JCW1966

Just doing some research. Thanks for taking the time to take this poll.

So with unemployment being the highest it has been in a long time and more people finding themselves homeless our gov't wants to make it illegal to not have medical insurance? What a joke. Where are they going to keep all the offenders? Most jails and prisons are overcrowded now. So is this how Obama plans on fixing the economy by having to build more jails and hire more people to guard those who are criminals because they don't have medical insurance? Doesn't sound like too good of a plan to me.

Yeah it's touchy for sure. Juries can be funny, insurance companies can be funny, state laws can be funny. Lot of if's and in there. They definitely need a good lawyer. I'd give anything if they could prove it was a heart attack, sure would make it simpler for them.

LOL, amen to that. It's more than just the Internet, it's dropzone.com - the original home to someone here will twist your words faster than you can get a line twist. I really shouldn't expect any less.

Whoaa there buddy. See it's idiots like you that need to stay out of the air. You obviously can't read. I never once said one word about going after innocent parties that were there when he went in. We were talking about insurance companies. You are either a complete idiot or another one of those lame nuts that have nothing better to do with their time than start crap on DZ.com by trying to put words into my mouth that just aren't there. When I referred to my family doing what ever it took that was in reference to getting the insurance company to pay off on the life insurance, nothing more, nothing less. I wondered how long it would take someone to start crap. Not long, typical dz.com BS So Remster go ream yourself

No doubt that is what I would do. As far as my family if it were I who was deceased: I would want my family to do what they felt necessary to survive without me. Fortunately I have had life insurance since the early 80's and it covers everything including suicide which isn't an issue but it's in there. It even has a double indemnity clause that states it pays double if my death is the result of an accident. I spent 4 years on an aircraft carrier and my family pretty much insisted on it. This person obviously is interested in / needs the life insurance money or they wouldn't be posting about it. The life insurance money will not bring the person back. But it could be the difference between struggling to pay the bills and not struggling to pay the bills. Not only have they lost a loved one but they have lost the income this man provided as well. Kudos for this man having life insurance, it shows he was looking out for his family. A lot of people don't even have life insurance, can't afford it. The other option is if his employer withheld taxes and Soc Sec from his paycheck and he was considered a full time employee and not someone under contract. Then I guess they could claim a work related death and go after worker's comp for their state. But that would also hurt the DZ because most states make the employer share the expense on any worker comp claims or they make them carry worker's comp insurance. So they either share the expense or pay higher premiums. Either way the DZ owner suffers. NOT WHAT I WOULD WANT TO SEE. DZ's struggle enough as it is. These big insurance companies should pay. They have collected millions for years on end, and in some cases have squandered away their profits and now our gov't is bailing them out with our tax money. Personally I would rather see my tax money go to pay out on this man's life insurance policy than to see a company that has taken bailout money spend it on their execs like we have seen with some companies such as AIG. On another note I know some people are paying higher premiums for insurance, health and / or life because they skydive. I also know that those premiums are usually higher than what a smoker pays. Yet how many people die from lung related diseases and or cancers every year because they smoked cigarettes vs # of fatalities a year in skydiving? Yet when these people die from smoking the insurance companies still payout. Man dies earning a living vs man dies because he smoked. Doesn't quiet seem fair when you look at it that way does it? And by the way I quit smoking in February after 20+ years and I could still wind up dying from something related to smoking.

Well one would hope the most reliable opinions would come from a professional in those fields. But their are doctors who misdiagnose and then there are lawyers who just plain suck or if they can't make a bunch of money then it's not worth their time and they won't want to deal with it. I don't know that you will be able to do much about the medical side of things here but I would talk with more than one attorney. You're liable to get different opinions / advice. One attorney might tell you that you don't have a prayer. Then another attorney may tell you if he can get the case in front of a jury that he has a good chance of winning. Don't take just the word of one unless it's one that is ready to fight for you. Most insurance companies will settle out of court because it is cheaper than to fight you and they have no guarantee that they will win. Juries can be funny things and you never know in a civil case, the burden of proof is not like it is in a criminal case. All it takes is a sympathetic jury and the insurance company is screwed. My family's business is structured settlements / annuities (20+ years). One case we had last year involved a DUI driver who passed out, crossed the median on an Interstate, slammed head on into a big rig and killed himself. The truck driver was not in any way at fault but his insurance company settled with the deceased's family out of court for 300k because it was cheaper and a guaranteed thing. Going to court was not, especially if the jury pool ends up being poor to middle class folks who are tired of big companies making big money. I couldn't believe it. The guy was drunk and did it to himself yet the insurance company would have spent at least 300k walking into court so they settled out of court instead. My stubborn ass would have fought the family of the deceased on that one, but hey what do I know? If I was a betting man I'd bet that you can find an attorney that at the very least will get the insurance company to settle out of court for an amount less of what the policy pays. Bottom line find an attorney who will fight and drag the insurance company through the mud in the process. All he has to do is make it more expensive for them to fight than to settle. They will take the cheaper way out.

this is worth repeating.. posted by gixxer5223 on May 28, 2007, 3:02 PM hey whats up guys, i just got finished with my AFF at sebastian in Florida and im ready to buy a rig. the question i have is what canopy size should i be looking for? Im 5"8' and 160 lbs. i was thinking a 150 but i found a really nice deal on a vector 3 that has a 135 canopy do u think this is to small to start with or no? thanks for your help. posted by gixxer5223 on Dec 11, 2008, 2:47 PM hey guys i recently had a bad swoop and bounced. i fractured my L-2 vertebre and broke a small bone above my tailbone.. the recovery time is said to be 6-8 weeks has anyone healed earlier??? im 22 and in great shape i cant wait 6-8weeks to jump again any suggestions or good exercises and stretches to do to aid in the recovery time? thanks guys. doesn't sound like it was a very nice deal does it??? why did he ask for advice if the rig was right for him, and then ignore the advice of many that told him it was too small??? this shit makes no fucking sense!!! think people!!! be safe out there, somebody loves you.. What's amazing is he went almost 7 months on this HP canopy without killing himself. And how many times was he told not to jump it after he bought it? Wonder what that 1st ride on it was like? Just curious

Congrats! I started skydiving 2 years ago on my 40th birthday with ground school and my AFF LVL 1 jump, no tandem. Probably should have done a tandem first but didn't. I hope when I hit 53 that I'm still skydiving.

I was in the sport all of 2.5 months when my mom's best friend and a very dear friend of mine as well died. She died from an aneurysm. I just happen to be out of town skydiving when it happened. It was the worst phone call of my life. I was in the sport for a year before I lost my first friend in a skydiving accident, July 28th, 2007. Then a year later it has happened again. I also have had friends who lost their friends in skydiving accidents my 2nd week in the sport, about 8 months into the sport, and again 2 years into the sport. Ever since getting into the sport back in July of 2006 death has been all around me in some form or fashion. Does it make me want to quit? No, but it does make me question what the hell I'm doing sometimes. I still feel that I'm in more danger driving 2.5 hours to the DZ than I do jumping at the DZ so that's a plus I guess.

QuoteI think RSL's are like seat belts and AADs are like airbags. None are guarenteed to save lives but they do help.Quote After all the discussion, the pros and cons for and against RSLs & AADs, the above stament probably holds true more than any other I have read on here. It's because they help I choose to use them. I wish everyone would use them. But not everyone will so for me it's pretty much a mute point to discuss it further. Thanks to everyone for some great input on both sides of the argument. Especially the "against" regulation crowd. Even though I fully intend on using mine I no longer care if anyone else uses their's or not, it's their choice. And like someone said earlier with so many in disagreement about AADs and RSLs there are no black and white answers on the matter. I wish I knew what the answer was but I obviously don't. So to everyone, no matter how you jump, what you jump with, at least be safe when jumping. I'm tired of reading about people I know and don't know losing their life in a sport we all love and are very passionate about.

No you're brilliant. So damn bright your momma calls you son. If you read my last post I came to the conclusion that people should jump what they want. You're a little late on this discussion and I guess you must be bored with nothing else to do. But since you had someting to say let's look at your remark. "that money could've been spent on canopy coaching, freefly coaching, currency jumps, etc." 1) Most likely if a diver won't spend a 1k on an AAD I doubt they'll spend money on a canopy course. 2) Freefly coaching doesn't have anything to do with flying a canopy. As a matter of fact if they're freeflying they should be wearing an AAD. What if they have a collision with another diver and get knocked out? Think their chute is going to come out on it's own? Not without an AAD it won't. 3) And if they're having to spend money on currency jumps they most likely need to be jumping with an AAD and an RSL anyway. They're already having to jump with an instrutor for their currency jump just like a student who, by the way, is required to be wearing an AAD. Like I said in my last post when I said I was out of here. I'll continue to jump with an AAD and an RSL and others can choose what they want to jump with.

Just making a clicky for ya http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4L0UtKoVwk Thank you Tracy.

Wow! Okay, I'm sold. I'll jump with an RSL because I choose to and let everyone esle decide what they want in their gear. If you're not into politics maybe you should look into that as a career move. You could definitely do some speech writing. This whole thread has taught me something and that last post you made drove it home for me albeit in the opposite direction I first chose. But if RSLs got regulated it wouldn't hurt my feelings either. My journey with this thread has come to it's end.

