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Thank you very much for the article about Dan.

I have simply collected a massive amount of links to various sources related to my area. Here is what I use for the St. Louis area. You can "back up" from these links to see where the sources are for your area. http://www.skydivestlouisarea.com/weather.htm I wrote the scripts for the "US Winds Aloft Forecast for Drop Zones" and "Translated US METARs for Drop Zones".

You're welcome!

Well, the next time I guess you had better get video, because I certainly do not remember doing that. Or perhaps you can tell me who "a few of us" is. (I just checked with 2 BOD members who have been present at all of the plenary sessions for quite a few years now and they do not remember anything like that. Was it a committee meeting? Which one?) Perhaps you are confusing me with another BOD member? Until you remind me of the details of those incidents I cannot comment on them. What is it that I am supposed to "be aware" of? I don't go around looking for trouble, or looking for negative things to remember about BOD meetings.

Actually I don't. Also, an important question is what do you mean by "works for USPA"? BOD member, or works for headquarters? (Turn your private messages on!)

Yes, people should take issue with those words. Douglas, you have a history of "teasing" people with things that you say you know, but do not substantiate that knowledge. Most of the "facts" you mentioned in post #48 have left me puzzled. If you will at least mention names, we can ask around and see if what you claim is actually facts. You may very well know more than I do, seeing how you work in the industry, but you need to help us out here with a bit more information.

That lack of response seems specific to me - tell them you don't know what year your ProTrack is, and they ignore you. Does anyone know why? Do they think you are an idiot or something if you don't know "what year your ProTrack is"? Or do they think it is "used" and not under warranty if you don't know?

That is great to hear. Most tandem students do not get taught that much. What DZ is this?

That was a live recording made in a time where there was a lot of experimenting going on in music. I can't blame you if you don't take to it immediately (or at all!). Search for "frank zappa apostrophe" in YouTube. It was one of the more "commercial" albums. You need to listen to the lyrics and have a sense of humor to enjoy Frank Zappa. You also need to enjoy all of the style and time signature changes within songs. Many people just don't like that kind of thing. Many people listen to some of it and say, "I don't get it."

That is certainly my least favorite! I think the easiest count to interpret includes 3 alternating motions so that the cadence can be more easily determined. After all, we generally teach students an up-down-up or out-in-out count. As far as I can tell, shaking came about because of the use of full-face helmets, but if the person giving the count has an open-face, well, I can think of better counts.

All of those look good. Interesting that the woman in [002] has that "oh, shit!" expression on her face, but is doing a good job pointing the camera anyway! I think tandem instructors' opinions of their students' potential performance are often too low. Your students in those shots are performing well.

No, but I bet you scared some Moderators, seeing how they have to watch you like a hawk when you post here, ha, ha!

I have a C182 where I added one tag-line seatbelt for the forwardmost jumper, but left the two section belt installed (so the two section belt could be used normally with the seat installed.) It was done as a Minor Alteration with a logbook entry and Weight and Balance change. Best for you would be to contact someone who has done a replacement on an airplane like you have. (Just to add some doubt in everyone's mind about doing this, it has been suggested that the seatbelt attachment points in a C182 are not rated for the full load of a person, but only half the load, being normally used for one side of a two belt system.) Clear as mud, you ask? Yes, this stuff is difficult to figure out sometimes. You will also get more info if you ask on one of the Diver Driver Facebook pages.

Long after you made your original post, but topical, and there are recent replies: http://www.uspa.org/USPAMembers/Safety/TheUSPAProfessional/tabid/78/ctl/Detail/mid/1452/xmid/41842/xmfid/42/Default.aspx When it was first published I took exception to the phrase "According to the FAA, all drone and model operators are to avoid flying within five miles of an airport without the approval of the airport manager..." because I interpret the (current) regulations as requiring notification, not just avoidance. See the link in the article for the document "FAA's Interpretation of the Special Rule for Model Aircraft". Really, now, is it too much to ask of a model aircraft pilot to at least tell the airport manager (or DZO as a courtesy) that they will be flying these models nearby? What's the worst they could be told? "When you see parachutes open, please land your model, and then you can take off again after all the parachutes have landed."

