Airman1270

Mind you, Im a newbie at this stuff... but you are required to have A license of some sort to do a night jump. If you didnt have a license, you're a 'student' and all student jumps have to be landed before sunset... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ It had been my understanding that a "student" was someone who had not graduated from the basic instruction course. After graduation you were beginning your journey as an "experienced" skydiver, license or not, and were free to jump with anyone who'd have you on the load. (What today is described as "coaching" used to be called "jumping with the new guy.") I made my first night jump with just over 90 jumps & no license at all, but it was at the DZ where I had trained. The following year I began jumping at another DZ and they didn't make an issue of my lack of a license. Later that year I was traveling from Georgia - New York and stopped at Hartwood, VA. I had more than 100 jumps and was current but they made me do a supervised solo because I didn't have a license. I got the "A" soon afterward. I was a part-time jumper, driving 3+hours out of state to jump. I was not immersed in DZ life, almost never socialized with other skydivers, and had no idea why a license was such a big deal. The subject had never come up. In some ways I still don't understand why it matters, but then I've never felt the need to misrepresent my experience. I thought my logbook was all the proof I needed. Cheers, Jon

...give the guy his ....... badge... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Um... er... Appreciate the enthusiasm, but everyone has been real nice. It matters, a little. But I'm still doing better than most of the people in Haiti, even before last month. Cheers, Jon

Huh????? Not sure what brought this on, but are you saying the only people who should serve on juries are atheists and/or clueless, uninformed people? This country is being turned into a police state. (Perhaps I'll explore this in detail on another thread.) The point here is that Americans are not being taught their proper role as jurors, and those who do understand are likely to be rejected. This is how the left gets away with continually imposing more restrictions on our lives. In the 1920's when otherwise "law abiding" Americans were being prosecuted under the new prohibition laws, juries many times refused to convict. None of this "follow the law" crap. Juries understood their responsibility to act as a hedge against the extremes of the legislature and, at times, of law enforcement. They did not say "Aw, gee, this guy was only making beer, something that was perfectly legal a few years ago. He wasn't bothering anybody but damn, they got this new law so I guess we have to convict..." This string of acquittals helped open the door to repeal of these laws. As for the anti-Christian bigotry, there's much you misunderstand but it's probably not easy to exchange information about the subject without being accused of "prosyletizing." Cheers, Jon

...I've been in jury pools (never named to a jury, unfortunately)... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Thanks. Good attitude. It would be nice if more people regarded the jury summons as a responsibility, or even an opportunity, rather than as something to be avoided. Cheers, Jon

In November I reached my 12th hour of freefall, just a few weeks and 30 years since my first FJC. Last week I learned that USPA will not recognize my achievement because I don't have a "D" license. I guess this means I didn't really reach 12 hours, eh? I never bothered with the SCR, SCS, Falcon, Eagle, etc. but, damn, it would be nice to have some tangible recognition of my sky career. Some nice people at headquarters suggested I ask the BOD to consider fixing this problem, and I contacted the appropriate folks. But why is this rule in place at all? Why does our leadership appear to give kneejerk support for this whole notion of requiring a "D" for its various ratings? If someone can meet the practical requirements for working with students, demo accuracy, or competition he should be able to get the appropriate ratings and/or compete at the Nationals regardless of what license he holds. Please don't tell me the primary reason for this system is to "encourage" member to purcha$e the "D" license. Cheers, Jon S.

Hi folks. My interest in this matter began sometime in the mid-90's. Following a high-profile trial some jurors were interviewed. I remember one juror saying something like "...I wanted to vote "X" but felt I had to vote "Y"..." This grabbed my attention, as this is not the purpose of the jury system. No juror should ever feel intimidated into agreeing to a verdict he doesn't think is right. It doesn't matter what 11 other people think and it sure as hell doesn't matter what the judge thinks. At about that time the first Jack Kervorkian trial was getting under way. The defense attorney forced the jury pool to fill out a 67-page questionnaire, the purpose of which was to ferret out Christians and anyone else whose moral/religious beliefs led them to conlude that it was wrong to help depressed people die. Can anyone honestly explain how this is what the nation's Founders had in mind when they implemented the jury sytsem in the first place? Of course they found a dozen clueless dolts who bought the argument that K. wasn't really trying to kill people, he was just trying to end their suffering. Try killing a cop and then explaining to the jury that you didn't really mean to hurt him, you just wanted to be left alone. Never mind that you could possibly win, depending on the circumstances. Would a judge even allow this defense to be made? Remember Paul Hill? He was accused of shooting an abortinist, then was convicted & executed after the judge would not allow him to present a defense. This has to be one of the greatest national scandals since WWII, yet it occurred barely under the radar with no outrage by the media. If he had shot a congressman, or the pizza guy, or his wife the jury would have heard all about what he was thinking, why he did it, what led to this action, etc. But since everything about abortion has been removed from the democratic process, he was railroaded. This is nazi stuff. Of course, the issue here, again, is jury selection. How were they able to find 12 people who didn't stop and think "Wait a minute, there's something wrong here. Why are we not hearing a defense?" It would seem that at least one guy would have voted to acquit based on this fact alone. You know how they would occasionally cover newspaper vending boxes in the courthouse so jurors would not see the contents? I once asked a lawyer "If these people are so shallow, so easily manipulated that exposure to a newspaper would render them incapaple of deciding a case fairly, why are they selected as jurors? Why don't you just select a bunch of smarter people?" I don't remember the exact answer, but the short version is that I had stumbled upon something of a trade secret. Years ago a co-worker was called to serve. She would have been the ideal juror, as she wasn't stupid but neither was she an intellectual heavyweight. She paid no attention to current events and had no clue what was happening in the world outside of her job, family, and shopping. The defense began by asking if anyone listened to Rush Limbaugh. She should have truthfully said "no" but she felt led to mention that she did hear the show from time to time because her co-worker listened. The lawyer pressed, asking if she agreed with his views. She said "I don't know what his views are, I don't listen to the show." She was rejected. I can only conclude that the lawyer was pulling a fast one, knowing his case would not survive the scrutiny of intelligent, informed people. In the late '90's I spoke with Rush about this subject, which came up after one of his employees was rejected outright because she worked for him. (The case involved some guy who was slightly injured while riding a bus and was trying to blame the bus company for his own negligence.) I said that if ever called I will not tell them I listen, but will pass myself off as someone who doesn't pay attention to current events so as to have a better chance of being selected. Nor will I mention that I skydive. It seems this information could only set off someone's red flag, especially if it's one of those lawsuit cases where someone wants to sue someone else not for doing something bad, but for failing to prevent a bad thing from happening. If a lawsuit stems from a traffic accident they do not discard prospective jurors because they hold a driver's license. So if a case involves a skydiving incident, why do they reject jurors who have jumped? If it's a valid case it would seem that an experienced skydiver would be better able to recognize true negligence (such as putting out a static-line first-timer in high winds at dusk) than ol' average Joe. Of course the same juror is not likely to define "negligence" as a customer getting hurt due to his own actions. Cheers, Jon

QuoteWhere'd ya go? I was hoping for replies... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Wow. Thanks to all. This is the first time I've been back since the first post. Can't stay long, but there are some things I'll add soon... Cheers,

