jimjumper

8-way "Rolling Thunder"! It's 2 4way tubes side by side with right and left arms arms linked to make an 8 way ball. Simple and damn impressive when it blows up because it can really pick up speed. Gear checks prior to exit is recommended!

You might have something there. I think somebody discovered how to prevent pregnancy a while ago. Quite a few kids I see are a result of the social climate their parents were raised in. A lot of people are raised with the belief that a good job, a house in the 'burbs, and 2.2 kids per family is the American dream. Throw in some hormones and bingo! When me and my wife met, one of the big things we had in common was that neither of us wanted kids. As a result we don't have to be responsible to anybody but ourselves. To quote from the movie "Oceans 12", "I want the last check I write before I die, to bounce!"

The military found this out a long time ago. There are members now that have sham marriages so as to get the pay and benefits of a married couple. When you start adding in pay raises and more time off due to kids the single military gets really hosed. It is much better for a lot of reasons to have family in the military and the military knows it. The Marines attempted to require that all incoming enlisted be single at one point and the Commandant of the Marine Corps got crucified for it. Look who is standing duty on Holidays and it will be all the single people.

Canada Mexico Philippines Japan Okinawa The picture is the Marine airfield on Ie Shima island (Okinawa). We would land about the middle of the runway, pack, and wait for the helo to pick us up for the next one. This is also the island where Ernie Pyle was killed.

Mexico Canada Philipines Thailand Korea Indonesia Guam Australia New Zealand Japan Okinawa (Japan) Hong Kong (China) Singapore Did most of it via the U.S. Navy travel agency!

We had a Moo Ray for a while after he landed in the cow field nearby.

In this day and age, I would think that the use of 1970's flashcards would be on the way out. Anybody use anything better? It would at least be nice to have the ability to make the gear and canopy colors those of your DZ gear. As inter-active as the world and our students are getting, holding old pictures over your students head seems pretty lame. Just a thought...

Bozo, for his creative skydiving antics and Ranger Rod, retired Airborne Ranger.

Or maybe he's channeling his dogs' thoughts..

What's amazing is both posts were edited for corrections 10 minutes later!

Jan, you're correct. I spoke off the top of my head. I guess the point I was trying to make in this conversation was that even long time USPA members tend to drop their membership when they no longer see a benefit to having it. I see the awards program as recognition by your peers of accomplishments, be they personal or as a group. Longevity awards were one of the few awards that didn't have to be applied for. Since they became an "on request" only award, they are rarely seen anymore.

I figure there can't be all that many current members with 50 years in USPA so I like the idea of honorary Lifetime membership. But, I'm not as big a fan if that also includes instructional rating renewals since there are administrative costs to ratings. However, I am doubtful it will ever happen. About 15(?) years ago, USPA did away with even giving out longevity certificates citing the administrative burden of keeping track of membership time. Trying to keep track of lifetime members will probably overwhelm the USPA computer database and cause a global catastrophe!

According to the Army Times, he hasn't been charged with anything yet. The Army is saying that the Rueters report was inaccurate.

Beer does taste the same but after 4 years overseas I ordered a beer at the airport and was stumped for a moment when the bartender asked "what kind?"

Just sent him an e-mail. Thanks for the link!

Still checking! Any odds on seeing it before they hold the meeting?

Lost a real skydiving icon. I also remember Alberta as being one of the nicest people you could ever meet. Blues Skies both of you!

Rich Piccarilli and Rich Brooks are both old time Lakewood jumpers that are still jumping here in California, mostly Perris. Both are on Facebook.

Must be some exemption's on that list for DC-3's. I remember one memorable DC-3 flight where we might of had half of that checklist complete and we still went for it. "Hey, it seemed like a good idea at the time!"

The release characteristics are going to be slightly different based on a variety of things. Bomb rack location. Where the bomb is on the rack, the length of the arming wires, the grip strength of the fahnstock clips (the clips that hold the arming wire in place thru the arming device of the bomb, how synchronized the bomb releases work, frozen releases, and lot of other things. I worked on the testing of using the B-52 for planting underwater mines and there were lots of issues.

He could move to Paris. Might protect some of the sheeple from the Islamic extremists. But the French have never been real big on self-preservation in the real world.

Do you want your answer printed, sent to your e-mail, or both?

I was thinking Blue Oyster Cult, "Don't Fear the Reaper"!

A lot of rules are in place as an aid to an Instructor. No one wants to be the bad guy and when an Instructor is in a bind it's easier for him to invoke a rule than to try to actually teach someone that has already made a poor decision and is justifying it by pointing out it isn't a "rule". That being said however, when you make a rule you are permanently making innovation in that particular area out of bounds for the average jumper. Case in point, is wingsuiting. The USPA had, for 10-15 years, a ban on wing suiting due to a number of high profile fatalities. It was a rule and it wasn't until modern rule breakers come along that it was even questioned. Wing suiting, VRW, swooping, and BASE jumping all have developed because of people willing to break the rules. I think that while rules have their place to protect the unknowing they need to be well thought out and well written for their specific intention. Too many rules are put in place because someone made a poor decision and it hinders the development of the sport to apply a broad rule to a specific event. There are also many rules that are in place that are poorly written because it was politically expedient to distort the intent of the rule and get something passed than to walk away without at least an effort. I've always thought that USPA could use a professional tech writer at it's meetings so that when rule changes or new rules were proposed they were written exactly for their intention and if changes were made to a motion a new written proposal specific as a motion would be debated. Oral changes to rules in meetings sometimes don't make it to the paper version and the rule becomes a distortion of the intent. Long post, sorry about that!

+1! All of my tandems have been with big burley men. Not a hot chick in the bunch!