rmsmith

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Everything posted by rmsmith

  1. rmsmith
    The desperate conditions in the Middle East were present long before the state of Israel was ratified. The region has a high birth rate coupled with high mortality rate resulting in a population with a high concentration of youth. Combine this with high unemployment, poor natural resources, and a religion that has failed miserably in allowing for modern human advancement, and you have fresh violence served daily on the evening news. Unfortunately, the United States has committed itself to solving this region’s endless problems, and it is costing us “our prosperity” in the process. The billions spent there would go a long way at home funding social issues such as health care, hunger, and homelessness.
  2. rmsmith
    This is really unfortunate news! There are very few people who can really grasp the enormity of capital investment, hourly expense, and tort risk required to provide a turbine airplane to this fine sport.
  3. rmsmith
    Yes, it does say, "The communication port has been successfully opened. Waiting for data", and the red LED on the back of the Interface activates. Nothing happens when I press the "set" button while in the PC mode on the ProTrack, but the ProTrack begins counting upward. I received an e-mail from Steffen Kristensen at L&B, and he said that they have never seen a bad IR-LED yet, but they have seen bad Interface units. He is having a new one sent free of charge. OK, thanks for your help. I'll post the results of this issue when the new Interface arrives!
  4. rmsmith
    I just tried that right now, nothing.
  5. rmsmith
    I only have one 9-pin serial port. Thanks!
  6. rmsmith
    The serial port is operational, and I can communicate with my HP-48GX calculator using kermit with a cable.
  7. rmsmith
    OK, I then probably have a defective IR-LED or CCD. Time to test L&B's support!
  8. rmsmith
    I'm not having any luck with 8-N-1:9600 on port1; what settings do you folks use?
  9. rmsmith
    Go for it, and if she offers you her honor then honor her offer!
  10. rmsmith
    I didn't realize that. Thanks!
  11. rmsmith
    Your friend will be flying fast under that canopy, so he needs to be extra careful when landing in crowded areas. BTW, a low turn while loaded at 1.35:1 would probably be fatal. Be careful out there!
  12. rmsmith
    Very lucky indeed. Can you imagine a passing vehicle's bumper snagging your reserve's lines, and you are unable to cut it away?
  13. rmsmith
    A reline job will cost about $275.00; you have to determine if it's worth it in your particular case.
  14. rmsmith
    It might be the way to go if you don't like your rig to be hit with gamma rays these days. The energy from the sunlight is fairly low energy (long wave length) whereas the latest scanners use very high energy pulses. The inquisitive scan at the airport is like leaving your gear in the sunlight while you go have lunch.
  15. rmsmith
    What's the money being spent on today?
  16. rmsmith

    Icarus dealers

    rmsmith replied to SPY's topic in Gear and Rigging

    I bought my latest Crossfire from the Pier, Ltd. Their prices were very good considering mine also had four colors in it. It doesn't matter how you try, you are going to fork over lots of cash to own a new Crossfire, but they are worth every penny. They really contribute to the overall quality of your skydive!
  17. rmsmith
    That's for sure!
  18. rmsmith
    Well, it's a much better area than USC has to offer for example. Looking past the area issue, Cal Poly's a good school, and it's the right kind of place to meet the ladies. I have a number of friends who dipped into the section-8 ladies and ruined their lives for years. Environment isn't everything, but it is a major factor that shouldn't be overlooked.
  19. rmsmith
    I think you are right. However, downsizing a canopy's area isn't going to help much for these slower speed manuevers either. It's easy to get bored under these canopies, so without downsizing, it is possible to get a canopy that is a blast to fly at altitude while still being big enough for a slow straight in landing.
  20. rmsmith
    He's not ready to be on his own yet, Lisa. You need to send him off to school, like Cal Poly for example. He'd have fun there on the central coast, and there are plenty of hotties there to date that will eventually have good jobs too. In California, the odds are against him without a college degree.
  21. rmsmith
    These two canopies tend to flatten out to a level glide too soon following a riser turn. Why bother downsizing for this kind of flight characteristic?
  22. rmsmith
    Why don't you try a different type of canopy rather than downsize? I tried flying a Spectre-190 for a while, and then I moved to a Crossfire-189. Hey, a whole lot more performance while still having lots of canopy over my head for those straight in landings. I'd never go back to a seven cell canopy unless I had back problems.
  23. rmsmith
    You are assuming that the bail-out pilot is going to be alert and physically able to "fly" the canopy, which is rarely the case, except in hollywood.
  24. rmsmith
    Racer Elite w/Cypres Main: Crossfire-180 Reserve: PD-235R
  25. rmsmith
    And the Pull-Out is a fool proof deployment method too; none of these "bridle" routing issues!