Braz933

I only have 2 tandems, but AFF is in the works for next spring. I remember standing in the doorway and thinking...this may well be the last thing I ever do....and out we went. That was a very sobering realization, and when we landed, I felt like a completely different person. It changed my entire view of life, and how I wanted to spend mine. Here are a few of the more tangible ways that it has changed my life: 1) I have spent untold hours on this site. 2) I think I have watched nearly every skydive video available on you tube, and have moved on to skydivemovies.com, along with the vids on this site. 3) I am reading books to educate myself on the sport. 4) Whenever I am feeling melancholy, I watch some of my favorite skydive videos and it cheers me right up! Last but not least, I drive my wife crazy. Whenever the weather is good, I ask her if she knows what today is. She just rolls her eyes and says.."it's a good day for skydiving."

I admire your courage and perspective Chaz.

--- "Are you suggesting there's something wrong with trying to keep some gas in the tank for later?" --- Not at all. I should have worded it differently. I guess it is just very scary for me to think that my TI may be fatigued and unable to physically make a safe landing, and is therefore relying on me to help him. Does that make sense? I just know that when I did my jumps, every possible thought went through my head as to what could go wrong with the TI, let alone the equipment. I thought..what if he has a heart attack, what if he is secretly a drug user, and just did a few lines and freaks out during the jump, what if ...etc...but fatigue never crossed my mind. As a student, I just want to believe that the person I am jumping with is 10 feet tall, and bullet proof, able to handle anything. If I can't convince myself of that, I'm not jumping. That is the level of trust. It is truly blind faith. As far as I am concerned, TI's are right up there with surgeons in terms of how much trust we place in you.

I don't know about you, but prior to my tandems, I did not receive any canopy flight training, no emergency procedure training, nothing that could possibly have helped in the event of an emergency, nor should I have been taught any of those things. I was taught exactly what I needed to do, which was arch and maintain it, then lift my legs on landing. EVERYTHING ELSE is the responsibility of the TI. If the TI allows you to pull, steer, etc. in order to enhance the experience for you the student, then fine...but to think that you as a tandem student have any knowledge or ability to "help" the TI is ludicrous. This is a tragic incident, and my comments here are not meant to reflect at all on the TI involved.

---- "Other TI's have reasons to have the students help flare due to the toggle pressure on some tandem canopies. Sometimes TI's are fatigued and need the help. Sometimes TI's prefer to have the student help so they don't get so fatigued in so few jumps." ---- I only have 2 tandems under my belt at this point. The first one was just a "carnival ride." However, I realized I wanted to do it again. In the meantime, I spent a lot of time reading the breakdown of various incidents, and it was clear that many occur under a good canopy. This instilled in me a healthy respect for that portion of the jump. On my second tandem, the TI allowed me to pull and fly the canopy. I must admit that for the very short time I had the toggles, I was very afraid of doing something wrong, so I ended up giving the toggles back after about 30-40 seconds, because the bottom line is...I did not have a clue what I was doing, and did not want to screw it up! Anyway, as a tandem student\passenger or whatever you want to call us, we trust the TI is ready and able to handle any eventuality. I am shocked by the notion that a TI would be allowing a student to perform any part of the sequence SOLELY for the purpose of avoiding or dealing with fatigue. That is VERY scary.

Like you, I want the best possible protection. That said, it seems a full face helmet would be a good choice. I am surprised to hear that most helmets do not offer much impact protection. Which full face helmet has the best protection capability? Thanks!

I did not know there was a cutaway system for helmet cameras. Thanks

Biden also said that he and Obama did not support changing the definition of marriage, so what is your point?

The sidewinder is exactly what I was talking about. Thanks!

I do not understand why\how it would be easier to clear an entaglment of lines\camera easier on a open face helmet vs. a full face helmet with a face shield? Can you explain please? Thanks.

In all the skydive videos I've watched, I have yet to see anyone freefly wearing a full face helmet with a face shield. Is this because the face shields tend not to stay closed in freefly maneuvers? I have also never seen a full face helmet, with a face shield, and a camera mount. I am guessing that may have to do with the need for a more solid chin strap to support the added weight of the camera. Correct? Thanks

I thought Palin did well, and given the expectations for this debate, a "draw" translates into a "win" for Palin. One thing in particular I found disturbing. Biden said that both he and Obama favored allowing courts to lower both the interest rate AND principle on mortgages for those in trouble. Come on! So why should I bother to pay my mortgage? I may as well default, and hope some court will lower my interest rate, AND the amount I AGREED to pay on the loan. That is utter foolishness!

"This is Speakers corner fuck the Political Correct responses. Political Correctness is destroying our society." ROGER THAT!!!!!!

"Innocent until proven guilty. The officer was way out of line making those comments, could reck a case." Ok Sherlock..who else might be responsible for the two dead children in the suspects freezer?

I agree with diverborg. I have no problem with the Iranian people, but I think you are giving Ahmadinejad WAY too much credit. Time will tell.

Sarah, I would never want you to become a "silent observer." I said what I said to draw attention to the importance of SC selections relative to who one votes for in November. A given candidate will most likely appoint SC justices that support their position. Vote accordingly.

Andy908 is correct. Perhaps the most important thing the president does is appoint supreme court justices, and the SC impacts your every day life in a very substantial way. Far more than any decision made by a sitting president. So keep that in mind when you vote in November, regardless of what side of the debate you are on.

I applaud your willingness to get involved in something like this. Although I think you may underestimate the amount of time you will end up spending in court. Just the same, I am glad you are willing to see it through. I would, however, suggest you contact the police much earlier in the process. Never a good idea to run a sting in your own house.

What are you talking about?

I think she will do well. Her opponents underestimate her.

What I said was very clear. Any support of a policy that charges victims for rape kits, etc... is indefensible. Got it?

Victims of crime should never, ever, ever, be charged for the collection of evidence! That is what I meant. That Wasila police chief who opposed the corrective legislation is out of his mind!

The Huffington Post article says... "Starting with the last budget under Mayor John Stein, the FY97 budget (July 1, 1996-June 30, 1997), the line item explanations became less detailed, with the explanation for the "contractual services" line item for several departments combined into one. The explanation reads "Contractual Services/General-medical testing, road maintenance, equipment rental, airport snow removal." It is likely that Palin did not realize "general medical testing" included rape kits.

So far, the following things seem to be undisputed: 1) There have been no cases in Wasila in which a victim was actually billed. 2) This law about billing victims was passed at the STATE level, by the STATE Governor. 3) This law is beyond grotesque. I don't think it is fair to attack ANY Mayor over decisions made at the STATE level. Seems to me the blame lies at the STATE level. That being said, I would like to hear a direct response from Palin as to her opinion on this vile law.

I once had a guy tell me "All the girls in my pictures are exactly 16 years old!" That was a stretch, some looked to be about 13. The funny bit is that by law, you can not take nude pics of girls under age 18. One more pedophile behind bars!