Baksteen

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Posts posted by Baksteen

  1. For me, skydiving is just something I do, and I present it as such to my non-skydiving friends and acquintances.

    I don't often start talking about skydiving of my own, but I don't really hide the fact that I jump and answer any questions people have got, as far as I am able. "Questions" here meaning anything between "did you hear about fatality X" and "did you go jumping lately".

    What I have found to be an effective way of dealing with stereotypical "whuffo jokes" is taking them seriously and countering with corrections about things really work in the skydiving community. After a few moments people get interested despite themselves and start asking serious questions.

    However, despite the above, I mention skydiving on my resumé. First since I do volunteer's work for my club, second since it allows me to talk about risk mitigation, third since it makes me stand out and fourth since every minute I have to talk about skydiving is a minute less answering difficult questions.

    As a rule, I don't talk people into jumping. I might give a little push if that's what I think is needed, but over 90% of the decision and the motivation to sign up for the FJC needs to come from themselves - not from me. That's the only way to get people into jumping and keep them into jumping for more than a few jumps.

  2. 13 hours ago, mbohu said:

    Wendy + others: Are you sure though that what you do is a PLF as it is taught? The way I have seen it taught and the way it is depicted everywhere really works best with zero forward speed or even some backing up: feet completely together and then start the roll over the side and then the back: spacer.png

    It's "feet together and angled slightly to the side" (translation difficulties). Also, you obviously must flare before you touchdown, keeping your hands together near your crotch, your elbows tucked in etc.

    That way you are able to make the roll in the flying direction. Based on the quoted picture you would face plant, hard.

    All in all that has nothing to do with the PLF in general and everything with the quality of the picture.

     

    I've had a student once who during FJC insisted that sliding it in was better than PLF. I made him stand on a table and asked him whether he'd like to land on his ass. When he said no, I asked him why it would be a good idea to do so when jumping from 1 km instead of from a table.
    A second student didn't discuss but just landed on his ass a few times. He'd get a talking to, promised to do better but was stubborn. After a few jumps he had to be taken to the hospital with a fractured tailbone.

    Personally, the PLF allowed me to jump earlier after recovering from a knee injury. No problem at all rolling the entire season.

  3. On 10/21/2020 at 7:07 PM, kallend said:

    Is that more or less than "a whole bunch"? "A shitload"?   "Heaps"?  "A bundle"? "A plethora"?

    It's approximately 3/8 of a cornucopia.

  4. 28 minutes ago, Matija said:

    Yet, they still try to convert them unintentionally because that's the way they're thought since young age. :)
     

    And you know this how exactly?

    During the early stages of the FJC there is occasionally a student who out of habit says 2000 meters instead of 2000 feet. But that is easily rectified.
    Moreover, unlike the Iranian example above, Dutch altimiters, course material and teaching consistently use feet.

    To my knowledge there has never been an incident, near inicdent or even occasion where a Dutch student indicated they were confused about when to open their parachute due to having to make mathematical conversions.

    You pull your main at 3000 feet (which is when the needle is pointing at 3000 feet). Later, you learn to estimate the altitude for yourself and you KNOW you're at approximately 3000 feet. But nobody is taught from a young age how to estimate altitude, especially when suspended in mid-air or falling.

  5. On 10/16/2020 at 8:59 PM, Matija said:

    I would say that metric skydiving instruments are used in probably every country in the world where metric system is implemented in their schooling and education system.
    Same goes for imperial system countries.

    You'd be wrong. :)

    In the Netherlands, skydivers use feet for altitude. We teach students that their hard deck is 2000 ft, without confusing them with conversion factors.

  7. 1 hour ago, Westerly said:

    Sometimes the reward so substantially outweighs the risk that taking on more risk than normal is the correct choice. You might not jump in 30 MPH winds with overcast skies, but what about if I offered you $100k to do it? Then you probably would. In this case, the reward of advancing this as soon as the evidence shows that it is most likely safe and effective (which it already does) far exceeds the risk of losing so many people per day from something that we literately have the ability to control to some degree right now.

    I'd turn you down. All that cash would be eaten up by the bills I'd need to pay if I broke my leg. Especially if I was subjected to the American healthdon'tcaresystem.

    As to vaccines and "what could possibly go wrong", do not forget the potential risks to the next generation. Thalidomide comes to mind.

  9. On 9/2/2020 at 3:52 PM, Baksteen said:

    The Dutch minister of Justice and Safety, who is one of the three figureheads of the anti-Covid campain in the Netherlands has been photographed while at his wedding at times not observing social distancing. The press were having a field day. Then new pictures came out with him actually shaking hands and hugging his mother in law.