I love that statement, I really do, but try telling that to the Federal Gov't. It would make a great T shirt though An RSL can be disconnected, An AAD can be left "off". So if there was a regulation requiring them on our rigs we would ultimately still have a choice as to whether or not we actually used them. Nothing is full proof. To a reasonable extent? What about people and property on the ground? What if you cutaway at a 1000 and don't get your reserved pulled in time? Now let's add a landing area underneath you at a boogie and there are a few hundred folks on the ground watching. You just affected them. Now let's say you hit a spectator who's watching you fall without a reserve out and wham, you just affected them too. And what about the family and friends left behind? Don't we owe it to them to be as safe as we can when enjoying ourselves and our involvement in skydiving? RSLs are good in certain situations, bad in others, but if you have one then you also have the choice as to use it or not. Is a regulation that requires you to be euipped with a choice really a bad thing? If you don't have an RSL then you just took that choice away from yourself. I'd rather have the choice than to not have it. Bottom line is I'm jumping with an RSL. It may never be a requirement in our sport because we live in a country that allows us those freedoms. Or at least it does until the insurance industry steps in just like they did with motorcyles and helmets. Not all states require a helmet. Of the fifty states, only 4 are 100% helmet law free. Of the other 46 states, 20 have full helmet laws for all motorcycle riders, 19 States have helmet laws that exempt adult riders, 18 years old and over. And 7 states require adult riders between the ages of 18 to 21 to wear helmets, over 21 and you're more than welcome to plant your head against the asphalt without one. Above stats are from: http://usff.com/hldl/frames/50state.html I guess you could say that just like some helmet laws the right to jump a rig without an RSL or AAD is just another way to help control population growth. I know what we do is dangerous and in the end we will have incidents that result in death. But why not try to make it as safe as possible and in doing so we just might save someone's life? Who knows, could be yours or mine that gets saved.

Instead of you swearing an oath not to use an RSL or AAD why don't you ask him to cash the check you may end up writing one day. Or for whatever reason this guy didn't have an RSL or skyhook equipped Javelin. JeepDiver you need quit the speed reading stuff and re read what I said. I was made to swear never to jump WITHOUT an RSL & AAD. As for those who don't like my idea of more regulation I agree with you. I don't like more regulation either. But there has to be some regulation in everything we do. I'm into high power rocketry as well. I put a rocket up to 11,320' at mach 1.34 last year. If you're flying in an airplane while I'm flying rockets you want me to have to follow some regulations. What makes skydiving different? This policing ourselves isn't working real well. What's the fatality count for the year so far? The past 10 days or so has been nothing but one huge terrible loss for our sport, family, and friends. For myself I'm jumping with an RSL & AAD, and I'm landing off on the other side of the runway at my home DZ and taking the extra walk back. I can at least police myself.

Not trying to be a jerk here but when did a mandatory "suggestion" from a manufacturer become law? I'm not picking on you but grateful that you made that statement. In this country there is not a regulation from the FAA or the USPA requiring RSL's or AAD's except for student rigs, and maybe tandems? Anyway I feel like it's time that there are some requirements made regarding equipment. My ground instructor and jump master for my LVL 1 jump, as well as becoming a very dear friend over the last 2 years, has thousands of jumps. He won't jump without an RSL or AAD. He's also made me swear to do the same. It's time that there is some requirements in this country other than you have to have your reserve repacked by a master rigger. There are other countries that actually require an AAD. Why not RSLs as well? They can always be disconnected if and when the need arises such as 2 divers entangled under canopy. I don't know if an RSL would have helped here or not but if I have to cut away I want that RSL option.

I spent yesterday going through the 2007 Good Vibes videos that I linked to in my first post above and pictures from the 2007 Mexican Revolution Day boogie last November. I edited them and compiled them into one video. Background music is a bluesy instrumental piece called "Little Wing" from the "Sky Is Crying" LP by Stevie Ray Vaughn. http://2020vertical.com/media/skydiving/blueskies_DL.wmv I can't tell you how many times I've watched the video since I put it together yesterday. I just watch it and I'm stunned by the fact that DL is gone, and then I watch it again. Blue Skies everyone, please be safe, and let's look out for one another. Clark

Amen to that.

We got you covered, thank you! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uIYzl1VmNw

This post is for DL's family and friends. Here are links to footage of DL enjoying what he loved to do at the 2007 Good Vibes Boogie. DL is in the following clips in some form or fashion so if you don't see him at the very beginning of a clip just keep watching it. I just edited & compiled the footage. Noah Bahnson was the videographer who shot it. http://2020vertical.com/media/skydiving/gvb2007/gvb_pt2.wmv - DL is only in this clip briefly. http://2020vertical.com/media/skydiving/gvb2007/gvb_pt3.wmv http://2020vertical.com/media/skydiving/gvb2007/gvb_pt6.wmv - My 2nd favorite clip of DL http://2020vertical.com/media/skydiving/gvb2007/gvb_pt7.wmv - My favorite clip of DL http://2020vertical.com/media/skydiving/gvb2007/gvb_pt010.wmv http://2020vertical.com/media/skydiving/gvb2007/gvb_pt013.wmv http://2020vertical.com/media/skydiving/gvb2007/gvb_pt014.wmv Here's to some great memories and fun. Blue Skies David, you will be dearly missed!

