wolfriverjoe

So I ask again: What is being taken away from you? How does allowing gays to marry "undermine" marriage for the rest of 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

You, wolfriverjoe, are free to give up your Rights as you wish. I would hope that you respect ,honor, and support my Right to carry a firearm whereever I damn well please. Blues, Cliff Umm... No. Not only no, but fuck no. Part of being a member of society is abiding by it's rules. I don't agree with all of them, but I abide by them (for the most part, with some minor exceptions) It's your choice whether or not to follow them, but don't ask me to respect or support your choice to break those rules any more than I would support the choice of someone to break any other rule. By your choice to carry anywhere you please, you are demonstrating a lack of judgement that tells me you shouldn't be carrying a gun at all IMO. "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 the Declaration of Independence that talks about "Inalienable rights guaranteed by our Creator". Among them are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.. I don't see how denying a group of people the right to be togther legally is in any way "taking rights away from the many". How exactly does allowing same sex marriage deny anyone any rights? (except the right to oppress those they disagree with) And how does allowing gays to marry "undermine the institution of marriage"? I thought Cher, Liz Taylor, Larry King, Dennis Rodman and Brittney Spears (among many, many others) undermined it perfectly 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

I love the fact that the CIA webpage has a "Kids" section. "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

Oh bullshit! You may wish it to be that way, and you may believe the constitution to be written that way, but it simply doesn't play that way. You are not allowed to carry a firearm at school. You are not allowed to carry a firearm at court. there are many places it is simply not allowed. We just draw the line in different places in different countries. Not allowed to isn't the same as can't. He can carry anywhere he wants to as long as he is willing to accept the consequences (or is in denial that he will get caught). However, as a law-abiding gun-owner I choose to respect the rules society has set as to where I may and where I may not be armed "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 gotta think that if you can fix it onsite with duct tape, then it would qualify as "Not a major repair" It's just the fabric skin that's torn up, the frame looks undamaged (lucky for him - that bear could have destroyed the frame without too much trouble). "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

However, to adolescents, it is exciting and tempting. Once experimentation becomes habit the individual believes they were born that way. Really? I thought that many of them are ashamed and try to hide it because they were taught it was "BAD". And get the shit kicked out of them on a regular basis for being "fags". And when the stress of living a lie, and trying to be something they aren't gets too high, they kill themselves to end the misery. "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. Think long term. As an RN you will be able to afford a lot more jumps that otherwise. Yes, it sucks but it would suck a lot more to lose out on your opportunity to have a great career and still be able to jump. Or just quit your job, move into a tent on the DZ, learn to pack and learn to eat a lot of Ramen noodles. "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

NOOOO!!!! Don't buy a cheapie. The frustration will far outweigh the cost savings. Getting a decent sewing machine will be one of the best investments you can make in this sport. And a decent one won't have to be expensive either. I was in the local St Vincent DePaul store a couple months ago and they had 6 or 8 that were all $25 each (including the table). I almost bought one just to get another table so I don't have to switch mine back and forth. Singer, Brother, Kenmore and others. Put another 50-75 into a good clean/tune up and you'll be set. And since you don't know how to sew, get some basic training. The best way is to find a little old lady who has been sewing all her life and will be willing to give you a couple lessons in exchange for lunch (and listening to all her stories about her grandkids). Yes, I am perfectly serious about the little old lady. It's what I did Edit to add: I should also mention that GoodWill and St Vinnies are great sources for super cheap fabric. You can buy sheets, or blankets or shirts or pants or whatever for next to nothing. Cut them up into what you need for fabric. "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, you aren't alone. The original was really stupid. I haven't (and won't) watch the new one. Of all the shows they could remake, it had to be this one. Why not BJ and the Bear??? "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

Call them and ask. Different DZs have different policies. You may be required to do a coached jump, or a H&P with an instructor watching you from the plane. Or you may just be allowed to do a solo. Or you may be refused unless you have gone through their training program. "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

Please forgive my ignorance, but are we talking about wearout mech as in 'flux capacitor' or by what fate could a 40 repack reserve have in store for a jumper? I might suspect an unknowing pending issue from 40+ main repacks from a noob like myself...i.e. possibly falling in the habit of doing something wrong and not knowing what to look for, but reserves are packed by qualified riggers. I think that would be the point of inspection for any obvious issues. How thorugh would PD check these reserves and what swould be done? Where is my thought process off? Note: I'm a fairly junior Senior Rigger. If my understanding of this is off, I would welcome correction. The issue isn't real obvious or easy to see. It's a fabric issue. F1-11 fabric is "calendered". The threads that make up the cloth are pressed flat after weaving to reduce the spaces between the weave, reducing permeability (how easily air passes through). Manipulating the fabric during a repack disturbs the calendaring (flying it through the air does it more), making it less able to hold air. It's referred to as a "ragged out" canopy. It is a common occurence with F1-11 main canopies. That's one reason they only last in the "hundreds" of jumps. Zero-P can last thousands if properly cared for. There is no easy way for anyone without proper test facilities (like the manufacturer) to determine how much the fabric has been degraded. That's why the PD reserves have to go back after 40 repacks or 25 uses. Keep in mind that even under the old 120 day rule, 40 repacks is over 13 years if the reserve is kept constantly in date. And my understanding is that PD has re-certified "40 pack" reserves for further use (don't know for how many more, just heard that they have done so). "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 you need one? Although renting isn't cheap, it is a good alternative to getting ripped off. Or spending a boatload of money on a rig that doesn't suit you. Or getting something unsuitable and getting hurt. And why "ask around" at Perris when they have a pretty decent shop right there? Square One I would advise against getting anything without expert advice from someone you trust (not the seller). "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

What Billvon said, plus this: Reserves are made of F-1-11, not Zero-P. The jumps actually wear out the fabric a little. There's also the wear and tear caused by landing in some remote spot and having to trek back to the DZ through brush/woods/whatever. The lines can get snagged, or caught on the velcro from the toggles. The canopy fabric can get snagged on obstaces or even just dragged across the ground. An unjumped reserve would (theoretically) be in mint condition (other than packing wear). "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 over at a friend's house when her younger son returned from trick-or-treating. He came in, dumped out the bag, and offered his mom and me our choice of what we wanted (he did ask that we not take all of his favorites, but we could have one). She's done a pretty good job bringing them up IMHO. "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

Just as it was foolish of the US to do so during the Soviet/Afgan war. The Taliban didn't exist during the Soviet invasion/occupation. The main recipients of US support during the Soviet war were opposed to the Taliban. Ahmed Shah Masoud (Lion of the Panjeer) was killed by the Taliban/Al Queda on Sept 9 2001. Although he had to share the goodies with the other resistance groups (including those who eventually became or joined with the Taliban), no US aid went to them directly. And Iran supports (pulls the strings of) Hamas and Hezbollah (Hezb'Allah) in the Palistinian territories and Lebanon. IIRC they are Sunni of some sort, not Shia. Iran supports them because it is to their advantage to do so, not because they agree with them theologically. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that Iran supports the Taliban. There are also some pretty good arguments that the Taliban was created by and is still supported by certain elements within the Pakistani security /intellingence services (ISI). "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'll jump down to about freezing on the ground. It might be 10 or 15 below at altitude. Longies, a balaclava under my helmet, latex surgical gloves under my normal ones (I use mechanics gloves on most jumps). It really isn't all that bad, you're only in freefall for about a minute, and I don't feel the cold until after opening. The guy you really want to ask is SansSuit. He lives in Milwaukee and I think he usually jumps at East Troy (Skyknights). It gets a little cold during the winter here in Wisconsin, but it doesn't seem to stop him. He's a hell of a nice guy, but handles the cold better 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

None of the above. I've met more than one or two of the professional "beauty contest" types. Without exception (at least in my experience) they are shallow, narcissistic and very one-dimensional. They sure look nice, but it's what's on the inside that counts to me. Besides, none of them have that "pcychotic" smile that I like so 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

After working in the nuclear power industry for years I know first hand how many misconceptions there really are in the general public about nuclear power... ...Many people like to worry about nuclear waste but have never worked with, measured, or counted 'nuclear waste' and really have no idea what it really is. I have. If they did, they would be really surprised as to what the fuss is all about. Is it true that one of the reasons we have so much high-level waste material is because it isn't allowed to be reprccessed into fuel here in the US? This is an honest question. I have heard that the "Uranium Industry" got the reprocessing banned "way back when" to keep demand for their materials up, without worrying about what to do with the used fuel. I have no idea how true this is (or even if reprocessing is a viable way to reduce waste), but it sounds pretty typical of a government/utility monopoly operation. "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 what is wrong with the FXC12000??? "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 wondered what would happen if someone used one of the emergency exits when the plane was sitting on the ground for several hours (during one of the "delay from hell" situations) "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

Ummm.... Not really. Dacron stretches to absorb the shockload. Spectre doesn't stretch (nor does Vectran) and you will get the full shockload. "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 need to either be a rigger or under the direct supervision of a rigger to pack a main that someone else is going to jump. That's the rule. A lot of places let non-rated packers pack for the up-jumpers, student rigs and tandems with a rigger supervising them (how "direct" the supervision needs to be has been discussed to death). A lot of DZs will trade jump tickets for pack jobs on the student and tandem gear. "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 You landed safely. #2 You didn't endanger anyone else. Everything else is fairly trivial compared to 1 & 2. You said you would have cleared the trees, but not by much. What if the wind had picked up just a little? Unless I am absolutely sure I will clear an obstacle by a safe margin, I won't cross it. There aren't any go-arounds under canopy. Tree landings suck. Just like chopping a marginal canopy, as long as 1 & 2 above are accomplished, I won't second guess your decision. Each situation is a little different, but with the facts you gave I probably would have done the same thing. "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

We had "Warning - High Fall Risk" on the window in the door in a 182 for a while. I saw one on a utility trailer "Use extreme caution when opening door" that would work 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