ChrisD

Rick

thanks Chris and thank you and your crew for jumping with us. Hope to see you around. Maybe you guys can make it to Skydive City some time. I will let you know if we head up your way in the Mobile Muff Trailer.


blue skies Muff Muff

The world is a better place because of you!


(Considering they just banned me from this forum , for life I suspect , feel free to e-mail me at: [email protected] Anyone or anytime!!! )

Rick

Oh yeah just a little over a week away. Getting the new (to me) RV ready to go. Heading up Thursday morning.

Hope you all are ready for some Muff jumps and shenanigans.

The new Van, hardly a van is it:
The thing is beautiful!!!!

And thank yo for all that you do!!!!

C

PhreeZone

Weather is super cold but a few DZ's might be willing to get their Cessna out for a few people but thats about it. Nothing really that close to the city and the nearest tunnel is the one north of Boston.

Crosskeys really is the place to go, I'm surprised no has mentioned this??/

: http://crosskeysskydiving.com/jump_crosskeys.php

C

lawrocket

Mine is not fixed. Just tried and says, "Access to dropzone.com was denied."

I have this same issue. Been happening last couple of days.

I was having the same issue, but apparently with a little help it is now resolved, perhaps it's a temporary thing? anyone know for shure?

C

Skydive New England is purportedly having their SAFETY DAY

April 5 Sat 2014.

They usually have a presentation style with some very colorful and wonderful people presenting short talks and sometimes with handouts to explain some of the more complicated issues. Last year for example one person took the time to compare and contrast all of the features of the various AAD's on the market in a concise tabular format that was simple to use and view the differences to help explain some of the inconsistencies in the various manufacturers manuals. And they did this all at their own time and expense. Generally they start with stuff about skydivers, then move on to the dz, and finally a talk from a pilot about various topics that they mix up from year to year.

The food was great!!! Free, plentiful, tasty, and warm. All prepared with love from the many volunteers that participated and gave so freely of their time!!!

This safety day experience was simply the best one reported to me from my peeps, no other DZ came even close to the preparedness and thoroughness that these people have shown again and again!!!!

C
Now,... if they could do something about the weather?????

BigMark

What a ripoff, that picture was taken by ChrisD!

Go F... yourself, you think your funny?????

I don't

C

have a nice day.

(Hey here's a special note to the mod that removes this post, why don't you remove the original one by mark as well,????)

ianyapxw

Hi all

To me, skydiving was about the freefall plan and canopy flight was just safely getting your ass back to earth, but a friend of mine recently mentioned he enjoys the canopy flight. As someone new to this canopy flight thing, what do you enjoy about canopy flight?

Is it the roller-coaster feeling you get when you do sharp turns? I don't even dare to do a sharp turn on a 0.65 W/L. Or is it the ground rushing up only to slow down at the last moment?

Share your thoughts, I'm interested to know more about this unknown world!

I just like the view.


C

Stumpy

All politics aside, wireless has to be the way to go long term - installing infrastructure (digging up roads, putting in cabinets, etc etc etc) every time there is a lift in technology is a nightmare.

Although I had to laugh at the article saying how 20M down and 6M up was sooo slow. Try living in rural NZ

Up until a few weeks ago the best you could get in the whole area was 1.4M down and 600k up

For people like me, wireless is a civil and very public nightmare. The ramifications to our countries defense posture are "Severe." There are limited countermeasures and this is well known to those that plan for this type of thing. Be careful for what you wish for.
Just some other thoughts and opinions about our consumerist society and a lack of infrastructure foresight. Katrenia and a few other recent natural incidents have clearly illustrated how these very same politics have undermined our ability to respond to any mass incident.

C

DanG

Quote

I'm not intimate with how USPA produces the IRM...

So you really don't know, you're just guessing.

Quote

There are only two reasons to take a lot of time on what technology has made very simple:
-Ignorance of technology and ability to spend unnecessary funds
or
-A desire to continue doing things "the old way" because it maintains an illusion of a great deal of time expended (thus justifying a job).

Yeah, those are the only two possibilities. Or, it could be something else that doesn't fit your USPA Evil Empire worldview.

You never answered my question. Which of the two people who work on the IRM (and keep in mind that working on the IRM takes up maybe 10% of their time at most) is trying to protect their job by keeping it in paper format? You're such an expert on USPA, is it Jim or Elijia who's sandbagging?

Quote

Or perhaps you're right; I'm just full of shit.

Yeah, perhaps.

Your wonderful comments, are very similar in nature to DSE's comments, I think both of you are kind of doing what I do, On occasion, and that is, kind of to bait and provoke to promote a little discussion. It doesn't always work the way you intended it too.

