JesseP

Isn't that a contradiction?

The last photo in the top line looks like it has something decent at the bottom. I bet you a Guiness you could land there easily. Getting out may prove difficult.

There is a 220ft cliff 5 minutes down the road from my house. I have done 60 jumps from it, stowed a couple of times, 5 or 6 roll-overs, the rest have all been handheld freefalls. Provided you have a decent on-heading, don't jump in excessive wind and avoid low turns it is nice and easy. The worst off-heading I have had there was a 120 right and that was exciting. If you have a complete 180 you are going to be my hero if you walk away uninjured. For me, these "easy" jumps have a habit of lulling me into a false sense of security. I actually find it a more demanding jump than many others around now, and hence jump it less often. However, they are great jumps for learning about your gear.

So why not turn hunting your fox hounds into a sport? Sounds like the only logical solution to me

Now that is the funniest shit I have read in a long time. Thanks mate!

I think we both need more information about why they were taken. If the reason was something along the lines of a private security firm having an unnecessary weapon (a large rifle or something) then yes, I am okay with that (provided there is a mandate in the law for its confiscation). If the authorities are making up the rules as they go along then I am totally opposed to that in every way. It is impossible to tell from the sentence you quote.

THIS WAS AN AUDIT OF REGISTERED FIREARMS And that audit revealed that these weapons were being stored incorrectly. Good thing there was an audit. Not all laws are good. But if you know the rules then there is no reason to snivel like a bitch when you get caught breaking them.

I'm not against the private ownership of guns, provided that ownership conforms to this country's (yes, rather strict) laws. I think most of the regulations brought in where a knee jerk reaction to the Port Arthur massacre that happened a decade or so ago. However, the rules of firearm ownership are no secret. If you do not store, carry or use your gun according to the guidelines set down in the law, you forfeit your right to own them. I am also all for that. And to Kennedy, I'm not sure I was being selective in the information I used. The guns may well have been formerly legal, but due to changes supported by most of the country that is no longer the case. However it is hard to tell precisely what happened due to the brevity of the article.

Exactly where in either of my posts have I mentioned anything about my attitude towards guns? Putting words in my mouth to try and back up your rather weak argument is quite silly. I imagine the police had good reason to believe the guns were not being stored correctly. Perhaps they checked, this is especially likely in the cases of the security firms that had their weapons confiscated. Again, this has bugger all to do with my opinions and everything to do with up-holding Australia's laws. I'm sure your next response will be along the lines of me being a freedom hating commie or something...don't let me down.

Please don't speak for me. Also try not to use hypothetical analogies to make me sound like an idiot. In this country, although guns are private property, they are heavily regulated because they are viewed differently than they are in certain areas of the U.S. The article posted was nothing more than a report about regulated and in some cases prohibited weapons being seized because they were not being stored in accordance with the law. But nice try anyway guys.

In Australia the laws of gun ownership are different. This article simply highlights our authorities up-holding our laws, which by the way are supported by the majority who live here. That's the way we like it over here.

You are correct that he is not quoted as saying he enjoys killing people. However, using progressive logic and basic comprehension skills, it is not unreasonable to conclude that a result of his shooting people is them dying. What I get from the quote is that he enjoys the exhilaration of combat (I'm sure it's intense), as well as the feeling of shooting (and killing) the bad guys. To keep highlighting the fact that he didn't use the word 'killing' is correct, but a little obstinate. Maybe a little too semantic for me. I'm not sure I have a problem with him saying it though. Each to their own and all that.

Make sure there is footage.

Quote Your attitude makes me Fucking Sick Why is that so bad? If American people were defending their homes and country from a force they saw as hostile (even IF that force had good intentions) wouldn't they be heroes? Seems like you believe that the heroes can only ever be Americans, in which case I think it is you that needs to leave the country and see the world.

Cool. That's good to know. What about freefalling under 200ft? Would people still leave the flaps closed?

I have just ordered a Gargoyle and have a few questions about the closing flap. I have only seen a handful of Gargoyles in the flesh and thought that the flaps seemed very secure and tight. What are the opinions on low freefalls with the flap closed? I would be inclined to leave it open on low jumps but read somewhere that someone believed that this may cause a hesitation, which I thought was strange. If anyone with experience with this container (especially low jumps handheld) has an opinion I would certainly appreciate it.

