dpreguy

Doesn't Airborne Systems also make the "Muffin" square troop parachute for static line and with slider? Harness and container too. (Much credit to this parachute design, whoever makes it.)

First jump 1961. PCA = 2000 foot openings for D license. Got mine in about 1964. We had already been breaking the rule by going to 1800 or so, because we thought it was cool to do so. Then, when PCA OK'd 1800 foot openings, for D license,(actually, - ripcord extraction), we D's felt obligated (or something like that), to go to the 1800. We had already been fudging 2the 2000 feet and going to 1800 anyway, so when the 1800 was OK'd for D's; since we had already been going there, well, we just naturally fudged the 1800 too. So we'd always fly thru 1800 and then not even be in a hurry to pull the 4 pin ripcords. Had the 'ol floating housing and the ripcord was already out of the pocket, in our right hand awaiting the actual pull. Had bigass black 2 1/2 deep aircraft altimeters on our belly mounts. Could sometimes hear the jumpers in freefall if the air was still at all. Even solo's. This backfired on me twice and pulled way too low. Having the horizon/sky disappear from your field of vision, and have the earth fold up around you like a big bowl is damn scary. Happened once on a fuck up and I swore I'd never let myself go that low again Then shortly after, I fucked up again and it happened again and I knew I was being too careless. I think the earth bowl folding up around you is just under 1000 feet. I never knew because when it happened I wasn't looking at any altimeter. Just pulled in a panic at that point. Those low," in the dirt bowl" mistakes scared everybody - not only the jumper but the guys on the ground too. Aside from those mistake jumps, we just let 1800 go by and pulled a second or so later. Jump after jump. Because we could, and because we thought it was badass. Automatic openers weren't invented, except the one that the student had to turn off, so it was on you. Scares me now to remember.

And, I presume all of this is exempt from property taxes.

Yes, anyone can search court records. Take a long time as each state has multiple judicial districts and there are 50 states and the federal courts as well. I think you can get on line and pay for this now. But.. the question is: Does one support having the instant info for everyone, for free, by just entering their name, date of birth and Soc Sec #. Your neighbor, the kid who is 18 and dating your daughter, all employers, all employees ....heck, anybody. I'm talking NCIC (FBI National Crime Information Center) and all state databases. Everyone's complete criminal history would be available to anyone, and the newspapers could publish that so and so who was just caught for assault also has x, y ,z etc prior convictions for embezzlement, burglary, murder, fraud, DUI etc etc. Open access to everyone's criminal history by anyone, instant and for free. When you are stopped for speeding the police officer has this info instantly, before he even comes up to your window to give you the ticket.

For private sales and transfers: Yes, a voluntary "seller's option" method. Not one that is mandated by law; and never one that reveals the name, ID of the firearm itself or the seller. The Brady law is here to stay for gun stores, and my opinion or yours will probably not change that. I have my opinion about the Brady law itself, but that's not for here. I do have the opinion that the 4473 has no place in private sales or transfers, for the reasons in my post. But...First things first. Do you favor - all criminal records of all adults be "public"- just put someone's name in and it all pops up. This would include allowing newspapers to publish a person's prior criminal history when they are arrested for a new crime. (Newspapers used to do this) I think you can see where this is heading.

Iowa has such a "buyers card" law. I haven't read it and only know of it thru a magazine article. Once you are an approved purchaser, you can do so w/o further paperwork on a private purchase, and from the magazine article, it looks like gun ID isn't required for the private sales to one who has a "buyer's card. (Gun stores there are still subject to form 4473=Brady in their sales.) If someone is familiar with the Iowa laws can chime in if this info is wrong, that would be helpful. If it is accurate, then Ok. Background checks can make sense when viewed as a means to prevent the sale or gifting of a firearm to persons that the Brady or state legislation prohibits. Felons, persons out on bond for violent crimes, etc.. Let's look at the logic behind the idea: That a background check is a good thing to prevent the bad guys from buying guns. Background checks when used for that purpose make common sense. So far, so good. If you are in favor of background checks, and agree that's the purpose of a these checks, then it would only be logical to have such a background check on the buyer or transferee. Now follow along: The problem is with the Fed Form 4473. Have you read it?Requires gun ID info. It also requires the name address, ID, social sec number, ethnicity, (ethnicity? wtf!) place of birth etc etc of the SELLER?!. Well now, what business does the government have to collect info on the seller? Actually, none, except that they just want it. Does info on the seller pass the logic test of preventing sales/transfers to bad guys? No. Of Course not. And, you may be curious about why the BATF or Homeland Security or FBI or whoever want this info on the seller? I don't know why. What I do know, is that if the purpose of a background check is to prevent guns from being sold to bad guys, the ID of the seller is none of their damn business. The next problem with the 4473 form, is that while according to Brady, it is supposed to be held only by the gun shops etc unless accessed by law enforcement for ongoing investigations, the little known part of the Brady law is that when a gun shop goes out of business, all of those 4473 forms are required to be given to BATF or whoever. What is the number of years for a "business generation"? Most small businesses only last for a few years, and all of them will die sometime. When these businesses "die', (even family owned businesses that continue in business have to do this when ownership goes to children), these 4473's are then in the hands of a government agency. If they digitize them, in one business generation there will be universal registration of every gun legally sold since the 70's or what ever year Brady became law. Well, the "why" may be this: Complete gun registration of all guns sold by gunshops since Brady that have gone out of business in the last 40+- years, (and now, in any state that has the form 4473 required for private transactions) if this info is digitized. The suspicious part of me makes me believe it is being digitized on a systematic basis. Or will be. Guns owned prior to the Brady date, and transferred between private citizens in states that don't require the 4473 aren't known to the government, nor will these guns ever be known to the government unless a state has a 4473 "background check" law. Here may be the "why" I referred to. Seems like the 4473 is the underpinning for universal registration knowledge, and could accessed so law enforcement can preemptively go to every home that is known to possess guns and grab them as they did in Katrina. No violations of law, but just the decision of some police chief or governor to order the confiscation of these known gun owner's addresses. With the promise that they will be promptly returned when the "crisis is over"? The returns never happened in Now Orleans until the owners forced the returns. Guns will always be transferred contrary to law, of course.

