larsrulz

First I need to manage to get the two high schoolers who work for me to...well...work. Then I need to put up with my boss when he gets back from Wisconsin. He'll probably be pissed because said two high schoolers will probably be sitting at their computers and not working. Then I need to drive 20 miles so I can go skydiving. Then I need to jump out of a plane from 10,000'...oh wait I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

Unfortunately, no. GI Bill benefits requires that there be a "school or training facility" which is registered with the VA. There aren't rigging schools, and even if there were, they would be hard pressed for the VA to certify them as such. The regulations for VA MGIB benefits only allow for university degrees, business/vocational school, union apprenticeship, correspondence courses, and flight training. Maybe if there were a rigger's union....but then our reserve repacks would go out the roof! I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

I've always disagreed with Bill's response here. Maybe people can pull out the FAA or USPA regulations I totally missed, but I believe that there is no regulation about what a freefaller or canopy pilot can enter/be around with respect to clouds. The only regulations I know of are for the aircraft (if they need to fly VFR) and cloud clearance for the jumpers exiting the aircraft. After exiting, cloud clearance doesn't apply. Cloud clearance merely corresponds to when a jumper can or cannot exit an aircraft. From a safety aspect, it isn't advisable to enter a cloud either in freefall or under canopy, but there are no (again my person opinion of the FAA/USPA regs) restriction once you are out of the airplane. That aside, I love the halo effect as I'm entering a cloud. I tend to avoid thick cloud layers under canopy though. For one I don't want to be unable to make it back to the landing area after leaving the cloud. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

I learned to fly aircraft before learning to fly a canopy, so I approach landings very much as a pilot would, so I like the concept of being at a certain altitude when abeam ones landing point, which I assume you mean here as "enter[ing] the pattern". Being I learned a good deal of canopy control from Gary during my student time, I was originally following this 1000' idea. On a light or no wind day, following a 1000' enter, 600' turn to base, and 400' turn to final seemed to work fairly well, but 1000' makes it very difficult for a new canopy pilot to adjust for mid to high wind days, especially when its hard to give much more detailed explaination aside from to "tighten ones pattern". Since about the time I got my B license, I have been leaning towards being abeam at about 700'. This translates to about 450' turn to base, and 300' turn to final. Mostly, I feel much more confortable knowing I can do a 90 degree flat turn in under 50' and make a 45 degree harness turn in 100'. That aside, I think that 1000' is a good altitude for students to enter the pattern at. This allows them plenty of time for their two necessary 90 degree turns without rushing the landing. After all this, I'm not sure if I fully understand your question. What was "way too high" about this pattern entrance altitude? Did it make it hard to judge when to turn base and final? Did it seem to lean towards base and final turns too soon as to cause overflying the target? I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

Dough: The stuff that buys me beer Ray: The guy that sells me beer Me: The guy who drinks the beer Far: The distance to my beer So: I think I'll have a beer La: La la la la la la beer Tea: No thanks, I'm drinking beer I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

Curious on the other end here, what do people think of using swoop cords? Are they a crutch or tool? My DZO is giving me crap whenever I use the cords on my new swoop suit. Of course I would much prefer not needing them, but if I worry about falling out when a big-way starts floating, is it bad to use swoop cords? I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

There is a cessna dropzone 10 miles north of Rantoul in Paxton, IL which will be jumping all convention, not to mention they'll have a turbine there the whole week before the convention, so you can head up there to make some jumps during the day and then party the convention at night. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

:11:2 Eleven jumps sat-mon; nasty weather at some point in time all three days, but finally got over the whole "must get on every load possible" thing. Finally got my swoop suit and jumped it. Made my 100th on a real nice seven way; half way to that FFC! I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

who are you? I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

A jumper at Paxton last week gave the impression that both Cessnas were down. I know one of Paxton's is down, and Archway's Cessna was down for a number of months....seems like a bad month for those 182s! I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

It is unnecessary for the majority of our society to have a four year education. A vast number of jobs are better suited by an associates degree, while an equally large number of jobs are better suited to trade and technical schools rather than academic settings. There are copious quantities of financial aid money that are being wasted. Take a wild guess how many people go to Cancun, have keggers, and purchase big screen TVs with grant money or federally-subsidized loans. I know of multiple such examples, and it isn't just because of the people I know. This is rampant at every school. There is plenty of money in our federally-funded, state schools; it is an issue of using it properly. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

I just have to disagree. I have known far too many bums that got that piece of paper with absolutely no work ethic and didn't manage to stay employed long after graduation. Someone with enough intelligence can get through college by never going to class and doing the bare minimum without trying. Mind you, this is in engineering at one of the top 5 colleges in the country, so it isn't SlackU either. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

My bad, I was ignoring turtle, so I assumed the rest of you were too. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

Or just realize the fact that every state in this country has a state university, many of them being some of the best colleges in the country. If you can't afford the $17K a year to go to a private college, then you can go to state college that is half that price. Work 20 hours a week (really isn't that hard if you try) and you can leave college with less than $20K in debt. There is no excuse for someone who goes thousands and thousands into debt, at least not if they are gonna bitch about it. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

Am I the only one that sees that rehmwa didn't say that he would prefer to hire someone who turned down scholarships. He said himself that he took national merit aid and pell grant. I think he was making reference to the people who work jack squat in college and leave with $100K+ in student loans then complain about our higher education system, or those that have every little thing paid by their parents and fail to learn one of the most important lessons of college. I personally think that if someone had their college paid for, then good on them, but it certainly shows a level of discipline when someone pays their way through college and leaves with minimal, if any, debt. There are far too many people who go through life living off their parents or "government provided money", and don't know what to do when they don't have that SL anymore. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

I recall seeing a great "downsizing chart" on here; it was used by some European country. It had 4 categories for canopy size, WL, type of canopy (HP, MP, etc.), and jump numbers. It allowed all those considerations to be included for canopy selection, where each jumper was in a certain sectino of the chart, which indicated their max WL, minimize size, etc. That aside, I disagree with BSRs for canopy regulation...yeah, yeah, I know I only have 100 jumps. I think more control should be in the S&TA's hands, so they can be the ones that sign off a jumper for using a certain canopy. No two jumpers are a like, so basing canopy selection on jumper numbers and wing loading alone isn't logical. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

Worked 40 hours a week during my engineering undergrad and paid as I went (actually had to borrow $1000 from my parents at one point in time, but that was so I could fly home for christmas, and I paid them like 1.5 months later), managed to graduate in 3.5 years. Currently have a research assistantship for grad school, so I work half as much and make twice as much; hence why I can skydive now. Quote(I'll hire a 3.0 who did it on his own above a 4.0 who had it all paid for - every time)Quote Well then...you hiring any time in the near future?!? I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

Firefox in comparison to Mozilla 1.7 isn't very good. There is a huge loss of functionality and it just feels a whole lot less featureful. If you do choose firefox, be sure to get 0.8, as 0.9 is buggy as all hell. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

St. Louis is in Missouri, but good try! I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

Carbon Nanotubes themselves can be produced perfectly fine, the problem is there is absolutely nothing that can be used to connect multiple nanotubes together, as each one is smaller in length than a mm. They can certainly be bundled together for incredible strength, but without some form of adhesive, they cannot be made into any sort of usable length. They have been put into composites (like oh so many helmets are made out of these days), but the nanotubes themselves pull out of the epoxy matrix as there is not enough friction to keep them in place and allow their full strength to be used. I do research on Carbon Nanotubes, so this is sort of my specialty. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

Speaking of parking...I went grocery shopping yesterday after work, and as I was walking up from parking way out there, some guy rode up on his Rode King (motorcycle) and parked in the stripes of a handicap spot, like 2 feet from the driver door of the car parked in that spot....I was honestly walking towards his bike to push it the #*&$ over, but I restrained myself, realizing I would have to sell my gear to repair his bike if I got caught. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

Holy $*&#....I just did that on the first one, and it made two saturns appear....one over the other...the front one was small...it was really wacky....I looked away and it was still that way...like I couldn't refocus my eyes! I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

This isn't exactly unheard of in instances where a pilot's second priority after safety is minimizing flight time. I know I have experienced one instance of an ~4 min decent from 11,000'. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

http://money.cnn.com/2004/06/28/news/economy/personal_spending_income/index.htm I assume cnn is good enough? I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

:9:2 Made my first Beech D-18 jump friday for the "hour after sunset" load. Made my first sit-train exit....or at least tried. I was center of 3 and forgot to put my hands out...needless to say, the other two funneled when I fell out the bottom. SO came to visit, so I didn't get to do any more FF jumps with Hector sunday I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF