tbrown

Sometimes everything just goes wrong all at once and a good PLF is your only way out. Long ago I collapsed 60% of a 5 cell canopy. It was high enough that I tried once to pump it back to life, then I got into a do or die PLF posture. Hit the ground so hard I bounced. It took a few minutes, but I did get up and walk away, for "medication" in a friend's van. I was wearing sneakers and a hockey helmet (jumpsuit too). A PLF can save your heinie when the chips are down. Though nowadays I do try to slide on my side, I call it "stealing 3rd base". I'm a rather big tall guy and find the traditional PLF tends to flip me almost completely over for a very hard landing that could just as easily injure my neck, shoulders, or collarbone. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

The wife and I are both hanging in there. It's not as hard this week. 29 down and just 17 to go. But I might just crack a brew at 12:01am Easter morning..... Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Guiness Stout Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Got to go through the whole cycle twice in my life. When I started jumping 35 years ago, I was scared, more than I thought I'd be. Something about the plane lifting off the runway and realizing I'm actually going to jump out. Second jump was even worse. After that, things got more manageable with time. Then I took 22 years off. When I came back, having made over 500 jumps long ago was NO help at all. As soon as the plane lifted off I thought, "Oh god, I'm going to do THIS all over...". Handled the jump just fine, but I went through being completely dry mouth scared maybe the first half dozen times. Then I got used to it. Now I just get the usual nerves on the first jump of the day. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

The decision to ban MDMA, which was already showing therapeutic potential, was made by the DEA. There was no informed medical debate, the ban was imposed by the cops, who were eager to add one more drug to their list of bustables. Numero-two-o, heroin is actually used legally in Canada in terminal cases to relieve extreme pain. Heroin is really nothing more than a chemically improved version of morphine. It can deliver the same relief with a smaller dose, or more relief with the same dose. With heroin, it is possible to deliver greater pain relief, with LESS risk of an overdose. That is of course, using a controlled dose of a pharmaceutically pure drug, under proper medical supervision. But American law allows NO legitimate medical use for heroin, because, well, because....it's heroin, damn it. Cocaine, in liquid form is used as a local anesthetic for eye surgery, it's literally dropped in liquid form onto the eye. Legally. Under proper medical supervision, by a trained anesthesiologist. And no, they don't play disco music during the surgery.... I think a properly trained psychiatrist (psychiatrists are MDs, after all) can prevent and/or mitigate the toxic effects of MDMA. But the law won't let them use MDMA, because, well....because it's Ecstasy damn it ! Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

As much as I couldn't stand Bush as President, he has lawfully earned his pension. He was after all elected to the office twice, even if the first time was by a single vote on the Supreme Court. Nixon got his pension, and he was nearly impeached and had to be pardoned to stay out of prison, so that should settle it. Presidents, members of Congress, Supreme Court Justices and Federal judges get their pensions by serving. Not by whether some of the people don't like the way they did their jobs. I'd like to wish Mr. Bush a long, happy, and QUIET retirement on his "ranch" in Texas. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Yep, I knew it - it took less than 5 minutes for someone to respond, running to Obama's rescue. If you want to talk about Gov. Palin, start a thread and let's discuss it. That has nothing to do with this and should stand on its' own if you take issue with it. And of course he apologized. That's called damage control and may or may not have any sincerity connected to it. Once again, the libs don't debate on merit. They just try to divert the conversation. Mr. Obama showed last night just what an absolute mindless, rude asshole he is. Okay, so now you've called the president an asshole twice, which should make you very happy. then you've gone after anyone who disagrees with your assessment, branding them a liberal, etc, etc. You don't want a forum, you want to pick a fight. so who'e the asshole now ? I know, I know....my first, last and final warning, don't even bother. I'm gone. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