The current system of allowing lawyers to cherry-pick clueless ignorant people to serve on juries is a silent national scandal. A few years back, if the Nazis had been tried in American civilian courts, their lawyers would have rejected any potential juror whose moral/religious convictions led him to conclude that it was wrong to pack people into boxcars. Jurors should NEVER be intimidated into agreeing with a verdict they don't think is right. Yet, this occurs frequently, and undermines the whole purpose of having a jury in the first place. Perhaps judges should choose jurors. If a lawyer is convinced he has a solid case he should be eager to present it to an actual cross-section of the community. This would include people who own businesses, watch news programs, listen to talk radio, go to church, are related to a cop, or have ever been a crime victim. If he does not believe he can win without manipulating the process in such an extreme manner, perhaps he does not have a valid case. Otherwise we end up with an OJ Simpson-type jury made up of brain dead idiots who don't have the capacity to comprehend the evidence presented and are easily persuaded to accept cheap appeals to emotion by dishonest attorneys. If you think I'm wrong I'd be intersted in hearing why you think this would result in a greater percentage of innocent people being convicted or of guilty people going free. Cheers, Jon S.

Hi Wendy: .....Your personal experiences lead you to make assumptions about people based on their race.... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Actually, It is amazing how some people have fallen into my trap. I'm just reporting my experiences with my customers. I knew from the beginning that some would interpret this as "racism." To these folks I ask: How can we discuss such matters without the conversation being sidetracked into these offensive accusations? Cheers, Jon

Okay, time to 'fess up. Some background: I grew up on Long Island in a predominantly white family living in a predominantly white neighborhood. I can count on one hand how many black folks I interacted with by the time I graduated from high school. I never had a negative attitude about blacks. Can't explain why, we just weren't raised that way. Didn't give racial issues much thought, as the subject was rarely brought to our attention. Life was good. Fast forward to the early '90s. In my mid-30's I began paying attention to political & cultural issues and learned that I was being called a "racist." At first I thought these people were simply mistaken and would be glad to leard that I wasn't one. This is when I learned that an accusation of "racism" was a political weapon, and that the only way to avoid the charge was to advocate liberal politics and vote for Democrats. While this was offensive, I still did not allow my disgust with this cheap bullying tactic to translate into the adoption of any unkind attitudes toward black people. Several years ago, in my late 40's, I finally began developing what can only be described as a bad attitude about black people. and you know what did it? I started working for tips. My radio career came to an abrupt end when the station was sold and I was cut loose in space. I grabbed a pizza delivery job just to stay busy, and am embarassed to admit how much I'm enjoying the work. But this experience has brought to mind a fundamental question of the universe: What the hell is the problem with black people and tipping? Earlier this year I did a highly scientific study of tipping patterns. Every time I was severely undertipped or stiffed I made a note of the customers' racial background. After several weeks I had acumulated one "A," several "Ws" and more than a dozen & a half "Bs." There HAS to be some sort of cultural explanation. This can't be coincidence. Yes, I've been tipped generously by blacks and stiffed by whites, but I'm focusing on overall patterns here. Some statistical breakdown: There was little racial discrepancy among teenagers. The articulate "professional" types (you know, the ones who, when you talk with them on the phone, you can't tell they're black) tipped about the same as most white folks. But the people who seemed to thrive on their intimidating "gansta" appearance are far too predictable in their inability to tip. There are several businesses to which we deliver frequently and it is amazing how often we not only are stiffed, but are kept waiting while they take their sweet time getting to us after we've arrived. Shall I explain what these businesses all have in common, or should I save it for Dr. King day? Meanwhile, we can ponder another fundamental question of the universe: What is it about classical music that causes so many of the people who listen to it to think they are so much better than averyone else? Cheers, Jon S.

Twice. Brief recap: 1985. Long Island Skydivers. After comleting my student training several hours away I began jumping close to home, trying to acclimate to non-student life. Someone told me not to ask for pin checks. I sought advice off the DZ regarding how to handle this. They found out & I was banned for life. !988. Woodstock Connecticut. Had made some friends at my new "home" DZ three hours out of state. First malfunction, hard reserve pull. Stayed with it, finally got open under 500'. Freaked out the DZO & was banned. Very discouraging to see my friends turn their backs & avoid me. Saw some of these people a few years later at other DZ's. They still wouldn't talk to me. Damn shame. Cheers, Jon S.

All you need is a ride to altitude. It'll all come back. (It never went away.) If you made over 600 jumps in five years you don't need any kind of formal retraining. You can do this quite safely for the cost of a single jump ticket. I concede you may not be able to find a DZO who will let you do this, but you are capable. Have fun! Cheers, Jon S.

...others have bent me over and checked my rig for me, giving it that slap to let me know all is well. They aren't my instructors, some of them weren't even coaches... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Huh? So now "coaches" are not only better qualified to jump with newbies than us mere mortals, but are better qualified than the rest of us to give pre-jump gear checks? Whenever the subject of pin checks is brought up it brings back memories. As a fresh new graduate in 1985 I asked an experienced instructor/rigger for a gear chack and was pretty much reprimanded for doing so. Perplexed and confused I sought advice regarding the matter. When the club leadership learned I had done so they kicked me off the DZ. In retrospect I think he was just trying to get me past the "student" mentality and learn to take responsibility for myself, but I never could figure out why I deserved to be banned for life. Oh well... Cheers, Jon S.

Nothing wrong with having insurance but let's not be ugly toward people who don't. I broke my ankle on my first jump in 1982. It took a few years but I paid the bills myself. I don't have insurance. Six years ago I got sick. The doctor & the drugs cost about $150. It would have cost much more than that to have maintained a policy under which I would have been "covered." I saved thousands of dollars by NOT being insured, and I still got the health care when I needed it. Of course I wouldn't mind having a catastrophic policy with a high deductible. If I could be sure they wouldn't discrimminate against skydiving injuries I'd be a bit more eager to make the effort to obtain one. In the meantime, I jump a 220 and let the guys with the awesome insurance coverage do the swooping. Cheers, Jon S.

QuoteThe only problem with it is that if he gets his before you get yours, only one of you is falling asleep happy... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Yeah, sorry about that nature thing, but most of us are willing to compromise. We want you happy. My philosophy is: The first 45 minutes is yours, the last 45 seconds is mine. Cheers, Jon S.

He's an infomercial pitchman. Think Oxi-Clean... - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Last year I had a malfunction which damaged my bright yellow main & sent it away for repair. During this time I saw Mays hawking something called Mighty Mend-It. He was seated at the rear bulkhead next to the door of a Caravan as a "professional" skydiver exited wearing a rig that had been torn and repaired with this product. ("Allowed to dry overnight".) Mays was wearing a rig, but his clothes had been modified to allow the chest strap to pass underneath his shirt. You had to pause the video to notice the rig. Of course, the (bright yellow) main opened flawlessly and saved the endangered skydiver who trusted his life to this gee-whizz product. Melodrama aside, of course he could have used his reserve if the main failed for any reason. The funny thing about this was that it appeared to be a Star-Trac. It would have worked just fine if the rip (about eight inches long on a side panel) had not been repaired at all. Funny aside: My canopy had endured a four-foot long tear along the top of the second cell. My wife offered to sew it for me, but I explained that her many years of experience sewing clothes was irrelevant and that this would require the services of an experienced rigger. Instead of saying "Oh, okay..." she insisted that she could do the repair even though she had zero training in parachute construction. According to this logic I can fly a King Air because I know something about aviation and have flown in airplanes hundreds of times. Sigh. (Then again, after that tandem accident four years ago in which a crippled student slipped from the harness she claimed that the TM probably did it on purpose. Later, after we learned the facts of the incident, and learned who the TM was, she still insisted that this was more than just a freak accident and that I was denying reality by refusing to consider that this might be murder. It's in times like these where I can fantasize about being married to Ann Coulter; Not that I'm attracted to very thin women, but at least when it comes time for us to argue about something she can stay on topic and not be dominated by her irrational emotions.) Anyway, cheers! Jon S.

Interesting. I've never been asked what license I hold, although there have been some funny looks when they learned that I still hold the "A" license I purchased in 1987. As long as you're not trying to get into something you're not yet ready for it doesn't matter what license you hold or how many jumps you have or what rig you're jumping or how current you are. Cheers, Jon S.

The funny thing is that they think they are being sooooo clever, as if nobody had ever uttered the phrase before. Cheers, Jon

It's the safest way to get a parachute ride. Cheers, Jon S.

Once that I can remember. I've been blessed with not having any allergy issues, but the 1998 pollen season was far more intense than usual. I was flying over the Rome, GA airport when I spewed an impressive collection of yellow/green solid/liquid bleccch & watched it dive toward the runway, trailing a comet-like tail that tried in vain to keep up with the curdling glop. Cheers, Jon S.

This is interesting. I almost like this guys approach, but I'd want to know more. Many of us blurt out profanity at times, but it's nice when we make an attempt to keep it away from the kids, or at least keep it confined to moments of anger and not casual conversation. A few years ago my kids were greeted by a guy with a shirt that said "He likes the cock" with an arrow pointing to one side. I decided I'd just tell the kids, if they asked, that it had something to do with farm animals. In the '80's I jumped at a DZ where they had a sticker inside the Cessna that said "Eat, F***, Skydive." It's one thing to share such sentiments among friends, but what impression did this make on visitors who have boarded the plane for their first jumps? Of course, the DZO set the tone with his foul mouth, constantly abusing the name of Jesus in a loud voice. Nobody ever mistook a DZ for a Bible study group, but a minimal attempt to honor basic standards of civilized conduct would not be out of place. Cheers, Jon S.

Wow. Stumbling onto this thread has reminded me of some memories... While passing through the region on June 30, 1985 I looked up the Woodstock DZ and stopped in to make a jump. I had recently had new brake lines installed on my (new) used rig and had hooked it up carefully, checking that the lines were straight, prior to my trip. I shook some hands, did the paperwork, and got on the Cessna. (I think they called it "five-three-echo.") At 3000' I was looking up at a fully open main with a pilot chute waving out in front of me. Since I had a good main I stayed with it, flying backward toward the grass alongside the runway. I did not attempt a standup. Jump #60 was Don's first memory of me. I think I only made one Cessna exit from the crotch position, and remember feeling uneasy about it for reasons described. It happened at Woodstock. Perhaps Don didn't know about it. I got to know him a bit when I jumped there during that one brief season in '87. Prayers & condolences. Cheers, Jon S.

Don't forget David Bowie: Ziggy Stardust/Suffraget City. One of my radio fantasies is to play Ziggy Stardust/Living Loving Maid. Just once... Speaking of music radio, why is it that when a station invites listeners to call in their requests, the only requests they honor are those asking to hear something they were eventually going to play anyway? Just wondering. Cheers, Jon S.

...on the weather. Last jump was a malfunction & cutaway. Four months ago. Got the main repaired and the reserve repacked & have been waiting since mid-December to get back up. Thought I'd wait until the cold season passed. Now it's warmer but overcast & raining. Sigh. Nothing new about taking a few months between jumps, but just want to get the next one over with. Maybe next week. If anyone has found an RSL at the Farm please turn it in to manifest. Hope to see you guys again soon. Cheers, Jon S.

As far as boogies go, June '03 at Thomaston. Drove down there in the rain the night before, with the forecast not looking too good. On Saturday I made my first helicopter jump in between weather holds. The video is beautiful, with the bottom layer of puffy clouds at 1000'. They only got four helicopter loads and two King Air loads up before the rain compelled an early beer light. (Trivia - this was the day of Roger Nelson's canopy collision in Illinois.) The next day I made my third high-altitude jump from the King Air. The best two-jump boogie I've ever experienced. While not actually a boogie, a top contender for most memorable weekend was at the Ranch in '04 a few days after my new rig finally arrived. After visiting family, etc. on Long Island I camped at the DZ a couple of days and did a few solos, learning to pack zero-p and enjoying the DZ experience (except for the packing torture.) After jumping my Wonderhog for many years it was great to walk among a few hundred skydivers and not get noticed. Cheers, Jon