chuckakers

Thanks - I look forward to hearing your thoughts, as well as the thoughts of the other candidates! The fact that you replied has you near the front of the pack already. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Don't know who you are. Don't really care. If you want to start a thread called "if you were in charge... what would you do?", maybe I'll reply along with everyone else who cares to. That's not the point of this thread. D.B. Cooper you ain't.

Hmmmm.... you pose great questions....Could I politely ask... if you were up election, what would you answer... which would be your top three issues? What do you intend to do about them? And finallly, can you defend your meaningless post?...... .............................. .............................. Pointless and antagonistic. What's that about?

As far as I know I was the only candidate there (oops, sorry, Chris Q was there, too), and yeah, that's part of the reason I haven't answered the question... the other reason is that it's an expansive question (unlike most of the others that have been asked which have addressed more specific issues), and not an easy one to quickly answer, so instead, I've chosen to not answer at all yet. That's my reason ... can't speak for the rest of the folks. Actually, I wrote the questions in the way I did specifically to solicit insightful answers from candidates rather than to get answers to a specific question. I would really like to hear where the candidates stand on the issues they feel are most important to the sport and the organization. Only by understanding what's important to the candidates and why can I decide if a candidate is for me. It's called a platform, and I'd like to know more about the platforms of the people who want to lead my (horribly mis-managed) organization. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

July 29th I posted this on the USPA elections forum http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=3282073;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed; Not a single candidate has replied after a full week. And they want us to take them seriously. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Stakeout Give that man a cookie! Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Emilio Estevez: "Boating accident? This no boating accident." Richard Dryfus: "Uh, I don't know." Great line - if you get it. Anyone know the movie? Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Excellent post, Kevin. Have fun, be safe, track hard, and keep your eyes open all the way to the packing area. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Huh? Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Huh? "Big freaky dyke?" Hee hee!! Good one John!! Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Wearing loose fitting shorts makes things a bit easier to situate. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

You have a lot to learn. The last thing we need is more government intervention. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Uh...instruction? Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Do you know the cost of the 4 year inspection? And by your description, it sounds like - in theory - an Argus could reach its' demise on any inspection, not just at the 12+ year mark??? Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

My bad, but this still leaves a question. Whether referring to the Vigil or the Argus, I'm wondering what criteria would cause either of these units to "life out" or no longer be serviable. There's nothing on either website explaining how a determination will be made when the time comes. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

I'm a little confused. I'm looking at new AAD's and getting conflicting reports on inspections. I was planning on getting a Vigil because I like the idea of no mandated inspections and no specific life limit. Then a local rigger told me the Argus also has no inspection requirement. Looking at the Argus website, it says in the FAQ section that there is a 4 year inspection requirement. I used the website "contact" form to ask what the inspection entails, what it costs, and where it can be conducted (authorized service center where?). The website also says the Argus has an expected life of "more than 12 years". I asked them how a determination is made as to when it is no longer servicable. That was over 2 weeks ago and I still haven't received a response. Help, please. What's the real deal? Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

OK, damn! I'll start... How bout starting an educational campaign aimed at TI's on the woes of RSL's. How bout lobbying the manufacturers to mandate or recommend skyhooks. How bout getting USPA and/or PIA in on the movement. Your welcome. Bud Lite will be fine - Damn! Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Damn! Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Non-compete clauses are the norm in my business (radio). Whether or not this DZO's non-compete is enforcable is a question for a lawyer in your state. Here's what I can tell you about the laws in Texas. Criteria for enforcement: 1. The non-compete agreement must be part of an otherwise enforcable agreement. This is to say, that if you were simply an employee or contracted worker with no specific employment agreement (contract), a non-compete will likely NOT be enforcable. However, if you signed a contract that stipulated certain things (length of agreement, services to be rendered, etc.) then the non-compete agreement MAY be enforcable. 2. The non-compete agreement must specify a reasonable geographic area for enforcement. This is subjective, of course, depending on the job. As an example, in radio it's not unusual to see a 200 or 300 miles radius on non-competes. That's because many radio stations have a reach of 100+ miles, so the courts could find that a 200 or 300 miles area of protection is reasonable. On the other hand, if you work in a field where you would not be in direct competition just 50 miles away (shoe salesman, auto mechanic), the courts would likely not enforce a 200 mile restriction. These are a couple things I know from having dealt with an ex-employer that threatened me with a suit. I have no idea what other subtle things could be involved. A lawyer in your state can give you a quick rundown of the laws there. You may also want to check with your state's employment commission. They deal with this stuff everyday. Side note - I doubt very seriously that a DZO would actually take legal action against an ex-employee for a non-compete, unless the employee knew certain trade secrets or was privy to strategic plans of the business. Who would to spend untold dollars to chase after a skydiving instructor? Unless the DZO is operating out of ego or anger, I can't imagine they would spend the money just to make you move a little further away to perform your trade. But then again, I've seen DZO's do a lot of silly shit. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Let's not forget the low man (or girly ) has the right-of-way. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Might I suggest you get together with someone...anyone that has some knowledge on this issue. You might learn a thing er two. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

This seems like a very reasonable thing to do. Well, John is a reasonable guy. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

All of them. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Got a 24. Based on the questions presented, that's probably pretty good compared to the average American. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Maybe it would help if this was posted on the front page of USPA, written in every Parachutist mag, posted at every drop zone, talked about on Safety day, and posted where lift tickets are purchased. I think it would also help if DZO were required to have landing paterns posted for each landing zone and fines were given to skydivers that do not follow them. Be careful what you ask for. You might just get it. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX