tbrown

Yeah, but now with cell phones we can call each other. Except I keep getting put on hold...maybe it's because I keep falling off the righht side before I get to the left/pop side ? Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

In the UK you are bound by 'Utmost good faith', which basically means that not only must you disclose any facts that may affect risk at the outset of any policy, you must disclose any changes in your circumstances. Regardless of whether you think it afftects it or not. This applies to just about every type of domestic insurance in the UK and failure to disclose 'can' invalidate your insurance. Mike Good point, I hadn't even considered those of us who live outside the U.S. In my own case, and at my wife's insistence, I contacted my agent, the same guy who sold me the policy and told him straight up that I'd started jumping again. He told me it wouldn't change a thing, I had truthfully answered the question at the time I bought the policy and the time for incontestability had passed. I would question reporting all changes of circumstance though. What if you get cancer ? Obviously you wouldn't have had cancer when you bought the policy. That's also called your insurability, no cancer, no heart attacks, etc. From there on it's a numbers game. They know some policyholders will get cancer, will have a heart attack, etc. And they've got the numbers figured, so that they'll still make money. So how many of them are going to become regular skydivers, and I'm not talking about a tandem on your birthday either, but being a regular drop zone layabout ? My guess is very darn few, so the numbers are still in their favor. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

The study indicated that men who ejaculated more than five times a week were a third less likely to develop prostate cancer. Wonderful news, I can hear great sighs of relief (oh shit, was that a pun I didn't intend ?). But where are all the poor little kittens buried ? Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

When I came back this year and took my recurrency training, I resorted to an old bad habit of pulling the PC out to arm's length and just letting go of it. My instructor made himself very clear about this, "I want to see that PC bounce off the wall!" - a good 10 ft away. Throw it like it was a grenade with the pin pulled out, only gracefully, of course. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

My Crossfire takes 1000 feet to open from the time I toss. Nay-sayers argue as you will - I have proven it several times with video. So, if I pull at 2200, it's entirely possible that I'm going through a grand by the time I even realize I'm under a mal. Can you say Cypres fire? I realize that it's my choice to jump a slow opening canopy, but it's common sense when jumping that canopy to pull by or above 3000. Canuck OK, well once again, whatever it takes to be open in the 2-3 grand range is what you got to do. By open, I mean sitting up under an open canopy. I'm not a fan of ground rush, I've been down to 2 grand, but have never liked it and never will. By 3 grand I'm clearing my space, waving off, and playing hide & seek with the damn hackey sack. I usually find it and toss it and sit in around 2200 or so. I'm currently renting demo Spectres, so I know what a snivelly opening is like. The two real issues are: 1.) A person under canopy is a body with weight and mass. If that person intends to be flying their canopy above 3 grand, it needs to be worked into the order on jump run to prevent a possible collision fatality, and 2.) people who are competent and experienced and licensed are OK to take it down to the minimums if that's what they want to do, they're not endangering anyone else. Just because a 4 way team routinely pulls at 2500 doesn't mean they want you to follow their example. But they're not on a death trip for pulling below 3.5 grand, and they do have a legitimate concern about possibly meeting up with somebody else under canopy during their separation track. Rodney King said it best, "can't we just live together ?". Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Well hey, don't forget Lindsay Wagner became the 6 million dollar bimbo when she treed her Paracommander canopy. Of course they retooled her into a kickass skychick after that... Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

I can relate completely to that and I would never want to deny you the altitude you need to set up a good swoop or just to enjoy the ride. I'm not sure how long your canopy takes to open, but as long as you're not hanging out above 3 grand, there shouldn't be a problem. If you need to be under an open canopy higher than 3 grand, and I don't know whether you do or not, then you should just tell somebody and that's all I'm saying, because you are in fact a body with mass under canopy in a freefall zone. I'm just thinking of the original post in this thread, with the 4 way guys from Europe who said they'd be opening at 2500 and everybody jumped on their shit like they were committing Jonestown suicide or something. People who gots to pull because the site of the ground at 4 grand makes their buttholes twitchy make me nervous. After returning to the sport from a looooong layoff (try 22 years), I'm frankly relieved to see breakoff and pull altitudes are higher. Breaking off from an 8 way at 4500 is nice and relaxed. But too much of a good thing is, well, too much. Hey, enjoy your canopy flying, I'm not up to that level of canopy flight, but maybe in a few years I might want to check it out myself. Blue skies bro. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

I'm an old time belly flyer who's going to be taking the plunge into all this sit flying and head down stuff pretty soon. I expect to go through a floppy stage, or "ugly duckling", as I've always called it. I'm wondering if some intentional tracking off the windline, on exit would help. If most of these people are low timers, then tracking's a skill they all need to learn on anyway. If they're leaving the plane at 13 grand, then tracking for the road at the far end of the property shouldn't be too big of a deal before they sit up, stand up, head down, or do the moonwalk, which they should have plenty of time left to do. They have to maintain altitude awareness (whether with a visual or audible alti, or both) anyway don't they ? I found myself doing some solos a few weeks ago and enjoyed the heck out of a high long track with some snap rolls. By pull time I could watch the 4 way I'd followed break off and open, only I was so far off the windline and away from them it didn't matter. Today's squares seem to be up to the job of getting us back from a long spot, so why not start a floppy dive by tracking off the windline ? Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

At Perris we've always been told that opening above 3000, which I interpret as flying an open canopy, has to be cleared beforehand. So I suppose tossing it out at 3500 is more or less OK, but anythhing higher without prior notice is a hazard. Is it our ability to get more altitude with turbos, the slower - and so much nicer - canopy openings, or a generation of AFF grads that have created so much naked paranoia about opening below 3500 ft ? Or have the Health Nazis finally infiltrated our sport after banning smoking in taverns ? I throw it out just below 3000 and sit in above 2000. I've got plenty of room to one-two punch my handles. Sometimes I think we should bring back the static line (and Depends) for some of these people. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Duck tape anybody ? This could make for a good Polident vs Brand X commercial... Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Your tax dollars at work. You're not supposed to be skydiving anyway, you're supposed to be sitting home following instructions on your TV for what to buy, who to vote for, and which of your kids you will send to the next war. They can do whatever you can't stop them from doing. You might be able to stop them if you'd carry your rig with you. Or ship it FED EX or UPS insured. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

USPA offers a very affordable group policy for AD&D, which is accidental death & dismemberment (sounds cool, huh ?). This coverage is not included in your membership, you have to apply and pay for it seperately. But it's way affordable and pays up to $100K if you go snuffers. And the insurance company already knows it's selling the policies to a group of skydivers (US PARACHUTE Assn). The policy will also cover accidental death if you snuff it at work or toodling around in your car, or if you do something dumb like fall off the roof cleaning your gutters. The big companies, like the top five or six, will cover skydiving, though they will usually rate you, i.e. jack up your premiums higher than a smoker. Something I harped on in a similar thread a month or so back, is called INCONTESTABILITY. If you already have life insurance, especially if you've already owned the policy for something like 2-3 years (depends on the laws of the state you live in), your policy is incontestable. That means the insurance co. had 2-3 years to investigate you and find out if you were lying on your application, concealing a disease like cancer, are an alcoholic, dope addict, convicted felon, etc. Or a skydiver. Once the 2-3 years is up, they're stuck with you, your policy is incontestable. I bought a rather large policy several years ago (got a wife & kids) and at the time told my agent (truthfully) that I hadn't done anything fun like skydiving or scuba diving in the past three years. Now, seven years later I finally started jumping again and I'm incontestable. I even keep my preferred rate (lower than non-smoking). All I have to do is keep paying my premiums and they're STUCK with me. Yee-ha. Never never drop a life insurance policy you've already got, it's TAX FREE money for your family. I know I get a little windy about this subject, but I used to be a life insurance agent and have seen too many cases of thoughtless people leaving their families destitute. There's no excuse for it. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