My first exposure to it was in 1982 when Roger Nelson and a bunch of experienced jumpers brought the "Mr. Douglas" DC-3 to Archway Skydiving in Sparta, IL for an event. I saw a guy (name unknown) do a hook turn and it scared the shit out of me. I thought he was going to crash. Then again, I don't recall much of a "swoop" or planing out. It just went fast and then he landed. I recall that when I got my new Raven 3 canopy that it would plane out well, but after a few hundred jumps it no longer did. I think that what we call "swooping" now started with zero porosity fabric canopies and better airfoil designs, perhaps with the original Sabre canopy.

You know, I have never thought of any of my tandem students as "200 pounds of stupid", maybe because of the training I give them. I would have to believe that if a tandem instructor showed their student how to shoot their own video, and practiced it a few times, that most of them would do an OK job. Maybe not all of them, but most.

Aircraft Spruce has a "Handheld Radio Wizard" that might give you some insight into different manufacturers. http://www.aircraftspruce.com/menus/av/handhelds.html# I am happy with my ICOM IC-A6, but it spends most of its time in my flight bag and does not see heavy use. For a radio that sits in a charger most of the time, I would expect to get a new battery at least every 2 years.

***I feel the need to weigh in on this subject.../quote] Kevin, thank you for the information!

And that is what I just did!

Walt, I somewhat copied the Liberty Parachute Team belly streamer setup that I used once. The streamer is about my feet level with a weight.

Boy, do I feel stupid. I wasn't able to use a piece of my exhibition jump gear because of a failure. I made a really nice pouch that fits around my midsection that can hold either a flag or a nylon streamer. The flag has never been an issue and probably would never be, but today on a demo jump the streamer was unusable. I used a nice large-toothed plastic zipper to hold the pouch closed and it has never been a problem until today. I always fold the streamer neatly in the pouch, but today I added a couple of rolls of crepe paper for an extra-cool effect, and re-positioned the streamer, right where the zipper could catch on it. After my canopy opened, I tried to unzip the pouch, but it would not budge! The end of the streamer was totally tangled in the zipper. I tried for about 30 seconds as I drifted away from the wind line. Then I said "Fuck it, I'm landing my canopy, unadorned with a cool streamer, safely in the landing area." (I hearby extend my virtual wrist to Twardo, King of the Exhibition Jumpers, to be slapped.) You know, I got many compliments from my audience anyway. They like the accessories, but what really impresses them is landing gently in the landing area. That is what demo jumps are about.

In Post #5, Geoff said this: "Yup, I signed it. Had no option at the time, as he sprung it on me after I had got into debt traveling 2,600 miles to get back there." If this is what happened, then a bit more sympathy might be given to Geoff, because that would change things. What is your understanding of this?

That is an interesting point. What if all of the stows except the locking stows release from the bag before the risers covers open. Is that a problem? Does this usually happen with "stowless" bags anyway due to their design?

No, it is just one data point for this configuration. It is a rather convincing data point to me due to the conditions. Some of the significance of this is the many openings I have had that are good without double stowing and with stows that are not all that tight, similar to "stowless" bags. I normally pack for myself. He on occasion packs for me at events.

Please allow me to add to the controversy of whether to double stow your suspension lines in the rubber bands. I often jump a fully zero-porosity Manta (288). It is the best opening "stock" canopy that I have ever experienced. A good initial snivel, just the right amount to slow me down before canopy spreading. Never off-heading more than 10-15 degrees. It has Dacron lines and I use "regular" rubber bands, in other words, not small ones like many people use for small lines. I had a very, very experienced rigger pack for me. He told me later that he double stowed the lines. He did this because some of the rubber bands did not seem that tight. (Actually, for this canopy they don't need to be because it opens so well regardless.) On the opening that he packed, there was a relatively long delay before I felt snatch force, enough to startle me, and when it opened, it had about one full line twist. It never does this when I pack and single stow. I think there is plenty of evidence to suggest that the double stowing of the lines makes the bag "rock" and rotate. With the increased use of "stowless" deployment bags that have only 2 "locking stows", I have to believe that double stowing the rest of the stows is not necessary, and sometimes counterproductive at least on some canopies.