wolfriverjoe

It kinda depends. Basically, if enough assclowns rally around any symbol, and nobody protests and claims that they don't represent the true meaning of that symbol, then it becomes the "symbol of the assclown." For a fairly neutral example, the rainbow flag has become the symbol of the gay rights movement. So my standard rainbow colored Triathlon canopy (this is a skydiving forum, right?) sometimes raised questions from whuffo spectators. It had nothing to do with that, but it had the potential to appear that way to some people. Was the Gadsden flag previously prominent among non-fascist groups? Has it become prominent among the fascist groups of late? Does it have other, non-fascist connotations? Has it been used by people to intimidate or harass others? For the Gadsden flag, it's a mixed bag. Largely absent for a long, long time, it showed back up recently. In a variety of contexts. A quick search found THIS. Interesting read. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Do you have a link for the OU claim? I can't find it with a quick search. The problem is that much of what Trump has said is hateful speech. And most of the "hateful people" (Nazis, KKK, white supremacists of all sorts) are Trump supporters. Not all Trump supporters are racist, but most racists are Trump supporters. And I think your representation of the PJL is a bit over the top. Of course, given that certain segments of society have been pretty much free to harass & intimidate anyone they want, when it gets thrown back at them, they tend to scream like little kids. When those with privileges are forced to give them up and be treated as equals (and treat others the same way), they tend to feel that they are being discriminated against. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Displaying a fascist symbol is supporting fascism. Perhaps they were truly ignorant about the people who have adopted that flag as their symbol. If so, they should have removed it when it was pointed out to them. They chose to stand on their "free speech" rights. Which is stupid. The law prohibited the display of that (or any) flag without a permit. They took the flag down, put their "Trump" flag back up, got the permit (apparently without issue), and put the fascist flag back up. Displaying the flag, knowing who has adopted it, is enabling it. And I find it funny as all hell that they refused to give their names to the reporter. They were afraid that their stance would cause problems in the future. Bikers wear Nazi symbols to deliberately piss people off. That's what they do. These guys apparently want to piss people off, but don't want people pissed off at them. They want their speech to go without consequences, yet don't want others to be able to express opposing views. Hypocritical to say the least. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Someone flying a "fascist" banner bothers me far less than someone thinking it's up to them to allow it or not. Eventually you will come to realize that that you are either misguided or failed to understand the lessons of history. Limits on expression are far, far less egregious than fascism... ...So that's worse than the thinking of some that a symbol should not be displayed! Yikes. There are two similar, but non-identical positions being held here. First off, the 1stA only applies to governmental regulation of speech, assembly, ect. It says that the government can't pass laws against it. That has been carried over to things like parades, protests, permits and that sort of thing. A governmental entity cannot allow one type of protest or parade (say gay pride) and deny another (say Nazis or KKK). While fascism is truly reprehensible, evil in fact, the idea of the government deciding which political viewpoints are acceptable and which ones aren't is worse. However, free speech has consequences. To say that someone (whether it be the KKK or the Dixie Chicks) can make a controversial statement without anyone being allowed to argue or dissent is pretty stupid. Given their history and the actions they have committed in the past, I don't have too much problem with someone engaging the Nazis or the KKK when they show up in public. If you want to run around waving the swastika, and praising a group who exterminated millions of innocent people, then don't be too surprised when someone takes enough offense to physically attack. It is illegal (assault & battery most likely), and may result in legal consequences for the attacker, but it should't be too surprising. Don't be too surprised when someone takes your picture and posts it online, resulting in being fired. Don't pretend that your "free speech" rights deny me the right to point out that you are a stupid asshole ('you' in this case being a generic 'you', not directed to anyone in particular). "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Pragmatic politics. GCA '68. When it was "machine guns", they didn't care much. Back then, carrying a pistol for self defense wasn't fashionable. But when cheap imports were cut off, when they put some pretty arbitrary restrictions on what could come into the country, a lot of people were unhappy. When the FFL system was put in place, a lot of the big mail order outfits were unhappy. When it became apparent that, for some politicians, this was "just the beginning", then the NRA became involved. That actually marked the beginning of the NRA as a political entity, rather than a training and education entity. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

I've trained maybe 1200 students with such systems. I also hold a picture of a mal (or a good canopy) over their heads to make it a little more realistic. Seems to work OK. But being able to put them in an environment that's more real (i.e. that's better than me holding 20 year old pictures over their heads) would work better. Ok, but would it be worth the cost? That sim can't be cheap. How many DZs could justify the cost? Is the experience of that sim that much better than the "hold the picture over their head" method. Short of some sort of "full motion" setup, you can't simulate the G-load, disorientation or urgency of a real mal in that sim any more than an old school hanging harness. As noted in post 12, airplane sims practice emergency situations that are usually identified by instrumentation, and often involve complex and exacting protocols to address. Checklists, crew management, and a variety of stuff is covered. While they move in 3 dimensions, there really isn't that much "seat of the pants" flying in them. They also do things that are not practical in real aircraft. Shutting down and restarting engines repeatedly isn't the best for them, the risks of flying on one engine are not trivial, and (back to cost), simply hitting the "reset button" allows repeating scenarios rather quickly. As a side note on sims and their ability to allow a pilot to attempt dangerous things: After the DC-10 crash in Chicago in 1979, where they literally lost an engine (it broke loose and fell off), there was a question as to the possibility of the plane being flyable (could the crew have maintained control or not). The way I heard the story, the sim was programmed with the missing engine and subsequent damage, much of which was to the hydraulic systems. A Boeing test pilot then tried to duplicate the takeoff, without crashing. It took several tries, but he was able to do it. The sim gave him the opportunity to learn how to do it. Nobody blamed the pilots who were killed in the crash. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Fuck me is, this really true? I thought he was a nut job, but that may take the cake Well, to be fair, it wasn't Jones who claimed it. It was a guest. But Jones certainly didn't argue with it or even ask for any sort of proof. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Technically, the "Bump Stock" is a semi auto. The thing just allows the recoil of the gun to be directed to pull the trigger rapidly. The problem with "ordinary civilians should not have access to those kind of guns" becomes "what exactly is that kind of gun. Black? Resembles a military rifle? (an AR-15 is not and never was a "Military Gun"). Has things like a pistol grip or a bayonet lug? Has magazines that hold a lot of rounds available for it? Where do you draw the line? And there are very few military rifles that meet the common definition of "High Powered". They are actually mid to low powered rifle cartridges. In part because they don't generate as much recoil and shooting rapidly is a lot easier. And "automatic" rifles are really hard to get. And despite what Hollywood and the media like to say, converting a semi auto to full auto is not an easy process. How many of the "mass shootings" involve full auto weapons? How many crimes in total involve full auto (legal or illegal)? There was a comment about this a page or so back about "drop in" auto sears. They exist, but the vast majority are 'registered' with the ATF as a "class 3" item. They really don't "just drop in". A lot of other parts also need to be obtained and installed. And most of them don't work all that well. One more time. Short of machinist and gunsmith tools and skills, converting a semi auto firearm to full auto is a difficult task. I would really like to know details on the gun used in Las Vegas. Some reports are illegally converted, some are that he had several rifles with bump stocks. Nothing for certain yet, though. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Wow, that is just incredible. In what way? Seriously, after Texas & Florida got hit, there was a huge outpouring of support. State, local, federal, media, social media, sports figures, everything. It was handled well. After Puerto Rico got hit, the public response was non-existent. When Trump said "we're doing a fantastic job", it was clearly not the case. When the mayor said "we need help", Trump and all the "Trumpettes" attack her. What. The. Fuck. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Maybe, maybe not. The audio I heard (and I only heard a bit on the news, I haven't gone and looked for it) had fairly long and consistent bursts. No "stumbling" through a couple shots semi, in the middle of a longer burst. The bump fire stocks, or a Hell Fire, or the "Rubber Band" technique or any of the "use the recoil of the shot to push it back then go forward to pull the trigger" techniques require a fair amount of finesse. Getting the sort of consistency I heard takes a good bit of practice. It's easy enough to do on the range, but under stress? The "fine motor skills" necessary to do that sort of thing are the first to go under that kind of stress. I am very interested in hearing an official statement on the weapon(s) used. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Well, reports are that it was full auto. It certainly sounded like it in the audio clips. There's a difference between actual automatic fire and rapid fire semi-auto. Full auto ownership is pretty restricted in the US. The "Silencer" thread covers some of it. And contrary to Hollywood and media reports, converting a semi-auto to full auto capable is not really easy. Machinist skills, gunsmith skills and a decent shop setup are required. It's not something someone (anyone) could do with a Dremel tool after watching a couple YouTube videos. The debate on guns should be interesting. If it was a full auto, then including semi auto stuff in the debate is a stretch. And the NRA supported Trump from early on. They claim he's the most pro 2nd A president in a long time. Yet he has a long history of anti-gun statements. And a long history of saying whatever he thinks will get him the most support. And then abandoning those supporters once their usefulness is done. Will he abandon his supporters (lots of the "Trump Type" are also pro-gun) this time? "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

