Airman1270

...i dont like cops at all... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ I've developed a bad attitude as well, but not because of any personal axe to grind. I've never been in trouble. I have been mistreated by cops on several occasions, but these were minor incidents that did not result in an arrest. Concise summation: Police work then: Helping people and chasing bad guys. Police work now: Helping people, chasing bad guys, enforcement of liberalism, and harrassment of people for doing things that used to be okay. Add to this list the heavy-handed response to minor violations and the inability to use good judgement. The fact is that it is no longer necessary to do anything wrong in order to be hassled by the cops. Several months ago a teenage girl was arrested at her former high school in Kennesaw, Georgia. She had returned to the school to drop off some items for her brother. On the way out she saw some old friends and stopped to chat briefly. She was arrested on some sort of trespassing charge. The cop could have simply said "I'm sorry ma'am, I have to ask you to move along." He could have gotten what he wanted without being a prick about it. But, nooOOOOooo. He thought he was serving society by arresting a harmless 18 year-old girl who was doing NOTHING wrong. He is a scumbag who deserves to be shot. These guys are having their common sense trained right out of them. They goose-step their way through the workday looking for reasons to stop people, check ID, and search automobiles. They make arrests when they could write tickets. They have been so poorly educated in the public school system that they actually think they have the right to stop & search you without cause. Their training reinforces this ignorance. They end up pissing off a lot of people who never used to have a problem with them. Their attitudes become hardened by this constant "us vs. them" mentality (that they have created) and they become even less eager to settle a situation in the most lenient manner possible. This creates an even harsher attitude toward them on the part of the public, and the cycle continues... Cheers, Jon S.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Right. Did I mention that I would NOT attempt such a dive because I'm not currently qualified? Jon

...>The biggest formation I've been on was a 20-way. I could do a >100-way today and do so safely. This is a different topic, but doing 20-ways does not prepare you for a 100-way. >But if I was on the dive I wouldn't hurt anybody. I think that this is one of those cases where you don't even know what you don't know yet, and can't make such a call... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Um, if I were arguing that I WAS competent to be on a 100-way your response might be understandable. I'm well aware of the survival basics, which apply to any size formation. I would not aggressively fly toward my slot (in fact, I'd likely be timid and waste lots of time getting there.) I would not suddenly pull without notice or spend ANY time directly above anyone else. I would not dive blindly to the base. I'd be so focused on keeping aware of my surroundings that I might not reach my slot at all. Many people would be pissed at me, but nobody gets hurt. If you jumped with me and didn't know who I was you wouldn't think anything amiss about my flying. You jump with many people whose abilities match mine. The only difference is that they haven't been doing this as long as I have. Cheers, Jon

QuoteQuoteCurrency is overrated. Of course, people who jump sporadically take much longer to learn their skills than do those who jump often, but they DO learn... You sound like you wished you had done more jumps. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Oh yes! From the beginning I wanted to be the guy who shows up every weekend, but life's circumstances have prevented me from being able to do that. The point is that people who don't jump often can still learn this stuff and do it safely, but it just takes longer to gain the skills than it otherwise would. The biggest obstacle they face is the attitude among some highly experienced people who think that anyone who cannot make 200+ jumps per year is a threat to everyone's safety. This is pure bigotry and has no basis in reality. Unfortunately, these are the same people who end up in leadership positions within the sport and impose their narrow prejudices on the rest of us in the form of currency requirements, "coach" ratings, etc. The biggest formation I've been on was a 20-way. I could do a 100-way today and do so safely. However, there are several reasons why I should not be on such a dive. I do not fly well enough to guarantee I'd be in my slot at the right time. It would be a big disappointment and a waste of everyone's time & money. For this reason I would not presume to join such an effort even if I was invited. But if I was on the dive I wouldn't hurt anybody. Obviously, while my flying does not match the caliber of competition four way teams, there's nothing wrong with my judgement. Cheers, Jon

Currency is overrated. Of course, people who jump sporadically take much longer to learn their skills than do those who jump often, but they DO learn. When I moved to Georgia in 1991 I had 200 jumps in nine years and could barely fly. This did NOT mean that I was not safe. It meant that my skills had not developed to the same point as the guy who made 200 jumps in his first year. I always jumped within my limits and never inserted myself into situations I wasn't ready for. Therefore, even though I wasn't as current as the next guy, I never posed a threat to anyone's safety. It took a long time to be able to fly with competence and confidence, but I eventually got there. I may not fly as well as the guy who made 1000 jumps in the past two years, but I dare say I know more about the sport and have a much more solid foundation of knowledge and respect for the sky than does the newcomer whose only advantage over me is his ability to write checks to the DZ. Back in August I did a nice three-way with two reletively low-timers. One had a little over 250 jumps, the other didn't have that many, but they both have only been doing this for a few years. We all flew very well. It was my first jump in a month and about my 11th this year. According to the hysterical hand-wringing of the currency nazies, I should have killed us all. But we were quite compatible. The guy who plays guitar an hour a week will take longer to learn "Stairway to Heaven" than the guy who plays two hours a day, but once he learns it the listener will not know or care how much longer it took him. (Either way, the listener will be sick of hearing it.) Several weeks ago I celebrated my 25th year in the sport by jumping a Para-Commander. Jump #840. Blew the spot, tracked toward the wind line for 15 seconds, opened, crabbed over the trees and held for the final 2000'. Didn't land on the target, but I did land in an open field on the DZ. How many 1000+ jump wonders with fewer than five years in the sport could do this? Cheers, Jon S.

My first FZ show was in Los Angeles in 1977. They did several unfamiliar tunes from the Sheik Yerbouti album which would be released nearly a year & a half later, including "Flakes" and "Broken Hearts are for Assholes." On "Flakes" they had a Bob Dylan look-alike come out and sing & "play" a harmonica between lines. Funny stuff. Back in 2001 I performed every week at an open mike event near my home. One classic song set included I Saw Her Standing There, Send In the Clowns, Via Dolorosa (it was the week prior to Easter,) and Let's Make the Water Turn Black from "We're Only In It For the Money." The crowd was mostly college age young people. Their reaction was priceless. Cheers, Jon

...I do not get upset because I can't go jumping every weekend because I'm just so thrilled I get to skydive at all. I'm glad I found it... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Bingo. I'm lucky to make 30 jumps per year, but after all this time I still like everybody and have a great time passing through the DZ for a few hours. Even so, my wife would like me to decide I don't want to jump anymore. She made a tandem back in 1990 and is not really worried about an accident; The issue is the money and the fact that I have a hobby in the first place, as well as the money. (This mood usually flares up every 120 days or so when it's time to get the rigs serviced. ) This is one reason I get soap-boxey when the subject of arbitrary standards of currency are discussed. It's so much easier to juggle DZ life with real life if we have the flexibility to decide not to jump for a few more weeks so as to focus on priorities, without being penalized upon our return. Anyone who has made a few dozen jumps or more is capable of returning after a layoff with minimal fuss and NO extra expense. The biggest obstacle is the oft-repeated hand-wringing about not running afoul of USPA "recommendations" which were conceived by people who frequently & effortlessly spend time at the DZ. Cheers, Jon

MAJOR social faux pas. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Yup. Good thing a M.s.f.p. is something we would never commit at the DZ. Cheers, Jon S.

...Treetop, Pug, Perry, Billy Bob, or anyone else who used to jump at Ellijay in the early-mid 1990's? How about Sandor, Brian, Randy, or the other folks at Rome? My last Christmas card to Perry Thibadau was returned, apparently a change of address situation. Will be celebrating the 25th anniversary of my first jump the weekend of September 30th. It'd be great to share some sky with the Romans and anyone else who used to ride the Beech 18, the Queen Air, or the Sky Tractor over Gilmer county all those years ago. Plans include jumping a PC on that Sunday. (A T-10 would be nice, but I don't believe I can locate one.) I want to recreate that first jump as much as possible, minus the ride to the hospital. Cheers, Jon S.

Quoteim thinking you should have asked him to do a Demo ...hired a plane and jumped off of the DZ... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Huh??? This is the most confusing response yet... Thanks all for the feedback. While there may be a benefit to taking the course and earning the rating (such as the ability to better communicate with "positive language" and "maximize one's ability to learn") this in itself is not reason enough to forbid a highly experienced jumper from taking a newbie or two up for a small-way. Also confusing is the attitude of those who suggest I "should have " done a solo rather than share some sky with the new guy. We ALL learned by jumping with people who were more experienced than we were. We had fun gaining some basic post-graduate experience and there was no pressure to "get the most" out of the jump (however that was defined) because we were paying extra for the other guy's jump. Meanwhile, the experienced guys enjoyed being part of our formative learning experiences. We did not go home knowing that they only wasted their time with us because because they got a free jump out of it. With all due respect, I thought Tonto's response bordered on outright hostility. Yes, I have averaged about 35 jumps per year since the mid-1980's. This is difficult to explain without getting into drama queen territory. (Short version: When I started in 1982 there was no student jumping on Long Island at the time. I had to drive 4+ hours to Albany for my training. After graduation I finally started jumping at the only DZ in the area, a small private-club Cessna operation in Moriches. Shortly afterward I was kicked off the DZ for life for political reasons. I had asked some questions and inadvertently stepped on some pretty big toes. Details available elsewhere. This slowed me down until I moved to Georgia in 1991. By then I was married and had a whole new set of priorities preventing me from spending every weekend at the DZ...) It took me longer than most to become a competent flyer, but I got there. I am not qualified to go for an AFF rating or do competition 4-way, but I am more than qualified for weekend fun-jumping RW. The fact that I cannot keep pace with Arizona Airspeed does not mean that I am a threat to anyone's safety. Furthermore, the only people making such suggestions are people who don't know me and have never jumped with me. People who have jumped with me would never make such accusations. The fact that I cannot jump every weekend does not mean that I am "not serious" about the sport, nor does it mean I have "little respect" for coaches. As to the question "why do I want to jump with students?" - I would never presume to jump with "students." That I leave to the instructional staff. I like to jump with skydivers who have graduated, especially the new guys. If you are inferring that I don't take the time to thoroughly go over the dive plan and the goals for the jump then you are in error. The fact that I've been around for nearly 25 years does not give me automatic last-word credibility, but neither does it mean my experience should be dismissed as some old fart longing for the good-ol' days. I noticed that the comments strongly in favor of the "coach" system come mostly from newer jumpers. I see an analogy to driving: Young people who have only been driving a few years cannot imagine a world without seat belt laws, "headlights on when raining" laws, H.O.V. lanes, police roadblocks, "routine" automobile searches, nighttime restrictions on teenage drivers, or ridiculous interpretations of what constitutes "drunk" driving. Meanwhile, those of us who have been driving for over 30 years remember quite well how free we were to go about our business without these stupid laws, and how these laws only came into being due to knee-jerk political pressure to "do something" following a highly publicized incident caused by blatantly violating existing laws. What's kind of funny is the comment that "rules apply to everybody" and that if we don't like it we should "lobby USPA for change." I thought that's what I was doing when I spoke up in the first place. I want to see the rules modified back to where they were 20 years ago. This would result in more freedom without placing anybody at any greater risk. Yeah, solos are fun. I've done plently of 'em. I'll just keep doing more until my flying imrpoves to the point where you won't get nervous when you see me boarding the plane behind you. Cheers, Jon

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ True. Except for jumping into a swimming pool with a canopy over my head I qualified for the "D" years ago. The DZO knows my capabilities. My point is that I'm being told that I'm suddenly no longer qualified to do something I've been doing safely since the mid-1980's. Whether the new jumpers are licensed or not is irrelevant. They've been taught the basics and have proven they can jump without an instructor's supervision. Hence, they are "qualified." If not, they should still be students. 1) Students. 2) Graduates. Why are we trying so hard to invent an "in between" category? Who benefits? Cheers, Jon

Really, what exactly is a "coach" rating and what does it prove? During a recent DZ trip I was standing at manifest, trying to find people to jump with. Most of the load included instructor/student groups and head-down flyers. The only people left to jump with were recent graduates. "No problem" said I, as I've always enjoyed jumping with the newbies. "Wait a minute, not so fast..." was the approximate nature of the response. Do I have a coach rating? "No" answered I. I don't need one. I have been jumping for many years and have hundreds of jumps. I've jumped many times over the years with recent graduates. I'm more than qualified. "But" said the nice manifest lady "...these new jumpers don't have licenses yet. USPA says you'll end up killing each other if you jump together." My question - If they are not safe to jump unsupervised, why were they permitted to graduate from the student program? And if they are in fact safe and are qualified to have graduated, why can't they jump with me? In other words, what the hell damn difference does it make whether they are licensed or not? It's only a two-way! If jumping with me is so fucking risky, how is it I've been jumping with these people for over 20 years without incident? There are people who have far less experience than I do who have played the game, submitted a check, and have seen their names listed as "coaches" in the back pages of the magazine. Meanwhile, the DZO is required to treat me like a disease so as not to run afoul of divine USPA "recommendations." I did another solo. Cheers, Jon S.

Okay, full disclosure - I've been around awhile and cannot relate to the creeping reality of tipping becoming part of the learning process. (Then again, I'm still having trouble accepting the concept of people routinely paying packers to do something they ought to be doing themselves.) If one guy tips his instructors, the next guy might feel pressure to do so even if he can't afford it. Damn, we've spent years trying to figure out why the sport is not growing, yet we ASSume everyone who wants to jump has an unlimited checkbook. This mentality has become so commonplace that our leadership has decreed from above how many weeks may pass before a student must pay for unnecessary "recurrency" training before getting back in the air after a brief layoff. Where will it end? Sigh. Cheers, Jon S.

...I understand your proposal is to force swoopers to upsize to 240 sq ft 7 cells, and then to force them to purchase entire otter loads (one for their jump, and one for the 'regular' jumpers to make up for the insult of swoopers existing) and then jump out 10 miles from the DZ at 2000 ft. Followed by being sprayed in sewage at the end of every swoop... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ This is overkill. Being sprayed after every jump would become an administrative & procedural nightmare. Once at the end of the day is sufficient. Personally, I like to fly around in brakes and watch everyone else land first. That's a neat view up there, one of the reasons I started jumping in the first place. Why are so many people in such a hurry to get to the ground? Cheers, Jon S.

Quote>The comparison is accurate. If the only way you can make a political point is to compare someone to Hitler's regime - you've already lost the argument... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ But, if the comparison is accurate how can you claim the argument is lost? You did not refute my statement; You simply said that the fact that I made a comparison to what was happening in Europe in the 1930's is "proof" that I must be wrong. >Accuse political opponents of "not caring" about said crisis. Go heavy >on the emotion, light on the details. When the dust settles, the people >find themselves living under new laws which criminalize things that used to >be okay. Yep, a good description of both the left and right wing's approach to political issues. "Partial birth abortion" would be a good example from the right wing. Ignore medical indications of when it's necessary to the health of the mother... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Typical. Whenever the left starts getting worked up about "liberty" it always has something to do with sex, abortion, pornograpjy, or blasphemy. Partial birth abortion is NEVER medically necessary. Furthermore, in the rare case that it might be necessary to kill the baby in order to save the mother's life you won't find ANY significant opposition from anywhere in the political spectrum. .., and instead launch into emotional appeals to "ripping the screaming baby's skull apart with crushing force."... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ This is simply a description of what occurs during a P.B.A. Why is an honest description interpreted as political propaganda? More to the point, why don't we test your hypothesis by making a list of the things we were free to do 30 years ago, but are illegal today? I'll bet you'd find far, far more legislation pushed by Democrats than by the evil "right wing." ...Again, that's a characteristic of both the left and right wings. The right is trying their level best to suppress any mention of global warming, because they fear that greater understanding of it will cost them elections. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Ah, common ground. You admit that if the population becomes convinced that there is a climate crisis then more people will vote for Democrats. ...>Furthermore, it is the left that continually beats this drum into our >heads repeatedly. When was the last time you went a month without >hearing ANYTHING at all about "global warming?" When's the last time you went a month without ANYTHING about how we're fighting terrorism in Iraq? Again, it's a tactic both sides use. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Global warming is a theory that has never been proven. Even if it really is happening, there is NO conclusive scientific evidence to indicate that mankind has had anything to do with it. In contrast, Islamic fanatics have repeatedly indicated their desire to kill Americans and anyone else who refuses to subjugate themselves to their worthless false god. They have been killing innocent people for many, many years. The attacks on our own soil (remember 9-11) and the dozens of attacks against our military and other targets around the world during the preceding couple of dozen years provide far more proof regarding the war on terror than anything you can cite to support your chicken little fantasies about climate change. The sad thing here is that if it were proven that there is no climate crisis, you would be disappointed. Jon

Quote>Goebbels was Hitler's propaganda minister. Yep. Isn't it ironic that you complain about people "getting angry and shouting insults" - and then you immediately compare those you are complaining about to Hitler's propaganda minister? _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ The comparison is accurate. See previous post for details. >A group of secular leftists are promoting a theory designed to scare >people and persuade them to vote for more secular leftists... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ This is SOP for the left: Try to create hand-wringing hysteria followed by promises to "fix" the alleged crisis. Accuse political opponents of "not caring" about said crisis. Go heavy on the emotion, light on the details. When the dust settles, the people find themselves living under new laws which criminalize things that used to be okay. (Quick example: Unless riding in a limousine, it is a crime for a passenger in a vehicle to drink alcohol, regardless of the fact that the driver is sober and there is no threat to public safety. All because some politicians promised to "do something" about drunk driving.) ...In the political arena, the alarmists are taken some pretty basic scientific research and using it to scare people... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Exactly my point. Hence the Geobbles reference. ...Even sadder are the right wing political types trying to suppress the science because it interferes with their political goals, and they fear "the other side will win" if the science is accepted... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ It is the left that is trying to suppress scientific evidence that does not prove the theory. Furthermore, it is the left that continually beats this drum into our heads repeatedly. When was the last time you went a month without hearing ANYTHING at all about "global warming?" The people who pay the least amount of attention to the details of political debate are still exposed to the constant chatter pushed by the media. They do not know about the behind-the-scenes quarrels - all they know is that every time they turn on the radio or watch the Weather Channel they see the issue being discussed. Furthermore, the people they are hearing are all in agreement that G.W. IS happening, and that if they drive a different car or use a more expensive light bulb they will "save" the planet. I believe your REAL problem with my Goebbels reference is that it's right smack of the money. Jon

Even if you never recover the logbook, I see no problem with beginning a new book by noting your previous jumps and counting from there on. As life goes on nobody will have a real problem with you even if they don't believe you have 36 more jumps than you can prove. Come to Georgia - I'll jump with you. Cheers, Jon S.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Nice try. History lesson: Goebbels was Hitler's propaganda minister. His function was to manipulate public opinion by repeating false information designed to persuade people to support the Nazi leadership. This task was made easier due to the secular leftist German government's iron-fisted control over the exchange of information. Let's see what we have going on today: A group of secular leftists are promoting a theory designed to scare people and persuade them to vote for more secular leftists, who will then impose more legislation designed to siphon off even more money and freedom from the American people. In addition, while they do not have complete control over the media as the Nazis did, they have been attempting to gain more such control not only by demonizing elements of the media they cannot control (talk radio, Ann Coulter, Fox News, etc.) but are actively seeking legislation designed to inhibit the free exchange of information ("Fairness" Doctrine.) The comparison to Goebbels was not only accurate, but was an understatement. Cheers, Jon

Since when is a scientist not willing to debate differing theories?... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ What really gives away the political agenda of the modern day Chicken Littles is their reaction to good news. These people presumeably believe that 1) global warming is happening, 2) that it's a bad thing, and 3) that mankind (especially those members of the species who live in America) is causing it to occur. However, when confronted with evidence that it may not be nearly as bad as they had been led to believe, they do not receive this information as good news. Instead, they become angry and begin shouting insults, calling people "deniers," "flat-Earthers," etc. Recently a meteorologist at the Weather Channel suggested that any of her colleagues who refuse to march in goose-step formation behind these climate crisis evangelists have their professional credentials rescinded. Add to this the recent scientific analysis of temperature changes on Mars, which to date has enjoyed very little human activity, and we can further expose "global warming" for the Big Lie it always has been. Josef Goebbels would be proud. Cheers, Jon S.

If A.C. was a liberal the media would be singing her praises as a VERY intelligent woman who does her homework, knows what she is talking about, and can hold her own in the arena of full speed, bulldozer political debate. Because she is not a liberal the left is attempting to marginalize her by creating the illusion that she is some sort of unhinged crazy woman whose arguments do not merit serious consideration. This is the same tactic they used with Rush Limbaugh. Admittedly, they have been very effective. There is no shortage of people who do not listen to the program but who are convinced Rush is (insert offensive stereotype here.) While this political tactic does have short-term influence on people, they (at least the ones who pay attention and are not blinded by knee-jerk commitment to left-wing ideology) eventually learn thay they have been mistaken. As a 15+ year listener to Rush, I've heard numerous people call the show and explain how they used to hate him until they began listening and understanding what the program is about. People who actually listen to what Ann Coulter says about an issue will go away with a more complete understanding of the details of said issue. Many guys find Ann attractive because she's a pretty woman with a nice set of knockers. Frankly, she's not my type because I've never been attracted to very thin women. However, I could fantasize about being married to someone like Ann because when it's time for us to argue about something I could trust her to stay on topic and not allow her unreasonable emotions to interfere with the process of logical, rational linear thought. As an aside, several months ago when that Anna Smith bimbo was in the news I thought of a neat parody: Imagine the original "Saturday Night Live" cast doing a takeoff on "Anna NiCoulter Smith" - featuring a shitzophrenic blond who bounces back and forth between being a brain-dead f**kdoll and a serious Washington policy analyst. Ah, the possibilities... Cheers, Jon S.

QuoteHow are we the "entitlement" generation when most of us are (gladly) paying for coaching (I keep hearing it was free in the old days, afterall)?... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ It still IS free if you happen to show up when I'm available. One problem is when DZ management won't allow a recent graduate to jump with me because I never purchased a "coach" rating. The other is when young jumpers have been convinced that they cannot jump with an experienced older jumper UNLESS he has the rating. Sigh... Cheers, Jon

...I realize that it is true that a lot of folks view skydiving as a "recreational activity"; especially when it comes to going out to the local DZ and doing a Tandem... However, at the same time, I too raise an eyebrow when I hear skydiving refered to as a "recreational activity". It is not. It is a sport... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Um, actually it's both. This sport has been my favorite recreational activity since my first jump in 1982. Life's priorities, including a unique geographical situation years ago requiring long day trips to visit "nearby" DZ's prevented me from participating regularly. However, I showed up sporadically, learned the sport (albeit a bit slower than did my peers) and have always been able to enjoy my time in the sky. I believe the near-extinction of static-line training, coupled with arbitrary currency requirements and a growing culture of the knee-jerk mandatory AAD types are forcing costs higher while establishing an atmosphere that portrays the sport as being more dangerous than it really is. Furthermore, the people who actually want to become skydivers are not thinking about doing occasional solos or small-way belly RW formations followed by a leisurely parachute ride. They want to be real skydivers, people who can fly head-down in large groups and drag a toe the length of the pond as everyone stops what they're doing to watch. Many of the people who can afford to spend much time at the DZ, and thus learn these things quickly, set the standard for the next batch of newcomers. Visitors see these folks far more frequently than they see me, showing up for a few nondescript jumps, flying around in brakes and taking in the view before it's time to settle with manifest and head home to dinner, kids' baths, etc. The unspoken message they receive is "If I can't fly real good with these guys, downsize regularly, and swoop effortlessly then maybe I'm not cut out for this." Of course, I could be wrong. Back in the early '80's I remember seeing more than a dozen people making first jumps on any given weekend. Few stuck around long enough to make a freefall jump. Back then the discussion was to eliminate the use of military style gear and move to modern "piggyback" systems for students, the thought being that they'd be more likely to stay with it if they used the same gear everyone else was using. Cheers, Jon S.

...My last reserve ride. Strong lopo over Rome, Georgia following a streamer. I never did figure out what went wrong; it was packed the same way I'd packed it several hundred other times. Ah, the memories... Cheers, Jon S.

Failed to PLF, broke my ankle on my first jump. (Static line T-10.) A few hard landing since then, but nothing requiring medical treatment. The doctor who treated me was the same guy who, years earlier, had repaired my other broken ankle following an outfield collision during a high school softball game. When he started telling me I shouldn't be jumping out of airplanes I asked "Why didn't you tell me to give up baseball?" Cheers, Jon S.

First (I know, I know) visit to skydive Alabama this past weekend. A very nice time. Looking down to watch Frank's cutaway, as a hot air balloon was launching below us, was itself worth the long drive. Thanks all! Cheers, Jon S.