DSE

Will you describe setting up your rig properly (in compliance with the TSO) and using a shrivel for skydiving?

I dunno. Does it? It's an option, so it's a question for the original owner. it might have a base pocket/shrivel too (not to be used for skydiving). And maybe has an LQRS. Or not. Ask the owner.

There is no cabled P2 anymore, so they're the same. If you're looking at an older P2, there may have been some minor changes with regards to booties, inlet placement, grippers slightly diff, and of course, old P2's have cables to connect the wings. The P2 zippered is now standard equipment. The option to consider if you're buying new is to get backfly inlets (can't imagine buying without em')

it matters in that we could pull stories going back years, such as the one that put me on the "yellow list" back shortly after 9/11. The older stories don't bear a lot of relevance to what is happening today, or what has changed in the past 60 days, which is what has a large portion of the population unhappy. It doesn't matter in that the TSA has an attitude that they're Teflon and they continue to abuse the power they have, and add more indignities on travelers, simply because sheeple have allowed them to do so.

There are good handcam vidiots out there, damn few, but a few. It provides a good perspective for one aspect of the skydive, and it frees up a slot on the plane. On small DZ's, I see this as somewhat essential. Can't take 6 in a 182, and couples like to jump together... My personal concern about handcams is the very wrong thought that any TI can manage it. We've already had one fatality that hasn't been confirmed as being related to the hand-cam, but it surely appears as such. Check out the TI's that post video of their tandem cutaways where they don't bother to pull reserve because the MARD got it. They film the deployment thinking it's "cool." In other words, the camera is a distraction to experienced TI's too.

I bought the DroidX. Tried various versions of iPhones several times. Aside from the fac that it doesn't work at my Utah home, and barely works at my Lake Elsinore home...I gave up. Very happy with the X. I also bought the Samsung Fantastic for my daughter, and it too...very nice. Most iimportantly, they both actually make phone calls, which my iPhones couldn't do.

Although this story makes me a little more angry at the TSA, why has no one commented that it occurred long before scanners? This is an old story.

Hit up JT Valente. He's occasionally here on DZ.com and he's about as "in the mix" as anyone there.

The constitution doesn't explicity give the right to the TSA (or any government agency) to remove leg braces from a four year old boy that can't walk, it doesn't explicity give Homeland Security the right to feel your balls, and it doesn't give anyone the right to shoot video or photos of private citizens and post them on the web, either. If it doesn't explicitly stipulate the people are guaranteed to air travel, it can't be explicit (nor even specious about) personal body searches. It's not fair nor prudent (nor Constitutionally guaranteed) that your paranoia shouldn't affect my perfectly relaxed slumber on a flight. I don't think people that allow bodyscans are "brainwashed drones." I do feel they're lazy and don't understand exactly what they're giving up in the name of convenience. One last thing...I just bought a plane ticket a few minutes ago. I have looked the entire document over very, very carefully. I cannot find language anywhere on there that says I'm agreeing to undergo anything, specifically searches and ball-groping. We want to fly, and we want to fly safely. Only a moron would think for one second that the TSA has any ability to further that goal. Was it Homeland Security that discovered the largest stash of PETN last week? Or were they the ones that investigated and signed off on the naturalization papers of the guy that mixed it?

http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=3998442#3998442 When this passes, you'll see more broad seizures and shutdowns.

No doubt, you're 110% right, John. We all make "oops" and when you're in the spotlight it's easier even still. However in the case of Sarah Palin, she is a journalism major and yet still can't utter a grammatically correct sentence. Or perhaps she is able but instead is playing "hick" for the masses. She wants to be the leader of the free world; Palin needs to get her geography and English on.

Impressive and inspiring!

I'd suggest you need to listen more closely. You keep unrelated problems into this discussion. Ever heard the story about the "camel's nose?" http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=3488713#3488713 http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1223718#1223718 What is more egregious than giving up liberties for zero gain? Obviously most Americans see clearly through this sham. Take us back to the days immediately following 9/11 if necessary. I'd MUCH rather have the US Marines standing at arms in the airport than have a fugly pervert paid to pluck my pubes.

Where did I say that?

That story must be false. I'd NEVER consider sneaking into Manitoba. Sweetgrass is SO much easier.

You'd be right.

You want to see outrage over infringement upon rights and liberties!!?? I'd love to take those most bent over body scanners and agressive pat-downs and make them go through Israeli airport security a few times. They'd be running to just go through a body scanner after that. Uhh...I have. As recently as two months ago. As many as three times in 2010. During the first Hamas attack of 2010. I'll GLADLY 110% go through Israeli screening compared to the TSA version of screening. I also went through Turkey in January 2010. And through Bahrain, Phuket, Changi, Gatwick, Gothenberg, Schipol (twice) Charles de Galle, and several ports in Canada, mostly YEG. Just in 2010. Not only are the processes significantly less personally invasive, but you're respected as a human being. In Edmonton and Toronto, i'm regularly frisked. No one has ever toughed my scrotum, no one has ever patted my ass. Patrick Henry would be rolling over in his grave if he were to see America today. The soldiers that are fighting in the Middle East are stunned at what we're becoming, what the hell are they fighting for if not for our personal liberties and safety? Our soldiers have always fought abroad so we as civilians don't have to worry about domestic terrorism. The domestic terrorism we need to fear isn't Al Queda but rather Homeland Security, which is little different than brownshirts dressed in blue.

So because taxes are being misused and unemployment is a problem, and we have 600.00 hammers, we should just give up on personal freedoms? There is no "might" about it. They've already done it. More than once. And undoubtably will do it again. Saying a picture *might* get out onto the internet is a LOT more likely than that a terrorist *might* get a useful weapon past security devices that have been in place for a decade, but were misused and previous weaknesses exploited. America was built on the premise of avoiding tyranny and losses of personal liberties.

Massive respect to Scott Bland for being able to fly in such a contortion. Question: Did the docks cause Scott to want to stall out or go head low? I can see how it might put the base wanting to go head low as he supports the additional drag and imbalance. Does the stinger bring it back to balance?

I called Pacific. Would you recommend SDH instead? The only reason I thought of Pacific first is because they have a PAC. Personally, I've never had good luck with Pacific. Other people have. I've twice gone over there to jump and found myself dissatisfied with a few things (waiting 30 mins simply to fill out a waiver being one of them, being bumped for tandems another). I jump at SDH and they've always been exceptionally accomodating. I'd rather jump a Caravan than a PAC for WS anyway. SDH is also the home of the Wingsuits Over Hawaii boogie event held the last weekend in April or first week in May (first week in May 2011). I know Pacific Coast is a great group; a few friends have worked there. It's just that I've personally never had success nor a good vibe from the place.

are you calling Skydive Hawaii or Pacific Coast? Bear in mind they're a few hours behind PST. Mary, Blossom, et al are typically great at answering after 7 a.m. in Hawaii. I don't think the holiday makes any difference.

The DZ has a shuttle from Waikiki that runs every day that they have students scheduled. Call manifest at SDH and they'll tell you the times for pickups. IIRC, 7 a.m. is the first. I'd be kinda surprised if any skydivers lived in the horrifically expensive Waikiki area. Be sure to get a good briefing for WS from TK, Joe, or one of the other active wingsuit pilots. Super fun place to fly, no doubt.

If you only knew how cute and sweet Elsinore's Emily is...you'd understand.

No, not every TSA worker. that's just plain silly to say. Just the ones that are child molesters, rapists, nymphomaniacs...and don't forget the thieves, drug users, drug pushers, gangsters, sociopaths, and power-trippers.

Yes, it's a bullshit story. However, a bullshit story doesn't make it out to be "worse than it really is" because what it is, is a massive farce foisted upon the people of this country. When we're afraid of ourselves, afraid of decent people pushed to do indecent things, by an indecent government that profits from the fear that they've falsely generated, then it doesn't get a whole lot worse. I'm an American citizen. I resent that in the name of convenience, freedoms are being taken from us because there are sheep that are happy to believe the propaganda. If all this accomplished one damn thing, then I'd wager that the world would be different. It is what it is. It's a series of compromises that are based on false information in the first place. Had the security services done their jobs in the first place, 9/11 wouldn't have happened. Stepping up real security is a great thing, but we're still expecting people with a 5th grade education, many of whom barely speak English, to protect us from significantly smarter people. Instead, we've seen numerous real stories of theft, abuse, lies, coverups, misappropriations, abuse, and now molestation. A bullshit story from the UK doesn't change the real stories nor does it advance the cause of protecting our individual rights as American citizens.