I would suggest someone pick up the phone and give them a call. I know that laidlaw spent considerable time providing valuable input to the IRM, and rewriting it by others is a very "committee" type of thing, and we all know how committees move at a certain speed.

I do want to point out that not everything benefits by technology. I have asked multiple times in the past "why isn't the IRM available in an electronic format," and I really don't think anyone is trying to justify their job as compared with maximizing the benefits of having a paper copy, in your hand, at the time of many of the courses are being run. I was also informed that they have a concern about electronic duplication, and considering over 35% of current skydivers are computer savvy,...they want to hold onto their monetary investment that multiple people have already spent. This is of course another discussion considering the USPA posted a budget surplus for this past year. I don't know for sure either, so this is a question statement, but are they trying to maximixe the limited income these things produce, or is it more of controlling distribution? many times, well a really lot of times, again and again, I have heard this:

Quote

since you really do not have any of the experience you claim to have and post opinions like they are factual information that other inexperienced jumpers may take as fact I am removing your posting abilities to those forums to limit the harm you might do with your inexperienced postings.

Or something similar?????

I mean what's good for the
goose is good for the Gander right? I just wanted to throw out that line of reasoning for discussion,....I mean god forbid some newbie read something they shouldn't???? And the IRM is meant for instructors,...(only?) ???

Just my two cents for today.


AND neither one of you is full of anything, your both wonderful people so stop throwing stuff at each other, that's what I'm here for,....
C

Just my opinion but I don't think cutting on concrete is a great way to cut cloth anything. It can really dull the knife blade very quickly. Do you have a sewing shop nearby, there not very large, about 3 feet by 3 feet but they have some cutting boards with a slightly resilient surface that makes a nice surface. Any spare Masonite or plywood boards?


Also canopies get retired quite often, you might consider sending out some posts to various riggers, or here and offer to pay the post for some de-commissioned canopies to take them apart if that is something your interested in?? But be advised many people like to disable their old canopies so that they don't end up being used ever again,...like cut in half,...but I think you still could get some knowledge from them anyways??

Anyways good luck, and stay safe!!!
C

mjosparky probably, maybe, knows more about that than I. I suspect if my memory serves me, water landings were more popular back in the 60's. I can only speculate, money, publicity value, perhaps her knees were junk??? I think one of her instructors has already posted??? Perhaps he knows, or if it was for a medical reason, perhaps he's protecting her privacy?

Was cool though, wasn't it!

C

Amazon

***Your Koch bros have nothing to do with this thread. Please start your own.

Uh no.


Their family and their companies have a significant input on polluting our air land and water no matter where they have operated for nearly 100 years.

Ostrichism aside.. the conservatives who worship them really should get to know who their Lordly Oligarchs really are and figure out how many puppet strings are attached to all the groups they fund that tell conservatives how to think.

I think she's pointing out the FACT that we can do a good job of tracking the finances and money being spent to muddle the waters, so to speak, that those people spend each year to deny GWT and fund ex physicists (that have no credentials about current research,) and other popular media attempts to sway public opinion. What the Koch Brothers have done to PBS media is a crime, but PBS is quite happy because their coffers are full, as long as they stay away from "controversial" subjects.

On the other hand apparently the pundits of GWT have billions to spend????? I say prove it!

Now there is a problem????? Prove that Pro GWT science has the cash to promote their viewpoint????? We are speaking about the thousands of the most educated, and poor'st population on the planet, but somehow they have billions to spend???? Logic????


On the other hand it's very easy to see that 500 million, is a drop in the bucket to ensure the flow of oil and the rape'ing of the land both of the open pits and acid rain and 500 million doesn't come close to what they actually spend promoting their view of science. All hail The Emperor, and could you pass some more peacocks tongue's on the nice new Lead plates ????
C

The info is all there for those that take the time to look.

I want to point out absolutely no one, including me, asked this person to clarify or expand upon this point: Just my opinion, but if the PIA was lobbying, who what, when , and where? All I'm trying to point out with this, and I'll allow the possibility that I can be very wrong,...

is that the media here and other places may be contributing to miscommunication. Are we misinterpreting the opposing viewpoint because it is underrepresented and unheard???? Can we do anything about it??

MakeItHappen

***Once again the USPA BOD proves it is nothing more than a mouth piece doing several gear manufacturers bidding.

I don't know why, but during the past couple of meetings, PIA has approached USPA about several issues.
PIA sent representatives to pitch the age limit again.
USPA did not change their rules based mostly on an assessment by the USPA attorneys.

Another item that came up was the waiver. This motion passed the GM comm and made it to the FB.
The motion was eventually withdrawn, but I think that it will reappear at a later meeting.

This item was to add a clause to the GM pledge that required GM DZs to add mfgs as a class to the DZO's waiver.
Objections to this included
- the cost to the DZO associated with a waiver change
- that no other 3rd party was singled out in the GM pledge to require mention in the hold harmless/waiver agreement
- effective date of the requirement
- alternative methods could be used by PIA to request that mfgs as a class be added to each DZ waiver

PIA is asking USPA to do its legwork here.
I think that PIA should create its own DZ distribution list and ask the DZOs directly to add mfgs as a class to their waiver.
How difficult could that be? not very hard.
USPA also should not be burdened with the task of verifying that mfgs are listed as a class (or individually) in each waiver.

I'd like to know if there are DZOs out there that may object to this requirement too.
Keep your eyes out for this in the future - it might come up again.

BTW, I voted against the raising of the pull altitudes for C & D license holders.

The raised altitudes also effect the AFF eval dives and the decision altitude cited in the IRM and SIM, respectively.
These changes are going to be done by HQ - I don't know if the BOD will be able to vote on what HQ proposes before the manuals get reprinted this fall.

I don't know how many S&TAs are going to object to giving waivers out for pull altitudes because they assume some additional risk, when before there was none. People are pulling higher now anyway. There was no reason to raise the altitude.

Jay Stokes claims that this will 'force' the AAD mfgs to raise the AAD activation altitude.
It's not going to 'force' them to do anything. They will have more latitude to do so, but 'forcing' them to do so is BS.
If the AAD mfgs wanted to raise activation altitude (and they do want to do this), they are free to do so now and distribute another model, just like they did with the swooper model.

.

Some issues have in fact been discussed in the past. The repost, this post, is in response to a dare, (someone dared me to do it,) so don't take my head off will ya??? Nor am I directing my opinions at any one person, nor am I angry at skydiving, I'm just pointing something out about this media and some of the effects that as human beings we forget about sometimes.

The age limit was in the works for some time and more than a few saw it coming. Kudos to MakeItHappen for bringing a number of issues to the table years before the rest of us saw it coming/ and or after the fact. On the other hand many, many, concerned skydivers were and have been discussing the age limit long before the recent meeting as well. I think the opposing view, those that opposed the increase in the age limit, see some of the responses here and think that this was a majority view and the BOD ignored them. I also think that many people who held that the age limit should have been increased long ago, have kept their mouths silent for a number of reasons, many of which I don't fully understand. But the fact remains that in my talks with many other people the majority of individual skydivers wanted the age increase. It's just that everyone here didn't "see" that. Perhaps, IMO, a few very vocal and visible individuals here are perceived as some kind of majority, but in reality they are a minority. I don't know, but some of these issues clearly indicate, to me anyways, that there is a need for more discussion of some of the upcoming items that are on the agenda. And certainly more involvement and understanding of the other persons viewpoint. Many people, based upon the responses in the other postings here, about the age increase feel that they have been blindsided and or the BOD has operated behind closed doors. I don't see it this way. I see the BOD being engaged with many people that don't use Dropzone.com as their exclusive source of information. In other words there is more to communication than the internet. But many fail to grasp this point. This little psych effect is a kind of "displacement." Think of it this way, ten posts here is not the same as a BOD member getting 50 phone calls.

Also kudos to this person for being humble and dignified by their current conduct. They continue to show us their wisdom and knowledge and their commitment to skydiving!!
I want to thank this person once again for their commitment to discussing every issue to the fullest possible and in complete daylight.

And for the numerous times that they have taken the time to educate as compared with others pithy comebacks and personal attacks.

Just my two cents for today,...

C

Not sure if this has been posted before, but nothing ventured, nothi,...anyways:

mjosparky

***Mjosparky will know for certain what the releases are but I think they are 1-shot capewells. I think they just need to be squeezed and pulled forward but I don't have my old issue of Poynters handy to tell for sure. In any event, with that kind of round canopy and a chest mount reserve she probably wouldn't have been taught how to cutaway anyway. The airplane used is a Howard and from the background hills possibly at Elsinore. Who knows about the water landing??

I think they are 2 shots with the dust covers removed. See attachments. It is for sure a Howard but I don’t think it is Elsinore.

Sparky

Here are some pictures that are a little easier on the eyes:

Capewell

And here is from some internet site, Kind of fun????? Anyways I'm sure most have seen this already, but for those that haven't:

Flicker My thanks to the original Flicker up-loader!!!
C

You Pack Your Own Chute

Something I saw, didn't see it listed anywhere else,...I don't know, some might enjoy watching?

