tbrown

They have two threads for "Top Rated" and "Most Popular" in the leftside margin of the main menu. Most of those are among the "best". They just got a brand new one of the kid up in Canada who got hung up on his static line from a Cessna and deployed his reserve. Other than that, anything with 4/5 stars is usually good. And ALWAYS check out the newest vids, all the great ones started out in the New thread. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

....until it happens to you. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

I was disappointed to see no WSCR. The Women's Star Crest used to be a big thing. Even now, with all this Pink Mafia and Chicks Rock stuff, I'm surprised and a little saddened that the girls don't have their own award anymore for just them. By the way, guys could earn the WSCR, but they couldn't enter until ALL the women were in. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Right on Brother Beatnik ! So, have you jumped this canopy ? How does it fly ? More to the point, how's the landing ? Keep up the good work, you really rock ! Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

I used to own one of those 1964 R/W/B PC's, but I sold it about 30 years ago. It wasn't in very good shape by then and I was patching it with duct tape (which worked just fine). Paracommanders were made with 2.2 oz taffeta fabric, though the 1964 models had the ripstop apex. Pioneer started using 1.5 oz. ripstop on their RW Paracommander, which was pretty much a clone of the MK I, though it was said to land a lot harder than the original (never jumped the RW model myself). I sure did love that canopy and I get a lump in my throat every time I see a picture of that color pattern. This one here looks like a real treasure ! Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Didn't the North American colonists originally petition the king, asking him to overturn the acts of the (democratically elected, at least for the time period) parliament? Good question, but I think the colonists didn't have representation in Parliament. Thus the outrage over "taxation without representation". To this day the Brits insist they were only trying to get the American colonies to pony up for the ruinous expense of the French & Indian War of the 1750s, where they had in fact protected and saved us from some really brutal attacks from the French and their Indian allies. But the Brits were soon taxing everything, from window glass to decks of playing cards and forbidding the colonies to trade with anyone else but Britain. THEN they started removing American colonists to England for trial, rather than trying real or imagined offenses in courts in the colonies. Things spun out of control rather quickly after 1770, until by 1775 Boston was under military occupation, with people turned out of their homes to quarter British soldiers who'd been sent to "protect" them (which by the way is another of our Constitutional rights - the US govt can never force us to quarter soldiers in our homes). The Continental Congress sent King George an "Olive Branch Petition" in 1775, humbly asking the king to restore our rights as British subjects and to negotiate our differences in good faith as his loyal subjects. He refused to even read the petition, let alone answer it. That would be an example of relying on the good will of one person, who in that case wasn't willing to extend any good will. Liberties can only be protected from below, not from above. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Jeezus JR, can't find anything better for a Sunday swipe at the Obamas ? Thought you'd at least be complaining about the new puppy pooping in the White House.... Still beats George W using US military personnel as his personal food tasters, to test for poison (as reported in National Geographic Magazine). Considering that even the Saudi royal swine use lab rats for the same purpose and just as effectively without endangering their sons or daughters..... Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Latest details on the web are that it was a SEAL operation that had President Obama's personal approval (for all you Obama haters out there....). I was sure the Navy wasn't going to let this one slide by. Not after the French intervened with their own pirate/hostage crisis a few days ago, where unfortunately a French citizen was killed in an otherwise successful rescue of his wife and child. Especially since the Navy's first historic overseas mission was to go after the Barbary Pirates back in the 1790's. Pirate # 4 needs to get a load of the spectacular view from the yardarm. I think theNavy should hoist him and leave there too - as a decoration and a warning. Does the modern Navy still keep any rope on their ships ?? Anyone ?? Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Can there be individual liberty without democracy ? I really don't see how. Even with democracy, we have regular abuses, challenges, and protests against those abuses. We still have corrupt judges and politicians. But at least we have the means and the opportunity, by law, to protect our liberties. We can sue the government, we can petition to put initiatives on the ballot, we can back candidates who we hope will turn sitting officials out of office. Democracy gives people the means to protect their liberties. Without democracy, we'd be depending on the good will of those in power. And human nature simply isn't that good. Without a healthy democracy, there can be no safeguarding of anyone's liberty. It's why the founding fathers nixed the idea of America ever having a king. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

That would pretty much rule out jumping from April to October. Dust devils are a fact of life at perris and for the most part we've learned to survive and co-exist with them. The good thing about Perris is that the ground is so dusty that the devils will indeed kick up a good visible cloud of dust that can be avoided (the damn things will always move downwind, so they can be avoided). Oddly enough, the grass strip at perris is the only place you can't see them, because the grass holds the dirt down. Perris grounds all unlicensed jumpers at 15mph and everyone else at 20mph. Personally I call it quits when I have to fight with my canopy after landing - I hate that. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

For OUR sport, nothing can ever replace the first time you approach the open door, swallow your fears, and jump. That's one jump more than 99.9% of anyone else ever makes. That's when it all begins. Time, life, finances may all get in the way, but you've been infected right from the start. It took me 3 weeks to go back and make my second jump (all static line), then another month and a half before the 3rd & 4th. Aftet that, things picked up. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Sometime back in the eighties, Skydiving Magazine interviewed Cheryl Stearns, who up until that time had been a civilian competitor who had already made quite a name and reputation for herself. At the time of the interview Ms. Stearns had just enlisted in the Army, where I believe she had been able to negotiate a fast track placement onto the Golden Knights as part of her enlistment contract. She stated in the interview that getting onto the Knights required her completing basic airborne training at Ft. Benning and that she would be doing so and was looking forward to the experience. The Knights wanted her, she wanted the Knights, and Airborne was part of the deal, or that's how I remember reading that piece. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

I'm sure there were some horrific abuses committed by Israeli soldiers. There are horrific abuses committed by combatants of all sides in any conflict. As the old sixties poster said, "War is not healthy for children and other living things". This is not to excuse atrocities, or those who commit them. There is a moral responsibility to investigate and prosecute these cases and to punish the perpetrators, and Israel should do that. But this is what happens when one side, any side, launches war upon its neighbors. When Hamass continues to launch rockets into civilian Israeli towns, day after day, they have to expect that Israel will re-act. What I'm saying is that when ANY side leads its people into war, they have to be ready for the horrific consequences it can bring onto their own people. Hamass knew what its actions would bring. They knew Israel would react, that there would be war. And they knew that there woukld inevitably be atrocities committed on both sides. Well it was easy enough for them to cover up their own atrocities, and easier still to lead a bevy of Euro journalists around to show them the real horrors that actually did occur and call it "a Holocaust". Hamass rejoices in these atrocities against their own people. They orchestrated the whole thing, they rejoice in it, and sadly, I have to say I don't give a flying fuck about it. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Beats letting them all die. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

There's a poem in Andy Keech's first Skies Call book that bemoans the expense of our sport, and that if he hadn't spent all his money on it he could have "lived the heady lifestyle of Playboy magazine". "But if I had the money back in one financial lump, I'd go south for the winter, And I'd jump, and jump, and jump." Says it all to me. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

What's done is done. The election of a US Senator cannot be undone, unless the Senate decides not to seat the Senator, and even that prerogative is under legal challenge. Senator Begich has not committed any high crimes or misdemeanors and therefore cannot be impeached. It's time for Ted Stevens to thank his lucky stars and enjoy his retirement. Governor Palin is the the official whore of the Republican party and will say anything she's told to say. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

This will be the 62nd WEEK ( of years) of Daniel's prophecy, and either shortly before or shortly after New York City and Washington are wiped off the map, a very large asteroid will hit in mid Atlantic, causing enormous problems to the east coast of North America and the west coast of Europe. I just thought I would bring everyone interested up to date. Nevertheless, you won't have to wait too long....it IS going to take place.....just a few extra months to enjoy yourselves while you can.....maybe a few extra jumps ! It's a good thing you don't live in ancient Biblical times, because you sound like enough of a Biblical scholar to understand what happened to false prophets "back in the day". For the rest of you, it involved a lot of stone throwing, in the literal sense of the world. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

"As the prayer leader said 'God is Great', the bomb went off with a big bang," At least they had a sense of humor about it.... Looks like the Sunnis and Shias are having the kind of fun with each other that Catholics and Protestants haven't had for centuries (with the exception of Northern Ireland). I see no point in even dragging President Obama's name into any of this. These people will go on killing each other forever and given the opportunity will always blame America. They enjoy it. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Now I think Forrest Gump had it all figured out. Operating a Rider Mower. Oh man, some of the sweetest memories of my life were summers spent operating a John Deere mower. I had a summer job for my home town's Sewer Dept, which mostly consisted of mowing the huge lawns at their two sewage treatment plants. everybody else would be out in the field and I'd be driving the Deere around, smokin' doobs and keeping the lawn from running wild. That and painting the outside of the treatment tanks with a fresh coat of green paint evey summer. Of course there was one time I had to put on waders and hop in, literally up to my waste in shit for an emergency repair in one of the tanks - but that was all a matter of maintaining the right attitude.... Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Temp work is garbage. I've done it enough times, between real jobs. They don't respect you and they never will. As soon as they don't need you, you're gone. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Of course you can - you're a girl ! That's why so many more guys, and very few women, voted for skydiving being better - at least guys can jump whenever they want to ! (But I still voted for sex.) Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

I've always known we're not the greenest sport on the block. But BASE being more ecologically sustainable has to make me laugh - all those dead BASE jumpers have to be buried or cremated somewhere. I just read that the amount of fuel burned to generate the electricity for people who leave their computers on overnight is staggering. Now THAT's something we can all pitch in and do - shut yer 'pooter down before bedtime. But I'm not going to let some pc wonderchild who's scared of heights tell me I have to stop. At least I'm not drag racing with a nitro car (not that there's anything wrong with that either....). Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Thanks for posting that link. I've seen this vid before, but wasn't sure where to find it. Even if people choose to use a packer, repacking the p/c themselves is quick, easy, and so worth it. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

I'd also like to point out, however, that both of these mals come down to preventable gear issues. A good gear check should have caught the monkey fist,and proper maintenance could have remedied the bad pilot chute before it created a mal. Good points, almost any malfunction is preventable. Had a look at the p/c from the baglock mal and the kill line inside the p/c was visibly shorter than the center lines - should be the other way around. I didn't look closer for any other telltale signs, like damaged stitching at the bottom of the p/c (from the apex hitting it repeatedly, due to a shortened kill line). But kill lines will shrink with time, and unless they are replaced, they will eventually betray you. I have no idea what the lady's rig looked like before she went up. She'd used a packer and the guy's very experienced, with a low malfunction rate over many years. Some people who use packers are in the habit of pulling out and repacking their p/c's themselves. That and a few other steps like re-opening your slider, stowing your brakes, and re-setting your kill line should all be done before leaving your rig with a packer. Personally, I do all my own packing myself. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

This weekend our monthly formation load group had two high speed mals over five jumps. Both had happy endings due to quick reactions. On the first jump of the day, one of the guys tossed his p/c and got nothing but ground rush. He didn't like what he was seeing, so pulled both handles. There may be some issues with the kill line on his p/c, the bag came out of the container, but the canopy never came out. But his reserve opened in time to not trigger his hardline alarm at 1500 ft. On the fifth jump of the day, a woman gave two good tugs on her p/c, but it was balled up in a monkey fist inside the pouch (we all saw this back on the ground, it was NOT coming out). She went straight to silver and was open at about 1200 ft. Both of these jumpers were flying in outer slots on a large formation, so their assigned opening altitude was 2000 - 2500 ft. (which is to say "in the saddle" at that altitude). High speed mals are scary, but they're curable. They're the reason for those extra handles on our harness. But they require quick and decisive action - and even then, they still eat up a frightening amount of altitude. But as I said, both of our friends had a happy ending to their troubles and our wonderful Perris recovery crew even found both freebags (thank you Tim Farnham !). Just a Monday morning reminder that these things can & do happen to the best of us and to never be complacent. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !