tbrown

One thing I've noticed since we went to 180 days is the number of people who show up at the dropzone but can't jump because they've let their reserve go out of date. With the 120 cycle this almost never happened, but in the last few years I've seen it happen 5-6 times, most recently this weekend. Personally, I pay my rigger for a full inspection of everything, main included. This time around he found two small holes on the tail, which I'd missed completely, even though I do my own packing. I got 'em patched before I jumped again. Let's not ever forget what we're really doing here, or what our rig does for us every time we use it. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Cochise too.....bummer... Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

I will NEVER travel to any middle east arabic or muslim shithole. Fuck em. Those that do, do at your own risk. ______________________________________________________ Says it all for me. I don't care if they have a sexy dropzone - so does Southern California - with full protection of the law, even for foreign guests. Boycott Dubai. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Right above the crew rest huh ? During my years at Boeing, I knew a few people who'd served on travelling AOG (aircraft on ground) teams. AOG teams would make onsite repairs to planes that could not be moved. Some of the stories they told were most interesting. There ARE parts of the world where airline passengers do their own cooking, in flight, in the aisles, with open gas flames. Here in the US, where it's illegal to even light a smoke, that may be hard to believe, and I'll probably catch hell for being un-PC. But there are still people who play with fire onboard airplanes. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Skydiving IS inherently dangerous. The gravitational pull of the 3rd rock from the sun is immensely greater than our puny human abilities to resist. That said, it's funny how safe and comfortable I feel the moment I leave the plane and feel the air around me. In the old days (1974 - '80) I personally witnessed 5 fatal accidents and knew so many people who went in that I have to sit down and think to make a list of their names. In the ten years since I came back, I've only known 2 or 3 people who've died and only witnessed one fatal accident last fall (which was also different, as the woman lived for another ten days before finally passing away). All in all, things have appreciably improved. But skydiving will NEVER be completely safe. Gravity and human error are ultimately insurmountable. We are NOT all on death row, waiting for our turn - I reject that reasoning when I hear it, from the people who think so. We CAN go on for tens of thousands of jumps and retire peaceably, but we will all be scared shitless several or many times in the process. Skydiving IS reasonably safe, or I wouldn't do it - as I don't BASE jump or swoop. I have always said the decision to jump is a complex and intensely personal equation, balancing risk with ability, confidence, and the rewards of a beautiful experience. Right now, I'm on sabbatical and re-examining my own personal equation. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Not counting the old days (28 ft. cheapo > MkI Paracommander > 21 ft Sparrow > 180 ft 5 cell Cobra 10 > 230 ft 7 cell Viking Superlite), my first rig back had a 190 Spectre. I had bought the rig understanding that the Spectre was a 210, but it was a 190. Gave it a go and liked it for about 30 jumps, then got hurt. After six months off and the pin being removed from my ankle, came back with a 210 Pilot. Jumped that for 3 years, 'til I blew it up on a slammer opening, then went to a 188 Pilot. Got a 188 ZPX Pilot two years ago and have since become UTTERLY frustrated with the no wind landings. Three canopy courses have not helped, so I'm thinking of demoing something else again. Perhaps a Safire 2, perhaps another Spectre, or maybe even a Storm. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

IMO, getting some of those videos of actual mals took some real balls! I mean, who would actually volunteer to be the subject demonstrating how to fire your reserve into an actual horseshoe and into a PCIT?(Quote) __________________________________________________ I had trouble finding all the episodes together, so went direct to the APF website and hit their link. Got all the vids, continuously and in sequence. EXCELLENT series, the best I've ever seen ! As for the PCIT and the horseshoe, you couldn't pay me enough to do either one, not even with a second reserve on my chest. Yeah, the guy's a champion and an expert, but those things could kill him just as dead. The guy's got some ice cold nerve and dedication. My hat is off to him. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Never met Mike either, though once long ago I bought a Navy conical reserve from him, by mail. Then of course there were all the enjoyable years of reading Skydiving Magazine - including years when I wasn't even jumping anymore. It was refreshing to read some real critical thinking about our sport. We haven't even begun to realize just how much we'll miss him. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Get a PD Optimum and end the suspense. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Probably showing my age here, but Harry Reems has died at 65. Looks like he had pancreatic cancer. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Lose the penny. We'll still have Lincoln on the 5 Note. Lose the dollar bill as well as the 2 dollar bill, we'll still have Washington & Jefferson on coins. When we visited New Zealand, I was impressed with their currency. Smallest coin is a dime, which is almost never used. Usually prices are rounded up or down to the nearest 20 cents. No bills below the $5 bill; dollar and two dollar coins are similar, but the $2 coin is thicker - and ALL coins have distinctly different edges, for the blind to identify them. Bills are printed on shear thin plastic, in different colors and sizes for different denominations. It's time we started making currency for the 21st century. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

