grimmie

Katrina was a massive failure at the federal level, and you know it. Apples. Oranges. Nice try.

And lied about why they voted no.

Playing politics with a natural disaster I see. Nice. The mayor seems like a stand up guy and is doing all he can and seems to be performing well. I'm not sure if you have ever been involved working within the framework of a natural disaster. Hard decisions are made with the info available, sometimes quickly, and sometimes not always the correct ones. Back to your regularly scheduled politics.

Many jumpers want to get their USPA PRO rating. They think all they have to do is land ten times in a circle and they are ready to fly to glory, get lots of cash and pick up plenty of hot chicks at NFL games or other events. Here are a few pointers. 1. A PRO rating is FAR more than just landing your canopy ten times and getting signed off. There are a number of items to be checked off, such as jumping with banners and being a ground crew staff. Jumping with this adds a lot to your skill set. And it can distract you. Enough to kill you in front of thousands of spectators. You need the right equipment for certain jobs. And be proficient in using it. 2. I work with a lot of PRO rated skydivers that don't have a clue what paperwork needs filed or with who. You should know how to fill out the paperwork. And realize who is responsible if this all goes wrong. 3. Many PRO rated jumpers have no clue how to hire an aircraft or charge the client enough to cover even the basic expenses. A DZ isn't just going to fly you in or out after a load is dropped usually for a jump ticket. And some of you will have to learn how to actually spot a load without GPS. 4. Demo insurance is essential. Many jumpers have been caught without it and have been in a world of deep doo doo. I could go on and on about the mistakes made, clueless jumpers being signed off and terrible decision making at events. Don't be that guy... Guys like Twardo, who have done a few thousand more demos than me will have great advice and chime in here, but there is one thing I recommend.... If you want your PRO rating, start ground crewing a local team. Attend a PRO rating course. Learn the ins and outs of the biz. Learn the paperwork and the FAA rules.

Mow a circle in the LZ grass.

For the one hundredth time. Skysurfing was killed by a 5 foot nothing brunette dynamo. The boys got tired of having a girl kick their asses. TGO wrecked them all. They all took their boards and went home. And bought wingsuits.

I think there are three sets of viewpoints that skydivers have towards USPA. 1. New jumpers or casual jumpers that just pay their dues, enjoy the magazine and continue to jump without getting in to the drama. 2. Jumpers that realize the importance of USPA and understand they get caught in difficult positions sometimes, and strive to contact the BOD and ask questions or offer to assist. 3. Jumpers that hate the USPA, usually because one of their friends had a run in, or they just hear things and over react. The USPA gets caught in a difficult position as a membership organization. The board is made up of jumpers and DZOs. Some with their own agenda not always in line with other's ideals. The USPA is also highly respected by the FAA, our true "bosses" so to speak. When the Lodi incident happened there was a tremendous amount of pressure to do something by the USPA. If the just shrugged their shoulders and said oh well, that credibility we have with the FAA would diminish. I have had serious disagreements with the board's actions and with certain directors over the years. As have most anyone involved in the business side of jumping. Some of you want the USPA to be the enforcers of the Group Member program. I can see the crying when a DZO gets fined for violating something. Then everyone will want to string up the USPA because they took action. See my point? They walk a fine line. Every single weekend there are skydivers that are just trying to get DZs closed with their antics. We also know that many DZOs are their worst enemies. I have seen USPA go out of their way and above and beyond helping certain DZOs dig themselves out of their own hole they made. No membership organization is ever perfect. I think those of us that pay attention understand that. We have skydivers first, then DZOs and then the FAA to deal with. Now sprinkle in the gear manufacturers for another dose of drama. I think the USPA does a pretty good job at balancing it all out, even if I strongly disagree sometimes with their actions. As for the dues raise, I don't think they are hiding anything nefarious, like a new Audi R8 for Ed Scott or something. In this age of technology, it would be great to have live streaming to all of the members of each meeting. One of the big issues we will all be facing as a membership is airport access. We should actually have three people in Government Relations. As witnessed by so many airports and drop zones having issues, we all need to stay in the sky. To me that is one of the most important aspects of their mission. The NIMBY groups are gaining more and more momentum. When I had my own horrible dealings with ATC, they were actually somewhat afraid of the USPA getting involved, and I want that to continue. The USPA isn't perfect, but it sure beats having to deal with the FAA on a daily basis.

Excellent post. Thank you. And thank you for try to make a difference in serving in Afghanistan.

And to think I never thought an atheist would ever be elected president in my lifetime. And then along comes Donald Trump.

I am really going to miss him

Actually, it was the DZOs wife that called and wanted it stopped.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1678332942420987/

For the first time in history we have a POTUS that has zero experience in government. That wouldn't be a problem, normally, however he doesn't want to learn how the simplest of legislation works. And he is a complete and utter moron. So I guess there is that. If Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama did any of these things, Republican's heads would be exploding.

I will be hosting a boogie in Belize February 11-20, 2018. It will include Blue Hole jumps.

Buy a 182 in the US that is already set up for skydiving. Box it up and ship it to India. When it arrives put a "VT" registration on it and put the wings back on and fly. You might be able to fly jumpers with an "N" registered aircraft. The import duty might be high. Every civil aviation authority runs things differently. I have operated an N registered aircraft in five different countries. It's all about the relationships you build with them.

There isn't one, and since the USPA has issued its edict, DZO's have no choice but to enforce it or expose themselves to liability. As for the rest, if that sort of stuff picks at your heartstrings, you need to find a new hobby. You know what is really messed up? Not adults who have chosen to participate in a dangerous and highly lethal sport, kids, crushed and burned in cars because their parents were drunk/texting/etc #EMS, so if you want to play the gore game I'm pretty sure I've got you beat. And I'll go on to make a wager. No one reading this forum has EVER seen someone (non-BASE) go in because of a GoPro. It happened at Elsinore a few weeks ago. You can owe me.

I haven't seen Bobby Valenzuela for years. Is he still around? What a great character.

Skydive Awesome is heading up the road to a new airport. The airport they were at was public, but privately owned. Much less expensive than the battle the city was going to put them through to appease a few complainers.

Rex was a good dude. I flew right seat with him a few times in the Otter way back in the day and he taught me about turbines. Chris had just arrived at Perris. I didn't have the pleasure of meeting him. The memorial Saturday was a wonderful tribute as always.

25 years ago today. It seems like just yesterday. I can still see all of their great smiles in free fall. Wonderful memories of some tremendous people.

Some people have 200 jumps. Some people have the same jump 200 times. The "hard liners" that you speak of with their biases are only that way because we get so tired of circling at altitude, waiting to jump, until the ambulance gets out of the landing area with another mad skillz wonder.

The left likes this. Cause they can not compete in the arena of ideas, which is free speech Please. It goes both and all ways. Two words for your freedom of speech loving tolerant "the right". Tomi Lahren Now back to your regularly scheduled bickering.

When you get that list finished, let's work on a list of instructors DZOs should avoid hiring.

If the Moonies say it, it MUST be true!

I started out saying I would never do CRW, BASE jump, downsize, run an event or ever never be a DZO. That all didn't last too long.