SudsyFist

He released the brakes and was steering with the toggles. You can see in photo 04 that he flares using the toggles, as well. If I'm not mistaken, I believe the USPA SIM recommends to fly a biplane with the front canopy's toggles, leaving the rear's stowed.

Greets, I took some ground shots of a jumper landing a two-canopy out malfunction (in a biplane) at Skydive San Diego last weekend, which I thought would be good to share for discussion and enlightenment: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sudsyfist/tags/20050910twoout/ I don't have the precise technical details, but the jumper had less than 50 jumps (I believe in the 35-40 range). Canopy sizes eluded me, unfortunately. Word at the time was that the reserve spontaneously deployed when the jumper deployed his main at a safe altitude -- this was not a CYPRES fire. Of course, more details may have since arisen. Under two canopies, the jumper's decent rate was pretty slow, without much forward speed, either. Other than that, the photos pretty much speak for themselves. Since half the DZ shot video of this landing (you should've heard the cheers!), there'll probably be video forthcoming, as well. So... discuss! What can we learn from this? What was done well? What could've been done better? Under what circumstances would cutting away have a been a good option? What about standup vs. PLF? And please, be civil.

Greets, I took some ground shots of a jumper landing a lineover malfunction on his main canopy at Skydive San Diego this summer, which I thought would be good to share for discussion and enlightenment: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sudsyfist/tags/20050727landingalineover/ I don't have the precise technical details, but the jumper had less than 100 jumps (I believe in the 50-60 range), and the canopy was rather large (I believe 190 sq feet) and not aggressively loaded (1.0:1 or so). I watched the jumper perform what appeared to be a canopy control check after opening with the mal at a safe altitude (a few lefts, rights, and flares), and he flew it very conservatively into the pattern. His descent rate, albeit faster than what he was used to, seemed comparable to most of the other jumpers on the load; however, his forward speed (and thereby glide ratio) was greatly reduced. On landing, he PLF'd without even an attempt at standing it up, fortunately walking away unharmed. So... discuss! What can we learn from this? What was done well? What could've been done better? What circumstances made this a successful (note, I didn't say *correct*) course of action? And for the real kicker... under what, if any, conditions would choosing to land a main with a line over malfunction be a good decision? Don't ask me, I'm just the photographer! And on that note, sorry for the crappy quality, but I had my ultrawide on and I was really really far away (read: crop crop crop). And please, be civil. Edit: Updated URL.

There is beauty in this woman's words. Can I come, too?

A few more signs from the same trip: Best Billboard Spanglish with a dash of commercialism. Best Road Sign Reminiscent of the ol' "couple o' nuts and an asshole for neighbors" schtick. Best Fingerpainting Brilliant. Best (reaction to) Fuel Price Sign It's gone up since Katrina. *A lot*. You should see my reaction now (read: monkeys, cage). Oh, and here's a great, albeit unrelated, billboard for shits 'n grins: Patriotic Pride This is not the Abbey Road you're looking for. EDIT: Damn, I had to throw another one in there... Best Road Sign 2004 Pride vs Honesty.

Tactical jamming of land-based targets from properly equipped (big amplifiers; signal amplifying, highly directional log periodic array antennas; etc.) seaborne platforms makes sense when you're targeting receivers that are tuned into a relatively low-power signal (think degradation of the jamming signal over distance), have good line-of-sight with the jamming platform (think sea-level complications), and are otherwise inaccessible by more suitable jamming platforms (think foreign countries which might not appreciate our setting up ground-based jamming platforms targeting their receivers on their soil). In this case, we have troops already on the ground. Taking into account that these signals, in particular, have a number of, shall we say, nuances about them (think signal strength, repeaters, etc.), it would be much more effective to deploy ground-based jamming platforms. Long story short, ignore the boats. I can't respond to the allegations of lines being severed, but here's some food for thought on the alleged jamming. I'll try not to get mired in detail. Tactical jamming is usually target-specific; that is, it is implemented on a specific known frequency and targeting a specific geographic area or receiver. Another option is broadband jamming, where a jamming signal is applied over a wide swath of frequencies, but a variety of drawbacks with this method reduce its overall effectiveness, leaving it to be implemented only in very specific situations or as a last resort. In this case, we have a number of units of our own troops operating in the target area, all using their own specific freq's (or hopsets) according to their SOI's, and they need those comms preserved. Can you see where I'm going with this? Jamming "emergency, disaster recovery, and news media communications" in this case would require the targeting dozens of specific frequencies in specific geographic areas, in a massive coordinated effort that also ensures that our own troops are unaffected. The kind of assets this would require are beyond prohibitive. For those who are privvy (or savvy), a brief perusal of a typical division's MTOE, focusing on SIGINT/ECM assets, will reveal exactly this: it's a no-go.

http://www.uspanationals.com/ The "Standings" section has results posted for S&A, but none for AE so far; they're probably posting only after all rounds are scored (rather than real-time) or perhaps at end of day. You'll likely get the good news via phone before then...

Ah, Kapowsin. After hours of sitting in traffic, we made it to Pierce County Airport, where the DZ currently operates out of a trailer and some picnic tables, with which they seem to be doing pretty well. Packing on rocky dead grass was a pain, but once at altitude we got our whore on. It was dunesurfer's last jump of the trip (he has to be back to work in SoCal on Monday), so we had to go out with a flailing bang, with the mighty Mt. Rainier dominating the background. The landing area was absolutely gorgeous, but not all that... well... flat. I didn't realize this, of course, until after I got back up on my feet and dusted myself off... After farewells to dunesurfer and another jump later, we were off to the lake for a slammin' DZ party, complete with demo jumps (on rounds!) into the water, barbecue, and water training for aspiring B-licensees, which incorporated donning a training rig and jumping of a 10-footish platform into the lake. Kickass... Kapowsin knows how to put on a party! Today, we cruised South and stopped by Skydive Oregon. I had an issue with part of the waiver, though (details via PM for decorum's sake), and after discussing it with a member of management (who was very courteous and professional), we decided to head out to Eugene. Holy shit, Eugene rules!!! The staff are awesome, the vibe is uber-rad, the jumpers are a bunch of freaks, hotties flowed like wine... we felt right at home. After some freefly, we finished the day with a Sudsy track with a bunch of the locals, including superstu as well as a couple of chicks. Sadly, this one wasn't in my tighty whities... We're chillin' in the hangar now, realizing there's no freakin' way we can pass up another day of jumping here in Eugene before heading home. This place kicks enormous amounts of ass!

Lodi was a homecoming long overdue. Bill is the coolest cat this side of the sun. Cheap tickets, the greatest waiver process of all time, and quick turns! The downwinder the Japanese four-way team gave us was great -- da boyz swooped right into the 6+ foot tall weeds!!! After the jumps, we headed up to Mt. Shasta that night where I got my groove on with a self-esteem-deprived lobby attendant... The following day (Tue) was scheduled purely as a drive day, and we made our way to Portland. King salmon are on the run folks, and life is good. We awoke the next morning (Wed) to drizzle and otherwise shitty NW weather, which scotched our chances of jumping in Pitt Meadows that evening. On our way up, however, we saw some sun beginning to peek out of the cloud cover... right over Snohomish; we had to oblige. Holy MFS, this DZ has the absolute hottest jump pilot in the fuckin' history of skydiving (Sudsy *hearts* Jennifer... *swoon*! Add to that the most amazing freefall visuals of the trip (think forests, mountains, Mt. Rainier, the Sound, etc.), and we have a winner!!! Many thanks to the Snohomish crew for making our impromptu visit nothing short of magnificent. After the brews and videos, we made our way further North, spending the night in Bellingham. The next day (Thu; can you tell I had some catching up to do?), we continued on into Canada, where I had a run-in with immigration. A short cavity search later, we were back on the road on our way to Pitt Meadows. Wow, where do I begin? Combine warm Canadian hospitality with jumping out of planes and long, long summer daylight hours, and add a dash of spectacular scenery just for good measure. A super fast King Air, a pilot/DZO who can spot you to land a round on a dime in high winds, friendly faces, and such a welcoming vibe. I can't begin to express just how Pitt Meadows exceeded every expectation in every way -- we made this DZ the apex, the climax of our road trip without knowing much about it, and they delivered many, many times over. You ungrateful fokkers living in the Vancouver area have a gem here, and we're definitely gonna be coming back to visit again soon! *sigh* It's Friday now, and we begin to make our way back down. Today, we're likely gonna visit Kapowsin/Pierce County Airport. Tomorrow, we're figuring we'll hit one of the Oregon DZ's, so y'all better watch out for our asses!

Wow... *we're* the ones who are sorry for missing you!

I was about to thank you for all the cam work, but I'm getting the feeling that my political aspirations have just been stopped butt cold.

I *saw* how that extra altitude was obtained Thursday!

So we ditched the socked-in Monterey for Hollister. What a great DZ: great crew, fast ride, 15,000 feet (read: 85 sec track dive!)... the van ride takes some time out of the day, but it's great for debrief. We're definitely coming back here. Next day, we headed to Byron, where a posse was already awaiting our arrival. Many thanks to all the Byron peeps (shitload of dot commers) for your warm hospitality, good humor, and great breasts. The rest of the DZ's on our itinerary have a seriously tough act to follow now. Today, Lodi...

Whelp, we're in Monterey and staring at a "blanket of white shit" (credit: dunesurfer), hoping it will clear enough for us to get some air. In the meantime, however, we shall rape and pillage the local Denny's.

Mel, the gentle caress of your fingers against my lightly sheathed tadpole factories in freefall is beyond words. I... love... you.

Perris and Elsinore rocked! Led a sunset track at Elsinore in nothing but tighty whities (thanks for the cockdock, Mel!) and had my companion sit on my face on video... Today, we meet up with dunesurfer in Monterey. But we're taking the coastal route (we're in Santa Barbara right now), so we'll be in just a few hours later than he. But he doesn't know that. Some folks gave some depressing news about Kapowsin; we might be changing the last few days of our itinerary, but all you NorCal folks are gonna get it this weekend whether you like it or not. *kisses*

It has begun... yesterday, we terrorized a Tijuana taqueria, braved the hour-plus border traffic, and slapped some booty-shakin' Brit-hos at Skydive San Diego. Today, Perris and Elsinore will be feeling the love...

Dude, totally looking forward to it! Ain't seen you since we all HEARD one of your, um, harder openings down in Perris many moons ago!

PING!!! It won't be the same without you, man, but you *could* join us for the weekend in Norcal... Any other Socalers down for a weekend getaway? Is anybody else even reading this, or do I get an F in Marketing for my subject line?

Can't wait til the castration rumors start floating about. We're only giving ourselves two days of drive time to get from Lodi to Vancouver, BC, so methinks we're pushing it as it is. If we get ahead of schedule, though, I was considering a pitstop at either Eugene or Skydive Oregon. Anyone got the pros/cons between the two, besides aircraft?

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep, But I have promises to keep...

Ms Sky Bytch??? Does she have a femdom thing going which I don't know about (yet)???

Great news, Mel! Since our Tour d'West Coast stops us by the 'Snore on Thu, 11 Aug, we're down and looking forward to seeing you there! Will a jock and pasties qualify?

Weren't Scott and I high-fiving porno style? I'll come visit SDC soon, mark my words... You are soooooooooo asking for it, young lady! But, I shall refrain. And how. Perhaps you can uproot and deforest some for your own damn self??? Sloppy kisses, all. BTW, The Mars Volta put on a kickass show last night. Never heard their recorded stuff, but live they were an eight-way perverted mix of Santana, old David Bowie, even older Pink Floyd, and a touch of John Coltrane. Psychedelic beyond anything I've seen in the last few years, with 20 minute songs, dripping-wet-with-effects solos, and killer segues. Hope their recordings capture some of what I saw last night. Oh, almost missed this again: Dude, this trip is gonna be so OFF THE WAGON, it's not even funny. Rockin' to have you aboard, matey.