jimmytavino

tough to do while the rig is on your back... so.... every time you pack the main,, take a moment and check the intergity of the pillows and the cable(s) to which they are attached.. I NEVER "got" the reasoning behind "pillow reserve handles".. why??? i much prefer a metal D style handle for my reserve.. yeah yeah yeah,,, it can snag.. But NOT if i make sure it is seated in its' pocket , and if i protect it.... and i like the idea of being able to hook that metal handle with a thumb. or a portion of my hand, if the need arises.. Do a thorough gear check, including alllll handles, before you gear-up... should really be no need to be grabbing at things in the plane,,, Other than a cursory feel, for the main Pc handle and to be sure the P C is properly stowed.. i tend to NOT touch my cutaway or reserve handles, once i'm geared up or in the plane just me..... jaytee

thanks nerdgirl...... i have 3 brothers , one sister, and 18 first cousins,,,,,, and EVERY one of them,,,, would have done the same......... every ONE... Fact is... I bet that the majority of those here, with whom we share , wisdom, hopes, accomplishments, failures,dreams, sillyness, humor and deep thoughts,,, on a daily basis,,,, would ALSO have done the right thing.....

Plagiarism Plagiarism.....!!!!!! But VERY creative plagiarism....!!!!! jt

exactly MikeJD..... i erred, in grabbing all the bags on the counter, without checking more carefully, in the first place,,, and scummy is exactly how i woullda felt , had i done the wrong thing... I was thinking at first , that it all belonged to a customer,,, and lots of " little old Italian ladies " shop there.... so it would have been like taking from my own Mama...or Grandma... could never do THAT...... I was happy to see that the actual owner was still there....and that it got back into her hands.... Tuna.... i know that you're just joking... but IF i gave the $$$$ away.... i might have felt better, and YOU might have felt better.. but that young lady, wouldda been S.O.L.... and so,,, she wouldda been harmed.... It IS a store with all the salamis and cheeses hanging from the ceiling !!.. with a canoli and pastry counter, and fresh dough, for "do-it-yourself pizzas", 15 different kinds of sausages , an Olive Bar, a 50 foot long cheese counter, and 'Old Country' Music playing,,,, which you notice the moment you walk in the place... " Che- la- Luna, Metso mano, mamma mia..." etc etc... It's called Rubinos... and is run by the Old Mans' children now, who have kids of their own, who stock the shelves... Mister Rubino, Himself,,, is there 10 hours a day, and holds court, at one of the tables near the sub counter.. !!! hahahah.... My dear Full Blooded Italian Grandparents,, all 4 of whom are now in Heaven,, would have loved this place,,,,and I bet my Grandpas, were taking a break from a glass of wine and a game of bocce' and were keeping an eye on me,,, to be sure i DID do the right thing... Red & White & Green Flags, on the wall,,, macaroni machines, for sale, on the shelves,,, bread from 5 different bakeries, and 20 brands of Olive Oil, on the shelf A place i really enjoy visiting, and i never whould have been able to hold my head up,, in there, again,,,, had i listened to the devil... signed, little vincenzo....

thanks friends, for all the kind words....... i'm a gemini, and i'll honestly admit,, that i had the angel on one shoulder and the devil on the other,,, and i WAS listening to both sides of the issue.... for a moment or two.... But i'm also a former Altar Boy ,, hahaha , and was brought up in a certain way.... Soooo you Do what you have to DO.... Guilt can be a very strong motivational factor.... However,, next decent sized job/bid that comes along... i'm gonna add a couple of hundred bucks to my price!! IF i get the work....it will be verification that i did the proper thing , AND i will recoup what i gave up, today. i expect that i will sleep good tonight. peace jmy

I called, COLLECT!!!!...... and they said that they couldn't AFFORD it... not unless they first checked with Ben Bernanke!!! Oh Sure !!!!!! NOW they're gonna start pinching pennies... sheeeesh... I bet they woullda taken the call if i said i was Osama Bin Laden !!! jt

Aw Shucks , Skymama... your words, alone,,,,,, have made the decision MORE than worth it..... ... fact is... I KNEW right away,,,,what Nancy would have said to me,,,,"You take that right BACK,, this instant"!!! hahahahaha .. and she wouldda been correct........ NOW...in retrospect, IF i had Kept it,,, but THEN gave it AWAY.... to needy friends,,,, ( they KNOW who they ARE )... Would THAT have been OK???? seriously !!!!! quite the dilemma... nah nah nah .... (for a poor and stupid man,, i'm feelin' pretty good....) and even If i gave it all away , the poor girl who possibly worked for 2 weeks!!! for that money,,, would have still been left without it.... and THAT would NOT have been fair... jmy, a product of the 1950's

....... I DIDN'T..... was at the local "italian specialty store"... shop there from time to time... anyway. paid my bill, collected up the plastic grocery bags, headed to my work van..... As is sometimes the case, i went into one of the bags , looking for something to munch on....... Saw two 10 dollar Pork Loin Rolls,, and a wrapped submarine sandwich.... HUH???? i didn't buy those items... Also saw a white business size envelope with a clear window in it... and outta the window.... Alexander Hamilton was staring at me...

happy BIRTHDAY !!! to a guy, whom i have yet to meet,,, But who i feel like i know, pretty well... AND he IS a character....with a capital C...

when the kids were little , we read this in some book...... it's sort of a sing - songy thing... "there was an old woman, who swallowed a fly" ...... I dunno why, she swallowed a fly.... I guess, she'll die...... cute clip.

hahaha thought of another one... edited to add even another.... " Marvin !! Stop rustling dear!!! I AM hurrying".. " As the feline approached, one thought was running through the hungry cats' mind,,,"Hmmm i wonder if THAT tastes like chicken"???" jmy

" Harriets' last 'movement' , was failing to adhere to the golden rule....'always stay Downwind of the wildlife'.." Hearing a rustling behind her, Susan wished she had armed herself, with something a bit more substantial than "Squeezably Soft Charmin" jt

"Get 200 jumps OUT OF THE WAY"?????? you might rather want to Savor those jumps... do them at a pace which will allow you to get the most outta each one.... LEARN as much as you can.. That takes pre-jump planning... inclusion of targeted learning objectives, Post jump debriefs, and ASSESSMENT of the accomplishments or lack thereof,, for EACh jump..... are you trying to "build numbers"???? or " build knowledge"?.. "reputable and cheap" don't often go hand in hand... I want Cheap... when i'm buying a lawnmower, or getting gasoline, or shopping for groceries... NOT when i'm going skydiving.... good luck jt A 3914 POPS 3935 D 12122

tough call..... IF the instructors "get out" WHo then would be left ?? to deal with the students??? Do we know if the departure was a hasty One??? or if there was enough time to "brief " the students??? surely the pilot has his/her hands full... what if?? the students freak???? and then there they are .... in an empty cabin . with the door open.... were they instructed to remain seated?? to resecure their seatbelts for landing??? to stay put???? I remember that a few weeks ago, Popsjumper and others led a full load to a safe departure, in such a situation... Do we know if the plane was maintaining altitude???? was this an orderly emergency exit??? i hope so..Was this a full load??? what was the experience level(s) of any others on board...? it would be nice to hear from those who were involved,, secrecy has no place, when a safety issue is being discussed.. this is a chance for an educational session... jmy

" The Cirrrrrrr cle of Life"

Orlando????? are you SURE that lady was from FLA???? seems like she belongs in Marion Alabama.... ( see BillyVances' post today about the family feud riot!!!!!! ) hahahah who said entertainment aint cheap...?? I've been chuckling here at my desk for the past 10 minutes!!!!!! and it didn't cost me a nickel!! jmy

hahaha Nothin' like "a full scale riot" on a hot summer day,,, to alleviate boredom...!!! Nice of them to take it TO city hall,,, so that the cops didn't have to haul the combatants very far... Shakespeare woullda been proud. Every generation has it's Montagues and Capulets..... "tire irons @ 10 paces" How Dreadfully civilized..... hahahah jt

That had to feel Great!!!! were you able to actually seee it disappear ?/ into the hole??? IF you hit an 8 iron and it back spun into the hole then THAT really was, a properly hit shot!!!

what the TWO preceeding Ladies said... Auto Activator..... jimmy

whoa....... i wouldn't touch THIS with a 20 foot pole. But i will check back to see if OTHERS do.... trolling are we??? jt

oops. just noticed i entered my POPS # incorrectly,,, it's POPS 3935

nice colors... i've always liked the orange and white '28 foot cheapo' i noticed in the first picture that "the automatic wind generating , dryer system" in the background, was Not cranked up.... must have been a breezy low humidity morning... I was wondering about the rig. Are the north/south east/ west velcro sections, to which the center patch connects, all that holds the container shut??.. or IS there a closing loop grommets and "pin" set-up somewhere under the patch?? Is the pin a PIN ?? or a tab of static line material ? any pics of the harness or of the reserve??? thanks for the nosalgia

