wolfriverjoe

A "freefly friendly" rig has bridle, pin and riser protection designed to withstand the higher speeds and different orentations you see in freeflying (vs bellyflying). It makes it more resistant to premature openings, and to the other fun stuff that can happen when stuff comes out when it's not supposed to. Risers coming out at the wrong time can create all sorts of havoc. The camera was a factor in that the jumper decided to backfly to capture his buddy's deployment. It looked like he then either tried to go head-down or just went unstable and was floppiing all over. That resulted in a premature while somewhere between head-down and on his back. It was also indicative of his decision making. Along with 2 non-licensed jumpers and freeflying a non-freefly rig it kinda shows a lack of understanding of what can go wrong and failing to plan for it. The canopy may have blown because of the higher speed of the unstable head-down (that speed can pick up surprisingly fast) the out of position deployment (pulling one riser more that the other) or just a worn out rental/student canopy. Or (most likely) a combination of all three. The stowing the slider on the reserve is simply muscle memory taking over in a time of stress. It's what he's always done, so he tried to do it there. Not terribly unusual. Edit to reply to: Not really. A premature is when the canopy comes out without the jumper deploying it. It can be an out of sequence deployment (the bag comes out first) or it can simply be the pilot chute working it's way out of the BOC pocket (due to stretched or worn out Spandex). The problem with it is that the jumper isn't expecting it, and may be in an orientation or at a speed that makes it dangerous. And of course, the other jumpers around him aren't expecting it either. The pilot chute doesn't slow the jumper down very much. It just pulls everything out to initiate the opening sequence. You don't get "stood up" when you pitch, it happens at line stretch when the canopy comes out of the bag. And yes, we can get into a long and involved discussion about snatch force and opening shock here, but that's more than we need to. "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 only testimony as to who started the physical altercation is Zimmerman's. Which isn't really objective. But as to who stated the entire situation? Who started following whom? Who made the assumptions that whom was "up to something", "on something", and "going to get away with it"? I see this as similar to starting an argument, that then turns into a fight. If someone starts shit, provokes someone into starting a fight, and then pulls a gun out when they start getting their ass kicked... Is that self defense? Case law says no. Provocation can begin well before any physical contact. As Georgia Don noted, this is going to come down to the question of who really started the incident. And when was the real beginning of it. If Zimmerman's lawyer can convince a jury that the "following in the car and pursuing on foot" part was seperate from the "fight that ended up in a shooting" part, then he may be aquitted. If the prosecutor can convince the jury that the entire situation was created by Zimmerman deciding that Martin was a criminal who needed to be caught, then Zimmerman may be in a lot of trouble. "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 it's a good thing, especially when the kids are young (pre-school). It takes sacrafices on the part of the parents to do it on one income, but it's possible if you make it a priority. I really don't think it matters which parent, dads love their kids as much as moms do, it's just non-traditional. My younger sister is a full time mom, and an old friend of mine has been a full time dad. Both plan on jobs (part-time at least) after the kids are in school full time, but both absolutely love that they are able to be with their kids full time. And both are good enough parents that their kids are turning out very well. "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

Clever and cute.

Maybe so, but their fun quotient was an average 27.8% lower. Old joke: "Hey Doc, do you think I'll live to be 100?" "Well, do you smoke, drink, stay out late, gamble and chase loose women all the time?" "Absolutely not. I've never done those things." "Well, why would you WANT to live to be 100?"

Well, hell. Where do I sign up? Most others only offer 72 virgins. I'll take a pay raise any day!

Show me the other internet message board where 2 or 3 of it's members will be dead by the end of the year due to the topic of the forum. Then show me where open discussion of how to avoid those fatalities is discouraged... Motorcycle boards. Especially the sportbike forums. I lurk a few of them and they are pretty hard on the squids. New to riding and have a GSX-R 1000? (rough equivalent of 300 jumps and a Velo). You will get hammered on. Squid - Stupidly quick, underdressed, imminetly dead. Bike equivalent of DGIT. To those who think this is bullying: This isn't about hammering on someone for doing something stupid. This is about someone making a deliberate chioce that has killed or maimed many jumpers. And taken out more than a few innocent bystanders (by-fliers?) in the process. This is trying to tell someone that they aren't special, different or unique. That the ground won't care when they hit it, and they don't have the mad skilz to deal with all the possibilites (or even most of them) their choice brings. Some listen, some fight the advice but figure it out later, some learn by getting seriously hurt, some only have 2 or 3 seconds left in their life to realize their mistake. "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

Ok, just for fun - Aim for the peas, that way I'll be sure to be found. ('Twardo has a story like that in the "Scary Stories" thread - "I don't know his name but he sure could spot") Aim for the pond and cannonball. That will be one hell of a splash. Farmer Mc Nasty's roof. "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

12. It's always 12 steps. I'm not a bully. I don't have the credentails to pull it off. But I'm perfectly willing to walk up to someone and ask their thinking when they're doing something that appears sketchy. A lot of times it gets them thinking and they take a closer look at what they are doing. And I have no problems being a snitch. I've gone to the DZO or S&T A to point out stupidity more than once. Never got any static about 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

Question #1 - What kind of jump are you doing. AFF or Tandem go all the way to altitude and experience the most pressure change. Static Line doesn't go up as high and has less pressure change. Question #2 - What does "not quite there yet" mean? The most important question is How clear are your eustacian tubes? Those run from your inner ear to your sinuses and allow for equalization of the pressure. That's the "clearing your ears" that you experience in a plane, scuba diving or even going up and down big hills. If you aren't absolutely sure that you can clear your ears as needed, DON"T JUMP!!! The pain of unclearable ears is excruciating. The potential for serious, permanent injury is very real. The DZ will understand, and may not permit you to jump if you tell them the truth (highly recommended not to lie to the people into whose hands you are putting your life). Far better to wait a week or two to jump vs forcing the issue and maybe not being able to jump ever again. "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 Secret Service takes most threats seriously. credible or not. Most of those investigations don't receive a lot of publicity. Nugent is receiving a lot of publicity because he's a celebrity. I'm sure there are a lot of folks saying the same thing (or similar things) as Nugent. They aren't receiving the publicity Nugent did, but I'd make a guess that they're getting some attention from the Secret Service, "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, I know why you posted that. And you know you're an old fart if your cell phone only makes phone calls; as mine only does. JerryBaumchen HA!!!! Mine makes and receives phone calls. It also functions as an answering machine. I think it does some other things too, I know it takes pictures all by itself.I have a whole bunch of pictures of the inside of the car door. "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 hard deck is the minimum altitude that you fight a malfunction until. You don't go below it while still fighting a main mal, or evaluating a questionable canopy (torn, broken lines, ect.). It's the point where you have to have a good, landable canopy. Or chop it and go for the reserve. "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

She's now facing felony charges. http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/michigan_lottery_winner_fraud_used_QNfPVuIeXqXcQv8cEPVlCK?utm_medium=rss&utm_content=National "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'm my own rigger, and I'm not going to aim for my own car. I've always loved the idea of taking a shoe and stuffing it down my jumpsuit, but I gotta agree with Squeak. I'm going to be too busy fighting it all the way down to do anything else. Pull all the handles, thump it with my elbows, reach around back and pull on anything I can reach and grab, climb the lines on a baglock, whatever I can try. "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 each his own. Having to stop and focus on a number to be sure you didn't confuse that 6 with an 8 is problematic for me whereas a needle pointing in a direction like the clock faces I grew up with is not. I agree with that. I do better with "Needle and Dial" guages than with a digital readout. But others are the exact opposite. It has a lot to do with what you grew up with. I've met some "young'uns" who had a hard time reading an analog watch. Others have little or no understanding of the terms "clockwise" and "counterclockwise." Really, I don't think they'd do so well with a Galaxy, now would they. "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 description of AFF that I've seen so far is HERE. We're all waiting with for the successful A license jump. Don't worry too much about gear yet. You won't really want to get it until you are a bit further on. Used is best at first for several different reasons (keep in mind that used gear has been successfully jumped before), and you may well be able to find what you need at your own DZ. If not, then the instructors and riggers (and even the regular jumpers) will be able to give you some real guidance. As opposed to random advice from strangers and wierdos on the internet. "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 is how heavily your wing is loaded. (Duh) It is usually expressed as a ratio of pounds per square foot. The weight is the entire weight of the jumper and all the gear. The square footage is that of the canopy. Although the measuring systems differ and some canopy manufacturers are more accurate than others, the size of the canopy is it's square footage. As a student you are likely jumping a 230 or something similarly large. If you (and all the gear) weigh 180 lbs, you are at a loading of about 0.78 lbs/sf. Wingloading is one measure of performance. The higher the wingloading, the higher the performance. All else being equal, a heavier jumper will have faster forward speed and a higher descent rate than a lighter jumper. Also, 2 differently weighted jumpers would experience simlar (but not identical) performance if they had canopies sized to give them equal wingloading. "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

Has the A/C been run yet this year? It might be that the compreessor is a bit stiff, and is drawing a lot more current trying to start up than it should. Maybe plug it in somewhere else that won't have the extension cord issues and see if it works properly there. Otherwise, I'd go with Billvon's suggestions. "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 it would also be called "equilibrium" because thrust has equalled drag and lift has equalled drag. I always call it "stable flight' because stuff has stopped changing. "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 are somewhat overstating the usefulness in terms of weather warnings. But you haven't answered the question: Do you think that satellites should take 40% of NOAA funding or that some should be directed to weather warnings? Honest question - How much did they spend on satellites in past years? And how much is projected for future years? My understanding is that there are several satellites in pretty desperate need of replacement. And once they are replaced, the cost won't be there in the future. "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

Which is what makes this case so interesting. Wonder if a lawyer can jump in here, but in claiming self-defence would Zimemrman have to prove that the initial assualt was unprovoked, or would they only have to prove he was assaulted? I'm no lawyer, and I'm not fully up to speed on the particulars of Florida's self defense laws. But one of the basic premises of self defense is that the attack needs to be unprovoked. "Unavoidable" and "Reluctant Participant" are commonly used keywords. And I don't see that in this case. Some are arguing that the final confrontation between Martin and Zimmerman was a seperate incident from Zimmerman's initial observations, surveillance and pursuit of Martin. That by stopping the foot pursuit, the initial incident was over and the subsequent confrontation was a seperate incident. But I don't see it that way. Zimmerman told the 911 operator that he "Lost" Martin. He didn't say that this was getting out of hand and he was stopping, or that he had no authority to do any of what he was doing and he was ending the pursuit. And would he have gone back to his truck and cruised the neighborhood, trying to locate Martin? (Pure speculation, I don't know) And did Zimmerman call out to Martin "Hey dude, I give up, I'm not chasing you anymore"? Did Martin know that Zimmerman had stopped (if in fact he did plan on completely giving up)? Zimmerman initiated the incident by following Martin from his truck and then greatly elevated it by getting out and pursuing Martin when he took off. Without a clear and definitive "I stop" action or statement, the entire incident is one thing. Regardless of who initiated the final confrontation (and we only have Zimmerman's word on that), the self defense claim is pretty weak. And as the initiator, SYG has no bearing whatsoever on it. Zimmerman wasn't "Standing" he was pursuing. Others may disagree, that's cool. I won't engage with the usual suspects cutting and chopping and nitpicking. It's not us who have the final say in the matter. It's the prosecutor, defense attorney, judge and jury. All I know is that, if I am in a similar incident, I'm not going to pursue anyone. It really confuses the self defense claims. "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. I can quit anytime I want. Sure you can. Anybody can quit. It's staying quit that usually doesn't work. Welcome 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

You mean engineering. REAL, problem solving, developmental engineering. Saying that it would be nice too... (insert any of the goals listed in the previous three posts here) And then figuring out how to do it. Yeah, those engineers really are stupid people aren't they. (we really need a sarcasm font 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

One of the reasons my profile is accurate (except that the DZ listed is now closed) is because it keeps me honest. If I get really obnoxious or abrasive, I'm not all that hard to find. I have a funy feeling something I wrote on here motivated someone to "report" my facebook profile as abusive. This is the only forum I regularly post to, and I almost never post on facebook. There are a couple of the usual suspects here that engage in useless arguments, pointless bickering and stupid name calling. Several of them are very open about who they are. I've met a couple and they seem to be nice folks in person. Sometimes it seems like writing on a keyboard and simply seeing words on a screen allow people to forget there is an actual person on the other end. That can be true with e-mail exchanges as well as forum discussions. The lack of personal contact makes determining intent and emotions very difficult and allows for easy misunderstandings. And some people just refuse to admit that they may be wrong about something and any dispute or disagreement is taken as a personal attack. Joe "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