dogyks

More like 18, if you include the ParaCommanders. >I'm just sick of putting people on backboards and helping get them into life flights. I've watched far too many botched attempts at high performance landings, and have seen the best in the business come to grief. The last two pond-swooping events where I was in attendance had something less than a 100% safety record - one guy femured and another was DOA. If you want to swoop, cool. Just don't kid yourself about the ramifications of your actions. No, I carve, but I don't hook For the performance. The Raven IV is fun, too. Yes. So's the Lazer. Welcome to skydiving. It isn't the equipment, it's the operator and his attitude. Not quite. I'm a Certified Rifle, Pistol and Shotgun Instructor, whose focus is, indeed, safety. I also have an arsenal that would amaze you. Partly, but not entirely. Again, my complaint isn't the equipment, it's the operator. Just because I think most people asking about the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving would be better served by learning the fundamentals of highway safety does not mean that I haven't spent many, many hours well above 120 km/hr myself - quite the contrary. Stick around - if you survive long enough, you'll figure it out. Blue skies, Winsor

Y'all is singular. All y'all is plural.

If I correctly understand the term, an ideal flat track is one that achieves a maximum horizontal distance without increased descent. The body position to achieve this is not static; as horizontal speed increases, transitioning into as much of a lifting-body configuration as possible serves to keep on level with a formation while getting away from it most rapidly. Blue skies, Winsor

Who says the sport is inclusive? The process of natural selection itself makes this an activity with a built-in weeding-out process. I read works published on various continents and over some centuries, and am fond of a turn of phrase that defies NewSpeak. I will not burn my works of Mark Twain in a knee-jerk response to those marginally literate elements that seek to serve as my conscience, nor will I limit my lexicon for fear of confusing those of limited conceptual capacity. IIRC, there was some less than friendly interaction between D. James Nahikian and me, and I don't blame him for choosing not to vote for me. My impression is that neither of us is particularly impressed with the other. To question whether my representation is likely to be evenhanded is valid, and I don't have a simple response to the issue. I don't pretend to think everyone is the same - they're not. The distribution of characteristics between groups of people is decidedly uneven, and to pretend otherwise is an act of denial. For example, I am a man, but I can give you a variety of responses regarding emergency procedures by women with breasts large enough to make locating handles a problem. How do I know this? Because I asked rather a few women about it. Were they offended? Not so far as I could tell; I think it was apparent that it was a straight question and I got straight answers. Why do I care? Because it is a safety issue that affects the people with whom I jump. I try not to mix my feelings with business. There are people that I like very much that I wouldn't hire. There are others that I don't like personally, but consider to be superb professionals, and would hire in a heartbeat. As far as representation goes, I will not push for an issue I oppose. If someone I represent asks me to back regulation that I think will do more damage than good, I will decline to do so. I've seen a jumper get an opened main repacked on the way to altitude (lying belly down in a Caribou) - by people with whom he might argue around the campfire - and he jumped without a second thought about their commitment to his safety. If you think skydiving is a community activity where we look out for each other REGARDLESS of our stance on other issues, then you will likely understand where I'm coming from. If you think skydiving should be a professionally run business, where customers are guaranteed a particular level of service and safety by virtue of strong regulation, you should vote for someone else. The closest I've come to a personal attack related to skydiving is when delegated to give someone "the talk" when they've indicated they're a crater seeking grid coordinates. Even then, the point is that I've lost way too many friends for my liking, and that the penalty for the actions in question is all too often death. It may be harsh, but since I'm trying to figure out how to make it to another funeral on Wednesday, I don't think the message deserves dilution. Blue skies, Winsor

Oh, I forgot, professional skydivers are evil minions of Satan. That totally slipped my mind. I obviously can't trust someone who loves skydiving a lot more than me, enough to sacrifice a high income and normal life, to do what's best for the sport. No really. Sorry to be so evil, but I'm still waiting for someone to explain this to me. I have nothing against the people who make a living in the sport, and am grateful to those who make my participation possible by their efforts. Having said that, I think the point that you're missing here is that people whose livelihood is skydiving have an entirely different perspective than do those of us who live to skydive. I understand how hard it is to make payroll and keep a million dollar airplane operating, and tandem mills and Level 401-k AFF programs can be the result. More than a few people have had their love of the sport turn into just another job, and that perspective has little to do with mine. I don't begrudge someone who has put their economic well-being on the line the right to make a good living for their efforts. I do, however, wish to have some voice on the board to remind everyone that this is, in fact, a club. Blue skies, Winsor

Why do you think Treetop's offensive behavior is negative, while Winsor's hideous political incorrectness is ok? I'm not sure precisely to what it is that you are referring, but I'm somewhat flattered by the idea of being hideously politically correct. The objection I have to Don's online demeanor is that his stated intent is to offend. If that is the goal, I'd rather have him arguing for the opposition. I don't claim to represent all recreational jumpers. Some people like regulation, and feel that an authority is being lax if the masses are given the benefit of the doubt. I don't think skydiving is for everybody, and think that modifying the sport to be "inclusive" serves the detriment of the sport more than the benefit of those included thereby. I want to see lifesaving skills passed around freely and with enthusiasm. If the choice is between the free access to a safety skillset or the livelihood of safety professionals, I prefer freedom. For me, skydiving is a way of life, not a livelihood. I haven't sent in my ballot yet, but I expect to vote for Don Jardine. He gets a lot more worked up about various issues than do I, but that may be a good thing. Donald Rumsfeld made some comment about employing paranoids to the effect that they are given to more false alarms, but they don't miss much. I hope I can bring a little hideous political incorrectness to the table to balance out all the sweetness and light. Blue skies, Winsor