I actually did give it up once, for 22 years. Right when I got married. It was my decision though, for my own rasons. My wife (who I'm still married too, nearly 32 years later) never once asked me to stop. She's always said she knew she was marrying a skydiver. The kids are now both grown up and off on their own. When I started back ten years ago, I had my wife's full support, even when I broke my leg the following year. There are plenty of reasons to stop jumping - some are valid and some aren't. I could stop again for the right reasons. This may sound like heresy, but there really is more to life than just skydiving. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

I've had two deployments and landings with a PD193R in actual malfunction situations and been very satisfied with its performance both times. I now have an Optimum 176, which I have so far not had the "opportunity" to use. But I have demoed one and am extremely impressed with its performance, especially the landing. While the PD193R gave me a comfortable landing both times, the Optimum gave me the most incredible landing I've ever had under ANY canopy - ever. I started laughing about halfway into my flare and couldn't stop laughing for almost five minutes. The opening was also quick (deployed it at terminal), and while I wouldn't call it "soft", it was quite comfortable - exactly what I'd want from any reserve. The flight characteristics were sporty for a reserve. I've got a ton of confidence knowing this is what I've got packed behind "Door No. 2". Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Perris has regular staff LO's most days of the week. Call ahead and ask ! Also look up the Perris Organizers page at Facebook. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Like you, I owned and jumped a 2001 model Javelin for several years - and was very happy with it. But when I finally had the opportunity to order my custom "dream" rig, I decided on an Infinity. As happy as I was with the Javelin, I think they're over priced, probably because they're the most popular rig on the market and can charge whatever they want. My research also showed me that Sunpath nickels & dimes for "extras" like hackey handles and collapsible pilot chutes. That's really bullshit, as those features are standard on almost all other competitors' rigs. The nickel & diming gives the illusion of knocking the basic price down lower, but nobody wants a rig these days without most of the extras. Because I was buying a dream rig, I did opt for most (but not all) of the extra bells & whistles available for the Infinity. I did not go for chest rings on the harness, as I don't swoop, and I elected the plastic hook knife over the metal one. One pleasant surprise was finding the spring clips on the leg strap adjustors, which is a standard feature on all but the cad plated hardware. VSE told me they got onto this feature after seeing some climbing harnesses, so after putting them through testing, added them as a standard feature (on all but cad plated, where it apparently doesn't work so well). Both Sunpath and VSE offer excellent customer service, but as I live on the west coast, I favor VSE for being "next door" in Oregon. I have used the reserve on my Javelin twice, once on a low speed cutaway and once on a terminal pilot chute hesitation. Both times the reserve deployment was very quick and smooth (the cutaway was assisted by a standard RSL, which beat me to the punch on my reserve handle). So far, with 150+ jumps on my Infinity, I haven't had the "opportunity" to use the reserve, but I'm really impressed with the size and design of the reserve p/c. Again, I'm using a standard RSL with the Infinity. As to whether the pilot chute is completely enclosed, partly enclosed, of completely exposed, I see that as a matter of personal choice, though I like the way the Infinity p/c is completely enclosed. I find the Infinity has a much tighter main container to close up, also that Infinity doesn't have the leverage on the closing loop that the Javelin has. But I do my own packing and got used to closing up the main quickly and easily enough. I love what a smooth tight rig it is. And last but not least, I love the double riser flap protection on the main risers. I think for price (especially including "extras" as standard features), fit, comfort, and advanced design, you can't go wrong with the Infinity. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

