LukeOliver

I can understand why you might ask the question; However, metalwork is not an essential part of the puzzle. It's completely optional. You could even argue that with the increased availability of quality training, targeted training activities and peer feedback... it's not even a badge of honour.

Sitting in the Bombshelter now. Haven't seen too many of the ladies yet today. Great party last night. Lots of pink jumpsuited ladies thrown in the pool prior to that. Result: very green pool this morning, you couldn't quite see the lettering on the bottom... Found in the deep of the pool during the morning cleanup: a set of keys. Sunglasses. An iPhone, ouch. A Blackberry, ouch. Coins. A wallet. A pink feather boa. A sock. And it looks like a bikini top on the top of the shade sail. A few sore heads this morning! Another view of the opening celebrations... I'm looking for Aussies, and mainly my chick :-) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYxx3fqYVgY

Attempt 4 for the day emplanes. Really positive vibe from the rally before they went.

All the ladies emplanes; skyvan and eight otters are taxiing. They're off to 18,000'... Everyone has permission to take up grips on this one. I'm running some video randomness from Perris if you're bored: http://YouTube.com/JFTC2009 ...I think :)

Question about phones... bringing mine from overseas. What's a good SIM to get which will give a decent data allowance as well? 3G.

No way :-( Fly free.

The guy you're thinking of targeted this discipline from day one, worked real hard at acquiring skills: got mentoring, rigorous goal setting, disciplined practice. Lots of effort. You could too. But he did.

2.4 on VX96. I was supersizing, better now at 2.2. Never felt the need to go much faster.

I had LASIK about 8 years ago, after 24 years of spectacles. Reduced to a choice between skydiving and LASIK, I'd take the eye surgery. Also the weirdest experience of my life.

Real photo, taken with one of CookieComposite's belly mounts I'm guessing. That's definitely Bretto's nose. It's Redcliffe, Queensland, Australia. It's a pretty progressive shop, and to my mind counters much of the alleged corruption and exploitation of workers in the tandem industry up that way. Yes, it's an Extreme FX, scaled up to 285 sq ft. Bretto has like 9500 tandems last I looked, super current, he's a rigger, and has the physique which makes it all look easy. The chances of anyone getting their feet to the ground before him are minimal, and I've watched him react whilst a student is still /thinking/ about doing something untoward. It offers little to the first time jumper (other than the landing takes less time so you worry less). Many licensed parachutists have been on the front as well, and it's been pond swooping according to the videos I've seen. I would suggest - without referring it to Bretto, so inviting trouble - that at some stage you start doing tandems for yourself rather than the student. There might be an element of that, but having worked with him I see customer service happening as well. If you're going to be potentially loaded at the 2.0 mark, crossbraced canopies have demonstrable advantages. Collapsible sliders on Tandem canopies help if you're going to jump in max legal wind limits. I don't have a problem with it. But it's not for me. Me and my new friends will stick with my 330 Crossfire ;-) L.

"Jyro". It's an acronym ;-)

I believe this ultimately dates back to 2003, prior to the recall for additional static shielding. There were issues then - misfires? ground fires? - I believe that's well established, and the issue may well have been before the courts since then.

http://www.vigil-aad.com/pdf/WorldTeamResponse_005.pdf Feb 16, 250kb Apparently so. Text in this PDF does not copy and paste nicely :-/

That didn't read quite the way I intended, sorry. You never actually forget; but time helps heal. "Nobody is really gone as long as someone remembers". When I lose a friend in the sport, I take my current pullup cord and tie it in a special place with the others; spending as long as I need to say "goodbye" before consciously trying to move on. I wish the collection was smaller, and that some of the pullups weren't so fresh. L.