jdfreefly

First page talks about skydiving, other than calling us "adrenalin junkies", it seemed pretty good. I haven't gotten through the whole thing yet (since I'm actually working at work today), so I'm not sure if it belongs here or in the bonfire.... http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=d5262c0c-ebd3-479a-a700-954dfa7d063d Methane Freefly - got stink?

I just moved into the area. I live up in Pac Heights, and I'm looking to meet more of the West Coast skydiving crew out here. Also, I love dive bars. Who else is going? Anyone? Methane Freefly - got stink?

TUNNEL! BUILD! NOW!!!!! Methane Freefly - got stink?

This is an interesting subject. I had a long talk over alcohol with a master rigger about this very thing. He was torn.. I'm paraphrasing the conversation, but the gist of it is correct I think... "In the old days, we all watched out for each other. We all knew how the gear worked, and no one would ever pay to have their rig assembled. They always did it themselves and then paid a rigger to either watch them pack it, or they watched while the rigger packed it. Now, people drop off their gear and they expect the rigger to take care of everything. They don't know how to hook up a main, and they don't want to know. It's kind of scary that we have people jumping who know so little about their gear, but hey, if we didn't, I wouldn't be able to live off of this business." I think you should know your gear. I've never met a rigger who wouldn't spend time with a newbie to show them how to hook up a new main, or let them look over their shoulder while they packed the reserve. Furthermore, I think if you don't want to know your gear, fine, that's your decision. But I think it's irresponsible to promote that attitude to others. Finally, I don't think we should be flaming people who don't know this stuff. We should be taking them aside and offering to teach them. Methane Freefly - got stink?

I showed up last weekend with a 12 pack of sierra, and a 12 pack of bass. It was well received. I think as long as your not buying coors light, or some other water substitute, you will be ok. Methane Freefly - got stink?

Well, if you have to stop and ask those questions, it's not "mandatory". USPA already has the power to revoke ratings, personal membership and group membership for accidents fitting this description, and they can do so at their discretion. Why take the power to decide out of their hands? I don't think our system assumes anything of the sort. I think it assumes that the student understands the risks of jumping out of a plane, and that the gear, the plane, and even the instructor can let them down. Why are we always trying to move away from personal responsibility? In my mind, this is a step in that direction. I have other issues with this idea too. Example: What if you're dealing with a small dz with 2 jumpmasters that had a fatality? What if both of them were on the jump? You could conceivably put them out of business, or cause them to go non-USPA by revoking their only instructors ratings. Two months later it's decided that no one really did anything wrong, and you reinstate the ratings, but the damage is already done. I don't think there is anything wrong with the system that is in place now. The board has the power to deal with these issues already, and they have shown a willingness to do so. Methane Freefly - got stink?

Who is going to offer the $50 mill to clean up the unintended consequences of whatever solution it is this action produces? Methane Freefly - got stink?

I can't commit to be your camera guy, but I may be able to fill in sometimes. I just relocated to the Bay Area, used to jump at Crosskeys. I've jumped competition before, but not as camera. Methane Freefly - got stink?

9 days, 9 god damn days... went to the emergency room, they gave me thorazine, which knocked them out for an hour or two... Methane Freefly - got stink?

sound off for Johnny! Methane Freefly - got stink?

E-A-G-L-E-S.....EAGLES!!!!!!! Don't tell me it can't happen, you just gotta believe!!!!! Methane Freefly - got stink?

I'm in the middle of re-locating to the San Francisco area. The last time I was in San Francisco on business, I decided to go and check out one of the local DZs. I ended up going to Skydance where I ran into Cliff. Cliff had blown through Crosskeys on a few occasions, but I had never really hung out with him. However, he recognized me from Crosskeys, and pulled me into a few loads with him and one of his local friends. We had a couple of nice jumps that day, and I was looking forward to getting to know him better once I got out there. blue skies.... daless Methane Freefly - got stink?

You shut your mouth! We'll all be grounded! Methane Freefly - got stink?

The google maps sattelite photo of crosskeys has jumpers walking in, and what looks like one canopy in the air, near the beer line. Methane Freefly - got stink?

Or, you can thank the people who elected officials that think this is an important issue in need of governement control. Methane Freefly - got stink?

In an effort to appease Chuck and stop lurking... 8 years in the sport and 1000 jumps, I'll let you make your own decisions about wing loading, although, I find it a little distressing that you don't know yourself....you should. However, for the record, I have had great landings under a crossfire2 loaded at just over 2.0. Same with the katana I demoed. My opinion of the Katana is this: It has a very similar glide path to the velocity, but it has less flare, due to the less rigid wing (no crossbracing). It is just as dangerous as a velocity, just as responsive, just as ground hungry. If you think you are not ready for a velocity, you're probably not ready for a katana either. The crossfire2 is less ground hungry than either the velocity or the katana, but it still has a much longer recovery arc than the stilletto. I think it is a perfect canopy for someone looking to go to higher performance level, but isn't willing to make the jump to something with as steep a recovery arc as the katana or velocity. Methane Freefly - got stink?

Hard landing in 99. Small tear in my meniscus. Jumped on it for another year. Had my knee scoped, they cleaned it out, and I've had no problems since, that was 6 years ago. As I recall, meniscus tears are problematic, they can't really do much for them, although, flushing the joint out with saline, seemed to do wonders for me, but the tear was small. Also, the most painful landings, when I was having problems, were from when I hooked it too high, and the canopy planed out and came down hard, and I tried to stand it up...if you're playing with a bum joint below the waist, and you insist on jumping, my advice would be to plf any landing you are remotely unsure of...although, we should probably be doing that anyway :) Winter is coming up, might not be a bad time to get scoped. The recovery is pretty quick. NFL athletes have come back from that procedure in a week..took me 6 weeks. Methane Freefly - got stink?

Only a matter of time until we start having tandem pond swoop competitions. Put an expeienced guy on the fron flying the toggles, guy on the back works the risers! Methane Freefly - got stink?

How about: "If ther are no dogs in heaven, then wehn I die, I want to go where they went." -- Will Rogers Methane Freefly - got stink?

Fine, but where do you draw the line? Are we not allowed to get out over populated areas now? Fine, What about for demos, ok, no more demos? Is the plane allowed to fly over populated areas while it climbs to altitude? What about non skydiving planes, ok now we close most of the airports in the US? What do we determine to be populated? Is crosskeys populated, because of the trailer park to the east, and the housing to the north? Ok, what about Skydive Chicago, certainly not as dense, but I did manage to open over a farm house while I was there. Or at Perris, I might burn in on someone working the nearby farm fields. This is a slippery slope that could lead to an effective ban of skydiving at 90 percent of the dzs out there. As long as there is an airport in the area, there will be risk for people on the ground, and not just from skydivers. I think a better statement is that we have a responsibility to mittigate this risk as much as possible, but as long as we jump from airplanes there will always be the possibility that we may hurt someone on the ground, physically or emotionally. Methane Freefly - got stink?

I was trained, and have spent the last 9 years of my life emptying my bank account at crosskeys, and I find this hard to believe. If I had known who they were and how they were feeling, I would have done anything in my power to make them more comfortable. If this did happen, it is a shame, but try to remember, everyone on the DZ was aso dealing with our friends death, as well as her brother's death. Methane Freefly - got stink?

My current concern, is that for everyone of these well written, well thought out responses, there will be 10 "You're an ignorant cunt!" responses from skydivers around the country. Guess which ones she will highlight in her column next week? Before you send a response to this woman, if you insist on doing so, take the time to think about how anything you say, may be used against all of us later. Methane Freefly - got stink?

They had a news interview, where some local woman, in a moo moo, stated that it was terrible that they didn't shut down for the day. I felt like finding her, and asking, "Do they shut down the Dunkin Donuts every time someone dies of a heart attack you fat cow?" Then I remembered a few things: One, there are people out there that would rather sit on a sofa eating deep fried oreos and let life pass them by than go out and experience what the world has to offer. Two, these same people will shout the loudest when any of us "nuts" intrude on their quiet existence, mostly because it reminds them that they have squandered the most valuable thing they own, the years god/buddah/allah/existence gave them. Three, as I believe I heard PJ say once, and I'm sure he stole it from somewhere else, never fight with a pig, you both end up dirty, and the pig enjoys it. Methane Freefly - got stink?

A large part of me wants to insist that everyone show up for the memorial barefoot. It might not be well received at the Funeral Home, perhaps we should declare Ottley's a "shoe-free zone" for the reception? Thanks for looking out for me PJ. I'll miss your terrible jokes, and your maniacal laughter. "I always told people, Daless doesn't have a lot of tandem jumps, but he has a whole lot of experience." - Paul Joseph blue skies friend Methane Freefly - got stink?

Cable companies are evil, and stealing from them is a good thing. It's a victimless crime, like punching someone when the lights are out. Methane Freefly - got stink?