wolfriverjoe

That's the gist of why I'm trying to find an AFF FJC for my brother. Probably will end up taking him to see the couch freaks Yep... this "macho" / "better than you" / 'homophobic" / "Red Bull" attitude is exactly why so many AFF jumps which are "first jump EVER" go so badly. Dunning-Kruger is alive and well here.... Perhaps. I've spoken to him about it and he'll do a tandem if he has to, but as he isn't yet sure if he wants to just do one jump or get his license, he feels that if he only does a tandem he won't have any feeling of accomplishing anything as he'd essentially just be a passenger. Never having done a tandem myself, I cannot realistically tell him otherwise. Would you consider a student pilot receiving dual instruction in an airplane "just a passenger?" There's a lot of stuff that can be taught on a tandem, if the student wants to learn and if the instructor wants to teach. "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

First off, is the "210 lb skydiver" exit weight, street clothes weight or stepping out of the shower weight? Just to be clear, the weight used in calculating wingloading is exit weight. How much you weigh as you step out of the plane. Including all the gear, clothes, shoes and pocket junk. But to answer your question: It will be noticeable, but not significantly different. I went from a Triathlon 190, loaded almost exactly at 1:1, to a 170 Sabre2 loaded around 1.15:1. Definitely faster. Faster turning, faster approach speed, faster landing speed, more responsive flare, more responsive to toggle and riser input. It wasn't "Holy Shit!!!! This thing is fast" But it was a noticeable difference. And part of that difference was going from a nearly square 7 cell to a slightly elliptical 9 cell. But I never felt like I was in over my head with the change. I did most of the items on the downsizing checklists (BillVon's or Brian Germain's) fairly quickly. I'm very comfortable under it, and plan on staying with it for a while. "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 the ad has been modified but I don't see where it reads the figures you posted. 5'5" to 6'0" - 7" height range. 150# to 195# - 45# weight range. That's a huge range for a harness. I've seen people of the same height/weight difference as the container that's for sale wearing the same student rig, IIRC. Would that matter? Sort of. Student rigs are notoriously uncomfortable. Big students bitch that they are too small, small students bitch that they are too big. They don't fit very well, but that's the reality of it. Adjustable MLWs help some, but most students just live with it. Big difference for your own rig. Even used, it should fit at least fairly well. It could be argued that this one was made for someone 5'9" and has 4" of 'wiggle room' in it, but I'd be wary. Like Krisanne said, a potential buyer should get their own measurements taken, get the S/N of the rig and ask Mirage what they think. Only way to be sure. And as always, buyer beware. "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 the ad has been modified but I don't see where it reads the figures you posted. 5'5" to 6'0" - 7" height range. 150# to 195# - 45# weight range. That's a huge range for a harness. "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 been done, I dont think its fake. I've seen videos of this kind of jumps. With someone on top pole riding like in this picture, another jumper hanging under the passenger like a hybrid, and several stingers docking everywhere. That video showed up a few years ago. Sangi thought it was a cool stunt and wanted to see it. Jump was done in Europe, IIRC. The discussion in that thread was very, very similar to this one. Including some of the same people with the same opinions. "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 a well planned, well choreographed, well executed stunt. As in Hollywood movie stunt. Greg and Joe (Jennings) have done a lot of stuff over the years. This is (IMHO) one of their better ones. Hint: Do you think that segment was all done in one take? Or maybe they did a couple of different jumps with different harnesses so that they could show you what they wanted you to see. "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, why should they fear something as small as a man? Unless they have experience being hunted, they won't see you as a threat. And I've been told that they don't fear trucks either (Big Semi-trucks). We are taught to blow our horns at deer on or near the road to scare them away. And it works. But not to do that at moose. Supposedly it challenges them. And they will stand in the road and "meet the challenge head on." "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

Remember to unplug the high voltage power supply before you start resoldering stuff on it. Along the same line: ALWAYS disconnect the battery in the car before you begin work. Even if the work isn't anything electrical, disconnect the battery. They put wires in the strangest places, and if you touch them with something metal, you let the smoke out of stuff. And Wow, there is a lot of smoke hidden in some of those parts. And it's really expensive to have the smoke put back in (or buy new ones with the smoke still inside). Oh yeah, also: DO NOT go into the DB Cooper thread. Ever. "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

Of course. When anything bad happens, the sheep realize how vulnerable they are. This isn't any different than any other day, it's just that the publicity of the attack in Kenya (at a shopping mall, no less) forces them to face the fact that this could happen anytime, anywhere. It more than likely won't, but it could. And so the sheep insist that somebody do something. They won't take responsibility for themselves, they want someone to do it for them. I still remember the soldiers at the US/Canada border crossings in 2011. Why were they there? Was there any threat? Was there any reason to believe that they were going to stop another attack? No, they were there because someone in charge decided to make it look good. "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

Best one for me was my 6 year old niece. She saw 4 of us dirt diving, and looked at the 182. She then looked at her mom and asked "How are they all going to fit in there?" After we got in, and before the pilot started the plane up, one of the others brought her up close to look in and see how we were stuffed in there. "See? They fit. They just have to be good friends." She made a comment about the clown car at the circus. "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

IF YOU KEEP AT IT, IT WILL COME(apologies to "Field of Dreams") You are a human, not a bird. None of your instincts will help you with this, you have to learn it. And you can and will learn it, if you keep going. Really. I was horrible at first. Really bad (not as bad as Wendy, but pretty bad nonetheless). But I refused to give up. I found out later that I was this close (holds thumb and forefinger a fraction of an inch apart) to getting the "Bowling speech." But I kept at it. And I got better. Not world class, not ever "really good." But I can fly well enough to do decent 4 way fun jumps. As long as you have a good attitude and are willing to try (and are not being a danger to yourself or others) , you will not scare off the coaches and instructors. There are more than a few out there that consider students like you a challenge. "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 the only costume I think I own. Well, the situation would call for it, now wouldn't 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

Much better idea than landing in that rickety old thing! Meh. I fly it too, so I know what kind of shape it's really in. Actually, I was in it on Saturday, riding up with a tandem pair and my 2way partner. The tandem student was a little apprehensive about how much weight was on board (she was pretty sure that we were overweight). I was able to calm her by telling her that I was also a pilot and that if we were doing anything that was dangerous, then I wouldn't have gotten on it in the first place. It helped when I explained that we gained a lot of capacity when we took out the most of the interior. "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 like how, in the Zimmerman case, it was immediately pounced on by the "Race Neutral" Presidency, but they haven't been able to find any comment whatsoever from the admin regarding this case. Telling, isn't it? Perhaps because the dead kid in this case was caught in the act of B&E to the shooter's car before attacking the shooter and in the other case was walking down the street? "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 don't think he made his first jump naked. But, realistically, there were probably naked jumpers in it at one point. Either in the air or on the ground. And 46 isn't that old. I routinely jump out of a '58 model 182. "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 no TV in the hangar? If it wasn't cloudy/rainy I'd be up there. Watching the game while I pack or wait for my load. DZ is about 15 miles (straight line) from Lambeau. We can see the stadium from the plane. And the blimp. And we have to make sure we know where the flyby jets are. It's a rather odd statement to hear from the pilot: "Keep your eyes open, the flyby jets will be coming through in a few minutes. Should be a couple miles south of the 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

That's a big part of it. A lot of cops go their entire careers without ever firing a shot outside of the shooting range. The good ones know that while they may never need it, they also may need it during the next call. And maintain both the pistol and their skills appropriately. Others... Not so much. Check out the pistol on the side of the next cop you talk to. Look at how dusty/dirty it is. I've noticed some that look like they haven't been out of the holster in a long 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

*** They should be. You aren't required to pass any kind of tests, realistic or not, semi-annually or annually. I know you claim to train, and be supremely effective when compared to police...and who would know better besides you. 100 million of you running around armed is even scarier than the cops who still suck and hit random women in the ass after training and passing tests 2x a year. Well, then donate a bunch of money to the cops so that they can afford to train properly. It isn't cheap. Facilities cost money. Time for the trainers and the officers costs money. Ammunition costs a lot of money. I don't claim to be "supremely effective" compared to the cops. I know I'm nowhere near as good at conflict resolution. Or at confronting an adversary. Or even necessarily at deciding when to shoot or not to shoot. But I do know I'm far better with a pistol than most cops. Because I shoot a lot more. And because I've shot with them. The locals won't compete against me anymore (informal just for fun - loser buys the winner a soda). And I'm not the only one. There's a group of "usual suspects" who come out and practice on a regular basis. "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

In the minds of MANY, Police should be some of the MOST PROFICIENT of all citizens in the use, and in their judgement of use, of firearms. If the most proficient is that, then putting guns in the hands of people like RUSH and Gravitymaster is REALLY a mistake. Proof of concept....the fact we murder more people with guns than any 1st world nation by FAR. But the cops aren't proficient with their guns. The required level of training is pretty low. Often it's only semi-annual or annual. And "qualification" is often slow fire, from a standing shooting position, at single stationary targets. Many civilians practice far, far more often, and use far more realistic training techniques (shoot and move, multiple targets, rapid fire, moving targets, ect.) The local PD trains at the range I'm part of, and I've observed it a couple times (as a range officer helping the PD set up and such). The range also offers a discounted membership to police officers to allow them shoot on their own (all kinds of shooting, not just training with duty pistols - some are hunters). I've seen the cops shoot. A few are very, very good. Most are adequate. Some are pathetic. Using cops as a metric of shooting skills and assuming that they are the best out there is naïve. And wrong. "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, the Packers are doing pretty well against the Redskins. It's interesting that Meriweather took out Eddie Lacy with a helmet-to-helmet, leading with his head. No flag. Then Meriweather took himself out with another leading with the crown of his helmet hit. Again no flag. WTF refs? "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

Yeah, the cow probability study was good, but the "Penile Reattachment Techniques" (except when the amputated penis had been partially eaten by a duck) is far more appropriate to the Bonfire (maybe to BV's Sick & Twisted thread). The "IgNobles" are fabulous. Duct tape, lawn flamingos and sex in an MRI. (all real past winners). "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 DEAR MY! W T F ? Voter Suppression is what it was all about? She even said it with a strait face as if she was experiencing outrage. Is she REALLY that misguided? Pretty much. A lot of the anti-gun crowd actually believes that guns are the problem, and that if they can get rid of the guns, then the crime and violence will go away too. And they really believe that the majority of the public agrees with them too. They really jumped on the "90% support background checks" poll result last spring. They conveniently ignore the poll results after the bill failed in the Senate that showed a minority was disappointed that the bill failed, and a similar minority was pleased (Kennedy posted those poll numbers). So she can't understand how she was voted out. It couldn't possibly have been because a majority of the people who cared enough to vote were opposed to gun control. So she has to find another reason. A more sinister reason. As a sidenote on the gun control issues last spring: A Congresscritter was quoted saying something to the effect of (I don't have the actual quote at hand) Polls show 90% of the people are in favor of this, but I'm only hearing from the other 10%. Anti-gunners like to complain about the influence of the "gun lobby," but where the actual power comes from is the willingness of the pro-gun crowd (you know, the actual people) to do stuff. Like write letters, attend rallies, and go out an cast a vote. "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 don't know about that. I agree that it'd be nice to have that kind of pocket money, but I'd never buy a car like that, even if I could afford it. All you could really do is put it in a really, really nice garage and look at it. Where's the fun in that. I'm no millionare, but I've owned a Porsche 944 since '05. Absolute ball to drive. It has miles on it, and isn't perfect. It's a wreck repair and the body isn't quite perfect. But it looks ok and drives like a dream. I drove it as my regular car in the summer until this year. Because I got a 928. Absolute blast to drive. Twice the get-up-and-go of the 944. Less than $10k. You don't need to spend a ton of money to have an amazing car. And because it's not worth a whole lot, I don't care if I put miles on it. As a matter of fact, I'm planning on a road trip out to San Fran next spring. Long road trips are what this car was made for. My Mom's 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

Where in WI? I'm in WI and in my DZ AFF students go last or before tandems with a few exceptions (solo jump of choice, etc.). #1 - You do realize that this thread is over 9 years old, right? #2 - She clearly said "main progression is static line" and "out of a C-182." S/L students often aren't going to full altitude. And get their own pass. Very different from AFF. "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. Because, as was pointed out, recipients don't get their own money back, they are dependent on the payment from the current working folk paying into the system. Some will argue that they paid in their entire lives and are entitled to their benefits (and I agree with that), but it's not an investment fund. And throw in the little fact that payouts are proportionately higher for lower income recipients than higher income ones and yes, it really is socialism. "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