gemini

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - He just wanted his colleagues in the government's legislative arm to discuss the possibility of conducting a study into the feasibility of reversing the ban on women drivers - the only prohibition of its kind in the world. But Consultative Council member Mohammad al-Zulfa's proposal has unleashed a storm in this conservative country where the subject of women drivers remains taboo. Al-Zulfa's cell phone now constantly rings with furious Saudis accusing him of encouraging women to commit the double sins of discarding their veils and mixing with men. He gets phone text messages calling on Allah to freeze his blood. Chat rooms bristle with insulting accusations that al-Zulfa is "driven by carnal instincts with 454 horsepower." There even have been calls to kick al-Zulfa from the council and strip him of his Saudi nationality. The uproar may be astounding to outsiders. But in Saudi Arabia, where the religious establishment has the upper hand in defining women's freedoms, the issue touches on the kingdom's strict Islamic lifestyle. Conservatives, who believe women should be shielded from strange men, say driving will allow a woman to leave home whenever she pleases and go wherever she wishes. Some say it will present her with opportunities to violate Islamic law, such as exposing her eyes while driving or interacting with strange men, like police officers or mechanics. "Driving by women leads to evil," Munir al-Shahrani wrote in a letter to the editor of the Al-Watan daily. "Can you imagine what it will be like if her car broke down? She would have to seek help from men." But al-Zulfa contends neither the law nor Islam bans women from driving. Instead, the ban is based on fatwas, or Islamic edicts, by senior clerics who say that any driving by women would create situations for sinful temptation. Blue skies, Jim

I've got a Bev suit that I really like. It also came with gators. Make sure you get measured correctly. I've seen some funny suit shapes lately. Blue skies, Jim

After a very rainy weekend one winter several years ago, the sun decided to come out and say hello. We had a caravan on loan from somewhere in Kansas at the time. The caravan was scheduled to leave late that Sunday afternoon to return home. A group of us who had been watching the rain all weekend asked the pilot if he would give us a hop n pop when he left. He agreed, but reminded us that the plane was at a municipal airport about 10 miles away since he was afraid of getting stuck at Spaceland on the grass/dirt runway. "If you can get rides to the airport, I will drop you." he said. We found two people willing to take us and who didn't want to jump and we were off. After we took off the pilot said " Oh, one other thing. You have to shut the door when you climb out!" We looked at the door and each other and he said "It's a long way to Kansas and I don't want to have to come back there and shut it in flight." That sounded reasonable, but how were we going to hang out there and shut the door and then make our exit work? Some one asked the pilot how much altitude we were going to get and he said "We're going to the top!" Damn, now we were determined to shut the door for the guy!!! Joe Nichols, Stevie Boyd and Rich Williams and 4 others climbed out and somehow got the door to slide shut with a little coaxing from the outside. There wasn't any space for your feet. Just the hint of an edge on the door. We exited a little shaky, but flew the exit and turned some points and broke away high since the spot was ...ummhh...a little off. We all made it back, but I was low man and had to run slightly crosswind. Had more speed than I like and the landing area was covered with water. Slid that sucker in and when almost stopped got my feet a little behind the canopy and plopped face first into the biggest, muddiest puddle on the beer line! Everyone had a good laugh and the gear dried and cleaned up reasonably well. It was the only jump at the dz for two weeks due to weather. Sure glad we did it and hope the pilot had a great flight home!

Ummhh not much....some new tandem rigs, 2 more Otters and a 206, coupla' new instructors and packers, a new 8 way team, frequent visiting jumpers from San Marcos, new lunches and dinners in the deli, AND soon to be a new paved runway!!! Blue skies, Jim

Looking more carefully at the picture, you can see the line go above the slider and then bend back toward the slider grommet. The line definitely goes through the grommet. Also note how the right tail of the canopy is almost pinched at the grommet. Something has hung the slider and some of the lines at or near the grommet, but the other three corners appear to be ok. It is a tension knot or the slider stuck either on a line or the corner of the canopy. Just to make sure, examine the lines and make sure there are no wear points, pull points on the line (bumps where line material has pulled up), burrs on the grommet. If the lines are ok, check the line length to see if shrinkage has occurred. If you don't find anything, it must have been a tension knot. Blue skies, Jim

There are a lot of jumpers out there who cannot get their wings awards or their freefall badges because they do not log jumps. Often the ProTrac/Neptune will not be accepted unless the records are printed out and signed. Blue skies, Jim

That looks a lot like my sabre2 when it needs a reline. Canopy fabric sometimes gets caught in the slider grommets (due to some lines being shorter than others). The lines that are close to orginal length have a lot of slack in them and bow out below the slider and flap around above the slider. The lines that bow out do not look like they go through the slider like those in the picture. Next time yoy pack and suspend the canopy over your shoulder check where the slider stops when you slide it into place, If you have fabric coming out of the grommet, get your rigger to check the line length. Blue skies, Jim

Was thinking about this thread again and wanted to add the following poem and members of Army Infantry OCS Class 5-68 I want to remember: Just A Common Soldier by A. Lawrence Vaincourt "He was getting old and paunchy and his hair was falling fast, And he sat around the Legion, telling stories of the past Of a war that he had fought in and the deeds that he had done, In his exploits with his buddies; they were heroes, every one. And tho' sometimes, to his neighbors, his tales became a joke, All his Legion buddies listened, for they knew whereof he spoke. But we'll hear his tales no longer for old Bill has passed away, And the world's a little poorer, for a soldier died today. He will not be mourned by many, just his children and his wife, For he lived an ordinary and quite uneventful life. Held a job and raised a family, quietly going his own way, And the world won't note his passing, though a soldier died today. When politicians leave this earth, their bodies lie in state, While thousands note their passing and proclaim that they were great. Papers tell their whole life stories, from the time that they were young, But the passing of a soldier goes unnoticed and unsung. Is the greatest contribution to the welfare of our land A guy who breaks his promises and cons his fellow man? Or the ordinary fellow who, in times of war and strife, Goes off to serve his Country and offers up his life? A politician's stipend and the style in which he lives Are sometimes disproportionate to the service that he gives. While the ordinary soldier, who offered up his all, Is paid off with a medal and perhaps, a pension small. It's so easy to forget them for it was so long ago That the old Bills of our Country went to battle, but we know It was not the politicians, with their compromise and ploys, Who won for us the freedom that our Country now enjoys. Should you find yourself in danger, with your enemies at hand, Would you want a politician with his ever-shifting stand? Or would you prefer a soldier, who has sworn to defend His home, his kin and Country and would fight until the end? He was just a common soldier and his ranks are growing thin, But his presence should remind us we may need his like again. For when countries are in conflict, then we find the soldier's part Is to clean up all the troubles that the politicians start. If we cannot do him honor while he's here to hear the praise, Then at least let's give him homage at the ending of his days. Perhaps just a simple headline in a paper that would say, Our Country is in mourning, for a soldier died today. c. 1985 A. Lawrence Vaincourt Bill Shackelford 1968 Bill Chaffin 1969 James Chitwood 1969 Tom Hastings 1969 Roger Parrish 1969 Ronnie Matel 1969 Ken Finley 1973 Dennis Kinnier 1978 Dick Nichols 1979 Curtis Douglas 1989 Mark Goldstein 1991 Ronnie Sinclair 1991 Tom Carroll 1992 Tom Lynn 1992 John Janson 1993 Mike Lee 1993 Leon Mickens 1993 James Lowtan 1995 Dick Melgar 1995 James Wright 1997 Lonnie Willer 1998 Dick Jacobs 1999 John Powell 2001 Russell Heard 2003 and Bill Robinson DOD Unknown I am honored to have served with you. http://www.ocsclass2.com/inf0568/taps.wav Jim

Gone but not forgotten, and Forever young LCPL Billy Bolton 1968 Capt John Sadler 1969 Blue skies, Jim

2% were 50+ when they started. Sure glad I am in such exclusive company! Blue skies, Jim

During the big ways, dump trunks kept running in and out dumping loads crushed rock all along the dz side of the runway. Looks like they are going to do a complete rebuild of the runway. Blue skies, Jim

Define Airline..... I have unlimited free passes for Otter flights! Blue skies, Jim

There's no way I'm stepping in that (pun intended!!!) Trent reads these forums...... Blue skies, Jim

