chuckakers

I'm not wearing blinders. I've been jumping for a long time, and I've seen more than one of USPA's ideas in action. That's one reason why I think this is a bad idea. I too have donated a lot of time to the drop zone. I too want to see more (safe, qualified) skydivers and big (safe, properly flown) planes. However, this is not USPA's place. Under this program, USPA will spend members money to assist private businesses advance their for-profit activities. The fact that you will (maybe) have a few more people to jump with is a byproduct. The (doubtful) success of the program will benefit commercial entities the most ($$$) while being funded primarily with individuals membership dues, and that's not right. Many USPA members have been and are concerned that USPA has become an organization representing DZs more than individual jumpers, which is not what the organization was founded for. This program seems to be an example of that. Take off your blinders and look at the makeup of the board. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Thanks for stating the obvious, but you didn't catch my point. I don't think it's USPA place to spend membership money on a program that is clearly aimed at assisting DZs (the vast majority of which are profit ventures) in their marketing efforts. Unless something has changed, USPA's charter doesn't call for such activities on the members nickel. Using your logic, USPA can spend whatever they want doing whatever they want, as long as it might put new faces on the DZ - at your expense. I'm not worried about the dollars, though. It's the stepping over the intended line of authority and responsibility that bothers me. What's next? Oh, I know - an increase in dues. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

I thought this thread was about USPA. I must be wrong, because USPA's role is to support skydivers, not for-profit businesses. This must be a thread about the DZOA, the Drop Zone Operators Association. Yeah, I'm pretty sure the DZOA does that. Couldn't be the USPA. That would be spending membership money to advance private businesses, and that would be wrong. For sure it must be the DZOA you refer to, right? Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

I am. What if it had broken after he got through 1 or 2 risers? And yes, things will get wild when cutting one riser at a time, but if it's necessary to do, then why would you not do it anyway? Based on talking with him, various other stories and my personal experiments with pre-planned breakaways including ones side and one riser breakaway I'm going to suggest that cutting 4 risers one at a time is FAR more difficult than people think. I would probably land what I got, or take my chance with two out. It's not a cut and dry situation so who's to say if I'm right?

Now that's funny! Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Maybe you could explain this with a bit more detail. I don't get why it would be "fortunate" that the knife broke if the situation really warranted cutting the reserve off. And yes, things will get wild when cutting one riser at a time, but if it's necessary to do, then why would you not do it anyway? disclaimer: I assume you are talking about someone with a bad reserve out while the main is still in the container and usable. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

How 'bout "Prince Clash", cuz his orange color clashes pretty bad with pink gravel. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

QuoteQuote The “TC” explanation is to help new skydivers find DZs that are encouraging and have student programs. Quote Ed - I don't get it. First of all, what the hell does "DZs that are encouraging" mean in your reply? Are you saying that there are DZs out there that don't want people to continue jumping after #1? Even if said DZ is "tandem only", I would bet the DZO would still like to see them and their money again. Second, there are only a very small percentage of drop zones that don't offer training programs. Seems to me it would make a lot more sense to just indicate drop zones that don't have training programs, rather than putting a bunch of "TC's" next to the ones that do. So right off the bat, either USPA is doing everything ass backwards - as usual - or there was another motive for that decision. Next, who the hell thought this up? Do you honestly believe that sending a tandem passenger (the VAST majority of all first jumps) an e-mail "challenging" them to continue will have any significant effect on our tandem-to-progression-student ratio or up-jumper population? Do you really believe that giving a pin (or badge, or whatever) to students who make their first solo skydive will tempt tandem passengers to continue beyond their "t-shirt and tandem"? Once again, USPA has missed the mark. We once had a program that recognized young jumpers for their accomplishments. It was the Falcon and Eagle awards program. I guess it didn't work, because you guys canned it as too expensive (even though the recipient threw down 20 bucks for a number and a patch). Now you want to do basically the same thing at a slightly different point in their jumping history. You cite some numbers in your reply. You said 476 "first-timers" clicked on your e-newsletter and 96 accepted the "solo challenge". What you did not say is how many of those "first-timers" were "t-shirt" tandems vs actual progression style first jumpers (AFF, IAD/static line, AFP, etc.). Of the 96 that accepted the challenge, how many were already a few jumps into a progression program by the time they got the e-mail, and would likely "take the challenge" no matter who made it or what the medium was to present it? Ed, the point of my reply is not to discuss the "strong arm tactics" some are accusing the organization of, or the legalities of DZs providing data to you. The point of this post is to question the logic of the program itself. The issue of turning first-timers into long-timers has eluded you guys since the T-10 days and you still don't get it. Retention happens at the DZ. You can send all the challenges, toy badges, and e-whatevers you want and it won't make a substantive difference in our roster. You want more long-term skydivers? Make inviting first-timers to the weekly party mandatory. Or have you not noticed that the first-timer that stays for the party is the same one that we see the following weekend? Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

The guys youtube profile shows he's from Great Britain. Go figure. Maybe that's the guy they call "spotted dick". No helmets though so definitely not filmed in the UK. I assume the helmet thing you refer to is a regulation there, but if so I doubt the guy cares. After all, he's takin' shots from a guy with 80 jumps, Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

The guys youtube profile shows he's from Great Britain. Go figure. Maybe that's the guy they call "spotted dick". Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

When you are broke, homeless, and have no other means of support beyond skydiving you are called staff. The guy that is broke, homeless, has no other means of support beyond skydiving and is stressed out as hell is called DZO. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Take one glass, fill it with rum, drink, repeat. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

And what a mess it made! I report traffic on a major FM station here and it was an absoulute mess. It really caught everyone off guard, as it started as rain/sleet/snow overnight. People had no idea how bad the ice was on the roads and hit the streets running like they do every morning. SURPRISE! We had probably 50 accidents within an hour on just the east side!! It's now 8:30am and most of the east side is still in lockdown. But hey, it keeps me in a job! Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

How about the carabinier for climbers? I've seen a lot of climbers use them for keyrings and a few with little tiny ones on a neck chain. I don't think there is any other "symbol" for climbers. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

The website (www.newsuncoastskydiving.com) looks legit (and doesn't look like the skyride sites). Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Don't bet on it. Pretty sure that's been discussed before - the last time the SCR thing was about to crumble. There isn't any money to be made in the program, so the masterminds at the head shed could care less about it. Maybe you (naively) thought the egos at HQ really care about the skydiving side of skydiving. Having worked at USPA HQ for almost three years up until a couple weeks ago, I can vouch for the fact that the "egos" there are non-existent and that the people working there are a great bunch of men and women (many of whom are current or former jumpers) who have the members' best interests in mind. Give them a break. They're working with less than half the staff USPA had in its heyday with nearly the same number of members to serve. Contrary to popular belief, they're not collecting enormous paychecks and don't really have some strange hatred for skydivers. Thanks for your comments. I'm not kicking the staff at HQ. As my reply indicated, I'm talking about the people running the place - the board. They have turned USPA into something it was never intended to be. They morphed a solid, simple student training program into a complicated one that produces skydivers no better than (and some would argue worse than) the old one did, cost the organization piles of cash with their idiotic skyride decisions, and lost the trust of skydivers with their back room leadership mentality. The one thing USPA should be doing is the one thing they aren't - marketing the sport! I'm glad you had a good experience there. However, if you failed to see the egos, your are either horribly unobservant or someone has slipped some of the koolaid into your morning coffee. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Get a different canopy. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

I question the instructor who said having the higher deploying jumper exit first was ok. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Don't bet on it. Pretty sure that's been discussed before - the last time the SCR thing was about to crumble. There isn't any money to be made in the program, so the masterminds at the head shed could care less about it. Maybe you (naively) thought the egos at HQ really care about the skydiving side of skydiving. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Looks to me like he's just getting a ticket. There's no law against taking pictures of anything in a public place, excluding certain government and military facilities. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Why wouldn't it be? Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Embolden away!! Can I gitcha a beer? Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Clearly, you are just trying to help. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Not trying to bust your bubble, but why would pressure from you carry any weight? I didn't say me, I said we. Surely this DZO has DZ.com customers and friends. I'd hate to think he was a total sociopath. I believe in the power of community and peer pressure, although some people seem immune. (they think they have no peers.) Ya might wanna hold off on the pitchforks and torches. We don't really know what happened behind the scenes on this thing. If it's that big of a deal, maybe "we" could just ask the DZO his side of the story. Or you could just go fry him. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Not trying to bust your bubble, but why would pressure from you carry any weight? Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX