SStewart

Hi Jen, I am so bummed out that I missed the course this year. But hey, that is life. I decided to have shoulder surgery instead. Reno? Still possible..... Onward and Upward!

8 reserve rides and I have never used an RSL. All cutaways, no totals. I have never deployed a reserve below 1000 feet. For the life of me I can not understand why anyone would release the main and not immediately deploy the reserve but it happens. One of lifes mysteries I guess..... Onward and Upward!

Thanks Spot, as you know I am not a big guy and the vast majority of my camera jumps have been shooting tandems out of 182's so I am used to staying low. I can stand up in just about any turbine so the type of aircraft should not really matter. The box is starting to seem like more of an obstacle than what it is worth, maybe a cage would be a better option. Onward and Upward!

So I just spent the last hour in the search zone. One search leads to another, you could get lost for days in there.... Anyway the question is box or no box? I have been using a cookie box for my hc3 top mounted with a Canon XT front mounted. I am changing to a new helmet with both cameras mounted side by side on the top (horizontal stills) And I am thinking about ditching the box on the video. I realize the box offers some protection but it looks like if something will get bonked it will most likely be the still camera which has no protection at all. Also, the box takes up space and adds a few ounces. You can't open the view screen or change the battery without removing the camera from the box, most ports are accessible but not all. It would seem to be more convenient to simply have a quick shoe and get rid of the box. I have made about 50 jumps with the camera in the box and there are no significant scratches on the box, gaffers tape can cover the switches and zoom button. I am starting to think the box may be more trouble than it is worth. During my search I discovered a few others who said they ditched the box. If you have gone box-less how is that working for you? Any suggestions for side by side top mount of a hc3 and canon xt? Thanks in advance.... PS.... the helmet is a BH Batrack, I was lucky to pick up a used one in new condition and it fits perfect. Onward and Upward!

So if we don't subsidise the GM program with individual members dues then jumpers will start pulling at 100 feet and people with 2 jumps will start flying wingsuits? Wow! (slaps self on forehead) Then by all means lets raise the dues cuz we don't want that to happen! Onward and Upward!

You won't find that at non-USPA dropzones either. Onward and Upward!

I think this was my best exit shot of 08 Onward and Upward!

I just had shoulder surgery yesterday. I tore the labrum two weeks ago skiing. I was lucky to have the best shoulder doc in the state and he is also the US ski teams orthopod. He said all went well and he expects a full recovery, I hope to be back in the air by May but it looks like I may have to skip Reno this year Onward and Upward!

In Utah there was a Dz at the Heber city airport that I jumped at back in the '80s. There was also Cedar Valley and Bagley ran a DZ at the 2nd municipal airport in Salt lake. Cedar valley moved to Tooele but no more jumping at the other two. Onward and Upward!

In theory...... Three of my favorite dropzones are non-USPA GM dropzones and their standards, safety records, etc. are as good or superior to equivalent GM DZ's. Of course this subject has been discussed many times so no point in beating that horse. Onward and Upward!

I think it is a great idea and from the number of responses so far It is safe to say there are plenty of dz's that are no more.... I could add: Hot Spur Paracenter in Littleton CO. I made my first jump there, i don't even think there is an airport there anymore. In Oregon: Beagle Sky Ranch; one of my favorite DZ's in Medford. I think they still make jumps there once in awhile but not really a DZ anymore. Cave Junction; formerly a Smokejumper base and a DZ for a short time. Cline Falls Skydivers in Redmond: Moved to Madras, there was a small DZ operating out of the Bend airport before that. Scravel Hill in Albany: The former OSU club DZ Harrisburg; the former U of O club ran by Jimmy Wright, his son started wright brothers later in Creswell I think that is gone now too. Donald/Aurora? don't know much about that, before my time. Roseburg; there was a DZ there for awhile, don't know much about that. Hermiston; Never jumped there. And of course the infamous Pacific Parachute club in Sheridan ran by Teddy Mayfield. Washington: Richland Skysports; Closed about a year ago, one of my favorites. Yakima/ Zilla? leonard may still be doing something, I don't know. West plains moved to Ritzville, Kapowsin moved to Shelton. And of course Issaqua which closed years ago. There are probably others in WA but those are the ones I know of. The University of Idaho had a small club at the Moscow/Pullman airport that I jumped at but I don't think there is anything going on there now. If anyone does put a site together I would be happy to contribute. Onward and Upward!

A better solution would be to simply eliminate the GM program altogether. USPA is supposed to be a membership organization not a quasi-trade organization that represents businesses. It has been suggested that the program costs more to administer than what it brings in. I do not have the actual numbers to back this up but I would certainly like to see some sort of proof that the program pays for itself or even shows a profit. Not to mention the fact that anytime a GM is sued and USPA is named as a co-defendant the membership will have to pay the legal fees for defense. There is also the perception that the GM program was the root cause of the whole skyride debacle. Eliminating the GM program could very well save the membership money in the long run and also remove the need for a dues increase. What benefit is the GM program to the individual member? Are we still a membership organization or have we in fact become an association of drop zone owners? Some one up thread said $49 a year is a bargain to represent skydivers at the government level and keep us in the air. I absolutely agree and if that was USPA's only mission we could lower the dues since that accounts for only a portion of what USPA spends money on. We spend more on publishing than we do on what the association was founded for in the first place. The amount members pay in dues each year is not the issue. How the money is being spent is what really counts. Onward and Upward!

Three heads are better than two? Onward and Upward!

Very well said! Another option would be to go to a quarterly magazine. This is what the APF (Australia) does and ASM is a far superior publication in my opinion. 4 printings a year instead of 12. This might be a good compromise for those that think Parachutist is some sort of sacred cow that can't be eliminated altogether. Let the free market fill the void, maybe somebody will step in and pick up where Skydiving Magazine left off. Onward and Upward!

This is a question that should have been asked before the election. This subject was discussed at the BOD meeting last summer and as I recall most of the board seemed to be in favor of raising dues on all members. IMHO USPA has spent a lot of money in the last decade on wastefull programs, ongoing lawsuits, and bad decisions and now they want the membership to pay the bill. I was one of the few that dared to suggest that we should look at cutting costs before asking the membership for more money. I would suggest you contact your regional and national directors and ask them their position on raising your dues and how the money will be spent. With only a small number of new board members the BOD remains largely unchanged so the question of a dues increase is going to be not if but when. Onward and Upward!

I voted YES! Why not? The DB Cooper nutjobs have their own forum so it only seems fair. Maybe we could actually talk about skydiving history and trivia instead of what Jo found in a cardboard box ten years ago.... PS I forgot to mention she had to wait in the car so he could go throw a bag of money into the river...(or something like that, please don't quote me) Onward and Upward!

I dislocated my shoulder skiing and I am having surgery this Thursday. My goal is aggressive rehab and getting back in the air by summer. I have been a rated instructor for over twenty years so this would be my first summer missed since 1987 if I don't reach my goal. If all goes well I should be jumping by June-July. Onward and Upward!

I was kinda surprised no one tried to throw a shoe at him. Onward and Upward!

30 US fatalities 1n 2008 18 in 2007

Tandems seem to be up, fun jumping seems to be down. It sounds like a trend and with no upward mobility eventually there will be no one to go up. The tandem masters will retire, no fun jumpers to take their place so who will go up then?

Well, DG I guess I have a different take on things. I remember being a young jumper living in my car and being dead broke. I was a teenager eating top ramen and no place to sleep. I remember having two reserve rides on the same day because I was jumping shitty borrowed gear. I also remember Ralph buying me a brand new rig even though I had no money. He let me pay him back and work it off. I packed a lot of parachutes, I jumpmastered loads of students, I cut wood, mowed the lawn, washed the airplanes...etc. Ralph did that for a lot of young jumpers, People that would have never tasted the sky without his efforts. I still don't get this "blame the victim" attitude So if something is stolen from you it is all because of your "KARMA" Give me a Break!

You have mis-understood the post Dave, The USPA website was updated last summer (2008) at that time the stolen gear listed prior to 2007 was sent to the archives and a link to the archives was not established until a few days ago after I sent an inquiry to HQ. Prior to last summer the gear in question was in fact listed on the website and in Parachutist magazine. So at the time the OP bought the gear all 3 components (main, reserve, AAD) were listed as stolen. If he would have checked the list he could have notified the owner that his gear was being sold on Ebay. The OP has stated that he only checked the serial numbers on the container and not the other components. As far as the rest of your post I have already stated that I feel sorry for situation he is in and it is really too bad that he did not run the serial numbers before making the purchase. However, in my opinion the only right thing to do at this point is to return the gear to it's rightful owner. His beef should be with the person he bought it from not the dealer who was robbed. I really have nothing more to add, it's a bummer deal for everyone involved (well, except for the thief who so far has not been caught)

I agree, and I will be pressing HQ to get the list up to date. The majority of stolen gear is over two years back. But this change only happened last summer. Before that all the gear that is now in the archives was listed. Edit to add: I have just been informed that the link was only added this morning so that is why you did not notice it before. They are working on it. Scott

On an earlier post I said that the gear was no longer listed on the USPA website stolen gear list. I was contacted by headquarters and it is in fact still listed under the stolen gear archive link at the bottom of the page. When they updated the website last summer only gear stolen in the last two years was imported to the new list and everthing before that went to the archives. They said they will import everything else as soon as time allows. I checked the archives today and here is Erics gear; Stolen December 24, 2004. Nitron 150, SN 83341003, blackberry, lemon, jade; Smart 160 reserve, SN 258373, white; Cypres 2, SN 11950. The point here is that if you are buying used gear you should check the stolen gear list here on DZ.com AND the USPA list (it may not be listed on both) Also check the stolen gear archives at USPA for any gear over two years old.

The gear was all brand new when sold, the dealer owned it outright and has all the invoices from Precision, Aerodyne, and SSK.