winsor

You'll be in far more danger driving to the drop zone than you will while making a tandem jump. Have fun! Unless your drive to the dropzone is through a hot combat zone in an unarmored vehicle with a bullseye painted on it or something like that, there is no way the drive is more dangerous. This has been rehashed ad nauseum, and the "driving to the DZ is more dangerous" argument is patent hogwash. Blue skies, black death, Winsor

I'm trying to remember the girl's name in one of the original "right to die" cases, she'd OD'ed on pills and booze. When her family finally won a court order to take her off a respirator, she surprised everyone by going on living for a few more years, until she finally died in 1985. But nobody was allowed to starve her, or press a pillow over her face, or anything else to actively kill her. Karen Ann Quinlan

You say that like it's a bad thing.

Wow! Serious stuff! Thank God I'm an atheist.

I guess you mean people who are exaggerating on the high end. I assume you a youngster. The idea of people over 30 being anything but celibate may strike you as fundamentally icky, but I have it on good authority that one need not give it up after turning 25. Let's say someone got active about this time in 1967 or so, and kept it up as much as possible since then. If moving around a lot for job-related reasons precluded long-term relationships, it would not be unreasonable to have a new interest every six months on average. That's an awful lot more than 40. Add to this the fact that some of the geezers around here lived through the sexual revolution. In the'70s, I understand there were places (like New York, Boston, Miami, Boulder, Munich, London, etc.) where spending a night alone took a conscious effort if one was at all attractive/fit/virile/whatever. This is, of course, what I have read on the subject - and I believe it. Blue skies, Winsor

Penniless is right - in a gas, Mach is a strict function of temperature (it varies by the square root of Tabs). IIRC, the relation for incompressible media is M=sqr(k/rho) where M = speed of sound, k = compressiblilty and rho = density. In water the speed of sound is something like 30 times that in air. Blue skies, Winsor

Pedro was a good man. I learned a lot from him, and was looking forward to seeing him again. This sucks. BSBD, Winsor

I did not mean to imply that the business practices at ASC were going to qualify anyone for a halo. I should think that the Better Business Bureau would be quite familiar with ASC, to the extent that it would pay to have a form printed up in advance to save time when filing complaints. The differences are that ASC has something to offer and Skyride does not at all (like the difference between the Amway business model and a pure Ponzi scheme - which may be largely academic). Also, the objectionable practices of ASC are mostly merely unscrupulous, rather than solidly on the wrong side of the line of demarcation for legal activities as is Skyride. If ASC was to lay off the most predatory of their policies and largely play it clean, they would be a worthwhile operation. Skyride qualifies for RICO status. Blue skies, Winsor

I prefer an original Dytter. Set it to the altitude of entry for a perfect swoop and all you have to do is dial in a 180 when it goes off; you are guaranteed to have people wondering how you achieved such mastery so easily. Put the fun back in "Funeral!"

Skydiving is a very small market and community. The effect that Skyride has is poisonous, and affects everyone in the sport to an extent that would appear disproportionate to someone who is not paying attention. Don't be so humble. You have convinced many people that Skyride is a bad thing who were previously on the fence. I have known Ben and Cary for a long time, and like them both. I have been impressed by how hard they have worked to make ASC a first-class operation. I have seen others bust their hump and not quite make it, so I understand how unforgiving is the market in which they have excelled. Having said that, it concerns me that they have crossed the line between aggressive marketing and legally proscribed behavior. The list of business practices in which Skyride is engaged that would concern a Bunco Squad is extensive. People have received long prison sentences for lesser infractions, and I think it is a waste to see them place themselves at risk of such consequences. If they could see fit to conduct their skydiving-related businesses in accordance with the law, and prevail on the basis of a superior product and more effective (but honest and legal) marketing, I say bully for them. It can, and has, been done, and I think they can do so as well. If they are imprisoned for their activities it will be a waste - but if that is what it takes to halt the transgressions of Skyride, so be it. Blue skies, Winsor

You forgot one more force - Archimedean force -lifting force which allow us to make baloon jump :) That and Force of Habit. "How come you jump out of airplanes?" "It's what I do."

In my line of work, roles, responsibilities and scope of work are clearly defined. This does not seem to be the case w.r.t. USPA. As I understand it, USPA is a club, at the service of the membership. I'm kind of fuzzy as to quite how the Group Membership program fits into the picture, since DZs have evolved from clubs into commercial enterprises since the GM program started, and it seems to have become a trade organization with some clout, to some extent funded by the general membership. USPA's actions in a variety of cases have struck me as being erratic and/or capricious. One person was banned for life for doing something, and someone else did not even get a slap on the wrist for doing something an order of magnitude worse. Sometimes the leadership will get sanctimonious and self-righteous, and other times they will wink and shine it on. I can speculate as to why, but it would not do any good. I am quite familiar with Skyride, and I am not impressed. I think it is an issue for Law Enforcement to sort out. ASC, however, is another issue altogether. Although ASC and Skyride share common ownership, they are separate entities. Even if the business practices of Skyride result in prison sentences for the parties deemed responsible, I know of no reason that this turn of events should affect ASC or its relationship with USPA. I am not saying that I approve of the practices of Skyride, I am saying that you have to follow the rules if you wish to fault someone else for breaking them. If ASC conducts their operations in accordance with BSRs, they have met their obligation to USPA. The GBI, FTC and other LEOs don't concern themselves with BSRs, and USPA should leave issues of law to the organizations tasked to their enforcement. Blue skies, Winsor

To answer your question, I don't think it is safer per se. A couple of things come to mind that don't directly address the question. For one thing, my tiny canopies are LOUD colors, that can be spotted in peripheral vision under lousy light conditions. Visibility can be a lifesaver. For another thing, I HIGHLY recommend getting agreement on a landing direction before loading the aircraft. Asking "which way are we landing?" in a loud voice allows everyone to come to some kind of consensus, so someone intentionally doing a downwind to get an awesome surf (or whatever) won't hose the whole load. Thus, my response to which way is the correct way to land is that you should all land as agreed before the jump. FWIW, when there is an incident, who is right is largely academic. The hot tip is to work out a means of avoiding traffic conflicts before they happen. Unlike Hollywood, in this sport there is such a thing as bad publicity. If you are going to show up in one of the publications, it should be for a milestone, rather than tombstone, event. I'm glad it worked out that it was nothing more than a wake-up call. Blue skies, Winsor

Agreed. If you click your heels, it gives you a better idea of where your feet REALLY are. Your legs may be much farther apart in fact than you think they are, and they are likely less extended than they feel like they are. It should take some effort to actually extend your legs in freefall, since the force of air against them is significant. If you aren't actively extending them, they are likely on your butt. Once you get used to freefall, being on jumps where camera is used can give you a good idea of how you are actually flying. You can get an idea of why you don't have the drive you expect, or what you are doing when you close on a formation or whatever, and having a mental picture of what is going on can help you to correct it on subsequent skydives. A standard caveat is to take ANYTHING you hear online and run it past your instructor, S&TA or someone else with lots of experience that you know personally. If you focus on safety first, you will have plenty of time to polish and fine tune your skills. I expect instructors and coaches to keep safety first and foremost on a personal basis, so take anything I say with a grain of salt. Blue skies, Winsor

I suggest you figure out something if you expect a relationship with any woman to work, ever. Her fidelity, or lack thereof, is HER karma. Your fidelity, or lack thereof, is YOUR karma. If her conscience is clear, and her motives are honest, you have no basis for complaint. If she is being unfaithful, you two have other problems. Your choice is to either let it go - or let her go. For you to subject her to your standards, assuming she does not subscribe to them, is out of line. If you want to foster resentment in her, you have likely come across a pretty good approach. If you want your marriage to last, I recommend that you never again read her mail to anyone else unless she asks you to. If you want to end the marriage, you are better off doing so without poisoning the relationship further. Speaking from painful personal experience, I recommend that you be VERY careful about threatening divorce - unless, of course, you are quite ready to go through one. If you love her and want to save the marriage, I recommend that you tell her that you know it is none of your goddamned business how she interacts with her friends, apologize to her for being such a boor, assure her that you will leave her E-mail entirely alone in the future (and MEAN it!), and behave in a manner that leaves no doubt in her mind that you love her dearly. One of the most precious things someone can give in an intimate relationship is slack. If you want it, you had damned well be ready and willing to give it. Semper fidelis (in this most important of relationships), Winsor

Democracy imposed from without is the severest form of tyranny. As any citizen of the Occupied Confederacy can tell you, you are right as rain. It was a Republican Lawyer who laid waste to this fair land and brought it into the Union at bayonet point. Wedded bliss is all well and good, but when it is achieved forcibly it is still rape. Blue skies, Winsor

Only if you consider a selfish, hedonistic sinner to be a bad thing. To some, such a description is nothing short of flattery.

Oh, then it seems your comparison missed the main point of the thread. How so? I think he hit the nail on the head.

With all due respect, my guess is that you are out of line. I have known this RD for years, and have seen her put in untold hours to improve the lot of the rank and file skydivers. I don't know anyone more committed to having fun safely in the sky than is she. As far as capricious application of authority goes, I simply don't buy it. She is anything but a martinet, and I can't imagine her applying sanctions without VERY good reasons - probably reasons with which you are unfamiliar. Before you start a recall move, I suggest you look around and try to find someone who will work harder and put up with more guff than will she. I can't think of anyone who meets those qualifications off the top of my head. If you think you can do a better job, run for office. If you are a better candidate, you should get the job. Blue skies, Winsor

You think Saddam Hussein didn't have WMD? HAH! He just knew how to HIDE them! Q: Where do you hide an elephant? A: In a HERD of elephants! People have been looking in the wrong places, so they'll never find them. Do you think someone as crafty as Saddam Hussein would be stupid enough to "hide" treasures like WMDs in Iraq? Hell no! He hid them in North Dakota. Think about it - it makes sense. You can't swing a dead cat in North Dakota without hitting a silo chock full of thermonuclear devices, so what better place to hide various WMDs? How did we know he had WMDs? Easy! We had the receipts! Okay, it was sort of a sting, I'll admit, but it was necessary. We know the Saddam Hussein was the kind of madman who would actually USE WMDs - unlike us. Okay, so we dropped a couple on Japan, but they were just cute little A-bombs, not big evil H-bombs, and they didn't kill as many people as the conventional firebombing raids on damned near every other Japanese city did, so it was really a humanitarian act that doesn't really count. Also, we know for a fact that Saddam Hussein was the kind of madman who would preemptorily attack a sovereign natiion without a valid casus belli, so he just had to go. The US of A has been accused of invading Iraq. Nothing could be further from the truth. We simply conducted a lawful police action, and people should know how scrupulously we adherered to police procedure. Every "bunker buster" bomb had a search warrant affixed to it before release, and every bomblet in every CBU had an arrest warrant attached to it; if someone was maimed or killed in the process of resisting arrest, then it was just an unfortunate result of their lawlessness. The Iraqi people can rejoice that they have had Truth, Justice and the American Way delivered to them on a platter, that each HMMWV that passes by proudly displays "We Serve and Protect;" the raison d'etre of those deployed to provide them with a new life (or afterlife, as the case may be). The people of Baghdad can feel proud to know that they now have a quality of life on a par with that in an American city. Why, they would hardly recognize the difference between their own hometown and Newark, Watts or Detroit! The people who criticize the current administration are those who simply don't understand. Anyone who has been on a farm knows that you need to spread around manure to get a healthy crop, and we have put around enough fertilizer that strong democracies can not fail to spring up all over the place! Blue skies, Winsor

As far as caliber goes, your best bullet selection is in the .308 section of the store. I have some superb .338s loaded, and out of my Model 70 Alaskan I can keep them in the black at very extended ranges all afternoon, but heavy hitters aren't my choice for long range precision. I'm much more recoil insensitive than most, but an extended range session with a heavy magnum rifle is a nontrivial experience. Agreed, the .300 Winchester Magnum has been used to win the Wimbledon Cup 1,000 yard match - by Carlos Hathcock, no less - but the .308 has been used with great effect at ranges from 600 to 1,000 metres. Ammunition costs are typically double for the magnum offering, and reloading costs are affected by the use of almost double the powder. Barrel life is much more of a consideration on a target rifle than its hunting counterpart, and accuracy begins to degrade on a heavy magnum rifle in a fraction of the time it would take in its milder stablemate. My personal long-range target rifle is a Model 40X from the Remington Custom Shop in caliber .308 Winchester. It doesn't meet your criteria for

What do you mean? A canopy transfer? Nope, it's a cutaway where pilot chute launch and riser release occur simultaneously. Once the cutaway pad is peeled, you pull both handles vigorously at the same time. As it was, I suffered nerve damage in my left hand (since recovered). Had I gone back into freefall, I may have lost fingers. Blue skies, Winsor

Maybe not, but you were there when I damned near died because I had lost my trusty Zak knife on the previous jump, IIRC. I performed a gunslinger cutaway to avoid having my fingers cut off by the steering line knotted around them, and landed with the main in tow so attached. That hurt. I now keep a couple of better quality hook knives on every rig. I am also careful to avoid getting caught up in lines whenever clearing my brakes, and otherwise seek to stay clear of entanglements the might require a hook knife to clear. Like a firearm, it's better to have one and not need it than to need it and not have it. When you need one, you need one badly - and it still might not be enough to turn the tide in your favor. I don't tout it as a panacea, but strongly suggest keeping an operational hook knife on hand and staying in practice with its use. Each safety procedure you have mastered serves to load the dice just a little more in your favor. Blue skies, Winsor

That's not fact, it's only a theory. Quote I rest my case.

That is a silly distinction. Is f=ma theory or fact? Most people call it Newton's 2nd LAW, but it fails at very large and very small distances. We don't put warning stickers in physics text books saying "Newton's Laws are only a theory" I taught my class that Newton's Laws were actually Local Ordinances. Anyone who would term either "Evolution" OR "Creationism" a theory does not comprehend evolution, creation or theory. Intelligence is greatly overrated. Stupidity is a limitless resource, and anyone with the capacity to harness it to a fraction of its potential has been guaranteed untold wealth and power. I wish I was not constantly reminded of that fact. Blue skies, Winsor