skyjumpenfool

Personally, I don't care if you drink too much, roll a fat one, or do hard drugs for that matter. Your body - your life - your decision. However, please don't do so if you’re jumping with or around me. "Be discrete" is good advice. But, please let me know if you're drunk or stoned before you board a plane with me. You don't have to get off the plane, just allow me to. And, for the record, I'm certainly no saint!! There is a time and a place for everything. Birdshit & Fools Productions "Son, only two things fall from the sky."

Keep in mind, during AFF you will have 2 fully qualified Instructors hanging onto you and giving you directions. Will that ease your mind? So, I would go with AFF. Oh, and... Welcome to our playground! Birdshit & Fools Productions "Son, only two things fall from the sky."

Part of the problem here, IMHO, is the same thing we're seeing with open canopy incidents. In today’s skydiving world, you board a plane every 20 minutes, you have someone else packing your 3 rigs, when you land, you’re busy uploading your Go Pro footage, etc. People are progressing in jump #'s at lightning speed, but, not spending the time on the ground watching and learning. Not all skydiving experience comes from jumping!!!

As I've stated in other well meaning threads... I'm just an old fart who has no horse in this race, but, I do have an opinion. I just recently purchased a new rig. I did a lot of research and put a lot of thought into my selection of equipment. I did equip it with an RSL. I did NOT purchase an AAD. I weighed the pros and cons. I looked at all the reasons to have an AAD and I looked at arguments against. The deciding factor, for me, was the $ COST $. My question for discussion is this... Why has the cost of this device not come down? Is that not the trend for electronic devices? I'm not suggesting we’re being gouged or anything like that, I'm just curious. At a lower price (possibly somewhere below $1K) I might be more inclined to purchase. Blaze away O’ fellow Opinionated Butt Heads!! Birdshit & Fools Productions "Son, only two things fall from the sky."

Sucks nonetheless! Birdshit & Fools Productions "Son, only two things fall from the sky."

Are you sure it's a woman? ..... I'm just saying. Birdshit & Fools Productions "Son, only two things fall from the sky."

Clearly, you're not a "Skydiver" yet!! And, you need to stop hanging with the "Grumpy" clique. Birdshit & Fools Productions "Son, only two things fall from the sky."

I'd say Twardo is close... You're a skydiver when you believe you are! When you're somewhere else, doing anything else and all you can think about is your next jump... you're a skydiver. When you relate the cost of a new pair of jeans not to dollars and cents, but to how many "skydives" that will cost.... you're a skydiver. You don't choose to be a skydiver, it grabs you by the heart and soul. And, my friend, it never lets go.... then, you're a skydiver. Birdshit & Fools Productions "Son, only two things fall from the sky."

All valid points.... However, you can't blame everyone else (i.e. lawsuit) for your own acts of stupidity. Yes, shit does happen! But suing someone else for your mistake is just wrong. If you want to gain (financially) from your own acts of stupidity, purchase a "Stupid" insurance policy. I'm betting some slick agent will sell you some? Birdshit & Fools Productions "Son, only two things fall from the sky."

*cough* Oh, hey Mike! Two very good points!! So, Wissota it is... See you there Lynn. __________ Following the Local Skydiving Facebook page is getting very interesting. Each DZ trying to draw in the skydiving dollars. Pics of a shinny Otter just arriving at one, another is posting pics of the Carravan that's "on its way". Let the "Price Wars" begin!! Birdshit & Fools Productions "Son, only two things fall from the sky."

Here's what you do - get a list of all the events each DZ has planned, and pick the ones you want to attend. That takes care of some of your weekends. Oh no! Dave, the problem is worse than you know.... I have summers off. That's right, I take my retirement on the installment plan, 12 weeks every summer. June thru August, I'll have to plan for 7 days a week? How will I survive? I'll just have to take my old ZX11 (see aviator) and ride from DZ to DZ. Life is good! @ Cocheese.... I like your thinking! Birdshit & Fools Productions "Son, only two things fall from the sky."

Dear Doctor Ruth, As the DZ’s are opening and the Northern season is about to begin, I’m confronted with a dilemma. Two years ago, a new DZ opened just to the West (45 min.) of me. It’s run by a great DZO and has the making for a really good DZ. My son is working there as a packer. To the North, another new DZ (55min.) is being run. I’m told it’s a fantastic place to spend some time and I know the DZO’s are wonderful people. This season, a third new DZ is opening to the NE (30min). The DZO’s are good friends and great people. I’m sure their operation will be a great success. Combine that with the other 3 unbelievable DZ’s (all within 90 minutes drive) I already frequent as much as I’m permitted, and you can begin to see my problem. I now have 7 DZ’s within short driving distance. What a problem to have? But, knowing the economics and politics of the sport, it’s hard to decide where to spend my time. Signed… DZaplenty Birdshit & Fools Productions "Son, only two things fall from the sky."

Um... remember, these "certificates" are usually distributed as a marketing tool. I won a 1/2 off Wings certificate at a skydive for breast cancer event. I donated some $$$$ for the cause (something I would have done regardless of the prize) and my name was picked out of a hat. I ended up buying a new

Oh Hell! Some of us have been "ruining" jumps for over 35 years. You can "ruin" a jump with me anytime. Sounds like you're learning from your experience, and that the instructors are covering all the "important" bases. Kiss passes have been part of the sport since before I started jumping. Anytime you get a kiss pass, it's a good thing. AT ANY EXPERIENCE LEVEL! That is, unless you see Twardo flying at you all puckered up>>>> Birdshit & Fools Productions "Son, only two things fall from the sky."

There’ve also been some problems?? I still do not use one, mostly due to the cost. I'm not sure (in my own mind) if the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Convince me ---- Birdshit & Fools Productions "Son, only two things fall from the sky."

First, this is not a "Blog" It's a forum for skydivers (and Woofos - that’s you) to discuss skydiving issues. Secondly, the folks who frequent this FORUM jump out of airplanes for fun. Your "formidable adversary" does not scare them. And lastly, there is a very simple solution to this whole issue. If you or any others don't like the noise, MOVE!!! If Ms. Gibbs hasn't figured that out yet, I question just how "smart" she really is. Birdshit & Fools Productions "Son, only two things fall from the sky."

Color doesn't matter. It's all about the flames painted over it. I disagree! Red helmets have a much higher perpensity for crash. Especially w/ flames. Twardo, I'd say mom should look for one in Red/White/Blue to match your demo rig. Birdshit & Fools Productions "Son, only two things fall from the sky."

I agree with you on the post but I want to point out that this could also lead to a ton of pencil whipping. and thus counterproductive. I know we have it now as well. I find people to be, for the most part, honest. We can't solve all the worlds problems but we can take steps to insure our skydiving future is a safe one.

The skydive is only half the fun. You have to get to and from the DZ. I'd recommend a Kawasaki ZX-14 or a SusiQ Busa. Seriously, if you're looking for ground rush, why quit when the plane shuts down? Birdshit & Fools Productions "Son, only two things fall from the sky."

Thanks, I've been playing around w/camera on CRW jumps when I get a chance. We forget that CRW brings it's own challenges. How do you (or others) mount cameras for CRW? Birdshit & Fools Productions "Son, only two things fall from the sky."

Great shots... can you tell us what camera and lenses? Settings? Birdshit & Fools Productions "Son, only two things fall from the sky."

I posted this in a parallel forum... http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?do=post_view&post=4287421 Sorry about the cross posting, but here it is for discussion. Wing Loading BSR... For a Pro rating, I believe you need to be rated on the canopy you're going to use on demo's? I'd say this could work for a wing loading rating. You do a course, put in the time, and become "Rated" on the wings allowed for that rating. If you want a higher rating, you get certified for that wing. What if we separated the W/L rating from the actual license? Something like below... Below is a rough sketch of what I’m talking about and I’ve given minimal thought to the exact numbers/wing loadings/etc. for the ratings. I post this just for discussion. __________________________________________ No canopy rating.. Non elliptical up to .8 w/l class 1. B license required (card complete) non elliptical up to 1.2w/l class 2. C license required non elliptical up to 1.5 w/l semi-elliptical up to 1.2 w/l No ellipticals! No X-braced class 3. 500 jumps in class 2 non elliptical up to 1.7 w/l semi-elliptical up to 1.5 w/l elliptical up to 1.2 w/l no X-braced class 4. 500 jumps in class 3 unlimited non elliptical semi-elliptical up to 1.9 w/l elliptical up to 1.6 w/l X-braced up to 1.4 class 5. 500 jumps in class 4 Open/swooper class _______________________________________ I could now hold a C-3 license. I'd have the privileges of The C License on a canopy up to the class 3 restrictions. Or, I could have a D-2 license with the privileges of the D license and fly a canopy up to the class 2 restrictions. No Exceptions needed or allowed!! Food For Thought …flame on! ... or better yet, revise my rambling to make it work! Birdshit & Fools Productions "Son, only two things fall from the sky."

Yes, it is on the strict side. The way it clearly needs to be. You see, this is the problem in the first place. I believe, as do others, that experience combined with education creates competance. You get experience by doing something over and over(jump #'s). Within each category you'll spend 500 jumps going thru the downsizing progression while gaining experience , skills, knowlege, and understanding of each canopy. Again, this idea is just a brainstorming exercise and I'm hoping we're open minded enough to allow change and revision. This, as in all things, is a work in progress. Please don't take this the wrong way, but the whole idea is to keep people from doing in 205 jumps what should be taking 1700. Birdshit & Fools Productions "Son, only two things fall from the sky."

I'm no canopy expert. If you could change the numbers to make it right, what would you change? Keep in mind, I agree with your "lack of education" statement. That's why each canopy level increase would come with a course and training. You'd have to work at jumping small canopies. Birdshit & Fools Productions "Son, only two things fall from the sky."

Wing Loading BSR...For a Pro rating, I believe you need to be rated on the canopy you're going to use on demo's? I'd say this could work for a wing loading rating. You do a course, put in the time, and become "Rated" on the wings allowed for that rating. If you want a higher rating, you get certified for that wing. What if we separated the W/L rating from the actual license? Something like below... Below is a rough sketch of what I’m talking about and I’ve given minimal thought to the exact numbers/wing loadings/etc. for the ratings. I post this just for discussion. __________________________________________ No canopy rating.. Non elliptical up to .8 w/l class 1. B license required (card complete) non elliptical up to 1.2w/l class 2. C license required non elliptical up to 1.5 w/l semi-elliptical up to 1.2 w/l No ellipticals! No X-braced class 3. 500 jumps in class 2 non elliptical up to 1.7 w/l semi-elliptical up to 1.5 w/l elliptical up to 1.2 w/l no X-braced class 4. 500 jumps in class 3 unlimited non elliptical semi-elliptical up to 1.9 w/l elliptical up to 1.6 w/l X-braced up to 1.4 class 5. 500 jumps in class 4 Open/swooper class _______________________________________ I could now hold a C-3 license. I'd have the privileges of The C License on a canopy up to the class 3 restrictions. Or, I could have a D-2 license with the privileges of the D license and fly a canopy up to the class 2 restrictions. No Exceptions needed or allowed!! Food For Thought …flame on! ... or better yet, revise my rambling to make it work! Birdshit & Fools Productions "Son, only two things fall from the sky."