I have video of a succesful line mod save and subsequent good landing from a 330' span. I would love to see that movie.

There are many people in Australia (myself included) that do not use the line-mod on slider-down jumps. The above occurence seems very rare. However, I don't think that one documented slider-down line over, with a tail gate used correctly in the thousands of jumps done warrents a control mechanism that is fraught with other potential problems. There are more reasons for not using line-mod than simply because line overs don't happen with a tail gate. Jason F wrote a lot about this and says it better than I ever will. Here it is. Line Mod is obsolete. This is my opinion only and in no way do I suggest people should stop using line mod. I stopped using line mod about 2 years ago. I simply keep the brake line through the slider and keeper ring and place the toggle directly in the brake setting, just the same as slider up. I do not use the extra loop as it can hold the brake line after releasing the toggle. The main reason for this was when standing at the exit point I felt more comfortable knowing my pack job had the same brake line set up every time (not necessarily the same brake setting). The reasons for this were mainly local, I was jumping a slider up object a lot which would have meant changing my brake lines regularly and the most common jumps up here are slider down with 1000 foot + canopy rides. This led to me thinking about how important it was to use line mod. I know of no incidents where a line mod has corrected a malfunction where a tailgate was used, I’m not saying it hasn’t happened just I don’t know of any cases and I have tried hard to find one. I believe the chances of line mod saving me on a line over slider down are slim. If line mod worked so well I don’t believe the tailgate would have been invented. I have witnessed toggles release on opening twice, a slider up jump with line mod as well as 3 new jumpers using LRT incorrectly. There are also numerous stories of incidents of line mod being used incorrectly resulting in near misses, injury and one possibly resulting in a death (The List #55). I know the answer should be to never get it wrong but jumpers with less than 10 and more than 500 jumps have gotten it wrong. I am honest enough to admit that it is possible one day while packing multiple rigs slider up and down late at night with distractions I may get it wrong. I estimate that you would have to do a go and throw from 400 feet with an overhung object to give yourself a reasonable chance of line mod saving you. If someone has a better idea of how much height is required to clear a line over, correct heading and land safely it would be appreciated. For me on every slider down jump if I was to use line mod the risk of a packing mistake, dropping a toggle after opening and the added difficulty in flying the canopy is not justified. In the era of multiple rigs it can be a battle just to remember where the slider is without being concerned with multiple brake configurations as well. It is important to analyze individual cases but it is more important to review all jumps and incidents that have happened in the past 5 years and review them as a whole. If you do this I believe the case for using line mod is weak. At best it becomes a case of personal preference in regard to flight characteristics but I see no case for added safety. Slider up jumping is where I believe the risk of a line over is. People generally seem to be quite content to accept this risk and I have never seen anyone get worked up about jumping slider up without a hook knife or any other means of clearing a potential line over. I have not seen any release toggles that I would use as they either require you to release the toggle and the brake in such a way it would probably require the use of 2 hands while your canopy is turning uncontrolled. The Vertigo toggle is single action but uses a pin and press stud. I have only ever heard bad things about press studs. I believe any advantages gained from using these toggles would not out way the disadvantages. Since I have stopped using line mod I have ensured all my rigs have a hook knife, it may not save me but I see no disadvantages of having it. I also make sure to always have spare tailgates. This is my opinion only and we all have to live with our own choices. Jason Fitz-Herbert

I saw no reason for that landing at all. I timed a 9 sec canopy ride onto a big field. Don't ever come to Australia.

It was not a climbing injury, it was a roll-over. Yes a helmet would have helped.

Also liberals tend to be mean, bitter, angry people who are unhappy with everything in life.*** Yes, it always amuses me when people make statements like this but are happy to overlook the fact that it is a very negative and bitter comment itself.

Hippies.

I wonder if anyone else sees your continued slander of "the liberals" as gut -wrenching and indicative of abject desperation. I'm quite sure the irony is lost on you. I though the letter was mildly humorous. Guess I'm a crack-pot...

South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory both have laws allowing a small number of plants to grown for personal use.

I'm less interested in the fact that it opened on heading than I am about its flight characteristics. Maybe Vertigo would like to supply the Australian community with a demo so we can put it through its paces?