riggerrob

There was a packing course at Campbell River a couple of weeks ago. If you live in Vancouver, your best option is to contact the DZ at Abbottsford. If you tell me exactly where you live, I might be available for private lessons during evenings, etc. Hint: I live at the corner of 6th and 6th in New Westminster, but work near the north end of Boundary Road.

Well spoken! When two or more social critics say essentially the same thing ... then maybe ... just maybe ... they speak the truth. Sorry, but I spent last week at a reunion of military veterans (Operation Pegasus Jump 2023 at Campbell River Skydive Center) and military veterans tend to live on the conservative side of politics, religion, sexuality, etc. The attitude spoken most often was "I don't care who you want to %$#@! just don't shove your sexual preferences down my throat." When I said "I have not need-to-know about your sexuality until you invite me into your bed." was greeted with smiles and nods.

"Religion or science? What is your best guess?" is the title of a sermon that I wrote a while back for a Unitarian/Universalist Church. The book of Genesis was a "best guess" based upon early Jews' limited understanding of physics, history, cosmology, etc. Fast forward to modern quantum physics and I remain cynical. My brain only grew as far as the Newtonian Physics needed to fix and fly airplanes, parachutes, kayaks, etc. I understand that Newtonian Physics are not enough to explain the inner workings of atoms. I also predict that some of current Quantum Physics will be laughed at 50 years in the future because current scientific thinking is still only a "best guess." On another note, when trying to determine whether light came before water, etc. in the book of Genesis, remember basic Newtonian Physics says that solids, liquids, gases and plasma (aka, light) are based upon the same materials/elements, just at different energy levels (aka. excitation levels). There is a logical progression from solid to liquid to gas to plasma. Finally, my suspicion is that the Big Bang Theory is just a simplified and shortened explanation for vast waves of expansion and contraction. These waves are far too huge for the human mind to comprehend. ... so we read simplified explanations in the book of Genesis or the Big Band Theory. I also suspect that the Big Bang Theory was written to passify the Christian Bible-Thumpers who needed a version of science that supports the Holy Bible.

You are quoting Canadian Professor Jordan Peterson (clinical psychologist) in that he perceives the current fad for trans-gender surgery to be a fad. A fad like teenagers cutting their own skin .... a fad the Salem Witch Hunts ... a fad like another dozen religious crusades .... a fad like a variety of religious jihads ... a fad like the Flat Earth Society ... a fad like disco music ....

The Christian "New Testament" mainly quotes sermons that were originally spoken in the Aramaic language that was spoken in Palestine 2,000 years ago. Then some of the Bible was translated into Greek (the dominant language of scholars) then some was translated into Latin (precursor to modern Italian) then Wycliffe, etc. translated the Bible into English. Parts of meanings were lost every time the Bible was translated. Then Wycliffe staff translated the Bible into hundreds of little-known languages ... and the process continues ....

The good news is that child molesters get all the sex they could want AND MORE while in prison. Too bad they are "catching" instead of "pitching." CAUTION: dark humor.

Agreed! I learned how to drive in an M113.5 Lynx back when the USSR was still considered evil. Sending M113s to Ukraine would reduce the number of Ukrainian infantry casualties. Remember that this is a war of attrition where Russia can afford to lose hundreds of thousands of soldiers while Ukraine cannot replace their casualties. The Canadian Army learned this lesson during the summer of 1944 and responded with Kangaroo APCs. Several retired American generals have opined that sending M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine might be a bit of a "white elephant." The last thing the Ukrainian Army needs is a new supply chain for M1 Abrams, plus a new supply for British-supplied Challengers, plus a new supply chain for Leopards, plus a new supply chain for ......

I watched the latest "Mission Impossible, Dead Reckoning Part 1" over the weekend and rather enjoyed it. The film is a rollicking chase scene involving enough stunts to hold the attention of even jaded old me. The only room for improvement would be a bit more proximity-flying with his speed-wing. Final credits included BASE pros "Alaska" John Devore and Miles Dasher.

Stocking shelf-stable foods is a good start. A few years back I was injured in a plane crash and unable to work for 5 months. Then I needed knee surgery and was unable to work for 15 months. Both times my stock-pile of canned food and dried pasta kept me alive. I may have lost 60 pounds during the second crisis, but the key point is that I survived both crises because of food stock-piles. Your second level of stock-piles should include tools and books on how to use those tools. Somewhere along the way it helps to have like-minded friends.

They died because the TI wasted too much altitude trying to attach the shoulder hooks. A few other TIs have made the same mistake BUT they quickly realized the error of their ways and tossed out that giant decellerator ... the main canopy. They landed with their students hanging from the 2500 pound MBS side hooks .... had embarassing conversations with their local TIEs ... did a bit of refresher training and resumed work. The key take-away is that when you have a problem, often the best solution is deploying your main canopy.

This is a very old video. It looks like the harness/container is a Vector II and Vector II production stopped around the turn of the century ... when RWS/UPT introduced the Sigma tandem system. My last jump on a Vector II was before COVID (circa 2018) and that was one of the last Vector IIs still working in Canada.

I am still on this thread, but my last Delta II jump was 40 years ago.

I am not a good source - of advice about BASE gear - since my last BASE jump was in 1986. I wore stock skydiving equipment. The only change was a larger pilot-chute and spider slider. The larger pilot-chute helped at low airspeeds. I believed that the 4-grommet spider slider helped keep line groups separate and neat. Multiple generations of BASE gear have been built since then.

6-holed sliders were more valuable back when bulky Dacron suspension lines were fashionable on tandems. Those bulky Dacron lines got even more bulky as they absorbed desert dust and became increasingly fuzzy as they aged. Only the best of packers could minimize tension knots in Dacron suspension lines. They had to walk the lines up at least 3 times to even tension.

The 'Inventory of tattoos" is to help identify the corpse after you hook-turn yourself into the morgue. Hah! Hah! Caution: black humor.

Angie impressed us with her seminars on tandems during PIA 2023.

6 grommet sliders were briefly standard on tandem canopies sold by United Parachute Technologies.

Agreed! If girls can wear skirts to class, then I insist on my right - as a grumpy, old, gray-bearded part Scotsman - to wear my Utilikilt or McLaughlan family tartan kilt to school.

Yes, Shaun Ryan is one of the better pod-casters. I also listen to: Jordan Peterson, Thomas Sowell, Joe Rogan, etc.

Sounds like they are trying to lower standards for their female students. I say that we should hold female students to a higher standard than "fragile vessels." I do not understand how "fragile vessels" can cook, clean, manage a household, raise children, balance a budget, drive kids to soccer practice, etc. The last thing that I want to deal with is weak, lazy, girly, sissified dainty flowers in skirts. My attitude is based upon too many years dealing with women as a soldier, air force technician, skydiving instructor and city bus driver. What female students wear is totally secondary. Just limit over-sexualized clothing since it is difficult enough for teenaged boys to concentrate while they are going through puberty.

Returning to the original question ... if you want to experience how a reserve turns and flares, borrow a ZP 7 cell the same size, say a Triathlon. The Triathlon will not open as hard/quick, but it will turn and flare similar to a new reserve of the same size.

The generation of Technical Standard Order will not change with the date of manufacture. The TSO will only change after the manufacturer repeats all those drop tests and receives approval from the FAA. Given that drop tests cost something like $1,000. per jump, few manufacturers are going to repeat drop tests just to get an updated TSO. They are allowed to continue manufacturing - under the original TSO - as long as they keep the accident rate low. The FAA is unlikely to insist on any changes considering how few skydivers die every year. Skydiving will remain a low priority for the FAA as long as we keep fatality rates low.

Some day, some one is going to explain to me the logic behind parades. When in uniform, I stood thousands of hours on parade, but no one ever explained tome why????????? I was even among the honor guard when Prince Charles and Lady Diana visited Halifax. Why parade????????????

When you consider the relative dangers of transporting oil, road is probably the worst. Compare oil spills on roads, with train de-railments, with leaking pipelines with oil-carrying ships running aground. I can only remember one leaking pipeline in British Columbia and that was caused by a back-hoe. My evening constitutional will be along a high-pressure oil pipeline that runs up the side of Burnaby Mountain.

"Abuse of process" is considered a sin in Canadian courts.