Trae

in reply to "What do you think? " NOT funny ......DANGEROUS.......IRRESPONSIBLE. Unlike the rest of us skydivers some freeflyers act as if they invented the sport . As you say you're not a violent person... did you approach these FF people on the ground and get an explanation/apology for their behaviour? I bags dumping their reserves (on the ground ! ) for you .

in reply to "Just wonder has anybody else had similar experience? " ............... Mmmmm yep. You can only be insulted by people you respect so stop respectin' the PAs removed by slotperfect & take your money elsewhere. Sounds like the sport leech'll get the joke.

This whole card forgery trip reminds me of creative log book entries. On several occassions it has come to my attention that some people like to boost their jump numbers by slippin' with the pen a bit always in the same direction.....ie UP. One guy managed to pace the keenest jumpers and outdo them in jump numbers even though he only did the odd jump when the sun shined. It became a bit of a running joke asking "how many jumps ya got now mate?' Of course he was making most of it up. Another group were happily adding jump numbers at night laughing at the stupidity of people who worked their way up honestly. More recently the little fibs I've discovered tend to revolve around passing written instructor /TM exams (70% required), octane rating of fuel (tisk tisk), and legality/currency of working/entry visa's. (whose planet is it anyway?) (been seeing a fair bit of other questionable behaviour but there's always later for that.) DZ's are wonderful places full of wonderful people . Pity they can attract the naughty kiddies as well as the good ones. One good thing I have noticed is the naughty ones don't seem to have as much fun for as long as the good ones sorry ..... better ones.

in reply to "Violent Crime Rising Sharply in Some Cities" ...................... Is this because of disarming the population?? Just more examples of wrongful simplistic thinking by inexperienced people put in charge by dumbed down media washed minions??????

in reply to "I'm only two weeks into my first one and already I'm sure that there is no better way to remove all pleasure from something that I previously viewed as enjoyable. " .................................. Sounds like an art course I took a while ago. Even though I loved the ceramics the rest of it was more about becoming an art teacher and producing what the tutors wanted than developing artistic skills. Went back to scribbling and being self taught...... more satisfying and more artistic and more heaps cheaper.

in reply to "check the woopy-kite " ......... Whoopee Wonder how that'd fly with the pilot inside the wing rather than under it.? Stability issues perhaps??

in reply to "They are illegal in Denmark for civilian use. " ...................... I think they're illegal in most of the civilised world as well. As a rifle calibre the 44 mag is almost anemic compared to a lot of .30 rifle rounds . Good for short range stuff in the brush though.

in reply to "All I remember is something like: Inflow - outflow = generation - destruction " .................... I seem to recall that all the fluid dynamics equations are mere approximations of the 'real ' world. just love (NOT ) how those scientists think it's OK to reduce everything to imperfect equations and then apply them so astutely to our world . It's little wonder modern technology misses out on taking everything into account eg all the toxic by products ....not included in those imperfect equations No doubt everything is flowing close to estimate down and through all them pipes.

in reply to "Answer this poor guy's question!! Perhaps he cant drag a rigger around with him everywhere and the owner is not willing to give the rig to a stranger. " .......................... Yep get a rigger check if you can......otherwise use some common sense......and do some comparisons. What is your first impression of the gear.? Does it remind you of a dressed up 2nd hand car? or does it have that pre-loved and cared for look of a quality motor. If you can ...get hold of the newest gear around and do a direct comparison. Is the metal work bright or tarnished? Check the main suspension lines at the connection to the risers. This is often where the first wear shows. Are the lines impregnated with metal dust and dirt? Another place is near the outer edges of the PC pouch. Is there any sign of fraying at all?.....anywhere?? Any loose threads? To do a proper check you are going to have to dump the reserve and check every stitch on the whole rig. Most reserves will appear as if new cause they won't have had much use. Ideally the F111 should still be shiny. If it looks faded with dirty lines ...forget it. When you dump the reserve do a full cut-away reserve deployment. Are the c/a cables smooth and kink free? Measure how far the reserve pilot chute goes when deployed from a standing position. 10 feet is OK....a dribbling drip down the back of your legs is not. You may be getting the idea that a professional riggers check is not such a bad idea and usually money well spent. Do yourself a favour and find one.... in person

in reply to "shooting single-hand with .357 rounds is just a bad idea... " .................. Like a lot of things you kinda get used to it after a while . As long as you've got good ear protection and good technique the recoil issue sorts itself out. Then you'll be reaching for a 44mag or more

in reply to "I realize that the precision and capacity of a 9mm automatic surpasses that of a revolver," ............................ You usually have to pay a lot to get an automatic that's more precise than most modern revolvers. In general revolvers are renown for their inherent accuracy over auto's. That said a decent CZ 75 V's a old bucket at 100 yards. CZ wins every time.

in reply to "My guess is most modern skydivers wouldn't even consider going skydiving if the old rigs were still the only option. ................................ -but that's exactly what the kids are going to think in 20 years ------------------------------------- Mmm..... nice perspective. In 20-30 years time the new kids may be wondering what all the fuss was about as skydiving gets more and more safe and reliance on electronics increases to the point where auto-malfunction control and GPS power assisted landings happens.. I'm supposing there'll be new ways to make it dangerous . Not changing batteries in time might become the biggest danger

in reply to "How many tandems do you have, and how many have you PLF'd? Just curious. Seems crazy to plan to PLF a tandem. Sounds like a good way to break ankles! ........................... Low 800's . probably PLF'd 50 maybe less?? All were large passengers (some very large ) in nil to low winds. Not a broken ankle, bone or injury.

in reply to "Bottom line is, should something bad happen during my jumps, I don't want that to be due to some avoidable mistakes. Now how do you learn to avoid that given the fact that you can't afford to intentionally simulate a malfunction up in the air just to practice your reactions? " ........................ When most of us skydive we use two of the best brakes in the business. If the first one doesn't work then it is usually VERY obvious...and then there's an even more reliable parachute waiting ...poised ...just itchin' to go. The motivation to get rid of the malfunctioning main and activate your reserve is directly proportional to your motivation to stay alive. If you have been trained well and keep practicing what you've been taught then when it comes time to deal with a malfunction most of the time you will do it almost automatically. It's all about making the decision to do it. You'll know what to do . You just have to know when to do it........and DO IT without mucking around watching the pretty malfunction.

in reply to "where is the best place to start looking for information on the rules and regulations of opening a dropzone? " ...................... Perhaps not here Hope you make good service and excellence a priority rather than money. Just remember if you pay peanuts you get monkeys. Good luck with your enterprise .

Nice aircraft. I wonder what stopped the helium parasail idea from taking off ? Maybe the price/availability of heliuim /need for recovery tank held it back or kept it out of general use .?? Now if Mr Bede was designing helium filled wingsuits perhaps there'd be a quantum leap .

in reply to "I resent the idea that I teached them and that I am therefore responsible somehow for the grim result of wrongly executed ones. " .................... So don't take it personally if you don't want to resent it. It's only my opinion and I have been known to be wrong. in reply to "And your grandma would be better of on a no wind day with a tandemmaster sliding it in in the tall gras than trying to stand it up / run it out with 95 kg of tandemmaster at her back...'" ..................... You're probably right. but two undesirable options to my way of thinking. Just a question but have you ever done a tandem PLF? This is a much better option (in my opinion ) than butt sliding or trying to run with some-one strapped to your front. It might not look fancy and it does dirty up those pretty jumpsuits but it is nice and safe and effective. The rigs can also take a smear or two but would you prefer to get dirty and stay unhurt or get hurt but look stylish. I agree that trying to run out a fast tandem landing is usually counter-productive. If your landing area is nice and smooth then perhaps a butt slide is better ....for you . My strong feeling is that all skydivers should be more prepared to fall over (ie perform a PLF ) on every landing. Who cares if it looks funny ...it's definitely safer. When performing a tandem PLF you will usually end up sliding on your side a bit or you may roll over onto your back depending on the speed . Either way the passenger is protected and it's you who's controlling the fall. If your tandem canopy is a high performance job and you only jump in suitable conditions then PLF's may be a very rare necessity.

