chuckakers

'97 was the early days? Geez I'm old. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20091028-715225.html The government's "Cash for Clunkers" program may have only added 125,000 vehicle sales, according to Edmunds.com, which said the rest of the units sold would have happened regardless of the program. In total, the car-shopping Web site said about 690,000 vehicles were sold during the program. Edmunds.com said that based on the actual sales gained from the program, the Cash for Clunkers program cost taxpayers $24,000 per vehicle sold. "Our research indicates that without the Cash for Clunkers program, many customers would not have traded in an old vehicle when making a new purchase," said Edmunds.com senior analyst David Tompkins. "That may give some credence to the environmental claims, but unfortunately the economic claims have been rendered quite weak." Edmunds.com Chief Executive Jeremy Anwyl noted that while sales are up in October from September, growth would have been even better without the program. He said that suggests the auto industry's recovery is gaining momentum. Sales surged in late July and most of August as the program was in effect, giving certain new-car buyers up to $4,500 in rebates if they traded in a gas-guzzler. But U.S. auto sales slid in September absent clunker-related deals. Other countries still have so-called scrappage programs in effect. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Oh, that's Super Dave. When I saw the title of your thread I thought you were talking about me. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

You think Lieberman's a Democrat? That's a good one. He is a Democrat. He's just not a leftist. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

If that were the case, I'd let you slide, but it wasn't, so I won't. I read her letter. I get that she finally figured it out. My comment was meant to stress that it shouldn't have taken a potentially fatal incident to teach that lesson. Her rig warned her repeatedly of the danger. Any rig taken into a freefly environment must be absolutely bullet proof when it comes to staying together. It was one of the first things we learned about freeflying when it began, mostly by watching some really scary videos. My guess is she knew the importance of that each and every time it happened....and each and every time she got back on the plane with that rig - until she got spanked. So no, my eloquent friend, I was not pig-piling or speaking to hear my own voice. Those horrible slings and arrows may just drive the point home to the next skydiver - when your rig speaks, you would do yourself favor to listen. Nice writing, though. Poetic. Are you a Thespian by chance? Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Aim for the peas. If ya come up short, yer liver might still make it. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Using a rig that repeatedly blows a riser cover on a freefly jump will do that to ya. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

The plot of "Cutaway" centers around skydiving too. Have you a better recommendation? Are you like this at home? If all you can do is give a recommendation that applies equally to Cutaway you aren't doing your friend a favor. In case you didn't notice, I said I haven't read the book. You may also notice I didn't give a recommendation. The point of my post was simply to let others know the book is out there. Now stop being a pain in the ass and find something constructive to do....if that's even possible for you. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

The plot of "Cutaway" centers around skydiving too. Have you a better recommendation? Are you like this at home? Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

A great friend and retired jumper, Rachel Brady, had her book signing in Houston this evening for her novel "Final Approach". The plot centers around skydiving. I haven't read it, but knowing Rachel, it's good. You can get it on Amazon.com. Show some love. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Looks like fun Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Not to take this a different direction, but if his AAD went off at 650 ft (who knows if that's accurate) either he had a monster p/c hesitation or one hell of a slow opening to actually check his descent so low that he broke both ankles. I'd love to hear the details on this one. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

The USPA Group Member pledge is - for most DZ's - complete bullshit. For most DZ's, USPA is just a monthly magazine to get listed in and a silly certificate to put on the wall that makes some people believe the DZ is safe. USPA shouldn't even have a group member program. It's pretty clear that the program hasn't done anything to improve the sport. We still die in poorly maintained planes sometimes flown by idiots, we still see blatant BSR and FAR violations, and all the same old blah, blah, blah. Safety has nothing to do with mandates or pledges. Safety starts with you and me. If we keep getting on shit airplanes, DZ's will keep flying them. Same with every other safety issue in the sport. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

$6.6 million might just bury Skyride. If so, Larry may never see a dime. Good news, bad news, I suppose. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

"I Could Have Stayed Home That Day" by Truman Sparks I could have stayed home that day But I boarded the plane anyway It wasn’t that I didn’t care But man I needed high-speed air I didn’t want to seem a tool So I wore tie-dye cuz its really cool I knew he’d jumped that rig before The openings always make him sore The seatbelt wouldn’t work too well So I left it off and said oh hell I flipped off the whuffos as we taxied by and farted once as we reached the sky I should have missed the clouds that day But I was looking for a hole to play The FAA is like a ground-bound wife Always jacking up your jumping life The guilt is something I must bare But in the end I dont really care If you see a dock that others take That puts their “A” team rep at stake Be sure to tell them “yo dude, hey” So they'll take the right slot another day When you turn and burn and track away At least you’re now outside the fray Once on the ground be sure to say Safety poems sure are gay Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

"....and always watch the horizon." Truman Sparks Head Jumpin' Bean Pecos Parachute School

I respectfully disagree. The "lever" factor is in related to what position your body is relative to the force of opening. While it might seem that in a belly to Earth configuration, the top-mounted weight would act as lever on your neck, in reality, that is not your body position when most of the force of an opening canopy is exerted. Usually, the most extreme force is exerted not on initial deployment of the canopy, but after the canopy has been extracted, your body has been stood up (feet to Earth), and the canopy suddenly inflates. In this case, any weight that is not centered over your spine (including side-mounted cameras) will act as a lever. Unlike side-, or front-mounted cameras, cameras on top of your head are more centered over your spine and exert their inertia force in-line with your spine (compression), rather than as a lever force. Anecdotally, this year, I went from a top-mounted video camera and front-mounted SLR to a configuration where both cameras are mounted on top of my head. The cameras and the canopy are the same models I have been jumping for a couple of years, yet I have noticed much less stress on my neck using this configuration, and hope to never go back to a camera that is not centered over my spine. ... I understand your point - in fact I was "getting vertical" for opening shock back when many vidiots pitched and held onto their necks instead. However, any forces that are applied in a perpendicular direction to your neck - and there are many, including whatever amount a typical vidiot will have while being "sat up" - will create the extra forces I spoke of. While you may get your cameras overhead during deployment in most cases, that may not be the case with other vidiots. Also if you film your openings, the stress is pulling your neck backwards, which has the same but opposite effect. During those perpendicular forces, lower mounted weight helps reduce the lever effect, which can be significant when you consider g-forces too. BTW, I completely agree on the front vs top mount of the still camera. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

There is a difference bewteen top and side mounts when it comes to long-haul neck health. Top mounts - even though cameras are lighter than ever - increase the forces on the neck because of the longer lever between the weight (the cameras and additional helmet structure) and the pivot point (the base of the neck). Many top mount helmets also have a much larger signature to the wind which comes into play as well. Anything that creates a perpendicular force on the neck - prop blast, transitions, openings, HARD openings, etc. creates additional wear on the neck. As a vidiot with boatloads of camera jumps dating back to the days of the chest-mounted beta recorder, I have damage to my neck that makes differences in camera set-ups painfully obvious. In fact, I can tell quite a bit of difference at the end of the day since making a switch from a PC100 on a Bonehead to a CX100 on a Rawa. Both side-mounts, but the difference in weight and lower profile of the Rawa definitely made a difference. All other things being equal, having weight lower is better, at least from the perspective discucssed above. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Thanks. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

While we're on the subject, I do remember the FBI suspected at first that the contaminated fuel may have been intentional, most likely from the drug runners Cowboy (suspected) and Andrew Thornton (confirmed via duffle of coke found on his dead body) had skimmed from. A short time later, the FBI said the contaminated fuel was not from sabotage. I always wondered how they came to that conclusion. Did they find the source of the contamination? Did they ever find more clues as to whether Andrew was with someone the night he bounced? Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Actually Cowboy wasn't flying. He was on the load to jump. Tragic and unnecessary loss. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

There ya go. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Rickster Powell, the godfather of swooping clipped a tree and did himself in good a few years back. At the time, he had more than 3000 jumps on the model and size canopy he was jumping. And that has to do with what? Rickster did a lot of stupid shit. He was the crash test dummy of his time. I'm not sure how wrapping a ring finger and pinky around that toggle is going to effect his swooping, but not doing so has proven to have a negative effect for several other jumpers. I'm 2000 jumps ahead of the guy, and I've been gripping my toggles securely the whole time. You and me both, since my first ride on an Excalibur. If it makes you feel any better, I never seen him open-handed like that until he's well into the swoop and starting to work the back half. Not sayin' that makes it wise, but swooping itself is a bit of a population clearing discipline anyway. Everyone is going to do whatever they want, I know that. I just want make sure that the people who view the photo can see what I can see, and in turn make informed decisions about how they conduct their own skydives. Agreed. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

If you are doing something "static" like shotting RW form overhead, use a light jumper. We did a POPS night record at Skydive USA using a helmet mounted headlight and a dry cell battery in a chest strap harness. Worked good enough for the judges and some (sort of dark) still shots. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

That would be fine, but would only work if implemented at the local level. And if it is handled at the local level, you don't need USPA to get it done. I owned a DZ for a few years, and we set up our own protocol with local emergency responders. By and large, the cops and EMS folks want to do the right thing. They just don't often know what that is. We met with all the appropriate people, equipment in hand, to walk them through all kinds of scenarios and what to do in each one. We discussed what was and was not important from an aviation accident investigation perspective. By the time we were done, they had a good basic understanding of what to look for, what not to touch, and even when it was and WASN"T ok to damage equipment for the sake of the patient. I even remember once hearing an EMS tech tell a newbie "don't cut that legstrap" when working with a minor leg break. He saved the jumper a bit of money that day. We also shared the protocol with the local DPS (troopers), city and county police agencies, etc. Worked like a charm. Fortunately we never needed "an investigation". Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX