wolfriverjoe

Because you're "safe". You've reached the point where you've stopped being a "creepy older guy" and become a "nice old guy." They use you as a time out zone when they are tired of all the "Creepy older guys" hitting on them. Sorry. "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 understanding is that the video is purely a requirment of UPT. Other companies (Strong in particular) don't have it. I was part of a joint effort for a fundraiser deal where we had both Strong and Sigma rigs. We made everyone watch the video because there was no certainty who was going with whom at that point. My further understanding is that the secondary Tandem waiver (the one over and above the standard DZ waiver) isn't mandatory anymore . It's the one that states the tandem rig is considered an "experimental aircraft" and that it is operating under an exemtion to the rules that prohibit commercial operation of experimental aircraft. But even though the tandem exemption was lifted (it was, wasn't it??) and written into the regs, we still had people read and sign it just to add another layer. I certainly could be wrong in my understanding. If anyone knows differently, please let me know. "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

Good luck with everything. Don't worry too much about where you posted it. If it was serioulsy out of place the moderators would have moved it. And I really can't think that there is a better place than 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

There is already one in General. It's buried a little, so I'm not surprised you didn't find it. http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=3962396;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unread The link to the decision (same one your son sent) is on the second page. "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 was wondering if Divot had to jump out the back window. "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 flash suppressors haven't really changed over the years. The normal AR flash hider (still the old "birdcage" design) is only an inch or so long. And yes, a 16 has more flash and bang than a 20 and even more so than a 22 or 24. Unless you plan on varmit hunting or other sorts of very precise, very long range shooting, choose how long you want to deal with moving or carrying it. And they don't hide the flash much. The bad guys will still be able to spot you at night (and even to a certain extent during the day). What they primarily do is direct it away from the shooter so that the worst of the noise and muzzle blast are not as bad. One of the worst consequences of the "Assault Weapons" ban of 94 was 223 rifles (ARs and others) with no "flash hider" on them. They weren't any louder than before, nor any "brighter", but they were a lot less pleasant to be next 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

Really? Don't you think that someone would have if they could have? Vigil and Argus both tried, both had lots of issues (CYPRES did in the beginning too). Vigil has been addressing them, Argus went into denial/silence mode and seems to have mostly abandoned the idea (NOTE: This is a very general/overall comment, I don't want to restart the debate about Argus) The pyro charge in the cutters has a pretty specific lifespan. After a certain time it becomes unreliable. Not inert, but a small but significant percentage of them fail to fire. There's no way to test this without firing it. The circuit boards deteriorate over time. Some of it is testable, some isn't (at least non-destructive testing). And you can buy "Long Life" incandescent light bulbs. The per hour cost is somewhat lower than regular bulbs, but the initial cost is pretty high, so most idiots don't do the math. I use them in the fixtures that are a bitch to change or ones that are on a lot. "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

FIFY Guys can be painfully shy too. Fear of rejection, fear of looking like an idiot, learning the hard way that "The worst she can say is no" is NOT true. Be yourself, be honest (both are kinda the same thing) and most of all, be willing to move on if it doesn't work. "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 very relative term. To you, probably not. To the teenagers that live in my neighborhood, most definitely (although they think I'm at least sort of cool because I 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

Canopy skills. That's where most of the accidents are occurring. I don't claim either wisdom or experience, but I do try to pay attention to what's going 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

A paycheck. I drive for a living. Usually about 3k per week (every other week). "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

Thanks for keeping me honest. I knew who did what just did not spend the time typing it out correctly. Ya gotta be old to know that Waylon was supposed to be on the plane, JerryBaumchen I hadn't been born yet, but I know enough rock and roll history (and/or trivia) to know about Waylon. The Wiki link has the part about Buddy wishing Waylon "I hope your bus breaks down" and Waylon retorting "I hope your plane crashes." Having that be your last words to a friend had to really suck (and reportedly haunted him the rest of his life). "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 "Big Bopper" (J P Richardson) was sick and did get on the plane. Waylon Jennings gave up his seat to him. Another of Holly's band, Tommy Alsup, lost his seat to Ritchie valens in a coin toss. The plane was originally intended for Buddy Holly and his band (and arranged for by Holly) but he was the only one who didn't give up his seat on the flight. Wiki Clicky "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

Duck and Cover. Rmember air-raid siren tests once a month? Those things were LOUD. Some were powered by V8's We still have them. Not for air raids anymore, they're for tornadoes (and other things). Every Saturday at noon. "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

Thanks! (My alti is turquoise in real life too!) I know. I've been following the whole thing. I expect to see the duck's gear evolve over time as you get your own helmet, jumpsuit, goggles, ect. "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

Changing the points and adjusting the timing and the dwell. "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 don't look quite as exuberant in the picture as you did in the drawing. Keep at it, it will come. There's no shame in taking a couple more that 25 to get your "A." Which is a very good thing in my case. And as always, thanks for the continued saga. These are great. I kinda like how your altimeter (in the cartoon) is now turquoise. "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. There are a variety of old stuff with multiple barrels. Back in the "old days", when each shot had to have powder and ball loaded, multiple barrels were the only way to have a repeating weapon. Even in the Civil War timeframe, where there were revolvers (black powder), some of the horse mounted irregulars would have 6 or 8 (or even more) pistols on them. Again, the only way to have that many shots, was to have that many loaded into a gun beforehand, there wasn't any reloading going to happen on the back of a horse. That 45 however is just silly. It would be extremely difficult to shoot well, and regulating the barrels would be nearly impossible. In this case "well regulated" means having both barrels shoot to the same point of aim. With the way the barrels move during the action cycle, getting them dialed in would be a huge 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

Welcome. Congrats on the weight loss. That's a remarkable accomplishment. BUT.. I would very strongly suggest against seeking advice on here. There will be good advice, bad advice that's meant well, and douchebags offering bad advice on purpose. And at this point, it will be difficult for you to know the difference. In a sport where a mistake can have very serious consequences, taking advice from random strangers on the internet is a really bad idea. Coming on here to share your expericence, boast about your triumphs and commiserate about your "less than stellar" momments is fine. But taking advice from anyone other than the instructors who are working directly with you is not smart. "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, since nobody else has said it: Blind people can't jump! It freaks the dogs out too much. Seriously though, there usually one (or more) TIs that simply won't shut up. They talk from the moment they meet the student to after the landing. They give a full tour on the airplane and continuously ask the student how they are doing. Other TIs are more of the "strong, silent" type. Make sure the blind person gets one of the first type. "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 have to agree with that. When I was a kid, my parents strongly encouraged me reading anything. Even comic books. Because it was reading. They instilled a great love for books in me that 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

Don't forget that the distance on the ground is different from the distance while the plane is in the air. The strut "droops" once the weight of the plane is off 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

Purely a guess, but I'd think that the DZ would be the most visible and most active place on the airport. It has the most people hanging out there, and probably generates the most flights from a particular airplane. I still want to know why a "smart and professional woman" buys a house right next to an airport if she hates airplane noise. "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

Why do yo say that? Just because this place smells a bit funky? Something like that. It may be because Skymamma is off to Fitz and can't get online there. We'll just have to see how long it lasts. Popcorn anyone?? "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 seems that someone has returned. "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