    It will be interesting to see how he is going to defend himself in the coming debate.

    He owned his mistake, apologised deeply and emotionally and is allowed to stay on with a reprimand.

    Populist opposition moved to dismiss him, but got little support from serious parties.
    Populists also demanded that all Corona related fines and cases were dismissed, to which the minister replied that that it would be a funny old world if court cases would get dismissed because he himself made a mistake, no matter how severe.

  10. The Dutch minister of Justice and Safety, who is one of the three figureheads of the anti-Covid campain in the Netherlands has been photographed while at his wedding at times not observing social distancing. The press were having a field day. Then new pictures came out with him actually shaking hands and hugging his mother in law.

    It will be interesting to see how he is going to defend himself in the coming debate.

  11. 13 hours ago, billvon said:

    Agreed.  But since some congregations have to happen (food shopping, gas stations, some workplaces etc) masks are our best tool to reduce infection rates in those cases.

    I'm talking about political rallies or sports matches, where a lot of cheering by a lot of people occurs.

    Why is cheering bad? Because it is a disturbance of the air like singing. See the choir practice from earlier this year where one sick singer infected 40(?) others.

    As for food, I could shop immediately after work like most people do. Instead I wait until seven, when most people are having dinner and the supermarket is a lot more quiet. Also, I shop only once or twice a week.

    As for public transport, I have changed my working hours to avoid the rush hour (or what's left of it).

  12. 18 hours ago, ryoder said:

    The benefits of wearing a mask is not a binary situation, i.e. maybe-you-get-it, maybe-you-don't. There is evidence that reducing the initial dose of the virus, reduces the severity of the illness.

    https://theconversation.com/cloth-masks-do-protect-the-wearer-breathing-in-less-coronavirus-means-you-get-less-sick-143726

    I do not dispute that. But many people seem to believe that the benefit IS binary: I wear an mask, so I can't get it.

    For instance, when the BLM demonstrations were occurring, cities and protest organizers worked together (or at least tried to) t ensure that the demonstration took place in a large enough area to make social distancing between protesters possible. That worked reasonably well after the first few protests. An article in a leading Dutch news platform reported that at the demonstration in Amsterdam too many people showed up spontaneously., so not enough distance could be kept. The authorities held the organization responsible and said that for future demonstrations better planning was necessary. The article then concluded by saying "even though many protestors were wearing masks".

    And don't get me started about the people who do not cover their noses , remove their mask to eat/drink in crowded situations etc etc.

  13. Maybe, maybe not.

    I agree that in a tight corner masks are better than nothing at all, but some people seem to view face masks as some kind of anti-COVID deus ex-maskina: wear a mask = you can't get infected. And that I do disagree with.

    Not hosting gatherings were a lot of people congregate in the first place does a lot more for stopping COVID than merely wearing masks.

     

     

  14. 6 hours ago, PLFKING said:

    It sounds like you know your procedures, and your tunnel time has had to make you comfortable in the air, so it seems like more of a mental block than anything else.  Why not find a B or C licensed jumper on your DZ, explain your anxiety, and offer to treat them to a couple of jumps if they'll just go up and hang out with you until deployment time?  It may only take a couple to prove to yourself that 'you got this'. :D  Good luck!

    I'm going to partially disagree here.

    While tunnel teaches all the skills necessary for a successful freefall, it does nothing to actually teach you what it is like to be out there; actually falling towards the planet. As instructors we need to be very careful to not fall into the trap of OK-ing experienced tunnel staff for too much, too soon. They're still students with individual and maybe unique needs.

    To the OP, as others have pointed out you do have an extensive toolkit for successfully making that first freefall. If you feel that this toolkit alone is not sufficient, there is no shame in quitting. The first jump (your tandem) merely happens to you. After that, you start experiencing the jumps more and more. With the knowledge and experience you have so far, you have to make a decision.

    Also consider this: In the tunnel, you da man. Every student looks to you what to do. You know how things work, teach people to fly their body and probably can do stuff that most other people, skydivers included, can only look at in admiration.
    Then you go to the DZ. Now you are the student. The feeling of control you have in the tunnel is gone. You have to accept this not only intellectually but subconsciously as well.

    Finally, I would submit that "I continued for no other reason than because I did not want to look afraid" is one of the worst reasons to continue jumping.

    • Like 1

  18. Granted, tandem might be used as a legitimate training aid.

    Same goes for tunnel.

    Same goes for VR.
     

    My personal opinion however is that DZ's move away from 'AFF only' (not to mention Static-line) at least partially  for commercial reasons.

    Why charge only a couple hundred of bucks if students are happy to pay a couple of thousand? Yes, I understand that the DZ has more operational cost, but I have a feeling the profit margin is even bigger.
    Granted, you receive value for money, extra training and extra preparation, but that doesn't mean you cannot make a safe first jump without all the bells and whistles.

    This is in no way intended as a slight on Wolfriverjoe's DZ their instruction program, or any other for that matter.

  19. I'm no professional skydiver, but what most of the posters above are describing sounds like the effect of any other crummy job. And I have had plenty of those.

    A change of scenery always gets me motivated again.

    If your job doesn't give you satisfaction anymore and the vibe among the coworkers isn't enough to compensate for that (or vice versa), it's simply time to move on. Maybe you're good with a different employer, maybe it's time for something else entirely - only you can decide.

    Me, I had a busy schedule before Covid. I was combining a busy job with a lot of activities, hobbies and volunteering. Not all skydiving related, but basically me and/or my wife were out at one hobby or another almost every evening. When Covid hit, I remember coming home on tuesday night from work, when I would normally quickly get a bite to eat and quickly have to leave again in order to be in time for helping out at a dancing class. That night however I sat down on the sofa and thought, "I do not have to rush off anywhere any evening this week.. I could get used to this".

    Going forward, I have used the past few months for a much needed breather - and I definitely will not let my schedule get the better of me again.

  20. On 6/3/2020 at 6:44 PM, CygnusX-1 said:

    So just today I received my refund for my 2019 federal income tax. Submitted my return (e-file with direct deposit) in mid March. All I got back was what was listed on my return. Where are the late fees and penalties for taking so long?  Also there was no mention on how I'm supposed to give this money to Elon Musk or Tesla. It is almost like the money is mine to keep. That just can't be right according to what I've read from some people.

    Someone please help me out. What am I supposed to do with this money? If I don't have to give it to Tesla, I guess I'll have to use it to boost the economy and buy solar panels, new table saw, or some other items I would like to own.

    I'll help you out.

    You can send the money to me through Western Union. I'll invest it in the name of this prince from an unspecified region of Central Europe who has been exiled for ambiguous reasons and thereby has fallen upon hard times.

    In gratitude for your financial backing when he needs it the most, the prince has agreed to make you his heir apparant. Though the capital will be returned to you upon his death by an unclear method and without any significant interest, you will stand to inherit his title and any other posessions he has at the time.

  21. · Edited by Baksteen

    I read you the first time. Your reiterating the same line over and over again doesn't detract from my statement, a point which eludes some other people.

     

    Anyway, moving on....

  22. Have it your way. I'm too lazy to look up every distance.

    However, I would not be surprised if the chart you posted is simply cleverly set up to display  "Sweden, and everyone who had fewer fatalities".

    This is in no way intended as a personal attack.

  23. · Edited by Baksteen

    19 hours ago, kallend said:

    Neighbor implies proximity.  All the proximate nations are listed except Belarus.

    Oh, come on! If Iceland is "proximate" to Sweden, then so are Turkey, Spain, Italy and Greece. Not to mention the UK.

    https://www.google.com/maps/@55.2391321,41.5534555,4z

    Personally I think Sweden is just very lucky to be a big country with few people, which helps limiting the spread of any disease no matter what other precautions are taken.

  24. · Edited by Baksteen

    16 hours ago, kallend said:

    All those who lauded Sweden's approach pay attention:



    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/03/architect-of-sweden-coronavirus-strategy-admits-too-many-died-anders-tegnell?campaign_id=9&emc=edit_nn_20200604&instance_id=19074&nl=the-morning&regi_id=89442825&segment_id=30049&te=1&user_id=ca24d8cbef60603e22e6b56f4ff89857

     

     

    sweden.jpg

    Though I feel that Sweden dropped the ball with its approach I would like to point out that there are quite a few EU 'neighbours' missing in that chart, including some that probably did a lot worse than Sweden, irrespective of the measures taken.

  25. 2 hours ago, Phil1111 said:

     

    Ah! doublethink, it might be time to dust off Orwell's 1984. If trump wins I can meet some of you at the border to help with food vehicles, etc.

    Airstrip-1 (the location of the novel IIRC) is Great Britain though, isn't it?