grimmie

George Foreman (skydiver, not boxer) must have about 168,000 jumps by now. Old farts will get it...

The jet is down for a while.

Gabrielle Anwar-"Scent of a Woman" tango scene.

Hmmm. I'm sure like me, there are many others here with some very dead friends because we "left them alone"...

3,850+ Three Two "Spinettos". One trapped pilot chute, two out very low, chopped the main and lived.

I'll ask Dave and Kellie about where to send mail in donations. Thanks!

There is a fundraiser for SMA, a form of Muscular Dystrophy, at the DZ this Saturday. Dinner, poker, eat treats, bingo etc. with LOTS of skydiving gifts available to win. It's going to be a great party for a great cause. Dave and Kellie's little boy Zachary has SMA and this is a way to show our love. Be there!

Just think how little he would have had to spend without fighting two wars that GWB started, screwed up and never finished. Or how little he would have had to spend if someone in the past eight years was paying attention to the economy and Wall Street. No wonder he looks older and worn down. Scraping eight years of GOP dog poo off of the national shoe probably wears a guy out a bit.

Mr. Tim, What plans do you have to help out skydiving and skydivers if elected?

Sad news Fred. I just spoke to him two weeks ago. He was joining us in Belize and was so excited. Damn, way too soon... We'll all miss jumping with him at LP. Fly Free my friend.

There are quite a few very cool dead folks because the "Self appointed safety police" looked the other way on too many occasions.

All good points John. It will be interesting to see if Canada can avoid our same pitfalls. As you and I often talk about such things, it seems our Northern neighbors are about 20 years behind what we experience as a nation. We shall discuss this at Eden over a few drinks next summer. I think our other big threat to security is our lack of real $$$$$ at any level. Feds, State, county, City. All broke... I was watching a news piece about a group spending about $20million to squash the health care bill. Intersting. I wonder how many people they could have cured with that money????? But that's an entire new thread.

Hmmm, I'm asking Santa for a safe 2010 for all of my fellow jumpers. THAT would put me at PEACE with the world for a bit. And an Audi R8 wouldn't suck too much either!

The fire department in Eloy used to hate the DZ and skydivers in general. One day there were two fatalities within hours of each other. A no pull and a hook turn into a parked pick up truck next to the bunkhouse. It was pretty ugly when they came out to work up the man that hooked into the parking lot. I stopped by their station one day and asked if I could conduct a training course for skydiver injuries. They reluctantly agreed. After the three hour training session they had a WAY better understanding of our sport. We worked on a response plan together for their ambulance and the local air ambulance. Things ran smoothly after. I recently did a course for the Perris FD/ambulance/Air ambulance providers. Like Mojosparky, I have been on the FD for 30years. It helps if you can get a local jumper that "talks their language" and can present a training course. I have a great training DVD and will be filming an additional one showing proper gear removal and C-spine procedures. Call me if I can help you guys out in any way. It won't be as hard to get the local authorities on the same page as it seems, really. It's all in the presentation. Good luck.

It sounds like a DZ that isn't doing a very good job educating the local agencies. It sounds like a skydiver urban legend. Ask the DZO what is done to train the local FD/Ambulance/PD on their DZ operations during emergencies.

Practice your PLF's and get back on the horse.

We met at Brento years ago. He was the first BASE wingsuiter I ever saw jump in person. A class act. Fly Free my friend

MrDree, good points. There is a chemical that has been outlawed worldwide called "Hexavalent Chromium". OSHA and other government agencies aren't removing it from the supply chain. It's the chemical that made everyone ill and dead in the movie "Erin Brockovich". A green chemical has been invented called "Trivalent Chromium" that is green. It works better and doesn't cause cancer. But Hex is still used worldwide. Strange...

I could have put up about 1,000 groups or things or people to vote for. I used Muslim extremists because they were featured in a different thread. That's why I said to feel free to put in your own #1 "threat". Nothing sinister here Shroppy, just voicing my concerns about gangs here in the US of A. Hell, I'm dissapointed no one nominated Sarah Palin.

Here in SoCal the Crips and Bloods are joining forces to combat the Latin and Asian gangs moving in on their turf. I NEVER thought that would happen. Kids are getting gunned down in drive bys at high school homecoming football games and no one cares...

Jon Stewart called him out and he ate some "humble pie" on the air. With a smirk...

Isn't it amazing that the Crips, Bloods, Mexican Mafia, biker gangs and a myriad of assorted local gangs aren't listed as "Extremists groups" in the USA wiki site? I think our threat from gang activity is being overlooked in a big way by our government. The "news" outlets like to create terrorists from the "Middle East" as the boogieman under the bed. Your chances of being harmed by a gang member is WAY greater. The apathy our nation has towards drive by shootings that kill or injure innocent people/children is appalling. The gangs are going hi-tech and getting young, suburban kids involved in their activities with the "cool" factor. It amazes me that all of the gang violence I have witnessed first hand over the years takes a back seat to other issues. In the city I work for we have about 2,500 gang members. There are TWO police officers assigned to gangs. Pitifull. I think it is time to handle our domestic threats. Just my 2 pennies worth.

I read a lot of SC and enjoy the various stances everyone takes on the hot issues of the day/week. After the Ft. Hood shooting and reading about the latest decisions in Afghanistan that need to be made, I thought I would post this poll. I'll give my thoughts (not that any of you care!) after a few responses. Feel free to add your own threats you feel are threatening us. I'm sure there are some of you that wish you could click an "Obama" or "Pat Robertson" selection.

Your reserve will keep you afloat for a while. Times may vary depending upon the rig/pack job etc. Don't rely on it to save your life. The key to a water landing is not to panick. The worst thing that happens is getting the lines entangled in with your legs. Land into the wind. Chop your main if it's dragging you. Get out of your rig if your reserve is dragging you. Don't cut away until "splash down". Stay calm. Think your way out of any issues. My favorite water jump each year, 60 miles out from land. http://www.skydivebelize.com/Ferringto-Blue-Hole_cropped.jpg

I was at the Denver/Chargers game a few mondays ago and watched Ron Lee and his "Elite" team jump into the "Q". It was an outstanding demo with all stand up landings. Last night someone brought a huge American flag into the Denver/Steelers game. It made it on all of the sports show recaps. Nice. Thanks to the guys and gals putting on great shows at the hi profile (and other) events and showing our sport for what it is. Nice jobs.