wolfriverjoe

Well, I was under the impression that -3s, -17s and -24s were developed well after 1918. And while turbine engines are far more vulnerable to bullet damage than piston radials (hitting the air intake on a DC-3 wouldn't hurt the engine at all, hitting the crankcase, which would drain the oil out would) actually hitting it with a rifle from that far away while the airplane is moving a couple of hundred mph (slower on final approach, but still well over 100) is very difficult. And a 747 will fly on 3 engines just fine. Pressurized aircraft are just fine with a couple of 1/2" holes poked in them. Mythbusters proved it. And at less than 8000' the loss of pressure won't affect anyone much. Hydraulic systems are usually 2 completely seperate sets, with a backup. The crash of UAL232 happened because the departing turbine disk took out all three systems. And even smaller than the engine, hitting it would be virtually impossible. A 747 that lost its winshield would be in trouble, but there have been cases of airliners losing them and landing safely (one even did it after the pilot got sucked out the opening and was being held by his feet by a steward)http://www.nytimes.com/1990/06/11/world/4-miles-over-britain-pilot-is-sucked-out-crew-holds-on-tight.html There's absolutely no way a 747 could continue to fly after taking the kind of hits you are talking about. The damage those aircraft took, and still got thier surviving crew home was absolutely staggering. I know exactly what you mean. But that wasn't done by an "assault rifle" or a semi-auto 50 cal, or even machine gun fire. The Germans used 20mm and 30mm cannon on their fighters. And much of the damage you are talking about came from flak. 88mm anti-aircraft cannon. "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 agree he's not insane. He's a bit off, but in "control of his faculties." I tend to believe his accusations of the LAPD. I know a bit about cops, and a little (indirectly) about the LAPD. The behavior and coverups are pretty predicable behavior. His accusations of abuse of suspects is pretty common, especially with the LAPD. I think he's a little overboard about guys picking minority districts in order to get a chance to shoot people, but that's only a small part of his tirade. His opinion on the availability of Class 3 stuff and the ease of creating a trust is way off, he might have a different opinion if he wasn't police/military. Civilians have a much more difficult time with it. He's clearly reached the point where he simply no longer gives a shit. He feels he's been pushed and pushed and he's "mad as hell and he's not going to take it anymore." I certainly don't condone his actions, but I do sympathize with him to a certain degree. And I saw the Sheriff in Big Bear doing a news conference this afternoon. God was that ridiculous. The Sheriff was very good, but some of the questions were out of left field. There was a light snowfall and a reporter asked "How will you be able to track him in this snow?" The Sheriff replied "Snow is GREAT for tracking! And it helps us know if a cabin has been disturbed." "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 aircraft of 1918 were a just a little bit more vulnerable to a 50 cal round than a 747, I would think. And the ground version used in WW2 was called an "M16" and was Four M2 machine guns mounted to a vehilce. I think that little puppy would be just a little bit more powerful than a single shot 50 cal rifle (which is a huge step up from a military style semi like an AR) If you watch WW2 footage you can see people shooting 50 cal machine guns trying to shoot planes down. The gunners on the bombers over Europe and the gun camera footage from fighters (Allied fighters usually used 4 or more 50 cal guns). See how many hits it usually takes to knock down an enemy fighter. With the exception of hitting the fuel tank in a Japanese Zero (which often resulted in a nice little fireball), it took a lot of hits to down a plane. And kind of like anti-tank weapons, guns firing bullets have been obsolete for a long, long time as anti-aircraft weapons. With the exception of the Phalanx CIWS and a couple east-bloc (Soviet) multi-cannon systems, all the anti-air stuff is guided missle technology. The two "gun" anti-air systems have very, very high rates of fire. They are well beyond normal "Machine guns." We didn't send 50 cal rifles to the Afghan rebels in the 80s, we sent Stinger missiles. "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

Doesn't mean night tandems don't happen. They aren't supposed to, but... To the OP - You are getting some snarky comments because your story has a few oddities in it. 2nd jump a night jump is very unusual. I would suggest contacting one of the bigger gear retailers. Chutingstar is a very reputable operation. SquareOne is another. Both places will be happy to sell your gear for you. They will take it on consignment. They will inspect, price, market and sell the stuff for a reasonable commisson. You will be fully protected from the scammers and low-ballers that would try to rip you off. Any buyers that have lingering doubts as to your story would be assured that the gear isn't on any of the "stolen stuff" lists that are out there, or any thoughts that you are concocting a long and sympathetic story to perpetrate a scam of some sort. NOTE: I'm not accusing you of peddling stolen gear or being a scam artist. But this has happened in the past, and some people get a little jaded. Send an e-mail or call one (or even both). They will help you figure out what you have, how to find data cards, labels and other info that is needed, and tell you exactly what the process and commissions would be. They're nice folks, and this is what they 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

Discovery Channel's Science Channel had a show called "How it's Made" that did a segment on canopy construction. I found the show, but I can't find the segment, at least not without digging deeper than I want to at the moment. http://science.discovery.com/tv-shows/how-its-made/about-this-show/about-how-its-made.htm The show itself is really cool, even if you don't find the parachute part. "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 can pick up a used Katana 500 for around $3k, but the 750s will be a bit more. Really though, I would say you should go with a CBR instead of a Katana since Katanas are 100% a chick bike, but that's just me... since you posted this in Bonfire. That's only the USA model called the Katana, The Katana that was released in OZ (1979-1980) was a BEAST of a bike, (not the baby version though). If you can find one in good condition here it will cost your a lot $$$$

That is about the most massive oversimplification of a situation that I has ever heard. Take that same 'scenario' and apply it to LA Cops following a blue pickup truck. apparently your delusions are indeed grandeur about the abilities of most people. Perhaps you should stop watching Die Hard movies. Really? So in the Sandy Hook, Virginia Tech and Columbine shootings, how many classrooms heard the commotion and did something? Many barricaded the door with the classroom furniture. Others hid in cabinets and cupboards in the classroom. Still others escaped out of windows (not a very good option above ground floor, but some jumped from 2nd or 3rd floor windows or climbed out onto an adjoining roof). Anyone with a little forethought and a little training could have easily ambushed the shooter in any of those situations, had they been armed. The technique of "sit in place and wait for the shooter to come to you" is a very standard defensive tactic. You don't have to expose yourself much. You aren't moving (around corners or through doorways). You greatly lower the risk of being misidentified as the attacker. And you usually have the opportunity to take a very solid rest on a fixed object for your shooting position (personally, my first pick would be to flip the teacher's desk on it's front and get behind one of the drawer stacks for cover, rest the gun on top). Last but certainly not least, you are sitting still, waiting, not moving around trying to identifiy people. You have the opportunity to slow your breathing, stop the shaking and have a steadier shot. Rambo? John McClain? No. Defensive tactics 101. "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 tense time for anyone driving a blue pickup in LA too. The cops sound like they are in a "Shoot first and ask questions later" mode. Piss poor shooting. How many shots fired? And they didn't even kill anyone? Not that they should have killed either of those wome, but damn, the marksmanship of those "expert" policemen was... Less than stellar. Yet some people think Kindergarten teachers in a classroom full of kids will be effective against a gunman who has suprise on his side. They are, of course, mistaken. Well, other than the fact that the teacher had ample time to herd the kids into a hiding place. Not a whole lot of "surprise" there. She would have had time to pull out a gun, get behind some cover (or at least concealment), take a supported shooting position and have a couple easy shots at anyone who walked through the door. Do it from behind where the door opens and there's a very, very good chance that the person entering the door will be hit before they realize that a threat is even present (the term is "ambush'). Making sure that the person walking through the door is the bad guy, making sure that the hit is disabling, and a couple other issues make it less than a sure thing, but a lot easier for the Kindergarden teacher than you want us to believe. "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 tense time for anyone driving a blue pickup in LA too. The cops sound like they are in a "Shoot first and ask questions later" mode. Piss poor shooting. How many shots fired? And they didn't even kill anyone? Not that they should have killed either of those wome, but damn, the marksmanship of those "expert" policemen was... Less than stellar. "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

"We" didn't. "They" did. It was entirely The Weather Channel that decided to start naming them. The National Weather Service didn't and chose (wisely IMO) not to go along. Around here (northeast Wisconsin) a couple of the TV stations have done it now and again. It was kind of cute the first year, but it got old. One of the local TV anchors does a news broadcast on one of the local rock radio stations in the "afternoon drive" slot. The news anchor and the DJ were chatting about various things, as they do, and the DJ asked the anchor about this. The anchor replied something like: It was a fad back in the eighties, back when storm tracking and radar technology made some big advances. Now, it's just...(thoughtful pause) Stupid. I couldn't agree more. "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're going to bump that one, I'll see you and raise you THIS one. Anybody got a can of gold spray paint? "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, and water is wet. The sky is blue too. Anything else, Madame Obvious? "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 think that they would be, but I'm not there and I don't know for sure. So I include the qualifier. I knew perfectly well that someone from over there would give an accurate (and smartass ) response. "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 line between a subtle insult and a PA. Some people are better than others at riding right on that edge. The professor is one of the best at it on here. Others thought they were good at it, but are now banned (either from SC or site wide). "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

So what will you do? Well, some of us have a full pantry and acess to a reliable, safe water source (it's called a "well"). I'd be fine for a couple of weeks while the shit sorted itself out. The menu would get pretty boring, but I wouldn't starve. I live in a small city, and I am an easy walk to the countryside. Hell, I even have whitetail deer going through my backyard (100+ lbs of fresh meat right there) The situations that have resulted after large scale natural disasters make a certain level of preparation prudent. Nothing extravagant, nothing expensive, just few essentials to last a few weeks of chaos. After a couple of weeks, it's either going to be over or it will have gone completely to hell. And Andy and Bill are absolutely correct. Society is as close to collapse as it has been for the last millinia. Chicken Little, Miller, Applewhite, Camping, and on and on. "The sky is falling, follow me!!!" "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

lubricating spray ? maybe www.beate-uhse.com (NSFW for you prudes) what would that be for ? if it is for the yellow cables, I use a silicone spray, some people use WD-40 FWIW, I was taught to spray the yellow cutaway cables with WD-40 and wipe it off immediately (it cleans it), then spray a light coat with the silicone, let it sit a few minutes and wipe off the excess. To the OP, both WD and silicone are available at most hardware stores here in the US. "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

Dan Poynter recently made his first post, after having signed up in 2002. Guess that guy has nothing to say about skydiving.

Well, you brought up the fire extinguisher specifically. And I think the choice to have one handy compares fairly closely with having a gun handy. The chances of needing it is fairly small. I think it's more than "miniscule", but that's an argument of semanitcs. However, in both cases, if you need one you really need one. And the results of not having one when you need it can be catastrophic. "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 "Farmer" ad was for Dodge Ram pickups. The Doritos "Daddy, lets play dress up princess" was my favorite. "Is that my wedding dress?" ",,,maybe." I thought the beer ads were sub-par. The "Clydesdale" ad was supposed to be poignant, but was just lame. "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 different that the logic that says the chances of me ever needing a gun in my lifetime are minuscule, so I better carry one around all the time. Just like I carry a fire extinguisher with me every where I go. Well, I am required to have a functional fire extinguisher in the truck I drive (semi truck). If I get inspected by the DOT, they check the charge level and the punch date on the card. I can get a ticket for not having it in operable condition. The government seem to think that making me go to the effort of having it is worth it, even though I probably will never need it, and it's too small to do much if I do 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

Yup. The NKs are pretty insane, at least by our standards. Asian culture in general is very concious of "saving face" and the Nks take that to an extreme. And they are very accomplished at this sort of blackmail. They act insane, get attention, act important at the negotiation table, and we enable that behavior. You have to realize that most of this garbage is directed at their own population. One very effective tool for keeping the people under control is to convince them that there is an "enemy" threatening them (anyone remember the Patriot Act?). "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 seems to type it often enough. http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?do=search_results&search_forum=all&search_string=both+of+you+cut+it+out&search_type=AND&search_fields=sb&search_time=&search_user_username=billvon&sb=score&mh=25 "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

Every train you see out there is powered that way. The huge diesels drive generators. The power is delivered to the ground by electric motors right by the wheels. Part of the reason is that nobody has been able to come up with a mechanical transmission that is durable enough. The really huge dump trucks that are used at open pit mines are set up the same way. "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

Puppy Bowl "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, supressing research entirely isn't the answer. I didn't mean to give that impression. The funny part is that a lot of the unbiased research has shown that guns in the hands of ordinary citizens have a positive impact. The Kleck study is a good example. He started the study without an agenda. He was actually expecting to see defensive gun use far lower than he found. It has flaws, but it has been supported to some degree by other studies. That data is instantly attacked by the anti gun crowd. "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