DanG

Toyota Hilux Diesel. They are awesome, but not for sale in the US. Why? Americans don't like stinky diesels and they aren't big enough to compensate for a small penis. - Dan G

Anything is possible, but some things are just harder than others. You'll find that most skydivers are very accepting of people's differences and most are also very enthusiastic about the sport. You shouldn't be afraid of asking your local dropzone what they think. They are the best people to ask, anyway. Try not to be disappointed if they say no, safety has to be the number one priority in skydiving. On the other hand, they may say yes, so please don't let me discourage you. You'll never know unless you ask. Good luck and welcome to our world! - Dan G

Okay, there's your problem. I DO care if I know where you are, and so does everyone else in our hypothetical formation. The time we have to spend figuring out where you are is time we can't spend making sure we're clear of each other. And this thread is not about you, me, and our formation, it is about proper procedures that everyone should follow. The fact that you are a good tracker doesn't have anything to do with what Johnny Skyjumper should do at 7,000ft if he's low on his formation. - Dan G

I respectfully disagree. I believe that the low jumper needs to stay as close as possible and break-off at the predetermined altitude. That's what I brief people I'm jumping with and I really think it is the safest practice. If I'm in the dive I'd much rather try to keep track of someone who is low and close than someone who is low and far away. The most dangerous situation is when the jumper tries to get back up until about 1,000 ft before break-off and then starts tracking. A good tracker will easily catch up to that person and may very well not see him. And on the subject of clearing airspace, I agree that you are primarily responsibly for the space below and in front of you, so I don't believe in barrel rolls, but I do believe in looking over your shoulder, especialy with a larger group, or a group of people of varying skill levels. This is certainly a tough topic, but it is great to see a civil discussion here. - Dan G

You're right. On dropzone.com all you ever hear is negatives. Spend some more time in the sport and you'll hear other opinions. I happen to think they do a pretty good job. Flame retardant applied. - Dan G

Get a baggy freefly suit and use it for everything. I use my freefly suit for belly and freefly and it works fine. I have a couple RW suits but I only whip them out when I know the dive will be fast enough. The fact that you can change your belly speed 30mph during one jump (although I don't know how much stock to put in Neptune data) means you are probably fairly comfortable with fall rate control. Just try to find a freefly suit that will put your relaxed fall rate somewhere around 120. - Dan G

Can you explain this further. What do you mean by "the housing" of the spring loaded system? I realize there may be a language barrier, but do you mean a reserve flap? Sorry, I don't understand what the bridle was caught on. I can't tell what is going on in the video. Thanks, - Dan G

The inspection program may or may not hit a crappy DZ with a reduction in experienced jumpers, but it would damn sure hurt their tandem business. Substandard DZO's would have to shape up to compete for whuffos and the experienced jumper benefits as a result. Whether or not this is in USPA's and the members' best interest is another question, but I don't buy the logic that a poor rating will have no repercussions on a DZO. - Dan G

I think it sounds like a great idea. Like someone else said, if you can get some more experienced jumpers involved in the planning and debriefing phases I think you'll add even more value. I would recommend a safety briefing at the beginning of the day, especially if you have jumpers visiting from other DZ's. It might even be fun to mix up the pairs in the middle of the day if everything is going well. I think it is awesome for you to do this. Rock on! - Dan G

At the Afghan-Pakistan border (Afghan side at least) you can buy Osama Bin Laden Kulfa Balls. They are little coconut flavored candy with pictures of Osama, rockets, planes, and other military crap. Believe it or not he is a hero in some parts of the world. - Dan G

I've been in the Orlando tunnel in February and is was cold. My question is about Paraclete XP. I'll be in there this weekend and it is supposed to be cold outside. Does the recirculation keep the tunnel air warm or will I need to bundle up anyway? - Dan G

Good answers, thank you. I do look for all of those things on other people's gear, but on my own I tend not to. Maybe I should add a 3-ring check to my pre-jump ritual. - Dan G

Okay, here's my brutal honesty. Mike Ramon had really bad line twists over Skydive Orange last year. They started out spinning, but he got the spin under control by about 1000ft. He now found himself in the situation where you describe cutting away as "amateurish". A few seconds later, for reasons unknown, the canopy started to spin again. What Mike's thoughts were as he dealt with this "fixable anomoly" we'll never know. He died on impact. To everyone, please try to learn from the mistakes other have died making. - Dan G

Agree to a certain extend. On the other hand, when getting custom, if the company offers cordura for any part of the suit, I'd get it. Cordura ass, knees, and booties will save you a lot of money in the long run. - Dan G - Dan G

To siddacious: We have hard decks for a reason. If you find yourself below your hard deck without a landable canopy, get a landable canopy over your head immediately. Line twists are a malfunction. Don't be the guy that died fighting line twists. - Dan G

I never quite understood why people spend so much time checking the 3-ring system. I check mine at the beginning of the day, but that's about it. (Before anyone jumps in my shit, when doing gear checks for other I always give it a careful inspection.) What do people believe has happened to it during the day that might change the configuration? This is an honest question. The only thing I can think of if that the yellow cable may have come out of the channel or otherwise been displaced, but I can't remember the last time I saw another experienced jumper fully check the routing of the cables when doing their three ring check. I would add checking bridle routing to your list of prior to each jump, especially if you use packers. A misrouted bridle is easy to miss and can easily result in a total malfunction. - Dan G

