btucker

On Tuesday, an email was sent to a local mailing list: A report of [alleged] fraud has or will take place soon to the Police. I emailed the point man for this, and he is aware of this thread. Maybe he’ll provide future updates. Either way, I hope the information here can be usefull. I'm sorry that I don't have more details – I just wanted our international friends to know a small summary of what got posted earlier this week. I think it really, really sucks to pay for kit and not get it in a timely fashion especially for new jumpers. Blue Dreams Benno

> Hope this helps if you are thinking of going down the X-braced path! Yes, it did very much – thanks :-) I just did a similar thing to you. I’m doing my 90's a touch higher. I had some [pilot error] issues with the openings, I’m told the openings are an acquired taste... Have you started on 270s? Blue Dreams Benno

“you don’t break up with, you lose your turn”

put some coffe grinds on it + mark it contraband and then police will hand deliver :-) I've got three canopies from the states, never had any problems with a sub $1000 'value for customs purposes only'. Don't try and be smart and put down loan or repair or some such or buyer could end up with a world of red-tape. Last time I checked, duty was equal to GST (10%) plus extra fee's and charges (circa 20%). The customs site has PDFs that explain it. In any case I reckon that's the buyers problem. Might I suggest using a delivery services with a tracking option. That way you can find it before the reading the fine print on the policy to find out there is a six month wait before you can make a claim. Blue Dreams Benno

Interesting one... Reading the reviews for Eloy. I voted for one. After I read the first page, all the page navigation ( 2,3,4, > >> ) fails with: Oops, we had the following problem: You seem to have already voted for this review once before.

Aren't red flags for bulls? Did you mean this ;-) Most dropzones need a robust traffic management plan - if they don’t already have one. Even at “small” dropzones there can be boogies or instances of multiple large slot aircraft in operation with both very fast and very slow canopies in the air at the same time. A multitude of exit heights, opening heights, landing patterns and approaches will be used. Not all of these will be compatible. There are five landing areas at my home dropzones – one's a swoop pond. You can figure out who is landing where and doing what by talking to your mates in the boarding area. Under canopy work out who is where, a bad spot might change peoples plans. As a student I was told: It takes two to have a collision but only one to avoid it. Low man has right of way but don't be dead right! Blue skies, Benno PS: I've had one canopy collision, I wasn't swooping and it was my fault.

Anyone that gives you crap for the pink canopy, don't give them a beer give them a pink drink! One of those girly drinks :-) Blue Dreams Benno

These are from Ready - who flew camera on our 8way team for abit... Blue Dreams Benno

http://news.com.com/2300-11395_3-6140455.html?tag=ne.gall.rbcs I just can't wait to hook my first ship in... Blue Dreams Benno

Happy xmas all ER workers... Blue Dreams Benno

A few years ago we had a pilot spot on the wrong GPS waypoint. Ballons, aircraft, gliders, ice etc... Blue Dreams Benno

tangent: What about bail by beeps? Could a ditter type gadget be invented that if you turn too low too fast gives a warning – maybe similar to a GWPS “pull up – terrain”. Similarly, another constant "friendly reminder" tone could sound when you are under a safe height to perform your turn. In the future I will swoop by a modified GPS navman - put all my setup points in, height of turn initiation, checkpoints, application of rear risers and toggles. It could measure temperature, humidity & airpresure and adjust the turn height accordingly. The next version will include some servos; So I wouldn’t even need to touch the controls. Phase three will have a 80Kg weight which will be autonomous – just SMS it the landing profile: GO BIG 270. Given a webcam there is no need to even visit the dropzone. Welcome to the scary future Blue Dreams Benno

hows it smell? Blue Dreams Benno

I don't have one! Blue Dreams Benno

DO NOT PAY. It's just an attempt to try and close their scam. For a start I am deeply suspicious of “chargeback.org” - WTF is it an org? Company's should have .com or .biz. 'Chargebacks' are a big deal to the card issuer, which is usually your bank. Basically it means the merchant has ripped off their customer and their investigation has substantiated this claim. Rather than the card issuer carry they can, they simply reverse it and note it. Too many reversals and they will refuse to deal with the merchant, similarly the first year as a merchant you pay up to 5% for each transaction. If you have zero reversals you can renegotiate this. The merchant "publicly" listing this information is basically admitting that they ripped you off. That says more about them than you. I’d have some fun and say you will report the issue as fraud to the relevant Police, similarly if they do publicly list you as defrauding them: You will sue them for deformation. One day they will get a rich eccentric that will sue just for the sport – make them think you are that person. Find out who their ISP is and complain to them. When the hastle is greater than the income: ISP's will drop the customer. Next just to be nasty, find out all the internal emails that you can and post them on newsgroups - bots scan newsgroups for email addresses and then put them on spam lists. Fraud is very common - sites often identical to the real ones but not the real ones. Be carefull. B. Blue Dreams Benno

Worth remembering that each jump is a separate throw of the statistical die. The grim reaper doesn't know how many jumps you have done: If you have 99,999 jumps you won't die for sure on the next one. Your odds remain at 1/100,000 of dying on your 100,000th the same as dying on your first jump. Blue Dreams Benno

Let me take a little liberty and cut n past from Brain Germain's web site http://www.bigairsportz.com/art-skilldrills.php - the context is canopy exercies... I like Greenlites' post, the poor chap was in trouble when he got into the aircraft - with that canopy and landing plan. A mal might have saved him - nice docile large 7cell to land straight in. Blue Dreams Benno

Ahh yes ye old Zipper Star Where you can score a centre point bust by careless walking to the plane :-) Blue Dreams Benno

congrats!!!! Love your work, now when you comming to Australia to buy us beer ;-) Blue Dreams Benno

One thing to consider is if you do go around is how high the people on the last pass will be opening. Some, but not all DZs have established goaround procedures to reduce this risk i.e. different run in. As Bob.Dino said if you want a go-around at our DZ – quite often this will mean going around manifest to get on the next [available] load ;-) Seeing how the other half live @ Perris, when just a toggle on the switch makes the a/c auto-magically go around. That switch saved me hours of walking... Blue Dreams Benno

ow I thought you liked me. Was the story about the triple mal that bad... ;-)

internet 101 - everything leaves traces, artifacts and logs. You might just get lucky... Blue Dreams Benno

December. Stupid pilot chute wrapped itself around the brake and d-lines. It was my one non terminal reserve ride! Landed off, driven back and on the next load - joys of team training. Blue Dreams Benno

10days Blue Dreams Benno

get well soon :-)