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What are the Uproars about WTS/Mike Mullins Emails going around

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I Got this stuff in my email and maybe someone could explain it to me. Not really sure what happened but here are the emails.
************************************8
Hey, Farley, you just broadcast your anti Mike message through Mike's wesite
to Mikes subscribers. I personally disagree with pretty much everything you
said.

EVERY DZ you go to wants your money. The difference is with West Tenn, and
Mike in general, he wants you to be safe, and have fun. Get back to what
it's all about.

Tell me, if it's soooo damn important to you that a DZ be a group member,
how is it that Mike is a National Director?

I pick where I just by reputation and word of mouth, not by a website that
gets paid to list them.

Give me a choice between a huge Group Member DZ and Mike Mullins next door
on a grass strip, and Mike gets my money every time.

My 2 cents.

Rev Jim

----- Original Message -----
From: "michael farley"
To:
Sent: Tuesday, November 25, 2003 10:10 AM
Subject: Re: Thanksgiving Toss-A-Turkey Boogie


>
>
> HIGH TERRY!!!!!!!
>
> Look I am not the one who sent you an Email.
> My Buddy "FAST EDDIE" is the Tandum Instructor and who you should contact.
> Mikes system is screwed up or you would not have thought I sent you an
> Email.
> Not to worry Glad you are Interested in Jumping.
>
> "DONOT REPEAT THIS" WEST TENNESSEE IS NOT A "USPA" Sponscered Drop Zone to
> my knowledge.
> God Group of people but If you Go to "www.uspa.org" you can find a "DZ"
> where you have options
> on first jumps Like "STATIC LINE" which is cheapest form of training.
> NO "DZ" would sell a Tandum when you wanted to become a SKYDIVER as the
> Tandum just is a WASTE of your money. IT IS NOT REQUIRED BY USPA to learn.
>
> In a First jump coarse your first jump training payment will pay for your
> JUMP CLASS, 1st JUMP and your Instructor or Instructor's if you do an
"AAF"
> first jump which is a FULL skydive with your instructor in the air hanging
> on to you. As well you get a Membership to USPA and the Parachutist
magazine
> for a year. You are covered by an insurance policy for a year that
protect's
> NON jumpers and property.
> BUT FROM STATIC OR AFF jump training your gear is part of the payment to
> rent. All said and done the second jump has only GEAR RENTAL AND YOU JUMP
> AND INSTRUCTOR PAYMENT. NOW THEN
> you may not want to jump at West Memphis as they are only about money. I
> love the owner but he is about money and if you are just about ego then by
> all mean come jump with all the other EGO'S.
>
> Let me say I am a 22 yeare veteran jumper and I Have seen all types, but I
> also want too see people
> come into the sport and stay with it and bring thier friends into it. As
far
> As I care If I never Jump with EGO'S then the SKY IS SAFER without
> them................
>
> I Say all this BECAUSE NOBODY else will...... Just Watch your back when it
> comes to your money in this Sport cause it is not cheap to start but after
> you buy your own gear it is $16.00 to 14,000 feet and
> Mike Mullins has the FASTEST plane in the US. BUT KNOW THIS ALL HE WANTS
IS
> YOUR MONEY....
>
> If you want a better DZ the contact Eric Smith at "[email protected]"
> and let him know you want to take a GOOD first jump coarse where The DZ
> owner is more concerned about you and your first jump experience to help
you
> decide what you want from it and what directions to head into to keep it
> easy on your pocket and have you get the most from the type of training
you
> take from the DZ....
>
>
>
>
>
> Now EDDIE is one of the best in the country but he does this for a living
> and has lost touch with the FUN PARTS OF WHY HE STARTED INTO THE SPORT and
I
> say this because he is like a brother to me but he also is about money
which is not bad just a Disappointment to me for his direction in this sport but contact him FIRST about your jump "[email protected]".


JUST DO ME A FAVOR AND LOOK AT THE "www.uspa.org" website to see what is
required to learn this sport and become INFORMED about what you do and
donot
have to do to get too jump and have a lasting memory which you can smile
about for the rest of your life..

HEY TERRY BLUE SKIES and enjoy your First Jump whatever you decide to try first.

MICHAEL FARLEY
West Memphis, Arkansas
870-400-4900


***How come all the rich kids get to make all of the jumps?***

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-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Tuesday, November 25, 2003 11:23 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: RETRACTION BY MICHAEL FARLEY

BULLSHIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"michael farley"

tmail.com> cc:
Sent by: Subject: RETRACTION BY MICHAEL FARLEY
gair.com>


11/25/2003 11:21
AM
Please respond to
tnews











THIS is to CORRECT any MISUNDERSTANDING all you may have about my
COMMENTS.
I got an Email that was directed To MIKE but must have as well went to
all
the LIST.
I meant to make a POINT that alot of "DZ'S" today have by THEIR own mouth

stated
stated that a "MANDATORY" Tandem jump was required. This when I contacted

USPA
was disputed as a REQUIREMENT by the Organization.

When I speak to nonjumpers I always express joy in the sport. But this is
not every ones
View POINT. I have Lived in 17 states and jumped most and seen alot where I

would not
return TOO!!!!!!

I IN NO WAY MEANT TOO SAY ANY HARD WORDS OR MAKE ANY INSTRUCTOR LOOK BAD.
MY INTENTION WAS TO SUGGEST THAT IF THE PERSON WHO SENT ME THE EMAIL OR
ALL
OF US IN THIS GROUP, TO ASK FIRST IF NOT TOLD ALL THE OPTIONS and too
give
thought to
another direction if SHE HAD BEEN SOLD ON ONLY A TANDEM JUMP AS A FIRST
JUMP RATHER
THAN HAVING BEEN INFORMED THAT THERE ARE TWO WAYS SUCH AS STATIC AND AFF.

I am not a news group member at any site and when I send out Email to
people I select each
person from my list of friends both male a female for content as some jokes

are not for the LADIES.


MY APOLOGIES TO ANY OF YOU WHO JUMP WEST TENNESSEE DROP ZONE AS IT WAS
NEVER
THE INTENTION ON MY PART TO DISCREDIT MIKE MULLINS OR ANY INSTRUCTOR who
teach's
at the "DZ".


EXCUSE MY COMENTS AS WE ARE ALL ALLOWED TO REFLECT THE YEARS IN THIS
SPORT
AND THE DIRECTIONS DROPZONES HAVE GONE AND THE MANY CHANGES WHICH HAVE
ACCURED
FROM THE OLD DAYS..


TRUELY HUMBLED

MICHAEL FARLEY


***How come all the rich kids get to make all of the jumps?***

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Yeah, we all got it. I called the guy, since he was nice enough to publish is phone number and after about 10 minutes of me listening about him living in 17 different states (what does that matter) and how he USED to jump, I explained that I am an instructor at WTS and did not appreciate his comments and in the 6 years that I have been jumping there I have NEVER seen him there and what is he talking about. He hung up on me.

Nice retraction huh.:P
Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

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Now that I understand what is going on, here is how I feel about it.********
Mikes Airplane is awesome, started jumping at WTS in 93 and he is the only pilot I have ever felt truly comfortable flying with, I love the fact that he does not run a USPA Group Member DZ, I hate the fact that he quit the $99 boogies and $10 boogies, WTS lost its appeal after that, it made driving one way 41/2 hours not worth it anymore and yes Fast Eddie is probably money hungry as hell, been that way for years but whats wrong with that?
As far as not realizing you just sent your personal scathing opinions to EVERYONE on the net, now that truly is PRICELESS!!!


***How come all the rich kids get to make all of the jumps?***

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What I think happened is that somehow this guy hit reply to all instead of reply and then sent his email to everbody on the Mullins mailing list about how bad WTS sucked and everybody there sucked. Then when he found out what he did he sent out the second email which made him seem even more ridiculous....


***How come all the rich kids get to make all of the jumps?***

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OK, here is the full story on the email fiasco:

At the West Tennessee Skydiving web site, http://www.skydivekingair.com, there is a newsletter that you may subscribe to by inserting your email address. We use this list to send out information about special events to the subscribers. Only emails from the administrator, me, are supposed to go to the subscribers. Replies to the messages from me are only supposed to go back to me, not to any other subscribers.

However, for whatever reason that these things happen, the server that maintains my list defaulted to a setting that allows replies to my messages to be sent to everyone on the list. Of course, I did not know that this had happened and was only able to be aware of it after the fact.

Mr. Michael Farley, a subscriber to my list (along with everyone else on the list) received a reply to my original message that should have only been received by me. This message was from a potential Tandem student to reschedule a Tandem. Mr. Farley chose to reply to this inquiry by trashing me and West Tennessee Skydiving (see text in the original posting on this thread). Of course, his message went to everyone on the list ( some 400 addresses).

Mr. Farley has been jumping for 22 years and in that time has managed to log 195 jumps. He came to our DZ on 10-26-03 to make a jump. His last jump was made some 11 years previously, also at our DZ. On that jump 11 years ago, he was removed from the DZ by ambulance due to serious injuries he suffered while landing his canopy.

After a layoff of 11 years, Mr. Farley was upset that we would require him to receive recurrent training and be accompanied by one of our AFF Instructors on a "recurrent jump". Mr. Farley felt that he should be allowed to just go up and jump, even after his 11 year layoff. We explained to Mr. Farley that our first priority was his safety, that he would have to receive the recurrent ground school, and that he would have to be accompanied by an AFF Instructor. He was not pleased.

Dane Justice, one of our very experienced AFF Instructors, gave Mr. Farley over 2 hours or recurrent ground school at absolutely no charge. Mark Gerlach, another AFF Instructor, accompanied Mr. Farley on the jump for the cost of his slot, $16.00.

Mr. Farley had no equipment so was supplied a Javelin student rig with Cypres. He was charged $25.00 for the gear rental (included the pack job by a staff rigger), $16.00 for the jump from 14,000', and $16.00 for the AFF Instructor slot for a total of $57.00. He was charged nothing for the 2 hours of recurrent training and was charged nothing for the AFF Instructor (other than the instructors slot).

We felt that we did our best to get this skydiver back in the air safely and at a most reasonable price. Dane and Mark donated their valuable time to help him. Dane and Mark are also the instructors that would be hurt by Mr. Farley's efforts to send our potential students elsewhere.

For our efforts we were rewarded with his email to everyone on our newslist trashing our DZ and complaining that "all I wanted was money".

Mr. Farley, in his email to the list, also complained that we are not a "USPA" Sponscered Drop Zone" (sic). This complaint hardly seems logical in light of his complaint about "money" as if we were a "USPA" Sponscered Drop Zone (sic) he would have needed to pay an additional $40 for USPA membership as he has not been a member in several years. In requiring him to take the recurrent training and jump, we were not only fulfilling our goal and obligation to maintain the highest level of safety, we were also following all USPA safety guidelines.

In another message from Mr. Farley, he stated:
"When I came to the HALLOWEEN boogie I had FUN watching and when I was "ALLOWED" by you to jump. In all my years a few jumps I have never been required at any DZ where I was not known to make any jump with an instructor because I was not CURRENT. I was not made but IF not for the extra cost I would have made a second or third jump weather permitting and spent my money on MY JUMPS rather than paying to have some one watch me in freefall to see if I still know what to do".

I will let you draw your own conclusions about Mr. Farley from the above statement. Also, he paid exactly $16 for all the training and "someone to watch me in freefall". This $16.00 payment, according to Mr. Farley, was the "extra cost" that prevented him from making a "second or third jump".

This situation reminds me of the adage that "No good deed goes unpunished". I have always tried to give every skydiver the help they needed to get in the air and to keep the costs as reasonable as possible. Our instructors, Dane and Mark, donated their time. After dealing with Mr. Farley, I sometimes wonder why I remain in this business.

Mike Mullins

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I aggre with you Mike. For Safety and protection of yourself... and every other Jumper..Mr Farley a Word of Wisdom here...If you havent Jumped in 11 years its wise to get some recurrency training dude...Every Sport costs money. Check it out beforehand...decide how much you like to jump and do the right thing...its always been worth it to me...;)
The glass is half full or half empty doesn't matter. Let go and have the Lord guide your path. He will take care of it all.

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After dealing with Mr. Farley, I sometimes wonder why I remain in this business.


I've been involved in several businesses over the years, and I can assure you that flakes will occasionally appear regardless of where you decide to hang your shingle.

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I hope you have banned this idiot from your DZ.....

I find you treated him extremely well and at a very low cost. I was in a similar situation coming back to the sport last January after 11 years away (with over 200 jumps prior). I was required to do the AFF ground course and an AFF1. Then another AFF with 1 instructor going thrrough all maneuvers and 1 hop and pop jump (stage 9). I was charged normal AFF rates. After that I just needed to do a couple of RW refresher jumps and was re-licensed.

It cost me quite some money, but I found that fair and had no problems with it.

So offering 2 hours one on one training for free plus a standard price jump only adding lift cost for the instructor is extremely generous IMO.
---------------------------------------------------------
When people look like ants - pull. When ants look like people - pray.

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Some people just have no brain. I would not have wanted to be in the air with someone who had not jumped in 11 years and did not WANT recurrency training. That is a long time to forget a lot of stuff.

Mike, I think you went "above and beyond". You could have justfiably charged much more and no-one would have had a problem with it except for Mr. Farley. Thanks for looking out for the safety of everyone at your DZ.

I just received my A lisence and was wondering are you open this winter? Cuz I would love to come jump at your DZ. You seem like good peeps;).


Take that Mr. Farley:S.

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Having spent all the years of my life around a dz (don't ask!!:P) I can honestly say this comes as no surprise.

I've heard everything from...

"How dare you not let me take my wife for a tandem on my second jump!!!"

to

"I beat the cypress, you can't ground me!!"

and

"I didn't think..."


Our sport attracts all sorts unfortunately, the good and the bad....

Working over the years as a manifestor, a flaker (packing helper) a dubber (comps) and playing about as a jumper has shown me the entire spectra...

Don't even get me started on the letter that arrived at the dz:
-It arrived 20+ years after the guy from the UK had jumped with us
-asking about the canopy size in his logbook not being filled out's relevance to his ability to jump/experience the jump.
-asking if we would have this on record and if we could explain why it wasn't filled out and the significance of this
-stating how he may have "experienced" the second jump before the first as he was hypnotised by someone who didn't quite know what they were doing 25 years ago....
:o:S:o:$:D:$:o:S:o


Did I mention it was adressed to
"parachuting school about 25 km out of sydney somewhere near wilton?"

The posties would have had a ball with that one....you'll get why if any of you know how big sydney is...


Yes....all sorts....:D
xj

"I wouldn't recommend picking a fight with the earth...but then I wouldn't recommend picking a fight with a car either, and that's having tried both."

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I solemnly award mr farley the 'ungrateful wanker of the year ward'



Exactly what are the requirements for the "Grateful Wanker of the Year" Award, cuz I might be in the running for that.
Shit happens. And it usually happens because of physics.

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Mike you rock! Three cheers for Mike! This idiot is... well, an idiot. Please, don't doubt yourself on why you stay in this business. You fly my favorite stinkin airplane, and you fly it so well. I feel privlaged every time I get to board it. Yeehaw!

14,ooo feet. Exit! Exit! Exit!

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It's hard to believe that this dickhead is apologizing for any reason other than the fact that he thought he could trash Mike Mullins behind his back and not get caught, Anyone who knows Mullins knows that Farley's statements are about as far from the truth as one can get. I have watched Mullins do the right thing for skydivers, usually at his own expense, more times than I can count in the fifteen years that I've known him.. I've seen more than a few Farleys in thirty years in this sport, they are generally a pain in the ass on the ground and dangerous in the air. Although everyone holds out hope that they will get their head out of their ass, it's usually like trying to teach a pig to sing. Wastes your time and annoys the pig.

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OK, here is the full story on the email fiasco:
Mr. Farley, in his email to the list, also complained that we are not a "USPA" Sponscered Drop Zone" (sic). This complaint hardly seems logical in light of his complaint about "money" as if we were a "USPA" Sponscered Drop Zone (sic) he would have needed to pay an additional $40 for USPA membership as he has not been a member in several years. In requiring him to take the recurrent training and jump, we were not only fulfilling our goal and obligation to maintain the highest level of safety, we were also following all USPA safety guidelines.



Man that was toooooo funny!!!!!

But Mike how do you sell USPA memberships so cheap???
It's $49 for renewal & expired members???
Are you taking trips to the Cayman Islands with that $9 kickback?
.
Make It Happen
Parachute History
DiveMaker

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