lurking

I guess most of you guys would not like the new OPEL commercial featuring skydiving that is currently on the screens here in Europe. It´s advertising some sort of minivan where you can fold down single seats you don´t need. So you see a 4-way exiting the jump plane. The guy with the car is waiting on the ground, obviously to pick up the jumpers (it´s off DZ). On opening one of the four mains does not open. When the guy on the ground sees the malfunction, he folds away one of the seats. Eventually the chute opens very low and the guy on the ground folds the seat back up. Guy landes crashing into a barn (seat down again), guy walks out of the barn, dirty but unhurt (seat comes up again). I find this tasteless. By the way: The chute that opens very low does not look like a reserve (at least to me as a whuffo). Or would 4-way-teams have their reserves color-coordinated with the mains...? Thomas

You got any problems with Germans? Thomas Germany

The "self-cleaning" Braun works fine for me and it´s a geek tool with display and everything. At least here in Germany (where Braun comes from) Spare parts are no problem. (except they are expensive)

I am amazed somebody outside Germany knows this sorry excuse for a song. It´s from 1981! You guys must be older than I am! I just found out they made an English version too... By the way; this is the full text in German: Was ist los mit dir mein Schatz geht es immer nur bergab geht nur das was du verstehst this is what you got to know loved you though it didn’t show Ich lieb dich nicht du liebst mich nicht Da da da Ich lieb dich nicht du liebst mich nicht Soso du denkst es ist zu spät und du meinst daß nichts mehr geht und die Sonne wandert schnell after all is said and done it was right for you to run Ich lieb dich nicht du liebst mich nicht Da da da Ich lieb dich nicht du liebst mich nicht Thomas Germany

There seems to be a pattern. A couple of days ago I had to go somewhere to pick up some scaffolding that was donated to us to be used in the renovation of our clubhouse. The club is a gliding club so we are all certified glider pilots routinely soaring up to 5000-6000ft and more in a skinny fiberglass glider. But when it came to standing on top of 50ft of scaffolding and taking it apart while standing on it, we all had our problems... Thomas

Well, actually the spelling is "Sauerkraut" and I hate it. I thought everybody in the US knew the word. It is cliché No1 that all Germans eat it. That´s why Germans were (are?) sometimes called "Krauts" (especially in WW2 era and especially by the Brits) Thomas Germany

This is so sad... What type of movies do you pick up your German from? (Just kidding) Talking about movies: When was in the US for the first time in 89 is was amazed when I watched a movie (Die Hard I) and realized the (East) German bad guy talked German; in the original US soundtrack, that is... (Along the lines of "Schnell, schnell Hans") Argh! Another anecdote: Travelling along Highway 101 as a tourist I once stopped to see if I could help with a car problem. Minutes later another car approached and the guy yelled "Was ist los?" (that´s: What´s going on?). He was baffled when I replied in German and we then found out these were the only German words he knew... OK long story. It was funny for me at that time.... Thomas Germany

Ich habe nicht gesagt, daß irgendjemand doof ist. Schau Dir nur die Nobel-Preis-Verleihungen an. Da sind (in den Naturwissenschaften) doch fast nur US-Amerikaner dabei. Vielleicht braucht man in so einem riesigen Land auch keine Fremdsprachen. Wenn ich mit dem Auto einige Stunden in eine beliebige Richtung fahre spricht niemand mehr Deutsch... For the non-Germans: I was not implying that anybody is stupid (that´s what jraf thought I did). Just look at where the nobel prices in science go... (mostly USA). Maybe in such a large country most people just don´t need foreign languages. If I drive in any direction for only a couple of hours, nobody understands my German anymore... Auf Wiedersehen, Thomas

This is amazing! As a European (or as a German as a matter of fact) I have the prejudice that not a lot of US citizens speak foreign languages (except for those who speak spanish for obvious reasons). Furthermore I was under the impression, that only a very small number of US-americans ever leave their country. And now here is a community where a thread about foreign languages explodes with examples of good knowledge of German and other languages. Somehow the skydiving community seems to be full of open-minded, wide-travelled, well educated people. I would hate to believe that´s because it´s an expensive sport. Oh, by the way: Me? German - Mother tongue English - Fluent (I dare say) French - almost fluent Viele Grüße an alle hier im Forum, die Deutsch verstehen. Dies ist eine sehr interessante Diskussion. Einen schönen Tag noch. Grüße aus Deutschland Thomas

Hi jraf Vielen Dank für Deine Mühe, auf Deutsch zu antworten. Although I learned from this forum what a burble is, I didn´t see the problem. The vette must produce a monster burble. So the trick is probably to throw the pilot chute very far? On another note: In the German soundtrack they are repeatedly talking of "die Reißleine ziehen" (pulling the release lever/cord) while you are seeing the guy throwing out the pilot chute by hand. But I guess that´s just tradition. Even in this forum people are talking of "pulling" when they are effectively "throwing". Or did I get that wrong...? Viel Spaß im sonnigen Florida... Thomas

OK, now the Triple X movie has come to cinemas in Europe and in spite of all warnings I had to see it. I know the film has been discussed here before, but I would still like to ask for your help. I must admit that for a non-skydiver like me (even though I am a glider pilot and tried to learn something about your sport from reading this forum and other sources) the skydiving scenes did not look too bad. Can you tell me (without asking you to write a book) what´s wrong? I´m not talking about the final "parasailing" scene and the chute-assisted aircraft exit but the bridge/base scene didn´t look too bad. The skysurfing scene seemed odd to me because the guy deployed in a stand. Don´t freeflyers usually assume belly-down-position before opening? Enlighten me...! Thanks. Thomas, Germany

