SkydiveJack

I'm pro safety, so take this comment for what you will. Bill can be an asshole (according to you), and he's done more to hurt skydiving with this FAA action than anyone I have ever met. Based on your comments, I have a question for you. Would you be willing to pay your rigger 25% to 50% less for a reserve repack if he just pencil packed it every time? I mean, what could go wrong? The canopy was fine when it was put in there the first time. Think of all the money you could save for your funeral!

The official attendance for the game was 113,065 people.

You got that right! The big point here is that Secretary of Transportation Ray Lahood, a member of the Presidents Cabinet, made the following statement- “Putting parachutists at risk by neglecting to follow safety procedures is unacceptable,” says U.S. Transportation Secretary LaHood. “We expect aircraft operators to comply with our safety rules and will take enforcement action when they do not.” He said “parachutist.” He is talking to all of us. Believe me, for Transportation Secretary LaHood to make that statement, the FAA has all the proof they need about the neglected maintenance on the Twin Otter operated by The Parachute Center. The heat is about to get turned up. And that is probably a good thing. The jump plane operators who properly maintain their aircraft will be fine and the few irresponsible operators, who trade your safety for profit, will hopefully get shut down.

The last rescue worker is on his way up as I write this. Great job by everyone down there in Chile!

Damn Rich, I was planning to take a trip to Oceanside in November. Are you stalking me or something?

Apparently Bill Dause was nice enough to pass on some of what he saved cutting corners in maintenance costs to the jumpers through lower jump prices. Lodi jumpers, for your own safety, I think you should find a new DZ.

It's going to be interesting to learn more about what happened here. http://billingsgazette.com/news/local/article_a39aee86-d6df-11df-a18e-001cc4c03286.html WASHINGTON — Federal regulators on Wednesday proposed fining a feeder airline, Corporate Air, $455,000 for allowing a small airliner to carry passengers on 80 flights despite an engine that needed repair. Separately, the Federal Aviation Administration also proposed fining an owner of a California parachute jumping operation $664,000 for flying a plane more than 2,600 times with critical equipment overdue for replacement and without making required inspections. "The safety of the passengers and crew must be the top priority for any operator," FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt said in a statement. "All operators must comply with maintenance requirements." Billings, Mont.,-based Corporate Air flew the Beech 1900C — a 19-passenger twin-engine turboprop plane — without repairing its right engine, which was consuming excessive amounts of oil, FAA said. Mechanics repeatedly added more oil when the plane landed despite directions in the engine manufacturer's service manual to make repairs, the agency said Executives with Corporate Air didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. The company has scheduled flights in eight states in addition to Montana: Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming. It also operates six aircraft repair and maintenance facilities, according to a company website. The FAA also said The Parachute Center of Acampo, in Northern California, operated a 20-passenger DeHavilland DHC-6 Twin Otter on more than 2,600 flights when critical parts were well past their life limits and without inspecting portions of the wings for corrosion. A man answering the phone at the parachute center declined to comment on the fine.

Unfortunately I remember hearing somewhere that with the mine being inoperable for so long the company was going bankrupt and wasn't going to be able to pay the miners their regular wages for the time they were down there. So not only were they stuck in unimaginable conditions for so long but they weren't even getting paid for it. I think they will all make a bit of money for public appearances and such in the next few months. I’m sure there will be book deals and I bet you that the movie script is almost finished. Their lives will never be the same. But basically, they are alive, and that is worth more than any paycheck.

They have the first one up. More to follow. Man, what a nightmare it must have been for those guys.

Oh shoot, THAT'S what's wrong...he said BASKET not plastic bag! So if she’s really, really ugly, does that make her a two basketier; or is it properly stated as two basketeer? Ben Franklin is also well known for saying “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.”

Yes. Catching the flag is exactly what the ground crew is doing. There were three ground crew from the team present. The jumper landed right on the target located by the south end zone.

I was at the Michigan v. Michigan State game on Saturday, October 9th. The 101st Airborne Screaming Eagles Demo Team dropped one jumper into the game with the game ball. He also trailed the American Flag while the National Anthem played. If I got the name right the jumper was Adam Shiffen(sp?). He landed exactly on time and on target. Great job soldier! Thank you sir!!! During a time out in the third quarter they showed a quick recap from his video of the jump on the scoreboard. It got a huge cheer from the crowd! I have done many demos into College Football and NFL games in the 1980’s with the Budweiser and Miller Skydiving Teams. This was actually my first time (beer!) seeing one as a spectator. It was pretty cool to finally see one from the stands. Of course it’s much cooler to see it from under canopy! Anyway, let us not forget the importance to our sport of the truly professional military and civilian demo jumpers who help attract more students to our DZ’s. Attached are two photos I took.

I remembered this from a while ago. I looked it up on Snopes. They call it False. The woman is real but her advice is apparently incorrect. http://www.snopes.com/medical/disease/ca125.asp

Here's an interesting Flintstone advertisement for the kiddies! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAExoSozc2c

Aah, Australia. Where women are fast and sheep are even faster!

Cool! I have a question since you mentioned the 1984 reserve. This is probably more directed to riggers. Is there an official life limit to a reserve or is it a decision made by each rigger based on the condition of the canopy? I have heard it both ways depending who I was listening to.

Too bad the gold rush wasn’t in 1869. The name change for the team would spice things up a bit! And if they still sucked, at least they can say that’s what they’re supposed to do!

If you’re moving to France, learn to speak Farsi. Oh wait! You’re living in the UK. You probably already have a good handle on Farsi.

I noticed that whoever posted the video labeled it under- Catagory: Comedy. Doesn't look very funny to me.

Just for historical accuracy, the term back then was Bat Wings not Wingsuits.

I wonder if they bought that Toyota in order to come to the "aide" of their country's economy?

That actually was Rare Earth playing at the Boogie that year. And they recorded the track "Hey Freak Brother" for the video.

Whether you agree or not with this guy in Florida about burning a Koran, there is another aspect to this whole situation that people seem to be missing. What I find interesting is the News Medias role in fanning these soon to be lit flames. It’s like they are about to pee in their pants with excitement as the day draws nearer. They can’t wait to air it. I’m sure we will see TV news networks doing live reports of the burning. And if the local Fire Department douses the flames, I’m sure the TV networks will show burnings at other locations. Then they will have crews ready to film the uproar around the world as Muslims riot, burn bibles and kill people in return. It’s good money for the networks. There is a lot of theater to this and we are all having our chains yanked.

Well?

And make sure they know the difference between a good dock and a bad dock!