wolfriverjoe

The Carrera GT has a very unusual clutch. Ceramic and dual disk. It is very different than a normal clutch and requires a different technique to launch the car. If it's driven as a normal clutch is, it's very typical to either stall the car or burn the clutch out. "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 a pretty long thread over on the Porsche forums (Rennlist). The people running up to the scene in the video were other folks attending the event. The crash happened about 1/4 mile from it. There are claims that the car never topped 45 mph, but those aren't being believed, rightly so IMO. Damage to the car and to the tree and pole that they hit seems to indicate more than that. The police reconstruction guys usually do a pretty good job. That car could get close to 100 mph in the distance between the driveway they left and the crash site. They had just started out, so the tires were still cold - not going to grip very well. And the Carrera GT is known for being a handful. Not so much "bad mannered" as the Ford GT and some of the Lambos are, but that much power in a car that size will get you into trouble very quickly if you aren't on top of your game. A shame. And a good lesson about driving that way anywhere other than a closed track. "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, we run into Canada quite often. The border guys know we usually have our paperwork straight. My truck is already turned down to 65, less than the 105 km/h that Ontario and Quebec require (not "my" truck, but you know what I mean). I hadn't heard of that. My experience with Canadian MOT has been pretty positive. When they say "you were next in line to be pulled over, I know you guys are kept up pretty well so I don't think I'll find much wrong," it's a pretty good feeling. And despite sounding a little silly, the PAPS/PARS has made crossing the border a lot easier. US Customs site: https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/719 "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

Really? You don't think both the reporter and the Sheriff don't know the difference between "Castle Doctrine" and SYG? Or maybe they want to paint SYG in a bad light and are calling this tragedy SYG to do just that. It wound't be the first 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

You've never heard of Tom Lehrer? I learned to love parody and comedy at a young age. Tom Lehrer, Stan Freeburg, Allan Sherman and so many others. "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

Are you bringing Tim Tams? "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

USPA says 16 is ok with parents permission. Keep in mind that a student pilot (airplane) can solo at 16 and receive a private license at 17. Glider can solo at 14 IIRC (if I'm wrong I welcome correction). But due to the legal culture in the US, finding a DZ that will allow anyone under 18 to jump is a challenge. Most of the underage jumpers I know of were closely associated with the DZ. As in kids of the DZO or S&TA. Mike Mullens kids, Rook & Missy Nelson, that sort of thing. I know the Mullens boys were considered very "heads up" skydivers, even as teenagers. One went on to fly fighters for the military IIRC. The part I quoted below about the legal culture is my understanding of it, although the only gear I know of with age requirements is tandem gear. Bottom line: In the US it is about contract law. A person cannot enter into a contract at an age less than 18, so they can't sign a contract waiving liability, and no third party (parent or guardian) can waive liability on behalf of a minor. "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

Really? I wasn't aware that the material have changed. The webbing the harnesses are made from is the same spec it's always been. Older harnesses may have lost a little strength, but not enough to matter (barring damage of some sort). And there's a school of thought that new rigs are less safe, given the recent rash of reserve deployment issues. "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

Nope. Sat home most of the day & watched football. Shoveled a little bit of snow in the morning and hung out with a few friends for a while in the evening.j Not much family around here for me, and I do stuff for and with my mom on a regular basis. I don't need a "Calendar Holiday for 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

How to deep fry a turkey... With an Engine Hoist "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. My whole family watched the old "Muppet Show" back in the 70s. The comedy was complex enough and subtle enough that kids wouldn't get all the "adult" content, yet still would enjoy the rest. My sister posted on FB about it, using the "train wreck" comment too. Wish I had known about it. It would have been better than the "Train Wreck" that was the Steelers/Ravens 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

Actually, it's gotten easier. They've created a system called PAPS (Canada into US) and PARS (US into Canada) where all I do is fax everything to the broker with a barcode sticker on it, wait a couple hours and call it to make sure it's been accepted. When I get to the border, the CBP officer scans the barcode and my passport, asks a few questions and sends me on my way. Coming into the US there'a also an ACE manifest which is used in addition to the PAPS to clear me. I've only been held up at the border for more than a few minutes (run through the Gamma Ray scanner and some place make you pay inside these days coming into the US) a couple times since this stuff was started. "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

+1 which is a shame because I'd love to visit some friends again. It's about time that we treated people how they treat us (or better) Unfortunately, the politicians have convinced everyone that all of "them furriners" are trying to blow us up. The mass media has done a fine, fine job of helping them. And the Law Enforcement Community have pushed "Border Security" as the answer. US Customs has long been "less than consumer friendly" and it's just gotten worse. Its a shame, really. There are lots of nice people who it would be great to have visit, or even stay a while (which is a whole different discussion), who are rightly turned off by the hoops they have to jump through and the inquisition they have to endure to enter. I cross between the US and Canada on a fairly regular basis, so I have an understanding of the behaviors and attitudes of the CBP folks. Some are great. Others... Not so much. "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^ Age is a factor, but not the only one and not even the top one, IMO. I have a Talon DOM 1996 that I'd jump without concern. But it's been kept in good shape and doesn't have a whole lot of jumps on it. It's my old rig that I'm keeping as a backup (bought a new one a couple years ago). It's "sort of" for sale, but I'm not aggressively marketing it. A rig that old won't be worth a whole lot, even as a complete system, no matter how good of shape it's in. But for a 1st rig, knowing that you are going to replace it in a year or so, that's not 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

When she sticks her tongue out, she looks like the illegitimate child of Gene Simmons! Chuck I seem to be the only one who has no issue with her at all. I think the song is a pretty decent song. and her antics at the music awards are just publicity which seems to be paying off for her. As to the wrecking ball video clip. I'm more than fine with that. It's tame by comparison to many of the clips that were around in the early 80s. Personally, I don't really care one way or another about her. That isn't the kind of music I listen to. She does have a good voice. Better than many give her credit for. And I really don't pay any attention to the "Celebrity Gossip" machine. So what she does with what (or whom) isn't anything I care about, beyond the ridiculousness of the coverage. I do enjoy a good parody. This one was so-so, but the reactions of the people on the other side of the ChatRoulette link were what made it funny to me. YMMV

Right off the top of my head (actually in my pocket right now) I have a beat up old Texas Instruments calculater that I use nearly every day. About 25 years old, works great. I've seen many 30 year old cars with original radios that work fine. All this is meaningless, as is your particular arguement. Not to mention your calculator and car radio didn't cost 1300 frickin' bucks. Then don't jump a fuckin Cypres- I wouldn't jump a Vigil if it were free. To each their own. What exactly is your point? Someone else brought up the maint and frustrating lifespan, I took the ball and ran with it. It's a legitimate complaint that plenty of people have. You are aware that the sensitivity and tolerances of an AAD are just a little bit different than a calculator or car radio, 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

Well, you don't have to buy a new container to get a harness that fits you. A harness resize is an option. And it may not be necessary, depending on how you are put together. If you have long legs and a shorter body, you may fit a container built for someone shorter, but with a longer torso. Find a used container that fits the canopies you will be jumping now. You can theoretically fit several different sizes in a given container size, but they work best with the size that fits best. Get the serial number of that container (if the seller isn't willing to give it out, find another). Go to the manufacturers websites and find the page that tells you how to measure for a new harness. Have someone take your measurements (DO NOT try to do it yourself). Contact the manufacturer with this information and find out if a harness resize is necessry or possible and how much it will cost. It will probably be a few hundred bucks, but still far cheaper than a new one. Most rigs made in the past 5 or 6 years are considered "freefly friendly" which is a fancy way of saying proper pin, bridle and riser protection for the unusual attitudes and higher speeds encountered while freeflying. Everyone makes a rig that will hold a 190 main/193 reserve. The others may not have sizing info on their sites (I thought most of them did, but I'm not going to look right now), but all of them will tell you what you want to know if you shoot them an email (don't forget this is a holiday weekend and it might take a bit for a response right now). Vectors have a long wait time because there are a lot of people in line ahead of 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

