wolfriverjoe

I don't know of any way that would address the "experienced" jumpers who are in way over their head. The rules over in Europe grandfathered jumpers with their (then) current canopies, no matter how inappropriate. But stopping the up-and-coming jumpers from becoming those very same "experienced jumpers in over their head" would address the problem in time. Kind of reversing your oil spill example, capping the well would be analagous (sp?) to enacting a BSR (based on numbers, skill or both). There is still oil washing up on the beaches, but no more being put into the water. It will take time to have an effect, but at least the situation won't get worse. And I agree that mandatory canopy training would be a very good thing. One of the advantages to S/L (which is what I did) is that the student has a minimum of 5 canopy flights before the first H&P. You don't even get to think about freefall until you have at least a few landings (and patterns and all 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

Well, there's a great example in the USPA SIM, it's called the Integrated Student Program. This is the recommended AFF program, Cat A through H. I agree with the "Good Fast and Cheap, pick 2" philosophy. Fast is overrated IMO. Given what we are doing, getting it right, no matter what else is the most important thing. Give yourself a cushion to repeat some of the jumps, that will put less pressure on you to get it perfect the first time. As is said over and over (and over and over): It's a journey, not a destination. Set goals, but don't be so focused on them that you forget to enjoy what happens on the way 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

I get confused at times, admittedly ... LOL ... but I started in 2000 ... and I've not seen any license jump # requirement changes in that time. Your profile stuff says you've been in the sport 10 years, same as me ... I'm curious as to what it is that you hear has changed? It changed in Sept 03. A went from 20 to 25, B from 50 to 100, C from 100 to 200, D from 200 to 500. It was done to bring USPA licenses to the same standards as FAI. THIS THREAD is the only thing I could find in a quick search, but it highlights the changes. Edit to add: Another Thread that has a bit more info. "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

Very true. But people rarely confuse life insurance with anything else. There's a lot of confusion about the differences between health and disability insuance "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

As long as it is spelled out clearly (a very relative term) in the contract, then yes it's legal. Most insurance has a list of "exclusions". For example my car insurance won't cover any accident not on a road. So if I take my truck out on a frozen lake to go ice fishing and drop it into the lake, my insurance won't cover it. It's clearly stated in the policy. This is the first time I've heard of health insurance excluding dangerous activities. Usually they don't care how you got hurt, they just pay the doctor bills. But I'm not an insurance expert. I have heard of disability insurance excluding those kinds of things. That's the policy that pays money to cover non-medical bills while you are off work due to injury. AFLAC is one of the better known ones, and I understand they recently included skydiving injuries in their coverage. To the OP: Are you sure it's the medical insurance that excludes skydiving, not the disablility? "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

Hate to tell you, but it's a repost. They are arguing over in SC as to which poster is the person and which is the goat "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

Dave - I realize you may not be able to confirm/deny, but had you heard about this (below)? I ran across it just now, attempting to confirm the blog that Dan posted. From the Houston Chronicle: If you think about it, they may do this here in the US and not break any laws in the process. Real estate is dirt cheap. Military style weapons (semi-auto anyway) are legal. Cars aren't all that expensive. And the cartels have a lot of money. Buy a remote ranch. Set up a shooting range. Include a couple buildings for entry/clearing drills. Set up a driving course. What I've just described would also fit Gunsite, Thunder Ranch and a host of other schools that offer shooting and tactical training. Or any number of "milita" groups. And except for the fact that the Los Zetas probably wouldn't be legally in the country, setting up a "school: like that here in the US is perfectly legal, subject to local zoning and weapons ordinances. Scary thought. "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

Because it's doubtful that you have the skills to handle it in anything other than optimal conditions. Brian Germain made up a downsizing chart that suggests minimum canopy size based on jump numbers. If you don't recognize the name, he is a recognized expert at canopy flight and training. Depending on how much your gear weighs (I'm assuming that the 180# you mentioned was not exit weight, which includes all the gear you have on going out the door), you shouldn't be under a 150 until 400 jumps. Edit to add (because I hit the "post" button by mistake) - THIS THREAD answers your question, including specific examples of people under canopies too small for them getting into situations they couldn't handle. "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

SDC Summerfest. I won't be there until Monday afternoon. You still going to be there Rafflers? Or are you just there for the weekend? "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

Hard to do that when the ambulance report lists the accident location. It's also considered fraud. "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

So, you're saying the US didn't support Osama bin Laden and provide him with weapons and training during the Soviet incursions in to Afghanistan? Really? Really. Although he was co-leader of one of the main militia froups, the majority of the US aid didn't go to his group. I'm sure some US material ended up in his hands, because the groups often traded with each other (or stole from each other, it was a very loose alliance) Not all the groups were supported by the US (some were even supported by Iran). The majority of the US aid went to Ahmed Shah Masoud (the Lion of the Panjeer) who eventually became the leader of the Northern Alliance and was assasinated by Al Queda in northern Afghanistan on Sept 10, 2001. "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

so you think we should become more isolationist? Not offer training to our allies? I'm thinking that it's not historically worked out for us to give military training and weapons to groups in countries with a history of instability. It didn't work out too well in Afghanistan, Iran and a host of other countries including Mexico. Well, we've been helping the current Mexican govt in their fight against the drug gangs. I think it's one of the reasons that they haven't completely taken over already. The US assisted the Columbian govt in the fight against the cocaine cartels in the 90s (their defeat opened the door for the Mexican gangs to become more powerful though) The groups in Afghanistan that the US supported, while they couldn't govern effectively, did not turn into the Taliban, they became the "Northern Alliance" that was fighting against the Taliban (and defeated the Taliban in '02 with a lot of help from the US). "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 sure Prof Kallend would be able to give a better answer, but here goes anyway. With the STOL kits, including slats, huge flaps, stall fences, and all that stuff; the stall speed drops to about 35mph +/- (maybe even lower). You can gain 5-10 mph almost instantly with the power-to-weight ratios those guys run. So in a 25mph wind, the takeoff run could be almost nothing. But I don't know that trying to takeoff in that kind of wind would be a good idea (gusts and burbles could really ruin your day). "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

Very impressive.

H/C? Harness/Container. A holdover from the very old days when they were separate items "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 to consider the size of the reserve too. The one in the ad you list is a 143. That'd put you under a reserve loaded ~1.4. Not where I would want to be, and I have a few more jumps than you 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

Search the phrase "Rigger as escrow". As others have said, find an independent rigger both parties agree on. Seller sends gear to rigger for inspection. If it passes inspection, buyer sends money to seller. Seller then tells rigger to release the gear. Make sure you agree who pays shipping to and from rigger in event of sale or failed inspection. A lot of riggers/gear shops will do the escrow part for free, but the inspection usually has a fee (somewhere around a repack fee). "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

Yeah and the lyrics are really easy to learn 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

Can't you push start 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

You had to know this was coming. Ban All Cats "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 great. I try not to be one, but - If someone flames me, they damned well better spell it correctly. "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 "warning" post is always an "in reply to" post. Click on the "in reply to" and you will see the post that generated the warning. If you don't understand, PM the mod that warned you. I've always gotten responses from them when I have questions. Edit to add: I've never been warned, so they may or may not answer those PMs It isn't the mod as much as it is the other poster (the one who baited you). Certain folks on here have learned (mostly through being banned) exactly where the lines are. They are very good at pushing right up to the line and baiting the unwary into making posts that get them warned or banned. Certain posters actually take pride in getting others in trouble. I'm not sure why that sort of trolling doesn't generate warnings and punishment, but there's a lot of slack in SC and I'm neither in charge nor aware of all the rules and standards (particularly the unwritten ones) that they enforce. "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 why it got locked. I jump at a really small DZ and I won't leave anything of value either out in the open or behind when I leave. I trust the guys I jump with, but there are others that I don't know that are there. Students and their guests mostly. Did you write down the serial number of the camera? If so, is there anyone who can watch the suspect and maybe see if he has your camera? "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 problem is that the costs to develop and implement a new SOP for these situations pales in comparison to the costs of an injury. The company I drive for spent a significant amount of money teaching all the drivers a "new" way of safe driving (really just a rework of defensive driving in a slightly different package). The result was a pretty dramatic drop in accidents. The estimate I was given was (if the accident rate was presumed to have dropped soley because of the training) that it paid for itself over 50 to 1. ($50 accident payout for each $1 of training costs) Personally, I've driven a motorcycle for over 20 years with only one minor accident (didn't even drop the bike). So why then do I wear a helmet (and other protective gear) every time I ride? Because the potential downside of not wearing it far outweighs the time energy and inconvenience (and cost in dollars too) of wearing 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

Perfect point, and this is what I advocate. Your parents were like mine, and used their experiance and understanding to guide me (even if i thought i knew betteR). In skydiving, I think that is the role of the DZ/Community/etc. And just like I think it would be a little crazy for you to have to stand in line at the DMV to get approval to drive to your friends party across town one night, I think it would be just as silly to have to get approval from a governing body to go from a wingloading of 1.3 to 1.6. or go from to an elliptical from a square. Let me make that decision on my own and with the help of the dz community, just the way we did when we were driving and figuring out with our folks how much slack to let out on the leash. I am not aware of any requirement to "have to stand in line at the DMV to get approval to drive to your friends party across town one night" under the graduated licenses. You simply can't have that many teens in a car driven by a teen or drive after a certain time of day until the graduated status is lifted. The problem occurs when parents who think little Johnny is just fine in a Corvette at 17 because he is so far above average, then he gets into a race on the street at 11 at night and T-bones a Jeep while doing 140, killing both occupants of the Jeep (this is a real accident I read about. I did a quick search and couldn't find it). Then the parents bitch that their wonderful son gets 2 years in prison for vehicular manslaughter. Has the DZ /community/ect done a good enough job in keeping younger jumpers in check? Or do we need to add a few restrictions on canopies and cameras to the lower licensed jumpers? I don't 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