DiverMike

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Everything posted by DiverMike

  1. I am one who stopped being active because of the new interface. It is a step backwards.
  2. I know I sound like an old man yelling at kids on his lawn, but is this the picture that should be on the cover of the official publication of the USPA? Should the USPA really be promoting lighting your canopy on fire? It gives it a sense of legitimacy and may even make some people think they can go to the SIM to find out how to do it.
  3. Rather than spending $25,000 for the museum, perhaps the money would have been better spent developing a web portal (like AOPA, PADI) that members could 'vote' on issues presented to the BOD. Maybe then, the BOD wouldn't be surprised by the hostile reaction to this expenditure For the same reason I jump off a perfectly good diving board.
  4. Please take this as a compliment. You are providing pertinent information that should be read by as many people as possible. Personally, when I see a 'wall of text', I don't bother reading it. If your post were not informative, nobody would have complained about the format - they would have just ignored it and expected everyone else to do the same. For the same reason I jump off a perfectly good diving board.
  5. No, we were spending $9 billion on humanitarian aid to a lot of countries (mainly Africa). The policy in place doesn't allow any NGO to get funded from the $9 billion dollars if they advocate abortions. The Mexico City Policy was enacted in 1973. The policy has been rescinded by every Democratic president since, and then reinstated by every republican president. For the same reason I jump off a perfectly good diving board.
  6. My favorite was a 15 way Magic Carpet For the same reason I jump off a perfectly good diving board.
  7. There will be more old people to follow us. Starting in 2019, millennials will outnumber us. http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/03/01/millennials-overtake-baby-boomers/ For the same reason I jump off a perfectly good diving board.
  8. There are a lot of crossroads type mega church's popping up - probably to fulfill the need of community without the historical 'judgement' of organized religion. There are also other community organizations to belong to that will help us boomers cope with life's meaning or lack thereof. The best quality of church (IMHO) was the charity and giving back to the community. For the same reason I jump off a perfectly good diving board.
  9. Wingsuit Meat Missiles
  10. DiverMike

    Bat.jpg

    Keeping the skies above Middletown Ohio safe
  11. I completely agree it is a stupid USPA requirement. They will probably 'compromise' and allow a Basic Med, but as I stated in my previous post, to my understanding, you cannot have one of those without being issued a 3rd class medical certificate within the last 10 years. So technically you wouldn't have to be holding a current valid 3rd class certificate if the USPA starts accepting Basic Med For the same reason I jump off a perfectly good diving board.
  12. I don't see how this has any affect, other than USPA possibly adding a BasicMed certificate as a valid health certificate. You can't get a BasicMed without already having a 3rd class certificate, so they will still exclude people with multiple DUI's and/or drug convictions. This won't help people who want to become a TI, and for some reason cant' get a waivered 3rd class certificate. For the same reason I jump off a perfectly good diving board.
  13. I can understand some people looking down at tandems as 'carnival rides', but what is up with the hating of static line? In the 1970's, there really wasn't AFF. If you intentionally let go of the strut, I consider you a skydiver. You would have 2-3 seconds of freefall before the canopy deployed. I tried to join S.R.A - Skydivers Ressurection Award, but was told that because my static line jump in 1974 wasn't 'freefall', it didn't qualify. Interestingly enough, to qualify for SRA, the return jump after a 10 year layoff can be a tandem carnival ride. Quit hating the static line jumpers For the same reason I jump off a perfectly good diving board.
  14. No http://finance.zacks.com/can-ira-own-s-corp-stock-3340.html For the same reason I jump off a perfectly good diving board.
  15. I had my dolphin modified by Altico to have a bridle cover to make it free fry friendlier. It still popped out in a sitfly https://www.facebook.com/mike.derge/videos/vb.100001530256245/918677044859962/?type=2&video_source=user_video_tab I stopped sit flying until I bought a free fly friendly rig. Your mileage may vary, but I wouldn't freefly a dolphin even if it has been modified to be free fly friendly. For the same reason I jump off a perfectly good diving board.
  16. It took me 4 hours to go from Cincinnati to tn near Hopkinsville KY to get into the path of totality. It took me 7 hours to drive back. Return traffic was brutal. This is the second eclipse I have seen. I don't understand why people didn't take the day to get to a place in the path of totality. The difference between 99.9% and 100% is indescribable. For the same reason I jump off a perfectly good diving board.
  17. That is a little too simple, and doesn't quite pass the BS test for me. More people are paying more money, so we have to print more magazines and buy more stamps. They are giving us more money using credit cards, so we have to pay 3% of it back to credit card companies. Sounds more like the Gilligan's Island Theme than rationalization for dues increase. I don't like it when the cable company increases prices. Like any other monopoly, I don't have a choice. If I want to skydive in the US, I almost have to be a USPA member. It is possible USPA is extremely efficient and well worth the money. I don't know because there is no other competition to keep them 'honest' in a free market. I taught SCUBA for 15 years and didn't mind paying the high fees as an instructor to PADI, because there were other agencies I could do certification through and I realized I was paying to be part of the best agency. The dues in skydiving are still far less than SCUBA diving, so I don't really feel I am being taking advantage of until I hear the reasons are we have to print more magazines and buy more stamps. What percentage of expenses are they compared to Health care cost and travel? For the same reason I jump off a perfectly good diving board.
  18. +1 I've been doing it for 6 years and still haven't bought new gear yet. There is a lot of good used gear available. For the same reason I jump off a perfectly good diving board.
  19. +1 I can't emphasize enough the difference between a 99.99% eclipse and a total eclipse. They are two totally different things. For the same reason I jump off a perfectly good diving board.
  20. "close to totality" isn't that impressive. I traveled to Guadaloupe in February 1998 to observe a total eclipse. You can't look at the sun directly for even a few seconds before/after the totality. Also, if you aren't in the path of totality - get there. A 99% eclipsed sun isn't that impressive, and you can't look at it directly. Technically speaking, it does get dark enough to require you approach it as a night jump, but I doubt anyone does. For the same reason I jump off a perfectly good diving board.
  21. +1 For the same reason I jump off a perfectly good diving board.
  22. I have the "Allow apps that use less secure sign in" turned on, but still get the stupid pop-up. I just click "I understand the risks" about once a day and get on with my life. You would think Yahoo would throw a cookie that indicates I understand the risk and quit notifying me - but they don't. For the same reason I jump off a perfectly good diving board.
  23. You may not like this advise - but for most people financial security is more important than being a fun jumper. It may not be when you are in your 20's and 30's, but when you are in your 40's,50's, and 60's raising kids, considering retiring, etc - you may wish you focused more on making bank. Don't get me wrong - there are several people who post on this forum who 'lived the life' of skydiving sleeping in tents and campers and eating ramen noodles who have had happy, successful lives. There are also professional skydivers, but they are rarer than professional athletes. The sky will always be there. I did my first fun jump in 1978, and my second fun jump in 2006. The sky was waiting for me. It will be waiting for you For the same reason I jump off a perfectly good diving board.
  24. Datsun B210 (1980) Mazda RX7 (1978) Nissan 300 ZX (1984) Porsche 914 (1972) Mazda Miata (2002) Porsche Boxster (1997) BMW 535xi(2007) Mazda Miata (2015) I like small cars. The above have been titled in my name. My wife gets the MiniVans and Dodge Intrepids For the same reason I jump off a perfectly good diving board.