Oh God!! Click it. Really. It's hilarious. It's a dude lip-synching the song on ChatRoulette, and it's a split screen so you can see the reaction of the people on the other end - that's often funnier than the dude. Most definitely worth the 3 minutes or so. "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 kidding! I mounted my cycling GPS on the bars of the Kawasaki I bought the past summer, and found the Kaw's speedo reads ~7% faster than actual speed. But get this: The *odometer* is pretty much dead-on accurate! How the hell do they manage that??? Because the odo is a mechanical linkage, it basically counts wheel revolutions. The speedo drives a set of magnets rotating inside a drum held back by a spring. If the magnets weaken, the speedo reads low. If the spring weakens, it reads high. There's also a rule about how accurate they have to be when new. The allowable error is more high than low, so most makers err on the high side. "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. "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 necessarily. We don't get paid to sit, so we often will push through bad weather. But we are (supposed to be) professionals, with skill and experience. And in a semi with a heavy load, I will "stick to the road" better than a car,and will sometimes push through. With a light load I am more susceptible to crosswinds and more likely to shut it down. And if you see all the trucks staying in the right lane, going 35-40, think about it. We get paid by the mile. Going slower cuts our pay. We don't do it unless we have to. I will shut down if I have to. My company doesn't have a problem with it. They'd rather call the customer saying the weather has caused a delay than having to tell them that their load is now scattered all over the side of the interstate. I had to shut down in Kansas City a couple years ago. It ended up being a foot or so of snow by the end of the storm. 70 east had closed (part of it had closed fairly early due to a crash which was one reason I parked it), but opened the next morning. The road was decently plowed, but the ditches were littered with semi trucks that had foolishly tried to push through. Between KC and St Louis, there were over 30. Not counting the cars. Just big trucks. And 40 would be more likely to have good conditions, but is awfully far out of route. As long as there isn't a storm actually happening, 70 will be in good shape. It's plowed and salted clean within a day or two of anything but the worst storms (and ice storms are worse to clean up than snow storms). Note SwissChris' 1st pic. There's a lot of snow on the ground, but the road is fine. "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 are "Truck Specific" gps units that aren't supposed to route on roads that trucks don't belong on. Garmin has the best maps, from what I've heard. They are a fabulous tool. But they have faults and limitations. And trusting them blindly is foolish. Far too many people have wound up looking really, really stupid and said "But the gps told me to go here." "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

#1 - Yes. Very loud. The TV show Mythbusters on Discovery did this one. #2 - It depends. Standard temp gradient is 3.5 degrees F per 1000 feet. It isn't always standard. It can be more than that, it can be less. I've jumped from 10k with an outside temp in the 50s F or 0F with temps on the ground in the upper 80s. I'll do low altitude exits 5000' or so without a jumpsuit, but not full altitude (more for control in the air than temp). #3 - Yes. Depending on how hard the ground is, there can be a pretty significant divot. I've seen the dent left by bad swoops, not terminal impact. One guy left 6" deep divot with his knees (both femurs were fractured). "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

Thanks for all the additional replies! Yep. I have some flexibility so could take longer if I run into bad weather. And currently thinking I'll do it in five hours stretches per day because of the pup. She's good in the car, but the most we've done is a couple hours. So, worst case scenario I'll just have some longer driving days towards the end to make up lost time. Well, when I said "slide it a day or two" I was meaning leave early if weather was coming in the next few days or leaving later to wait for it to pass. And five hours in a car is a pretty good goal if you aren't used to it. My dog loved to ride in the car, but we only did one "All Day" road trip. He did fine, but for the next few days was very hesitant to get into the car. Perhaps you could find dog parks on the way (there's lots of them out there). Drive a ways, stop and tire your dog out at a park, drive a ways, stop again and tire the dog out again, drive some more. Also, make sure you have your contact info on the dog. They make little containers, usually for pills, that you could hang on the collar. Put your name, phone number, maybe some alternate contact info on a piece of paper inside it. Dogs do strange things when they are in strange surroundings. Losing her somewhere far from home (either old or new one) would be a nightmare scenario. "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. They do a pretty good job of keeping the interstate open and clear. The roads will be clear and dry within a day or two of a major storm. 70 all the way to 270 is how I'd go. 70 in PA from the OH line to the turnpike is a bit screwy. Lots of curves, hills and some slow stretches. The turnpike isn't bad, and 70 from the pike into MD is kind of hilly & curvy. But so are all the other options. 70 to 79 to 68 skips the turnpike, but has lots of hills & curves. Dropping down to 64 out of St Louis then up 81 to 95 might be an option if there's a big storm, but it will add a fair amount of distance. 80 takes you way north, adds distance and the IN & OH toll roads. You could bend back south on the PA turnpike, but that means running all 3 toll roads and doesn't do much to make it easier through the Appalachians. Watch the weather, and if it gets bad, find a place to hole up for a day or two. Once you are east of Kansas, it's pretty rare for the road to be closed for more than a day. If you pay attention to the weather patterns, most big storms run west to east. And the 5 day forecast is reasonably good for this sort of trip planning. Can you easily slide your trip a day or two in either direction to accommodate the weather? If you can do that, and pay attention to what's happening, you should be fine. "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