And here I thought we did it to save all those kittens... Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Bush is still puzzled as to why the UN wants him to send troops to the library...(ba-da-boom!). Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Rolling Stones, "Gimme Shelter". Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Sonny, you're a natural humorist, LOVED your story ! I do think there are people who have better natural athletic abilities (and I am NOT one of them...) as well as blessed with greater reserves of self confidence. But everybody in this sport, whether they learned quickly or slowly, has made plenty of mistakes they can only laugh at now - and we'll help with the laughing, because we've all been there. A word of warning though, overconfidence can betray anybody. We only need to screw up badly once in this show. Nobody's natural grace and confidence can replace common sense safe practices. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Ok... I'm starting to see the picture, but by not relieving off your system, doesn't that drive a man nutzso? I mean it's like a constipation in a sense right? No, no, and no. I could care less where my little wiggle tailed devils have gone. The seminal fluid is still produced somewhere else, just like it always was. Sperm and semen are a last minute mix job, right before they're shot out into that little roll of toilet paper in your other hand. The semen isn't as white as it used to be, it's more of a clear color. Only difference is it won't get you in as much trouble (though you can still pass STD's with it). Stated simply, after eleven years, my wife still sez I'm a horny beast. Is that helpful ? Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

If the serial number matches, it's still a stolen canopy. I would think the price of a Velocity would make it not only a theft, but a felony as well. The problem's not going to be solved until the canopy is returned. Maybe PD will agree to paying some or all of the money, maybe not. They might just want to cut the lines on the thing rather than be liable for letting another trusting sould use it. Who knows ? The chipos will fall where they will, but the rightful owners, PD, don't seem to have their property back yet. And the karma, which will always come thru doesn't just punish, it also rewards. P.S. Track down the weasels who were keeping it in the locker. California's got a three strikes law, felony theft could be this guy's lucky number. Instead of stealing people's canopies, he could be happily married to Bubba up at San Quentin for keeps. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

It's not for everybody and definitely not for anybody who even thinks they might ever want a kid. But my wife appreciates that I took the initiative and didn't leave her with the responsibility. We've got two wonderful girls and they're enough. On the down side, the procedure's not quite as painless as they'd have you believe, but it's nothing a big brave skydiver can't handle, plus you get to sit on your ass for the weekend while your wife waits on you hand & foot and calling you her "poor baby" because yer 'nads are black & blue. But you heal up pretty quick and once the doc certifies you're shootin' blanks, it's like having a new toy ! It's been eleven years now and the wife and I have forgotten about birth control, it's no problemo. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Thanks for sharing... Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Whats a muggle? Muggle is also an old time name for a reefer, as in joint or doobie. JK couldn't have been unaware of that when she chose the word. I was asked by a Dursley type muggle at Perris a week ago if we have to hold our breath until we got down to where the air is breathable. Told him we do it all the time and that's why we use AAD's, because sometimes one of us will turn blue and pass out. His eyes got real big. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Our Otter, Which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy frame. Thy props be spun, Thy engines run, On earth as you lift us to heaven. Lift us this day, our turbo friend, And forgive us our flatulence, As we forgive those who flatulate against us (not), And lead us not into frustration, But deliver us to freefall, For thine are the jump run, the climb out, and the exit, Now and for long as we can go on paying, Oh yeah. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

All you gotta do is say something controversial, but not blatantly offensive. A little gasoline on the fire never hurt, just make sure you're upwind. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Well yeah, the openings ARE a lot slower now and at subterminal might give you an ulcer. I've done 2 grand, but only when the ceiling was no higher, never liked it that much. With today's canopies, you might even want to consider turning a Cypres OFF for a 2G hop & pop. (Not sure if that's a great idea or not, would be interested in feedback on the notion.) Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

2? we were doing 4 way exits from 3.5 launch break track! Thank you, my point exactly. I was just trying not to sound too extreme for this discussion. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !