fjd

my deepest condolences to the loved ones of Sara and Ron. it is very hard and becomes very real, when the tragedy hits home. fly free. i know you will always have blue skies. ===============

Cayce, is there a coaching program in Perris that combines personal coaching with tunnel time? and what is the Bridge the Gap at Elsinore? most importantly, how much did they cost you? ===============

i agree with you, in general, that the more jumps one has the higher knowledge level. however, that relationship is not necessarily true in ALL instances. and as you pointed out "it isn't the be all and end all" in that who's to guarantee that the profile info is the absolute truth? a reader of this board should always have certain amount of skepticism when reading posts. on the same token, a post should be responded to on its merit of the content, not based on the profile info of the poster. i think we all can use a bit less attitude in general on this board, IMHO. ===============

check "Rigs & Things Paraservice" website, if haven't already. they had the lowest price. the shipping was quick and accurate as well. ===============

it's scaring the crap out of me, too. then again we're a nation which bestows high raings to FOX news and their certain talk shows, and elects a person with no clue as the president. i'm scared crap-less. ===============

exactly!!!! there is no excuse for the main flap to be completely open like that during the climb out. especially the rear float with the newer Javelin with the tuck tab. as you get ready for the climb out, get a pin check. if you don't want a pin check or no one is around that you trust to do it for you, then get in the habit of reaching back and at least make sure that the main flap is secure. i do this multiple times after getting up off the floor/bench of the plane, along with checking/touching all of the handles in the order that they would need to be pulled. this little incident could have easily turned into a much more serious variety. glad you all are OK. ===============

i'm trying to picture as to how the payment was made. i'm guessing most likely the payment was made when the rig was picked up? or maybe you sent in the payment afterwards. in any case, wouldn't you ask for an itemized invoice of some sort, especially if the amount due was much higher than expected? i'm sure you had no intention of "smearing" anyone, but you have to realize that this 'bulletin board' is a powerful medium. for many at your home DZ reading these posts, it doesn't take much to figure out who the rigger in question is. and IMHO the thread certainly had negative connotation for the rigger in question. i think the mis-understanding could have been easily avoided if your rigger had provided an itemized invoice to begin with (mine always does), or if you had asked for it yourself before making the payment. just my two cents. ===============

blind faith?!? i'm sure there is _a_ plan. however, note that we're dealing with politicians here. if they had any plans with any semblance of future success, you would no doubt heard it by now. ===============

amen! ===============

i agree with you. if one were to weigh all the contributing factors, the intoxication would have the most weight. but the choice of canopy nonetheless would be up there as well. if it were a lightly loaded canopy, would it have made a difference? could you make an arguement that the incident report could have been for a couple of broken femurs rather than a fatality? i think that is a distinct possibility. ===============

right on! ===============

i was referring to the latter, a 'pre-planned' night jump. so would you borrow a larger 150+ canopy to do it? ===============

couldn't agree with you more. ===============

i would tend to agree with you on this point. going with a bit bigger canopy than usual should not hurt, unless you are already jumping a lightly loaded canopy. ===============

i agree with you about the scenery, but i would also like to land in one piece, even if not gracefully. ===============