The reason I brought up the double shots is that they were altogether impossible to actually cutaway from in midair. You'd have to squeeze them together really hard in order to get the Capewell to release. Getting them both squeezed and released couldn't be done, so most rigs with double shots had no pilot chute in the reserve either. It was the old lift the reserve out and throw it if you had a partial mal. I jumped a few rented rigs with double shots and throw out reserves. They scared the crap out of me, so I was just extra careful with how I packed the cheapo main and never needed to use the reserve. The shot & a halfs made the introduction of pilot chuted reserves and midair cutaways at least a possibility and was the way some of us were trained by the mid seventies. Though you could still have one hang up on you after releasing the other. And even if you got them both to release, you had all kinds of metal crap hanging out that could catch a reserve line (there was a fatality in upstate NY in 1974 at a demo, where Capewell garbage caught the poor guys reserve lines). Then I think Security introduced a single shot version of the Capewell on their Crossbow system, it was like the shot & a half, but only with the covers and no cable ring inside. All you had to do was pull the covers open to get released. Not sure why those didn't catch on, any old time riggers know if there was a peoblem with single shots ? Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Just a thought from me, but when I heard they moved her from Toronto to NYC, my initial thought was that she was already brain dead. She's a resident of the United States (maybe even citizen - I don't know). She lived in New York. I wondered about that myself & think you're right. One of the news vid shorts available on the web made a fleeting reference to the family's decision to turn off life support. She was already gone. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

i know i'll get bashed for not being a helmet lover, but we already lived in a over regulated world. and, since the helmet law was enacted in california, when i ride, i seem to ride faster now....more insulated from the speed. Nah, what's to bash ? Inspite of this latest and tragic death, I'm still not for making people, at least not adults, wear helmets. I wear one myself and I would insist on my family wearing them. But it's not my business to go telling the rest of the world what they have to do to make me feel "safer". Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Farewell to a real beauty and condolences to Liam Neeson and Vanessa Redgrave. And a cautionary tale for us all. She apparently fell and took a bump on the noggin on the friggin' bunny slope at a ski resort. Insisted she felt fine, was alert and talking, for about the first hour, then things started to go bad. A bump on the head is nothing to fool with. Wear your helmet. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

When I was 16 I would go on survival hikes/camps and was in a frontiersman reenactment organization. When I was 16 I took off on "independent summer vacation", which my parents called "running away from home". Spent the summer hitchiking around the New England states and stayed at a bunch of different hippie communes waaaay out in the woods. Lived in a barn with a dozen people and some goats, in a five story treehouse straight out of a fairy tale (with a pot garden on the roof), and in an abandoned delivery truck. Most valuable lesson learned - what REAL hunger is like. I've never forgotten. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

No shit, especially on St. Patrick's Day. Corned beef, cabbage & potatoes with no-fat milk....bleah... It was the wife's idea, she started it. Decided I couldn't drink in front of her if she wasn't. Then she said we could both lose some weight - that hasn't happened either. BUT tomorrow's the halfway point, so we might as well keep goin'. But I already told her I won't be doing this next year. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

So why then does Denmark, which encourages condom use, have one of the lowest HIV rates in Europe. While Ireland, which only recently even LEGALIZED condoms (you still need a prescription to buy them) has one of the highest HIV rates. Maybe it's because Danes are Protestants and the Irish are Catholics ? Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Since you only mention size, a 190 footer, you haven't addressed your preference for 7-cell vs 9-cell. In the way of 7-cells, there are TONS of Spectres on the used market, plenty of Triathalons too, though most people would consider the Spectre more fun. Icarus has an excellent 7-cell called the Omni as well. PD has just introduced a new 7-cell called the Storm that is getting rave reviews. You won't find the Storm, or many Icarus canopies on the used market. they're either too new or their owners hang onto them for a long time. But the Spectre's been around long enough that you can always find a good one in almost any size. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

I like those double shot Capewells on Keith's rig. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

