Tonto

I've been jumping 22 years now, and I've had that a couple of times in my early 20's when relationships never meant very much. Later, in my 30's, I discovered that the ultimatum was usually preceded by 2 other steps. 1. Are you going to the DZ this weekend? This is OK. The relationship is new and they don't yet know that the answer to that is always yes. 2. Are you going to the DZ again this weekend? When you hear that, it's over. Don't wait for the ultimatum. Consider the value of the relationship and either start to compromise, or leave. I got divorced over an ultimatum from my wife. "No more world championships." which I felt was unfair, since I was in a competition team when she met me, and 6 years later nothing had changed. There was no discussion about me stopping or cutting back after being married. I have no doubt about my love for skydiving. I've reached a point in my life where I undertand the differnce between love and obsession. If my life partner needed support, I'd step out of jumping in a heartbeat. (She's also a skydiver with over 1000 dives) Bottom line is that life comes first, and skydiving comes second. Although I've never yet had to apply that value scale, I know it to be true. t It's the year of the Pig.

The Conquest was 1st built in 1992. It had a unique "checkerboard" construction that made it both bulky to pack, and pretty weak, as the seams are the biggest and weakest bits of a canopy. It was ZP, but a kinda coated F-111 that wore off fast. I don't think any made it to a reline. And the comment about them folding under is true. t It's the year of the Pig.

I'm older than you, but younger in the sport. I'm in for 22 years on 02 Feb. Also started on rounds with 26 ft Lopo belly warts. 1st square jump on a Viking superlite.. with wooden toggles. Can't claim the same WRT injury. Bust my ankle on jump 10, then my femur on 150 something. Congratulations man. That's a long road. t It's the year of the Pig.

That would only be true if other rigs used the same reserve PC or spring. A 44 magnum round fired through a cardboard box has a lot more energy than a .22 fired through a hole in the box. t It's the year of the Pig.

We've lost 3 of our 5 packers to HIV in the past 3 years. Trust me. No one in Africa is getting any help. Not from the US, and not from our own government. It's nothing but window dressing. t It's the year of the Pig.

Agreed. A few years back I was about to do an AFF dive with a guy with 1000's of dives and years in the sport on the other side. Just as the door opened and before we started the climbout with the student, he asked me to check his gear. When we chatted about it afterwards, he said it felt to him like he was naked in the door. I also suffered "gear fear" a few years back. Thankfully my new sets of gear put an end to that. t It's the year of the Pig.

Chicks dig scars... but they don't like the hole where your eye used to be.. t It's the year of the Pig.

All inflatable wings leak air. They just don't leak enough to matter much. t It's the year of the Pig.

Nepal? I had no idea China had invaded Nepal! I thought it was a Kingdom! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nepal I think you may have been thinking about Tibet. t It's the year of the Pig.

0:15:0 12 AFF dives, and 3 wingsuit - one with Atmonauti. No, I don't have to buy beer. Don't know anyone who has docked on atmonauti in a wingsuit here...

My former brother-in-law is a dentist. In the days we were still in a team together he shaved every day with a straight razor. Felt if his hand wasn't steady - he should be the 1st to know. This rubbed off on the team for a while and we all did it for a couple of months, but it simply wasn't worth the bother for me. Blue Skies, t It's the year of the Pig.

I think my Stilleto 107 is a 1998. The label is too worn to read, but I remember something like that when I bought it 2nd hand in 2003. Since then I've done close on 1000 dives on it, and relined it with 825lb spectra some 500 dives back. I load it to 1.8 something and jump a DZ 5000ft AMSL and hot, and the canopy is still serving me well. t It's the year of the Pig.

No, but I went from 550 to 825 on a reline, and thought "Wow! That made one heck of a difference!" I noticed an increase in performance. Amazing what being it trim will do to a canopy. t It's the year of the Pig.

As a TM, I found my best and most memorable tandems were the ones when I got the pax to reveal just a little more of who they were. We can learn something from everyone. Something special happens when they are emboldened by our skill and confidence, and we feed off their energy and excitement. There is great power in shared experience.

It's 32 Celcius dude. She's HOT! Happy Birthday Bev! t It's the year of the Pig.

Apologies for the Hijack.. I wonder why a 140lb dog with an IQ of about 40 is considered a real threat, but a 140lb human with an IQ of 100 with the small blade folded out on a Swiss Army Knife is considered a joke? Dogs are no threat at all. (I live in the crime capital of the world.) t It's the year of the Pig.

So what's a body length? I know wingsuit pilots that are 40 cm different in height. (1.5m to 1.9m. So 2 bodylengths is a variable of 0.8m - and that's between row 1 and 2.. If you're going to fly tight - it must be tight. Aiming for anything more than 1m is by definition plan B - and plan B is by definition a failure. Sure, this may mean that what we now call a successful big way is actually a zoo - but until we realise that, or standards will always be too low. Just some random thoughts. Personally I voted for 3. It's more about the flying for me than anything else. t It's the year of the Pig.

So what defines good? When I fly on a commercial airline, how much of a "good vibe" the PIC gives me is completely secondary to their skillset. Is "good" being a nice people person who throws the drouge to get stable? Is "bad" a technically perfect TM who focuses on the task at hand? I know what I would choose as a DZO, and I know what a whuffo would choose. They're not the same TM. These are opposite extremes, of course, and most TM's lie somewhere in the middle. "Making friends" with 12 new people a day and convincing them that everything will be ok, even when you don't know it, and banking your life on it is hard work. t It's the year of the Pig.

I started before Tandem, before AFF. I drove a long way alone, and stepped onto a DZ feeling oddly out of place. My 1st jump was the most scared I'd ever been as a result of something I'd done to myself. I still don't really know why I stayed, or why I still stay. Tandem is simply a filter. It allows more people to try this, and filters most out who lack what it takes - whatever that may be. It's different for everyone. I think it also lets some in that know they don't really belong. The "tourists." They role play skydiving for a season or 2 and then what they have been fighting against overwhelms them and they stop. Personally, I think we all worry too much about membership. This sport really is between you and the sky. It's a relationship unlike any other. It's what you put in that counts, but it counts only to you. What others feel, or see means little. t It's the year of the Pig.

Do you really think the US has committed a crime by performing the above actions against the nation of Iraq, or are you just saying that to please the left? t It's the year of the Pig.

Agreed. My belly range is 105 - 165 in a Long sleeve T and Bird-man Pantz. I'm 165 - 5'11". As an AFF instructor I think 100 - 200 should be within (At least hand signal) range in a single outfit. Reading the post, it sounds like a bit of a clusterfuck. 1. No dress for success 2. Flying through the "Cone of death" above the student 3. L side losing student while blocking R side. Pretty bad. t It's the year of the Pig.

0 21 Dives in 33 Deg C heat, 5000 ft AMSL. 0 t It's the year of the Pig.

You know, while I sympathise with your plight, you have to realise that for some jumpers, this is just a job. When you've been working for the same company for 20 years, you kinda get tired of taking every new employee or customer out to lunch on your own dime, especially when you know that statistically, they don't last and the investment is lost. I put a lot of time into my AFF students. Former students from the past 13 years are now my closest friends. I continue to mentor many, and several now mentor me in disiplines unheard of when I started jumping. The time spent with them on those first few dives gives both instructor and student great insight into each others personalities, and both can benefit from that. Tandem was only a job. There was the occasional flush of shared excitement, but often for me it was hauling meat for money, and no matter how hard I tried, I felt I couldn't do justice to the students joy. I no longer do Tandem, but may again at some stage in the future. I love to fly with new wingsuit students, or with those on their first flights on their own suits. Sometimes, some attention is better than nothing. If I've barked at a few people over the years about safety issues, it's only been those I cared for. Those who know it all, or who don't listen, can make their own path. t It's the year of the Pig.

Hey Rob, Africa's no place for sissies. If you want to protect them, tell them to wear sunblock. I don't think you should worry too much about the low turn stuff. They all know this is an exotic boogie in an exotic location. Sometimes a hook gone bad is the least of the problems at an African Boogie. My wildlife experiences at Phalaborwa and the "Don't land in the minefield" chat at Vic falls put this into perspective nicely. Telling Russians what to do never works out well, and the fatal at Nylstroom a few years back after the density altitude briefing pointed that out rather well. South Africans... well.. you know us well enough to know the answer to that one, and I recall at least one French world champion being picked out of a barbed wire fence at Mmabatho to know they know enough not to listen to us. Run a nice exotic boogie. Provide nice food, accomodation, aircraft and views. When people break - they'e not really part of the boogie anymore, and I'm sure they'll find their own way of solving any problems they may come across. Hope the boogie goes well for you and we hear some of the stories that come out of it. t It's the year of the Pig.

All I need is about 29 more people like you, and none of my friends will die this year. The Reaper's always looking for the low guy. Good luck with your choices. t It's the year of the Pig.