MikeJD
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Everything posted by MikeJD
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I love Marmite, although you have to spread it super thin - too much will make you feel pretty sick. I have it just with toast, or under cheese on toast. And I sometimes throw a dollop of it into sauces. I like Twiglets too, not surprisingly. Never tried Vegemite, but I do have a soft spot for the song Down Under, which is probably the only point of reference for most of the world.
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I've been jumping a Z1 - in fact, the very same Z1 - for nearly 10 years and on the whole I'm still happy with it. I have read other threads saying that they couldn't get one to fit comfortably, and of course as with any model that's all down to compatibility between it and whatever shape your head happens to be. One thing I've found is that over time the elasticated audible pocket has stretched, and I've had to switch sides so as not to risk losing my audible. But my only real gripe is the visor locking mechanism. Even after all this time I sometimes struggle to hold the button in and lift the visor at the same time when my hands are cold, and that results in a split and bleeding thumbnail!
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What do you wear if not a jumpsuit?
MikeJD replied to rss_v's topic in General Skydiving Discussions
Definitely not a problem we encounter. What if your love handles cover your rig handles? -
How cool is that, a radio/controlled flying jellyfish
MikeJD replied to piisfish's topic in The Bonfire
Until the next generation, that follows you around and opens doors for you. -
The only time I've seen a wild badger was just before I ran over it with my car.
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Q: How do blind skydivers know when to flare? A: The leash goes slack.
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Nice. There's something very shark-like about the Me 262, don't you think? Especially when it presents that pale grey belly. What's the deal with the 'hump-backed' version, White 1? I'd never seen that shape before - presumably a 2-seater/ trainer variant, although I could only see one seat in there. Edited to add: of course I only needed to look at the website properly to have that question answered...
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Oops. But then what good is an extra 5 - 10 years if you spend half of them asleep?
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20 Spitfires found in Burma could be made airworthy
MikeJD replied to kallend's topic in The Bonfire
I sometimes jump at Headcorn in Kent. It's a busy airfield and we're lucky enough to get old warbirds flying in and out and parked up there frequently, including a P-51, Hurricane and Spitfire (Mk V, I think). We also get impromptu flypasts from quite a few larger aircraft including the Lancaster and B-17 on their way to and from airshows during the summer season. The privilege of being a jumper is being allowed out onto the aircraft park - so we get to walk around those marvellous planes and see them up close. The thing that always strikes me about the Spit is how small it is, in comparison to the Hurricane and the Mustang. It's positively petite! I've read pilots' accounts of how the cockpit seems to hug you, almost as if you were wearing the aeroplane. -
Cheers, Squeak. It was great to browse through that.
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20 Spitfires found in Burma could be made airworthy
MikeJD replied to kallend's topic in The Bonfire
I think that's a five bladed prop and squared off wingtips. Yep. I can live with the five-bladed prop, and even the clipped wings (although it does spoil that classical elliptical shape a bit), but the Griffon also changed the shape of the nose. Seeing one of those very late models is a bit like looking at a Buchon masquerading as a German 109 - it looks almost right, but not quite. I know it's still a Spitfire, but for me the 'classic' Spit will always be one with unclipped wingtips and a Merlin powerplant. Ironically enough, after the war the Buchons (effectively Spanish-built Messercshmitt 109s) were fitted with Merlin engines and served into the 1960s. -
But... but that's what scares me!
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I think I see it. He has his helmet on back-to-front.
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20 Spitfires found in Burma could be made airworthy
MikeJD replied to kallend's topic in The Bonfire
Aw, they're Griffon-engined? That's a slight disappointment. They just don't look quite the same. -
Or just remember to grab grass on impact. Because it's the bounce that kills you!
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When I see wing walking mentioned now I think of the horrible case (just last year, I think) of the lady who was burned when her husband's plane caught fire, and eventually died from her injuries. I guess that's what I'd be worried about - some kind of aircraft emergency when you're in such a vulnerable position.
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At least that one's deliberate. Did you know that one suggested origin of 'o.k.' is 'orl korrekt', following an 1830s craze for jokey spelling? This stuff ain't new!
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Well ok, I was deliberately being a bit flippant to make the point that an apparent spike may mean nothing at all, and in fact probably does mean nothing at all - other than that 'random' doesn't equate to 'evenly distributed'. But I take your point, of course.
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Where's mine?
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I think given the relative infrequency of accidents (especially fatalities) these statistics are really only useful if you look at them over a much longer period. Also, you can impose almost any 'pattern' you like depending on where you put your break points. I guess you can expect a certain annual cycle of incidents because to some extent skydiving is seasonal, but then that season varies depending on which hemisphere you're jumping in and what your climate is like in general. It's an interesting cultural effect that we like to categorise things according to our calendar boundaries - this year, last year, the eighties, the nineties - whereas in reality there are only ever-changing trends. Bottom line is, I'd say - don't worry about it.
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To me, "It takes one to know one" is just a meaningless silly comeback. It's only one step up from "I know you are, but what am I?"
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Don't really remember the days or hours preceding my first jump, but I do vividly recall the moment of climbing out onto the step of the 182. I wasn't really scared, but had that odd sense of detachment that seems common in those situations - as if I were dreaming it, or it was someone else's hands and feet that I was watching. And I remember that for a few days aftwerwards I felt totally invincible - it's really a wonder that I didn't get killed wandering across the road. Do you know the movie 'Fearless'? The one where Jeff Bridges survives the plane crash and becomes convinced he's immortal? That was me. That reminds me, I must watch that movie again - notwithstanding Rosie Perez's screeching, it's one of my favourite films.
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Fixed it for ya. Joking aside, I wonder what's the highest number of jumps anyone has achieved without ever having cut away. I bet there aren't many people with more than a couple of thousand who are still Plan B virgins.
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As far as I know, cloud clearance regulations are no more relaxed in Europe (at least, in the UK) than they are in the States. It's just that European DZs tend to bend those regulations further and more often. So you need to ask yourself whether it's the rules you're looking to change, or people's attitude towards them. Trying to change the regs can force the powers that be to acknowledge what people are actually doing (regularly busting clouds), and maybe even clamp down as a result - hence having a negative effect. Note that by 'negative' in this context I mean counter to your intention. I'm not advocating jumping through cloud.
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After looking at the picture I'm thinking maybe it's because clouds are made of cotton candy. A full-face helmet, or keeping your mouth closed to minimise swallowing, are useful slimming techniques. Mind you, this theory would make British skydivers fatter than American ones.