ianmdrennan

Agreed. Performance Designs Factory Team

Well, lets be fair: 1) Pat Robinson is a nutcase 2) The daily currant is a satire online newspaper. That said, it's a sad state of affairs for the GOP when satire pieces like this can even be mistaken for fact. The party really is a bit of a mess right now. Ian Performance Designs Factory Team

as opposed to posting while driving, which threatens the general public. Yes, and he can also get to meet people who can't distinguish between using Siri at a red light and texting while driving. And bullshitters Performance Designs Factory Team

Is a gimp mask considered a hat these days? Performance Designs Factory Team

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-Wd-Q3F8KM Best Count Ever. Performance Designs Factory Team

Agreed. But my point is that you can tell a lot of that about how they fly, their body language, etc even when they're not in trouble

Yes. Since I believe in Democracy I have to own them, even if I don't agree with them. We, as a Nation, allowed something stupid to happen because of fear - even when some were saying it was a bad idea (remember, they were labelled Unpatriotic). Remember the cry - "If you have nothing to hide, then why do you care?"...... We, as a Nation, are responsible for what we've allowed. Ian Performance Designs Factory Team

I'd give them the benefit of the doubt and watch a jump or two. That said, I've never ever come across someone with that many jumps that was ready for that canopy (and I've seen people on a wing like that with less jumps). Not saying it's not possible, just saying I've never seen it. Ian Performance Designs Factory Team

What happens when you coach a guy who is obviously in way over their head who thunders in and the family then sues you? Sorry - if you want my coaching and my coaching tells you to upsize and you don't. Well then you obviously didn't take my coaching seriously and I'd rather spend time with a different student who's actually interested in getting better. Ian ps: The coach was not me, I'm talking a hypothetical here. Performance Designs Factory Team

Again, it's not. Congress rushed changes through (one example here). BOTH parties allowed this to happen. Performance Designs Factory Team

No. WE own this. Regardless of party lines, BOTH parties have a hand in this act. It never, ever should have happened in the first place. Now we're all reaping what we sow. Performance Designs Factory Team

More info http://gma.yahoo.com/santa-monica-shootings-father-daughter-among-victims-183818526--abc-news-topstories.html Performance Designs Factory Team

THAT, my friend, is not an Obama issue. THAT is a "Patriot Act" issue. "It's all Bush's fault"? Right, got it. ••••BDS alert•••• No. Doesn't congress do that stuff? The patriot act is a failing from both sides for letting it pass. No-one wins (except the terrorists....) Performance Designs Factory Team

Would be hard to bet against I also wanted to note, I think this is a fed gov attitude. I think we have been moving this way for decades so, I do not think this is an Obama thing But,as with Presidents before him, it is happening under his watch. Just more info coming out now Agreed. The choice to continue these practices reflects on him in the same light it does on those who started them. Very disappointing. Performance Designs Factory Team

Very disappointing, but sadly not surprising. Seems as though it's been going on for quite a while too. Performance Designs Factory Team

Um no. Romney/Ryan sank their own ship, I think, with their constant position changing. They lost the moderate vote because no one actually had any idea what he really stood for. Combine that with the move further right position of the Republican party themselves in the last few years and it gets REALLY hard to vote for a Republican. My opinion, of course, but I can tell you as someone who was LOOKING for a good Republican candidate (I'm not overly fond of what the Dems have to offer either) that I hope the party focuses on what it needs to (smaller government, fiscal responsibility), provides us with a good candidate, and stays out of pandering to the far right/tea party groups. Lets be honest with ourselves, Marc - you're not really anywhere near center (at least your posting history suggests that) so of course anything moderate is going to look far left to you. Ian Performance Designs Factory Team

I do not think that word means what you think it means. Performance Designs Factory Team

While technically accurate, if the person with 2100 jumps has just raced to the ground (as most people do) then you could argue they haven't really learned anything more about flying their parachute correctly than the person who's done it 500 times but really been focusing on learning. edit: That said, the person with 2100 jumps has a much higher likelihood of having been exposed to more situations that can develop than the 500 jump person. Ian Performance Designs Factory Team

Full agreement there. It is, I think, but it's also just the tip of the iceberg. The biggest issue is that the cards are a set of exercises often taught by people who either don't understand, care, or have the knowledge to teach the theory behind them. Bit of a chicken and egg scenario IMO. Ian Performance Designs Factory Team

I'm not convinced it's USPA's problem to solve. To me this is more of a cultural shift our sport needs to make, and that's driven on the individual dropzone level. I can't tell you how many people (experienced) feel they don't need any canopy education whatsoever. Until people believe they need better training (whether they're doing HP landings or not) I don't expect to see much change. Ian Performance Designs Factory Team

I can't say I agree with that. Not to say I feel content with the current state of affairs, but when one considers the sheer volume of high performance parachutes and people doing some sort of speed inducing landing (that includes just straight old double fronts, or even a tandem surge) then the statistics are remarkably low given the jump numbers. Are there things we can do to make this better? Sure, I think there must be. My opinion is a focus on education. Is regulation the answer? Not sure sure it is without creating a burdensome process that's error riddled anyway. Ian Performance Designs Factory Team

Actually, that's not really a good analogy. More akin to today's situation is the motorcycle comparison. Once you have a motorcycle license you can buy anything from a mild 50cc scooter to the biggest baddest racing bike you can imagine - with no licensing distinction or restriction. I don't think his reply was idiotic. If you're serious about having a discussion, regardless of if it agrees with your viewpoint, then you'd do well to not be so dismissive. Personally, I'm not too fond of even attempting to discuss this issue online, there's just way too much to discuss and debate to do it any real justice. Ian Performance Designs Factory Team

She's gone from suck to blow! Performance Designs Factory Team

Dave, I'm actually going to disagree with you there. Here are my thoughts: For rotations 450 and under it's best to use double fronts to start the approach. It ensures a higher likelyhood of hitting your max speed while still rotating by giving you a higher initial speed prior to introducing rotation since you need every bit of the 450 to hit peak speeds. For turns 630 and onwards, since the duration of rotation is longer, double fronts are no longer needed as you're ensured to reach max speed with rotation to spare. Personally I'm entirely out of my fronts about 70% through my turn as I can no longer hold them down (insert girly man jokes here). In fact I release them slightly earlier than I can hold them down to ensure the smoothest release possible vs them blasting out of my hands and wasting energy that I've already built in sudden wing deformations. Blues, Ian Performance Designs Factory Team

Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions! I appreciate it