Tonto

Well.. not really. I only jumped last on Sunday, so it's coming up on a week. I really don't respond well to going more than a week without jumping, but even one or two dives makes a difference.

I'm suffering with you. I leave Friday pm, get there Saturday am. I like it hot... but I'll take my warm stuff for jumping. t It's the year of the Pig.

Kinda. I'll be up the road some way, in Princeton. I'm only in the US for a week, but would like to get in a few wingsuit dives. I'm arriving in the US on Saturday am, jetlagged to hell. Was thinking of maybe coming out Sunday or during the week if I can swing some transport. t It's the year of the Pig.

Really? Where's that? (Durban is a city on the East coast of SA.) Told you those Capetonians were dozy things.. It's been days - no reply. t It's the year of the Pig.

What's the worst that could happen? I've done some groundlaunching long, long ago. Mid 80's. The sides of mountains can be rough places to land. While GLing higher performance canopies is a relatively simple and rewarding practice, it's normally done in a place chosen for the landing area. That doesn't sound like what you're planning. t It's the year of the Pig.

It's a bit late for that, don't you think? t It's the year of the Pig.

Well? t It's the year of the Pig.

That's the thing with Capetonians... They never rise to a challenge. It's also hard for them to grasp that I live 1500ft higher than Table Mountain.. t It's the year of the Pig.

People in Cape Town don't have internet yet, so you may need to wait till one of them travels before you get a reply. (I'm a former Capetonian) Are you going to be in JHB at all? t It's the year of the Pig.

I solved that by no longer wearing the necklace. I have a very good friend who tells whuffos who ask that the curved pin was "the symbol of the handmaiden of the water bearer." No stickers on my car. No skydiving T-Shirts off the DZ. t It's the year of the Pig.

As an instructor, I only have to deal with it from skydiving students. I also have a job during the week. I've been here 7 years. No one talks skydiving cos I've not told anyone I skydive. (If you're not a jumper, they're not a whuffo) Socially, it's very important to be a good conversationalist. I cringe when someone introduces me as a skydiver in a whuffo environment, and discuss as little as possible, and leave as soon as I can. t It's the year of the Pig.

Ground rule. It's always the whuffo's fault. They're the ones that ask the stupid questions. They're the ones that argue laws of physics. (in a vacuum) They're the ones that tell you you have a death wish. They're the ones that know NOTHING about what you do. They're the ones that get bored. I've run, cycled and swum. I can discuss transision times. I've done a triathelon. They don't know WTF a cell is, let alone the differences between 7 and 9 cells, ZP, aspect ratio, angle of attack, angle of incidence etc. The closest thing I have to a whuffo friend did 900 jumps and then quit. It burns me how far behind the curve he is, but still thinks of himself as a skydiver. I like to keep things simple. I do have respect for skydivers whuffo friends, but I have none of my own. t It's the year of the Pig.

Yup. Your muddy little island would have no economy at all if it were not for all those "groups." I guess that's what they mean by "reaping what you sow." All that colonial expansion has come back to haunt you. t It's the year of the Pig.

No working in the diplomatic corps for YOU! t It's the year of the Pig.

Well, what we "expect" and what we get are two different things. There is no getting blood out of a stone. There is also a world of other jumpers who would be happy to buy a 2 or 3 year old rig that has never been scraped across the ground for 50% of the new list price once the puke is washed off. I'd be happy selling for 50% of new, cos my rigs work. They make me money, not the other way round. If the puker were a complete asshole about it though, in a small jumping community, that attitude could make it far harder to progress in the sport. One of Murphy's laws of combat is "Act unimportant. The enemy may be low on ammo." What would probably happen is the puker should offer to pay for a wash and repack, and maybe a beer. The pukee should accept that offer, and if they were unable to live with the gear after that, sell it and buy new. t It's the year of the Pig.

If someone hurled on my gear I'd expect them to pay for a wash and repack. Expecting them to buy you new gear is way outta line, imho. I'm sort of with Bigway on this. My oldest rig has 624 dives on it, DOM Jan 04. It's never fallen over. My newer rig has 197 dives on it. DOM Jan 05. It's never fallen over. There is something about those acidic digestive fluids - designed specifically for breaking things down and turning them into shit - that would prevent me from ever being able to use the rig again, regardless of how fast it was washed or repacked. I wouldn't expect a new rig. I would expect them to buy mine at a market related price. I would be pissed at the downtime, but that's why I have 2 rigs. I've never thrown up in the plane, or under canopy. Perhaps if I had, my view would be different. t It's the year of the Pig.

Know the SIM. Good AFF instructor skills. 1. Exit control (Timing, presentation, structural integrity - regardless of students body position.) 2. No contact flight. (Be within range. Students never see hand signals when they really need them) 3. Range. The wider your range, the safer your student will be. (Strive for 50 mph in a single outfit, on your belly only. Use bigger suits to go slower, different body positions to go faster) 4. Vertical aggression. When they go 3D, engage. Gawking just puts you WAY behind the curve. 5. Know your altitude. As the ground comes up, your options go down. Other stuff. For me, students are either learning, or dying. There's very little middle ground. The better prepared the student is, the better chance the skydive will go well. "Prepared" means more than knowing the dive flow. State of mind is huge. If you have awesome flying skills, it can make you a bad instructor, cos getting the "saves" is good for your ego, but not good for your student. It's also more fun flying than teaching, so get the balance right. Know when to step back. My goal is to make my students safe and independant. I encourage questions, even questioning my ability or technique. You need, at some point, usually on later release dives, to let them screw up and see how they handle it. Better that you're there when it happens. I'd say "good luck" but I think when it comes to AFF, we make our own. t It's the year of the Pig.

Rear wing deflector. t It's the year of the Pig.

I've been to many DZ's in many countries over many years. I had planned to stay in the Perris IHOP for a week over New year 2004/2005. I spent one night there. Had people sleeping in my bed when I got in at 21h00, my stuff moved all over the place, noise, crowding, stench and dirt. I moved the following morning. I'd never do it again. There is something about the English abroad which I cannot stand, and Perris that time of year seems like a Mecca for them. t Edit to add - I can have a bit of an impulse control problem, can be very territorial and have almost constant violence fantasies.

Duh! It's in Potchefstroom. Right near the university. Down the road from Carletonville. On the way to Klerksdorp. Right?

Just kidding? t It's the year of the Pig.

What? 50 000+ dead, complete withdrawal from the country in such haste the landing helicopters needed to be bulldozed off the ships to make room for others, and you see no defeat? t It's the year of the Pig.

From the article: "In an interview with Al-Jazeera television aired late Saturday, Alberto Fernandez, director of public diplomacy in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs at the State Department offered an unusually candid assessment of America's war in Iraq. "We tried to do our best but I think there is much room for criticism because, undoubtedly, there was arrogance and there was stupidity from the United States in Iraq," he said. "We are open to dialogue because we all know that, at the end of the day, the solution to the hell and the killings in Iraq is linked to an effective Iraqi national reconciliation," he said, speaking in Arabic from Washington." My bold. t It's the year of the Pig.

I'm going to miss Remster.. but my aim is getting better! Seriously, thanks for the help and input you've given me over the past 2 years. As for the new guys, once Scott becomes a Bonfire mod, you guys will get to play "good cop" a bit! Welcome. Get ready to herd cats! t It's the year of the Pig.

Why does everything start capitalised and South Africa, Australia and Eastern Asia are lower cased? Do you think less of these countries? t It's the year of the Pig.