wolfriverjoe

/\ .l This My heart goes out to you. I just posted about my little dog. You did everything you could. You went well above and beyond what most everyone would do. You loved him and he loved you, even though he couldn't (yes, couldn't) show it properly. "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

My little dog, Skyler is gone. He was very old (14) and had a long, wonderful life. He had stopped eating a week ago, not even treats or his favorite people food. He stopped drinking Sunday. I made the decision yesterday and the vet came today. We have a local vet who does housecalls. I didn't want his last minutes of life to be scared out of his mind in the vet's office (he really didn't like it there). So the vet came, did a bit of paperwork and put him down. First he sedated him so he was asleep when the last shot went in. It was peaceful and painless and on his couch in his house and in my arms. He's now buried in a sunny spot, right by a spruce tree. A place where he liked to be. And it really, really hurts. I know he's not hurting anymore, and that's the most important thing, but I sure am. He had a wonderful life, did lots of things and went lots of places many dogs don't get to do or go to. He was a "DZ Dog" who greeted the customers with a wag and a bark, and who knew what my canopy looked like so that he would come out when I was coming in for landing. He never did quite figure out that the canopy went forward in addition to down, so he always ended up right unerneath me when I was about 50' or so up.

So why does he always ask you to pack for him? And why don't you say "Do it your self!" ?? "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 sky will still be there if you decide to return. Just don't wait until you're a really old dude. And there's a few decent DZs fairly close - SDC, CSC and Midwest. That would mean that I stand a chance of meeting you in person "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 really don't care about the secondhand smoke as long as it's outside. In a confined space (room, car, whatever) it is a different story. But carelessness with fire around gear is a bad idea. Ask Mr ButtFlinger if he's planning on paying for the canopies his still burning cigarettes damage. And given the drought this summer, carelessness with fire anywhere is a bad idea. I can see the entire landing area at some places going up in flames. FWIW, the Indiana State Patrol was giving out citations for tossing lit cigarettes out of cars. The big advisory signs over the interstates were warning of 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

Well, Mythbusters showed both that it can be done safely and how. But Tony Robbins showed that it can still be screwed up. Personally I'd go with the guys that did the Mythbusters segment over the guys that did the Tony Robbins event, but that's up to 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

The FAQ link I tried to use is in the "Read this first" Thread in the Announcements Forum http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1008849;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unread I then seached the term "Glossary" and found this: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?do=search_results&search_forum=all&search_string=glossary&sb=score&mh=25 Numbers 4, 5, 6, 7, 9 & 10 are all the same thread, which has a broken link to the Glossary. I obviously don't expect you to go through all the posts in all the forums to fix broken links. But it is the easiest way I know of to find the Glossary. I don't see it on the main Safety page http://www.dropzone.com/safety/ Or am I missing 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

To answer some of your questions (I'm not going to copy them, just use the number from the OP). #1 - There was. I found it, but the link is broken. So is the link for the FAQ. I'm guessing it's because the forum is being revamped. #2 - Rent at first. Student rigs have a few special features you won't need or want on your own rig. You will also be going through a bunch of downsizes in your first jumps. From a huge student canopy to something appropriate by the time you have your A. Many jumpers get their first rig somewhere between their A and another 25 - 50 jumps. Where and what is a huge discussion. You can search "Rig for new jumper" or "First Rig" and find enough discussion on it to keep you occupied for a long time. #3 - One level. You will still need to demonstrate the same skills and show the same knowledge to get your A regardless of which way you go. #4 - Don't know, I'm not from there. #5 - See above. But a lot. It isn't a cheap sport. And it isn't one where you want to go with the cheapest option. "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 post in General where a new guy is looking for the glossary. In trying to find it, I found that the links for both the FAQs and the Glossary aren't working. I'm guessing it's because of the revamp. Are they going to be back or are they gone forever? "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

Still no. Well, for someone who's into odd cars, has the knowledge and skills and equipment to maintain it and fully understands what he is getting. It would be a great find. For a 16 year old who just got his license? (rough analogy to the OP) No. No. 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

........................................................................ ICAO Air Space Classification (as I remember it) A - altitude, as in high altitude, above 18,000 feet mandatory IFR and ATC B- big as in big city airport, mandatory IFr and ATC C - as in big city airport, mandatory ATC D- smaller municipal airports,mandatory ATC E as in empty D, usually after midnight F - as in fire, riots and military firing ranges, only enter with permission of controlling authorities. G - uncontrolled airspace below 3,000 feet AGL Not exactly (at least not in the US). Wiki Cliki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airspace_class_(United_States) Most jumps in the US happen in class E. Normally ATC contact isn't required for VFR flight in E. And jump operations don't recieve any sort of clearance from ATC, it is simply a notification. But it is still contact. And the article linked in the OP is from January 2011. It is the initial proposal. I wasn't able to find anything really recent on it with a quick search. "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're who you are. There isn't any "right" or "wrong" about it. Would you regret not going for it if you chose a "predictable and steady, yet somewhat boring"path? There's nothing wrong with stability and security, unless you give up what you really want to get them. That's a calcluation we each have to make for ourselves. My choices fit me, although there are parts I wish were different (and am making an effort to change those things). My choices, however are not for everyone, or even most. FFS, I jump out of airplanes on a regular basis, that choice alone is "not for the average person." Why should we be surprised when other choices that we make are out of the mainstream. It sounds to me like you are having a "Grass is Greener" moment. "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 think she is just looking for volunteers here who will paint it for less. Nope - have painted loads before... I will be just fine

Got some news for you. That won't change. Presuming you continue to jump, and continue to try to improve and learn (which is what you should do), you will have days that everything goes perfectly and you seem to learn everything you try on the first attempt. And you will have days where... That doesn't happen. "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 know that heat is a form of energy. But I use a lot more energy in my home than just heating it. Although I must admit that much of that energy use has a side benefit of producing heat (a warm laptop is almost as nice as a cat on your lap on a cold winter day ), but that heat isn't a benefit when I have the A/C running. I don't think that the majority of my energy consumption is used to heat the house. Perhaps a significant portion, but far from the majority. Even with heating oil (basically non-taxed deisel) as expensive as it is, it is less than half my total energy cost (electric bill for the entire year plus heating fuel). "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

Since you parsed and picked at Lawrocket... The heat may come from petroleum, but not the energy. I have an oil burner. It heats my home very nicely using what is basically deisel fuel (maybe a bit on the spendy side of late, but oh well). But my light, cooking (stove, micro, coffee pot, fridge - food storage), cleaning (washer, dryer vacuum, water heater), entertainment (TV, radio, computer and internet access), and A/C all come from electricity. Most of my electicity is hydro power, so it isn't petroleum (or other fossil fuel) based. "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 one said it wasn't a thing. Do you have any suggestions for what should be done about this horrific injustice? I read the entire thread. I won't get into men's rights. It's "complicated." But a lot (and I mean a whole lot) of both commercials and TV shows portray men as bumbling idiots. Well meaning, but clueless. Homer Simpson is the stereotype, but in most comedy sitcoms, the kids and mom are smarter, wittier, quicker and all around better than the dad. And commercials aren't much better. Not just for domestic products. IMO, fast food is the worst. Think about the Sonic ads. The woman is smart and thoughful, the man is an idiot. In a few of them there are 2 men. One is a complete idiot, the other is only a partial idiot. McD's "Dollar Menu" ads, especially the radio ads, are as bad or worse. Husband is an idiot, wife is smart. What to do? I use the "Mentos Rule." I don't patronize the places who's ads insult my intelligence. That means very little fast food, which isn't a bad thing. Or I change the channel and listen to or watch something else. It's not a "Horrific Injustice", it's just a minor annoyance, that I choose to mostly ignore. "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. They don't . They Anglefly instead. There was a short writeup on it in the front of Parachutist this month. Steep dive/track without pretending that they get lift because of the shape of the container on their back. Without pretending that they can approach wingsuit performance. Without all the silly names. "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 Billvon's article. If you read that and the article that accompanies Brian Germain's downsizing chart, you'll have a pretty good idea if you can/should go down a size. You need to realize that a smaller canopy will be faster and more responsive. It will turn faster and dive harder in that turn. It will be faster on landing. Those 2 things have hurt a lot of people who downsized too fast. Some of them were making aggressive approaches, some of them just reacted badly too close to the ground and didn't have time to recover. The skills mentioned in the 2 articles will be a great help in preventing those kinds of mistakes. "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

One good place to look is on the manufacturer's websites. If they list a canopy as "Not Recommended" for student, novice and intermediate, then it's probably not a good choice for you. Square or semi-elliptical is what you'd probably choose. The Sabre2 is a "semi" and is used successfully as a student canopy (at appropriate wingloading of course). Your best bet is to get to a boogie with a good manufacturer presence and demo a bunch of different stuff. The sales reps know their products and will be able to suggest good choices They are also pretty good at not letting you try something beyond your experience (I watched a rep turn away a lower experience jumper who wanted to jump a too small canopy recently). For material, ZP is most common. Stay away from f-111 unless its a really good canopy at a really good price. They wear out after a while, and older ones are more trouble than they are worth. When they wear out they start landing really, really bad. ZPX is pretty new, but has mostly good reviews as far as I've heard. It's main benefit is smaller packing. You can get a container that will hold your "next" size and put a "now" sized ZPX in it. It's also supposed to pack easier when new. It hasn't been out very long, so I don't think you are going to find much on the used market. Lines are a bit more complex. Dacron is nice because it has "stretch" in it which will take the edge off of harder openings. But it's big. The different micro lines have their own pluses and minuses. Shrinkage, no warning on wear before they break, a few other things (each type has it's own pluses and minuses). They pack smaller, but won't "give" any on a hard opening. "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

As Pops said, it's best to do it all in one place. But you don't have to go south to jump. Depending on the DZ and the weather, we "Northerners" will jump well into fall. And sometimes into the winter. And sometimes through the winter. You should be able to get a good part of your training done before the DZ shuts down (depends on the DZ, make sure you ask them). And most of us up here are used to the winter layoff. We do lots of refresher stuff in the spring to help reaquaint ourselves with the sky. "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 think he means "Horny Gorilla." The video kinda gives a new meaning to "Downplane" "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 will never be "unlucky." At some point it will progress from "shouldn't have been doing that, didn't know what he was doing" to "He fucked up. He should have known better." Dunno the exact numbers, but probably somewhere over 1k. And yes, I know you devote most (all?) of your jumps to canopy flight. "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 didn't kill this project, he just refused to fast track it. I have no problem with that. I really don't know what newspapers or electronic outlets some American's read... However, as the Keystone project(s) are the offspring of a Canadian corporation, some of us northerners actually paid attention to this issue. I get my information from both sides of the border. Many of us Canadians were very comfortable that the US Administration did not succumb to outside political pressure, let alone the blunt and bullying tactics of Trans Canada Pipe trying to ramrod it through without going through the entire application and approval process properly as required by US law/policy. And I believe I have the right say it about TCP, as I do own a significant amount (to me) of their shares. I'd like the company to remain a responsible corporate citizen/neighbor rather than bullshit the troops. John The way I heard it down here was that the first plan was rejected, for valid reasons. Then the Repulicans in Congress insisted that the second plan be approved or rejected far too quickly to be able to do a full evaluation of them. Insisted as in passing a law that the approval process take place in a certain time (I don't remember the exact time). This was done by congress, apparently to make Obama look bad (I thought it made the Rs look worse, myself). I don't know how much push came from their masters in the oil industry, but I'd bet some to a lot. It turned into the Rs basically saying "We need an answer RIGHT NOW" and Obama saying "The only answer you are going to get that fast is '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

You can find out very easily if it will fit or not. Get the serial number of the rig from the seller. Go to Mirage's website and find the "measurement" page. It will tell you what measurements need to be taken to get your size. Have those measurements taken (don't try to do it yourself, it won't work) and send those, along with the serial number of the rig into Mirage. They will tell you if it will fit or not, and how much a resize would cost. It will save the cost of shipping it back and forth if the harness is way off sized. "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