wolfriverjoe

Short answer: Don't worry about it. Slightly longer answer: In the event of a real crash, if the impact is severe enough to seperate the seats from the floor (or to cause the belts to fail), then you probably wouldn't have survived, even if the passenger behind you didn't crush you to death (and even a Size2 will crush you to death if the impact is severe enough to cause the belts or seats to fail). "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

In reverse order: You are jumping from an airplane 2 miles above the ground. If you weren't afraid, there would be something wrong. The feeling is similar, the freefall is almost identical, but it's a lot freer doing a solo. That's both good and bad. Good because you are doing it yourself. Bad because there isn't anyone attached to you so you have to do it yourself (although in AFF there are instructors right there with you to help). Elsinore has a good reputation. So does Perris, which is close. You might check both of them out. San Diego is also supposed to be good. Depending on where in SoCal you are, it might be a better choice. Now, log off the computer, get your ass out to a DZ, walk up to the office and say "I wanna be a skydiver, what do I gotta do?"

AFF is a series of jumps done from full altitude, with instructors holding you (2 at the beginning, only one for later jumps). The AFF program has 7 levels. You need to successfully demonstrate the skills at each level to advance to the next. After completing AFF there are still skiils you have to demonstrate and tasks to accomplish and a minimum of 25 jumps to get your license. Static Line is where the canopy is deployed automatically as you drop away from the plane. You don't get to freefall until you can demonstrate the ability to deploy correctly. Again, there are skills to demostrate, tasks to accomplish and a minimum of 25 jumps to get your license. Both methods will teach you the same things, they just get you there a little differently. A lot of this is available here on DZ.com under the Learn to Skydive tab on the home page. It's also outlined in the USPA Skydiver's Information Manual And yes, it's really, really, really fun

Not exactly. The chin bar provides substantial protection from a blow to the face whether or not the visor is in place. "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 kids, so the diaper issue hasn't come up, but if I had had any kids, I'd view it as a shared responsibility. I have always hated buying pads or tampons, mainly because I always ended up getting the wrong ones, and had to go back. It's the confusion and uncertainty of selecting them, not the actual purchasing. Holding the purse, waiting outside the dressing room, even doing stuff like "antiquing" or that kind of thing never bothered me. I agree that asking "does it make me look fat?" isn't a fair question, and I never answer it. I will say whether or not I like how it looks, but I don't take it personally if my preferences aren't followed. I regularly walk my dog (in the avatar pic) out in public. I don't care that he is a little "mop dog". My sister's husband has made the comment "It takes a big man to walk a little dog". I'm comfortable with who I am. I usually don't care what others might think. "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 depends on what you define as "dirty". It's kind of like abstract art. You see in in what is in your mind. "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 payroll taxes are you referring to? The Social Security Tax (FICA) is seperate from the Income tax. Above a certain income, it doesn't get taken. In theory, SS is a seperate entity from Income Tax. The withholding for "Income Tax" (shows as "State" and "Federal" on my pay statements) is the Income Tax. The paperwork you file in April is the "return", figuring out the difference between what you had withheld from your paycheck and what you actually owe. Many (most) people over-withhold during the year, generating a tax refund. I never understood the elation some people express when they find out that the gave the government several thousand dollars extra during the course of the year and are finally getting it back. I try to get my withholdings as close as possible to what I really owe so that I get the money throughout the year, rather than giving the government an interest-free loan. "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've always been fond of THIS one. "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

Is that the "Charlie Brown Christmas" Tree? I saw that on display in a store today. Kinda cute. "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 recently started hearing this song on the radio. It's got a pretty good hold of me. Middle Class Rut (There's an ad before the video starts) "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 da freaking pope! I saw it at the DZ and thought, how cool would this look on my head! But I am a little "different" You have a different definition of the word "Little" than I 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

I heard a variant of that story. After the Russians (Soviets at the time) were taken, the heads of a couple mid-level Hezb were delivered to Hezb HQ. The Sovs were released unharmed and no more were kidnapped. The US had a half dozen kidnapped, including the Beruit CIA chief of station, William Buckley, who was tortured to death. Did anybody else notice that the link in the OP was dated May, 2010? This isn't new, although I hadn't heard of it before. "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

Not really. Recreational radio control is limited to less than 400' altitude, and must remain in sight of the operator. Size doesn't matter. It woudn't take a very big R/C plane to take out a light aircraft (the windshields aren't armored). Commercial operation of radio controlled aircraft is also currently prohibited (stuff like R/C aerial photography). There are certain exceptions, mainly military, but this is a civilain operation in airspace open to the public. I'd like to know what kind of exception these guys are operating under. It may have been a "one time" deal for the demonstration. It also may have followed the rules (staying under 400' and within sight) and just have been a demonstration of the capabilities of the aircraft and it's systems. "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 apologies. Snowmman found most of the other stuff (especially from SE Asia), and I took the guess that it was him. I don't think Snowmman got perma-banned for being rude. I think it was because he kept getting around the ban by using new names, then making it very clear that it was him doing so. Quade has tons of patience, but it only goes so far. "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

Not really. One of the attorneys (Andy908 most likely) would have the best info, but if it can be seen from the street (or air) then it isn't private. They use thermal imaging cameras to locate grow operations, They can "see" the heat from the grow lights and can use that info for a search warrant. I'd like to know how they get around the FAA rules on unmanned aircraft. The rules on that are pretty strict. Having one of those in the same airspace as "regular" aircraft has a lot of potential for disaster. Can you imagine the backlash if one of those has a midair? "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

Link. I saw it while watching the football (well, hand-egg) game too. It looks like the weight pushed the dome down, then the snow fell into the dip, overloaded and tore the roof. Wow. That isn't going to be cheap to fix. Although I bet there are one or two on here who have the skills and equipment to sew 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

Yes. You need 2 cutters for rigs with 2 reserve pins. The Racer is the only 2-pin rig that I can think of off the top of my head. I'm sure that someone will add in any others that are out there. "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 "Asia Connection" is a series of test jumps done out of the back of a 727. Snowmman found the video and posted it a while back. During the highjack, there was a good bit of discussion among the airline people and the FBI about whether or not it was possible to actually jump from a 727 in flight. The test jumps weren't widely known at the time of the highjacking, and the presumption has been put forward that Cooper was in SE Asia and knew about the tests. Cooper had also asked for the airstairs to be lowered before takeoff and was told it wasn't possible. This was later disproved when one of the last flights out of Da Nang did just that (that video is on here too). Again, his knowledge of the 727 was more extensive than the airlines and the FBI. Or he was just guessing and got this stuff right purely by chance. If you were able to find a $20 that came from the highjack money, you would have solid proof that you had a connection. As long as it wasn't counterfeit, that's evidence that couldn't be fabricated. "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's your country, your government can decide who to let in and who not to. Personally, I find Jones to be moderately annoying. He seems to be offensive just to be so. He is more interested in the attention his behavior generates rather than actually changing anything. BUT - I am a firm believer in freedom of speech and freedom of assembly. His actions here in the US are clearly "Protected Speech" (including his plan to burn the Koran). I believe any attempt to muzzle or silence him is far, far more dangerous than anything he could possibly say (not including incitement to riot, which is not protected speech). "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

Deflated is probably a better term. It's more or less a giant inflatable "Bouncy thing", without the bouncy part. With 17" of snow on top, it was just too much weight for the pressure differential to support. I think it is heated (the roof, not just the inside), although I could be wrong. We are just getting too much snow for much of anything to keep up. (I'm about 300 mi east of there and we are getting hammered). "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

$200 seems to be the cost of the lofts I looked at (Google Cypres 4 year inspection cost). Shipping is easy, you use the box it originally came in. If that wasn't included with your rig (it was with mine) someone should have one sitting around. No special care that I know of, the cutters are pretty safe. "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

White guy: I was born a black man in Mississippi... \And here YOU DO what you post you despise Do as I say? Oki Great post says a bunch WAFJ Amazon pulled that shit on me too Was easy to prove her wrong you just pick something and you know they are lies impressive Context: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3Vp9fQ616k Every year when the Phone Books appear on my front porch I have to restrain myself from running around while waving one over my head and yelling "THE NEW PHONE BOOKS ARE HERE, THE NEW PHONE BOOKS ARE 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

The bastards! No, they have toy AKs. I saw some pretty nice ones (they even had transparent magazines and shiny brass "ammunition") at a Love's Truck Stop last week. They had them on the sale flier posted in the stores, but they aren't on the website (I was going to link it, but Oh, 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

Check your harness rings for any pitting, chipping of the plating or other rough surfaces. I kinda doubt you'll find any, but you can check to be sure. If there was a rough surface, it wouldn't squeak, it would "grind". The nylon is just rubbing on the rings and squeaking. It shouldn't be a problem. Now, has anybody seen the key to the hydraulic lock?? "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 guess he could surrender if he chose to. All he has to do is call up the media, and show up at an American Embassy willing to surrender peacefully. But I don't see that happening. He has made a public call for his followers (and there are a lot of those) to kill any Americans. He has been linked (although not proven or convicted of anything) to both the "Underwear Bomber" and the Ft Hood shootings. I would agree that he represents a pretty clear danger to the US. As long as he is in a foreign country, calling for and participating in attacks against the US, he's going to be a target. "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