"The Professionals". But Lancaster is guarding Claudia Cardinelle, not much of an actress, but had boobs the size of New Jersey, fully opens up her blouse to distract him so she could grab his pistol. Predictably it works, and does distract him. She grabs his pistol, puts it to his head and pulls the trigger. It only clicks, because he has unloaded it prior. She says "You go to hell!" He says, "Yes ma'am, I'm on my way"

I would attribute this quote,"No matter where you go, there you are", to Buckaroo Banzaii from the 8th dimension. This one from Buackaroo himself, who stated he is a graduate of Yoyodyne university. Such bonafides! A very scholarly movie (not) but with a lot of quips like this one.

These pulling myths are just propaganda. All parachutes are released by an assistant on the ground holding a garage door opener.

I knew there was a good reason I never saw that movie. Now I'm even more glad I didn't

Yes, angles/bends increase friction, but that is off topic. Angles and bends have nothing to do with the original post, implying that gritty dust was the cause of a hard pull on a rig with a stainless steel cable ripcord. I doubted that gritty dust was the cause. If the rig had a hard pull, it was probably packed too tight. Looking for untested causes is ignoring the obvious. Yes, friction is always increased with grit, and reduced with good lubrication, but to look to grit as the cause of the hard pull on the reserve was a stretch. (Actually there was no report of even finding grit in the housing. Just a dust 'poof' when the flap was whacked, or something like that. Just an example of guessing) I do not doubt the pull force examples on nylon cutaway cables before and after cleaning and lubricating, but once again, not directly translatable to a stainless steel cable situation. Lacking testing; look for the obvious cause.

Another speech by KMO.

What do cutaway cable pull problems have to do with reserve pull force? To compare these is just guessing.

Opinons about dust affecting pull force are just that. Opinions. Only testing could credibly answer that question. I'm not at all in agreement that you can blame gritty desert dust for the hard pull. If it pulls hard, (greater than 22 lbs) it is most likely that the loop was simply too short to begin with. If someone does test the gritty dust's effect, then we will abide with those results. Until then, look for the usual cause of any hard pull = loop too short to allow a legal pull.

Think a 135x17 needle would be good in an Adler/Pfaff 98 longarm?

Licorice-liquorice. Yuk! No matter how it's spelled. Anise (licorice) sprinkled on a pizza. Yes they actually do that.

I have heard of the difficult approach problem at Aspen; but don't pilots endeavor to land INTO the wind? From the videos the wind is a tailwind almost directly down the runway, (not a crosswind). And brisk.

The guy just died in the hospital - today's newspaper. 1/21 I hope they bill his estate (doubt he even has one) for the 5 days of hospital expenses, and fixing the door glass, and also a couple of bucks for the cost of the bullet.

The really cool thing is the bullet hole in the glass door behind him. He was shot with a firearm that was really powerful, as it went through him and through the glass door too.

A quick call to the mfg. will answer your question.

Ralph's a good guy. If he has what you need, you can probably get a deal on it. Call him

No one is actually buying the mother's story "...found a cookie on the ground ...", it's kinda like the "...dog ate my homework..." story. No one knows the actual story of the event that led to the child having THC in her body, but the "...found the cookie and ate half of it..." yadda yadda story is obviously bogus. The rest of the posts are the usual banter about usage with legalization or usage without legalization. Fascinating reading, but for the most part, persons have long ago made up their minds about this; and nothing that is posted will change anyone's mind. This includes me

Add to that: Toothbrushes and mouthwash for the tandem instructors. Handy to them to use a lot

I'm replying to my own post. I now get what you were talking about. The detachment of the MARD mechanism from the bridle when the pilot chute leaves. My misunderstanding. Since the Boost has no hook, and relies on the extraction of a release cable, and there is no unhooking, I thought you were thinking the pin extraction of a UPT setup was affected by the MARD. Booth explains it perfectly, and I now see what you were referring to.

Headline reads: "Yet another tragic skydiving accident! Skydiver plummets (they love that word) from unknown height to hard pavement! No parachute was seen to be deployed! "