Iflyme

There rarely is... Glad to hear, Marc, that you didn't "get a bite" out there... I guess when you are in the shark's environment, you are fair game for them. I still remember when I was a young teenager - the summer Jaws came out. I was snorkeling in shallow water, and I looked ahead to find myself about 1/2 metre from a dogfish (small shark)... my Dad said I jumped up and ran right across the surface of the water to the safety of our boat!

Hey, welcome, Vallerina! My mind movie really got going when I learned you are from Munster ... I haven't thought about the old TV show for a verryyyy long time! Anyway, it sound like you had a good time at Quincy -- running into Bill was certainly a bit of luck for you!

I'm with ya on that one, skySue... but it sure is another way for the GIANT pharmacui ... pharmacuit .... pharmacuti, oh shit - the drug companies -- to get damn rich! I'm glad that you are leading a "closer to normal" life now ('cause we all know that not one of here is actually "normal" -- right?!?)... Do ya find that when you are skydiving everything gets cleared up for a bit...?

Cool, Tee! Now you are gonna hafta come to the coast for scuba vacations, and maybe do a few jumps at the DZ while you are here! (Then I can buy YOU the beer!!!) One day I'll show you the underwater video I shot of a Sea Lion...

Bill, I'll just echo what Cloud9 said -- thanks for your stories. It's good to get back to basics -- the skydiving stuff we come here to talk about. Now if I could only get a couple of those coach jumps in with you... !

Thanks, Bossman! Nice to have ya back... too bad ya gotta tighten up the reins on some of the folks out there. You're right -- some people just don't get it...

Hi froggie --- I don't get on here too often these days either. Some of the "newbies" talk up stuff that I don't dig too much, so I stay away. That's not the way I remember it!!!!! I seem to remember me, skyhawk and the Wing Commander gettin' naked for the ladies, then not seeing any of what you gals promised! I've been around here longer than almost anyone... and I'll keep dropping by now and then just to visit. Hi there, all ya old timers. Froggie's right ... it's just not the same anymore... BUT, there are lots of good new people around! Yes, I DO remember all those things, Froggie -- I even remember when YOU were new! Love ya! Anyway, Bossman ... the site is looking great, and workin' fine now that you've returned from your quest! Frank

I'm on Vancouver Island, which is about 60 miles or so from Seattle... in Canada... come wisit us at the Ultimate High Parachute Centre in Victoria, BC. Favaks jumps at Kaposwin... I've jumped their twin-otter -- sweeettt!!! Enjoy your trip!

The piece you are referring to is an NBC News report produced by Jim Avila called "Over The Edge"... it was the best piece of national level journalism on skydiving I have seen in a long time... you can find it near the bottom left of this page : http://www.msnbc.com/news/618285.asp?0dm=-237N Frank

C'mon, Mike - now you are being silly. Don't put words in my mouth. I did not in any way suggest skydiving be banned. Re-read my post Mike. I'm talking about people who die under a fully functional canopy because they have not received suffient instruction on how to deal with a variety of dangerous situations that can arise quickly. And I did not suggest you oppose better training, either! BTW, sorry to hear about the fellow who got hurt -- could better training have made a difference? Sounds like it... As for your comments, Clay, you seem to place little value on the lives of others. You dismiss people who may not be as agressive and/or skilled as you, and imply that they don't belong in the sport. How did you draw the conclusion that I feel you or the DZ is responsible for another jumper's canopy skills? Maybe you were reading between the lines...? I said - very clearly - that perhaps the groups that self-regulate this sport need to increase the minimum standards in canopy training for students. And it would seem your egocentric view of the world has led you astray... no, I didn't vote for Clinton. Not everyone on this forum lives in the same country as you, Clay. I'm Canadian..

I'm one of those low time jumpers who is in no hurry to downsize. I'm jumping a 210 Silhouette loaded about 1:1 ... With just 102 jumps under my belt (50 in the past year), there is no bloody way I am in a hurry to get a smaller canopy. The advice I was given by some high-timers at my DZ is to put 300/400 jumps on my canopy, learn everything there is to know about it, and learn how to fly it - SAFELY - before trying to get into a higher wing loading. I've never even SEEN a Cobalt canopy, but from what I've read in this forum over the past few months, they are at the top end of performance... you need to be a very skilled canopy pilot to fly something like that safely. So Chris, this time I totally agree with you!