When you are in Germany near Hamburg, you can see them any time flying airbus parts in and out of the Hamburg Finkenwerder Factory. Their approach is very low over the city. It looks weird. Difficult to believe these things can fly. The predecessor of the Beluga was called the Super Guppy (and looked like it...) Thomas

As a glider pilot (no, not a skydiver) I browse aviation websites quite a bit. And although I sincerely like "High flight" I had a good laugh or two when I stumbled across the following: High Flight - Poem If you're into aviation at all, you've probably seen or heard John Gillespie Magee's famous poem High Flight. Well, the FAA finally heard about it, too. This version in annotated to FAA comments addended to ensure that the poem won't induce other pilots to be less than careful. ...................................................................... High Flight (FAA) Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth (1), And danced (2) the skies on laughter silvered wings; Sunward I've climbed (3) and joined the tumbling mirth (4) On sun-split clouds (5) and done a hundred things (6) You have not dreamed of -- Wheeled and soared and swung (7) High in the sunlit silence (8). Hov'ring there (9) I've chased the shouting wind (10) along and flung (11) My eager craft through footless halls of air. Up, up the long, delirious (12), burning blue I've topped the wind-swept heights (13) with easy grace, Where never lark, or even eagle (14) flew; And, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod The high unsurpassed sanctity of space (15), Put out my hand (16), and touched the face of God. (17) .................................. Federal Aviation Administration High Flight Supplement, Rev. 1997 1. Flight crews must ensure that all surly bonds have been slipped entirely before taxiing or flight of aircraft is attempted. 2. During periods of severe sky dancing, all crew members and passengers must be wearing seatbelts. The Fasten Seatbelt sign must remain illuminated if installed. 3. Sunward climbs must not exceed maximum certificated climb rates or designated aircraft ceiling. 4. Aircraft engaged in carrying passengers for hire are prohibited from joining the tumbling mirth. 5. Pilots flying through sun-split clouds must comply with all applicable visual and instrument flight rules. 6. All hundred undreamed things must be submitted on an approved FAA Flight Plan and approved prior to execution. 7. Wheeling, soaring, and swinging must not be attempted simultaneously except in an approved simulator. 8. Sunlit silence should be considered an indication of a major engine malfunction. 9. "Hov'ring there"--in fixed wing aircraft--should be considered a possible indication that a flight emergency is imminent. 10. Forecasts of shouting winds are available from the local Flight Service Station. Encounters with unexpected shouting winds should be reported to Flightwatch on 122.0. 11. Pilot craft-flinging may result in exceeding the stress limits of the airframe and may cause motion sickness. 12. Should the pilot or any crew member experience delirium while in the burning blue, a review of his (her) medical certificate is warranted. 13. Windswept heights must be cleared by a minimum of 1000 feet in designated non-mountainous areas; 2000 feet in designated mountainous areas.. 14. Encounters with larks are permitted if contact with the aircraft is avoided. Eagles must be widely avoided to prevent habitat disturbances as required by the Endangered Species Act. 15. ATC and the Department of the Interior must issue a special clearance for treading the high untrespassed sanctity of space. 16. Opening the pilot's vent window for the purpose of putting out hands, or any extension of bodily extremities, should be avoided except during slow-flight in non-pressurized aircraft. 17. The FAA is restricted from issuing any ruling concerning the appropriateness of touching the face of God during flight operations. .......................................................................... Thomas from Germany

now here´s a reply from a German Whuffo: www.skydivecenterspa.com is in Belgium but managed by Germans. It´s basically a German dropzone in Belgium. Thier site is in three languages including english Thomas

Skydiving from a glider has been done before. I remember an article in Sailplane & Gliding (the british gliding mag) some months ago showing somebody jumping from a Bocian (a polish 2-seater) with the rear canopy removed. Wouldn´t be legal in Germany though. On a different note: I feel almost sorry the US-soccer team lost to "us". Haven´t seen such a bad performance from a German team in a while.. On yet another topic: Not being a native speaker I´m using the spell checker on this forum. Marks the word "skydiving" as unknown every time. How weird is that...?

Hi everybody! Can you spell "whuffo"? No, I am not a skydiver. Not even did a tandem yet (will have to loose some weight before they take me). I have been reading your posts for a few weeks out of curiosity and the desire to learn something about skydiving. I am a glider pilot (flying gliders/sailplanes not hang gliders) in Germany and I am posting today because I am amazed by the number of similarities between your sport and mine. I am not talking about the obvious things like the love of flying, the blue skies and such but about the circumstances that surround the sport. Let me just mention a few points: Similar to skydiving... - Gliding tends to absorb your life - your fellow pilots become your friends - you spend most of your free time at the airport - it is a strain on relationships with non-pilots - it can be a problem for your finances - there tend to be lots of barbecues - there´s beer for new achievements (first solo, first flight on a new type, first height gain of more than 1000m, first flight over 1 hour, first...) - people are mostly very safety-conscious - there´s also the phenomenon of whuffo´s (asking "how can you fly today, there´s no wind" or such) - hell we even wear a parachute (but preferring not to use it...) On a sad note I have to admit, that people in gliding seem to be a bit less "crazy", but maybe the selection her on dz.com is not representative of skydiving ;-) Just wanted to let you know... Hope you have a fun and safe jumping season. Wish me a bit more thermals (the year hasn´t been to good until today...) Cheers, Thomas from Germany (OK it´s still 3 hours until USA-GER is kicked off)