tsisson

I would opt for Arizona over Chicago during Memorial Day. Having lived in Chicago for a decade...my home DZ was Skydive Chicago...love my roots, but it will rain. Let me be clear...it will rain all weekend. It rains every Memorial Day in Chicago, that is just the way it is. Ask anyone from the midwest if the weather is at all expected to be favorable for Memorial Day...they will tell you...it will rain. Expect to hear Tom Skilling on WGN Weather talk about the "cut off low pressure system" that is "parked over the Tri-State Region" bringing rain and heavy overcast for the entire Memorial day week. It will start raining on Weds before Memorial Day...and the rain will end the Weds after Memorial Day. Then it will be sunny on Thursday and Friday the week after the holiday, only to start raining again Saturday morning the following week...it will drive you to drink. I almost blew my head off living there... Now on the other hand...in Arizona...I can predict with 100% accuracy, that we will have bright sun and favorable conditions.

When driving my big diesel F250...when I signal my intent to change lanes, and the drivers behind and beside decide to speed up to prevent my lane change...I assure you, I AM coming over...

When was the last time you looked at a SIM? Check it out. I have the current SIM...but don't see what that has to do with my choice of major in college.

Yes, time between groups...absolutely. I am agreeing with this completely...it's when we start expecting people to apply math equations in the door while a plane load of people are shouting Go, Go, Go is when things unravel...I just like to keep it simple, and count out a good delay. And yes, much longer when ground speed is slow...

Remy, I guess what I'm saying...is I see and have experienced issues with people in our and other DZ's that get overloaded with too much created complexity while "in the moment"...and this isn't just isolated to skydiving. I think sometimes we try to over analyze things and create a workflow that essentially overwhelms people when things start happening fast. I think posting simple and easy to apply guidelines in aircraft is a great thing...but when we armchair this stuff with physics equations, it makes my eyes cross. I don't know how to work a slide rule, hence my dropping my major as a mechanical engineer one semester into college...

Ok...here goes. I find that many jumpers, experienced or otherwise...have a hard time grasping simple concepts like not crossing the wind line in the LZ. Are we expecting this same population of jumpers to apply calculations and physics equations in the door of an airplane, with a bunch of impatient knuckleheads pressuring them to Go Go Go 2 seconds after the group ahead? I'm sticking with BG's concept of using your eyes, brain, and experience to create the right separation between groups. I'll skip the scientific calculator and computer based drift models.

I'm still jumping my first rig...17 years later...

Or in the desert, where we have the brown bowl. :)

"At two grand, the last thing you need is pretty gear". Racer, sort of like Porsche...there is no substitute...

Donation...done...

Drop to I-8 and you avoid Phoenix all together...

There is a reason MotoGP bikes don't have speedos...

I can't wait to see how this distracting little piece of gadgetry adds even more element of chaos and lack of awareness in the landing pattern. But I didn't see you because I was too busy monitoring my "heads up" display. But my altimeter said I was at 700 feet, my audible said 600, and my Johhny spaceman recon heads up unit said 500... I'm going to continue to trust my eyeballs thanks very much...

Jeb has jumped the shark...

Sounds like a simple "Get that fucking cigarette away from this gear" is in order.

Find something that you will actually carry. Let me explain...I have a 1911 .45, commander size...and I bet I only carry it 20% of the times I leave the house because it's a pain in the ass to dress around. On the other hand, I find that 100% of the time I leave the house, I have my Ruger LCP .380...because it slips in my pocket and is easy to carry. Now...which would you prefer if the shit hits the fan...the .380 that is in your pocket...or the .45 which is at home in the gun safe? There are times when I have both with me...but that again only represents about 20% of the time.

I'm not aware of any others, but I have a friend who just joined the Monastery there I believe...entered last week or so. Leo Guardado is his name. Please tell him hello for me if he is there... Tim Sisson

Amen. The most effective weapon you have is the one you will carry. I have an LCP and it is the one that always seems to leave the house with me. It is not an accurate shooter from any distance beyond 15 feet for me, but that's not really what I think it's for. It's my "I'm not going to be escorted into the back freezer" piece of mind. As far as the caliber discussions and debates...yes, I'd rather have my .45...but guess what, in the grand scheme of things - I still don't think a bad guy would want to get shot with a .380.

I hope I never have a cutaway on a naked skydive, forcing an off airport landing in town - and getting hung up on the town square clock tower.

"There's something on the wing!" Complacency is our gremlin...

They were probably the first one's hitting the exits. Yep...carrying a firearm is for self protection...last resort/last stand. It has nothing to do with protecting anyone other than the person carrying it. If an exit is the quickest way to remove myself from the incident, then so be it. If trapped, at least I'd take some comfort knowing I had a .45 that might get me out of that fucked up situation in that theatre.

Style points folks...it's all about style points. Safety third...

I am armed - but I don't open my door to anyone at 1:30am... Knock Knock..."Who the fuck is it?" is the proper way to deal with the knock at 1:30am when you are armed. Answer - "the Police"...hang on, I'm dialing 911...

I'm don't claim to be the most experienced jumper in the world...but in the 18 years I have been jumping, I have heard this same line every year. 4 friends do not jump anymore. 1 dead, 1 in wheelchair, 1 permanently limps after a 3 month stay in a rehab clinic, and one seems fine but physically cannot jump from chronic pain associated from 2 femur breaks on the same jump. All of them hooked in on little canopies that they had no business jumping, all under 500 jumps experience. All of them chattering about how they had special skills and were the exception, and were "ready". These are just the close friends that have said the same things at about the same experience level as you...and do not include the ones I've seen hit the ground but didn't know. We'd like you to stick around and become an old and wise presence on your DZ...my advice, let the dead and injured's final lessons sink in, and SLOW DOWN!

Schoolhouse Rock is in order here...