tmccann

I have no idea what that is supposed to mean, but I sincerely hope that you succeed in that last part. On a side note, considering an MBA an education is like considering a keg-stand contest a symposium on applied fluid dynamics. ...and to stay on topic, cats are mean. I wouldn't put any kind of violence above them. I get the impression that every time they look at me, they are judging whether they can eat me. T

Love the whuffo comment on the "watch"!

Really good point. I always make note of my diabetes on my forms, but this made me think that I might want to get a medic-alert bracelet. At first I was thinking of sewing one onto the strap of my alti, so it wouldn't be a snag hazard, but it could make more sense to wear it on something I don't take off after jumping. Any up-jumpers with advice in this regard?

Wow, one of her friends suggested that she google "Denver Airport Conspiracy"... She sounds like a very stable, sane person that the Mile-Hi folks should walk away from ...very ...slowly.

One the "handsome" engineering girls who thought she pissed Champaign and farted high end fragrances and who's rubinesque size should be something to be admired not ridiculed and looked down on once after hearing me pontificate on the values and virtues of "Long legged, flat bellied, perky boobies amazing assed hotties" got to pissed that I was causing her such cognitive dissonance and potentially pissing in her dating pool that she had an aneurism and blurted out in total frustration and flabergastation "You Shah are a pigdog!" She then went off to Wendy's and consumed like 10k calories. Last I knew of her she had packed on another 50lbs and is a diabetic at 33 and 175lbs of dorky engineer. "I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul." [edit: fixy clicky]

ftfy I haven't voted because I didn't see the "you're a dumbass" option. Tim

2 430's, including a Scuderia, for those keeping score at home. Wow, I gotta get into that 15%!

Well maybe they SHOULD have a TSO given their potential to kill jumpers. If it's all too hard just accept the carnage and what's coming down the road. In this thread about 60% of respondents say the problem is a lack of training. 30% say the canopies are the problem and the remainder are flamers. At least I've come up with an idea (however flawed that idea may be) to address the training problem. I expect those of you still in the sport to either suggest something different or refine my idea. If you can't do this well, you have truly lost control of your sport. Wow, you know how to ruin threads about canopies with your trolling, don't you? Hey Aggie Dave, This is a thread I started. If you think I'm trolling don't respond. I note you've responded several times however! Dude, You can't un-invent the atom bomb. Modern semi-elliptical and elliptical canopies exist in the sport, people enjoy flying them, and this is extremely likely to continue until someone invents something newer/better to replace them. If you were willing to accept the reality of their existence and high likelihood of their continued use, then you might be part of a constructive discussion, regardless of who started the thread. Rail against them if you will, but you might as well advocate for a constitutional monarchy in China for all the progress you'll make doing so. I don't think the problem in the training discussion is a lack of ideas. As a newbie in the sport, there are a bewildering number of ideas and opinions where it comes to training and safety in canopy piloting. Most of the ideas I've read seem to involve a lot of work in uniform curriculum design, training, and certification that would require an enormous amount of buy-in from DZOs, S&TAa, and instructors around the US. In addition, it will cost money to students entering the sport to meet more requirements. Personally, I think it would be worth it, but what really matters to get it done is the buy-in of the people who will have to make a large investment of time/money in developing/training/testing these ideas. Oddly enough, though, I haven't seen much discussion of the canopy piloting cards that the USPA is now requiring for the B license. The new requirement has the look and feel of a tentative trial of a requirement that could easily be expanded, but I imagine it will depend strongly on its reception from S&TAs, who have to sign off on these themselves, in the absence of a canopy coaching rating. I'm far too new to have an opinion, but what do you up-number jumpers think. What does everyone think of the new requirement? Close to the mark, way off? T

uh, I'm a newbie skydiver, but I've done my share of Judo, too, and I never learned a PLF in the dojo. I learned how to fall/roll without hurting myself from being thrown, too, but the PLF is different - you'll be coming in a lot hotter if the fit hits the shan here, still connected to a harness. The very few times I've been thrown back on my feet, with someone holding onto my shoulder, I wasn't going all that fast, so I don't think that experience is relevant to skydiving... T

...and police arrested a 49 yr old man fitting the description of the 30 yr old man witnesses claim to have seen?

Speaking from the perspective of complete inexperience with a desire to learn and be safe, all these different opinions out there from a lot of experienced skydivers get pretty confusing. For example, the SIM Section 5 recommends that A and B license holders stay to a 1.0 wingloading. It further states that any canopy 150 SF or under is considered High Performance, and falls under the D license guidelines. The in Section 6-10 it states that any canopy smaller than 150 SF is considered advanced equipment. So which is a 150 SF canopy? How does this "advanced equipment" translate, since it also says any canopy from 150-189 loaded over 0.9 is also "advanced", apparently including the Spectre 170 that I'm loading 1:1. Should I be using a 190 (with no problem with that 190 being, say, a Stiletto, which Bill just listed as the old-timey big killer)? Should I also be waiting until 500 jumps to downsize to a 150 at 1.13:1? There's a disconnect between what USPA is recommending and what instructors are telling people. For example, my Basic Skills (not Skillz) canopy coach was very comfortable with me flying this canopy (I realize there is no USPA designated canopy coaching rating). Personally, I'll take the recommendation of a skilled/respected coach who has some experience with my ability to fly and land my canopy over a book, but why is there such a significant disconnect? On a more positive note, I'm glad to see that there is a canopy requirement to the B license starting in 2012; looking over it, it will be interesting to see how S&TAs approach this. I'm looking forward to working through that Canopy Piloting Proficiency Card at the beginning of 2012. What do experienced folks think of that new requirement? Will it help at all? http://www.uspa.org/Portals/0/Downloads/Form_CPProficiencyCard.pdf

If you have a video camera (or a video recording option on your phone?), why not record one of your instructors as they take you through a check of your rig before you put it on, and then the gear check they give you while it's on? That way, it will be specific to the rigs you'll be using until you complete your A license requirements. edit: *disclaimer* I know nothing myself. Just a suggestion from another student. Definitely ask your instructor if that would be a good idea...

I'm guessing it's because the topic appeals more to manual drivers? These days, when getting a car with a stick-shift can actually cost more (my 6-speed is worth approximately a new rig more than the auto version), it tends to be about passion for driving. I have both, but I voted manual, since the car I love has a stick, and the other I have in auto because I found it impossible to find an AWD V50 in manual in Southern California! (but it gets me up to the mountain in snow, whereas my sports car will have trouble with a sprinkling of rain) Damn, this reminds me just how much it cost me to have my clutch replaced. Wow, I must really love driving a manual...

Stinky people? I resemble that remark... I'm not much farther along than our darling diving duck, and have a little acrophobia I don't imagine I'll ever get free of, but a few hop and pops for a canopy course helped with the door fear. Now I just hope I don't fall out prematurely, because I'll mess up the exit my group has planned a little earlier than usual... OP - nicely done! If the rain stays away, I hope to see you around this weekend!

Grill indoors, on your range: http://www.acehardwaresuperstore.com/966-cast-iron/11313.html Then flip it over and make flap-jacks. You're welcome. T

The rolling stop. It is, in fact, running a red light. I was hit at the 4-way stop by my house, but I was fine because I was young, quick, and lucky. The old guy hit in the same place a few months later wasn't as young, quick, or lucky, and ended up dead. One I've been noticing a lot lately is driving the wrong way up a one-way parking structure to save half a minute doing a lap of the small structure. It's the driving equivalent of landing in the wrong direction, and I'm just waiting for the day they go head-on into someone, and I hope it isn't me. On the turn signal thing, I was told a trick by an LA native when I moved here in the 90's - you put on your left blinker to change lanes, and start drifting right. Everyone clears out from your right side, and then *presto* you can easily change lanes to your right...

Congrats! Level 7 is a lot of fun - it was the first time I felt like I was skydiving, rather than falling. I thought I had seen a smiling duck coming in from the landing area - I guess I did!

Congrats, and keep up the good work. Love the aura of calm keeping the fear at bay, and the smiles in the video. See you around the DZ!

Laws vary from nation to nation and state to state, but a sense of responsibility shouldn't change. Isn't the point of a leash to allow you to control your dog? Obviously, your dog was out of your control, so you share the blame with her. That said, $224.69 doesn't seem like enough money to bother going to even small claims court, so she's probably bluffing. Offer to pay half, and that makes it $112, which is even less of a reason. If you're concerned about that being an acceptance of blame, write it out that it isn't - that you're giving her $112 in return for her not suing you for any of her dog's medical problems, without admitting fault - and make her sign it in return for a check. I don't know about Sweden, but in the US, that would be a valid contract; no need to waste money on lawyers for something so simple. BTW, what kind of dogs are they? T

"I'm scared of heights."

Awesome, thanks! I haven't advanced to all-grain yet, but I think I'm just about ready to try... I want to give this a try! Tim

Any chance of sharing the recipe with a fellow brewer?

Am I missing something, because this sounds like you're making out pretty well here - 15% bonus an taking a different job at the same company without a pay cut? Times is tough, so I'd take the job. Much easier to get a new job if you have one already, much harder to get chiseled on salary, it looks good that they'll pay to retain you, and, well, they'll pay to retain you... Off-shoring means they need some good folks here to go train 2-4x as many folks abroad who each get paid a pittance. Then, when customers complain that "Suzie" from Bangalore takes forever to help, doesn't solve the problem, and can't understand their accent, they'll send the trainers there a few more times, paying 2x overtime, etc, before eventually giving up and moving any critical function back to the US. Enjoy the ride, and don't stay abroad so long that you lose currency. T

Any advantage to using the Perris one? If you go with one of the Perris or Elsinore schools, they can have an instructor work with you during your tunnel session. I did my AFF at Elsinore, and my instructors recommended that if I wanted to do tunnel, to do it after the level 2 dive, with the possibility of moving on to level 4 after the tunnel (which saves some money). My experience is only reflective of my learning process, and yours will inevitably be different, but I got a lot out of the tunnel session - a more stable arch, better feel for forward/back control and turn control. Good luck, and I hope to see you out there as soon as you feel ready! Tim

I'm coming down to the last few dives of the program (assuming I don't mess anything up), and have had the chance to work with a good number of instructors and coaches so far. So, I'm right in the saddle of the thing, and here's what I've found for myself: Yes, and for me it isn't high pressure / low pressure, or reacting differently to a particular person. Some teaching methods just seem to put me a bit more at ease in the air. To elaborate, I have the kind of brain that likes to understand the mechanics of a situation - I like to understand how the gear works, think through all the different forces being applied to my body during freefall, plan through my intended body position/movement during the dirt-dive, etc. I don't think it's an anxiety thing, so much as getting the info lodged in my head right so I don't have to think about it in order to do it, so I do everything in a more relaxed manner in the air. So for me, it's been less about one instructor or another, but more about how each approached that particular dive. All my instructors have had all the different approaches in their bag of tricks, so it's been about their judgement call on what they thought would work best with me that day, on that dive (and to a small extent what the call time allowed). Some worked better than others, and they adjusted. For example, for my hop 'n' pop (dive #22), which I had been quite irrationally freaked out about, my coach threw me a curve-ball in the mock-up right before getting on the plane, and that did the trick to separate my brain from the situation, and let me just do what I was supposed to do without over-thinking. I hope that helps! Tim