVERY song..... His voice is still preety good,,, ( for an 'ol timer), and as good as he is,, with a guitar.. he is equally amazing at the piano... The video screen and camera work, which are a part of the show, and which make Sir Paul appear to be a virtual Giant.... made it seem to each of us in attendance, Like we were the ONLY one,, being serenaded!!! ...as to his current domestic issues......none of my business......Unless his angst leads him to the writing table, and results in further creative genius.......Though it would be awfully tough to match the HUGE body of music which has already flowed from his musical Mind..... jmy

"what would you do" ? why I'd take a picture of it and post it to the internet............. what else????

the woman who is the focal point of the short, is certainly NOT the title character. Even though the director seems to lead the viewer to make that immediate assumption....Heck even SHE feels like she is the sinner...when she is, in fact, the victim. the sinner is the husband the co-conspiritor and secondary sinner is the priest... for he can be said to be a sinner,,, when he encourages a victim into further conflict, by pressing that she "make things better", "Give him another chance" ... another chance for WHAT???? The Priest is a further sinner,,, when he "absolves" the man of his UN-Husbandly ( AND Un Manly ) Actions.... Indeed it can be argued that it is the very absolution of those sins,,,, which clean the slate off,,,, so that new and more sinsiter sins , can be carried out... With some Catholics,,,,,, it's as though forgiveness of sin, By reciting this many or that many Hail Marys or Our Fathers..... lessens the severity of those sins....."undoes" the damage...and relieves one of the responsibilities of bad behavior. In fact what it DOES do,,, is it clears the way for new sins.... Why Not???? since they are so easily rationalized, away.... How UN rational is THAT???? powerful film. thanks for sharing it... jmy

....HAHAHAHAHA you crack me up.. BillyVance very good... carry ON.....

..I like looking out the windows of jump planes,

I was simply looking for a ride in an airplane... I had never been in one before.... and all they wanted was 50 bucks... ... i was a college sophomore...and the school had a skydiving club... Saw the Movie Masters of the Sky ( 16 mm projector) at an informational meeting..( sept. 1972) I had my S/L training in a class of 28 people on a thurs and friday nite. and jumped that saturday.. made another on wed, and in 2 weeks, i was in freefall.... A fine and wise decision on my part,, ( if I do say so myself..) That first airplane ride evidently came with a bonus...!!! I had 250 jumps or so,,, before i ever LANDED in a plane !!!!

Semantics Semantics... I have no "proof"...just suspicions... Hey !! alot like the Proof, ol' G W offered us through spokesman Colin Powell.....for going into Iraq.... Oh yeah... that turned out to be suspicion after all. the only W M D's have been the ones that WE have been firing at "insurgent" targets... since the day this whole mess started....Ask any civilians whose homes and neighborhoods have been blown to smithereens by a laser guided USA missle,,, if the destruction is "mass" ... or not... I'm no "dem" ( no Rebublican either ) and I didn't lose ANYthing... except maybe some of my former respect for this country and how it elects ANY higher office candidate.... I also lost my confidence in the electoral college, and in politicians in general.. The current administration,,,,, has done wonders for this country... as in... I 'wonder if we'll last another 50 years. I 'wonder' if we'll EVER get rid of the fiscal deficit the "High GPA boy from Yale" , has gotten us into. I 'wonder' if the USA can ever regain it's status world-wide as a CONstructive entity, rather than a DESstructive one. I 'wonder' if the Government , Of the People By the People and FOR the People, can ever be re-claimed..... and Yes i DO wonder how that clown of a son of a former CIA director,,,,, EVER got as far as he has.... Strings Pulled?????? Yeah.... i bet there have been a few...only all that shit is classified,,,, and if i proved it,,, you'd have to KILL me.... hahahahaha... As for Yalie..... The Guy has NEVER impressed me,,,, and I never could figure how the hell he got elected Gov. of Texas....( maybe somebody let all the Horses vote) ( or at least a certain Part of the horse(s) was allowed to vote...).....let alone Pres. of the US.. His picture could be listed in the dictionary next to the word disappointment...... Nuke-U-Ler...indeed. we have been given nothing but LOUSY candidates.. on both sides of the ticket, for the last 30 years or so.....God help us in the future.... Independent Jimmy

Ah, yes... that would be the same moron that had a higher GPA at Yale than his opponent in the last election, yes?*** "having" a certain GPA, is different than "earning", that GPA..... ever hear of having some "strings pulled ".??? ( that's likely how he GOT into Yale in the first place).... ....speaking of "strings pulled",,, can you say "Hanging Chads"...???? ....as for the jibjab piece,,,,,,,,,hahahahaha .. pretty good... jmy

" After surfing E-bay for most of the Day,,, Murray knew Just what he HAD to buy , to piss off his wife."...."So he did" ....driving past in a car, Sidney commented to his Pal,,,, "man they are having a HELLUVA Yard Sale over there."..!!!!! " Let's Stop"..... jmy

I have two... 1......" Honest Officer,, I was just trying to get home from the store, with my new and improved "inflatable Honey"........They were on sale!!! 2. "pull Over..... I'm writing you Up ... for traveling without a seat belt... AND without state required Mud Flaps. !! "... jimmy

Math is a tough subject..... to teach AND to learn... If the teachers skills are poor and he has an attitude,, where he simply 'presents' the info and then it 's Up to kids to learn it.... that often doesn't work..... Students at that age,,, (i'm guessing we're talking, 8th, 9th, 10th grade??) have waaay lots of other priorities,, than Mathmatics class.... EVEN if they do have some interest in school subjects,,,, math often isn't at the top of the list..... So it's extra important that math teachers develop certain techniques and strategies, which make the subject matter interesting...and the classroom atmosphere, a good one.. Not easy. But if done well,,,,the VERY important subject of math... can be fun,,, Most students who dismiss it's importance, may sadly wind up learning later in Life, how helpful and valuable the subject is...We all likely use all sorts of math and arithmatic concepts,,, every day, in our work and in our daily activities....... best to learn those concepts at an early age... jimmy....

roger THAT....skymama. one of the first folks with whom I shared PMs.. A proud Father, and as we verify in this thread a friend to all. he promised me a cold beer, and I promised him a lift ticket, during an early correspondence... we seemed to see things in a similar way... I'll miss his posts on all varieties of subjects.. damn