Tonto

Wingsuits. t It's the year of the Pig.

With you there.. t It's the year of the Pig.

That's blatantly sexist. Maggie Thatcher's sex never prevented her from engaging the Argintinians in the Falklands. t It's the year of the Pig.

Really? They don't pay their staff, lights, water, taxes, rent or mortgage, training? Nothing? t It's the year of the Pig.

I've been jumping 19 years. I'm on my 4th rig. I replace every 6 years or so, which statistically means every 1300 dives, or there about. I've jumped for years (7) in Cape Town (Sea) Seasons in the US, Oz and the Carribean and the rest in Johannesburg, 5000ft ASL and dry for half the year. All my rigs have had standard hardware. All have been gifted to riggers when my new rig arrived and been recycled back into the fray. Non have ever had any rust on any of the hardware. For years I've heard SS blamed for slipping hardware and higher cutaway forces. The only rust that's ever been found on any of my systems was after a season in the Caribean, and it was the spring on the reserve pilot chute. Do they make SS reserve pilot chute springs? No. My next rig will have standard hardware. t It's the year of the Pig.

Valid points, and a good reason to keep ones nose clean. Thanks for the input. t It's the year of the Pig.

Dennis never did a single jump. He was skeered... t It's the year of the Pig.

It is quite worrying though. How did witches proove they were not witches during the witch hunts? Could I proove today that I'm not a drug dealer? How would I go about prooving something like that? t It's the year of the Pig.

Isn't that a double negative? What does that mean? t It's the year of the Pig.

It's true, but it wasn't a double mal. It was a 4 way rotation wrap that went very wrong. He passed between the powerlines under a spinning mess. The wrap pulled them together and shorted them out, and he dropped into the road with his head on the curb, still wrapped. Chris (Flint) was the guy involved, and Andre Le Roux and Cameron Condie were other team members. Chris's only injury was to his right thumb, which was badly cut when his little plastic orange "zak" knife broke in use. Lesson here is if you're in so much shit you need a hook knife to save you, carry one which stands a good chance of working when you need it. If you have a "zak" knife, give it to someone you really don't like. t It's the year of the Pig.

Hi There, Peter's wing loading on the Skymaster 290 is about 0.75. Our DZ is 5000ft ASL and hot - and dispite biffing in a git faster than expected a few times, he's been OK on his +-30 dives as a Para. t It's the year of the Pig.

Mmm. I seem to get my best performance slightly pidgeon toed.. It's an S3. t It's the year of the Pig.

Peter is an L1 Paraplegic. He completed AFF last yer and continued to get his A licence. An unrelated injury (Breaking his leg having his car door slammed on it during a hijacking attempt has kept him out due to a 9 month healing process after quite a few ops. We video'd him on 2 Tandems and solved the wobbly legs problem by building a special pair of pants for him. There is a high density foam bar between the knees. The section between this bar and the thighs is filled in with mesh to reduce the likelyhood of a horseshoe malfunction. Peter wears leg braces under the pants with about 60 degree from vertical straight legs dialled in. This allows him to get moderate forward movement in a crusifix upper body position, and fly neutral with arms forward a bit. He had a serious de-arch during AFF, mainly due to shortened hip flexors as a result of his time in the chair. Lots of phsio helped here. After deployment, Pter's procedure is 1st do a control check on the canopy. If it's ok, he uses 2 straps velcro'd up the thighs with rings on the end to hook his legs up to a locking caribiner (Non locking could engage the reserve handle in freefall) on his chest strap this puts his legs out straight in front of him, with heels as the 1st point of contact, followed by his backside. The seat is heavily padded with high density foam. Peter is fully independant. He owns his own gear, a Vortex 2 with a Skymaster 290 main and Tempo 250 reserve. during boarding the Porter he really just needs a shoulder to lean on to get in, and once inside is fully mobile. (More than most birdmen!) He has chosen to remain on a ripcord/spring loaded pilot chute dispite demonstrating his ability to recover stability from intentional forward loops. Since backloops require pulling the knees to the chest we never did backloops during AFF. After landing freinds wheel out his chair and help him with the gear. The doc has given him the all clear to continue jumping, and within a week or two I'll be taking him out on a few check out dives to make sure he's good to go solo again. t It's the year of the Pig.

Really? So London is not in England, but actually in Northern Ireland? t It's the year of the Pig.

For many Americans the one-year anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks will bring on a variety of emotions, from helplessness and despair to anxiety and anger. Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and a coalition of other leading victim assistance groups are offering tips to help people understand and cope with their feelings as the nation reflects on one of its most traumatic events. "Because the September 11th events were unexpected, and so tragic, many people may experience a heightened emotional response and anxiety," said Debbie Weir, MADD national director of victim services. "This is normal. Coping with traumatic images and experiences are essential to recovery and there are a vast amount of resources in every community to help with the healing process." She added that with any disaster, there comes a time to observe the event's anniversary. "Many people believe that grief will wane with time, however, feelings of anger, guilt, isolation, loneliness, sadness and despair often occur long after the traumatic event." Experts say that the anticipation of the anniversary date may bring out a rush of emotions and cause possible anxiety in those who have experienced trauma. Wendy Hamilton, MADD national president, said, "Often the pain increases and becomes more intense following the first anniversary. Grief is a journey and we must recognize that all people grieve in their own way." MADD and the coalition, including The National Center for Victims of Crime (NCVC), the National Organization of Victims Assistance (NOVA), and the National Organization of Parents of Murdered Children (POMC), among others, offer the following tips to help people cope with grief and their emotions: Talk about it. Unspeakable trauma becomes more manageable when it is verbalized. It can be very harmful to bottle up feelings. Recognize that not everyone surviving trauma will be at the same stage in their grief. Reach out to others as a mean of establishing supportive relationships. Talk to someone who is a good listener or someone who understands trauma and its ramifications to help lessen feelings of isolation. Recognize anniversaries. Recognizing a traumatic anniversary, however slight, may be vital to the health and healing of the community and its citizens. The anniversary serves as another step towards healing and activity helps in this process as well. Anniversary remembrances must be planned and executed with care. Rituals, such as planting a tree or perennial plant in memory of a loved one who died or in honor of someone who was injured, creating a wall of memories for notes and photos, and coordinating candlelight vigils, help people recognize the reality of the trauma that has changed the lives of people and the community. Honor differences. There are many different ways of dealing with trauma and grief. Respect the different ways in which people cope and help them to channel their energies into positive activities, such as setting goals, writing in a journal, visiting with a close friend, finding spiritual guidance and sharing their talents with others. Without acceptance, true recovery may not be nurtured among individuals. Remember the Victims. Many people who are grieving feel that friends, family and their community have "forgotten" about them. This can lead to increased feelings of isolation and loneliness. Reach out and listen to their stories. Although they may say the same things over and over, honor these experiences by listening rather than giving advice or using clichés such as "time heals all wounds." Do something to help. Even the smallest deeds can help people. Send a card or letter to show your concern and support. Make a donation of time or money to a victim service organization. The positive impact will last a lifetime. It's the year of the Pig.

Pic of Peter on his AFF L1 jump. t It's the year of the Pig.

One wing. Classic 1. Stuck zipper. t It's the year of the Pig.

Which is, of course, a BMW - Thus the reference to german cars. I think even the new Rolls Royce is powered by the BMW 5 litre V12... t It's the year of the Pig.

There are some people who are REAL good at taking everything very seriously. t It's the year of the Pig.

Betcha this ends up in speakers corner when the mods wake up... t It's the year of the Pig.

Speak for yourself.. t It's the year of the Pig.

Fantastic! Be honest, work at it, nurture it through the rough patches. Love can give a lifetime of happiness. If it ends, the pain is temporary and is usually selfish. If you really love her, be happy for her regardless of whether or not her desision is to stay with you - or not. Good luck! t It's the year of the Pig.

Lets chat in 20 years time.. t It's the year of the Pig.

The only guarantee in life is death. t It's the year of the Pig.

Well... You were 100% right on that one. t It's the year of the Pig.