wolfriverjoe

sounds like our Governor race in Florida Pfft. Sounds like about 50% of the political races out there. "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

Yes. It made me laugh too. And it's about as productive and informative as any of the exchanges with Marc. At least Johnny uses reasonably proper grammar & spelling. I can actually understand his posts at the first read. I don't have to read them over and over to puzzle out what he means. "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

It doesn't meet the standard to be classified as truly "airborne." About halfway down, under "How you can't get Ebola on a plane: Source: http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/can-you-get-ebola-on-a-plane/ar-BB8xR9W You'd have to ingest the fluids produced by the sneeze (or get them in your eyes, nose, open sores, or "other places") to get sick. The nurses were dealing with vomit, diarrhea, sweat, blood, ect. From someone who is full of the virus. That level of exposure to fluids that are that highly contaminated is dangerous. The hospital screwed up. The rest of us are pretty safe. "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, from the story Professor Kallend linked (post 2 below yours) about her: That is referring to the others on the plane ride from Ohio back to Texas. Everyone who is freaking out seems to ignore how Ebola is transmitted, and how little risk is associated with casual contact. "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

That list isn't always up to date. I've jumped from Skydive Midwest's Otter. It's a nice one (nice DZ too

I bet her F&F love her right now. The news reports I've seen today say that the fever didn't spike until after she got home. She wasn't symptomatic while in Ohio, or on the plane ride back. But, of course, they are disinfecting the entire plane. "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 would suggest leaving both the main and reserve packed. I would also suggest pulling the pilot chute out of the BOC pouch and leaving it out. The Spandex pouch and the elastic at the mouth will last longer that way. A big plastic bin is a nice place to keep it. Somewhere that has a reasonably constant temperature is also a good idea. "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

That's actually a bigger part of it than you might think. The attitude of "That's just a recommendation and it doesn't apply to me"or "I'm so good I don't have to follow those rules" or "I want to do it now, so you should help me do it even though I'm nowhere near the standard qualifications" all indicate an attitude that either disregards the inherent risk or has the "it won't happen to me" factor. That is someone who I'm not terribly comfortable being in the sky with. I'd be much more comfortable with a brand new A license holder who knows he isn't very good than a "100 jump wonder" who thinks he's so good he doesn't have to follow rules and recommendations. "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

Not unreasonable at all. Maybe. How is it too small? As is what parts of the harness seem too small. If it's too small across the shoulders, then the yoke is the problem. As was noted above, that can't be changed. Otherwise, a harness resize may be an option. Go to the Mirage site and find the page that tells you how to take measurements. HAVE SOMEONE TAKE YOUR MEASUREMENTS. You can't do it yourself. A rigger is good. A decent tailor is also good. However, anyone who can read a tape measure and follow directions will work. Take them twice to be sure. Send both your measurements and the serial number of the prospective rig to Mirage and see what they say. "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, well, well. We are succeeding in our plan to corrupt you.

