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Chris, If you tell us you had good reason to do that, I believe you, and if you tell us it did not cause any danger to the jumpers pushed, I believe you. What I think people are bothered by is that it sends the message that it is "cool" to do that kind of thing, (which it usually is not.) Having music in the background of the video, and a title at the end saying "Don't mess with Chris" or whatever it said makes it something a bit more than just a video of someone getting "encouraged" to go when they are taking too long. Unfortunately we can't joke about some things because when seen or heard out of context, they may actually become unsafe if practice by others less knowledgable. Hope this helps.

I'm bumping this hopefully to get more opinions of the video/poster, now that Safety Day has come and gone, and more people have seen the video. USPA could stand to benefit by some comments. Some of the members' money wa used to create this package.

Perhaps I should have said dangerously affected by hypoxia. What I saw was someone lying on their back in the door acting incoherently, and being eventually pushed out the door. Perhaps not many people have seen this video, because if they did I think there would be a number of comments on it.

Wipe Tandem "carnival rides" off the face of the earth and replace them with student instruction. Oh, wait, I thought you said dreams.....

Yesterday a jumper I know showed us a video he got from someone while in a King Air (at Skydive Arizona at an event I was told) where there was an oxygen system "anomaly". It seemed to show a jumper very much affected by hypoxia. Does anyone have any more info about this? I searched for "oxygen" and did not find anything that seemed related.

Why? (This is a philosophical question, not a gear question. I'm in a way hijacking the thread because I am so often frustrated by comments like these.)

BUMP for updates. You can now selected your options and bookmark it to get the same output later. And there is now a page on the PCPRG web site called Weather, which has weather data, links, and this script.

OK, there you go......

The seond of two temps is kind like "free space" because the graphic image takes up that much vertical space anyway. Check out the "high level" option I added. Thnaks for the input.

The small print is one of the things that insures it fits on 1 piece of paper, but if I allow a DZ time zone option I can save some space not printing them all. Keep checking back, I'll be updating this until I get busy with other things.

I have that on my bag that houses my Stiletto. I learned it from Sam Johnson many years ago.

Adding the second one was my big tweek since the original, but of course I have considered it. My major goal is having it print on one sheet of paper, and allowing 3 makes it wide. Maybe I'll add some options to not show temperature or something.

Well of course it does, but I don't want to try to explain that to a skydiving student. A CFI to a flying student maybe.

I threw together this script to display the winds aloft forecast data from the NWS data service. The idea is to display the wind direction at the various altitudes graphically so one can get a feel for how the wind changes direction with altiude. (Perhaps helpful to your students in getting that item on their A license Proficiency card signed off, you know, the one where they plan with a pilot the exit and opening points, etc.) One of the main goals was to optimize the generated page to a size that can be printed in black and white on one sheet, so it can be hung up at the DZ. http://www.pcprg.com/cgi-bin/windsaloft.cgi This will probably be a permanent URL for it, with links to it from the main page to be determined later. Enjoy.

Gary: What seems simple to the average person knowledgable in computer/printer use, etc. may be a lengthy ordeal when done in the membership services environment of an organization. Chris: Hiring office personnel that are not knowledgeable in computer/printer use seems like a very bad idea. These are essential skill sets in an office environment. Gary: Maybe I wasn't clear about that. What I meant was that any of us sitting at our computers think nothing of loading up a document, etc. and printing it. No big deal. I was suggesting that it may not be that simple in their setting. And USPA's custom association software ain't like Microsoft Word! Maybe it should be simple, but it probably isn't. Printing a batch of membership cards each day makes sense. Perhaps they do that.

Maybe they do in cases like yours, where there has been a particularly long delay. (If I were them, that's what I would do, efficient or not.) I'm glad they did that for you. For the rest of you reading this, if there is ever a delay in receiving something from USPA HQ, contact them early and often. (800) 371-USPA The more time elapses, the worse the problem becomes, and the more memories fade.

OK, I'll take a shot at it: My guess is the personnel at USPA HQ is using a term that they have not defined to you. In a way that is their problem for not explaining it better, but if they voluntarily explain to everyone they have on the phone it could take up a lot of their time. My guess is that "process" means do absolutely everything, including gettting your letter/card printed and in the mail. I would further guess that the cards are printed as a batch. I doubt they go over to the very special printer that prints the cards and chuck up a card right after they get off the phone with a member. I bet in the past that HQ personnel has made the mistake of telling someone that they can "process" a renewal while you wait, only to have members mad that they don't get their letter/card for a week. What seems simple to the average person knowledgable in computer/printer use, etc. may be a lengthy ordeal when done in the membership services environment of an organization. Unfortunately it is sometimes better to think in the organizational mindset of "politically correct" and "follow the procedure", and then just shake your head and *sigh*, rather than get mad. I think about how some government agencies do things and it makes USPA seem quite friendly. Hope that helps.

what is burble hopping? You know, the burble behind your body in freefall, which would be right over your back? Flying up and over your buddy without funnelling you both is a challenge. Once you get good at that, then try to adjust your level precisely after the hop. Imagine 3 or 4 people doing a series of moves like that.

That is sooooo cute! I don't think I knew until now that article was about you. And to think you are such a skygoddess now! We'll see you there.

Safe? So skydiving is safe now? At all events people must use caution. No event is ever like jumping at the home DZ. But for anyone who cares to take the proper precautions and who has the proper attitude, any event can have an acceptable level of safety.

Emerson, Lake, and Palmer - Tarkus.

I guess that's something that TM's do, but Tandem Instructors are too busy teaching their Tandem students (first jump or otherwise) conservative canopy control in preparation for their solo jumps to consider hook turns. Coordinating arm motions between instructor and student during steering and flaring is challenging enough without adding the more critical timing of hook turn control.

Well, I was informed at the BOD meeting that this video was never intened to be an instructional video, but was to emphasize the points on the poster.

I know exactly what you mean. Sometimes even when there are no students that need anything and I have the free time, and even with money on account, I find it difficult to figure out what kind of skydive I want to do. The wingsuit idea some have given is a good one. Video if you don't yet do it is another. I find that when I leave last on a big-way and do a lot of diving that it gets interesting again, but there are fewer of those types of jumps now. What has been going through my mind as a solution is an action-packed skydive, with a lot of movement, perhaps some unexpected event that requires that I deal with using the skills I have developed over the years. (Kind of like some active AFF jumps I've been on!) Some of the ideas I have had involve tracking or forward movement along with other manuvers, like burble hopping and such. (Not just "tracking" dives.) However these would require a few friends that are skilled enough to do the manuvers I have thought of, and be willing to try them. I'm afraid that if they tried them and were not very successful that they would give up and just want to go back to regular RW.

Fly to Survive and Femur is Not a Verb DVD and poster I saw at the local DZ this weekend that the "Fly to Survive" DVD and "Femur is Not a Verb" poster set is now being sent to drop zones. (This is a project sponsored by a number of organizations to help improve canopy safety.) Have any of you seen it yet?