wolfriverjoe

Go look at post 4 again. Who needs a walker when you have that ground crew? "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

Source? The Cypres Rigger's guide says: I am wondering if, in addition to the canopy concerns documented in the guide, if you have data that says cutters have risk of failure if the cutter does not have the fingertrapped portion in it... Just out of curiosity... What does it matter if there is a single, fingertrapped portion, or a double, non-fingertrapped portion (the loop itself)? In either case, you are making the cutter go through the same amount of material. The only difference is how the material is arranged. In the first case it is a double thickness, in the second it is two single thicknesses. "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

lol i was just listing the ingredients involved, and where to procreate them, if someone cant figure all that out, then they dont need to be playing with said things in the first place lol. You forgot to add a good attorney to your "ingredients list". Homemade explosives tend to attract the attention of law enforcement. And that includes the BATF. Who have a history of being a tad agressive going after folks who may (or may not) have done anything they don't like. "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, the real problem was that the "amnesty" was only a part of the plan. The rest of the plan included making sure that all employers stopped hiring illegals and opening up the immigration rules and quotas to allow more workers to be here legally. Those parts didn't happen because the employers wanted to keep the cheap labor and the xenophobes wanted to keep all the immigrants out. Saying that a plan didn't work when only 1/3 of it was actually implemented isn't really 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

I see the teams doing serious VRW are mostly wearing full face helmets. Probably for the same reason as the RW teams. When you are trying to turn points that fast, the occasional puch or kick is inevitable. And a foot to the face hurts. To the OP: I wear a hard helmet on every jump. My Pro-Tec has a lot of scratches and scrapes. Most of them would have drawn blood from an unprotected scalp. Doing a PLF one time, I found a fist-sized (or a little smaller) rock on the edge of the grass runway. With my head. It made a hell of a noise when I hit it. Probable concussion, possible fracture had I not been wearing a helmet (although a frap hat probably would have protected me just fine). It's your head, it's your choice. "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

True, but these guys are more worried about their immortal soul and getting into paradise than lung cancer, heart disease or any of that. And not everyone who smokes is a "fucking idiot". It's a lot more complicated than that. Most (as in almost all) smokers start in their mid to late teens, when they aren't all that smart and are pretty much immortal. There are a lot of different reasons, very few of which make sense in the long run. By the time they realize how stupid of a chioce that they have made, they are hooked on the nicotine and find it very difficult to quit. It took me a bunch of tries and a long time before I quit the last time. Hopefully it will be the last time, but I never know. I still get the urge to have one every now and again. Different things trigger it. Fortunately I have yet to pick up that first one, but I know I could. I know quite a few people who were "quit" for a while (months or even years) and started back up again. Most of them didn't have a good reason why, they "just did". "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 not load bearing, so the thread isn't that big of a deal. You don't have to use the glue, It just holds it in place while the patch gets sewn on. The big problem for placement is whether or not you can get the area for the patch to lie flat with no other fabric behind it (that's why sleeves are so hard). A shoulder should be doable. You just have to be able to get at the back of the area easily. Anyone with a sewing machine and a bit of skill can do it for you. A rigger is an obvious solution, but any tailor shop can do it. It shouldn't cost much. Your profile says you are in Deland. I'm sure there's at least one or two people who know how to run a sewing machine around 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 iron on glue won't hold in freefall. But it is a nice way to hold them in place when you sew them on. Hot glue works nice too. Ask your local rigger. Or your mom, if she sews. 5 minutes with a machine and they won't go anywhere. Don't plan on putting them on a sleeve or leg unless you are willing to have the arm or leg unstitched to attach the patch and then re-stitched (not recommended). "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

Pearl Harbor Day? Either that or for a wedding (first marriage of course). "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

Obviously, you never played with dynamite fuse as a child. . I've done some fucked up shit growing up, but I wasn't that stupid. Dynamite fuse just burns; That is it. Ever light a sparkler? Of course I have, I meant not playing with anything that could blow my hands off. Geez whiz, I'm already fucking deaf. If I lose my hands, I'd REALLY be fucked. I always heard it called cannon fuse. Green, little bit smaller than a 120v electrical cord. It's waterproof (the burn material has it's own oxygen supply) and will burn under water. Fun stuff

Keep in mind that an "AFF Grad" is still a student, with something above 7 jumps (depending on how many repeats). Because they are still on student status, they need to either jump solo, or with someone qualified to be an "instuctor". New A license holders who still need coach help will almost always be willing to do a 2-way with a more experienced jumper. I know I was. "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 victim's brother made me laugh. "so duuumb" I can;t believe they aired that part on the news! unfuckingbelievable. Huntsville is where I grew up, but those projects are the same all over. I just don't know what the news editors were thinking. They were thinking that it made for good TV and that people would talk about it. LIke we are doing You have to remember that TV news is not about news anymore, it's about ratings. I watched CNN's morning show with Robin Meade (the one that did the tandem with Bush1 last year) and in 40 minutes of watching I saw 2 legitimate news stories. The rest was fluff and crap that, while entertaining, had just about zero news value. Kinda like eating ice cream for breakfast. "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 shipped a fairly large rig (190 main, similar reserve) from WI to AL a couple months ago. They provided boxes and packed it for me and it was insured for $1000. Both the FedEx and UPS rates were about $40. One cost more to ship, the other cost more to pack, end results were within $1. Is that what you are asking? Edit to add: I wasn't in a hurry so it went "slowest", which was Ground. "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 a Talon that still has the ROL pouch on the legstrap, in addition to the BOC pouch that I use. Oddly enough, the ROL pouch is in fine shape, and I had to have the BOC pouch replaced last year. "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

1 - Yes and no. USPA licences are recognized to a great extent all over, but an A is a beginner license. Some places will limit what you can do, what gear you can jump, who you can jump with, ect under an A. Some places (even in the US) require a higher license to jump there. Hawaii is the one that comes to mind. They have some dangerous winds, and are right on the ocean so there are more risks. And a higher license is required at some of the DZs there (I'm not sure, I haven't personally been, this is just what I have read). Other places, even here in the US, will require a higher license to do certain things. Summerfest at Skydive Chicago is currently running, and they are requiring a B or better to jump out of the helicopter or balloon. The best thing is to figure out where you want to jump and to find out before you go. And advance your license when you can. I now wish I had gotten my B. I hadn't needed it to jump at home. 2 - To a large extent it is as safe as you make it. I know people that have been jumping for 15 or 20 years with no incidents at all. I know low timers that are basically a crater in search of coordinates. Shit can and will happen. Unfortunately you can be doing everything right and still get taken out. But if you read through the incidents, a lot of them were preventable, and some of them were predicted. Most of it is attitude. I am well aware of my mortality and choose to minimize the risks. Others seem to be convinced of their immortality and ridicule those who suggest their choices are not wise. I am willing to sit down today in order to be able to jump tomorrow. Others will jump in appalling conditions and wonder why the old-timers are sitting on lawn chairs with cameras. One thing to remember is that there is risk in everything. Riding in a car, going into a tall building, walking down the street. The difference is that we are used to those risks, and they have faded into the background. Again, I choose what risks I take, and understand that there are no guarantees. I have friends who are amused that I skydive, yet am uncomfortable walking my dog down a sidewalk that is directly alongside (no guardrail, no grass strip, no nothing) a very busy highway. I feel safer going out of a plane with a jump partner that I know than walking with my back to a bunch of idiots talking on their phone, texting, putting on makeup and/or eating while driving a 3000# missle at 50+ mph. Not too long ago I saw a simple front tire blowout turn into a very near head-on accident, and a 90-degree wall hit at about 35mph. The driver must not have been holding the wheel and when the tire blew, the car swerved hard left. It missed an oncoming car by about a car length and smashed almost full speed into the opposite wall. You have to decide if the risk is worth the reward. I agree with your assessment of the experience and will continue as long as I can. I have told my family that the risk is worth it to me, and they understand and respect my choice. "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 it possible? Sure. They drop fully crewed armored vehicles out of planes (Russian airborne troops). But is it practical? #1-Cost. You would need a custom harness on a modified tandem contianer. The Tandem rigs are good for about 400# of load, but that's with 2 people in 2 seperate harnesses. 200# for the TI and another 200# for the passenger is doable, but I don't think 100# for the passenger with a 300# TI would work. Neither of the individual harnesses is that strong. The custom rig with very large custom canopies would easily run $15,000. Probably more. And you would need to pay for it before you make your first jump. #2-Safety. Can you walk around with a backpack weighing 50-75#? Go up steps? Can you sit on the floor and stand up with it on? You would have to do those things to jump. Can you take a fall of several feet? Can you do it with a backpack that weighs 35# or so? (weight of container and packed reserve). I know I can jump off an 8-foot high wall, PLF the landing and walk away unharmed. At your weight, can you do that off a 3 or 4 foot drop, even without any extra on your back? #3-Liability. Can you find anyone who will take the risk to train you? You are so far from the norm that finding someone willing to train you, and then put you out is going to be a challenge. Even with an ironclad waiver, the obvious risks of someone of your size jumping would put many (if not most) DZs in a position they wouldn't be willing to go. At the very least, you would likely be required to get a physician to sign off on your health to jump. Not just tell you that it's ok, but to actually give you a signed statement that you are in good enough shape to jump. I hate to burst your bubble, but I don't think it will work. The practical aspects are going to get in your way. There are probably more than what I wrote, those are just the ones I came up with while walking my dog. I know that morbid obesity can have genuine medical causes (glandular and metabolism issues) and that losing that weight can be nearly impossible, but until you do, I think you are stuck on the ground. I wish I could tell you different, but I don't want to blow sunshine up your skirt, and build up false hope. I hope you prove me wrong. If you do, I'll be among the first to congratulate you and buy you a beer. Good Luck. "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

Green Bay Skydivers in Pulaski, medium sized one-182 club. Nice folks, I've jumped there a few times. I did the last 2 safety days there. Wolf River Skydivers in Shiocton (my home), very small one-182 club. Not open every weekend, or all weekend. Students by appointment, fun jumpers need to get in contact to see if anyone will be there (I'm the contact here on DZ.com). Skydive Adventures in Omro. For-profit business DZ. two-182s (I think). I've never jumped there, I have heard they are mostly focused on tandems, not so much on other students or fun jumpers. "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 I have a funny feeling that we are going to be seeing a lot of those?? Does anybody have a link to the one (video made on the same site) that goes "Are you the PD Guy? I want some free shit". As good or better than this one. And just for Billy: "I have 25 jumps and a Velocity 84. Can you teach me to swoop?" "No, you're going to die" "But it looks cool and I want to be cool" "Do you have an AAD?" "No" "Ok, then wait until 500 feet and pull. That will put you and your Velocity in the best approach for a swoop. I will be on the ground with a camera." Or something close to 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

Pah infant child !!! I was in my Matric (Senior) year when you guys launched Columbia for the first time. I still have Dire Straits on vinyl LP's 10th grade (sophomore) for Columbia, and I remember when "Brothers In Arms" was the first major album on CD. (I still have the vinyl) And the "Classic Rock" thing isn't anywhere near as bad as hearing songs from High School on the OLDIES STATION "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

Ask, ask, ask. The only stupid question is the one you don't ask. Offer to help out, but don't just jump in and do something without asking first. Some DZs are clubs and can use all the help they can get, others are businesses and have hired help to clean the bathrooms and dump the trash. Some places want you to help students pick up their gear and get back to the hangar, others want the instructors to do that so that they have the opportunity to discuss the jump. Some places want you to jump on the golf cart and go get the jumpers that landed at the far end of the landing area, others have a golf cart that is very tricky to start and they will be annoyed if you flood it out and kill the battery, leaving it stuck at the far end of the landing area. Hang out. Most of the time, every jumper is welcome around the bonfire (or sitting on the picinic table). I learned a lot of stuff just hanging out and listening. It was pointed out to me a long time ago (outside of skydiving) that I have 2 ears but only 1 mouth so I should spend at least twice as much time listening as talking. Most of the instructors are doing this because they love the sport and love teaching it and passing it on. Listen to them. Ask them who you should (and more importantly - shouldn't) be learning from. "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 else did he lose control of the aircraft? An engine out isn't supposed to equal a crash. He was at a speed where any loss of power would have resulted in loss of control. I'm not entirely sure he had a true "loss of directional control" from the engine out, or simply stalled the plane when he lost power. The nose was dropping toward the ground as the plane yawed to the right. In either case, the result was the plane going down. He had put himself in a spot where there was no margin for error or malfunction. That doesn't make him a "test" pilot. More of a "stunt" pilot. This manuver is a very popular one at airshows. The reliablilty of the turbine engines means the risk is low. The fact that there have only been 2 notable airshow crashes during this particular manuver in the last 20 years testify to that. I'm not sure that even that low of a risk is worth impressing spectators, not when the crash destroys a multi-million dollar plane. But I'm not in charge of those decisions. "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 wouldn't pack it personally. The reserve Freebag is part of the TSO'd system. Has the Dolphin bag been tested and approved in the Talon? I doubt it, in which case you would become a test pilot. Not a position I would willingly put myself in, but YMMV. RI still makes the bags. It will cost something, but having the correct bag in your reserve, which has to open when you need it to would be worth quite a bit to me. "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

B license is still 50 jumps, is it not? B is still 50. Oops Coach is B and 100 jumps. My bad, 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

I wouldn't. Many DZs are struggling to keep the doors open. With a very few exceptions, nobody is making much money in this business. The old adage of how to make a small fortune (or one million dollars) in aviation applies to skydiving too* Find a place you are comfortable with. The people, gear, planes, the overall atmosphere. Keep in mind that if you continue on in the sport, the cost of initial training will pale in comparison to the money you eventually spend (the standard answer to How much does it cost? is - ALL OF IT, and then some more). The one thing I would question is why you have to do 2 more tandems before AFF. Why won't they let you count even one of them? Usually the first tandem is to get over the "Holy crap! I just jumped out of a plane!" sensory overload. It's more of an experience than a lesson. There's also a couple bad habits, especially on landing that tandems will give you. But they may have reasons. As long as you approach it as a question and not a demand, most places will give you an answer (and if they don't then you may want to use that as a consideration to make that your "home DZ") *Answer in case you hadn't heard this before: start with a large fortune (or 2 million). "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 really isn't a whole lot of comparison. The classroom mainly covers normal and emergency procedures (no relation to airplanes at all) and the canopy flight. The AAD stuff is pretty basic (this is what it is, this is what it does) You will have a small advantage with the canopy flight part because you have a better understanding of the aerodynamics and how/why a wing does what it does, stalls and the landing flare. You have an understanding of the landing pattern and how the wind affects it. But it's a totally different experience. There's a T-shirt that compares riding in a plane and skydiving to riding in a boat and swimming. Sitting in the plane, behind that 1/8" (or whatever thickness it is) window is completely different from being out there under canopy. You are also a glider, so you can't add power if your approach is low. That was one of the hardest things for me to overcome. "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