wolfriverjoe

So the fact that it's now the FOUR teams that win the "popularity contest" instead of just TWO makes everything ok? Still a load of crap. Still the most exploitative workplace in the US. I hear ESPN is paying around $470 million for the broadcast rights. How much of that money are the people out on the field playing the game going to get? Oh, yeah. I forgot. They're amateurs. They do it for the "love of the game" "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

Yet it does happen and is a great combination.. millions of times a year. There are families who participate in youth shoting programs and competition. Keeping children ignorant and overlaying your own fear of guns on them by trying the BAD GUN NEVER TOUCH seems to end up with too much curiosity and add in the ignorance they have been kept in an it is an explosive combination. That said though... handing an Uzi to a 9 year old boy or girl ready to rock and roll is a serious breach of sanity. Kids and guns can be just fine. I helped supervise a youth shooting class this summer. Part of my local "Park & Recreation Department" summer activities. 8 to 10 YO kids, using bolt action .22 rifles (the ones used by the Hunter Safety classes). We taught the safety rules, how the rifles work, more safety, basic marksmanship, more safety, shooting positions, more safety. And then more safety. All the kids had fun. None got hurt. Parents were welcome (not required) to stay and watch the class. One mom was not a big fan of guns. But her husband wanted their son to get some proper training. She was very impressed with how the class was taught and how heavily safety was stressed. But Amazon is right. Giving a 9 YO a full auto Uzi is idiotic. Kind of like letting them learn to drive. Having them putt around the yard in a golf cart or on a garden tractor is one thing. Giving them the keys to a Corvette would be stupid. "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, the pilot of the plane, or any jumper who saw it. Not silly at all. "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

Fully agree. I've seen the name of a fatality blasted all over Facebook before the NOK could be properly notified. Really, really inappropriate IMO. Exchanging it in PMs is a different matter. But posting it publicly (and your FB page is public, no matter what your settings) before the authorities have made proper notifications and released it publicly is pretty tacky. "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

Drive. Anything less than a full days drive is better than putting up with all the airport crap. Plus the cost of the rental. You've already got enough miles on your car that it's not "low miles" anymore, a few hundred extra at this point are not an issue. Hondas last a long time if you take care of them. "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, manifest would soon consist of barcode readers and conveyor belts. It would, however drive the pilots crazy. During the week, they'd fly all night and sleep all day. On the weekends, they'd fly all day and sleep all night. It would screw them up enough that sooner or later, they'd deliver a load of jumpers to Chicago (or somewhere) or go straight up to 14k and turn on the red & green lights, then wonder why all the boxes didn't jump out. And why are you doing all these "hypothetical" threads? "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

There's more protein in it too. "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 find it rather amusing that you quote the SIM on the part about checking with an experienced camera flyer or rigger, yet completely ignore the "C licence as minimum experience" part. The experienced camera guys are the ones who would have the most useful opinions on this. See what they say. To answer your questions: 1. Yes. Built into the helmet, or separate and mounted on the outside, it's still adding a camera to the jump. Desirable under certain circumstances, but it doesn't give you anything during the actual jump. It's only useful for reviewing the jump after you are back on the ground. 2. No. I'd put a GoPro on my head before getting a combo camera/helmet. The image quality looks pretty poor. The newer GoPros have excellent image quality. Unless the fit is good, you are going to get shake. My regular helmet fits well enough that the camera wouldn't shake. Real camera pros often have helmets custom made to fit their head exactly. "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 was an entry in the SDC Summerfest film festival last year (2013). Pretty funny. Using Sandy as the "Old Professor" and Nick as the "Young Professor" is pretty clever. http://www.supaflyskydiving.com/?p=1465 "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

This. On both helmets and AADs "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 do know that there is an entire forum devoted to Cameras (both still & video), right? Personally, I've never really considered cameras to be "gear." They're more of an add on, and a distracting one at that. "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

Evolution is not a law. It is a theory. A study of the Scripture in both the Hebrew and the Christian writings lead to the understanding that God had a pre-defined goal. Well, evolution of man (how we got from single celled organisms in the primordial ooze to man and all the other species on earth) is a theory. It can not move beyond that because the steps in the process cannot be tested repeatedly to prove it scientifically. But evolution as a process is proven. Scientifically proven. Tested repeatedly. It has laws that are followed (within the statistical probabilities). Creationists often dismiss the process of evolution as "microevolution." But if you apply "microevolution" over millions and millions of years, you get... The evolution of man and the rest of the species on earth. "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, not quite. Technology has given us GPS, so the idiots don't have to learn to navigate, clothes that allow us to survive in practically any temperature, and TV and the internet to show us how cool it is to do dangerous stuff. So you get people who have no real experience or skill putting themselves into situations that anyone with any knowledge would know to avoid. Then they push the "Emergency" button on their GPS tracker (sometimes just because they are tired) and the rescue guys have to put their lives at risk to get the idiots home. And when they are out rescuing the idiots from situations and circumstances that they had no business being in, others who didn't make those same stupid mistakes have no rescue help available. I don't have a specific solution, but I wouldn't have any issues with a certain experience level needed before being allowed to attempt certain climbs. Emergency Beacon Misuse: http://www.nbcnews.com/id/33470581/ns/us_news-life/t/tired-hike-rescuers-fear-yuppie/ "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, what Bigun is describing is far, far more a survival mentality than a military mentality. Staying alert, taking the precautions he describes, having a "it could happen at anytime, coming from anywhere" mindset; all that is a basic survival attitude. I know cops that have that mindset. One in particular is a very nice, respectful, decent guy. He's also a hell of a good cop. Shift supervisor, former training officer, all that. Despite his survival attitude, he is huge on treating all people he comes into contact with decently and respectfully. He doesn't take insults or bad attitudes from the public personally ("They are saying those things to the badge and the uniform, not to me personally"), he says that "a lot of the people we arrest are having a really bad day. I don't need to make it any worse than necessary." Unfortunately, there are a lot of cops that take that survival attitude (anyone I encounter might be a threat) too far (everyone I encounter is a threat). And they also have serious authority issues. "Contempt of cop" is not a capital crime, despite what they want. "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

'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves Did gyre and gimble in the wabe; All mimsy were the borogoves, And the mome raths outgrabe. "Beware the Jabberwock, my son The jaws that bite, the claws that catch! Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun The frumious Bandersnatch!" "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

Depends on where it hits and how many hits it takes. Pretty sure though. Might not stop it instantly. One or two rounds might bounce off its skull. But put enough holes in it and it will die. Yup. The 7.62 x 39 isn't a very big or powerful cartridge, but on full auto, with a full magazine, you could do enough damage to kill it... eventually. The real question is whether or not it would die before it kills you. "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

Very common question. My suggestions: Pick a reserve size. This should be conservative. Discuss this with your instructors, S&T A, and other experienced jumpers who's judgement you trust. Actual reserve type isn't that big of a deal. Modern reserves are all pretty similar. Pick your main size. Brian Germain's chart is a good place to start. Again, conservative is a good idea. You aren't "special" or a "fast learner" or anything like that. A lot of people thought they were. Many of them aren't with us any more. For a canopy type, Sabre2 is nice. But so is a Pilot, Safire or Pulse. Even some of the older stuff isn't too bad. An original Sabre can be a good first canopy, but they have a reputation for opening hard. Triathlon, Silhouette, and a few others are also good. Stay away from a fully ellliptical (Stilletto, Crossfire, ect). Find a container that fits the reserve and main sizes you've picked. Javelins are nice. But so are Vectors, Wings, Infinities, Talons, Racers and all the rest. I would strongly suggest used. Unless you are a very odd size, you can find used out there. Put the word out at your DZ, look on the classifieds here, look on Facebook. Used will save you some money, and if/when you decide to downsize, you can usually recover most of the purchase price when you sell it. Also, as a newer jumper, you have a pretty good chance of scuffing it up some learning how to land well. You may find a complete rig, you may have to piece it together. Again, talking with experienced jumpers/riggers/instructors is a good idea. There are several large gear shops that sell used -SquareOne, Chutingstar, and others. There are a lot of smaller shops and small dealers that may have what you want. Most of them have solid reputations and can be trusted. Buying from individual sellers through the classifieds is doable, but has pitfalls. A proper inspection is vital. If the seller won't allow it, walk away. Search "rigger as escrow" for a lot more info on this process. "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

He reaches into his jumpsuit pocket, pulls out his phone and calls for help. Then he patiently waits for people with appropriate skills and equipment to come rescue him. Getting hurt or killed by landing in a tree is fairly rare. Getting hurt or killed trying to get out of the tree after landing in it is not. This is covered in the FJC at my DZ. "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

Italian Marchetti Kangaroo. What do I win? This^ All I did was google the "SF600" that I can see on the nose. Wiki told me the rest. "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

Again, true to a certain extent. The "extremist Palestinians hiding behind children" are the ones starting the fight by shooting rockets into Israel. The "extremist Israelis teaching their children to hate Palestinians" aren't the ones starting the fight. The Israelis shooting at Palestinians are a lot closer to the "shooting back at someone hiding behind a child" analogy that you and Kelp were arguing about earlier. As Andy noted, accidentally shooting the kid under those circumstances falls (legally) on the person who started it, not the one shooting back. "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 I don't doubt the truth of that, I do question that it is widespread. I can find many pictures of parents in the (US) south "teaching their kids that blacks are inferior." But the majority of parents don't teach their kids that. I'd guess it's the same in Israel. "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 hasn't expired, I just gave it to my girlfriend to hold on to. ' Meh. It takes a big man to walk a little dog. Just because they aren't big and intimidating and "macho" doesn't mean that they aren't as smart, loving and loyal as any other dog. "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 both look very happy. Congratulations and good luck.

Goddammit, for a day and half in the 19th Century I was an ant in Central Africa. You bastard! I recall being a bowl of petunias and a giant falling sperm whale simultaneously. But I don't remember if it turned out well or not.... ^You got any of that to share??? I think he had a big round friend. Actually, it turned out that the big round green thing that was rapidly approaching was not his friend. And I've told FJC students that. "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

Turbos are designed and intended to get up high and stay there. The up and down cycle of jump ops is very hard on them. Mismanage the engine and it will get very expensive very fast. Make sure the pilot knows the particulars and peculiarites of operating a turbo equipped 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