Millstone

It’s because he sits on dropzone.com all day replying to posts and trying to be clever on the internet rather than doing anything else with his life. Obviously

So, unless I have first hand knowledge, you’re suggesting we all take as fact whatever we read in the news? That’s ridiculous. In most incidents the facts never come out. So I guess you believe that 90% of all skydiving fatalities are because “the parachute never opened”?

How do you know the FAA didn’t get this wrong? This is the same FAA that just allowed skydiving from a plane over the US Capital without telling anyone. There could have been mixed or miss communication. Have you heard Red Bull, or Luke’s side of the story? amazing that skydivers, of all people, could be so dumb to just assume what they read in the paper is true.

My point is this; there are great dz’s that prioritize fun jumpers, have a large contingent of fun jumpers, and are super cool. But there are none that are “out there that can remain profitable without ever sending a single tandem or AFF student.”

Name one?

Two questions; was it rental gear or your own gear? And do you really have a soft pillow handle on your reserve or a D ring?

Your AFF Instructor is much more highly skilled, gets paid less, and spends way more time with you than a TI.. yes, a tip is well appreciated and deserved.

At SkyDance there is a set landing direction for light and variable winds which keeps people from chasing the sock. But no single rule fixes everything and the best solution is vigilance and education of jumpers.

Interesting! So the collateral for the lender is taken away And the gov get the property free and clear? Wow. I wouldn't have guessed that. Thanks for the reply.

I think this is a great point but I have a question that doesn't seemed to be addressed in any of these reports; of the 48 million in seized assets, how much of that is actual equity? You have to assume the properties all have a fair amount of debt associated with them as people don't pay cash for multi million dollar estates. Therefore the amount appears to be very misleading, as much as I would like it to be true.

"Wouldn't that line of thinking (true or not) suggest that it is better NOT to be a group member, so one can say that one didn't sign a pledge to follow all the rules?" No. Absolutely not. USPA is about creating industry standards, and the best thing a business like ours can do is to strictly adhere to all best practices and industry standards. Nothing shows you're doing that better than by being a USPA member and strictly following all of the guidelines. "And really, how true is your statement anyway?" Very true. This is very naive of you.Any rule you break will be used against you as correlative evidence. And remember juries and judges are whuffo's. Lawyers will make connections you never dreamed possible.

It seems that nobody on this forum owns a business. The two questions being asked are easy to answer but nobody has hit the mark. First, the benefits of joining USPA are numerous. USPA gives us a standardized set of procedures for student training, tandems, equipment, aircraft procedures, etc.etc.This allows the individual member to easily assess if a DZ is following industry standards. Moreover, the individual can seamlessly progress in their training from one DZ to another and know exactly what to expect. Our customers greatly appreciate the continuity and professionalism this system offers. USPA is also a strong lobbying force for our sport and has many successes in protecting our sport from undue government interference. Second; why does USPA have no "teeth" to enforce their rules? The answer is, it doesn't need to. In the US at least, our legal system provides all of the motivation, and then some, for DZO's to follow the rules. For example, if your DZ has an incident it will be discovered that you are a group member of USPA who has signed a pledge to follow ALL of the rules. This means if you have broken ANY rules related to your USPA membership, wether it is related to the incident or not, the courts will conclude you have not been following industry standards and you will be found negligent. Therefor, good business, customer relations, and risk management, are the reasons DZ's sign up for USPA. IT opens us up to a whole slew of extra responsibilities but we do it to provide customers the most transparent, safe, professional, and up to date standards and techniques the industry has to offer.

Any birds showing up for this event? edited to say: Could some birds please show up for this event! We have 3

Skydiver here looking for BM tickets. Last Step up starts today. If anybody is on the fence about trying for tickets, then just do it! We need 5 and will buy any available. Thanks, BSBD

I have to say, anyone who looks at this incident and thinks it is a justifiable shooting is at best a fucking idiot, and most likely a piece of shit racist freak. The kid was walking back from the store. He was followed. The cops told the fucking guy to stop following him. The kid ended up dead. It is beyond obvious what happened here. Anyone, absolutely anyone, who defends this shooting is a complete piece of shit asshole racist fuck tard. If this were not the Internet and in person, I would knock you the fuck out.

If anyone should shut the fuck up it should be Mr. Internet instructor who spends all day, every day, writing lengthy bombastic dick head sky god replies to every poor soul who dares to ask a question on dz.com. For christ sake man, give it a rest. Man, I feel sorry for your wife, or dog, or whoever has to deal with your ego on a daily basis.

Just hang from the strut. It's easier than you would think. I.e. 2 on the step, one hanger, and one in the door.

Hi Lurch, the guy has many thousands of jumps over forty years and all kinds of gear. I think I'll let him decide where he likes to put his Handles. He happens to like it. I think its a nice idea. But I am not surprised people have different opinions. Thanks for your post. Blues

I would like to share an interesting mod I have never seen before. I fly a large wing and sometimes it takes a second or two to root around for the hackie. I don't mind. But a friend has had enough trouble with it that he is has modified his boc. He sewed an overlapping boc so that his handle is located in the center of the rig. He finds that the new position keeps the hackie clear of the wing and is always easy to locate. Anyone try this before? Thanks. Blue skies.

That's pretty impressive Pat. Have you ever skied Mad River? Maybe you can un-retire and do some para ski with us! I assume you know of Mad River so you will have to leave your snowboard at home. :) Good luck in Steamboat. I hope you make it back to back titles. Very cool.

Hi Travis, it blows my mind they had this event there but it is definitely true. We know D-1 was there and Howard is going to be talking to some of these guys for us. I am looking forward to the details. You are certainly in. Lets go make some turns and check it out. :)

In 1961 there was a Para Ski meet at Mad river Glenn ski area in Vermont. There are great pictures of T-10s landing in the Catamount bowl at the top of the mountain. They were timed from exit until they landed and skied to the bottom of the mountain. Winning time was 6 mins! The landing area was tight and conditions were boiler plate. Amazingly no one was hurt. Mad River Glenn has a unique and storied history and I am looking for more information on this singular event. I would love to talk to someone who participated in, or has direct knowledge of the event. It is possible we will hold such an event again in the near future. Thanks in advance for any info. Sincerely, Mike M.

All, I am told the new opening date is April. I am looking to buy, or join anyone in buying blocks of time for spring and summer. We have many interested skydivers here in Vermont of all abilities. If anyone is organizing something cool please let us know. Thanks. -MM

Steve, I am a little confused. When allowing a student to assist in landing I always have my hands in or above the toggles. I assume you do too. If the student drops one at 100 feet you are still in control. Likewise, if they stop flaring halfway I continue the flare without them. Neither situation would cause a problem. I am sure I am missing something. I always listen to you guys with more experience. I have about 300 tandems and always allow students to assist. Thanks, Mike

" trying to pound your square peg into a round hole just doesn't work. " This is exactly it. These guys have their own agenda. They have big jump numbers and want us to know what marvelous skydivers they are compared to people they don't even know. Mr Von and Mr. Diablo de EGO grande inadvertantly show us all why jump numbers do not mean squat. Arrogance and self importance are potentially just as dangerous as one with low jump numbers. They would like to blame low jump numbers for a poor guy going in in Utah even though they have no indication whatsoever that is true. It is quite possible the guy was a better wingsuit pilot than either one of them. Aging, arrogant guys with 4000 tandem jumps are quite possibly much more dangerous than world class athletes in their prime who live in the real world and know how to take advice from others. Being a world class athlete may not cross over to wing suit flights and highly coordinated stunts, but then again neither do tandem jumps and aff level 1s. Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds. Don't believe me? just wait for their response.