-Barry-

I'm a politician from the media who doesn't know what he's talking about. Oh, and a WHUFFO. As long as I'm here, I'll choose one of the issues I bought up and try to explain myself more. Hmm...nah, I don't think there's a need to explain. Have fun everyone. Politics and social affairs resources at PoliSource.com

Not the first, but the others yes, a little bit. Politics and social affairs resources at PoliSource.com

> So what's your revolutionary idea that's going to > save us poor jumpers? Reflective tape on our > canopies...what makes you an expert on what's > visible up there in the sky... I gave some ideas in another thread that have probably been discussed enough to give me a clear enough answer (there was no "revolutionary idea that's going to save us poor jumpers"). I don't recall any that seemed especially innovative. I just felt like they should be mentioned as reminders, if that's all they were. At first I thought reflective materials were either too heavy, weak, or stiff, or had to be sewn on and would effect the smooth opening of the chute, or else they were already used and known to parachuters, but now it sounds like that might have been my most unique idea. It sounds like reflective inks could be used with no problem. See http://cms.3m.com/cms/US/en/2-135/cirlzFY/view.jhtml. Maybe I'll contact 3m and ask if those inks have ever been used on a parachute, just out of curiosity. Politics and social affairs resources at PoliSource.com

Not all things are as easy to fix as the things I'm discussing here seem to be. You can think of this as my hobby, like skydiving, only with the opposite affect on life and limb. I'm sure some proposed safety measures have been tried and failed and many people who have no experience in the sport, like me, are totally clueless about how to make it safe, but I still think there's reason to believe some of my ideas would do more good than harm. In Why negativity about AADs is disturbing someone responded to statistics by saying If there's indication that enough changed over the years that the statistics shouldn't be considered, fine, but I'd put money on it that not enough changed and that AADs save lives overall, and I don't even know what AADs are! Politics and social affairs resources at PoliSource.com

Maybe you didn't refresh, or maybe I didn't save them originally. Anyway, I entered it again. Real Name: Barry Interests: Safety issues, but I'm not a parachutist, skydiver, etc. Homepage: PoliSource Politics and social affairs resources at PoliSource.com

I added a profile. I realize that there are risks people take every day. Even I don't live life as safely as possible. Maybe some of my ideas would raise the cost of skydiving to an unacceptable level to some people, or having more government regulation would lead to the government controlling every move I make. I just have concerns and would like to raise some points in case they're helpful to anyone (regulators included). I'm not preaching that you should think of your families or set a good example and look for a safer hobby, or anything like that. I don't see why suggestions (actually, I think they were mostly questions) about things like reflective parachutes should get a response like "why should we tell you anything" or like some of my (I think) private responses. I'm a bit of an activist and I care about preventing pain, injury, and death even of people I don't know and their families. I also tend to have a lot of ideas. I don't always take the time to fully research something, but I think I put things in question form in those cases rather than in preachy form. Politics and social affairs resources at PoliSource.com

My ideas were meant to save lives in the future, no matter what happened in this case, though this case should add to the statistics and be considered. Unfortunately: (all quotes from http://www.uspa.org/about/page2/relative_safety.htm) Wouldn't every skydiver like to know which skydiving centers are safer than others? Statistics could take into consideration how busy the centers are. At least I could choose a USPA Group Member drop zone, but should it be allowed to have any others? I bet not all skydivers, especially beginners who need to take the most precautions, know about USPA Group Membership. It should be required to report accidents. The page lists the number of fatalities for 2003 and other years, but that's all. Where can I find full comparative data for the other years? Relying on people's memories for this is a little ridiculous. Politics and social affairs resources at PoliSource.com