C

Thanks Amazon for pointing out how the "cure" to GWT affects big energy.

Regardless of how you define GWT, whether it exists or not, what are the things that actually would take place??? I mean take this from hypothetical rhetoric to actually doing something. This is the heart of this Dragon!

On the other hand are you going to enjoy playing with Nintendo by candlelight?
But the cost to the environment and to people is great, this is not a side issue, but it frequently gets pushed to the side for the same reasons that GWT does. Can yo say Coal??

How about this one:

Cigarettes took 50 years of science to find out, prove and get government to act because of the lobbying from the rich and famous. And ya know what ???? Science still can't prove that smoking causes cancer.

So the new cancer rates reflect the cost of living, chemicals in the air, particulates close to urban areas, automobiles, etc!!!! Modern life is actually killing us!!!! Try to prove that one. In a sense discussing GWT is pointless cause over 60 percent of us are going to have greatly reduced life spans due to Divorce and "shit" in the air. We are not going to be around long enough to enjoy the investments we have made in CopperTan and Hawaiian Tropic.

Anyone who loves the Koch Brothers as much as you do is a good egg in my book!!!

C

BigDreams32

So it's been over a year since i've last skydived and stopped at level 3 of my AFF after not getting through it and a year of life happening to me. I'll be jumping in the tunnel soon for a block of 10 minutes to train hard and be ready to take on AFF with full force! My question is, since i've gone over a year without skydiving, am I going to need to take a re-currency jump of any kind or do I just go right back into it from where I started?
Thanks

Hey Big Dreams, I just wanted to point this out about some DZ's if ever your up that way? Good luck with whatever you decide to do!
With Safety Day coming up many DZ's offer something for people that may wish to avail themselves of some, as Jed, Jethro and Elli mae might say: "Book Learning."

This is just a sample, I didn't check with the dz's in my back yard but up in New England, and at no cost for the fun jumpers, a FREE FJC sit thru course:

Chicagoland Chicagoland

CPI March 29, 2014 First Jump Day Refresher. CPI

Danielson Free Refresher FJC April 4, 2014. Danielson

(Many others, but you can do your own legwork, I have limited time this week, perhaps some can post the FLA dz's that offer this, or not?)

IMO this is a great opportunity that many dz's could provide if they were so inclined.

IMO what a great thing these two places do for their people, an example for everyone!!!

C

( I don't mean to slight any dz that does this that I didn't mention, perhaps someone can expand this list?)

And here is one from years past,....ARE THEY GOING TO OFFER THIS AGAIN???? :

SNE SNE

And of course you might check with Spaceland, they used to do free refresher training back around October in years past.

Thanks, for the opportunity to screw up, I was thinking it was all on me, but I guess this one was a joint issue. So thanks again for the opportunity to screw up, I mean thanks for the web site in the first place and all of your unsung and hard work!!

C

It's in "My Recent Videos" and I can't delete it and it doesn't work????

C

Just wanted to post this here, didn't see it anywhere else on DZ.com,...

Linda

C

Amazon

***Based on a couple different posts on Facebook (from board members, as well as from Blue Skies Mag) it looks like USPA has voted to raise the minimum age to skydive to 18 across the board.

Thoughts?

It seems that a board dominated by those who do not want to take the legal liability at THEIR dropzones.. so THEIR board spoke.. apparently with little or no debate.

Actually, this issue has been going on for a long time. I have heard this argument from a number of BOD's since the late 90's. But the actual debate, this time, I don't know how much time they spent on it, cause I wasn't there, perhaps as time permits some can comment on that. It is not really a individual DZ issue, IMO, and if you are taking the position that your supporting the minority view, it really is a minority view and considering the numbers of 16 year olds that actually jumped. Considering the risk to all jumpers, this really isn't a valid argument. So I take it that you supported the under 18 age crowd??? Once again this was about reaching a consensus to protect skydiving, NOT 16 year olds. I congratulate the USPA for taking a stand. Obviously we are going to have more than a few take up an opposing position, so I ask you this? Are you one of those 16, 17, year olds that feel as though your voice wasn't heard??? Cause ya know what, I haven't heard from any 16 year olds stating that the USPA ignored them over the years. In fact the USPA has bent over backwards for years to accommodate everyone! AT considerable risk! NOW when the clear majority wants to protect skydiving, you speak of domination???
This is the point. So perhaps next time you can enlighten us as to those "THEIR" you are referring to. Cause I certainly am not clear as to which DZ's and who you are referring too?
If your point is solely about what the Board discusses and the value of discussion, then I think that is a very valid and worthwhile observation. It can be very frightening and can easily lead to misinterpretation and misunderstandings thinking that way, that something took place without discussion. It is my understanding that not everything gets immediate public discussion. But it is also my opinion that this very issue had been discussed, and discussed again and again, for years,...
AND a large number of individual members have given their opinions to their respective USPA representatives. The USPA got it right this time, they clearly listened to the majority of concerned skydivers that want to protect skydiving from litigious individuals that want to make a fast buck in an uncertain world!
C

Considering the ramifications of our modern society it's about time. The idea that "we" need to be fair to everyone, at the legal expense and potential cost to skydiving as a whole is long overdue. This was pointed out to the USPA in 2007, with the Report!!! They didn't listen, the reasons were a muddled pile of various opinions about the various states and the legal age of majority, and we need to be fair to everyone. This led to the rise of S/L jumps and other means to circumvent common sense, so that a very small minority of 16 year olds could jump. It was never about bending to the whims of the manufacturers as compared with protecting the majority.

I'm sure if a group of 16 year olds and their liberal lawyer parents want to jump they can get together and form their own association. But this protection to skydiving as a whole is the right thing to do, although I suspect it is a step in the right direction, it is not a guarantee nor will it be an absolute cure. Who were we protecting anyways? A handful of kids and their delusional and distant parents?? The risks were never worth it in the first place!

Skydiving is not safe.

"...all parachuting equipment is prohibited from use by minors,..." Period.

Just my two cents, for the last 40 years,...

Kudos for the USPA's attempts to take a decisive action rather than the tabling of an issue because they don't want to reach a consensus, ibid posthumously to be fair to everyone

C

kallend

***The whole point of the AGW discussion has been about all of the nasty effects on humanity and ways to prevent those. Namely by reducing atmospheric carbon emissions.

.

Different people have different views.

I consider it a scientific puzzle. I haven't espoused any solutions, nor even claimed it was a PROBLEM for the planet.

We are changing the thermal balance of the planet - that is indisputable. Where it ends up is as yet unknown. Being unable to predict exactly where the heat is going does not meant that it's not going somewhere.

But to return to your constipation argument, it will eventually manifest itself in ways that humans may find unpleasant. I expect to be long gone by then.


Ya know this is just going round and round again and again!!!!!

I give you some concrete tangible thing to research and look up, and a lot of this is not going to be on the internet and Wikipedia and that is the subject of "trigger points."

Trigger points are the actual real life things that various governments and many organizations are actually doing as we speak. Yo can research this, you can take the time to see what actions are currently taking place. And this can be done irrespective of your opinions about GWT.

Boston, San Francisco and a few other American cities have recently enacted legislation, which was approved, regarding their local building codes. Things like moving the mechanical systems to the roof and a minimum distance above mean sea level. Alaska has started a Native relocation and protection program, our "Protectorates" have also started to fund relocation programs and have current documentable programs in place. This is fact, not debatable speculation. But what is taking place in the USA is just a small, very small sample of the steps that other countries are taking, and all of this is fairly easy to research!!! You guys really could learn something, right or wrong about the steps that are being taken NOW.

Just my two cents for today,....

C

JerryBaumchen

Hi ChrisD,

Once again, you have no idea of what you are talking about.

JerryBaumchen

Thanks for the PA,...

I was responding to this, the OP:

Quote

i don't know,,,discuss,,carve it up,,flame it , destroy it...Cool

Did you get out of the wrong side of the bed this morning???

THIS WAS MY POINT:

Quote

I wish more people would just take a greater interest in some of this stuff, hold it in your hand, do you know what to look for, is the chrome plating flaking, does it look cheep? Stuff like that, ask someone else, my point being just don't trust some paperwork or standard, there's lots of great hardware out there without paperwork but can you tell the difference??? Who's interests are the players interested in? Your idea about the goofy'ness of this idea is perhaps a great idea after all,... if it promotes some discussion about being more gear aware!!! Thanks for the question!

And you have an issue with that?????

Is there something wrong with being more gear aware, is that the exclusive prevue of just a few of you that obviously can't be bothered to explain for the enlightenment of more than a handful of abusive people here??? Please tell me where or how I could do better, cause this incessant bickering and expertey opinion thing, more than a few of you have got going on isn't do-ing anything for the multitude of newbies out there that your all apparently trying to protect.
C

How do I? I messed up again with up loading a video, how do I delete it? (Not always the most computer literate person.)

Sorry,

Chris