I've been getting the AOPA stuff in the mail too and I have never done anything to give USPA my address other than join. And yes I'll join AOPA. But that's not the point. USPA is collecting their info and selling it to other organizations, and the such. http://uspa.org/membership/index.htm (scroll down about 2/3rds of the page) Mailing list rental program Order the largest and most accurate mailing list of skydivers—34,000 names and addresses available. Custom sorts allow you to choose any number of USPA members (minimum 500) by zip, city, state, region, gender, date joined, and type of rating. The rented list is intended for a one-time use only. Subsequent mailings or seasonal mailings require additional rentals. For detailed information about the mailing list program and to order a mailing list, please read and complete the following documents: Mailing Rental Program Specifications: http://uspa.org/membership/pdf/USPAMAILINGLISTPROGRAM12-06.pdf Mailing List Rental Program Order Form: http://uspa.org/membership/pdf/MailListOrderForm12-06.pdf Mailing List Rental Program Agreement: http://uspa.org/membership/pdf/USPAMAILINGLISTAGREEMENT12..pdf For further questions, e-mail us. mailto:membership@uspa.org

Back at ya buddy!

So did you help to design any of the FRAUDULENT web pages that ASC/Skyride use to lure un-suspecting jumpers? ASC has hundreds of fake web pages (fraudulent) used to draw jumpers to them from across state lines and with out disclosing the location till money is exchanged. That is why the ASC DZ got bounced as well as the Skyride owners. The whole Criminal enterprise is connected. Try again. How many more fake profiles ya going to run up in here? you seem to have a long standing issue with spence yet you have been a member here 60 days? hmmm 1) No I haven't done any web page work for Skyride 2) I've had 2 profiles here. The first one's password got screwed up and I couldn't get logged back in. So you really should know what you're talking about before you start accusing me of anything personally.

Never said anyone made up anything. All one has to do is check the Better Business Bureau's web site and you can see every complaint ever filed against Skyride. I know that, you know that, and every other skydiver out there knows that. You can also see that most of those complaints have been settled in some form or fashion. Do a Google search and you can find plenty. But they, USPA, should not have pulled the DZ's memebrships. That was wrong and does not support the sport. Now had there been safety issues at the DZs that would be different. I know that the owners of Skyride own ASC. I also know that ASC, not Skyride, is an awesome place to skydive. Besides Skyride's parking lot could hurt if you didn't stand the landing. My biggest gripe is the rap that ASC gets because of Skyride. It's inevitable for sure. But the USPA should not have pulled the dropzones memberships and that just added to the bad rap. "They're not a USPA DZ" has been one of the first things I hear when people complain about ASC. When I started skydiving at ASC they did not require USPA membership for AFF. But as soon as you completed AFF not only did they tell you that you had to have a USPA membership but also explained the benefits of belonging to such an organization. But they themselves were no longer a USPA DZ. Who was bineg the better man or bigger group in that situation? You know I went to Chicagoland with 3 ASC employees for a $199, all you could jump boogie. They knew we where from ASC and treated us like fellow skydivers and showed us an awesome time. I did my first 2 way hybrid, 4 way exit, & 12 way formation. No one even treated me like a newbie, even though I'am, much less like ugh there's an ASC skydiver. Some of them even went out of their way to share their condolences with me over Jon's death our 1st weekend in Prattvile back on July 28th. I went to Cullman and most everyone there treated me nice as well and they all knew I was from an ASC DZ. When in Cedartown I'll slip over to the Farm from time to time. Hell even partied there last New Years. I don't give people crap about where they jump. Doesn't matter to me, they're jumping and that's what it is suppose to be about isn't it? And what about the employees at ASC DZ's? If you shut down Cedartown & Prattville where would they work? The Farm? Cullman? Emerald Coast? You of all people should know how hard skydiving jobs can be to come by sometimes. It's feast or famine. As much bad as there can be said about Skyride there's some good that can be said too. It's a bad situation anyway you look it, regardless of who's side you want to take. Skyride should do the best they can to serve their customres and the USPA should not have pulled ASC DZ's memberships. And who has made the most money out of all this mess? The lawyers for both sides, that's who. And other than ASC DZs getting their USPA membership back what has been accomplished? A big fat nothing.