nbblood

I guess you're not getting taxed. Blues, Nathan Blues, Nathan If you wait 'til the last minute, it'll only take a minute.

Lottery is only a tax for people that are bad at math. Blues, Nathan Blues, Nathan If you wait 'til the last minute, it'll only take a minute.

My sentiments exactly. I don't think she's the hero the press made her out to be and that's caused her to get a bad rap in some military circles. But coward? I don't think so. What happened was not her fault. She did the best she could under the circumstances and as far as I can tell maintained honor within the parameters of the soldier's code. Blues, Nathan Blues, Nathan If you wait 'til the last minute, it'll only take a minute.

Yes I would agree. A support unit is MUCH more likely to be engaged by the enemy than a combat unit. They simply will not take on a force that they know they can't win against. Our combat forces are engaged when we are on offense at the time and place of our choosing. But the enemy is not going to attack our combat formations. That would be stupid. Blues, Nathan Blues, Nathan If you wait 'til the last minute, it'll only take a minute.

I've got news for you. It's really bad on men's morale to see men KIA too. I don't think soldiers make a distinction, as much as made out to be, between male and female fellow soldiers. Does a distinction exist....yes.....to the extent many people believe.....not at all. Blues, Nathan Blues, Nathan If you wait 'til the last minute, it'll only take a minute.

If you can show me where the front line is in the contemporary operating environment, I'd be real interested. "Front Line" is a term associated with the old Soviet threat style war where large formations met on a battlefield. That simply is not the case today. There is no "rear area" that is behind a "front line". All soldiers must prepare for and expect combat situations. In fact, support type units are much more vulnerable to enemy contact because the enemy chooses not to engage combat forces that severely outmatch him. Instead the enemy chooses more vulnerable targets. Point being, there is no defining line for front line or serious combat. It is a multi-dimensional battlefield. Blues, Nathan Blues, Nathan If you wait 'til the last minute, it'll only take a minute.

Well, I'm not a woman, but I this subject is very relavant to me. I don't think this will happen. First of all, to remove women from combat zones would mean to remove them from the armed forces. In the contemporary operating environment, there really is no place that is not a combat zone. In Iraq it starts 1 inch north of the Kuwait border, and don't count on it staying in Iraq either. Second, the problems we're hearing about in the news, typically, are the stories of mishaps, failures, and bad performance. These are the exception to the rule. Not every case results in mothers calling their daughters home out of the National Guard, or deriliction of duty by a high ranking officer, or an enemy ambush disaster for a wayward unit. Which leads me to my final point, women are in combat every day and the bottom line is they are getting it done. They've very much proven their worth in the service. They've been involved in firefights, they're part of cordon and search operations, you name it they're getting it done. To remove them from the battlefield would be a tremendous step to the rear about 20 years. As a leader in the Army, I can say that I have experience dealing with this issue first hand. I've seen some females that shouldn't be in the service and I've seen some that are top performers. In other words, no difference from males. What I say is support them the same as any other troop, because they are. Give them the respect they deserve and lets lose this ridiculous notion that they don't belong in service. I still believe that there are jobs in the service that nearly all women are not capable physically of performing, but I think the status quo deals with that adequately. But if you're an infantryman, don't be surprised to have females side by side with you on a cordon and search or raid. Anyway, my .02. Blues, Nathan Blues, Nathan If you wait 'til the last minute, it'll only take a minute.

I know the web page indicates that there is more than one DZ, but there really is not. I was in contact with KPA when I was there. There is only one DZ. Good luck though. Blues, Nathan Blues, Nathan If you wait 'til the last minute, it'll only take a minute.

I'm in the Army and just came back from Korea. As already stated, there is only one DZ that uses an MI-8 helicopter. They are open every other Sunday, weather permitting. That means that they get maybe 10-12 jump days a year. When I was there the membership for KPA was 100,000 won and jumps were 100,000 won. My recommendation is take vacation to Hawaii and jump there, If you're gonna make any significant number of jumps it'll be much cheaper and easier to coordinate than trying to jump in Korea. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but it's just not a good situation. Blues, Nathan Blues, Nathan If you wait 'til the last minute, it'll only take a minute.

Have ya checked out the tax advantages? Just kidding. Do whatever feels right. Blues, Nathan Blues, Nathan If you wait 'til the last minute, it'll only take a minute.

Being in the military and having my FFL and a firearms business, I am continually amazed at how many military folks come looking for the Beretta. They want what the Army has. My reply is, "Haven't you seen those pieces of shit?!" I've come to the conclusion that they only know about firearms what they are familiar with, in the Army, that's the Beretta. I always try to dissuade them from the Beretta, way overpriced for the product. The Glock is less money and much better. I personally own a Glock and I think it's ok, very reliable, but not quite as accurate as the upper quality handguns and very heavy trigger pull, even after a trigger mod. Personally, I'd like to see the government kick out the bucks to field Kimbers. It'll never happen though. We could at least go back to the Colts though. Almost anything's better than what we got. Blues, Nathan Blues, Nathan If you wait 'til the last minute, it'll only take a minute.

So much for taking guns away making people safer, huh? Blues, Nathan Blues, Nathan If you wait 'til the last minute, it'll only take a minute.

I had a soldier of mine tell me he had done 17 skydives. He proceeded to tell me that he went with his sister on her first skydive and it freaked her out as he swooped down to her during her AFF skydive. He then told me he had 2 base jumps, one from a bridge and one from a cliff. As a side note, he was pretty well known as a perpetual liar. I punked him out with a couple easy questions that any skydiver would know, which, of course, he couldn't answer. I later told him he shouldn't try to sell his BS to a person he knew was a skydiver, he'd only make a fool of himself. It was quite comical. Blues, Nathan Blues, Nathan If you wait 'til the last minute, it'll only take a minute.

That sounds like a pretty good plan. Enjoy! In the meantime, check out Billvon's downsizing checklist here . It's an excellent source to work on your canopy skills to get prepared to downsize. Blues, Nathan Blues, Nathan If you wait 'til the last minute, it'll only take a minute.

Yeah, I'm curious now too. Seems we had different observations. I did jump the Pilot then the Sabre2 in close proximity to them. Also, I'm not saying that the Sabre2 was not toggle responsive, just less than the Pilot. Anyway, I'm interested in others experiences now too. Blues, Nathan Blues, Nathan If you wait 'til the last minute, it'll only take a minute.

I just don't think they can get it until they choose to become a part of it. I've tried explaining too....how people with so varied backgrounds and such varied views put all else aside for the love of the sport while we're at the DZ and away. Some of my best friends have only skydiving in common with me (more or less). Weird, huh? I don't think so. Blues, Nathan Blues, Nathan If you wait 'til the last minute, it'll only take a minute.

I'd agree with that.....kinda. The openings on the Pilot are way better. The Pilot has quicker responsiveness.....yes. I think the Sabre2 is more responsive to the flare though....more lift. Don't get me wrong, the Pilot is good there too, but the Sabre2 simply has more lift from my experience. I personally chose the Sabre2 because it didn't recover as quickly and allowed me to generate more speed on landing. The Pilot, I felt, took more effort to generate the same speed. Again, both are great canopies and if the reliable openings are important I think the Pilot is a better choice. I've NEVER been slammed by a Sabre2 and I've got 300 or so jumps on them, but on heading can be somewhat unpredictable. Much of that is up to the jumper though too. I've learned a lot about packing and body position on opening from jumping the Sabre2. Very valuable lessons I might add. Anyway, check em both out and make up your own mind. I don't think you can go wrong either way. Edited to say: See what Chris said in the post before me. Probably very good advice. I am not qualified to say what's right or wrong, my posts are merely to give my personal observations on the Pilot and Sabre2. Blues, Nathan Blues, Nathan If you wait 'til the last minute, it'll only take a minute.

I have an Odyssey and I love it. I've also checked out the Icon at demo displays. Although I've never jumped it, I really liked a lot of the features it had. I'm not really qualified to speak about the functionality other than some of the features the Aerodyne rep pointed out really made sense to me, including how the risers pack outside the main tray and the location of the main closing loop. I also really like the look of the Icon. Seems to me to be a great rig. I think there's not a lot of them yet because they're relatively new. Anyway, that's what I think about the Icon. As far as the Sabre2 and Pilot, I've jumped both and both are great canopies. It kind of depends on what you're looking for in the canopy. The size and wingloadings I jumped were likely very different than you're looking at. I'd say check with your S&TA/instructors about what's appropriate and then demo the canopies yourself. Aside from that, what I found was: Pilot, Great openings, on heading and soft. Very responsive on toggles. Shorter than expected recovery arc. Flies pretty flat without input (read not ground hungry) Sabre2, openings can be unpredictable, body position and packing methods are important. Steeper glide, lighter riser pressure, not as responsive on toggles as the pilot. More speed and lift on landing. Those were my personal observations. I chose the Sabre2 because it was more what I was looking for, but both are great canopies IMHO. Blues, Nathan Blues, Nathan If you wait 'til the last minute, it'll only take a minute.

This is perfectly acceptable, it's just that most places use 18 as their guideline. It's like different states having different ages for drivers' licenses (kinda). I've been to Raeford and it's a fantastic DZ with great people. I highly recommend without any hesitation. Don't let that hang you up. Blues, Nathan Blues, Nathan If you wait 'til the last minute, it'll only take a minute.

I buy gear from my home DZ gear dealer, which happens to be the DZO. The difference in prices is negligible, and often in my favor, in comparison to major gear retailers. Also it is a display of loyalty and support for the DZ, since the DZ and the gear store are linked financially. Also, remember if you order from somewhere else, the gear dealer at your DZ WILL notice and may be offended you didn't give them a chance for your business. That all said, I have done business with major retailers in the business and all the ones I've had experience with are professional, helpful, courteous, and provide fast, quality service. The choice is yours, but if it were me, I'd give my local DZ gear dealer a chance at my business first. Ordering direct from the manufacturer is rarely an advantage for the customer as you don't get dealer prices. Unless you have a certificate that provides savings, it is usually better to buy from a retailer, it usually saves you money. Blues, Nathan Blues, Nathan If you wait 'til the last minute, it'll only take a minute.

I have jumped demoed the Pilot, Safire 2, Sabre 2, and Spectre and have good things to say about all of these canopies. All at similar sizes and wingloadings. But the bottom line is when I purchased the new canopy it was Sabre 2. Why? IMHO slightly better overall performance particularly lift during flare. My other rig has a Spectre in it though. I like it too. The only one I wouldn't be real happy with was the Pilot. Not that it's not a great canopy, but it just didn't have the characteristics I am looking for personally. Anyway.....I love my Sabre 2 too!

Now that sounds like a fine idea! I think I will. Looking for one about 5' 6", 20 yrs old, brunette, brown eyes. I'll definitely jump her. In all seriousness, I've done video for newbies doing a 2 way or 3 way and fired it down for them. In a lot of cases its the first time they get video of themselves other than a tandem. I wish I felt I could offer more as a coach, but I enjoy the enthusiasm of newbies. Now....about that brunette....... Blues, Nathan Blues, Nathan If you wait 'til the last minute, it'll only take a minute.

I contacted MichaelBess and he was really cool about it. I think its just an isolated bad tape. Anyway, I got the situation resolved so no big deal. Blues, Nathan Blues, Nathan If you wait 'til the last minute, it'll only take a minute.

That helps a lot. Thanks. Blues, Nathan Blues, Nathan If you wait 'til the last minute, it'll only take a minute.

I just got my Lost Praire 2004 video in the mail. Problem is, it's totally garbage. By this I mean the video is completely unviewable. It scrolls on the screen and just can't be viewed. The audio is ok, but video is screwed. Tracking does nothing for it either. I tried 3 different VCRs with the same result. I'm thinking I got a corrupted copy, but I'm wondering if anybody else has had this problem. Anybody know who I need to talk to about getting it replaced? Gonna have to call the folks at LP I guess. Blues, Nathan Blues, Nathan If you wait 'til the last minute, it'll only take a minute.