livendive

It is a fact that USPA lowered the standards to become an AFFI and there are AFFI's out there that would not have passed the old course. I know of an AFFI that failed the old course twice, then passed the new course. He was't even in the video of an AFF level 1 I saw. That being said, there are AFFI's passing the course today that would have smoked the old course. The lowering of the standards isn't the AFFI's fault, it's USPA's and the member's for letting USPA (DZO's) do it. But yes, because of the lower standards, new minted AFFI's are suspect in my eyes until they prove different. Not their fault, theypassed the course they were given, but it is still an easier course. Derek I concur. Conversely, those passing under the old school doesn't necessarily mean that they are better, either. I've seen many an old school JM not able to fly their slot on FS jumps. You cannot judge anyone by when their rating was obtained. Again, we'll find out in the air. I think it's tough to be objective on this topic. Let's face it, we're skydivers, and thus more prone to being egotistical. Old timers always want to believe they had it tougher, younger jumpers want to believe we're just as good. Personally, I think the best measure of someone's ability is the someone, not when or which course they passed. I'm sure there are some people passing courses today who are better than some of those who passed 8 years ago, however I also believe the course was tougher back then. All I know for certain is that I passed the course last year. I think the way my CD (Stokes) made it easier was by allowing pre-course practice jumps and then giving us honest assessments of our performance. He pretty bluntly told us whether he thought we were ready, but I do *not* believe he cut us any slack in the air. We had to do our ground preps, he would absolutely translate any pre-jump errors into our freefall experience, and he did plenty of ninja stuff to try and get away from us in the air. He did tell me when he'd concluded that I have the airskills, and the next day I went up and passed my first 3 jumps (didn't need my mulligan). As he said, the real test is with real students. I'm a new AFF-I and have no delusions of grandeur, but I think the process proved that I have adequate air skills, in a manner that was similar but different than the process did for those who came before me. In addition to raw skills though, I think experience is a huge factor on AFF, and I still have to develop that. As for the original question, I think the first time I found myself alone with a student in freefall was like my 7th jump. The first time I left an airplane as the only instructor on the jump was maybe my 15th or so. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Heh heh...My girlfriend and I were on the other side of the state, visiting my family, and my mom asked me to go get a yard of beauty bark and spread it around at my grandmother's house before heading home. I asked my gf to go inside and visit with grandma so she wouldn't come out and try to help. Well, she must have done an awesome job, because when I got inside she was seated on the floor in front of my grandmother and my grandmother asked me to sit down next to her. Grandma then started crying a little, explained the history behind the ring, handed it to me, and said "I think you can find something good to do with this"....right in front of my girlfriend! Talk about putting a little pressure on the 4 hour drive home. LOL Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Good question. The ring you recieved has family and traditional value. I wanted a ring that would be something that we might be proud to give a son (and him be proud to have to give) to give a women someday and their son to give another women. I wanted something that had value that could become a family harelum. Not only that but I wanted to get her the best I could, I wanted to do even more since she didn't care if I used a simple gold band. Just like I do now and just like I want to do for the rest of our lives, I have a strong desire to simply provide and do the best I can for her and for our future children. Hopefully that all makes sense. With the Depression just tailing off and the minimal pay of an enlisted man, my grandfather couldn't afford anything more than a simple gold band for my grandmother. His mom(my great grandmother), who'd immigrated here and was just learning the language couldn't tolerate that and spent every dime she had available to buy her daughter-in-law a diamond ring. It's very simple and worth very little in monetary terms, but it's in my possession and earmarked for the possibility of a marriage in my future. I definitely want to keep it in the family, but at the same time would want to buy my bride something nicer, so if that day ever comes I'll likely have it torn down and incorporated into a new, nicer ring. I think that would nicely tie together a family heirloom, a symbol of the success we've managed over a couple generations, and a token of love for whoever that lucky woman might be.

Just like sex. At least, that's what I keep telling myself. Wanna come to a conclusion together? Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

My ex gave me a diamond "promise ring", i.e. she said it meant she promised to say yes whenever I got around to proposing. I never did, (though I did come close enough to ask and receive her dad's permission), but kind of liked the sentiment. FWIW, I think the sentiment was "Here's something nice that shows I love you and has the added benefit of marking you as 'taken' should any other women get any ideas." It was kind of sweet. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Conclusions are overrated. "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

I'm running optical cables for sound and component for video feeds. I could use a DVI-HDMI cable between my DVR and my TV, but don't know what the advantage is over component. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Good news: Got a new Sony widescreen hi-def TV this weekend and a new Onkyo receiver with plenty of juice and relatively modern surround modes (6.1). Today, I got my cable hooked up, with hi-def service, all the HBO, Showtime, and Cinemax channels, and a DVR. Considering at this point last week, I was watching a pretty old 19 inch TV with rabbit ears and a Yamaha with archaic Pro-Logic (4 channel), the upgrade is, well, awesome. I still need a sub and a center rear speaker, but I can now shake the house with extremely crisp sound. My only complaint is a noticable hiss between sounds at the absurd end of the volume range. I think it's coming from my use of a dvd player as a cd player. Still, it's not noticeable at volumes that allow any semblance of verbal communication, so overall I'm pretty happy with the setup. Bad news: It cost me my Dublin money. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Honest question...what exactly is a "naked" breast? In the pictures I saw of Janet, the nipple was covered by something. Any idea what the differentiating factor was between that and something we might see on Baywatch? Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

I don't know if I'd be considered a "death penalty supporter" per se, but I think it's reasonable in some cases and don't feel particularly motivated to ban it altogether. That said, I think this was a good move. We were one of only a handful of nations left in the world that considered it acceptable to execute a person for a crime they committed as a child. Then again, I'm in the fringe element that thinks it's absurd for children to be tried as adults in the first place. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

No. Not being interested in me is what makes you gay. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

I like the bastard, but it's only half as good as Double Bastard. Have you tried the Oaked Arrogant Bastard yet? According to the website, that bastard's got serious wood. Stone is making some very good beers (mmm...Ruination IPA), and their marketing is freakin' awesome too. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

You are missing WAY too many options. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Have 'em buy you custom gear with the company logo on it as "advertising". Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Kudo's to the Palestinians. (red highlights by me) http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/02/24/palestinian.cabinet.ap/index.html Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

That's awesome. Nice work. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

I figured I would be scared as hell taking my daughter on a tandem, i.e. it's all fun and games when it's someone ELSE'S offspring strapped to the front of you, but that didn't prove to be the case. It was without a doubt one of the most enjoyable jumps I've made, and she knows that if she ever wants to learn to jump, all she has to do is say the word and we'll start her tandem-AFF progression. My ex, who never became my wife despite our plans to the contrary, made 7 tandems with me and was going to be my first live AFF student, single JM no less. That however proved to be outside her comfort zone so she stuck with tandems. I have a standing offer to my mom, dad, brother, and sister for a tandem, my treat, anytime they wish. In short...sure I would. I love skydiving, and sharing it with someone I love is, simply put, the best. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

A buddy of mine did his 1000th last year, and planned a 14-way formation load between our 206 (trail) and TwinBo (lead). Communication between spotter and pilot in the lead sucked, and we had two aborted jump runs due to being miles off course. We scratched the plan and the TwinBo headed off for destinations unknown, but the 206 turned around and started towards the DZ so the 5 or 6 of us in it could get out. The honorary member of the load (Mr. 1000) was spotting, but the rest of us could see the DZ up ahead. A mile or so out, he was politely but forcefully shoved from the airplane. Realizing he was about to spend his 1000th doing a solo with a bad spot, the look on his face was awesome. Of course we just wanted to see his reaction, so once he flipped on his back and let us see his shocked expression, we took off after him. Built a zoo round and broke it high so we all made it back. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Boredom. What prompted you to ask me what prompted me to ask it? Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Poke a hole in it first with a shiskabob skewer. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Heh heh...yeah, I remember you being there with us. Bill of course hasn't let me forget about the girl that landed in that other tree on the same day, but he neglects to point out that she was a student while he was an instructor, or that she did no damage to her rig and climbed down herself, while he needed assistance and his canopy required sewing. On the plus side, he FINALLY saw this post of mine back in October or November of last year, and unwisely admitted that he sank into that tree. LMAO! At some point in the last several hundred feet, he thought it was gonna be close so he went into deep brakes to (hopefully) land short. Given that he landed right in the middle of it, he likely would have cleared it if he'd just let his canopy fly. I was very happy man to be there when he confessed. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Heh heh...I've got one of those too, here. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Alright, this forum had almost 100,000 posts since I last visited, and I figured I better come in here and reset the odometer. Sooo....what are the funniest things you've seen skydiving, either in the plane or in the air (after-hour frivolities don't count). Personally, the first one that springs to mind was 4 or 5 years ago. A bunch of us got together and were making several attempts at a 42-way. There was a guy in the base who I didn't know, and who might usually be very good skydiver, but he had no business being on those jumps on that particular day. I remember approaching one time and watching him flip underneath an otherwise stable base, without anyone touching him! Well, on his last (of those) jumps, something happened to the base and it had to rebuild. I think he went a couple feet low, but it might have been something different, anyhow, he just flat out gave up. At like 11 or 12 thousand feet, he decided "screw it" and turned and started tracking away. Well, this was planned as a 1-point skydive, and it can't complete without him, so for a few seconds the base started to chase him, and the rest of us started to chase them. Not wise by any stretch of the imagination, but it did allow us a moment of hilarity...his face when he looked back over his shoulder at the 43 of us (including 2 cameras) who he was trying to get away from, only to find us in hot pursuit. LMAO! I can only imagine what went through his mind. Anyhow, we gave up the chase and just did as well as we could without him. I believe he landed, packed up his gear, and got out of there without saying a word to anyone. Sad I guess, as that was the most unique facial expression I've ever seen in my life, and I'd really like to know what exact thoughts corresponded with it. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

I think I agree with you. There certainly won't be a vote that dictates whether or not I sign off on something, and I won't ever waive a BSR unless the alternative carries at least an equivalent level of safety. example: Jumper A has 20 years in sport, 3000 jumps, a couple RW world records, and substantial experience instructing skydiving students, however allowed his ratings to lapse last year while training to compete in 4-way. Most importantly, I know him to be a skilled, experienced, safety-conscious skydiver. Jumper B has 3 years in sport, 270 jumps (mostly freefly) and a coach rating. I know him to be a promising young skydiver with above average skills for his experience level. Jumper C has 22 jumps and would like to work on staying close to someone in freefall while doing turns. This is a hypothetical example of one of the instances in which I would consider waiving the coach requirement and letting jumper C go up with jumper A, because I know the alternative provides an equivalent or higher level of safety for the student. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

I'm referring to only those BSRs that may be "legally" waived by an S&TA, and my question is basically whether you think there are "no", "some", or "many" situations in which it's appropriate for an S&TA to waive a BSR. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)