Airman1270

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Posts posted by Airman1270

  2. Quote

    Wrong! Farting when the door opens only pushes it to the front of the plane! :D:D:D


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    Oh my. Visited the Ranch in '04. Sitting by the open door in the Otter. Thought my fart was a private moment. Instead I watched as everyone's faces suddenly went horrible, two by two, toward the front. I probably owe the DZ beer. Sigh.

    Cheers,
    Jon S.

  3. ...Sure wish I had my Wonderhog rig back...
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    Still enjoying mine. The reaction of younger jumpers is loads of fun. B|


    I knew I was hooked during & after that first jump, under a static-line T-10. Sat there with my broken ankle thinking "WOW That was wonderful!"

    Cheers,
    Jon S.

  4. If you don't want to be a TI or PRO, there is no need to have a D. So why bitch about it?...

    I disagree with the D license being required for jumpwings, FWIW. Number of jumps is not relevant to skillset...
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    Reasonable: Keep the night jump requirement to earn a "D."

    Unreasonable: Requiring the "D" before one can earn a PRO or an instructor rating. The skill sets necessary for the "D" are irrelevant.

    In one can demonstrate the skills necessary to do accuracy jumps or work with students, one should be able to earn the ratings REGARDLESS of which license one may hold.

    Even with my "A" license I can consistently land closer to a target than can many people running loose with "D's."

    Cheers,
    Jon S.

  5. Quote

    Quote



    TreeTop dropped off the face of the Earth a few years ago.



    Actually Treetop has shown up here a few times within the last year under different names only to be quickly banned...
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    What'd Treetop do to create such hostility?

    I enjoyed jumping w/him in Ellijay in the mid-90's. Miss him & a bunch of others.

    Cheers,
    Jon S.

  6. Amazing how many people step up to defend an irrelevant requirement.

    Two years ago I finally reached 12 hours of freefall. No "D" license, no badge.

    Don't water down the "D," but don't demand a "D" when it is irrelevant. It should be perfectly possible for one to earn a PRO or an instructor rating even without a "D." Within the next few years I will likely reach 1000 jumps. I won't bother applying for wings.

    Cheers,
    Jon S.

  7. Quote

    Quote

    Let me decide whether I want one, and don't tell me I can't jump w/out an AAD simply because YOU don't feel comfortable doing so.



    Unless your the DZO. After all, it's his/her ass on the line...
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    Why?

    This is THE point here. Why should a DZO's ass be on the line? When did we decide that a business owner is responsible for the safety of his customers?

    The DZO agrees to provide a safe ride to altitude and a place to land. He never claimed to be able to control the actions of the people who pay him for that ride.

    Technically, I would agree that the DZO has the "right" to operate his business as he sees fit. If this means manatory AAD use, fine. He's just eliminated a sizeable chunk of potential customers, in addition to helping create a mind-set among newer jumpers that jumping w/out an AAD is a serious breach of ethics & safety.

    However, this principle applies to all business owners. If a resturant owner decides not to do business with black people, he should have that right simply as a matter of private property rights. Whatever the consequences of such a decision, this should not result in a courtroom appearance.

    Don't tell me you're only looking out for my safety (by requiring an AAD) while you dig a swoop pond and encourage your customers to jump tiny little mains that will kill them if they drop a toggle on the flare.

    In nearly 30 years I can count on one hand how often I was in freefall below 2000' and I always knew where I was.

    The real lesson here is: What ever happened to altitude awareness?

    Cheers,
    Jon

  8. ... From everything I've been told its irresponsible not to jump with one. Guess that's just the environment of being new to the sport
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    And THIS is the real problem. A generation of newer skydivers who have been brainwashed into believing that jumping w/out an AAD is as dangerous as jumping w/out a reserve.

    An AAD can save your life. It can also kill you. Let me decide whether I want one, and don't tell me I can't jump w/out an AAD simply because YOU don't feel comfortable doing so.

    Cheers,
    Jon S.

  9. Quote

    why did they care if you asked for a pincheck?


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    This was a small private club DZ with an atmosphere I'd not seen anywhere else. During my student days I'd jumped at three commercial DZ's & was accustomed to renting gear. After graduating I showed up with a "new" used rig & a boatload of enthusiasm, expecting to rent the stuff I needed. They had no gear rental but the guys did help me out.

    The guy who told me not to bother others for pin checks was just trying to help acclimate me to non-student life. I was still new & scared & trying to figure out how to fit in. From their perspective I was an annoyance, with no altimeter, helmet, etc. I was far too overwhelmed by FINALLY not being a student anymore & not having to drive 4+ hours to a DZ. Being socially inept did not help.

    (In addition, this DZ had a very strong cliquey atmosphere. One had to work hard to earn acceptance, much the same as a new fireman must prove himself in order to be accepted by the rest of the department. I've never seen this kind of thing at any other DZ.)

    Anyway, I sent USPA a brief note describing the situation & asking advice. I did not identify anybody - just wanted to know what to do w/out becoming more of a burden to these guys. Rather than answer me privately, they published my letter in PARACHUTIST. This pissed off some people & I was told not to come back. Damn shame.

    Cheers,
    Jon

  10. Amazing. Don't mean to bring up an old story too often, but these posts bring back the memory of my brief romance with the only DZ near my home in the mid '80's after completing my student training at a distant DZ. As a 60-jump wonder I was told not to ask for pin checks, then was kicked off the DZ when they learned I had asked for advice about this situation.

    Several years later I met some of these guys at a boogie. No apology, no invitation to come back. They wouldn't talk to me.

    Cheers,
    Jon S.

  11. A co-worker once told me he'd jumped a few times near Dalton, GA. I asked what DZ? He said he had a friend with a small plane who took him up a few times. Getting curiouser, I asked what kind of gear he used. He said "A parachute." I asked whether the reserve was in front or on his back. He said "On the front. They always go on the front."

    Cheers,
    Jon S.

  12. As a new jumper in the '80's I sought advice after being told not to ask for pin checks. Pissed off some people, got banned from that DZ "for life." (Moriches, Long Island.)

    A couple of years later I almost went in while dealing with a VERY hard reserve pull. Scared the DZO, was kicked off that DZ. Was told I was "controversial." (Woodstock CT.)

    In both cases I did nothing wrong, yet was blacklisted. Count me among those who think this type of list is a bad idea.

    Cheers,
    Jon S.

  13. This morning I posted "Case o' beer." My post has been removed. Why?

    Bob taught me this sport. He was the first person with a name & face that I got to know as a student. In my young newbie mind he was the quintessential skydiver. I always looked up to & respected him.

    Several years ago SKYDIVING magazine ran a reader response question that asked "Is there anyone with whom you'd like to jump?" (I paraphrase.) I did not respond, but I almost sent in his name. He followed me out on my final student dive & signed me off instruction. We never had a chance to jump together after that.

    Bob taught me about "case of beer" rules. Last weekend's incident would qualify. Bob would think this comment was funny.

    Cheers,
    Jon

  14. NO!

    Bob taught me the FJC, jumpmastered my first jump in 1982, my first freefall, several other student jumps, then signed me off instruction. I haven't jumped near Albany since early '87 but have always wanted to visit again & see/jump w/him. Damn.

    What happened?

    Jon Schaeffer
    Kennesaw, GA

  15. Quote

    Quote

    The landings I witnessed were soft & nearly always right on target.



    Nuff said right there.

    Correct me if I'm wrong OP but,
    I'm pretty sure you speak of my crew.

    90 degree to final is acceptable. A turn is only "low" if it does not allow enough altitude for the canopy to recover on it's own arc without input from toggles or rears.
    I set the bar high for all tandem staff and the rules are VERY clear. Deviation from our standards gets you time off or worse, you go away.

    As stated by others, you could have spoken to any of us in person about your concerns. We are normal people and skydivers just like you.

    What ever happened to having beers and talking while looking one in the eye?
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    Didn't think it was important enough to make a fuss. As a visitor & a non-TI I'm ready to accept advice from those more experienced. At the same time I'd never seen this before & thought it might warrant a brief comment.

    If I'd actually been hanging with everyone after hours I might have brought it up. I'm sure no one would have been offended.

    Re rules: At check in I was shown DZ procedures. These included an admonition that everyone land in the same direction. Yet several times I saw folks land both up- & downwind on the same load.

    Again, there was no compromise of safety. The people doing this stayed clear of each other. No close calls. Yet, as a new visitor it was made clear to me that we were supposed to all land in the same direction. Just curious.

    Cheers,
    Jon

  16. During a recent visit to a well-known southeast DZ I saw tandems doing low-altitude 90 degree hook turns. The landings I witnessed were soft & nearly always right on target.

    If the tandem manufacturers & the community of experienced TI's don't have a problem with this then I won't make a fuss, but I can't help thinking this is not the wisest decision one can make. It seems to increase the risk of an accident without offering any added benefit to the student's experience.

    In addition, I fear this might make an impression on the new jumper who thinks this is the way landings "should" be. Might this be creating an environment which can breed future landing accidents?

    Cheers,
    Jon S.

  19. Catch me when I'm around and I'll jump with you, and you don't have to buy my jump. (If they'll let me.) Recent USPA "suggestions" have made it difficult for me to jump with newbies.

    While I've been "coaching" beginners for many years, I don't have the rating. (This used to be called "jumping with the new guy" before the USPA leadership decided to solve a problem that didn't exist by inventing the whole stupid "coach" rating in the first place.)

    By the way, you're not officially a student, are you? If you are you should only be dealing with the instructor staff. If not, how did someone let you graduate without learning basic skills?

    Regardless, there're plenty of competent qualified people at the Farm. Hans & Andy will treat you right.

    Cheers,
    Jon S.

  20. Lotsa interesting stuff here, even if it's not directly related to the Perris incident.

    I'm not getting the First-One-Down-Sets-the-Direction thing. If I'm at 1500' and watch the first guy land downwind, what's wrong with me doing a normal upwind landing, as long as there's no other traffic nearby?

    I fly a large main and frequently land last. Several years ago I was visiting the Ranch and grudgingly complied with the pre-jump request to land downwind, but could see no point to it, as I had the immediate chunk of sky to myself. Nearly everyone else had already landed, and the tandems were still quite a distance away.

    Cheers,
    Jon

  22. The very premise of this thread is mistaken. Science and the Church are not mutually exclusive.

    Yes, there have been historic disagreements. These things happen. While much of basic Church teaching cannot be scientifically proven, much of it HAS been validated through the scientific process. Science & faith are two separate entities, with much common ground.

    Cheers,
    Jon S.

  25. Quote

    I'm not an expert at this stuff but doesn't anyone see a problem with having loop handles rather than a strap with a know at the end?

    Quote

    loop handles made from the same binding tape on the two bottom corners.


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    The article I sited offered some specific measurements. Easy enough to slip three or four fingers through for a secure grip, yet loose enough to discard easily. I made five jumps with this arrangement and they all worked out as planned. If I'd opened up my hand it would have slipped off very quickly.

    Cheers,
    Jon