A typical "Skydiver". A good whoufo friend of mine after finding out that I skydived told me he knew another skydiver . After a while I met this guy. It was in a bit of a rough crowd and when this guy turned up he was jibed and known as THE skydiver. He was sprouting skydiving tales and generally being a typical gregarious loud mouthed skydiver. Then my friend introduced me and told the guy that I jumped too. THE skydiver quietened down and asked me the how many jumps question. When I told him that I was an instructor and tandem master he shut right up . It was like I'd burst his balloon at his 5th Birthday party. I was going to ask a few questions of my own but he bustled off . My mischievous friend then told me that the guy had done a couple of tandems a few years before and wouldn't shut up about it. Funnily enough this guy later attacked me out on the road when he was pissed but luckily I saw it coming and dodged successfully. Some skydiver ....attacking another skydiver cause he was shown up . Some people just can't handle the truth .....even skydivers.

in reply to "on both tandems, they are told to butt slide the landing," ................ Remind me to not let my granny do a tandem there Seriously though teaching butt slides is on the edge of stupid. I think it seeps into student landings through the primacy in learning theory. If the student is taught to definitely fall over (ie do a PLF ) and only stand up if it's unavoidable sometimes you can get through to them. Another issue with non PLF student landings is the tendency for the flare to be too powerful resulting in an atitude from which a PLF is not so natural or easy to do. The swing forward on flare can make a sideways or backwards PLF necessary. When jumping round parachutes ( where the PLF was developed ) it was an absolutely necessary skill. Now some people get by without ever doing them but when/if they really need a PLF they don't have a natural instinct to do one. This can result in them seriously injuring themselves from a landing from which a PLF could have saved them. Even old people with relatively fragile bones can survive semi-nasty landings unhurt if they perform a good PLF. APLF is after all about spreading the landing shock over as large a % of the body as possible and converting vertical descent into horizontal movement. Butt slides just don't do this consistently ...unless you have a humungous butt of course.

in reply to "If it wasn't for HIPPA, I would be taking some of my friends there on a field trip to learn a true lesson. " ........................... If only every young person had something worthwhile to do and a bright future to look forward to then the drug problem would dissolve and become a distant echo of a troubled past that is our present. Stay safe naturally ...it's more fun and lasts longer too.

in reply to "I was wondering if you could also tell me if it's only one level or more? " .............................. That'll be up to you. and how you perform. You can easily practice while out like arches ,turns and emergrency procedures by visualising and dirt-diving to stay a bit fresh with it all. Thankfully in this sport mistspelling don't matter much

in reply to "You just have to have your own portable fridge. " ........... Does this mean there's no beer chiller readily avaliable? Warm beer ??? What's the voltage there ? thinking a $100 car fridge might do to chill a six pack I know enough about BASE to know the beer HAS to be cold.

in reply to " Just one general point not aimed at anbody, but does a tandem student need to be hooked in? " .................. This is like asking if ordinary (not tandem ) canopies need to be hooked in to get a decent landing. The answer is NO they don't. Hooking a tandem in in most conditions is not necessary. Brake /surge landings are similarly not necesary. Sure a bit of extra speed can sometimes help but is it necessary ????? For some reason these things become a bit of a status symbol for some and a danger to others. I agree that the passenger should not be put at any unecessary risk. What concerns me more about the admittedly great shot (nice snap ! ) is the position of the passengers legs ie stuck staight out and rigid. Sure all things being well the landing will be uneventful and injury free. However just as in a butt slide landing there is little room for error . If this passengers legs touched down first and there was still forward motion then some injury could easily result as the shock is transmitted straight up th rigid legs. Basic landing principles ...be prepared for a PLF if required.. this applies to tandem skydiving as well as ordinary skydiving. Those that forget the basics may have to be reminded the hard way. If you have a passenger in your care then you should be thinking of their safety as well as your own ....even if you are swoop happy.

in reply to "What movies would you like to know the missing parts to? " ........................ The inner workings of the Star Wars and Star Trek mechanical levitation devices.

You could try a bit of tunnel flying. When you get bored with that you'll be itchin' for the real thing. Otherwise if you know you REALLY want to skydive and irrational fears are getting in the way..........................try giving yourself a REAL good bitch slap & I mean make it hurt. If you do this you may realise that you're in charge not your fear. Feel the pain and laugh at it.....skydiving's heaps more fun than beating yourself up. Use this technique at your own risk