"the unifying consciousness found in nature , animals and humankind" an excellent concept and one that has been running on it's own for hundreds of millions of years, including the past 600 or 700 thousand years during which humans have been on the scene...pretty much in the same form, we are today.. Only a problem has surfaced in the last 10,000 years or so... we learned as kids in science class that there is " an equilibrium" on this planet. That things tend to ebb and flow , give and take, soas to keep that rhythm in harmony... and we still see that today in pure nature, undisturbed nature, in the animal kingdom and in the plant world... So what's the problem?? Sad to say, It's Humans,,, or more specifically it's the "intelligence" of humans..In the beginning man worked with nature, adapted to , and utilized the surroundings, hunted and gathered and did it without firearms and other lopsided advantages.. Humans respected the land and harmony did exist.... But then maybe 10 or even 20 thousand years ago, humans further spread out to many corners of the world grew in numbers, began to over tax loactions, and here's the big one.... Developed Culture and Social patterns... wherein THEY were the priority... That was the begining of the end... No longer would instinct and pure unadulterated "animal programming" prevail. man by virtue of his 'smarts' had mucked everything up. intelligence has been mistaken for knowledge and as easy as man is wise, he is also stupid... By virtue of our intelligence we are the only species that can be 'hoodwinked' 'fooled' and 'misled'... Humans are a very 'easily convinced' species. tell someone what they wanna know.. and 8 out of 10, they will happily believe ... how ironic... with "smarts" comes the ability to make decisions, complex decisions. the results of which can often be negative...and if we look objectively at the chaos on the planet, wars, hatred, poverty, illness,,,things sure don't look positive... Animals in the wild are pretty much instinct driven... do this or do that... Man??? hundreds of different possibilites. We no longer keep harmony on the planet, we've interrupted it and put it out of kilter with our own Bad policies, our own arrogance, our own greed even... Hell we need to realize that we are the stewards of the planet, and treat it as the Diamond in the Universe, which it is.... instead we are killing the waters, mismanaging the resources, damaging the atmosphere, waaay overpopulating the lands, displacing indiginous species with NO compunction,,,and elevating ourselves way beyond our true place in the system.... we are a problem, and the sooner we realize it the sooner we can remedy it.. ManKind...? Not Kind at all.... I would say that i do believe in God, do not misinterpret my earlier post.. But damn.... He/She Must be busy somewhere else in this vast Universe. to have allowed things around here, to become so deteriorated. I've always been ashamed of the way i see humans dealing with animals, as though they are just some commodity, or object, without soul.. I suppose some , become numb to that concept , especially those who work in the 'animal as food' industry.. this trilogy WILL be important... thanks for bringing it to our attention jmy in rochester

i determined many many years ago that 'the highest order of animal' on this planet, is NOT the human being.. saw the trailer... how sad. it looked like the entire documentary has not yet been aired..... is that so??? don't need to see any more than the trailer though..... Mankind just might be evidence that there is not a GOD, for if there was,,,,,, such an "Almighty" would have wiped US out....long ago... jt

howie Martin did use something similar to that rig.. but i really do NOT remember them having the velcroed "patch" which the photos show.. Howies were all mostly green, with a tab on the bridle that went through a heavy elastic closing loop. Direct bag, which would then beat the hell out of the outside of the airplane , until the JM hauled it back in... why??/ mostly i guess to allow for faster pack jobs, as compared to using waxed break cord...( which took time to thread through each of the 3 or 4 Cones,,,, on the container.) Pack jobs called for the following... 4 Line the canopy, super fast flake job, s-fold it, stuff it into the bag.. one flap. two flaps 3 flaps, 4...pin it with the tab...stow the static line, throw it on a students back... he used to 'pay' a buck per pack job.... he also tossed out two static line students per pass,,, one after the other,, from the Beaver. sit 'em both in the door, tap one, then tap the other... seems to me, that he attached those containers to standard ( for the day ) harnesses.. shot and a halves .. PS the releases shown on the top of the shoulders of the jumper pictured are WAY out of adjustment.. I imagine those jumpers also wore chest mounted reserves for the H2O jumps... jumped many a cheapo into water,, back in the 70's... MISSED the lake... on one of those jumps... i climbed out of the 180..first..... waited for an older club member to "get out there" .. only he was Moving slooooow.. really slow... didn't wanna go without him,, ( he was jumping a jumbo P C ).. waited and waited, watched below us, as we flew well past the lake... exited waaay long. he made it back.. I did NOT. landed in a gravel parking lot, just shy of the water.. NO shoes, No helmet, No gloves. No shirt.. just cut-off jeans, and this old P. O . S. rig.. ( we learned earlier NOT to jump our own "higher perfomance " rigs, into water..) ( took to long to dry,, and then we'd need a reserve repack... besides) hahahahaha managaged a decent enough landing,,, Textbook, barefoot, PLF... try THAT today???? hell NO !!! ah youthful exhuberance where did it go????? jt