NWFlyer

As one board member is now calling it, it's the USPIA. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

I didn't say that at all. I actually do not know precisely which level each of the instructors at my local tunnel has attained. Based on their tenure, I'd guess it's a mix. I said that they aren't 4-way guys/gals. That's an entirely different coaching / flying skill set that isn't part of the IBA tunnel instructor curriculum and is generally only found in current or former 4-way competitors who also know how to teach. I can't think of a single person I'd hire to coach me in 4-way that isn't a current (or former) skydiver. http://tunnelflight.com/pages/instructors/instructor.php?id=99999 "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

http://www.uspa.org/NewsEvents/News/tabid/59/Default.aspx#36995 Be interesting to see if this increases the total number of teams doing 8-way, or just makes three smaller classes. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Here's the highly santizied official release. http://www.uspa.org/NewsEvents/News/tabid/59/Default.aspx#36995 Other posts from their FB page over the weekend: But that's just the official stuff. Of course we want gossip. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

At the tunnels I've been to (SFBay, Paraclete, Perris, and Arizona), the coach is always in addition to the spotter (tunnel instructor). If I'm in the tunnel I'm almost always working on FS skills/drills with my team or other friends, so it's kind of a different situation. Sometimes we have a coach, sometimes we don't, but the tunnel instructors (at least the ones at my local tunnel - SF Bay) aren't 4-way types (or even skydivers - I think there's currently only one skydiver on staff), so I think of them as safety resources, not coaching resources based on what they can/can't offer. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

What about USPA group members not based in the United States? According to the USPA site there are group members in 29 foreign countries (I don't have the patience to click on each country to see how many total foreign group members there are). Clearly my question should have been more broad, not only referring to the Group Member DZs outside of the U.S., but also to the USPA rated instructors outside of the US. Apparently the board (today) added an amendment that would allow USPA rated TIs in other countries to take tandems at an age that complied with the laws of that country. (The post I saw from a board member specifically referenced tandem instructors - not sure if it would apply to other instructors as well). "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

What about USPA group members not based in the United States? According to the USPA site there are group members in 29 foreign countries (I don't have the patience to click on each country to see how many total foreign group members there are). "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Based on a couple different posts on Facebook (from board members, as well as from Blue Skies Mag) it looks like USPA has voted to raise the minimum age to skydive to 18 across the board. Thoughts? "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

You didn't mention it, but I do hope you're taking some of that money you're not paying a coach to throw a tip at the tunnel instructor, who (it sounds like) is going above and beyond his/her job by providing you with coaching and debriefing.

Yep, my response to #1 is embedded in #2. "Unless it's an Argus." "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Yup, I'll give you that one. I designed & build the NoStoBag. But one could very easily put a semi stowless bag in an older rig. It's not as if one has to buy a brand new rig to change out the d-bag. (I know you know this, Jerry, just pointing it out for the victims of marketing hype who might not have figured that out. ) "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Well, shit then. I guess my 2001 car and my 2003 container are gonna KILL ME! Or not - I can't think of a design enhancement on either cars or containers that you're going to convince me is anything more than brand wars and marketing hype. Same goes for canopies. There have been new models introduced between then and now, but a well-maintained Spectre (for example) from the early 2000s is identical to a shiny new one that you bought yesterday. Funny, though. My 2003 container (purchased used in 2005, jumped as my primary rig for 6 1/2 years and jumped as my backup since then) and my 2011 container have exactly the same safety features. They're by different manufacturers, so there's some design differences (that haven't really changed - the design differences that existed in the early 2000s still exist today) that you could argue about which is safer till the cows come home, but for all intents and purposes, I consider the two identical from a safety perspective and will pick up either one on any given jump. The 2011 one has all kinds of badass comfort bells & whistles, plus it was built for me so it's more comfortable just because of that. So I prefer to jump it for that reason, and that reason alone. So if you want to get brand new shiny shit and you've got the money to do so, go on with your bad self. But don't waste your breath trying to convince me that because it is new it is by definition safer. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

I'll bite. Tell me why. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Happened to me several years ago and I actually passed out; best we could figure was that I'd shifted in the harness enough to impact blood flow to my legs. (thread here: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1778924;) However, my symptoms were a bit different - once I was back on the ground other than being a little shaken by the experience, I felt (physically) just fine. (Edit to add: I got a full medical workup after the incident to ensure nothing more serious was going on. Be sure to take internet medical advice with a big grain of salt... it's worth exactly what you pay for it). "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Eh, he's no Keanu. https://www.nerdist.com/2014/02/the-point-break-remake-has-found-its-johnny-utah/ "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

What kind of dropzone do you want to be? Type 1: A DZ that maximizes its tandem revenue or Type 2: one that promotes and supports skydiving and skydivers more generally, to include both tandems and fun jumpers? The answer to that question then answers how you deal with the scenario you presented. If your staff team has done their job, the tandems will have been briefed to understand that they might have to wait a bit, and that their whole party (or even half of it) won't get to go together, so stretching them out over three or four loads will match up with the expectations that you set. Maybe you've even said "We only reserve X (maybe 4 or 5) tandems each hour" and you've already "split" them into two groups even though they show up as a group of 10. Often, especially at a mid-sized DZ such as you describe (a 13-seat plane puts you in that category), the limiting factor is not seats on the plane, it's tandem rigs and staff, so that you end up doing the group in 3 or 4 (or more) loads because of available TIs/Videographers/Gear. IMHO, it would seem to me that a mid-sized DZ that keeps itself staffed/geared up to handle 10 tandems over two loads (especially if they're back-to-back loads) is sending a message to the fun jumpers about how it's likely to prioritize its business. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Bread "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Yup. I grew up with mostly analog clocks, with the switch to digital (at least for clocks) occurring at some point my later childhood years (I recall having digital alarm clocks in high school). But, I'm one of those people who likes to wear a watch AND I've always used analog watches. So in the "look at my left wrist for information" I'm hard wired to analog for sure. But a younger set of folks who have grown up with digital clocks and use their cell phone's digital display as a mobile timekeeping device... "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

I was lucky enough to catch them during a brief moment of lucidity/sobriety, in November 1996 in Chapel Hill, NC. Great show ... when he's sober(ish) he's a great performer. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

I've seen a lot of great shows, so it's hard to pick a "best" but I'd put the Lyle Lovett shows I've seen up there with just about anyone, especially when he has his Large Band. Worst - probably the first I ever went to on my own as a teen, which was the Beach Boys in 1985. Let's just say not a good point in their career to see them. They lip synched. Fortunately it didn't put me off live performance and I was able to see lots of great shows over my life that have more than redeemed the live concert experience! "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

We have a whole forum devoted to political discussions. In the interest of keeping this focused on the tunnels, I'll just say do your own research and form your own opinions.

Canada "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Sidebody "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Steaks "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Arizona is not doing this, nor are the Republicans. 3 wackjob state senators. Zero chance of going anywhere. Way to sensationalize though. Wait, what? From the article linked above: "The Arizona Senate approved the bill 17-13 on a party line vote." 17 3. True, the "Arizona Senate" Arizona, however, the Senate does pass bills that have the potential to become law in Arizona. Also from the same article: "The bill was expected to be passed by the state House, which also is controlled by Republicans, and is expected to be signed by Gov. Jan Brewer." Another source says that it's been passed in the AZ House, by a vote of 33-27 and is on its way to the Governor. http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/246401031.html That doesn't sound like "zero chance." It sounds like a high chance of going somewhere, if somewhere = signed into law. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke