dpreguy

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Posts posted by dpreguy

  2. I hope those little things will lead you to greater heights!! (Pun.) It really isn't a big deal. It is just to welcome you to the sport. Positive outlook and all that. Some day you will do the same. Looking forward to seeing you at the drop zone some day, and meeting you in person. Hope your dives went well today.

    A single bottle of brew would be just fine as a fun thing! The spirit of a gift is not to expect anything in return but your smile and continue in the sport; and, of course, never quit when you are on a quest.

    See you in the sky soon.

  3. Loveland - Ft Collins Colo, airport about 1990.A An experienced skydiver was walking thru the hangar and (according to him) just "touched" the blade on a Cessna. The magneto fired it, and the blade went around just enough to come down somewhere on his head. Down played it, but the guy with him was thinking he was hospital bound. It may have been more of an incident than he let on.

  5. coucilman The pop ups required me to join some kind of group or some baloney, just to get info. It is a barrier. Don't want to mess with groups or anyting like it, or type endlessly to register or qualify ....... Just wanted the phone number.I got it. That's all I needed. Thanks

  6. The plastic facplate on my Alti 2 altimeter fell off. Need a new one. Seemed simple enough, until... Used google to find the company and get a phone number or an email address. Instead I got some stupid crap about joining a group or something. I just need a damn phone number to order a new faceplate. or an email address. I don't want to join anything. Who dreams up these blockage/barrier maneuvers anyway?
    I have the list, somewhere, of the contact info for about everyone, but can't find it.
    Anyone have a phone number for Alti? Or an email address?

  9. Namowal
    Poor man's pizza: Go to a day old bread store and get the cheap cheap cheap white bread. Put some oil on a old dented aluminum pie pan, or cookie sheet or whatever, and then (this actually works) take this white bread and "kinda" wet it with water and lay the slices on, squash it on the pan with whatever. Probaly an old beer bottle or even your fingers. Buy some cheapass spaghetti sauce, big jar, and pour some on. Get a can of Spam, (yes, Spam) and put small amounts on the sauce. If you use a lot of Spam, it isn't cheap anymore. Of course load it on with wierdo italian spices if you have any, and cheese, if you have any. Well that's it. It tastes like salty cardboard, but you can imagine you are eating pizza for a change from peanut butter. You can make several pizzas with one big jar of cheap sauce and the white bread, at a day old outlet is about 45 cents to 75 cents, sometimes lower. This fake pizza has no nutritional value and is mostly a diversion for your mind, and it's fun to squash the white bread into "dough".

  10. JW You didn't mention where you jump, but if you are at Mile Hi, I will look you up. I have a really nice logbook for you as a gift. I will give it to you, no matter where you jump, but if it is at Mile Hi it will be easy. I can even leave it at the desk. You sound like you have the determination to see things through, and that is great. I am the old guy there. Most of the people know me, and will be happy to point out the old guy to you. In fact, I am so old I hve a 3 digit social Security number! So if you reply to tell me where, I can get the book to you somehow. Anyway, you are a newbie and that's so cool and welcome to the world of skydiving. Remember; skydivers have more fun than people.
    Walt Green

  12. wisc. You are not knowedgeable in the laws of arrest. No one can be arrested without probable cause existing that a crime was committed. Your comment to "arrest Zimmerman and then investigate" shows your ignorance of the law. Note I did not call you ignorant, just your lack of knowledge of the law of arrest. Probable cause to arrest is just that. I don't know what the reports say, and what evidence there was, or what the witnesses said. Only the officers on the scene would have known that information. If they were doing their job, they would have had ALL of that on the scene, and the street officer in charge would have made the determination on the spot to determine if there was probable cause to believe a crime was committed by Zimmerman. Appartantly there wasn't, as police officers are not shy about arresting when there is probale cause to belive a crime was actually committed. A later arrest warrant can be issued, if probable cause is presented to a judge. This arrest warrant is in writing, and is called a "bench warrant" as it is issued from the judge's bench after a presentation to the judge of the facts. If that hasn't happened by now, one must conclude there isn't, in the mind of the prosecutor, sufficient probable cause existing that Zimmerman committed a crime, and that there is no reason for a presentment of that evidence to the judge to get an arrest warrant. If the evidence develops and with certain procedures, a prosecutor can, at any time, "Direct File". Then apply for an immediate arrest warrant.

    It doesn't stop there. If the prosecutor chooses not to Direct File, he can empanel a Grand Jury because it is a felony to be considered, and upon presentment to the Grand Jury, if they find probale cause to charge = "Indict" (accuse) Zimmerman of a felony crime, they issue a "True Bill". An indictment. An arrest warrant is then immediatly issued by the judge.

    Long and short of it; no one should be arrested just to make the public feel better. The fact that Zimmerman hasn't been arrested seems to piss off a lot of people, but that can't be done w/o the necessary probable cause of a crime being committed. Apparantly it isn't there. Yet.

  13. Why is there not a similar outrage over the racist attack in Kansas City, where two 16 yr old black teens stalked and followed a 13 year old white boy to his front porch, poured gasoline on his head and lit it with a Bic lighter, saying "White boy you are getting what you deserve"? The gas ingnited in a ball of flame, eveloping the 13 yr boy's head and burned off his eyebrows hair and may have had hot flames sucked into his windpipe and lungs. He somehow got the fire out by himself and called his dad.

    So, I guess the Sharpton's and other race baiters and the media and our president think this Kansas City incident not worthy of comment and that racism by blacks on whites is OK but anything even remotely connected to "racism" by this Hispanic guy Zimmerman, is now cherry picked as outrageous racism. From recent accounts, Trayvon Martin jumped Zimmerman, was straddled over Zimmerman beating him up with his fists while Zimmerman was on his back, broke Zimmerman's nose, caused a cut on the back of his head and that Zimmerman was calling for help, and the withness to this responded to Zimmerman's cries and said "I'll call 911 for you" etc. Whether Zimmerman's legal claim of self defense and use of a firearm is valid, etc will be found out by a Grand Jury, a provision of our Consitution. Those who are just making this a racist incident and could care lass about the facts are not interested in finding our what really happened and are content with the old "race victim" theory - thayt being all they need to know.

    So, I guess the Kanas City thing was OK with black racist apologists, and two 16 year olds can douse a 13 year olds' head with gasoline and light it, while saying he is getting what he deserves "white boy", while our president, Al (cocaine boy) Sharpton and all of the others who calim this is a white on black unjustifed death can conveniently ignore the Kansas City thing because it doesn't fit thier "blacks are always victims, whites cannot be victims" theory.
    I have heard NOTHING about this Kansas City gasoline attack by any of the media , even with their are so- called "in depth" reporting of the racism in America. blah blah yadda yadda.

    Google up the March 5th Kansas City incident and you will find it. Guess our liberal media folk just don't know about google. That must why they never mention the KC incident in their 'in depth' reporting on racism

  15. On topic : I'd probably go for age 18, but i would want each state to make their own determination of what age is appropriate.

    On the Blackmail/coercion woldfriverjoe is 100% correct. One old example( 99 % of readers wouldn't remember this) was the 55 mph speed limit. Now it's done on a variety of "do gooder" impulses with the spectre of withholding federal funds- on education, yes, seatbelts, motorcycle helmet laws, funding for medical programs...you name it. Pretty much reduces all to the lowest common denominator, and is an 'end run' around the 10th Amendment. This totally disrepects the intent of the framers of our Constitution, where the sates were to be the entities to be allowed to be the innovators, etc.Those who believe the "collective good" should be the standard hate the 10th Amendment and the rights of the states guaranteed by the Constitution.

  16. It is not possible to have a "Drinking age in US" because we are a federal form of government. The 10th Amendment to the US Constitution only permits the US Governemt the power to enact laws where such powers are set forth in the Consitution. Not exactly the same topic as intended, I guess, but just so you know there are 50 states and each may have their own age limits. Our US Gevernment withholds funds from states that don't enact certain laws, so it uses this as a form of economic coercion, to get the states to pass state laws in conformance with the desires of some of our agencies. Example: my state is penalized because our legislture won't pass a mototcycle helmet law. Anyway, Could have 50 different alcohol age laws in 50 states if they wanted to.

  17. I have a shop and order items from Sunpath 3-4 times a season. No problem whatsoever. Customer service is good. I have the same good experience with UPT and the others. My guess is your prefence to use email instead of calling. Email for advice or ordering is inefficient and almost never works, as there are feedback questions that are answered in a few seconds on the phone, but would take endless queiries and replies by email. I am not speaking to the specific advice from their rigging departments. I am speakling to the method of communication. I would always choose the telephone, as it is "light switch quick" and works every time.

    Exmple: Called Sunpath for new riser order. plus some other stuff. Risers:
    . length
    . color
    . which side for RSL ring or RSL ring on both
    . which type of topgle velcto or pocket
    . Need Slinks yes no
    . shipping regular, ground
    2d day air, overnite. OK what are the costs? Service guy instantly rattled off the 3 shipping costs
    . Requested "no signature required"
    All of this took about 90 seconds, and every type, color, shipping shipping instr etc were perfectly clear to the compnay and myself. Shipping decsion was made by me instantly based on the three costs quoterd..They have my CC card on file so that step was easy, but if I had my card ready, would have been the usual info stuff. I would estimate it would have taken all afternoon to get all of that accomplished by emails and repies and queiries and decsions and more replies and delays in getting to the eamil to respond to it and ...yadda yadda. UPT and Sunpath and Altico, Aerodyne etc all have good ordering service and the key is to use the telephone. I can't think of any order that I have ever done that took more than 2 minutes on the phone, with all of the little questions on prduct choice, product accessories and shipping method and costs being asked and aswered instantly. I even asked if they clul;d mail by USPSD a lanyard and they did for about $1.75, which saved UPS shipping.

    My guess is that you prefer email and texting etc to speaking on the phone, and that you would/will have the same complaint working with any of the companies.

    In short, I find Sunpath to be on a par with and just as good on their customer service as the other mfgs.
    I just call and ask for the rigging dept or the oreder desk and it's over and done with as good as any other mfg.. Maybe change your mode of communication. Get off the keyboard and call. I think you'd be pleased with the result.

  20. Couple of years ago I sent a Quasar II to Strong for a customer, for the flinger removal, which was the subject of their service bulletin. Even though the service bulletin said the rigs should be sent in for the free removal, etc, within by a certain date, (this rig was easitly 6 mo or maybe even a year past that date), Strong not only removed the bands, I actually think they disassembled the rig and installed new side flaps. The work was beautiful and undetectable. In addition, Strong retrofitted and updated everything on the container. 3 or 4 very nice, and expensive updates. Also they sent a brand new Lil Grabber (the newest one) pilot chute and bridle. All at no charge. (The Lil Grabber is listed for $145 in the Paragear catalog.) This was clearly the best service that could have been perormed and it was all free of charge, even the return shipping. Nice service. Beyond nice.

  22. I am vaguly aware of the reg, but felt that if the mfg said OK I'd be clear enough. (But I didn't even do that.) I just did it after talking at PIA to the owner of the company about the rig I was doing it to. OK my grammar is bad. Just wondered if any one else has done these.

  24. I have been skiing this weekend (couldn't jump - too wiindy) and upon return to internet I re read my earlier post. It was "hard edged" and I apologize for thay. Like Alice in Dilbert "must control...."

    Anyway, you were correct. Not all mfgs have a visible display panel place for AAD. Yes, all skydivers should check their reserve pin and loop at the beginning of each day, and look over every other part of their rig too.

    My take on the relocation is that after mid 90's skydivers were no longer ashamed of having an AAD. Before- under the flap was a convenient place to put it and also no one had to know you had one. Just not 'manly' to admit you used an AAD. After the stigma of having an AAD was gone, then most mfg's went to the visible display windows becuse the skydivers wanted it out there to see it, and not wonder, "uh..did I actually turn it on this morning or was that yesterday that I did that?" etc .
    The Vectors and RI rigs I did it on had an installation that was horizontal behind the neck. The Sunpatnh and another one were on the backpad, between the shoulders. Both places resulted in nice appearing and good results. I just followied the more modern placement of the same mfg., Guess other m riggers have done that too, as I saw one come thru my shop. Probably not even an issue now as most of those older rigs are out of service now anyway.
    I seem to remember the ASTRA display unit was supposed to be mounted in/on the mudflap area too, and I think it even had a glowing light to indicate it was on. I have never seen one of these units but have the literature somewhere.

  25. You are all forgetting photosynthesis. Must cover your body with dark green broccoli juice and wear a clear plastic suit with a venting system to exhale into your suit. That way you will use your own CO2 and create your own oxygen. (Of course the trick is to get the oxygen from your green skin into your nose.)
    Pease note: It won't work on a night jump, unless you outfit yourself with grow lights...there's always something...