diablopilot

I wouldn't touch that bet with a 10 foot pole. BetaMax anyone? How about LaserDisc? ---------------------------------------------- You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

Shoulda come out here and visited me! ---------------------------------------------- You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

Agreed.

Yeah, but I didn't die. ---------------------------------------------- You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

That's a nugget!

As a former instructor I can highly recommend the following: Stretch. Spend at least 10 minutes stretching prior to entering the tunnel. Hydrate. Cannot overstate this one. A little vitamin "I" (Ibuprofen) will help reduce inflammation. Repetition. Keep tunnel flying ant you'll develop a tolerance. Have fun! ---------------------------------------------- You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

NO! I think the staff at HQ is doing a pretty good job, I mean they DO have to deal with skydivers you know. ---------------------------------------------- You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

People rarely comment when something happens the way it should, so there is a disproportionally high level of negative comments. I have had pretty good results in my communications with the USPA, and on the rare occasion an e-mail has gone unanswered, a phone call or second e-mail has done the trick. ---------------------------------------------- You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

Sorry about that, not my intent to label anyone, more to make the point that communication can and does diffuse the hostility of someone with a dissenting opinion, and instead start a dialog the may or may not lead to understanding. Without justifying anyone's feelings on the matter, you can probably see that most people wouldn't willingly walk into a room where people were belittling them. And that's often what occurs on this forum. I'm guilty of it as well. In the written form dialogs often seem to carry even more negative emotion than in the verbal, and grandstanding seems to be more popular. When confronted with that, and feeling that nothing constructive can come from a public dialog, I can see where a person might choose to pass on involvement. I think otherwise however. Even if a dialog brings some negative attention, it usually does good. It expresses ideas, people begin to talk and think about the subject more than the emotion, they share ideas, and sometime there is even a resolution. Yes. But there can be help with that. Obviously I've commented on what the BOD members can do, but I extend that to everyone who's a part of the USPA. As an Instructor I realize I may not have been doing my part to foster involvement among members. I tell people the have to join when a student, but other than the tangible benefits, I could be doing a much better job of letting people know what the USPA can do for them, and how to get involved. How many people think of their S&TA just as the guy or girl not to screw up in front of? IMO they are the first method of face to face contact a person has with the USPA governance. ---------------------------------------------- You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

Wow. I'm crushed. ---------------------------------------------- You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

I think that as a premium member, you have a wider array of search functions. At least that's what I remember. ---------------------------------------------- You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

I could support a post limit for the "community" forums, but then I'm not that interested in them. As for the topical forums, I think it would be a mistake, as it could serve to stifle conversation, education, and sharing of concepts. Or the current moderation could be sufficient. The recent post in the Bonfire seems to have had a positive effect, and signal to noise in the topicals seems to be at an acceptable level to me. How does one qualify "signal to noise" in the Bonfire anyway? It's all "noise". ---------------------------------------------- You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

Darnit George, this is exactly where my research was headed, held up only by the fact I've misplaced my copy of SAE AS8015b to refer to. Thanks for the clarification, but I just wanted to be the first to say it. ---------------------------------------------- You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

The humor of this Poll aside, I had a great time at the BOD meeting. I learned lot, and gained some new insights as to what happens within the workings of the USPA. I went not only through a motivation arisen from recent political issues, but because of desire to see where my dues and votes for the last 9 years were going. I felt like if I was going to complain about "The USPA", I should at least get involved. And in doing so my passion with which I was willing to denounce the "evil BOD" began to wane. They are not all scaly green ogres. Really. Now I don't profess to have gone all gushy and fallen in love with the members of the BOD, but I will say I admire each of them in some way. The do a difficult job and I do believe that they are each doing what they think is right for their sport. I still disagree with some of the BOD members, their interests, and opinions. Some of them I REALLY disagree with. My advice to anyone, if you find your self truly annoyed at "The BOD" or any of its members, call them. Write to them. Then if they ignore you, bitch about them. But lumping them together as a group is a shame, as there are some very hard working and dedicated people on the Board. I found many of the BOD members, and the committees receptive to input from the gallery, and patient with questions. So I offer an apology and a challenge to the entire BOD. First I'll apologize for "dehumanizing" you when I would think of the BOD. Not fair, so I'll change. Second, I challenge the BOD members to be more pro-actively communicative with the members. There is most definitely an apathy among the USPA membership regarding involvement in the governance of the USPA, and a large portion of the blame for that lies with the individual members. I mean you can't force a horse to drink. You can, however, lead that horse to water.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/14/choking-game-deaths-on-the-rise/ ---------------------------------------------- You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

Imagine a tandem pair side on to the relative wind. The TI is arching, the student is not, and their legs and maybe arms are forward in a pike like position. This configuration will start an aerodynamically induced rotation. The centrifugal force of this rotation will cause the body positions to become more exaggerated allowing for more aerodynamic rotational forces to play. It's a vicious circle and it happens fast. Fortunately, if you're aware and relaxed it's a hard thing to get into and relatively easy to get out of, if you sense it it at the onset. ---------------------------------------------- You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

You're short? ---------------------------------------------- You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

Sorry to have to turn a beautiful lady down, but I played hooky from work last week at the BOD meeting and the pocketbook felt it. See you soon though! ---------------------------------------------- You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

I can't find reference to any soft link TSO'd under 23, 23B, 23c, or 23d on the FAA's list. Crud, I can't find my copy of ASE AS8015 either....left it on my old lappie.... ---------------------------------------------- You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

Are you resisting the "sheep-ification" of the masses? Careful, you'll be getting something "special" in your Corn Flakes! ---------------------------------------------- You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

Personally I don't think it is a problem at all. I'm glad moody stood up for what she thinks is right, I just don't happen to agree that it's a problem to take a gift card that the customer doesn't want. Ditto. ---------------------------------------------- You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

Want a cheap fuel efficient car? Get a mid 90's Saturn. I used to get 34mpg to 36mpg regularly with the manual 1.9L, and I hit as high as 41mpg on a 65mph cross country. Car only cost me $1000. ---------------------------------------------- You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

Here's an unfortunate line of thought. If you put up some sort of artificial barricade, and another drunk idiot hits it, and is injured, his lawyer could very possibly launch a suit against you for exacerbating the situation and his injury level. Sucks, huh? I like Amazon's idea of buying a mature tree, small claims might get it done for you, and the cost to file will be pretty low (less than $200). Be sure to go after him AND his insurance company. (Name both in the suit) ---------------------------------------------- You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

8. An RSL/SkyHook debate. ---------------------------------------------- You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

It's beautiful where I am! ---------------------------------------------- You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.