flyhi

Chance to resolve a discussion I have had in the past: Is it more fuel efficient to run with AC with the windows up (less drag) or to run with no AC and the windows down? Does the speed affect this greatly, since it would seem that higher speeds equal more drag? What about the open architecture of the 777 or fly-by-radio control systems under development? Heard a guy say once that he didn't like jets because he didn't know why they flew. He knew planes flew because the propellers were spinning. Had no idea why the jets flew. flyhi

A whole weekend full of skydivers and beer and all we see is one guy nipple? Cute as it was, I'm sure there are other pictures. Let's see 'em. flyhi

Gotta ask: Why are freeflyers so reticent about wearing full helmets? It seems like if anyone could use the protection, it would be those moving the fastest. Not pointing fingers, just curious.

That's teaching the Doctor! It'll probably screw up his Zagat rating. flyhi

Try here, too. http://www.uspa.org/ Under Learn to Skydive in the left column. flyhi

Exactly. Ford named it after a car which performed for them with customers and had a relatively good rep, rather than naming it after a car which could have been marketed as a four person portable stove. flyhi

Phil Mahr vs Dennis Miller Leno vs Letterman Jimmy Swaggert vs Jim Bakker Keith Richards vs Bob Dylan Puff Daddy vs Snoop Doggie Stallone vs Schwarzeneiger Gore Vidal vs William F. Buckley BTW, one of the DJ's in town is willing to bet money that Chynna use to be a guy. I have never seen her. I don't follow the WWF since some people are now saying some of the fights might be fixed. flyhi

When released, the Sabre was state-of-the-art. And a lot of people had to have it. It built up a large following. There are whole DZ's out there where you jump a PD until you graduated to a Sabre and then on to a Stilleto. And PD produced a lot of Sabre's. A quick check of the Classified Ads here showed there are 77 with Sabres for sale. 36 Spectres, 24 Triathlons, 7 Cobalts, 5 Diablos and 5 Stilletos. Again, there are a large number of Sabres out there because a large number of people bought them. The Sabre is a nice canopy to transition through or to. Many people complained of hard openings, but people still bought them and people are still buying them. I think PD was smart. They saw the Sabre as a successful canopy and lept on the name. They counted on people associating the Sabre2 with the success of the Sabre. Five years down the road, I think we will see this as a very smart strategy. flyhi

For those unaware, there is a relatively interesting thread developing in the Swooping and Canopy Control forum discussing the merits and weaknesses of the Crossfire canopy. One question I have to ask is, "Why would Icarus engineer a new canopy and name it Crossfire2?" Most people know of the problems which the original Crossfire experienced and some point to it as a cause of at least one fatality. I can understand modding those Crossfires already out there, but why develop a new canopy and keep the name associated with a controversial one? Ford didn't name the Mustang, the Edsel2. The Army didn't name the Apache, the Cheyenne2. Why keep the Crossfire name? Is Icarus that sure that brand loyalty is that strong? Why not call it something different (Wildfire? Firestorm? Bonfire? You pick it.) and market it as a new HP canopy. They would still keep those loyal to Icarus products, and would proabably get more interest from those not committed. And again, I've never jumped a Crossfire, nor do I mean to intimate that the Crossfire2 is not a good canopy. But in marketing, all too often, perception is reality. And it's going to take a lot of people putting a lot of jumps on anything with a Crossfire name, before some will test that wate Then again, it's Saturday afternoon, I'm not jumping, and I could be wrong. flyhi

Houston's not really that far. You guys want to carpool? After all, we're talking free beer!

I submitted ten entries into a Best Pun contest. I was sure I would win, but, unfortunately, no pun in ten did. flyhi

Stacy, Skymama, PLFXpert. It's a short list, but distinguished. flyhi

Let's see if we can put two and two together: and Makes perfect sense to me. Take him up. Until the alimony starts kicking his butt, he's got a reason to live. flyhi

Did someone end a sentence with a preposition? To avoid that in the future, you may want to write: And yes, Richard, when I put on my "insufferable grammar nazi" hat, why, I get more play than I know what to do with, asshole! Hope this "helps". flyhi

I think we overestimate the margin in the airline industry. I believe it was Warren Buffet who said, "If I ever want to go broke, I'll buy another airline." If you don't know who he is, he is the head mucktymuck at Berkshire Hathaway. Very rich, but he was richer before he invested in an airline the last time. I think we need to remember that we are looking at this in a vacuum. If you think the only intel that came in during that time was about airplanes and hijackings, you are wrong. In addition to all that intel, you can bet reports existed about maritime terrorists, terrorists sneaking in from the Great White North, as well as things we haven't even considered. The current "threat" is of terrorists renting an apartment in the heart of Big City, USA, filling it with explosives and setting a timer. How do you combat that? We'll probably figure that out six months after it happens. My prediction: Watch U. S. Airways. It will be indicative of the state of the airlines. And if you haven't ridden on them yet, you better hurry if you want to. flyhi

Makes as much sense as a "hairless" cat. Wonder if they're low fat, too? flyhi

f-word? Funnel? Freefly? Front Float? Falstaff? flyhi

I fly for the whole experience; the dive, the approach, the track, the opening, and the landing. Would never give that up. Have never done tunnel time, but would be willing to do it to learn that very small aspect of skydiving. Too much tunnel time would seem like work, though. Remi: My Scooby Doo calendar says it is Victoria Day in Canada. Happy Victoria Day! flyhi

Actually Slapmaster she does have a point: There's just no excuse for wearing Cotton/Polyester blend! If you've never heard her, she is one of the most annoying people on the air. flyhi

Welcome to the world of the subterminal-from-a-Cessna opening. Same thing happens to a Stilleto in a Javelin on a Hop and Pop from a C-182. You get use to them. flyhi

15 (Difference in size between the demo they sent me and the one they are going to fix): 3: 0 Wind and clouds bit the big one this weekend. It's a bitch when you do an "aggressive riser turn" and just stop. That, my friend, is big wind. flyhi

Friend of mine had one years ago. He use to flat pack it and then roll it. As best I can remember, it really packed small. A guy I use to jump with said he went to Russia to jump once. Ran into a guy jumping a Paradactyl, and asked him how he liked it. The guy said it was fun to fly but he had a lot of mal's on it. My friend asked him what kind of reserve he had, and the guy said a Paradactyl. Gutsiest move I ever saw. flyhi

I saw one that said: Beer - Helping white guys dance since 1872 flyhi

Congrats. I wear my pink ribbons with pride. flyhi

And it's all heading east and gonna hit here on both Saturday and Sunday. Drought, schmought, I wanna jump. There is no god. flyhi