I'm not sure when the alleged loss of sponsorship from PD occured, but I believe the yellow canopy is a Firebolt. - Dan G

He reportedly lost his PD sponsorship because of how he was flying. This info is, however, second hand from another PD sponsored jumper. I hate to crap on the guy, but I really do think he is dangerous and unprofessional. - Dan G

Bulls, too. - Dan G

Do you know any illegals aliens? Do you know anyone of latino descent? I think many illegals give more than a rat's ass about this country. Piling them all together as freeloaders and selfish bastards is a little ignorant. I happen to know the son of an illegal alien. He is serving his fourth combat tour in six years right now in Iraq. I'm pretty sure he gives a rat's ass about America. And now I've broken my promise to never again post in SC. Flame away. - Dan G - Dan G

You can opt out of the magazine. Just send them a letter or e-mail. My wife opted out since we really don't need two copies and she stopped getting them immediately. - Dan G

I did miss your point. I get it now. Would you be in favor of USPA implementing a stronger, non-volunteer based S&TA type system? If so, would you be in favor of a dues/fees increase to support it? I think it would be very expensive. Skydivers will gladly pay $6000 for a new rig, but freak out when USPA raises the membership fee by a few dollars. AOPA membership costs $39 per year according to their website, and I agree it looks like they have a lot to offer. What I didn't see any mention of, however, if a self-policing role. Maybe one reason that AOPA is able to attract so many members is that the GA community already has the Feds intervening in every aspect of their activity. If more skydivers were aware of the lobbying efforts of USPA it might be less maligned. As an aside, what is the percentage of pilots that are or are not AOPA members? Also, I think in general the AOPA member is much more affluent than the average USPA member so that could be a factor. If USPA did not exist I would certainly pay to be a member of a pro-skydiving lobby, but I don't have to since USPA does exist. 3rd party liability insurance is nice, too. I think if USPA membership were not required to jump at USPA GM GZ's many DZ's would still require it just for the insurance. I know my DZ would. This is a good discussion. Thanks. - Dan G

I agree, that is a less than ideal situation. There is also such a thing as a regional S&TA. They should work hand-in-hand with the RD to keep an eye on what goes on in their region. Everyone just needs to realize that more USPA enforcement efforts mean more money, therefore higher dues and higher fees. You (not you personally) can't have it both ways. -Dan G

See your own reply: S&TA's are the first line of defense for violations. If an individual jumper violates a BSR then the S&TA should deal with it locally. I think this happens everywhere, every weekend. Not every violation needs to be dealt with at the BOD level. I agree, however, that when the violator is an S&TA or RD the USPA needs to step up and do something. If it is serious violation (not something like pulling at 1900', but something that puts another individual especially a student at risk) then the penalty should be severe. All this talk about an RD flagrantly violating the BSR's in the midwest troubles me, but most of the talk here is rumor and inuendo. Few cold hard facts have come to light. WRT the AFF standards, thank you for breaking it down. I agree that the AFF course should be extremely demanding. If the standards were changed simply to pass more people than I think that is a bad idea. On the other hand, if the pass rate went up because of improved pre-courses or training then that is a good thing. Hopefully those forces were at play, too. Well, to play devil's advocate, I think there is a system in place. Again, it is the S&TA system. The fact that the system does not work as well as you think it should is another issue. On the other hand, if an instructor were regularly being told to violate the BSR's, then he/she has an ethical obligation to refuse. If they lose their job, then they need to go to USPA and/or the courts. This may sound sucky, but that's the way it works in the real world. I never said I didn't think it was a good idea, I just said there would be a lot of resistance. As a coach I would gladly submit to regular eval jumps as long as the evaluator were fair and impartial. Also, if I had to buy two slots and an evaluation fee every weekend before I could work I would just let my rating drop. I don't know how the AOPA works, but your argument assumes that the USPA is somehow doing a bad job of the one thing they have in common: lobbying. I disagree. Also, AFAIK the AOPA does not attempt to do what the USPA does regarding standards development and enforcement. That's what the FAA is for, so I don't think the AOPA/USPA comparison is apples to apples. - Dan G

Well, I know someone who was expelled for an unsafe act on another instructor at a boogie. He did get reinstated a year or two later after filing a petition with the board. USPA's enforcement of BSR violations requires that people get reported. If no one complains/reports a problem then how can USPA do anything? On the other hand, if USPA were required to conduct a thorough investigation of every report they would quickly be bogged down with complaints from rival DZO's that their neighbor let a jumper fall 999 feet from a cloud. Can you explain? Was this done in writing or informally? I'm not AFF rated, but I hear a lot of accusations on here about how easy it is to get a rating these days. I'd like some evidence. I don't buy that. I agree that you could probably find something against the letter of the law at any DZ you went to, but I still think a USPA inspection program will not work because it takes money, time, and an army of independent evaluators. Hmm, sounds like the government. - Dan G