dbattman

Adam (dont remember your dz.com name) Bolas Chaoskitty CSpenceFLY Dbattman [

Hey, if you wanna play you've gotta pay! 3 repacks a year, batts every two years (35/year), 4 year maint (~250/4). If you account for wear on the main, lineset replacements, smashing an altimeter on someone's helmet, etc. etc. a moderately active skydiver (150/year) would probably be looking at $3-4 a jump on gear.

Dropping off my bro at ATL this morning after knee surgery made me wonder if service is truly dying? Pulling up to the curb I jumped out and walked over to get one of the fourty wheelchairs clustered by the wall. After getting chased off by someone who walked over (apparently these are special chairs- I needed an airline chair) also punctuated with a curt 'get you hand off that chair' I walk in and grab the airline chair by the door and check him in. Airline counter people were friendly as all get-out (always have been) checking us in but now we need someone to walk him to the gate. No problem- just go on in and make a right and there are people there to walk you down. Great, have a good one thanks. Nice smile, wave, push him on in. Make a right and there's someone else in a chair getting an escort so we stop right next to him and he goes off. Looking over in the little seating areas are six people wearing those light blue uniforms and they are some of the unfriendliest looking people I've seen in a while. Not number seven sitting in the middle with the clipboard, she wasn't scowling so must have been the local sup. Five seconds, ten, fifteen- excuse me can we have an escort to the gate. Do you have your boarding pass. (hold up pass) Bring him over here. Geez- don't get out of your chairs and have someone walk over to where the customers are located. OK- take down the info on the clipboard (must be getting paid by the airlines per head). Oh, you need to switch chairs now. (???) So, we pull another chair over, and get him into that one get his crutches secured again, here's the bag, make sure he's got his pass back and such. OH- Finally one of these escorts stands up and does something useful. I swear it was like a Mexican standoff who was going to flinch first and actually do something other than suck air for a paycheck. Here's a hug thanks alot bro you're on your way. Say hi to mom and dad, give krissy and alli a hug for me, blah blah. I stop and actually take a look at the chairs and the new chair is marked with the same name as the ones outside and the person that ran me off is from the same company. What the hell? What was wrong with 'oh you need a chair? Where's your brother? Do you need someone to take him to the gate? You do!? Well, I was standing around outside sucking a smoke anyways. Let's put him in the chair and wheel him over to the curb check. I'll be right back with someone or better yet, I'll wait the two minutes to check him in and then push him in the door so we can jot down the info and get credit.' 'You know, perhaps my subordinates and I should stand out by the tile where people can see us instead of polishing our fannies out of sight by the windows. Someone just wheeled up- let's bring the other chair to them and put them in so they don't get tipped out pushing the chair over that big plastic thing in the carpet. Even better, why don't a few of you take some of those fourty chairs piled up outside and walk the curb to drum up some business.' And for Pete's sake wipe that scowl off your face! Say hello, where you heading? Oh I hear that's nice this time of year. And I'm supposed to tip these people? I don't think so, not this time. Next time I try to get a gate pass and take whoever it is myself.

Apparently, you have never looked at history of the Old West. They leaned their caskets against the wall, and stood proudly beside the corpse to have their picture taken. That was the real Western way. No PC there. Particularly popular with horse and cattle thieves. I have no problem with the 'look-here he is' headshot. They bagged him, here's the proof. Confirmation coming soon! Burned up hanging in a bridge or being dragged through the street- I'd have a problem with that even for a fine humanitarian like Zaq.

Question is do you like having perforated ear drums and blow out sinus cavities? Yeah, it's really really hard to stay on the ground when you're starting out but it's probably not a good idea. If you do decide to jump, load up on pseudophed (the real stuff they keep behind the counter, not that fake stuff out front). It'll help with the blockage.

Either way it's $44/night each. That's pretty good provided your Slacker skydiving buddies don't trash it. Anyone want to go in on a 2-bedroom? Someone start a condo list. If we book up a few they might drop the rate for us.

It varies from place to place. Bear in mind that you may have just gotten the a part-timer working the manifest to pay for jumps. It might be worth another try and asking them to check with the DZO to see if you can work something out.

Your composure and courage is nothing short of extraordinary. I had to stop the feed twice to regroup.

Yep, almost happened to me in VA. Mine setoff the explosive detector (possibly due to the hand lotion I use during the winter on my face or getting dragged down the hill at CSS) but I managed to convince the guy that I couldn't open the reserve because it was sealed by an FAA rigger. Heh- that was a good idea mentioning the FAA in the same sentence as the reserve they wanted to open. Probably got me out of a repack.

Possibly seeing how large a nuke they need to use in a surgical strike? Legitimate concern about the fallout downwind, though.

Kewl sounding game I'm looking forward to killing them all and letting God sort them out

-Take your documentation with you (CYPRES card) - Wrap your chest strap through the reserve handle and around the left-side web a few times. Fasten the chest strap and it's nearly impossible for an unknowing TSA agent to grab the convenient little carrying handle and deploy your reserve. It's also impossible for you to don your gear and jump with a secured reserve handle (hey- it's happened before) -Keep it out of sight (for Heaven's sake don't repack your main in the gate area or play with your audible in the plane!) - Put the gear bag/suitcase on the X-ray belt And now comes the really, really hard part- DON'T SAY A THING TO ANYONE UNTIL THEY ASK YOU ABOUT YOUR GEAR!! Chances are they won't ask at all. Do that and you'll be fine. If you so have an issue politely ask for the supervisor and refer them to their TSA manual regarding sport parachute rigs. Checking rigs wasn't much of an issue until the last few years. If they force you to check it (which they probably won't) request a hand check and TSA seal when they're finished so you know if someone else opened your bag. The issue with checking rigs is that a few have been tampered with by unknowing TSA security people making them unsafe to use. Good Luck! - The jet-setting road warrior skydiver

Project Denny's Over 10 years and he's still going at it.

And in the news..... millions of people have been forced to keep promises they thought they'd never have to.

What car are you running Bill? I wonder if my 2000 Nissan Altima will handle a 50% mix.

The 'Mont. Welcome to the freakshow

You're probably on call all week. You may get a message in the next day or two that all jurors are released, then you're done for a year. At least, that's how it worked here in GA.

Hell yeah I'm glad. Unfortunately I quit flying about 10 hours later to take up jumping so if I ever go back I'll insist on another hard-ass check ride before I take passengers.

Mine was 15 G 22 but only about 10-15 degrees off runway heading. I thought I'd be failed for poor judgement right on takeoff and I made all my concerns known up front but the examiner was 'Ah, that's right down the runway- no problem' Then we walked up to the plane and the first thing he does is stick his arm through prop arc into the engine cowling. Don't know what he was really doing but I yanked it back anyways. What fun!

Start pounding the pavement and get your financing from a bank or credit union before going to the dealer. You can also get the loan pre-approval and buy from a private seller- that would probably be alright. If you're not opposed to program cars try a Hertz or other rental car lot (every dealership sells rental cars even if they say they don't). Carmax sells good cars as well. If you've got financing up front then it becomes an auction game over who gets your note, so you're in the stronger position. You'll also have a better idea of where you stand before you walk onto the lot.

Good luck. I remember my checkride and it was tough. Everything was thrown at me 1-2-3-4 without much of a pause in between. I was so tensed I had my feet jammed into the rudders like they were brake pedals. It's like skydiving- relax and breathe.

http://www.wadsworth.org/rabies/AnnualSummaries/2001/index.htm#bats A report I dug up on the internet found just under 3% of bats submitted for testing were rabid in New York in 2001. You may want to speak with a physician regarding testing and treatment. There is no cure for rabies after symptoms appear. I inquired about rabies shots before going to Guyana in 2004 and they were $700 each, three shots required for treatment.

It only takes a second.... Airports are dangerous, and the embarrasment is over as soon as the sweat dries off your brow. Watch each other out there and holler if you even think there is a problem.

Wonderful time. Lots of people, tents everywhere, jello-shot cups flying into the fire like confetti, and a band that said 'screw the amps- let's go sing out on top of the pallets and have some fun.' Another great show to bring everyone together. Lots of representation from all over under the 'no-dz' banner. Palatka, Statesboro, Rome, Raeford, Thomaston, Farm, ASC, Monroe, Greenville, Tennesee, Midwest, Blue-Sky, over-the-pond, down-under, and just about every place else that you can think of. A great reminder that sometimes we let ourselves be sucked into the petty politics and forget why we started and kept jumping in the first place. Good show, Chris. And if you didn't police your campsite may you find a nasty chigger bite sometime in the near future.

What's your field?