Tonto

Hi Keith - We're trying to get ISO 9001 up in our company. If it's not about quality - what is it about? t It's the year of the Pig.

They die REAL quick - but will last you at least 50 dives after the low battery warning gets going. I have over 100 dives on mine since the battery warning came on in January... I'm sure they only go flat cos of all the extra squealing they do. (Pro Dytter) t It's the year of the Pig.

Mmm. I think a handle is a handle. Grab em and pull em in the right order. I have 16 reserve uses. Some mals, some wraps, some entanglements. I have 2 puffs on my rig. The reserve puff is super skinny - hard to get a grip on if you have big hands - and you really need to grip it while you pull it. I have small hands - my hand strength is good - I'm a rock climber. Mine would not make good "borrowed gear" although it is Cypres equiped. Terms like "ultimate compromise" don't make sense to me. t It's the year of the Pig.

Yeah. Bonus days for me... Maybe 8 years back...I did a Tandem with a really big guy. 6'3", 240lbs. Went through the door, and he put his feet out straight in front of him - like a pike. I had camera on the dive. I tried to hook his legs, but couldn't reach. We were on our side - drouge side down, in a slow turn. I tried to throw the drouge... Well... drouge entanglement next... which I tried to clear twice, unsuccessfully. Now the side spin starts. Its amazing to see the speed it accelerates at within 2 rotations. I remember thinking - now... while you can... and firing the reserve. Got bad riser burn on my neck, but otherwise an OK reserve deployment. Landed safely. Showed the video to everyone - and sent a copy to the local evaluator. Stuff I did wrong. Throwing the drouge early to "help" the cameraman. Arching instead of relaxing to build airspeed prior to an attempt to get stable Stuff I did right. Going for the reserve even though I had altitude to work with. Its the strangest mindset convincing yourself you're fighting for your life with altitude to spare. Firing the reserve when I did. Circulating the tape - and risking my ego - so others could learn from it. Bonus days. They're all so good.

Well Stacy - I'm now one of your slaves.... I have no marketing skill and refuse to sell drugs to forward your evil empire. t It's the year of the Pig.

Hi Trent - I'm against this war, but not pro Iraq or Hussein. I'd like to argue with you about whether the US would protect France right now... but suspect you're right. There are many, many men from many countries buried in France. My great grandfather died at the Somme in 1916. Blue Skies, t It's the year of the Pig.

I took my daughter for her 1st Tandem at age 8. She'd been nagging me since she was 4. Her mom and I agreed to wait till she was 7. At 7, I felt she was not yet ready - so we went for a few rides in the plane. She jumped 1 week after her 8th birthday. She's now 9, and will be doing her 3rd Tandem this weekend. (She wants to pull for herself. Last dive she checked alti and gave me a thumbs up at pull time) I think as long as you're sure its something your child wants to do - and not something you want them to do for you - its OK. My daughter is a real little girl - but she rock climbs with me as well. No, I don't have a son.

Bump. (Was down on page 4...) It's the year of the Pig.

Yes. If you keep at least 1 foot on the ground at any one time - no one can steal your trousers. I think about that every day. On weekends, I wear legstraps. t It's the year of the Pig.

I am so screwed. I work in a paperless office. I have no punch - no stapler - no binder. I was looking for glue yesterday - to stick a signature I'd printed out to a license application - everyone thought I was mad. We used to have a gilotine - but they took it away. It was neat. It had a grid on it that you would cover up with the paper so you couldn't see the markings before you cut it. That was neat. It added a randomness to our office environment. Made me smile. It's the year of the Pig.

I'm a CI - and I would, if you could show me your Tandem rating. We're not that territorial and "franchisee" out here...

Good question. I turned up at Perris the day before the course started. I got lumped with a massive (Size and attitude) german who told Don Yarling "No man kan srow me oonsable on de exit!" I remember looking at Don and rolling my eyes. When we launched that L3 eval dive - we started to spin. I got off. Don spun the cr*p out of that dude. He must have gone 200 feet when he finally lost his grip. I redocked and carried on. I passed the course OK. One of 6 out of 22. My only practice up until then had been camera for AFF. If I were to try and identify airskills, they would be 1. The ability to work exits 2. No contact flight 3. Range - (fallrate) 4. Vertical aggression when they go "3D" Don't - Chase your slot. Just do the job. If you have a partner - that's great. Just understand you have the power to sink each other on a dive - whether its an Eval - or a live AFF. Good luck! t It's the year of the Pig.

Ditto. Best we can hope for is benevolent misunderstanding.

Hi There, You've had good advice so far. The only reason to downsize is to go faster. I've just gone to a 107 after 10 years and 2500 dives on a 120. It was a long, carefully thought out desision. Downsizing is a critical choice for all of us. The Sabre 2 is a fine rag. The change to ZP will give you a lot more zip, and in a year or so, with another 200 dives or so, you can take that next step. Slowly slowly. Those of us who have been around for a while know that next weekend, next month, next year etc will always be there. t It's the year of the Pig.

Every sperm is sacred - every sperm is great. When a sperm gets wasted - God gets most irate!

Thanks for the link. t It's the year of the Pig.

Hi There, 4 jumpers each did 100 dives in 11hrs 45 min at JSC, South Africa, friday 21 March 2003. I know the record for a single jumper is over 500 in 24 hrs. Anyone know if anyone else has done this? Blue Skies, t It's the year of the Pig.

N/A

Mmm. www.pisa.co.za (So much for supporting their products for as long as they're in the air... It's the year of the Pig.

AFF is like learning to swim in the pool with 2 instructors with you. SL is like being briefed for your swim, then being thrown in and yanked out after 3 seconds. I'm completely impartial. I hold SL I, AFF I and Tandem ratings. Of course, I get paid for AFF... t It's the year of the Pig.

Yeah. Me too. t It's the year of the Pig.

Hey. Welcome!

Old Roald Dahl stuff... (sp?) t It's the year of the Pig.

Suit 1 rocks! What colour is your rig? t

Beating the lock.