NWFlyer

Probably one of these three, especially if my defense team was considering a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity . "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

I personally wouldn't feel any differently than if I saw the pin, but I will also admit to being somewhat ignorant on whether such a symbol would offend those who had served in the Seals or if they would find it a fitting tribute. Same. It's a nice gesture and if it's important to the wearer, cool. Even more cool if it's backed up by fundraising or donation or volunteering that supports the cause. I'm all about action. I've got no problem with symbols but that's all they are. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Thanks for confirming what I've always believed. I don't believe I've ever been manipulative or tried to use my gender to get out of a ticket - the only time I cried was when I was pulled over at 16 and the tears were genuine - it was my first time getting pulled over and I didn't want my parents to find out! (Got a warning that time - it was for failure to come to a complete stop before a right turn on red). But I have always been honest and respectful to the officers - sometimes to their surprise - I still remember one guy asking me how fast I was going - I replied with the number (low 60s in a 45, I believe) and he was surprised that I was straight up about it. And I got a warning in that situation. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

I've received warnings from male cops, I've received warnings from female cops. I've received tickets from male cops and I've received tickets from female cops. Of course somewhere along the line I pretty much stopped speeding which has meant no tickets and one warning in the last 13 years. The warning was on a street where I genuinely didn't know that I was speeding - I would have taken my lumps on that one because I was well over the limit (40+ in a 25, IIRC - but since it was a quiet industrial area - not a residential area - the fact that it was 25 caught me off guard). "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

It's a nice gesture but fairly empty, kind of like the people who think changing their Facebook profile to a cartoon character will do a damn thing to stop child abuse. My response has nothing to do with Beck - I'd have the same response if it were Brian Williams or Bill O'Reilly or Rachel Maddow wearing a pin. It may have personal significance to the wearer, but that's about it. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Read Ron's reply above. Sometimes shit just happens. I had multiple lines break on a canopy that had

Read Ron's reply above. Sometimes shit just happens. I had multiple lines break on a canopy that had

Sigh. You were asleep the other times. You're right. I should have phrased that differently. It's the only time I remember being awake to interact with the man in the red suit. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

In the attached photo, I had just turned 4 and my brother had just turned 7. "Santa" is a neighbor. I like to think my brother is winking because he (being a mature lad of 7) knew that Santa wasn't real but he would still play along for my benefit. I remember this visit (I think it was the only time Santa appeared at our house), and I still bought into it at that point. I probably figured it out not long after that, but we'd play along for years as a bit of a family joke. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Low? Mine never gets set any higher than 65 or 66 during the day when I'm home, and 62 is the "I'm bundled up in my bed at night" temp. (Granted I don't currently live in a particularly cold climate, but when I've lived in colder climates, and for the few weeks it is chilly here, those are the temps I use). "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Unless they can make it self-packing, I'm pretty happy with it as is. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Well, the link on the blog goes to the PD Swag shopping site, and the grand prize is a "grab bag of PD swag" so I suspect the daily winners will get a t-shirt or logbook cover, not a PDR or Velo. http://www.thepdblog.com/pdblog/2010/12/pd-holiday-giveaway.html "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

There are three primary functions that you can look at in altimeters: 1) Visual altimeter 2) Audible altimeter (freefall alarms in all audibles, canopy alarms in some). 3) Jump logging This may seem obvious, but I'll say it anyway - there is no single device that can give you all three functions, simply because a device that you can hear (in freefall) you can't see, and vice versa. The combination you've described gives you two devices that do #1 (redundancy, but I'd argue not necessary redundancy), one device that does #2 and three devices that do #3. Logging, frankly, is the least important of the functions provided by altimeters. It's cool to have and provides interesting information when you're on the ground, but it's 100% useless in the air - when you're using an altimeter to let you know when you should take key life-saving steps (breaking off, pulling, executing EPs). If you're going to invest in a Neptune or Altitrack, think about an audible that's just an audible (like a Pro-Dytter, a Solo, or an Optima). not an audible + logging device (like a ProTrack). When I first started jumping I bought an analog wrist alti from Alti II, and that was all I used for a while. After I had about 200 jumps I had the opportunity to buy a used Pro-Dytter and later used Pro-Track, so I picked them up and saved a lot of money vs. buying new. Having two audibles was nice but not necessary, and when the Dytter was lost (fell out of my helmet when I was walking back to the hangar), I didn't replace it. I recently picked up a used Altitrack and it's been a cool addition to my skydiving toys, but I didn't buy one till I found a screaming deal on a used one, because while it added some cool logging features, it didn't add anything critical to the skydive itself that I didn't already have. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Bolas, your white straight male privilege is showing. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

It could easily be that chilly in the morning though it'll typically warm up during the day. But when the sun goes down, expect the temps to drop and be ready to throw some layers on for the evening. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

If you're looking for glide, the Spectre's not the right choice for you. As others have mentioned, the Pilot (Aerodyne) and Pulse (PD) are both canopies that are trimmed with a very flat glide. (FWIW I did my first 200 jumps on a Spectre, the next 300 on a Pilot, and all since on a Pulse, so I've had a decent amount of experience with each). The one thing about a Pulse that might make it a less appealing choice is that since it hasn't been on the market that long, there's not as many on the used market, so you may have to be considerably more patient to come across a used one. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

You have several of the top DZs in the country in your backyard, one of which (Perris) even has two different skydiving schools operating. People travel to your area to get licensed. I would suggest talking to each of the DZs and make sure you're comparing apples to apples. Visit each of them and see what you like and don't like about each of them. Use the dropzone locater on this site or on USPA.org to ensure that you're talking directly to a legitimate local dropzone and not a tandem booking service. Questions to consider: How much does each AFF jump cost? Is there a "package price" for AFF? (sometimes if you can pay up front you can get a discount) What is the cost to repeat AFF jumps? How much do solo student jumps cost? How much do post-AFF coach jumps cost? Does the per-jump cost include gear rental? If not, how much is gear rental per jump or per day? In order to get to the A license, are there any other costs that aren't included? "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

That's no ordinary cat. That's Maru! "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

I think he's saying that at the point the photo was taken, no one had died yet. It's clear from the rest of the post he's aware of what's happened since. Powerful photo... sad story. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

I like Beck. Wait... are we talking about the same guy? "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Both IAD and AFF are paths to learn how to skydive and get you to an A license. While you can "transfer" between programs, there's really no need to if you find a dropzone that you're happy with and are able to get to your A license at that dropzone. http://www.uspa.org/BecomeaSkydiver/ChooseaMethod/tabid/65/Default.aspx Here is a description of the two methods from the USPA. There's also a description here on this site - IAD and static line are very similar programs so what you read about static line will pretty much apply for IAD as well. http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/safety/detail_page.cgi?ID=514 "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

The Spectre has a reputation as one of the softest opening canopies on the market; it's the choice of a lot of videographers for that very reason. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

At an appropriate wingload they're both good canopy choices for a newer jumper; it really boils down to personal preference. If you can demo a Spectre you'll be able to compare it to the Sabre 2 you've already jumped and see which flight characteristics you prefer. Some DZs/gear shops will have demos available, or you can request a demo directly from PD. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Guilty as charged! That's why I said "might." I didn't feel like doing any actual research beyond looking up the sites of the 4 branches. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

I bet these guys would let you. 1 2 3 4 They might use a different term than medic, though. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke