wolfriverjoe

Summerfest is done. It was a boatload of fun. FUCK YOU Tim and Jeff. "Fuck you" is in fun Thanks Infinity Way Gang Paybacks are a bitch. Those who were there will understand. It was awesome! "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, there is no such thing as a "Student Cut Away." It's a bad joke that is perpetuated by the ignorant and those with a sick sense of humor. Ask to get a closer look and a better explanation of how the student is hooked to the instructor next time if you are really concerned. It's 4 very sturdy hooks that lock closed. The only cutaway system is to get rid of a malfunctioning main canopy to prevent it from interfering with a deploying reserve. Next: Is it more dangerous? That depends on how you define "dangerous." Tandem fatality rates are very, very low. From a purely numbers standpoint (accidents per jump) it's probably the safest way to jump. Nobody has any truly accurate numbers, so that's just a guess. However, it is a very complex jump using specialized and complex gear. There's a lot more that can go wrong, and there is a marginally trained student in the mix, who is very unpredictable and may well do the worst possible thing at the worst possible time. The rig has a number of extra things on it, such as the drogue, drogue release, how the drogue is collapsed during deployment, and the cutaway system. These all are potential fail points. Tandem rigs are often used very hard and the owners sometimes don't have time or money to do proper maintenance (it's rare, but think about it when you are shopping around for the "cheapest" jump). There are extra steps in a tandem (throwing the drogue), extra risks in freefall (sidespin) and extra concerns on landing (having a student on the front). And thrown into the mix is a marginally trained student. Often someone who has never jumped before, has no real interest in jumping again, and just wants to have a fun experience. Sometimes they react well and the instructor has an easy time, sometimes they do the damnedest thing at the worst possible time. The "stupid" in the following comment isn't a judgment on the intelligence of the student, and it really isn't intended to be derogatory. It's just a lot simpler and shorter than saying "marginally trained student capable of doing the worst possible thing at the worst possible time." The TIs have a saying: 50 pound of shit on your back, 200 pound of stupid on the front, 5 handles and a pilot chute in tow. What could possibly go wrong? Balanced against that extra complexity is the training and experience that is required to get a TI rating. Most TIs understand and appreciate the extra risk, and do what needs to be done to give the student a safe and enjoyable jump. Some get complacent and treat it as "just another jump", which is a good way to get into trouble. If you are really interested in progressing eventually, let your TI know. There's a lot you can learn on a tandem, if you are interested and the TI is willing to teach you. Some TIs get a bit jaded at the "bucket listers" and don't bother explaining anything extra. Many of them are actually excited to get someone who really wants to learn what they can teach. You may want to ask for a "learning tandem" the next time you go. That way they can put you with a TI who will teach you more, rather than one who will just take you for a ride. Last: Don't worry about being a "noob" and asking questions. Some of the trolls may flame you, but they can fuck off. The only time you need to apologize for ignorance - is when you do nothing to change it. Edit to fix Sandy's quote about ignorance. "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, for the record. I agree that this new BSR is wrong. Wrong in the implementation process, wrong in it idea. IMO, all that should happen is that the AAD mfgs include a statement along the lines of "Make sure your main canopy is open XXX feet above AAD activation altitude. Many canopies take several hundred feet to fully open and pulling at minimum allowed altitudes may not be high enough to prevent AAD activation while the main is not fully open." But you ask "what has changed?" A couple things: First off, canopies open slower these days. "Soft Opening" is a selling point. Jumpers are jumping to an older age now, and a slammer from an original Sabre isn't acceptable. And that takes more altitude. People want small rigs. So they ask their rigger to stuff the rig full. We've already seen a tight reserve plus a tight main equaling a stuck freebag in a "main still in the container reserve deployment" situation. Remember, the TSO process doesn't require every possible main/reserve combination to be tested. And unless that is changed, the mfgs can be required to show that the rigs still meet TSO until the cows come home without any failures. The rigs still have the same basic configuration as when the TSO was met, even though there have been a lot of changes in a lot of the rig. Again, I agree that the BSR change is a bad idea, but I don't see it as a TSO issue. Personally, I won't pack a reserve that I feel is overstuffed. I like to have the owner pull the reserve handle with the main in place, in front of me. I can evaluate RPC spring action and pull the freebag out by the bridle to evaluate how tight it is. If I don't like it, I will suggest that they take it elsewhere or get another reserve (or another container). But I'm a part-timer who can afford to turn away stuff that I don't want to do. "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 is a commonly accepted procedure, where the seller ships the gear to a mutually agreed upon rigger or dealer or something, it gets inspected and if it's good the money changes hands. Search "rigger as escrow" for more info on how it works. Not all sellers are willing to do this, and it doesn't automatically mean that it's a scam. There are a lot of smaller dealers who have excellent reputations who sell stuff through the classifieds. You can check a seller out fairly easily, though. It's a small enough sport that the chances of someone at your DZ knowing someone at the sellers DZ and being able to do a quick check on their reputation is a pretty easy 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

