rmsmith

In fluid mechanics changes in density are linear, but changes in velocity are exponential.

Geraldo went down to Panama, and he got his arm purposely broken after sticking his nose in too deep, IIRC.

The use of anything other than Jet-A would invalidate the hull insurance, a huge risk.

I always imagined Bin Laden's digs right next to Noriega, one of 'em holding a small mirror so that they can see each other while they discuss the good 'ol days like blue skies, etc., for eternity. Dinner? You bet, a nice pork dish coming right up! Death would just be too dammed easy, IMHO.

How about Wm's employer, or maybe a job change? I would like to work in a different sector, but the responsibility of a family narrows my options. -RMS

Some skydivers prefer the CF-1, and they'll still build them.

Is yours the CF-1 or CF-2 canopy?

Insurance rates are typically based on the risk and value of exposed assets. Most skiing operations have a considerable investment in lifts, lodging and restaurants, and other service equipment, and many of them operate with long term leases with the BLM, a private/public marriage that works. The above would not be possible without liability protection for the institutional investors and the government. We are not using silk; extend the repack cycle. I punched through clouds many times in the seventies and eighties, and mind you I'm talking about clouds in broken conditions with less than the mile wide opening, but still a good visual of the DZ. The ATC folks know where the DZ is, and they can (and do) advise nearby traffic. The military punches clouds regularly.

I'm a consistent member of both the AOPA and USPA. On my dream sheet for USPA: 1. A liability waiver like the skiing industry. 2. The longer reserve repack schedule. 3. Cloud waiver with GPS popularity. Blue skies!

Israel doesn't do anything by itself.

Is it a boy or girl?

You're right, but...I have always thought that a dozen agents could be infected with something horrible (without their knowledge), and then they could be sent hopping around the western world on a whirlwind tour. It would be an incredible task trying to indentify the vectors and implement a quarantine program. It would be a modern day Trojan Horse attack. A nuclear weapons program is tough to hide, very expensive, and requires many skilled people. Their nuclear program is never going to get off the ground because they will experience constant sabotage from within by folks who are bribed with offers of western life and money.

I agree; Iran is a long way from developing a delivery system that would pose any threat to the U.S., and the oil producing countries are always going to sell their product.

Years ago a friend at an auto wrecking yard called to say that they just brought in a 1970 Hemi-Cuda. I rushed down to look it over. The driver lost control of it, and a telephone pole stopped it. It had a 426-hemi, a close ratio cast iron four speed gearbox with a pistol grip shifter, and what I was after...a 4.10:1 Dana Spicer 60 series posi rear axle. I those days I was real hard on the cars going through more than a dozen of them and probably 50+ engines. However, through all that punishment, car after car, the Dana Spicer 60 never got broken, and the free-play in the pinion gear was still tight. I eventually sold it for about 3x what I paid for it!

Ahh, wouldn't that be a tractor-beam?

My $0.02: You need loose fitting poly cotton with medium or large wings with the swoop cord attachment located below the armpit area. If you can afford the extra cordura reinforcement then buy it as it will add to the life of the suit. Body Sport in Oregon and Flite Suit in California both make rugged suits, but Body Sport much faster in regarding delivery time. Like Skybytch said, it's tough to rely on one suit, but if one is all you'll have for now then you'd be smart to have some wing at your size and weight. Be sure to have someone at your DZ with experience measure you too.

The irony is that almost everyone who works in the skydiving business doesn't have medical coverage. It's sort of like the cobbler's children are barefoot. I have medical coverage through my employer, but the policy has become leaner and leaner each year, and we can now expect to share in at least 20% of the actual expenses, and many lab procedures are not covered. Oh, and we don't have dental or vision either.

Right on! Congratulations!!

I have my personal e-mail address listed in my profile, and it forwards to two different IMAP e-mail servers, one on each coast.

I was raised in the San Jose area, so I'm no stranger to big real estate price swings. This current upswing is higher than I've ever seen while wages for most people have remained static. The stock options and IO ARM products have been the main drivers behind the high prices out there. The nice places along the coast and the places closet to the jobs will be the last places to sink in value; already places in Modesto are now a tough sell, and the stock prices of the big home builders have been slowly sinking for the past few months. It's been lots of fun for those families with two good incomes who could afford the risk on the way up, but it has been very tough on those average folks who are barely making it from month to month. I know a few who have made out very nicely, and many many more who are hanging on by their finger nails. BTW, what percentage of your clients use an ARM v. the 30-yr FRM, and what kind of FICO scores do you see these days?

However the basic problem from a businessman's perspective is that his customers have disposible income. Monterey, Lompoc, and San Diego are all very expensive places to live right now, and high energy costs are eroding that small remaining margin. The businesses that are able to survive in these areas are able to do so because they are not highly leveraged. The local governments in the Monterey Bay area are all broke too, so taxing anything that shows signs of a pulse will be the philosophy of democracy as the housing boom unravels. I'd love to move back down south, but it's just too expensive to raise a family there. And I have a very good job too, but the mortgage, food, medical, and other family expenses as well as the 401k contributions get funded first; what's left over is for playing.

Monterey, CA is a tough market area to run a business that needs a steady stream of young people. The area is very high priced for housing and energy costs, and it will get worse with the looming job cuts as the housing bubble has seen it's peak and is headed downward, probably for several years. Too bad, because I think it's the only west coast DZ near the ocean.

Tell them you're going to do it anyway. If they really care that much about you they will buy you some safe *new* gear that is appropriate for you. Blue skies!

Greenspan is heading for the exit with great timing. He leaves as the country's housing bubble turns downward toward a dramatic decline as more than $1-trillion in IO-ARM paper begins to adjust upward squeezing people who will now find themselves unable to walk away from their debts due to the new bankruptcy laws. In addition, millions of other Americans have leveraged their homes using the HELOC financing scheme plunging themselves way beyond their original mortgages. The GSE's, Fannie and Freddie, are rife with fraud and at risk of being delisted; taxpayers will get the raw deal. It's sure to end badly since most of our recent job growth has been in construction related industries that will soon be laying off workers as the home building slows to a crawl. And to top it off, the fed recently decided that it will stop publishing the M3 figures; those of you in the money business should know what that means. Personally, I hated the way Greenspan delivered his speeches. Why did he have to resort to cryptic double speak that required professional interpretation? He sounded just like Osama Bin Ladin. Oh well, it was fun; hope you have a seat when the music stops!

Back in the seventies Robert Petersen from GQ Security Parachutes invited me to a "chef's tour" of their facility in San Leandro, CA. Up front were Bungy and the gang, but in the back it was like a third world sweat shop. After giving it some serious thought it occurred to me that this was probably a very boring job, which was well suited to the ladies I saw sewing while listening to a spanish radio station story time adventure program. Live and learn!