Huh? Wait a sec ... did I read that right, Chris? We are on the same side of an issue????? Whoa! I told ya we could agree on something

Mike, the notion that "fatalities are an acceptable part of this sport" is the root of the problem. It's a terrible thing when someone dies because of an equipment malfunction, but I find it much more distressing when someone dies under a fully functional canopy.. It is NOT ok that some people die doing intentional low turns. It is NOT ok that some people die doing unintentional low turns. Now I don't endorse overwhelming regulation, but perhaps our sport needs some self-appointed higher standards when it comes to training. If it would save lives, and reduce the number of people seriously injured, then how can that be a bad thing??? Ask the loved ones the deceased left behind how they feel. Sometimes you have to give up a tiny bit of freedom to reduce the potential for disaster. Maybe if being a student skydiver meant being subject to more than a brief lecture on canopy control, fewer people would die under good canopies. I certainly would support a study into how our sport can reduce the number of fatalities. (For those of you who think your "freedom to do whatever the hell you think you should be able to do" is more important than implementing measures to save lives, I've got my flame-proof underwear on!) That's my 2 cents for the evening...

Wellllll ... ya get this round hunk of cork and wrap in in cow's hide, then get a big fat stick, and have someone throw the cork at you. You take a swing at the cork with the stick, and the people standing out in the field wearing oversized ski gloves try to catch the hunk of cork... girls are allowed to play because they get along better with each other than the boys do (generally, anyway)... I guess it's pretty much like cricket, except the teams wear different coloured uniforms, and unlike Aussie rules Rugby, nobody sticks their fingers in the opponet's bumby... right Skyhawk? I wonder if FFF ever played with his balls? Baseball, I mean...

Drat! hee hee ... I'm sure that tripF will love ya as much as the bear! Nice to meet ya! And promise me that you WON'T be gentle with our boy...

I take that back -- both my daughters play ball, and I reallly enjoy watching them! My 9 year old was on the team that was city champs, so that was pretty exciting

I'll take mine with lots o' melted butter and a bit o' garlic... Skyhawk, I hope you washed your hands before touching your keyboard!

Me too... Pyke, 'Sis says your gay (not that there's anything wrong with that!)... FFF, who the hell is this Kelie? Is she the one who was spread out on that round parachute a few months ? The one who had you losing your "dignity"??? Nothing wrong with being married - I have been for 17 years - to the same princess ... just as long as yours doesn't get jealous of the rest of us - and those sheep you keep locked in the garage with the bear...

Too many years of substance abuse? Maybe FFF can get MikeD10720 to send some of his meds over (if Iona hasn't runaway with the dog and the meds...)

Baseball, Football - ya sit there while they do nothing for a long time, then there is a short burst of activity ... no thanks. Now if you want an exciting sport, try watching (or better yet, playing) hockey... GO CANUCKS!!!

Nothing wrong with being an "old hand"... (I guess...)

April, I don't know if you got my private message yesterday, but I'm sorry for what I said to YOU!!! You know I really love ya...

So I scored 38, but really had a rough time on the 2nd to last hole (and I've NEVER golfed before - afraid I will like it, and have toget clubs and a membership...).

Ok, boys and girls, we haven't had a good argument since ... yesterday! Tell ya what ... someone pick a hot topic, and we can beat each other up all over again ... The bad news is - I won't get to jump this weekend. The good news is, the wife and I are going to the "Mt Washington Music Festival", where, over the course of 4 days, various bands play outdoor concerts on the slopes of a great ski mountain. Across the valley are snowcapped mountains and beautiful ice fields. Then, Sunday evening, I'm taking a 4 hour train trip back home, along the east coast of Vancouver Island. I guess if you can't go skydiving, this is the 2nd best way to spend a summer weekend... oh yeah, we are good friends with one of the bands that is playing (I even received a credit on one of their albums a few years back), so it is gonna be one big party backstage!!! For those of you who aren't jumping, where are you taking your guns this weekend??? Frank

Maybe I'm closer to being a firearms owner than I thought... I come here to "shoot the shit", but sometimes I end up "shootin' off my big mouth" ... good thing I haven't "shot myself in the foot" yet... FFF is right -- when we've got nothing better to talk about, this is the place to do it!