wolfriverjoe

I'm not sure what you find "sad" about it. A coach is a "junior instructor." With the emphasis on junior. They aren't responsible for the safety of the student. The student is already cleared for self-supervision and is resposnsible for their own safety. Coaches aren't allowed to do spin-stops, roll-overs or to pull for the student as a AFFI is. There's been some debate as to what an AFFI acting as a coach should do on a jump that goes bad (as in should an AFFI acting as a coach pull for the student if necessary). A coach's main job is to provide a stable reference for the student and to provide solid feed back on the performance during the debrief. Beginning freefliers are often told not to do solo jumps because they can't tell if they are sliding all over the place without a reference point. And solo jumpers, especially students, are unable to make much accurate judgement about important things like leg position, amount of arch and other things that only an outside observer (coach) can see. Coaches are fairly limited in what they can do, specifically because they don't have the instructor skills to do more. The coach rating is supposed to be a license to learn how to be an instructor. Which involves a lot, lot more than flying skills. "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 get a pretty accurate description of Scientology and it's origins and beliefs and practices from South Park. In addition to being hilarious, it's also factually accurate. "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

Pfffft.. THIS is the best ever. Even if it is for washing machines. "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 never into Madonna, even when she was young. The tech aspects went well (the lights all worked this year ). The choreography was pretty good, only a couple of slips, trips or blunders (the slackline guy was pretty impressive). She can still sing. Far better than the Black Eyed Peas last year and better than the Who 2 years ago. Madonna didn't have a "wardrobe malfunction", but Cee Lo sorta did. He couldn't get his sparkly robe fully fastened right away. All in all, it wasn't that bad. Somewhere (and it might have even been on here somewhere, but I didn't see it in this thread) somebody said that there would be a bunch of young athletic guys throwing around an old piece of leather... And there would be a football game too. "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, for me the "mud throwing" is one of the reasons I can't follow any of the religions that are out there. They are either created by man to exercise control over the masses, or if they were divinely inspired, then they have been perverted b man to exercise control over the masses. That doesn't change my belief in a God of some sort. It's just that I can't follow the specifics of any of the organized religions out there. But many of them do have many very positive aspects. I voted "Theist", but I fall between that and "Weak Theist." I have uncertainties, but I'm not "very" uncertain. To me, the hard core theists and atheists are equally closed minded. I don't know what the truth is. I don't trust anyone who claims 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

Yes, the mesh is nice. It gives a little bit of room between the foam and your back and allows a bit of airflow in there. It's nice on hot days. The black goes nice with the charcoal. I have a lot of charcoal on mine, and the black leg and backpads don't stand out a lot (and you can't really see them when it's on anyway). I think the p/c pocket is the same as the bottom flap, but I could be wrong. Mine is black, but so is the bottom flap. You might take a look through the "Post Your Infinity" thread to see what's there. I had a really good experience with ordering last year (about this time too). They answered calls and e-mails reasonably quickly, although I wouldn't expect answers on Superbowl Sunday. "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 want to see someone kickflip that skateboard! They sure seem to be beatin' the hell out of the newest 'Stove Bolt' in just about every commercial... ...might wanna give some thought before pickin' up a USED one! I wouldn't think it would be too hard to pick out the CAR that was used in the ads. (this pic is the one LouDiamond posted in the thread in General about the ad) "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 story says that the shooter took about 30 seconds from noticing the robbery to deciding to shoot. He apparently waited until the robber pointed the shotgun at him. He didn't just open fire when he saw a bad guy with a gun. He held off until the threat was directed towards him. The decision to shoot or not is always challenging. At least it is if the armed citizen has thought seriously about the consequences of carrying a gun. "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

Long-standing issue. He was one jump from being eligible for the Coach Course and working with students, but 101 jumps away from being able to jump a camera. Big difference between being eligible to take the course (by having 100 jumps) and being able to pass the course and get the rating. "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 "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 point there. I did get some stuff right (a few miles higher), but none of that made it to the logbook... Why not?? EVERY JUMP has stuff that went right and stuff that went... Not so right. Kind of like "target fixation" (focusing on what you don't want to hit greatly increases your chances of hitting it), making your logbook a diary of errors takes away from all the stuff that went well. I include every part of the jump in my log entries (I have been accused of writing a novel for each jump ) What went right, what didn't, who, weather, what was planned, what actually happened, all that sort of stuff. While you are making errors, and have some areas that need improvement, you are still landing safely and going back up again. I also agree with the idea of getting together with an instructor (preferrably someone with a strong canopy control focus) and getting some solid advice on patterns particular to your home DZ. Learning how to adjust the pattern for differing wind conditions is a skill that takes time and practice. And just like landing, you only get one shot per 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

How many trucking jobs have you had? Because I've done a great deal of trucking and busing for over 25 yrs. And with each and every job change (new company) you get a UA as part of the new hire testing, then once your hired you are in the wiz quiz program where you can be selected at random to take one or if you have an accident you can get one, if the accident kills people, they (cops) take your ass to the hospital and test you ASAP. So the point was, anyone who is currently holding a CDL and DOT medical card for commercial use, has been pissed tested as part of getting the medical card issued to them, then once they are "working" can be at anytime piss tested. That is a major step above the FAA class 3, so any BS out of USPA or MRG's about how that medical is not equivalent, is BS. Only a couple jobs and in the industry for almost 12 years. I'm not disputing the pre-employment or random testing. I read your post as saying that there was drug screening during a routine physical. If I read it wrong, I retract the statement. The drug screen is part of the hiring process, not part of getting the FedMed card issued. Both jobs I've had, the initial physical was one process, the drug screen was another, seperate process. And I am subject to random testing, but I don't have to pass any drug screens to get a new card issued when the old one expires. And overall, I agree that a DOT physical should be a valid "equivalent" for TIs. "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 this is why I am so pissed, so very pissed, at all the scared-as-shit-gunophobes trying to take a way your means of protection against those bozos....irrespective of any constitutional rights. " I am the LAW! I tell you that you CANNOT protect yourselves against the crooks. I will arrest you and throw you into jail of you do! I'll even murder your sorry ass if you attempt to resist!" Fucking assholes. I believe in The Uncle Ted's (Nugent) rule; "You invade my property, invade my home or try to hurt my family... you're dead!" I believe in 'gun control... hitting your target'! Too bad about the gun-o-phobes. I wonder, how many gun-o-phobes have been saved by someone with a CCW permit? Chuck There was one in Milwaukee on Tuesday. The store was posted prohibited (the CCW holder said that he didn't see the sign) and a permit holder shot a robber armed with a shotgun. http://www.jsonline.com/news/crime/aldi-customer-wont-be-charged-in-shooting-sk42et0-138688529.html While the person who made the decision to post the store as prohibited probably wasn't in the store at the time (that's an upper management decision), the fact that the robbery was stopped by a carry permit holder in a store that was "safer" because weapons weren't allowed is irrefutable. I would like to know if the store being posted prohibited had any part in the robber's decision to hit that particular store. "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 want to walk into a dealership and ask if the parachute is available as an 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

Cant cause I already answered yes :) I do tell anyone going for it to and NO tho so they dont go threw what I did. Be careful answering "no" if the real answer is "yes." Part of the form is a medical records release. That gives the FAA the right to dig through your past. If you answer "no" to something that the records indicate should have been a "yes" then you can have "problems." And I'm going to disagree with stratostar on the drug screens for both DOT and FAA medicals. I have a DOT (I drive semi for a living) and the only drug screen I got during my physical was when I was learning at the local technical college. They did it to cover their own behind. Since then, the physical only included a diabetes and protein "dip stick" urine test. My company has a random program, and I've "won the lottery" a few times. Get the message to call in, get the notification that I have to be at the clinic within 2 hours or be considered "refused" (and lose my job), go to the clinic and go through the "empty your pockets, don't flush the toilet or run the sink, blada blada crap." The FAA physical is the same. I've never had a drug screen with it. And I have a commercial ticket, so I get the Class 2 every year. I don't know the rules for airlines or that sort of thing, but I've never even discussed (or heard of discussions) having the DZ pilots tested. "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, considering how old you are and how long you've been doing this... The simple fact that you are still around puts you a lot more in the "listen to" category than in the "not" (note sig line ) "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. Get used to it. Opinions are like assholes. Everyone has one, some of them smell really bad. The responses here (and for just about every serious question) run the gamut from pure, unaduterated bullshit to real, valuable advice. And of course the standard "non-answer" jokes. Some of which have more real, usable advice than some of the supposedly "knowlegable" responses. If you hang out here long enough, you will get a feel for who to listen to and who not to. Keep in mind that the advice on here is worth exactly what you paid for it. And maybe not even that much. "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 going to disagree with that part (and only that part, you make a lot of very good points). Given the litigious nature of American society, the makers of AADs won't put themselves in a position where a "normal" opening at or near the "legal" minimum pull altitude would reasonably result in a two-out situation. If they aren't able to say that the AAD wouldn't fire unless the jumper had gone well below a safe pull altitude, and that there's no reasonable way it wouldn't fire unless it was at or near the last possible moment to activate the reserve then the potential for a lawsuit is just too great. And while I certainly pull higher than 2k, if it is following the BSRs (and therefore "legal") then it must be "safe", right? I'm not in favor of raising the minimum altitudes, but I also don't believe that AADs will have higher activations altitudes (except for custom/special orders) without 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

How about Joe Walsh? "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 him ask Sangi. Sangi was under a 129, but only loading it at 1.3. That didn't work out so 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

At risk of getting this deleted or moved to SC, AFAIK a CA permit is good for the entire state, it just has to be issued by the LE that covers your residence address. Not gonna make any comments beyond that. "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

Considering the circumstance of already having a gun to his head, what possible difference would it have made? Because he clearly stated that they both had their backs to him during the robbery. The gun wasn't pointed at him then. And his location isn't clear in his profile, but New Jersey carry permits are very difficult to get, almost impossible for the average citizen. (presuming "New Jersey" from his username) "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

Note to self: Go to Starbucks on Feb 14th. Make sure I tell them why (I don't usually pay that mcuh for coffee that isn't all that great). There are pro-gun groups that are doing a similar thing here in Wisconsin. Supporting those that choose not to restrict gun rights, not supporting those that don't. "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

Interesting. I've never seen a step and grab handle that far back before. But my not knowing about it doesn't mean all that much. "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

Except the potential salmonella danger from the raw eggs. Which is admittedly fairly low. "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