georgerussia

Same to me, just slightly more jumps and wingloading about 0.95. And I'd like to add that I have no intention to downsize until I get 500 jumps (and probably even there). I've done a few stupid things when my wingloading canopy type saved my bones. And I don't like titanium. * Don't pray for me if you wanna help - just send me a check. *

about 5,000 miles from my hometown. * Don't pray for me if you wanna help - just send me a check. *

Any GA plane should be an easy task for any modern ground-air missile, so the whole problem is just around that person who have to press the button. However the key factor in fighting the terrorism is prevention, especially the intelligence part. When the plane has taken off it is already too late. * Don't pray for me if you wanna help - just send me a check. *

Well, you can shoot it. This happened a few times in Soviet Union in 1970s. * Don't pray for me if you wanna help - just send me a check. *

As with driving example, we should compare percentages, not just numbers. How many people do you know who are active skydivers, and how many people do you know who are active drug users? * Don't pray for me if you wanna help - just send me a check. *

Those are simple: USPA would define it using some criteria most people agree on. It is the same with camera jumps: why do you suggested to have minimum 200 jumps before jumping a camera, and not 190 or 300? * Don't pray for me if you wanna help - just send me a check. *

This is simply wrong. This might be true depending on how placenta works. This is the same as "95% of those who died ate cucumbers at least once". Might be true. However the number of chemicals does not matter. The amount of those chemicals does. Your bottled drinking water might contain traces of mercury and uranium, and still be safe to drink. I heard the same about Viagra, and don't believe into it. This one is partially correct, the headache is a result of increased internal brain pressure. This is also a well-known fact that you can reduce or even eliminate the hangover if you drink a lot of water - no less than 1 liter - right before going to bed after having a good party, and if you wake up at night, you drink more (and this is why I almost never had a hangover :) About 12 (4 liters), if I'm right. And doesn't actually help. It is much better to eat a non-sweet yogurt. Same as with cucumbers above. This is not true either. Nope. The food you ate will absorb alcohol, therefore delaying the cosequenses of the consumption. If you ate before you drink, you will be able to drink more, but your hangover tomorrow will be worse. However if you get a single drink just 30-40 minutes before the party starts, this will help to prepare your liver for alcohol, therefore helping your body getting rid of it faster. Maybe. However there are more robberies than rapes. And one of the worst things you can do to your body is mixing alcohol with Red Bull. * Don't pray for me if you wanna help - just send me a check. *

Well, in the past when tandems didn't exist, at least in Russia the same people come out, pass a forty hours training, make one, two or three static line jumps with a round canopy, and then you never see them again. I agree that the number (in percentage) of people who'd continue after they do those three jumps was larger than for tandems. But not if you look on absolute numbers. The forty hours training was itself the turn-off for a lot of people who are doing tandems now. * Don't pray for me if you wanna help - just send me a check. *

No, this course either shouldn't be a part of license requirements, or should not concentrate on performance-oriented canopies. Not everybody with "C" or "D" license is flying or going to fly a HP canopy. There is a lot of jumpers with thousands of jumps, who jump a Spectre loaded at 1.1-1.3, and have no intention to downsize or change the canopy. However we can introduce additional requirements for people who want to jump HP canopies. There are already such requirements for wingsuits, camera flying and so on - why not have a specific requirements for a HP canopies? * Don't pray for me if you wanna help - just send me a check. *

You generally need to have a reserve when you do such jumps from the aircraft - in case the static line was rigged wrong, and you would hung on it. In this case the jumpmaster would cut the static line, then you open your reserve and land it. You do not need a reserve, however, when you do such a jump from the MI-8 helicopter, because it could just land with you safely (well, comparing to AN-2 :)) * Don't pray for me if you wanna help - just send me a check. *

I'll be there, maybe with Safiya. Looking to share a ride from Sunnyvale /South Bay, so we can drive in a carpool line. * Don't pray for me if you wanna help - just send me a check. *

Hey, Sean, we definitely should drink some vodka when you're back. Wish you speed recovery. No hurry, winter weather sucks anyway. * Don't pray for me if you wanna help - just send me a check. *

It depends on how old you are. If you're 18, it is pretty slutty. If you're 45, this is nothing :P * Don't pray for me if you wanna help - just send me a check. *

I would also add that Sabre 2 loaded at 1.2 looks kinda aggressive canopy choice for a jumper with 23 jumps. * Don't pray for me if you wanna help - just send me a check. *

Yeah, this was tough. Expect the greatest hug as soon as I see you. * Don't pray for me if you wanna help - just send me a check. *

Looks too expensive for me. Last year when I was post-AFF and start looking for a new gear, I've got a better deal (Icon/Triathlon/Smart all DOM 2005 for ~$2600). Ask GravityGirl, she might have something for you. * Don't pray for me if you wanna help - just send me a check. *

Sure I will. Hope I'll get the first class seat, and order champagne :) * Don't pray for me if you wanna help - just send me a check. *

Not necessary, if you get something loaded as 0.9 - 1.0. I still jump my Triathlon 190 I jumped since jump #16 (thanks GravityGirl), and currently I am have no plans to downsize. Well, I was planning to downsize to something like Spectre 170 after 200 jumps, but now I think that it is not a good idea, and now I'm planning to do it after 500 jumps (but not necessary will). * Don't pray for me if you wanna help - just send me a check. *

And the canopy is D1-5U with special static line configuration - there is no pilot chute, and the static line is directly attached to the deployment bag (which looks like LONG nylon sausage). Of course, the d-bag itself is not attached to the canopy :) This type of jumps was very popular in Soviet army for beginners or low pulls. I did four such jumps, but from ~1800ft. * Don't pray for me if you wanna help - just send me a check. *

AFAIK it is even slower than C-182 :) * Don't pray for me if you wanna help - just send me a check. *

This decision actually has nothing with one's ability to make decision for himself. If all (most) of the restaurants use trans fat, your decision making ability is already very limited. It is similar to the asbestos and lead paint ban imposed by the government - should it be my decision to choose a paint? They are already doing it, but slowly. The big first step was already done. There are now more in progress, like serious increase in cigarette taxes (at least in California). This is a good point. If the number of people being killed on hurt in skydiving will come even close to the current obesity rate (24%?), I suspect the government will definitely impose some restrictions on it, or even ban it. * Don't pray for me if you wanna help - just send me a check. *

I do not believe in this either. Like most of the people who were smoking for last twenty years also did not stop smoking just because the government banned smoking in most public places, and increased taxes on tobacco products. However I personally know several persons who did stop, and obviously there will be less smokers in future than it would be without this ban. Will this ban make the general population healthier? Most likely. Will it alone solve the obesity problem? I don't think so. But will it help? Definitely. You are right - but it still depends on what you eat too much. Some food has greater "obesity factor" than other; so far nobody has become obese by eating too much apples or oranges, and nobody has become healthies by eating trans fat products. Unfortunately the market itself sometime makes very ugly decisions. At least I fail to see how drug, alcohol or tobacco market voluntarely restricted themselves until the government stepped in. And you know that anti-trust laws (which are basically against true "market" economy) are there for a reason. Personally I'd like to see a kind of extra "tax" on a trans fat food, which could be used to offset the cost of healthy food. As a result, "trash" food would cost the same as healthy food, or even more. This would help the people make better decisions. Yes, this means that the people who eat mostly trans fat would eat less - but that's what you need to decrease the obesity rate, isn't it? * Don't pray for me if you wanna help - just send me a check. *

I see several problems here. First, so far a lot of individuals seems to unable to make a correct decision for themselves. Just look on the obesity rate around the country. After all, that's why the government banned the drugs - every adult knows, or should know, the cosequences of using them, doesn't he? Second, it seems to be not just the individual problem. The obesity rate increase resulted in direct increase of group health insurance premiums, making the health insurance more expensive and less affordable. I know at least two employers in SFBY, who do not provide health insurance benefits because the cost increased almost twice since 2005. Third, I doubt you can find a fast food reustarant, which does not use trans fat. And if you willing to go to a fast food, but do not want to eat trans fat - even if it obviously will cost more - you are on your own * Don't pray for me if you wanna help - just send me a check. *

Need a ride, preferrably with a stop-by in a liquor store to show my appreciation for the ride with a cold one (or a hot one, like a lovely Captain Morgan). Arriving: PHX on Dec 25, 11:38AM, US Airways flight #351. Those in need: 12/18 Arriving (AJWILSON) 12/21 12/22 12/23 12/24 12/25 Arriving US Airways flight #351,11:38AM (GeorgeRussia) 12/26 Arriving Southwest at 8:35 pm(Evelyn) 12/27 12/28 12/29 Leaving Southwest at 7:00 am(Evelyn) 12/30 Those who can do a good deed: 12/24 12/25 12/25 12/26 12/26 12/26 12/26 12/26 12/27 12/27 12/29 Here are the Phoenix/Sky Harbor arriving flight terminals. There is no parking in front of the terminals ,and it is best to pick up on the south side outside of baggage claim. Terminal 2 Air Canada Alaska Airlines Lufthansa Shuttle by United TWA United USAir Terminal 3 American ATA Canadian Airlines Delta Frontier Midwest Express Northwest/KLM Skywest Western Pacific Terminal 4 Aero Mexico America West British Airways Continental International Arrivals LTU Southwest * Don't pray for me if you wanna help - just send me a check. *

How cold is it typically in Arizona during Christmas season? Is staying in a tent an option? * Don't pray for me if you wanna help - just send me a check. *