I won't disagree that it would be nice for simulating canopy flight. But that wasn't the OP's question. He was asking about Emergency Procedures. Different situation altogether. And Not really. Part of it wasn't their choice. Part of it is what those simulators train. Most of it is cost. Airplane simulators primarily train emergencies. They can do it safely (no chance for a real crash), repeatedly (shutting down and restarting engines is a bit hard on them), in less time (just hit the 'reset' button and start over) and most importantly - cheaply. While the high-end, full motion, airliner simulators are pretty expensive, both to build and to operate, they are a lot cheaper than actually flying, say, a Boeing 757. So the accounting department for the airlines can easily justify spending the money on the simulator, because it is so much more cost efficient. For a skydiver or DZ, $15-$20 for a H&P plus $7 - $10 for the pack job isn't expensive enough to justify the cost of that VR simulator. I'm not arguing that it could do a decent job as a training tool, but would it be cost effective? "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

You're not from around here are you? Since "around here" must be a place where people don't understand their own Constitution and veterans don't understand their enlistment oath, that's just as well. "I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice." I never said anything denying Constitutional rights. My post was discussing the efficacy of action. So who stole your password and wrote "There is a tradition in America of respecting the flag and the National Anthem. If someone chooses to oppose that tradition they will receive anger for it from veterans and other patriotic Americans."? You have to realize that, for Ron, "patriotic Americans" are the ones who think like him. People who have differing opinions, who aren't "Christian", who aren't "Southern" are all "pinko commie fags" and don't understand what real 'murcans do. Same goes for veterans. I know a variety of vets. Some firmly believe that they fought for "the flag" and that anyone who "disrespects it or the National Anthem" should simply get on a bus and leave the country. Others realize that they were defending freedom and the Constitution. And that the right to free speech, association and petitioning the government (protest) are far more important than a piece of colored cloth or an old English drinking song with different lyrics. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Highly overtechnical. Waaaaaay too complicated. Since it's military/government, then it's almost certainly waaaaaaaaaaaay overpriced. There's a couple of really, really simple training devices. One is the "Practice harness." It's a harness (with or without container attached) that has the main pull, cutaway handle and reserve ripcord. The student puts it on and practices pulling. The other is the "hanging harness". There are a couple variations. One is an old, retired rig, hung from the ceiling. The student gets in it and practices pulling the various handles. Another is a setup that has a real three ring setup, with a "stop strap." When the cutaway is pulled, it actually drops a few inches to the end of the stop straps. Seeing as: A - EPs are really, really simple (see above - is it there, square and landable? If not, chop it and dump the reserve). B - It doesn't take high tech virtual reality stuff to simulate a harness or emergencies. This is stupid. Stop overthinking it. If you are going to jump, go jump. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Well, if you want my $0.02 (and even if you don't)... I find it rather amusing that you give a bagpiper (presumably a Scotsman in spirit if not in blood) a note that can be read "I love sheep." "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

No. I don't think that even the Nixon's last days were this idiotic. I would think that the cost of The Secret Service protecting Trump at all of his other places is well above this little "jet setting". There was a report of $60k just in golf cart rentals by the S/S. But, all that money is paid to the owner of the resorts and such. Which, in a yuge surprise (and I mean really bigly surprising), all those places are owned by... Trump himself. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

What's to spoil? We cut a peace deal with the North that everyone knew they'd never keep. They knew there was no way we were coming back. We promised to continue to support South Vietnam with military hardware. That promise was reneged on fairly quickly after Nixon resigned. Saigon fell on 30 April, 1975 and the war was over. True...but the doc doesn't end on 4/30/75. Well, I guess I'm not too surprised at that. While combat ended, the aftermath went on for some time. Attitude towards vets, the military in general, attitudes within the military, attitudes towards war, protesters, politicians, and a whole lot of things all underwent some pretty dramatic upheavals. I guess I will have to watch it. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

I think this might be my main problem...and it's what I've been fishing for when talking to people at my DZ. I grew up in a Germanic country, so when you tell me the rule is this, I take it to mean this is E.X.A.C.T.L.Y the rule to be followed... ...So what I've been doing is to instead mostly think about "what will get me down most safely" and "how can I stay away from other canopies". This all works for me, but it does not get me to an exact landing point. So, when I read that based on the SIM I'm supposed to be able to land within a certain number of feet of a pre-chosen location every time, I feel like I'm failing miserably. The exact landing location is always the thing that I adjust so everything else can fit--so it's my last priority. I can hit a location pretty well, when the wind direction is the same one on landing as it was when I planned it on the ground, but in all other cases it goes straight out the window. It takes some time to figure out what is a "rule" and what is a "guideline." And your priority of "getting down safely" is the right one. As long as it's safe, location is not a big deal (even a safe 'off landing' is better than getting hurt trying to make it back to the DZ). Yes, there are accuracy requirements, but leave those for a day when the wind makes the pattern favorable. At my DZ, landing direction is either east or west. No other real choice. But, we all know that if the wind is north or south, that just about everyone will be taking a bit of a turn into the wind on short final. We keep an eye on each other, make sure we aren't cutting anyone off and take a bit of the crosswind component out of it. And I've thought about this some. Read through it before reacting (it's a bit critical). Part of the problem getting your ideas accepted is the way you are presenting them. Apparently, this DZ has well established, somewhat non-standard landing protocols. I'm guessing they've been doing this a while and it works for them (and will for you once you get it dialed in). So you come along, with patterns out of the SIM and Brian's book. You try to tell them that they are doing it wrong and should do it this way. And they aren't terribly receptive to your ideas. It's not that your ideas aren't good ones. But the folks that have been there a while have likely been through this more than once. Given their layout, they likely have played around with patterns and such and found what works best there. Is it possible that there's a better way? Sure. They could likely get more "according to the book" patterns with crosswind landings. But while they aren't a big deal, some people aren't comfortable with them. Some won't do them at all. But don't expect them to change their ways just because another new guy comes along with ideas about patterns. Whether or not they should is less of a question that whether or not they will. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

What's to spoil? We cut a peace deal with the North that everyone knew they'd never keep. They knew there was no way we were coming back. We promised to continue to support South Vietnam with military hardware. That promise was reneged on fairly quickly after Nixon resigned. Saigon fell on 30 April, 1975 and the war was over. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Colin: "Look, so it's less than 20, I mean 25% . . . no wait, I mean under 30%, OK just over 30%" Anyone here want to guess what that number will be by the time it gets passed? Do you mean number of "middle class" peasants that will pay more taxes? Or rich people that will pay less taxes? Gonna guess those numbers will both be 100%. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Read the find print. Ask your H/R people for a copy, or simply ask them if there's any exclusion clauses for "extreme sports". In my experience, health insurance will cover just about any injury from any cause. Disability insurance is a whole different thing. They often exclude 'extreme sports' (named individually in the clause) and a wide variety of other activities, often including anything involving a private aircraft (not for hire). "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Only if one of the jumpers is totally new, you do a speed star where everyone (including the guy wearing swim fins) gets in, you can talk in freefall, you break off at 2k, fall for another 15 seconds, start to argue about pulling at 1k, fall for another 10 seconds, then pull and open at about 100 feet (no snivel). Seriously, this is a terrible idea. Damage to gear, risk of drowning, simply having to dry out all the gear (and the student) after each jump. While there are ways to mitigate the risks, there is no way to make this sport safe. If you aren't willing to accept the risks, if you aren't willing to face the simple fact that stepping out of that door may be the last thing you do, then don't jump. Take up tiddlywinks. Stay away from croquet. The mallets can hurt. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Both are viable ways to learn. They just get you there in slightly different ways, at somewhat different costs. I do have to say, however, that I've never seen a S/L student doing a H&P at 5500, standing in the door. scared and saying "it's so low." "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

While there is some truth to that claim, you conveniently forget that, at the time, the Democrats were the conservative party, wanting to keep the status quo. The Republicans were the liberals, wanting to do heretical things like free the slaves, give rights to black people and treat them equally, that sort of thing. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Interesting article in the NYT OpEd section. For those who don't like blind links, it's by the daughter of an Army Colonel killed in Afghanistan. From it: She gets it. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo