tbrown

I just got one from somebody claiming to be a lawyer in Nigeria. He was supposedly executor to the estate of some deceased American, and since he couldn't find any other suckers, he was trying to persuade me I could inherit millions if I would just give him my bank acct numbers (yea right, I give those out every day, no wonder all my checks keep bouncing...). I forwarded the email to the fraud unit at the CA State Attny Genls office, with a copy to sender. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

I haven't had a problem with finding a BOC hackey, it's just that when I do, it likes to bobble around and play a game of "can't catch me", which I think is annoying. I have no problem at all with the standard plastic barrel handle. I mean as cool and slick as hackeys are, is this another example of style overcoming good sense ? I guess hackeys are OK for those who want them, but when I get my rig, I'm going for the good old orange barrel. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

They weren't the first with Turbos, but the United Parachute Club, aka The Herd, in Pennsylvania was using Skyvans and hosting Skyvan boogies regularly by about 1977. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

No figures or stats, but last week I did a track where I bent a little more forward right at the hips and suddenly felt like I'd been shot out of a cannon. It was so cool I let out a yell. I wasn't wearing booties or anything, just a very scruffy old jumpsuit. Back on the ground I got some very positive comments on my track. When you get it just right, it feels a lot like catching an ocean wave, like bodysurfing. It's huge fun! Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

A good discussion. I'm just starting to check out new gear after returning from a long layoff. I've got a few jumps on a 230 Spectre, which I'm feeling pretty comfy with. I weigh 218, so exit weight is probably up around 245. Swimming, running on beach sand, and watching what I eat should get me down to 200 lbs or maybe just under, then we'll see if I can keep it there. Perris in the summer is a good place to try out canopies because it's at a 1400 MSL elevation and has lots of turbulence all summer long. Short of going to Denver, I can't think of a better place to learn canopy skills, anywhere else should be easy street by comparison. Once I get consistent with the 230 Spectre, I plan on trying out the Sabre2 in a 210 size (which is as large as their demos go), as well as the 210 Spectre and a 209 Safire as well. If I need to stay up in the 230'ish range I don't mind, I'm 47 and am really in it for the freefall, I'll leave the hot swoops to the young hippies. The truth is, all the canopies, even the 280 student models, simply blow the doors off any square I ever jumped in 1980. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Yeah, Jim Wallace, he da' man. He can tell you. For a fact, there have been any number of ash dives at Perris, there was one just two weeks ago for one of the Air Trash brethren who died of cancer. Pictures are on the Perris webcam site. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

There's been some great freefall photographers, but I've never seen anybody with a better sense of composition with Mike McGowan! I was checking out his galleries here at DZ.com and they're breathtaking, he manages to capture what it's like to be there better than anyone I've ever seen. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Yeah, old Pete's been let go with a caution and now has to register as a sex offender for five years. The authorities are persuaded that he did not download any of the porn, and they tend to believe, though not excuse, his explanation that he was conducting research. I can accept an explanation by a public figure who believes he was himself molested as a child, that he was conducting research for an anti-pedophile project. Fact is, Pete notified the police at the time he was accessing the site that he was doing so for his research. Would a perv let the cops know what he was doing ? As for registering as a sex offender, skydivers take note. If you enjoy occasionally mooning, flashing, or skydiving nekkid, you too could be categorized as a sex offender if you happen to bend the wrong person's nose out of shape. Some people have no sense of humor at all. It could happen to you. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

"So THAT'S why they were loading a piano into the Skyvan! Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Unless you've REALLY, and I mean REALLY got your barrel roll in a track routine down better than you think, there's just too much going on for it. Even if people are breaking off and pulling higher to allow for canopy snivel, the time and thousands of feet are going by pretty fast at this point. There isn't anybody up there you won't see by twisting your neck just a little left and right. Give a good look, a good wave, and toss it. Trying to coordinate fancy barrel rolls at the low end of the dive could result in one or both canopies out below a grand. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

47. Started jumping at 18, took a loooooong break at 25, just got started again. Thanks for reminding me about POPS, I need to join. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

In defense of the good old Paracommander, I never had to chop mine even once. I only discovered the joy of cutaways after going square. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

The men are still afraid of being shown up by a girl, they don't want to play on the girls' circuit. That's their problem. I was glad to see Annika play and just heard last night that she missed the cut to stay in the tournament. That's OK though, she made it, she played. Nobody said she had to win, place, or show, though it would've been nice. She's opened the door and that's what counts. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Had hoped to get out there this weekend and meet so many of you, I only live about 70 mi. away in Huntington Beach. But my wife's in the hospital, so I'm not goin' nowheres. She's doing much better by the way and should be home tomorrow. I'll have to meet you all next time 'round. Blue skies & be safe! Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

I was a hardcore seven year old Ripcord addict. We used to play "skydivers" jumping out of trees and off of swingsets with our arms out, running all over the backyard like little idiots going, "sheeeew". It was the first time I'd ever seen freefall film in my life. I didn't get it at first, how come these guys weren't falling, they were flying ? Then how come they needed parachutes ? My dad assured me they were falling and had to wear parachutes or they'd die. Many years later in 1979 I made some jumps at Perris with a guy named Terry Ward. Terry was one of the old Arvin Good Guys team and a veteran of the first 8 way and 10 way stars. He'd been a stuntman on Ripcord and was still jumping the round red & white canopy with the cool Ripcord logo. I was in awe. Terry was killed in the Taft Beech crash in '82. The characters names on the show were Ted McKeever and Jim Buckley. Jim Buckley was played by Ken Curtis, better know as Festus Hagan from Gunsmoke. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Perris has a packing course and they do require it for the A license. I hadn't jumped for so many years that I didn't know how to pro pack, so I took the course and learned how. The instructor was really good, he just had me go over each step again and again and then moved on to the next step. I think I finally packed the thing 3 times start to finish before jumping it, which is good. It makes it a habit. The final exam is jumping your pack job and watching it open over your head. That instills confidence. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Now there's an idea, Skydiving Barbie! I mean they even have Barbie decked out in Sponge Bob Square Pants t-shirts now (cool). But think of the possibilities, Barbie can have an assortment of rigs (Javelin, Vector, Infinity, Voodoo, etc), many many jumpsuits in different colors, for RW, freeflying, sitflying, whatever. And Barbie's skyboard. Dopey old Ken can have a winged camera suit and a helmet full of cameras to shoot his Barbie babe's hot freefall action. I've got too much time on my hands... Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

While you wait ? Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Four in my first 566 jumps, all in the old days (1976 -'80). Three cutaways, one lost PC handle total. Those were in the old days, safetywise I was a bit of a screwup (to put it politely) in those days. I'd like to think I'm starting with a clean slate and a new attitude. Never have opened a square reserve though, would love to jump one as a main once or twice, out of curiosity. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Alright, well it sounds like you resolved it and had a good time in the bargain. Once again though, the bottom line, you should only be skydiving because YOU want to. On the general topic of heebie jeebies, most of the experienced jumpers I know admit to getting a little twinge of "oh my god" on jumprun everytime. Then others insist it doesn't bother them in the least. A person's state of mind can vary the intensity of that feeling from one jump to the next; was their last dive a really good one or a flail, did they get any sleep at all the night before, etc. etc. The next jump after a reserve ride is always a real emotional treat. I will admit to a certain level of anxiety up to jump run, then shifting into "work" mode to take my place in the exit lineup, then as soon as we're through the door everything's just too beautiful. I have told friends that skydivers mostly never get over the fear, instead we recognize it and use it to our advantage because healthy fear keeps us sharp and honest. Any thoughts on this ? Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Um well yeah.... Actually she doesn't read this site. That just sort of slipped out, it's an issue that's starting to bubble beneath the surface that is better left unshared. (Note to self - no more posting after the 2nd martini.) She's said all these years that I could return to jumping anytime I wanted, but now all of a sudden she and the daughters two are trying to append a list of if's, but's, and wherefores to the deal. She actually went along as a hiker/camper on a 1980 El Capitan expedition and hiked out with the camping gear after watching most of us take the shortcut off the top. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

What ? You don't have your Star Crest Bombardier number yet ? I'd get a move on it, while the numbers are still low (I think they're up to 56 by now...) We had an observer on a Beech load, this was in the seventies, and she was expecting to see the old chest mounted reserves, but by then of course everyone and their auntie had gone piggyback. We just told her that reserves were too expensive and only losers needed them, not us. Then we told her about the "brick load" (my idea), which is when we'd do some advertising for the DZ by tossing bricks out over some stretch of the downtown shopping district with the DZ's name and phone number. If a brick actually hit anybody, they'd get their first jump for free. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

I'm in agreement about the kids paying for their own first jumps. I'll also let 'em wait 'til they're 18, my parents did. I met my wife at Perris in 1980, when she made her first & so far only jump. She went back to make a 2nd, but had such a fit of nerves I walked her back over to manifest and negotiated a refund for her, which they were very understanding about. I don't think anyone should ever jump to please someone else, not a parent, a lover, a spouse, anybody. If you're not doing it because YOU want to, then don't and I'll certainly understand. This ain't for everybody and frankly it's what sets us apart from all the miserable whuffos. I've got one daughter who's a fraidy cat about everything and the younger one likes the fastest scariest amusement park rides. The older one says she wants to make a tandem just to check it out. The younger one might be skydiver material. But they won't be doing it for me. I have tried to talk my wife into at least doing a tandem to see what freefall is like, but she's lost her sense of adventure and doesn't even want to come out to the DZ. It's disappointing and scary, because her ma used to be fun and adventurous too, but turned into a real church lady bitch. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

I don't think the bombers speak for most Palestinians. There was a recent opinion poll taken among Palestinians that for the first time, ever shows an admittedly slim majority (but nonetheless a majority) of them want Hamass brought under control and the bombing to stop. The bombers are a minority who are determined to destroy any hope of peace. The challenge to you and the Palestinians is whether you're going to let them do that, because both your people will be diminished until you do. Most of us in the US consider Arafat to be an asshole, but we don't see Sharon helping anything either. All the guy knows how to do is shoot people and that's not an original or helpful idea. The Israelis and Palestinians are going to have to figure out how to get along, or you're just going to go on killing each other. Isn't it time you both got serious about it, or would you both prefer to go on like this, with terror against your people and a military occupation (which sucks any way you look at it, just ask the Irish) against theirs. I can't believe that either of your peoples hasn't had enough of this. Rabin didn't say "hey, we can all be friends", he said "enough of bloodshed". And he was killed for it by his own people. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Great news! There really are some good people out there after all. Thanks for getting back with us, I think we're all happy you've got your ring back. As for describng the ring, it always helps to have something like your initials or wedding date engraved on the inside of the ring. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !