TomWatson

Well isn't that ironic, in light of his other unconstitutional actions, like his immigration edict. Now all of a sudden he's concerned about following "proper" procedures and our national interest. Peshaw!

No no no, it's "balls", not "bald". ;-)

Okay, someone complained about the "Toughest Guys" thread not having any women listed. So here's a parallel thread to give you a chance to list some tough women. Same rules; no movie characters, just real women. Go! For my starter entry, I give you Lyudmila Pavlichenko - Soviet sniper with 309 Nazi kills.

The only way to know is to send it to their authorized repair facility, and let them look at it. I ruined an Altimaster once when I was unscrewing the lens to replace it, and it slipped and knocked the needle off. Unrepairable. But that was because the stem upon which the needle was mounted was broken off. Yours might be different. Send it in. You have little to lose (postage), and much to gain (saving the cost of a new one).

But we don't think that there's a number of people less than zero. Zero is as low as you can go in those terms.

...And then he unexpectedly kissed me in freefall. Arghhhh! Terrifying!

That doesn't seem to be true: See "Gun Regulation": http://www.gunpolicy.org/firearms/region/germany So then, the right to free speech should only apply to printed words, and not to radio, TV or the internet? Translation: Permit free ways of dealing Free license acquisition and possession 1.7 barreled single shot weapons with Zündhütchenzündung (percussion weapons), whose model has been developed before 1 January 1871. 1.8 Firearms with match- or spark ignition , the model has been developed before 1 January 1871. 1.9 Needle gun firearms whose model has been developed before 1 January 1871. First of all, please stop the insults. Second, you're misleading everyone. Your reference to "everyone can own a weapon, no permit..." is limited only to antiques. Pardon me for thinking that when you referred to weapons acquisition that you were also talking about modern weapons. I was correct for for those modern guns. You are correct only when talking about antique guns. By comparing German laws for antique guns with US laws for modern guns, you were comparing apples to oranges, which is an invalid comparison. Don't be so misleading in the future. It shoots your credibility all to hell. We could have avoided all this BS if you had just been straight-forward and specific in the first place.

That doesn't seem to be true: See "Gun Regulation": http://www.gunpolicy.org/firearms/region/germany So then, the right to free speech should only apply to printed words, and not to radio, TV or the internet? Are you claiming that a government license is not required to own a gun in Germany? Once again, that seems to be incorrect: See: http://www.loc.gov/law/help/firearms-control/germany.php I'm providing reference sources for my position. How about you doing the same for yours? Oh, and you didn't address the second part of my response about free speech...

Lack of a reference allowing independent verification renders your statement worthless.

That doesn't seem to be true: See "Gun Regulation": http://www.gunpolicy.org/firearms/region/germany So then, the right to free speech should only apply to printed words, and not to radio, TV or the internet?

Because of the Constitution's full faith and credit clause: "Full Faith and Credit shall be given in each State to the public Acts, Records, and judicial Proceedings of every other State." Would you prefer that states be allowed to not recognize gay marriages performed in other states? Should states give tickets to drivers from other states whose car insurance isn't up to their own standards?

Such a person can only be in one place at a time. Why do you think they would be more likely to cause a problem in a different state they are visiting, versus their home state where they spend most of their time? Good question, for kallend. And here's another: If they already have anger management issues and have a gun, what makes him think that they'll give a shit about some law that prohibits them from taking that gun across a state line?

Reserve pins have to be soft metal because that allows the shank to be swaged onto the steel cable, where under great pressure the metal flows into the fibers of the cable for a tight grip. So I guess the trick is to have a pin hard enough not to bend, and at the same time, soft enough to be swaged. If you had a hardened steel pin, then you've got to figure out a new way to attach the pin to the cable...

Another data point. Data show that gun ownership does confer greater safety. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=d5c_1424394365 It looks like the pharmacist almost shot his co-worker. And prevented the robber from shooting some of his employees. Once a robber points a gun at someone, all rules of civility are off.

Another data point. Data show that gun ownership does confer greater safety. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=d5c_1424394365 The plural of anecdote is NOT data. Funny reply. I copied your own words from your earlier post. So you're just criticizing yourself. Ha!

Another data point. Data show that gun ownership does confer greater safety. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=d5c_1424394365

What makes you think that someone else "allowed" that to happen? The police haven't even released what type of gun was used, so we don't even know yet if it was a handgun or a long gun. Much less how he acquired it. Don't jump to conclusions. Wait for the facts to come out.

This has possibilities for skydivers... The Inflatable Suit That’s Protecting Ski Racers in 90 MPH Crashes "When ski racers glide away from the start house on the Birds of Prey Downhill World Cup at Beaver Creek, Colorado, they launch up to 200 feet off jumps and reach speeds close to 90 mph, all with just an open-face helmet, goggles and a semi-rigid back protector for safety. But at this week’s World Alpine Ski Championships, held on the same course, the pro racers competing for podium spots may get a little more help: a wearable airbag from motorsports company Dainese that inflates automatically in a crash. The system, called the D-air Ski, is based on an existing airbag system Dainese developed for motorcycle racing. Ski racing’s governing body, the International Ski Federation, approached Dainese in 2012 about adapting the suit for ski racing. The ski version covers a racer’s torso and shoulders and uses an array of sensors to monitor velocity and position; it fully inflates in 100 milliseconds if it senses a crash..." http://www.wired.com/2015/02/dianese-d-air-ski-crash-suit/ Like an AAD for your reserve chute, this could be like an AAD for bad hook turn landings.

How do you know I didn't also do those things? And it's much more fun to come here and annoy you.

Furthermore, if you're not an instructor, you can't get this mailing. I signed up once and explained that while I was not currently an instructor, I was looking forward to being an instructor in the future, and wanted to start receiving these mailings to stay on top of the knowledge towards that end. They sent me one issue, then I was cut off. That doesn't exactly encourage new instructor dreamers to start getting up to speed on what they need to know.

While I'm bitching about the USPA web site, here's another issue. They seem to have changed the USPA store: [inline USPA_Store.JPG] It's all fancy-schmancy now! One thing that bugs me is the bottom of the page where it says "Company Info". Apparently that's a stock template for web sites that USPA's web host is using. But the USPA is not a company - we're an organization. [inline USPA_Store2.JPG] But the big problem is trying to get back to the rest of the USPA web site from the store. Go ahead, try it. Click on "Home" and see where it takes you. I double dog dare you... http://store.uspa.org/ The place is like a roach motel - once you enter, you can never leave!

Received a reply from USPA about this issue: From: Michelle Garvin [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Wednesday, February 18, 2015 12:46 PM To: [email protected] Subject: USPA Follow-up: Online Donations Information Hi Tom, We have made some changes to things on the website. When you click on the SHOP link, you will see a new look in our store. This was the home of the donations previously until it was moved to the JOIN/RENEW link. The JOIN/RENEW link has a different look as well. First timers, have to create a password by clicking on CREATE USPA ACCOUNT. Once established and in your online account, you can do a number of different things like renew, update your contact information and demographics as well as donate to five different donation programs. Please feel free to try it online. If you run into an issue, feel free to call the Member Service Center at 540-604-9740 with questions or assistance. The person who answers the phone will be more than happy to help you. Regards, Michelle Garvin Director, Membership Services So if you want to donate online now, you have to first create a signon account with USPA. It seems to me that you should have a goal of making donations as easy as possible, in order to encourage them. Forcing people to create an account first, isn't doing that... And "Join/Renew" is an illogical place to locate the donation function, compared to "Shop". [inline USPA1.JPG] You can also click "About USPA" and find a "Donations" button, but that one talks only about doing so by phone or mail - no online option. [inline USPA2.JPG] Looks like my donations will now be made the old fashioned way, with a check by mail, instead of online. What an improvement! Someone try this new online account, and let us know what it does for you...

Re: "What do you consider to be a "big turn"?" Does the dive angle and vertical descent rate dramatically increase between three-quarters of a turn, and a turn and a quarter?

What do you consider to be a "big turn"?

Yes.