I don't want to go down this path but if you had a camera on your helmet from day one. It would be more safe than putting it on at jump 50 for example. As a distraction, not as a snag hazard. Along with the fact that id rather have five seconds and 1000 feet before I would want fraction of a second it takes to tumble to your death on skis or a snowmobile. I have very little experience with snowmobiles, and I haven't been on skis in a very long time, so I really can't make comparisons. Are there a lot of accidents that can be linked to camera distraction? And as far as from jump one, you sort of have a point. For example, an altimeter can be a distraction. From a "first jump safety" point of view, it would be safer to have an AFF student make their first jump without that distraction. The instructor could signal pull altitude, and that would be that. But (and it's a huge but), altimeters are considered important and necessary equipment. Students are required to have them, it's in the BSRs. Cameras are not. While it would help to start from the beginning if a camera was considered necessary on every jump, they aren't. They're an add-on. And the distraction potential of a camera is a huge risk for a first time jumper. As others have noted: you aren't the first one to come on here with this argument. You'll do what you want. You will more than likely be fine. Good luck. I hope you don't need 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 do see your point. My question is why can we trust one group of people to ignore the camera while the second group we can't? In theory both groups should be well trained to do what they need to do to save their own lives and should be able to do so even if there is a camera in the vicinity. I can assure you many of the officers I have worked with, whether on the Drug Task Force doing buy busts or on a dynamic entry, were every bit as interested in seeing how cool they were on video when the action was all over. The footage is much cooler to the person who was there in both cases. Maybe there is something to be said for the idea that part of the problem is the taboo that is placed on the camera. If we didn't make such a big deal out of it would it still cause as many issues? Remember, it wasn't really THAT long ago that you had to meet certain experience levels to jump a square because they were all considered high performance. Now most of the people in our sport have never jumped a round. I guess I wonder when evolution overrides the status quo. Well, how many of those raids ended up actually being a "Life of Death" situation? Not how many could have, but actually did? How many did a little bit of distraction, for a few seconds, end up being the difference between a "clean" raid and a shootout? Most of those sorts of raids involve numerous officers, overwhelming force and the element of surprise to put every advantage towards the cops (when properly done - improperly done is a Speaker's Corner subject). If a jumper is distracted on jump run, he has a minute or so to get the camera on, do proper gear checks and be ready to go. If distracted at pull time, he has seconds (approx 5 sec per thousand feet) to get past that and pull. The time between "should have pulled" and "scared the AAD into firing" will vary, depending on planned deployment altitude. Cops on raids generally have a lot more time for gear checks. They are backing each other up and if one is distracted by his camera, the others are there to cover him. Despite the very real dangers and risks, I think there are enough differences in the 2 situations that they aren't really directly comparable. Kind of like the "hundreds of hours with a GoPro on my crotch rocket or skis" doesn't mean it's ok to jump one as an AFF student. "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'm not quite sure what you mean. I don't see much difference between "caused by the camera" or "caused by the distraction of having a camera." In both cases, not having a camera would have eliminated the problem. And, as pointed out in the Incidents thread, the "incidents caused by distraction" far outnumber the incidents caused by the actual camera. I'm also not sure what you mean by "Blows my mind." This shit happens. There's an old incident where a camera flyer left the plane without a rig. It was a long time ago, when jumping a camera meant a big camera, separate recording unit and battery pack. I personally know of an incident where a jumper tried to board a plane without a rig. Someone waiting with him asked "Are you forgetting something?" Whether or not he would have noticed before exit is a valid question, but he freely admitted he was so focused on the camera that it was a possibility. And while an undone chest strap can kill you, it's not necessarily a "will kill you" thing. There's a lengthy discussion about the incident where the jumper spent so much time trying to fasten one in freefall that he had an AAD fire. He was ok. Again, we try to learn from each other's mistakes. Understanding that these rules and recommendations are in place for a reason is part of that. And there is some validity to the argument "I have hundreds of hours with a GoPro while doing other things, I know how to do it safely," it's not really a good way to go. There's a standard school of thought that if you are doing something new in skydiving, leave the camera on the ground no matter how much experience you have with it. For example: A jumper may have hundreds of jumps with a camera. But if he is taking a wingsuit FFC, he leaves it on the ground. Because it's too much of a distraction risk. "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, most of the time, incidents that are reported as "Distracted by camera and (insert bad thing here) happened" are related to the camera. Most of the stuff in the "Small Camera Incidents" thread are pretty clear that the main, or a significantly contributing cause was "camera fixation." I'm open to you pointing out which ones are being incorrectly blamed on the camera. It's actually the lack of experience, combined with the distraction, that create a situation where a simple, low risk situation goes bad. Or the distraction creates the bad situation (chest strap undone is one example). And the attitude of "I'm different, I'm special and I don't have to listen to those stupid recommendations" has gotten pretty old. Visit a few friends in the ICU or go to a few funerals. You will realize that those rules and recommendations are in place for good reasons. Alternatively, ask Sangi, Dan Kulpa or Ted Nelson. Only one will answer. And he will freely admit his ignoring the advice was a bad idea. "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

The fine won't be cheap. But the cost of having a "serious" offense on your record will be worse. Here in the US, anything 15 over posted or more is a pretty big deal. Comparable to "reckless driving." Usually a 6 point offense. For a Commercial Driver's License holder, 2 of these sorts of offenses will result in license suspension. (Commercial privileges). Unless the citation has some real doubt to it, you are probably best off pleading guilty, paying the fine and taking the traffic school option. If the cop got you for real, with radar or laser or similar, fighting it is usually pretty futile. You might go see an attorney. Pay the $20 or $50 or whatever for an initial consult, and see what he (or she) says. And, just to be a bit picky, it's not points off your license. It's points assessed against your license. A "clean" record has zero points on it. Each conviction adds points. You can accumulate so many points in a specific time frame (in Wisconsin, if you get 12 points in a year, you get suspended for 2 months). "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

Have you ever heard the phrase "You don't know what you don't know"? Did you stop to think that most (if not all) the people in the "Small Camera Incidents" thread thought the exact same thing that you did? There's reasons for the rules and recommendations that are in place. The phrase "Written in Blood" is commonly used. But I'm sure you can come up with dozens of reasons why you are "Special", and that you shouldn't have to follow the rules and recommendations. The cliche "100 jump wonder" comes to mind. "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