Thanks for that one! I'm still laughing....... Blue skies, Jim

Actually it is very nice here in OK. Mid 70's and lots of blue, sunny skies. Had a little rain in the evening for the last several nights, but just enough to keep the streets clean. What is really good though is the low humidity! Last weekend in Houston it must have been 99%. It's funny, 4 weeks here and in Perris and I can't take the Houston heat and humidity anymore!!! Blue skies, Jim

I think they are there through Thursday. Look them up and say hello. Blue skies, Jim

Thanks for hosting our Anomaly boys this week as they prepare for the July 05 World Games in Germany! 18 training jumps before 2PM is pretty impressive. My hat's off to you and Mickey! Blue skies, Jim

I have it in both ears now, but it is much worse in the left thanks to the Army! When I get around some electrical appliances, the ringing will stop. Somebody once told me that some electric motors will vibrate and the same or opposity frequency as my ears and they cancel each other out. I don't know why it happens, but it is great when it does. And don't talk to me on the plane! I see your lips moving, but hear nothing due to the background noises. Don't change the dive plan on the plane!!! Blue skies, Jim

Do your homework. In our case, I already knew a banker than financed aircraft. So I called him and started talking about aircraft, then worked in the number of "flights" per day, revenues per "slot", etc., etc. Then I showed him the financials and he was on board. It was the presale that really made the deal because he already knew the risks of aircraft ownership, but we were talking about making money doing the flying. Talk to local aircraft owners at the municipal airports in your area and find out who they are using for financing. We split the business into 3 elements. One to own the realty and buildings, one to own the aircraft, and one to teach skydiving. We explained how the waivers work, and had the corporations in place to protect the business and ourselves. Prior to our first loan closing, the bank brought out 20-30 of their staff and about 10 of them did tandems and one loan officer actually took AFF. Again the thing the loan officers will hang their hats on are the financials. You know the back office loan analyst doesn't know squat about skydiving, but he probably doesn't know much about any other business he examines either. The financials are the only ways to get his support. He is looking for your ability to repay the loan period. If he says you have the cashflow to repay, the deal is done. Contact the local CPA chapter office and the SBA. They usually have someone (usually a retiree) who will help at minmal charge if at all. Also don't forget about insurance. Contact an agent who is familiar with skydiving and get a business policy in place for fire, theft, etc. Won't do anything for skydiving, but it shows the bank you are aware of the other risks and are taking the steps to prevent losses. Blue skies, Jim

I am not very fond of canned business plans. What I did was start with all the historical financial information that was available and the breakdown of revenues (tandems, students, video, fun jumpers, gear, etc.). Then prepare a page of assumptions including a growth rate based on historicals, discounts for rain days and other bad weather typical in your area, cost of aircraft, rising costs for fuel. Then estimate from the historical actuals through the assumptions to get forecast for this year and projections for next five years. The business financials include a balance sheet (assets shown at cost & liabilities), income statement (revenues & expenses) and a cash flow statement where the actual cash flow ties to the bank balances. You must have all three statements. Include a personal financial statement, your experience in running a business and that of any partners. The personal financials are a combination of a balance sheet containing your personal assets and debts, and a cash flow statement showing your gross income. The assets should be shown at fair market values. Banks lean heavily on financial information and your prior business experience and really do not rely on a lot of verbage that cannot be supported. If you update the plan each year for the actuals and revise the projections accordingly you develop a valuable tool for the business. I use Excel exclusively, but take data from JumpRun. I don't think it is very difficult to do, but I have done them for 30 year so really not a fair assessment! Good luck. Let me know if I can help. Blues, Blue skies, Jim

Typical skydiver! Jumps from great heights with no problem, but step off a curb or out of a trolley and bam, down for the count! Hope it's just a minor sprain. Take 3 Aleve for the pain or advil for the swelling. Keep it elevated too. Blue skies, Jim

At one job I was on all sports related sites were blocked except for dz.com! Go figure...

Lisa let us know how she is when you find out. Thanks! Blue skies, Jim

It's definitely OVER since the manufacturer prints the patterns and colors on only on one side and that side is more visable when it's OVER! Blue skies, Jim

Good luck with the surgery! PT will be a bitch, but just remember it is GOOD for you! Blue skies, Jim