tbrown

You certainly don't need to feel that shook up about its reliability. Let me tell you how it used to be. Twenty years ago experienced jumpers didn't use AAD's. There were a few models on the market, but they were bulky and had a tendency to sometimes fire prematurely (high), which was really dangerous. So we didn't wear them. Every now and then somebody with hundreds, or even thousands of jumps would go in after a low reserve pull or no pull at all. When the Cypres came out, it established its reliability to the point that it is now widely accepted and used by experienced jumpers, which says a lot in itself. As several people have already said, the Cypres is a BACKUP device - NOTHING short of being physically incapacitated excuses you from your personal responsibility to pull your reserve handle. 750 ft. is horribly low, something like 4 seconds from impact. Even with a Cypres opening, you're going to be lucky to get 15-20 seconds under canopy before you land. The Cypres is a device, it can fail - but so can a reserve parachute. I'd suggest you take a look at the change in fatality statistics over the last ten or twenty years. "Low pull/no pull" used to be the leading cause of death in the sport. That's not the case anymore and the Cypres has helped make that part of our sport safer. Personally, with a wife and two kids - I'll NEVER jump without one, not even once. My life is worth the price, it's something I'll always wear and hopefully never need.

Do you think meat grows in a plastic bag ? One of the best things I ever did, when I was 16, was to help a family slaughter a pig. After that I've always known where meat comes from. Who knows, maybe turnips suffer when they're ripped from the ground, we still gotta eat. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Prayers for peace and comfort to Pop's family, to you Rhino, and to all of us. It leaves another scar on us every time this happens. I didn't even know Pops, but there's so much pain in this thread. Peace and comfort to us all, God knows the number of hairs on our heads and none of us are forgotten. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

So will Gov. Schwarzenegger, he even toked on film in "Pumping Iron". That's what life in AMERICA was like in the seventies, everyone and their Aunt Tillie was smoking. It was accepted, legalization was around the corner and in my neighborhood in San Diego the cops wouldn't even bother you, so long as you were keeping yourself together. In those days it was pretty blatant at all the Cal. DZ's I went to (no names...). I'm not just talking about after dark either, there were all kinds of "safety meetings" in peoples' vans all day and a lot of people were jumping stoned. There were unfortunately some fatalities that were linked to this behavior. I watched one of them flail all the way in, pull his (round) reserve at about 100 ft and mercifully disappear behind a hangar before the sickening thud. The tox report from the autopsy clearly showed he was ripped, which was verified by somebody I talked to who knew the guy was stoned. Last summer somebody bounced swooping the pond at Skydive Chicago and again the tox report showed very high THC levels. It's clearly not safe to smoke and jump, especially with the sledgehammer strength of 21st century bud. It isn't safe to drive that way either. And there is high level paranoia, especially with the Feds going hog wild over dope smoking. I'd hate to think a drop zone could have it's property seized over a few people smoking, but with the Attny Gen'l we've got these days it COULD happen. That said, I'm still a libertarian at heart and think people should be able to make their own adult decisions. If they're discreet and responsible and not jumping stoned, I have no problem. Personally I just don't like the stuff. Freefall is so clean and leaves me feeling so calm I don't want to spoil the feeling with anything. Nobody makes a drug that good! Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

God is unknowable, beyond our understanding. So all the names, explanations and so forth are attempts to understand something of God's unknowable nature. The bummer starts when people insist that their limited and imperfect understanding is the way, the only way. I believe in a God that's beyond my understanding and I'm always interested in genuine inquiry about God's nature. There, and I said all that without any male pronouns either. Thanks for the poll Keely. I do think that spirituality is as deep a human need as eating and reproducing. We need to know why we're here and what it's all about, even if there is no answer. It can be one of the most interesting things to talk about, as long as people can refrain from dogma. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Actually I mentioned that last week, when Ah-nold threw his Uzi into the ring. But it is surprising that it doesn't seem to have caught on. What's bothering me, as a Californian, is that the process of selecting the next governor is so fupped duck. I mean OK, you want to recall the governor, fine ? But 271 possible candidates ? Holy shit! A minority of 2-3% of the voters could elect some bizarre Hitlerite sorehead who lives in his mother's garage.... Where's the orderly transfer of power ? Why doesn't the job just go to the Lt. Governor. I'm no fan of our current Lt. Gov, but aren't the death, incapacity, or REMOVAL FROM OFFICE cause for him to get the job ? And if not then WTF do we even have a Lt. Gov (Gov. Lite ?) for ?? That's what's bothering me and why I'll probly vote against the recall altogether. But I know Arnold's gonna win. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Polygamy comes from older subsistence cultures, where people depended on the crops they grew, or the herds they tended. With a life like that, one husband/provider for several wives and many children could make sense. Things like having a tent over your head and a meal in your belly are more important than the emotional concerns of sharing your husband with several other women. And that's still what a lot of polygamy in the third world is about. In the U.S., there's the problem of underage girls being coerced into arranged polygamous "marriages". A lot of these girls are simply underage, period. They haven't even had an opportunity to date a boy (or discover sex with a boy) their own age. Instead they're bundled off into a "marriage" with some horny old bastard, where they're the youngest wife in the pecking order. The horny old bastard keeps fucking her and the other wives take out their resentments on her and give her all the shit work to do. And oh yeah, she not only has to fuck the old coot and have his babies, she's supposed to obey him too. Doesn't sound too cool to me. Sounds more like a ritualized system of child abuse. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

More vibes & prayers. Staph infections are nasty and a real hazard for anyone staying in a hospital. Hope they nail it quickly. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

I've heard a few people get hyper about yelling "door!". About a month ago the light went green and people were yelling at us (an 8 way) to "get out of the plane", but in the door we could see we were still about 2 mi. from the airport and we just told them to chill. Let's not forget there's an open door here. The thing that worries me about people getting hyper and emotional on jump run is that anger clouds judgement. Exits with grips are tricky enough when folks are being careful. An angry shove can injure somebody, or worse yet could deploy a pilot chute out the door. If this guy was on video, the ST&A should watch the vid and act decisively. This sport is dangerous enough when everything's working. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Just getting off grounded for low/no funds. Haven't jumped since July 5th. Just got a job, I start tomorrow and will jump again real SOON! Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

I've never seen a student not jump (I'm not a JM either, but have seen students jump all the years). My first jump was from a C182 and our JM asked which of the three of us wanted to go first. I volunteered and my friends were more than willing to let me. Our JM took me aside for an extra special personal pep talk. He'd told us all that it would be normal to feel some fear in the door, but he told me personally that he was counting on me to be a good example to my friends and that if I didn't jump, nobody would because he'd have to take the full plane back down. I told him he could count on me and when he told me to climb out and go, I went. My two friends did just fine. Our JM, a guy named Dave Staub, was just really cool to talk to us the way he did, he gave us all confidence. Sorry about your student, I don't think she'll be back either. But this is not for everyone. My wife made one static line jump and loved it. To this day she insists she had no fear at all. That was also the day love bloomed between us, so a few weeks later she came back to make her second. She was all geared up and waiting to load, when she told me she just couldn't do it. I told her she didn't have to if she didn't want to, that these were nice people and they wouldn't bite. I told her I loved her anyway and she didn't need to jump to make me happy, but only for herself. We went and scratched her off the load and got her money back and they were very nice about it. She's never jumped since (I still try to sweet talk her about a tandem now & then, but only if she wants to), but loves jumpers and jumping. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

There was a fatality in California back in the eighties on a night jump involving a frap hat. I'd already left the sport and moved north, but heard about this from some jumping friends. Probably Sparky knows about it. The woman had just started wearing a frap hat and she didn't show up in the formation or at head count back on the ground. Her body was found the next morning, she'd never pulled. It was theorized she'd hit her head exiting the plane. AAD's were not in common use in those days (pre-Cypres). Personally, I once shattered a Cooper hockey helmet off my head, landing my reserve in a flooded field. There must've been a rock under the water, I just hear a loud cracking noise and was bare headed, being dragged through the water like a water skier, towards a flooded irrigation ditch. I was able to haul in my canopy and walk away. I think if I'd been wearing a frap hat, I'd have probably fractured my skull and drowned. Found the helmet too - both halves, still held together by the chin strap. Hung it up next to the manifest window for a safety display... Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Well good fokken to you! Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Isn't that how you do it ? I'm always dropping mine at line stretch, it's really getting to be expensive! Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

The verb fokken, "to fuck" is a Dutch word. 16th century England did a lot of trading with Holland (including even a king and queen or two), so there were Dutch sailors coming (pun not intended...) and going all the time. When those Dutch guys said fokken, they meant it. It was a time when many Dutch words found their way into our language, as Danish, French, German, and Spanish words have in other times and places. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Riding in a small plane can take some getting used to if you haven't done it before, there's more bank turns and getting buffeted around. The horizon can go this way and that. If this has never happened before, are you sure you were really feeling 100% that day ? Sometimes other things can whack your balance and I'm suring jumping would only aggrevate it. Jay's absolutely right about eating and drinking lots of water and liquids, a day of jumping, especially in hot weather, can drain it right out of you. Headaches are often caused by dehydration, which is also the biggest cause of the beloved hangover. Not so sure if taking dramamine's the best way to go though, if it makes you drowsy that's not good. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

About thirty years ago there a film about great white sharks called, "Blue Water, White Death", did that have anything to do with it ? I never heard the expression 'til the 1978 National Boogie, when some Californians on the plane did the BSBD chant before exit. I thought, "oh my god, these people must be from that Elsinore place, all the stories are true...". Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

It's half of a "69" emblem. Somebody else has the other half. But don't say that at work, or you'll get brought up on charges before the Inquisition for sexual harassment. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

You won't get this offer a second time - take it ! As a person who lives 3000 mi. from most of his family and only sees them every few years, I can tell you that the time will pass quickly. In just two years you'll be able to fly home, tell everyone how much you love them, and then you can thank God you're not stuck in London. Sometimes getting what we want involves a few hard choices and some sacrifices in the short run. Do it, stay in Australia. And believe me, you'll be happy that you did. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Prayers and good vibes for a speedy recovery. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

I just reread this from your original post that started the thread. "After everything else I've had to sacrifice" ? Wow, sounds like a lot of sacrificing going on. Won't ask for the particulars, but has it just been one sided, with you making all the sacrifices, or has she made the effort too. It's one thing if the two of you need to give things up together for your happiness. But if you're doing all the giving up, you don't sound too happy to me. The cold fact is that if you give up jumping, it's not going to make you happy - or her either, and there will be something else you're supposed to give up next (not sex, I hope). The sooner you sort this out, the better. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

There was no grass, concrete, plowed landing area and the only services was a porta potty. Slowly they started adding things from flush toilets to otters. I remember the first time I went to Perris, in '78. Manifest was a tiny weather worn shack by the runway and I don't remember much else, but they had a DC-3 running. I remember how nice it was when the bath house went up in '79 - no roof, you could actually sit on the can and watch canopies descending (cool). There was the old Bomb Shelter, the pool, the main building went up, they put in a lawn and these big shelters made of logs. They added a second and then a third DC-3. Skip ahead 22 years and I hardly knew the place when I returned. The Bomb Shelter looks like a beautiful chalet, ther's big tent shelters with misters, TV monitors, and a fleet of turbos. It's a totally world class place, and apparently has to charge world class prices if we want to keep it that way. As for Elsinore, it's a fine place too, though I wouldn't put it in quite the same class as Perris. Perris and Elsinore have always had this symbiotic yang-yin relationship anyway, with people moving back and forth, following their friends, getting bored, pissed off or kicked out of one place or another. The competition's good for both of them, it keeps either place from getting lazy or taking their jumpers for granted. It's practically unheard of to have two such excellent DZ's only 15 miles apart. Maybe So. Cal. skydivers should keep that in mind as it's easy for us to get spoiled. It is unfortunate that the city of Perris is such an armpit town. On the bright side though, look at the beautiful job the Conatser family's done with the airport. It's not scenically beautiful the way Elsinore is, but air is air and that's all that matters. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Total Recall, California style. Whether I vote for him or not, Ah-nult is going to be our next governor. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

I quit jumping while I was engaged. My wife never once asked me to quit and over the years always said that she knew she was marrying a skydiver. At the time I was ready to leave it. When the kids came, we needed the money. After several years I didn't miss it so much and mostly stayed away from drop zones, because visiting them was too painful. (Funny how the smell of a jump plane, or a room full of canopies could bring me close to tears.) I don't have any regrets about my years away either, there is a lot to life off the DZ and raising a family too. But this year I came back. It was the one thing that's helped me adjust to moving back to CA. I'm amazed, but not really surprised how deeply it's gone inside me, righht to the core of my soul. Guess it was just always there all those years. We have money problems and I can't jump as much as I like, and probably won't be buying a rig as soon as I'd like (like right now!) either. But other than admitting it scares her, my wife's happy that I jump again and my kids love telling their friends, who all think it's "awesome" (dude!). But there's never been a control issue over it. Maybe this couple has money problems, or small kids, or something else. There could be a legitimate reason to take a break, even a long break of many years. Or it could just be a control issue. Using someone's love for leverage to make demands that they do or stop doing anything, outside of the obvious and urgent (alcoholism, dope addiction, abusive behavior, etc) is a sign of a very deep problem in the relationship. Especially if you've always been a skydiver throughout the relationship. No easy answers, except it's probably better to get out with the truth now and not after years of screaming matches in front of the kids. Best of luck... Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

You are mistaking fear with freaking out. Fear is an excellent tool if used properly. Sparky Fear keeps us sharp and honest. It's like a force that you can keep contained like a ball. You can use it then, very powerfully. Panic is when you let the ball out of control and it grows around you and swallows you. Just once I felt fear try to grow into panic, after chopping a streamer. Looked for my reserve handle and couldn't see it. Had a huge "oh shit!" spike on the fear meter (no AAD either), could feel it exploding towards panic, but I told myself, " IT HAS TO BE THERE and if I can't see it, then just find it with my hand". The next moment, I felt my thumb slide through it, closed my fist and punched it. Obviously it opened. But from that event I learned that the difference between fear and panic is a matter of who's in control, you or the fear. It's a physical difference. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !