LuvToFly

I was able to find the bonding agent that was mentioned. Gotta love Google! Was actually thinking more along the line of the Epoxy family of products -

The material used appears to be Polyurethane - I'd do a check for that - Also, being that it is synthetic, you might be able to in fact repair/join the pieces with bonding agents that are designed for that purpose. "The helicopter approaches closer than any other to fulfillment of mankind's ancient dreams of a magic carpet" - Igor Sikorsky

" The CIO ordered that our new wiring color is blue " " We need you to track down a cross-talk problem " " Resistance is FUTILE " " We're only going to show you the less-complicated side " "The helicopter approaches closer than any other to fulfillment of mankind's ancient dreams of a magic carpet" - Igor Sikorsky

Congratulations Greg! The few, the proud, the crazy. You're a skydiver! Welcome... "The helicopter approaches closer than any other to fulfillment of mankind's ancient dreams of a magic carpet" - Igor Sikorsky

Can't help it... Just double-up laughing every time I watch this... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uO-E2T1hayU "The helicopter approaches closer than any other to fulfillment of mankind's ancient dreams of a magic carpet" - Igor Sikorsky

Seems like the thread has concentrated on quality vs. non-quality of the product - But I'm still stuck on Skymama's original comments that people were camping out. And folks seem to be commenting on whether the "stuff" inside is good enough to be worth camping out for - But she also said that there are no early bird specials, so no explanation of why folks are camping out at all - good OR bad furniture.. This is WAY whacked.. People camping out for 2 days to get ANY product which will be the same price and the same selection (the store will just order more) a week, two weeks, etc later is too weird to think about. It's making my head hurt... "The helicopter approaches closer than any other to fulfillment of mankind's ancient dreams of a magic carpet" - Igor Sikorsky

Here ya' go..... "The helicopter approaches closer than any other to fulfillment of mankind's ancient dreams of a magic carpet" - Igor Sikorsky

I can see how a pilot might be tempted to stay with the aircraft too long - and too late. Good for him to separate himself from his plane in time!! "The helicopter approaches closer than any other to fulfillment of mankind's ancient dreams of a magic carpet" - Igor Sikorsky

I was always told that downsizing in increments greater than 20sf at a time was adding unnecessary risk, and I do believe it - unless someone has taken substantial amounts of weight off so that wing loading move with the wing choices. However, short of that, I think you leave yourself open to all that realistic things that could go wrong with such a move - things will be take you by surprise at perhaps the worst of moments, such as: - Jumping the -40 at a high elevation drop zone (high density altitude) and finding out only too late and too close to the ground that your flare does not have the same bite you thought it did. - Making it back from a bad spot might be a different kind of experience due to the differences in glide angle with the big hunk of 40sf no longer on the scene - Picking up an accidental downwinder and finding out you are smoking across the ground at speeds that you sense immediately might put you in a world of pain if you touch down, cannot be a good feeling. - You're also bound to get some different stall characteristics, along with some other nasty artifacts such as the more the load, the more apt for unrecoverabler line twists, and so on. Most people seem to agree that taking it conservative saves lives in skydiving. All something to think about - I think! "The helicopter approaches closer than any other to fulfillment of mankind's ancient dreams of a magic carpet" - Igor Sikorsky

I try to speak to every tandem I see (as in making sure to say, "Hi). Not to teach, but to encourage and to make them feel welcome to the sport. I also try to say something to folks that are clearly in AFF - just to be friendly. There's a difference between interfering, and just being hospitable. And no jokes - unless the TM is CLEARLY joking with the student - and then only jokes along the same lines. Folks have thanked me for making them feel welcome, even though the effort was not great since I try to hold the line on interference. It's the intent of trying to make newbies feel welcome that I think they really appreciate. Especially when you see one with that terror on their face and encourage them with a warm, "welcome to the sport." You can see the fear melt away. It's pretty cool actually. And this sport can definitely use more players - so we not only gotta keep 'em alive, but happy too! "The helicopter approaches closer than any other to fulfillment of mankind's ancient dreams of a magic carpet" - Igor Sikorsky

Beautiful work! Now, where are the photos of her rig? "The helicopter approaches closer than any other to fulfillment of mankind's ancient dreams of a magic carpet" - Igor Sikorsky

Here's an alternative, because the owner may not be around to get control of the dog. Hang your parachute in front of you, waving it back and forth, to keep the dog from getting to you. And while using your parachute like a shield, continue walking towards your escape point. If the dog tries to circle around, maintain your shield between him and you. I managed to do this for about a quarter-mile once, fending off three or four dogs simultaneously. It was dicey for a while, but it worked. This is why I am a firm supporter of spiked-canopies... "The helicopter approaches closer than any other to fulfillment of mankind's ancient dreams of a magic carpet" - Igor Sikorsky

Yes, it translates that a man should be polite and shimmy up a wall with roll in hand if a woman on the other side runs low on toilet paper. "The helicopter approaches closer than any other to fulfillment of mankind's ancient dreams of a magic carpet" - Igor Sikorsky

Two jumps, but a bit on the cold side... "The helicopter approaches closer than any other to fulfillment of mankind's ancient dreams of a magic carpet" - Igor Sikorsky

Congratulations! Welcome to the whacky world of skydiving! "The helicopter approaches closer than any other to fulfillment of mankind's ancient dreams of a magic carpet" - Igor Sikorsky

Nice toy, but would be even more fun if the canopy was steerable. I think it's supposed to be steerable by way of the RC remote - If so, with mixed results. "The helicopter approaches closer than any other to fulfillment of mankind's ancient dreams of a magic carpet" - Igor Sikorsky

It appears that some of those opening heights were less than regulation. Also, might want to look into Scott Miller's canopy control course "The helicopter approaches closer than any other to fulfillment of mankind's ancient dreams of a magic carpet" - Igor Sikorsky

Gotta respect the passion to keep doing it. Way to go! "The helicopter approaches closer than any other to fulfillment of mankind's ancient dreams of a magic carpet" - Igor Sikorsky

This is exactly what I taught my kids growing up. They knew if they ever tried to bully anyone, they'd have to answer to me. At the same time, I told them to walk away, avoid the bullies. However, if the person was going to cause bodily harm to them, then they had my permission to use whatever means necessary to stop themselves from being harmed. And they did. Those who suspect the parents, are very right-on. Parents I never saw in my life before came out of the woodwork to complain about their "johnny's" black eye if one of my kids kicked their son's ass to keep 'em from harming them. Amazing - And as far as PC, don't care. There is a line that no one should be able to cross with your kids. Name-calling, etc is one thing, but harming your kids is another thing. I'm with Skycop all the way on this one - "The helicopter approaches closer than any other to fulfillment of mankind's ancient dreams of a magic carpet" - Igor Sikorsky

The issue expressed was not what he did for a living, but unfortunately in our litigious society it can come off as a pre-defense response by the DZ when the person being interviewed is a lawyer - and even more so if the person was not immediately involved in the jump. As much as we'd like to think that the general public has the ability to separate that out, image is extremely important in this regard. "The helicopter approaches closer than any other to fulfillment of mankind's ancient dreams of a magic carpet" - Igor Sikorsky

Oh, I'm with you there. The Euro's are one sweet ride, even the smaller ones in the EC line. They seemed to be focused on comfort as a design objective - particularly when compared to the OH-58/B206's. It just strikes me as a bit weird that someone would not have noticed such a gross overheating problem from the get-go. It's not like discovering a coning hinge or swashplate problem 800 hours in. Seems to be something that someone would have noticed during environmentals - right away. My take is, someone new, either on the manufacturing side - or in the procurement office - but certainly, the pilots doing the run-throughs knew. But like any "corporation" doing business, the folks actually doing the work (i.e. pilots) are not always listened to by "management" because reputations hang on the line to make good on the purchase - "The helicopter approaches closer than any other to fulfillment of mankind's ancient dreams of a magic carpet" - Igor Sikorsky

No offense taken - Just think it's imperative that we don't all get into the mindset that things are always someone else's job. I have been guilty of it myself, and I know how easy it is to happen - "The helicopter approaches closer than any other to fulfillment of mankind's ancient dreams of a magic carpet" - Igor Sikorsky

The tremendous success of the U.S. operated Eurcopter models greatly influenced this ill-fated purchase. There was a point where the Bell or Sikorsky line was king of the hill; but just about every commecial operation is running ASS35X, or AS36X's, in addition to the EC135-145 line in medivac and sight-seeing. And the reliability has been quite good - There was however serious complaints in the pilot community when the US awarded this contract. It would seem that buy American might have been a very good idea - However, I am left with the sense that some intermediary made a huge bunch of cash on this deal - and that's what it's all about. Whomever brokered this deal made an incredible fortune - because it is well known that European markets will actually lose money to take that kind of business away - with many of them being "state sponsored" operations in their home country as well. After all, not knowing that it gets too hot is too unbelievable to believe. You would have know an aircraft gets too hot very early on in your inspection testing for proposal. Unless the units supplied were specially altered - in which case Eurocopter should be on the hook. If I were a conspiracy theorist, I would even believe that the defect was known at deal-time, with the understanding that there would just be another dip into the well for repair money. Regardless, I don't know a single helicopter pilot that would not know with certainty that an aircraft is running too hot. It must have been reported very early on by the pilots, but ignored by the brass. Having said that, not blaming the Europeans. Eurocopter has turned about many inventive designs over the past few decades. "The helicopter approaches closer than any other to fulfillment of mankind's ancient dreams of a magic carpet" - Igor Sikorsky

Actually much dream research has indicated that dreams are in fact the unconsious mind's attempt to work out either wishes, or fears. The real question becomes, which one is it? Some things we think about can become intertwined as both wishes and fears. The thing I think is so freaky about dreams is the way you can be in a certain setting - your house, etc., where you know every nook and cranny of - and yet the dream jacks it up and put doors where there aren't any, move rooms around. That sort of pisses me off... :>) "The helicopter approaches closer than any other to fulfillment of mankind's ancient dreams of a magic carpet" - Igor Sikorsky

Not really - I knew women like that in high school... "The helicopter approaches closer than any other to fulfillment of mankind's ancient dreams of a magic carpet" - Igor Sikorsky