I know any number of responsible law abiding gun owners, and Hurricane Katrina really changed my mind about gun control (I had been strongly in favor of gun control prior to Katrina). But that said, of the five people I've known who have taken their lives in the last six years, four have done it with their own guns. One hung himself, but I really have to wonder if the other four might have got past a very bad day if they hadn't had something so quick and effective as a gun. Just sayin', there are no easy answers to this. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Went to see it last night, with my daughter and her partner, who were both deeply involved with making the film in Wellington. Mostly, I enjoyed the film very much. I am skeptical about dragging it out into 3 installments, thought the original plan for 2 might be alright. But then I'm aware of some of the politics that has gone on behind the scenes as well. We saw the HD 3-D version and that was a bit weird. I've seen 3-D films before, but this one didn't look like a "movie". It was more like watching a live set. Not sure if I liked that, but maybe it's because I'm old school and have my own ideas about what a "movie" looks like. Bottom line is this - go see it, you'll like it. But don't bring little children, some of the Orcs and the violence are too much for the little shavers. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

I've been jumping Pilots for the last 8 years, after having briefly owned a Spectre (got hurt, which was my fault and NOT the Spectre's). I've been very happy with Pilots, except they frustrate me on my no wind landings. I've tried everything - including 3 canopy courses over the last six years, but I can't get a Pilot to plane out for shit. So I'm VERY intrigued with the Storm and plan on demoing one soon. I'm a relative worker who enjoys a fun canopy, but basically wants a nice ride back to the dropzone and a great landing. I know everyone has to trot some landings out now & then. I also understand that the Pilot is a 9 cell and the Storm is a 7 cell, so this is something of an "apples & oranges" comparison. But I'd love to hear some comparisons from anyone with experience under both canopies. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Numero Uno, no disrespect intended to the Angel Fire. Agreed that Jump Shack has always built quality products, and a good friend of mine recently bought a Racer with an Angel Fire. I have an Optimum in my newest rig and have made a demo jump on one (a 176, loaded at about 1.3:1). I found it a bit sporty to fly and it had a definite stall point. But the landing was absolutely the softest and easiest landing I've EVER had. I started laughing halfway thru the flare and couldn't stop for 5 minutes. I simply could not believe how easy it was to land ! Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

And "Sins of the Father". Just waiting to see the new Lincoln film ! Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Just got my 18th flu shot, been getting them every year since I turned forty (my dad advised me to start getting them). Since then, I have had no wintertime pounding headaches, blowing it out both ends, "just let me die in peace" sicknesses. It slays me how many people will miss a week at work, then come back and report the horrors they've endured. But if I suggest they get a flu shot next year, they invariably tell me, "Oh, I NEVER get a flu shot !" To which I can only answer, "Well, apparently not !" Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

I concur. Also, as reasonably safe as skydiving is, I have known two VERY experienced Instructors, one with 4000 jumps and one with 17,000 jumps, who left their families fatherless. You only have to screw up once to die and then it's over. Not at all likely to happen, true enough. But it does happen. Big part of why I took a 22 year break from the sport. Any one of us could be killed on the freeway driving to work any morning - but we have to go to work. We DON'T have to skydive, not when our kids are so young. For the kids' sake, if not your wife's (she counts too) - don't do it. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Wow, who'd a thunk it ? Actually, for all the stink the religious right makes about teen pregnancy, the actual rate of teen pregnancies has been steadily going DOWN for almost forty years. But I suppose giving teenage girls birth control is like giving them permission to fuck, which they're going to do anyway.... Boys don't need permission to fuck, after all boys are boys. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

All of us at Perris had so hoped Irina would pull through and recover. We're heartbroken to hear this. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Yes it should be legal, taxed, and controlled. Just like liquor and tobacco. Any free society that proclaims liberty should permit its use - and hold users accountable for their behavior when they use it. It is that simple a no brainer. Period. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !