AndyMan

I had to point this out: Even among the countries that Do recognize the World Court, they too have the responsability to police the actions of their troups. It's only when the country does not police their own troups, does the country itself get pulled into The Hague. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

The requirements for the coach ratings are pitiful. If you can fall stable, do both a diving and floating exit, dock, and have basic level control, you have the necesary RW skillset to get your coach rating. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I would much prefer someone pulls unstable than pull low because they thought they needed to wait. If this is really such a concern, get a skyhook. Low pulls are a far greater risk than unstable reserve deployments. Reserves are 1) Designed to deploy while unstable, and 2) designed to fly straight while in line twists. There is little evidence for such a strong derogatory opinion. RSL's should not be depended upon by anyone, but they are appropraite for nearly everyone. This is especially true with the SkyHook. That's fine, it's your choice. I won't criticise you for making that choice. I don't think its good advice for others, though. Without a doubt, if I didn't have a camera strapped to my head, I would have a connected RSL. The change in fatality statistics from before the days of RSL's are really very compelling. They show a very simple change where suddenly people aren't dyeing from low pulls. There is not a corresponding increase in fatalities from people pulling while unstable. For the most part, it just hasn't happened. Wander of to www.skydivingfatalities.info and see how many people have gone in under a spinning reserve after an unstable RSL induced deployment. You won't find many. Low pulls and no-pulls are real risks. Pulling while unstable largely isn't. Waiting to "get stable" is a solution to a problem that largely doesn't exist. I don't care if you jump one or not. Please, just don't pass along this misconceptions to others.. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I can tell you why I took mine off. I fly camera, and helmet entaglements are a real possibility. Why would you consider taking it off? Unless you're flying video or doing a lot of CRW, I simply can't think of many good reasons to ditch it. To me, it seems like a no-brainer. Unless you've got giant snag-hazard strapped to your helmet like I do, Keep it. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

How about a fill-flash? _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I am 260 OTD, I have mini risers and microline. It has never been a problem. Make sure to get 850 Spectra, though. 500 will wear out quickly. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

Stileto 150, and a PD-143. So for now, I fit the old paradigm. I can see a day where I'll downsize my main by going crossbraced. I do not see a day where I'll downsize my reserve, I'm already loading it quite aggresively. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I don't have a link, and I only saw it once. It was for Cingular wireless in the US. A Tandem hangs under a tree limb. Tandem student says something like "boy, that was stupid.....". bad assed TM cuts away tandem student and smiles. It's REALLY funny. Anybody else seen that one? I tried to find a link, but couldn't. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

Run Ad-aware again. Make sure to check the button that says "check for updates now", before you hit "start". Also, do you have an anti-virus program installed? Probably a good time to do a scan. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

It was San Antonio. Here's the video: http://news9sanantonio.com/content/top_stories/default.asp?ArID=9427 _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

Not for a couple of years, no. It used to be the case that RF (radio frequency) interference could cause a Cypres to activate. Airtec addressed the issues in two parts. First, they required all Cypres's to be wrapped in a piece of bluish-silver anti-interference plastic, which would block radio waves. Over time as Cypres's came in for their four year checks, the unit was modified so that the anti-rf protections are no longer required. If you have an older Cypres that has not had its 4 year check done, that unit might be succeptible to interference, but that unit is also not legal to jump because it hasn't had its 4-year check done. All Cypres's that are legal to jump are immune to RF interference. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

There appear to be major problems with the Vigil right now, so if you're in the market for an ADD and need to buy NOW, then the choice is clear. Buy a Cypres. If you're buying a year from now, I would wait a year and re-evaluate. It's very likely that Vigil will have fixed their problems by then, the only issue is if they have any credibility left when that time comes. Time will tell. As for now, it'd not be smart to buy an ADD with known issues. The Cypres2 does not have any known issues, and the Vigil does. Buy the Cypres2. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

A really good website for folding stats is here: http://folding.extremeoverclocking.com/ _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

No. I would because I know that DZ planes crash with an alarming frequency, and that at my DZ, more people have died in one plane crash than 40 years of skydiving accidents. If I ever find myself flying in an airforce plane, I probably won't object to the lack of seatbelts. A C-130 is a whole lot different than a normal jump plane. That's clearly the case. I just don't understand why. Do planes not crash in South Africa? You don't have to travel very far here at all to find people who've lost good friends in plane accidents... _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

Every DZ in Canada that I've been to has them because jumpers asked for it. Jumpers expect it. Have you asked for it? If you did and he said no, did you offer to pay for the retrofit with a group of friends? I would. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I have absolutely no doubt that if jumpers ask for it, the DZO will provide it. Not because he has to, or because the gov't says he should... but because his customers are asking for it. Being a DZO is living the life of curstomer service. Installing seatbelts is relatively easy and innexpensive. If his customers want it, he'll do it. If not, I wonder what other basics of customer service he hasn't learned. I suspect whats going on here is that nobody's bothered to ask for it. I suspect people will think they're being wussy for speaking up. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I think we've probably beaten this one to death, folkes... It sounds like he gets the point. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

My bad. I thought it was a good guess. Anyways, I think my point is still valid. The safety record of the Otter is pretty good. If there was a problem, I think we'd know about it. The simple absense of major incindents is proof that there's nothing wrong. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

Wow. Aren't you a customers? Doesn't your DZO provide a service? If you ask for it, he should do it. If he doesn't, he doesn't deserve your business. The FAA isn't aboard jump aircraft, there's nobody waiting to issue a fine if you don't put yours on. The only reason that people in the US wear seatbelts in planes is because they've got too many dead friends. It's exceedingly rare that you see someone not put theirs on. At my DZ, in 40 years there's been more people killed in plane crashes than skydiving incidents. When you fly big planes, it doesn't take a lot of incidents to kill a lot of people. In our case, it was one crash of a twin beech. People weren't wearing seatbelts then, either. When the Otter crashed at Perris, the coroner reported that more people were killed by other people than by the crash itself. Think about that next time the guy beside you doesn't put his on. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

That is most certainly NOT the case. You should refuse to take off in a plane that doesn't have seatbelts. I know I would... _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I'm pretty sure that there's one big piece of advice almost every one of us has ignored. It's a pretty rare case that our parents support or encourage skydiving. For most of us, the very fact that we're skydivers mean that we've ignored an awful lot of advice in getting here. Some people have ignored a LOT of advice to get where they are, and they sometimes shine for it. If I listened to every bit of "good advice" I've been given, I wouldn't be in skydiving at all, I wouldn't essentially be in business for myself. I'd have a secure job, in a secure home, with 2 kids, a white picket fence, and a dog named Rover. Sometimes the smart route isn't the same as the fun route. Part of being in this sport is choosing who we take advice from. The problem is that we don't have a good way to tell who's advice is good. Often we just chuck it all and figure things out for ourselves. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I always thought The Ranch was real purdy... but I'm in the midwest, so any place that has trees and hills is a place I'll like... _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I would not use that camera for skydiving, A simple search will explain why. As for what wide angle lens you should use, well... that really depends on what you want your video to look like! _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

The answer to your concerns are simple. When was the last time a Twin Otter crashed while performing jump ops? Of the Otter crashes that did happen, how many of these were related to the design or maintenance of the planes? How many were pilot or ground crew error? What does this track record tell you? Twin Otters fly jumpers for hundreds of thousands of hours each year in the US. If they were unsafe, we would probably be the first to know. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

If you're going to fly at the wingloading then you are, then you loose the option of blaming other pilots if something goes wrong. You need to be proactive to make sure these situations don't happen in the first place. As the saying goes: "a superior pilot uses superior judgement to avoid using superior skills". If you're going to continue flying at your current wingloading, you need to be a superior pilot and avoid situations like this before they develop. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.