Completely incorrect. Where I live you have to register to vote you can only register in 1 district. This puts you in the books. When you show up to vote your name is on a list with an open spot next to it. You show your id, sign in the block next to your name no one can vote for you anywhere else period. That's pretty much how it works most places. But if someone manages to register in two precincts, a picture ID requirement won't stop anyone from voting in the first precinct, then driving to the second precinct and voting there. A picture ID requirement won't prevent that at all. There was an article about multiple registrations recently (it was linked here in a thread about this very subject). IIRC, they looked over the voter registrations in North Carolina. They found a lot of people registered in more than one place. Even more than one state. I have been registered in more than one location. I may still be. I found this out when I moved back to my old town (a couple miles down the road) after I split with my then-wife. I went to register and found that I had never been "unregistered" when I moved down the road. Even though I had registered at my new address. And when I moved back to this town, I only had to do a "change of address" because I was still registered here. Multiple registrations aren't all that difficult. But fraudulent voting seems to not be a real problem. It just doesn't happen much (as in very, very, very little). I don't want to see people disenfranchised because of what might happen in the future. Deal with future problems when and if they occur. "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, one more reason that cops killing unarmed blacks gets a lot more than "black on black" killings is that no one really expects the gang bangers and drug dealers to listen to the community leaders, clergy and grieving moms. The "bad guys" also don't have "To Protect and Serve" on the side of their cars. When I was young, I was taught that the cops were there to help people. When they stop helping and start hurting, there's a problem. "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

Shenanigans? Well then, I'd better get my broom To repeat: Elderly, poor and minority. They don't need ID at the bank or to cash their SS or pension check because they are well known where they do this. Alcohol & tobacco are the same (although many places don't card people over 60). No purchasing of a car - don't drive. Nor a house, either already have it or don't plan on buying one. No need for ID with a credit card, either don't have one, or are known where they use it. Personally, I have never been carded using my CC. Doctor's Office - No ID, just the insurance card. It's not the mainstream folks (who both need and have ID), it's the little old lady who not only doesn't drive, but has lived in the same neighborhood for 40+ years and knows everyone. She doesn't have an ID, she doesn't have her Birth Certificate, she doesn't have her marriage cert (needed to prove name change), she doesn't have a lot of this kind of stuff. And she doesn't have the money, transportation, or even knowledge how to acquire the supporting documentation. Recently, my 76 YO mom renewed her DL. They offered her the option of getting "enhanced" ID, but she would have needed a bunch of supporting docs. The one she couldn't find was the marriage cert. They needed it along with the Birth Cert to prove the name change. It was 55 years ago, in another state. She couldn't find her copy of it, and had no idea how to get it. I offered to help by contacting the county clerk there, but she decided she didn't need the enhanced ID, and later found her copy. "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

HA!! No Otters in that neck of the woods. Not even a DZ up near Rhinelander. Baldwin or Superior are up that way (sort of), but Green Bay (Pulaski actually) is closer. Accuracy in "Reality TV" isn't at the top of the priority list. "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

It's news to me. I haven't seen any discussion about it, and I've been here a while. Just in case you log in under another name: It's an answer in search of a problem. And it disproportionately disenfranchises voters who tend to vote for the Democrats. The costs and efforts for some people to get an ID are burdensome. The people who don't have an ID (poor, minority & elderly) are most likely Democratic voters. The ones pushing this are Republicans. They have been caught privately admitting it's an attempt to stop these people from voting. The actual times this sort of voter fraud has happened is really, really, really small. The amount of voter fraud committed by people registering and voting in more than one location outnumber it by a huge amount. And that sort of fraud is still rare. And wouldn't be stopped by requiring ID. "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

Pfft. Anything north of the Tappan Zee is "Upstate." Isn't it? And to the OP: The Ranch is a great place. Just watch out for the guy that they call "Sonic." He just ain't right. "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

To answer your question: Not much. Until you get smaller, one step down won't have a whole lot of difference. Even when you start to get "not really big", the difference isn't huge. It just gets more noticeable. Depending on what sort of gear selection your DZ has, you may well be down to a wingloading around 1:1 by the time you get your license. That's a good place for most people to get their first canopy. 1:1 is quick and responsive enough to be "fun", while still docile enough that you are less likely to hurt yourself unless you do something really foolish. Brian Germain's wingload chart and accompanying article are good reading. There's a sticky in "Canopy Control and Swooping" that has a link to it. As always, usual disclaimers: Consult your instructors, different people progress at different rates, individual results may vary, ect. "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 it's more common for people to vote against candidates (or parties). The typical voter awards their vote to the candidate most likely to defeat the candidate they least want to see win. It's a shortcoming of the voting system that we use. ^This. Big time. I haven't actually voted for a major candidate (Pres, US House or Senate, state Governor) in a very long time. It's been "Vote against the opponent because I really don't want him in charge. "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

Please, don't give out wrong information. I was mistaken. My apologies. I don't have a digital, and the only failure I've ever seen others have (and I've seen it a lot) is "Dead." Others have made it pretty clear that there are numerous failure modes for digitals. "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