fasted3

Same here. Heal fast brother bird But what do I know?

OK John, Suppose that IS the only way they can get on the airplane. So what? Maybe somebody else needs a four leaf clover, and one needs a St. Christopher medal. How does this affect you, me, or anybody else? I have clearly stated the danger of a 'bad luck.' attitude. Your turn. But what do I know?

Jarno, Thank you for clearing that up. Damn, I thought he had ... MAD SKILLZ! That's funny. I remember after a beginner flight Jeff asked me, "Did you do that on purpose?" I wished I could have honestly said yes. But what do I know?

I'd like to hear from the OP on that. I think he is too. But what do I know?

Pi R Squared? No! CB R Squared! ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Pi R NOT Squared Corn Bread R Squared Pi R Round I hope this clears it up for y'all. But what do I know?

This is a waste of time, but I'll play. Let's say that somebody throws a flower pot out of a highrise building. You're walking along the sidewalk below and it lands on your head. Bad Luck? Yep, I'd say so, and for you, it happened for no reason. Looking at the bigger picture, it's obvious that it happened for the reason that somebody threw it out the window. Just because YOU don't know what happened, does not mean that this thing just materialized out of thin air. It all depends on your point of view. So back to parachute malfunctions. There is a reason for everything, as shown above. You may never figure out what it is, but if you had enough info, you could. The point of this, besides the Clintonesque fun of it all, is that just saying 'shit happens' can be used to avoid looking for answers. Answers that just may be figured out, if approached in a humble and methodical way. Some of this may lead to uncomfortable things, like we made a dumb mistake. Nobody likes to think they are stupid, so there is a tendency to blame anybody but ourselves if at all possible. This can lead to blaming anybody else, or nobody, rather than just facing up to the fact that we do make mistakes. We see it on here all the time. It's the packer's fault. Somebody else picked the spot. Nobody told me. Blame the pilot. You name it - anybody but me. The point that you are fighting against is to approach this from the wrong direction. Explaining anything by saying shit happens is too easy. This is what I, and others, are against. Sure, sometimes things happen that I don't have an answer for, but in those cases I just assume that I made a mistake but don't know what. For that, the solution is to try and do better in every way. You see it as arrogent to disagree with you, and I understand where you are coming from. I on the other hand see your point of view as arrogent as well. You are too good to admit the possibility that you made a mistake and would rather blame it on bad luck. In any case, it really just comes down to word games, and the whole subject is better discussed in a philosophy class, or better yet, a barroom. A bunch of drunks could really have fun with this. My final point is, what's the point? What can you do about 'shit happens?' How do you fix 'bad luck?' If you have a good answer for that, please share with the class. Some of us are here to learn. But what do I know?

Yes, please stop. I couldn't find a phone book, and ended up using a dictionary. The coffee can burned some pages when I was cutting holes in my canopy so it would pack better. Now I am unable to follow this discussion and I can't tell who's winning. Please no flames. I know that I am an idiot for messing up my dictionary, as it is mandatory equipment for DZcom - required for word games and hair splitting in almost every thread. I will get a new one as soon as possible. But what do I know?

Great videos Jeff! I haven't been able to fly lately and I've got to tell you that watching these really makes me miss it. I'll be a little rusty when I get back in the air, but I really do believe that watching videos is better than nothing for keeping the skills alive. I have a few of me flying, but I've watched them so many times that even I am bored with them now. Hopefully I'll have a chance to get some new ones soon. But what do I know?

It was my privilage to know Rob. His kind and gentile spirit shone out like a bright light. He will be missed. My condolances to all who loved him. Blue Skys Rob. Ed But what do I know?

Nice one Lurch. You got a way with words man. If he says it's not flying I'm gonna puke. Hope to fly with you again soon amigo. But what do I know?

Sangi at first I thought you were just trolling. I've read your comments on here and other forums and it seemed you were just being a negative asshole so you could get a response. I will assume that I was wrong and give you a real answer to this. I remember some flying dreams that started by me just lifting off like a helium balloon. Wingsuit flying is nothing like that. The ones where I was really flying though, I have to say were really a pale comparison to the real thing, and I assure you that this is the real thing. I hardly notice that I'm losing altitude because the sensation is so much forward rather than down. Compared to the old Superman show, this is so free and agile! It's better than I imagined. Watching the ground passing by under you as you travel for miles is just amazing! You zoom where you want and go like the wind. Believe me, when you get to flying it will be better than you can imagine. Yep, it's flying. You'll see. One more thought I had about this is how would you react to someone saying to you, "I've never had sex but It's sure not all it's cracked up to be." Uh Huh. I hope you stick with it and get to see what I mean. After that please let me know what you think. And don't forget to SMILE!

Nope. And a hearty Than You Divot. I agree with that article. No way does it cost more money for smokers. The way I see it, the government should give them away for free! I quit about 3 months ago after the 'sin tax' went up again. I'm gonna live forever now, and use all the benefits I can. But what do I know?

Ding ding ding - We have a winner. I'm not even going to try and beat that one! But what do I know?

I am a huge fan of the canopy course. But is this jumper ready for that, and/or fooling around up high? Yes, with A license, No with 10 jumps. Update your profile Ketia, to get the best advice. But what do I know?

Option 7: It doesn't matter. He should not sue regardless. A whole other issue, I know, but that feeling is fueling a lot of the debate about this case, I think. I thought this was the agreement I made every time I've signed a waiver. This sport is too small to take hits like this. I feel his lawsuit is saying, "I'll get mine and the hell with all of you." Option 8: He's an asshole. But what do I know?

Great reply. Probably better than mine, but here goes anyway: I find it ironic that some are so opposed to belief in God, yet defend their belief in Bad Luck so vehemently. Not you John, but some. Think about this, as I try and make everybody mad: God causes mals. Everything happens for a reason, and only the ONE TRUE LORD does it. Why? Because He is a vengeful capricious child God, that likes nothing better than causing us misery for no reason. Kind of like burning bugs with a magnifying glass. Saint or sinner, he is out to fuck you up. So Bad Luck, or God, take your choice. Either carry a 4 leaf clover or pray a lot. Neither one helps! For myself, I don't believe in Bad Luck; anybody that wants to, by all means do so. Believe in God, or not, as you wish too. IT DOESEN'T MATTER. No matter what you believe, you MAY get bit on the ass. I think we all know that, and want to do everything we can to prevent it. Let's argue beliefs in speakers corner, and keep this to things we can actually do something about. But what do I know?

Sign waiver, check license, logbook, reserve packing card. Pretty standard where I've been: 15 DZ's, all in US. Some places seemed to keep an eye on me at first, some didn't. But what do I know?

My Javelin is an older model that has the fold. It has never come loose at all, so far, so the fold has never been needed. I wear my chest strap quite tight, and do not loosen it under canopy. If I had your rig I would have a fold sewn in. But what do I know?

Thank you Captain. I agree with you for all of the reasons you gave. And for those that disagree, I wish you good luck. But what do I know?

I thought of something that could be put in with body position, but might deserve it's own catagory, and that is deployment technique. Pulling your pilot chute and not tossing it quickly and cleanly can mess you up even if your body is flying well. I had a problem from just that - a poor grab with a worse toss resulted in a pc in tow when it got caught in my burble. I was flying great but nothing was happening until I got some wind on my back. People have also run into trouble when they held on to the pc rather than throwing it right away. I've heard that the PC should be treated like a live cobra and gotten rid of quickly and far. Sounds like good advice to me. But what do I know?

Ahhh, I was looking at it bas-ackwards. If it was a cutaway it was a mal. It it was fixed then it wasn't. You are absolutely right about newer jumpers. I am still new. Sometimes I'm not sure whether I can fix it or not. My rule is if I'm at 2k and it's still not landable, I'm out of there. If that happens, I'll call it a malfunction whether it was or not. Thanks for your clarification. But what do I know?

You're saying a malfuncition is a cutaway. The post above your's says it's not (necessarily.) The OP is asking for a definition. Which is it? I vote it is. If it's fixable it's not. But what do I know?

Ongoing discussion about this subject in S&T: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1744801#1744801 But what do I know?

Bag search, bodily fluids, probably cavity search if they wanted to. I have to 'agree' just to go to work. I think it sucks. America is about half way down the slippery slope already. Some people think 1984 didn't happen. Hahahahahaha But what do I know?

QuoteMedia coverage is not representative of what's happening, presumably because defensive gun use usually stops at brandishing which isn't exciting enough for the news. Only exciting and uncommon events get covered. Quote Question A .38 caliber handgun is legally owned by a citizen - not law enforcement. The gun is used to kill somebody. The killing was most likely: a.) Justified b.) Murder c.) Accidental d.) Suicide I think answer A is the least likely of the choices. Of course I could be wrong. But what do I know?