NWFlyer

Nice write-up of the Lost Prairie boogie in LP's local paper. Thanks to Fred and the entire crew from LP and Skydive AZ for throwing yet another amazing Jump Meet. http://www.dailyinterlake.com/articles/2009/08/03/news/local_montana/news_8750811117_01.txt "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

Nunya:10:0 10 jumps from Thursday through Sunday morning @ Lost Prairie. Fabulous time as always and lots of great jumps with great people. I was honored to be a part of PartyKen's ash dive on Thursday - it was a fitting tribute to a Lost Prairie fixture ... and I hope it's a long damn time before I'm on another 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

Let me guess ... based on your definition of "manners", when it comes to dating you follow "the rules" as well ... I was horrified when an American friend offered dating advice and explained to me "the rules" (a series of arbitrary, outlandish, insane and dumb set of statements that serve no other purpose than to confuse.) No wonder guys are utterly mystified when they encounter a straight shooter like me – they just don’t know what to do when I say what I mean … O Wow, I didn't get that at all from tigra's response. She sounds like a pretty straight shooter, too, maybe just with a different style. "The Rules" would be all about obligations and attaching very specific meaning to "who pays." Like someone said upthread, it's pretty obvious from an early point in the relationship whether your views on dating and relationships are going to be compatible or not and "who pays" is a part of that. A guy who is offended that I offer to pay is not the right guy for me. A guy who would be offended if I actually do pay for something is not the right guy for me, but hey, he might be just the right guy for some other woman. My boyfriend and I fell pretty naturally into a "he pays for some stuff, I pay for some stuff, we split some stuff" routine at the very beginning of our relationship and it's worked well for us. For bigger-ticket items (like plane tickets) that one or the other of us pays for we may do a little more specific accounting, but for day-to-day stuff like meals or movies, no one's really keeping score, it just all seems to settle out fine and neither of us feels put out or put upon. It works for us. "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 got no problem with increasing the numbers in the sport; I think we as a skydiving community can do a better job of retaining people at the points where we lose them (fresh of A license and in the "now what" phase - depending on where they are jumping that may be a great period of their career or a frustrating one). But I don't "recommend" skydiving to "anyone and everyone" and I don't try to talk anyone into jumping in the first place or staying in the sport if they decide it's not right for them. This sport is not for everyone - and it's far too dangerous to totally democratize 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

If you're prepared to have sex you should be prepared to protect yourself. I'd say both should have 'em available. "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

Really??? this is what your instructor taught you?? TRUST your reseve: She is your friend!!! Your reserve entangling with your main, oops....and flying carefully two canopies out above swamps, woods ,... who knows where... maybe finding yourself far away from your nice landing pattern...Hasta la vista,... Nice bunch of assumptions and implications in that post. Nowhere did I imply that I don't trust my reserve. I trust it and have used it when needed. But if I don't *need* to be at my last option, why go there? And sorry, dude, I may not have as many jumps as you, but to imply that someone with 5 years in the sport, a D license, and a coach rating still makes all her decisions based solely on what her instructors taught her so many years ago is frankly insulting. "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

Why do you believe that? "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 date one. I know how cool they actually are. (Interpret that as you will.... ) "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

Probably 1500 - that's my hard deck and also where I feel like with my current canopy I would be too close for comfort on spooking my AAD. As for riding with the plane - one factor in that would be where we were in relation to a safe landing area. I understand you all were right over the dropzone, which makes the decision an easier one ... you've got somewhere good to land under your own controls. But if I'm bailing low over a really sketchy landing area... makes the decision a little harder ... of course what's sketchy for me might also be sketchy for the plane assuming the pilot can't make it back to the runway. No easy answers for sure. Hearing about the incident over the weekend prompted a nice discussion of this very decision. It's very possible that in a "shit hitting the fan"situation I might go with the reserve, but armchair quarterbacking right now I'm thinking main. I think either decision is an appropriate one at such a borderline bailout altitude. "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

Aircraft in stable flight ... main. Not so stable... reserve. 1800's right on that bubble where I can fully understand decisions to go either way, but if it's a stable altitude and a subterminal opening I'd expect my Pilot to open without spooking the AAD, and I'd rather have two canopy options if needed. "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 the plan, can you point me in the right direction? You've had at least two people in this thread recommend Brian Germain's book. Here's a third. http://www.bigairsportz.com/publishing.php#parachute "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

Since your slacker husband hasn't posted it yet, I will! Spankings to be delivered this weekend at LP. "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 watched a very smooth way of handling this in a recent canopy course taught by two AFFIs. Most of the attendees were licensed jumpers, but there was a student (fresh off AFF) in the class who had learned at another local dropzone. The flare technique he was taught didn't match up with how it was taught at the DZ that was holding the course. The AFFI explained it something like this "Some instructors teach students to flare the way you learned" (and explained why), "but here's how we teach it" (and explained why). There was no undermining, no "our DZ is better than your DZ," just a reasonable explanation of the differences in philosophy. I thought that was a good example of how to handle it in a situation that differs from Bigun's example where you really can't get all the instructors together with the S&TA to talk 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

Me too, but one thing worth a chuckle based on this thread; the "currency of the page says "we hope to have the swoop pond completed by June 6, updated June 1." Nicely done website. Not overly done flash like so many these days are. True, I did notice that, and it broke my own rule. But trust me when I tell you this site is a million times better than the original site. "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'm coming east! Who else will be at this 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

Fair enough. That may say more about the design of the site than the potential student's brainpower, but that's probably open for debate. Since you asked for examples, I just checked out Skydive Sacramento's newly-redesigned site. I like it - clean layout, easy navigation, and it's clear where each of their customer types should go to get the information they're looking for. http://skydivesac.com/ "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

Yes, and I mentioned how the lack of updates might create a poor impression for a potential student. "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

Do you have anywhere you can buy panko (japanese breadcrumbs)? I use it all the time to bread fish or chicken - works well baked or sauteed. Usually use do an egg or milk wash, then dip in panko or a mix of panko and parmesan cheese. I'll generally toss in some herbs as well - dried basil, garlic salt, pepper, oregano, just to give it some more zing. "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 one of the most critical things is keeping the information up to date. So, if you're going to post an events calendar - update it. If you're going to post jump ticket/student prices, keep 'em updated. If I were a brand new jumper and all the events on the calendar were from 2007 I might wonder if the DZ is even still in business ... and might not bother making a phone call to find out. Likewise, if the tandem price on the website is $220 but when I call you tell me that the price has been raised to $250 ... not a good impression. "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

And you couldn't just post it on that thread? I know you're new here but that's usually how it works. "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 has been too long Since the five-seven-five poems Have graced the Bonfire I watch sadly as My friends leave for Montana Can't leave till next week But it's still Friday Weekend coming very soon Two days with no work! "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 can get a copy of the (February or March? - I think) issue of Parachutist, there was a really good article about that very topic. It's also discussed in Skydive Radio show #115 (they interview the author): http://www.skydiveradio.com/Shows/tabid/81/Default.aspx I just listened to this one a couple days ago - there's some great ideas about how new jumpers can get to the next level. Short story - be confident, ask people to jump with you, ask for advice, be around the dropzone and introduce yourself to people, talk to organizers and if there's no one organizing brand-new jumpers, ask what you need to do to be ready to jump with the organized loads. "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 actually disagree with that, though maybe by your definition I'm not really hooked. Who knows - I've only been in it 5 years ... so by the "10 years till you get off tourist status" theory, I'm only halfway there. I enjoy the hell out of skydiving, but I still do have other important things in my life that occasionally take me away from the dropzone even on a nice weekend. Personally, I find maintaining that balance has and will contribute to my longevity in the sport. It may mean that I get "only" 100-150 jumps a year (my average is going up now that I'm somewhere with more consistent weather than the northwest), but I'm hoping it also means I'll be doing it for a long time. Some of the people I've seen leave the sport at the 250-300 jump range are the ones for whom skydiving took over every aspect of their life ... and they burned out on it. Sure, some people are able to sustain that, but not everyone is able to (or desires to). "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 had crushes on/feelings for people and never told them but "totally in love" implies mutuality and an actual romantic relationship, at least the way I define 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

That's my new favorite simile. Somehow I managed to miss it in previous readings of this thread. Still love it. And still love this thread. Bumping because Bonfire needs 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