How much and where is it? How badly ground into the fabric? Gene03's ice technique is a good start. "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

Fired 15 shots, hit "suspect" twice and the car five times? Holy Marksmanship Batman!!!!! And of course, he "lunged at them with something in his hand." Otherwise they would have been shooting at an unarmed man who was following their instructions. Did they identify themselves as cops? I didn't see that anywhere in the article, just that they ordered him out of the car while his back was to them. Andy should be drooling over this one. "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 thing: Is the 170# your "stepping out of the shower" weight? Or your actual "Exit Weight"? Exit weight is how much you weigh going out the door. You, clothes, rig, other gear (helmet, alti, ect.). Step on a scale when you are ready to get on the plane. You might be a bit surprised. With an appropriate sized rig, I'd guess you are a bit over 200# exit weight. Read Brian Gemain's chart based on exit weight. You may want to start under a 210, not a 190. Almost for certain not a 170. Finding gear in that size range can be a challenge. Finding a complete rig (that fits you) will be worse. But piecing one together isn't all that difficult. First, choose a reserve size. Keep in mind that you will be flying it after a malfunction and cutaway, possibly landing off, while flying it for the first time. Size it conservatively. Second, choose a main size and type. If you are going used, you may have to be flexible on the type. There are a bunch of satisfactory models by all the manufacturers that are suitable. You won't be on it forever, so don't worry too much about it being the "perfect" one (especially the colors). Last, choose the rig. Finding one that fits is most important (well, make sure it's safe of course). The easiest way is to get your measurements and compare them to the rigs you are looking at. Measuring procedures are on the manufacturers websites (have someone else measure you, you can't measure yourself, it doesn't work). Get the serial number of the rig from the seller and send it all to the manufacturer. They can tell you if it will fit, or if it can be resized (and how much it will cost to resize). Like canopies, for your first rig, don't worry too much about the "perfect" one, just make sure it is in good shape and fits properly. Used has the advantage of price, and the worst of the depreciation being done already. If you take good care of it, you can usually sell it for most of what you paid. And that size of gear usually sells pretty easily. Search around for the pitfalls and processes of buying through the classifieds. the phrase "Rigger as Escrow" will bring up the generally accepted ways of purchase. Make sure you work with your local rigger to avoid buying something you can't use or something that is junk. It happens. We like to think of ourselves as a "Big Happy Family", but that simply isn't true. There are liars cheats and outright thieves that jump. And some of them prey on unwary purchasers in the classifieds. "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 it. Thanks 'Ski. To the OP - You think you are having problems? Read the logbook in the link in TheOnlySki's post. "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

Normal? No, not really. Possible, sure. Completely and totally. In a "real" blackout, the person can continue to interact, sometimes behaving normally, other times behaving way out of character. They may remember parts, some clearly, others hazily. Or they may remember absolutely nothing, sometimes over the span of a day or two. This isn't "convenient forgetting" to escape responsibility. This is genuine lack of recollection of events (again, a "real" blackout) They may pass out at some point, to awaken later with no idea where they are or how they got there. Or they may come out of the blackout in the middle of doing something. Again, with no idea where they are, how they got there or what they are doing. They aren't normal, they aren't funny. They are pretty dangerous. There's more than a few people in jails and prisons for doing stuff while in a blackout. They committed the crime and have no recollection of it. Some people laugh about them, but they are a pretty strong warning sign that the person needs to cut 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

Really? Higher gun ownership relates to higher gun deaths? Got anything to back that up? Or maybe it's just the opposite: bearingdrift.com/.../12/18/gun-ownership-and-homicide...worldwide-data Sure! And without resorting to propaganda feeds from pro-NRA sources, either: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_firearm-related_death_rate Check the gun control policies for each of the countries. http://www.businessinsider.com/canada-australia-japan-britain-gun-control-2013-1 Oops, Wrong link. I edited my post, but my error is still in yours (and this quote). I was wondering why you considered the Guardian a "Pro NRA Propaganda Source." Try this link: http://storeyinstitute.blogspot.com/2012/12/homicides-and-gun-onwership-what.html And your Business Insider link mentions Australia, Japan, Canada and Great Britain. It ignores Mexico, Brazil, Italy, Jamaica and all the other countries that have very strict gun ownership rules and very high gun death rates. "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? Higher gun ownership relates to higher gun deaths? Got anything to back that up? Or maybe it's just the opposite: http://storeyinstitute.blogspot.com/2012/12/homicides-and-gun-onwership-what.html Edit because I pasted the wrong link. "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

Sent one out May 28th. Got it back June 17th. Ground shipping (non-priority) both ways. "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

Umm.... No. Some do, some don't. It all boils down to how much you want it. As long as you are being reasonably safe, as long as your instructors aren't running and hiding when you show up, as long as you are having fun, as long as you want to continue and can do so without being a serious risk to yourself or others... Go for it. I looked around a bit, but couldn't find it. One of the mods on here, and a well respected, long time jumper took a very long time to get her license. Her logbook is on here somewhere, detailing her trials and tribulations... And ultimate success. "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

True, but it doesn't change the fact that these guys will now have an arrest record. For the rest of their lives. For committing an act that is not a crime. "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 Oz land, but here in the US, H&P is a requirement for an A license. For good reasons. You are a fine example of "A little knowledge is a dangerous thing." You have no clue why they are necessary. And you rail on about how dangerous they are (which they can be, done improperly). And were you booted from a DZ for 'daring to ask " Why no skyhooks on the student rigs "?' Or was it for insisting that skyhooks were necessary, the DZO should replace all his student gear immediately, and if he didn't, the DZO would be criminally negligent for putting students into "death on a stick" dangerously inadequate gear? I'm perfectly happy "shooting the messenger" when that messenger is Chicken Little. "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

And people wonder why I don't get to jump much. I guess that depends on your definition of "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

I could not resist. This absolutely has to be in 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

Like Skymamma said, pack a lunch. I make a couple of cold cut sandwiches, a piece of fruit or two (usually a banana or an orange), chips, nuts, a couple of sports drinks (Gatorade or PowerAde), maybe a tossed salad in a plastic container if I'm feeling motivated. I've never had any problems stashing it in the beer fridge either. Every DZ I've been to has someplace I can put it to keep it cold. "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 your instructors suggested "heel clicks"? If not, ask about them. I'm not going into more detail because I think it is something that should be discussed with your instructor, not a bunch of weirdos online. It's how I learned to verify leg symmetry. "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

Wouldn't that be entrance anxiety? "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

Sad, isn't it. Utterly. Beyond shameful. Well, in all fairness, Snowden claimed that he would face torture and/or the death penalty if he was returned to the US. It was part of his request for asylum. This letter was, in part, to rebut that claim. I do agree, however, that it's pretty pathetic that the US has to give assurances that he wouldn't face torture. "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

Does the husband-to-be know how cool his soon-to-be Father-in-Law is? Congrats Jimmy.

Yes! The little attention whore has one up now. No responses. If everyone can resist the temptation, it would be so cool to see it sink down the page, no responses, no nothing. Of course, the little troll could reply to itself, and keep the thread going, but that would be almost as sad and pathetic "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 one is amphibious. It even transited the Panama Canal (first amphib to do 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

That was the Oscillation Overthruster. "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