I'd like to challenge your thinking about whether your packing is "good enough". This is a very common fear among newbies who have just (and perhaps only) taken a mandatory packing class for their A license. They go on using packers until the day comes, at a boogie or someplace else, where the packers are so backed up that they simply have to pack themselves or start missing some good loads. At that point they're terrified about their pack job and whether it's even going to open. I know this, because I've helped a couple newbies in this situation at boogies, where they had to start packing for themselves and were scared shitless. Back in the day, "when parachutes were carved out of wood", we did our first pack job for our first freefall - usually our sixth jump. Talk about a double stress factor, even with our instructor helping us, we were scared. But in the end it was good, because we came away from the experience knowing we could not only pull the damn thing, but the damn thing actually opened, and the beer never tasted so good in all our lives. What you need to do is get a friend. You must have some friends by now who do their own packing. Ask them to help you, you'll be amazed how many of them would be happy to. Even if they just watch you and stop you to give you pointers, or stop you from making an obvious mistake. They won't let you screw up. So get some help and start packing now. After as little as 3 or 4 successful openings you will feel like you've got the whole thing under your thumb and you'll stop worrying about it. It's HUGE to have that kind of confidence, but you have to build it yourself. "Pack someone's canopy and they can jump once today. Teach them to pack and they can jump all their lives." Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

June Lockhart was no "Lassie's Mom" in real life. Not believing in marriage, she openly kept different boyfriends in every city she visited. What makes redheads so wonderful ? Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

For some reason she always has creeped me out. Even photos from when she was supposed to have been a "hot" model, but certainly by the time the 60s rolled around . . . no way. I kinda thought the same thing as a kid, when I got a bit 'older' though...I can definitely see something special in both her looks and talent. Just saw Lucy the other day in a 1946 detective noir film. She was the secretary "Girl Friday" for a PI who was being framed for murder. Used her SMOKIN' good looks and feminine wiles to help keep him one step ahead of "the chair" 'til he could nab the real killer. Enjoyed the shit out of it ! Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Mike, Great pic ! I remember when you had that jumpsuit and rig, that was with your PC, right ? haven't seen a pic of Damn Keith in ages. I also remember the time Mac grounded both Keith and Chuck Braun for cutting away below a grand on the same jump. We all thought we were about to witness a double bounce, but as soon as the reserves opened, Mac got on the horn and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, those two idiots are both grounded for the next sixty days !" That was back when dropzones had the 'nads to do that sort of thing - and make it stick. But who's the guy on the right ? I KNOW I've met him, maybe even jumped with him, but I can't remember his name to save my life. Was he maybe the Navy guy who was serving on the Theodore Roosevelt missile submarine ? Thanks again for a GREAT pic ! Also, for those of you who have read the other thread about Mike, under his old name, this was our Mike "back in the day". Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

I didn't sell my gear because I always wanted to jump again "Someday" Mike's still got a lovely Wonderhog Sprint rig (the very last pre-Vector Booth rig, considered "cutting edge" in its day and the choice of the US Team for the 1979 World Championships), with a 220 ft Fury 7-cell main and a SAC reserve. It was quite the setup for its time, though it got some nervous stares when Mike first came back. He has since acquired a 21st century rig and canopies, but still has the museum piece at home. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

You'll need the A license if you want to travel around and visit different dropzones. Not having the A won't make visiting another dropzone impossible, but they'll treat you like an orphan child if you don't have your A. It's a badge of minimum competency, sort of like a driver's license. And you don't have to be friends with people to jump with them either. Give them the finger in midair if you need to. But you won't grow or develop as a skydiver if all you ever do is jump by yourself. You might become a good parachutist, but real skydiving takes two or more people. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Sometimes, if they have the patient's permission, they shoot video of the procedure for instructional purposes - which are subsequently shown at seminars all over the world.. it seems that it also takes a special kind of patient to give such permission. Why's that ? It's not like anybody's going to recognize them, now is it ?? Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Of course God doesn't hate the girl or her family. The Catholic Church is just being their same old usual selves. They no more represent God than I represent the country of Botswana. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Thanks for the pic of Sprtbeth and her "big rig" A rig that big could give a person a sore back. Lucky for the little people the gear has downsized over the years. Really, I can see adjusters on the main lift web, it's been a long time since I ve seen anything like that except for student rigs. So was that a SST (pre-Racer) ? The main ripcord looks like the old plastic handles the SST had, though the reserve has been replaced with a metal cloverleaf. also the white reserve risers with the dotted line up the center seems to jog a few aging brain cells.... Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !