livendive

What's with the fuss about an RD jumping at a dropzone that isn't a group member? Is Mullins similarly maligned? Personally, I either consider that a positive attribute or a non-factor, but certainly not negative. Of course, given the option, I'd choose a non GM dz over one that supports that stupid program too. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Note to all in Cali - waivers won't cover "gross negligence," which is "an extre. Wasn't there a double fatality at Lodi some years ago where it was discovered that the TI was "drug-impaired" and did enough things wrong that resulted in a double malfunction, dooming the pair? The family of the deceased student sued, and I think, won the case. I suspect you're thinking of an incident at Skydance. There was a double mal tandem fatality there in which the instructor popped on post mortem. It was later determined to likely be just residuals, and not indicative of impairment at the time of the incident. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

This. It seems to me that, at least on UPT gear, there have developed a couple models for how students are harnessed, the UPT way, and the way that looks a lot more like this...where it's easier to slide leg straps down after opening, the chest strap is virtually non-existent, and the whole thing (especially above the hips) is loose walking to the plane. I've tried to discourage the second type because it just doesn't look safe, regardless of how many "cool" TI's use that approach. Personally, I get in the plane ready to exit. The only adjustment I do once in the plane is further tightening the uppers after hooking up. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Agreed on all counts. A Y-mod only prevents a student from coming out *below* the backstrap, not between the backstrap and the pad. It can't help a backstrap that is below the butt, especially when the legstraps are at the knees (2:21). The uppers are loose, the chest is converted into two bellies...it's just a godawfully adjusted harness that got followed by incredibly horrible decision making and an insane amount of good luck. 3:00 is telling. How she didn't come out at drogue throw or release is amazing. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

I'm mostly cool with this approach, minus the vehicular damage thing. The repurcussions should be limited to those affected by ones decision to wear/not wear a seat belt. If I rear-end you and you're not wearing a seat belt, I should be responsible for any damage I did to your car, but not for any medical issues that are (likely) exasperated by your decision. I think a similar respect for "reasonable" should apply to cases involving the impaired. If I cross the centerline and hit the side of your car, that's my fault regardless of how much beer you may or may not have drank. It seems like there a presumption of guilt as soon as alcohol is involved, and it doesn't match up with reality. I went to a safety expo last week and they had a totalled 'Vette on a trailer. Turned out it had been wrapped around a telephone pole by a (now deceased) 25 year old who had a blood alcohol content of 0.03, which they used to proved "buzzed driving kills too!" I wonder how far down they'd take that...0.00005%? The fact is, sometimes accidents happen for reasons other than alcohol. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

I answered this poll last night. I spent 2-3 seconds considering the 1 hour of tunnel time with specific coaching on spin stops, rollovers, etc, then I remembered that what we're teaching is skydiving, not rollovers, and voted to keep the requirement the same. Tunnels don't impart the same level of stress, attention to gear, tracking, canopy control, consequences of failure, or randomness of an open sky. Allowing tunnel time to count as freefall would be like allowing a culinary student to count microwave TV dinners as meal preparations. It's a convenient substitute that only requires a small fraction of the total skill set. The AFF requirement may only be 6 hours of freefall time, but there's an understood "and all the extra stuff those hours will entail" that should not be ignored. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Sometimes the mandate is what pushes the product to become cheap, efficient, and reliable. Not always, but there certainly validity to the argument that regulations can drive innovation in a stagnant field. If current technology is easy and cheap, and better technology will require investment and risk-taking, there has to be a carrot of higher profits at the end for companies to chase (either by making the new technology more profitable or the current technology less profitable). Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Of course it is, who said that? Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Injured knuckles, broken noses, and black eyes are all incredibly common minor outcomes of fist fights. The statement that, had he not shot Martin, he'd have died is bogus...probably >90% of fist fights result in injuries like this, and far less than 1% end in death. If it had remained a fist fight, we'd have probably never heard of it, just like the thousands of other fist fights that happened in the US that day. What made this one notable is that one guy had a gun and used it to end the fight (that was due, in part, to his own wrongful suspicions and threatening behavior). Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Alternately, the girl agreed to sit out on the other team's field, for games that weren't especially important, but she wasn't willing to sit out the championship game, that she'd earn her spot in, just because the other team disapproved of her genitalia. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

You think he'd do better by proposing legislation that has absolutely zero chance of getting through a House that has near perfect reverse correlation with his proposals? How would losing such a fight to an anti-compromise House benefit anyone besides his opponents? Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Perhaps you should inform your friend that "Politics and spiritual belief or faith are two separate issues. No problem." Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

In your opinion Why would anyone eles's opinion matter? Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

with the public turning the dials? I suppose that'd better than an Etch-a-Sketch that ignores the dials. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

"We've arrived at a point where the president of the United States is going to lead a war on traditional marriage." Rush Limbaugh, 5/10/2012. None of his THREE ex-wives had any comment. Obviously his three marriages had no bearing on the institution itself, those were simply private matters. A gay couple's marriage though, that would somehow be much more influential than any/all of his could ever hope to be. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

lol - Ron's voting for a Mormon instead of a Christian. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

"so-called POTUS" He's your President, get over it. As for Reagan, I'll agree he was a decent leader, but in this matter he was distinctly unAmerican. Religious freedom...that's the key, not preference of one particular religion. If your beliefs are eroded by "atheists, Muslims, and free thinkers", then the problem is not with those people, but rather the strength of your conviction. Personally, my beliefs are fine. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

But why? The patriarch of Judaism, Christianity and Islam was a polygynist. So were King David (beloved of God), Solomon and others. Krishna had over 16k wives. Budhism has no problem with it... Again, I apologize. I thought you were soliciting the views of people on this website. He was. How you answered a question about marrying multiple humans with a question about sex with animals is not entirely clear to some of us. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

it's easy - each individual files a single tax form for themselves regardless of marital status and everybody follows the same tables and rules get the government completely out of it Rehmwa speaks the truth. This all gets a lot easier if the government quits trying to push one particular religion's brand of marriage and just lets people enjoy their freedom of religion. Wasn't that one of the purposes of establishing this country in the first place? Blues, Dave Would you support someones right to have sex with monkeys? No, for several reasons, but most notably because the monkey is unable to give informed consent. Blues, Dave Actually, some primates would certainly be smart enough to be able to give consent Informed consent would require they have the faculties to understand a human could not possibly impregnate them, but could give them an STD. At a minimum, chidren, animals, the unconscious, and people with substantial mental deficits are incapable of fully understanding the consequences of consenting. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

it's easy - each individual files a single tax form for themselves regardless of marital status and everybody follows the same tables and rules get the government completely out of it Rehmwa speaks the truth. This all gets a lot easier if the government quits trying to push one particular religion's brand of marriage and just lets people enjoy their freedom of religion. Wasn't that one of the purposes of establishing this country in the first place? Blues, Dave Would you support someones right to have sex with monkeys? No, for several reasons, but most notably because the monkey is unable to give informed consent. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

it's easy - each individual files a single tax form for themselves regardless of marital status and everybody follows the same tables and rules get the government completely out of it Rehmwa speaks the truth. This all gets a lot easier if the government quits trying to push one particular religion's brand of marriage and just lets people enjoy their freedom of religion. Wasn't that one of the purposes of establishing this country in the first place? Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Agreed, for the most part. A pitcher throwing at a hitter would be tough to prove, but there are plenty of clear-cut assaults in basketball and football (though I have no idea how they'd relate to suicide vs. euthanasia) Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

I have no real moral qualms with anyone taking their own life, but I find it pretty depressing when its clear that they only did so due to a distorted view of their problems. A 14 year old killing herself over facebook posts or her boyfriend showing everyone the pictures she sent him is fundamentally different than a terminally ill person facing a pain-filled battle they are likely to lose, or a guilt-ridden person who simply can't forgive themself for harming/killing someone. I wouldn't care to deprive the latter two their choice, but it does make it tougher to catch the teenager in time to prevent an irreversible overreaction. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

No, thats not what i said. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

We must have a language barrier. I said the same thing twice, and you're implying I said something completely different, and that one debunks the other? Also neither of them have anything to do with what I might consider a offensive vs threatening. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)