daremrc

I caught this on the way to drop off a buddy tonight. Incredible scale to this piece, it takes up 2 sides of a city block: http://pic15.picturetrail.com/VOL626/2384946/12416207/199854485.jpg http://pic15.picturetrail.com/VOL626/2384946/12416207/199854474.jpg http://pic15.picturetrail.com/VOL626/2384946/12416207/199854467.jpg nice forearm technique: http://pic15.picturetrail.com/VOL626/2384946/12416207/199854459.jpg Good judgement comes from experience, and most of that comes from bad judgement.

Yeah, but you make up twice that ammount in maintenance-free miles. Loved my Nighthawk, never had to adjust the valves! Good judgement comes from experience, and most of that comes from bad judgement.

I'd have to largely disagree with you there. IMO, cycling, as well as driving anything from a car, truck, airplane, or canopy, is a largely mental game. There is definately a physical and co-ordination aspect to all of them, but I think that is likely the easiest part to learn. Learning to recognize that things like piles of leaves, pavement grooves, metal bridge decks are potentially lethal can all be done from the comfort of your easy chair. Not to discount your experience, but I also have been riding bikes on and off for my entire life, and I have put 65,000 miles on street bikes in the last 5 years alone. Given that, I learned some techniques from this book that I now can apply to my riding habits when actually on the bike. Like anything involving the level of risk that motorcycling, or skydiving, present.. You can never learn enough. I personally feel that the minute I decide that 'I know everything there is to about riding/driving/skydiving/flying/whatever', I become a danger to myself & potentially others. Besides, who wants to learn the hands-on, hard way about the effects of cold tires on wet pavement? Not fun on the body or wallet. There is definately a hands-on component to learning any of these skills, but education is at least 50% and in my view, 75% of the battle.. I've always learned hand-eye co-ordination things very quickly and been a book-learner, so for someone else the scales may be set differently. Good judgement comes from experience, and most of that comes from bad judgement.

for sure anything is better than nothing when it comes to skin-graft canidates Good judgement comes from experience, and most of that comes from bad judgement.

not judging anyone here but... cotton jeans don't do squat if you dump at road-riding speeds. the cotton will likely tear, burn, or otherwise disintegrate very soon after you begin what you hope is your long slide to a gentle stop. Leather, while abrasion resistant, provides 0 impact protection. think about trying to break the fall of your 150+ pound body and 350-800+ pound bike with your left kneecap or hip, and you suddenly wont be as worried about road rash. Also, people haved bled to death from extreme road rash. Also, people have sustained 3rd degree burns not from the slide, but from having their limbs pinned to the hot, sunbaked asphalt while they lay there helpless under the machine. again, everybody should do what they're comfortable doing, but on my last weastward excursion, I chose to wear a textile, armoured riding suit, even thru the deserts of Utaqh and Arizona. It may feel and look hot, but the suit actually helps your body from baking & dehydrating in the high wind & sun. I prefer to dump water down the inside of the jacket and also use a camelbak to stay cool & hydrated. YMMV, but I couldn't help but add that after reading the debates of shorts vs jeans. --edited to add, to the original poster, there is a very good book out there called 'Proficient Motorcycling' that describes in detail the technical aspects of motorcycling, as well as heavy-duty accident avoidance techniques. I hope your friend, although new to the bike world, can be humble enough to read it & hopefully glean some info from it. You can find it at most any Borders books, and I loan my copy to every friend of mine who shows interest in or buys a motorcycle. Good judgement comes from experience, and most of that comes from bad judgement.

Go groovalicious, in the frestyle category! Good judgement comes from experience, and most of that comes from bad judgement.

No, it doesn't. Insurance costs are lower for lidless victims due to the higher death rate. Don't make emotional arguments on this. without getting into the cycle helmet debate, go check out the average cost of a closed head injury as well as the percentage of riders that dont carry the medical insurance to cove these costs. It's not an emotional debate at all once you pull out the calculator and realize that when an individual cant cover their own medical expenses, then the rest of us do. And yes, while we may both disagree, there are peopel out there who make the argument that helmet use is dangerous. back on topic, thanks for the examples of situations where an AAD could cause more harm than good. Things to consider whan buying a new rig... Good judgement comes from experience, and most of that comes from bad judgement.

"Rock Swings" by.... Paul Anka (?!) All covers of the most unlikely tunes, ala Frank Sinatra. He does a jazz-standards cover of Van Halen's 'Jump' that, if it has not yet been edited into a skydiving video, is a *prime* canidate. Good judgement comes from experience, and most of that comes from bad judgement.

(as heard on the streets of detroit) Man with american flag on a toothpick, in my face :"Hey man, do you know what the greatest nation in the world is?" me"I dunno, buddy, I gotta run" Toothpick man: " DOnation! now can ya help me out?" I never give homeless people money, as a rule. I lived downtown for 5 years and would get bothered at least once, if not 3x a day on the way to my car. This guy got a bill. Good judgement comes from experience, and most of that comes from bad judgement.

aint that what I said ? honestly asking a question here... Does it make sense to extend a parallel between compulsory AAD usage, and compulsory seatbelt, airbag, or helmet usage? i.e. yes, there are instances where an AAD could hurt or kill you. There is also the arguement that seatbelts could kill you in a fiery wreck that you would have otherwise been ejected from. There is also the argument that helmet usage in race cars or cycles could kill you by way of the extra weight on your head, coupled with inertia, could snap your neck. I understand the personal choice aspect of the debate, I also understand the idea that in the vast majority of situations, using the other safety devices mentioned above will lead to a better, not worse, outcome. I was once a proponent of abolishing cycle helmet laws, the thing that swayed my opinion in the other direction is seeing the results of helmetless cycle crashes, and realizing that they have an effect on all riders, even the ones who may never crash. The effect is felt in higher insurance costs bore by all motorists, not even just the riders. I'm not trying to threadjack here, nor am I advocating compulsory AAD usage, but in what circumstances would an AAD be more of a liability than a risk? The only one I can think of is HP landings where the jumper might 'trick' the AAD into thinking they are in freefall when they're actually in a steep dive. It would be cool if someone educate me here, because I don't know nearly enough about the implications of AAD usage & will be buying a rig of my own in the next 6 months. Good judgement comes from experience, and most of that comes from bad judgement.

Wow, I like that one. "Skydiving: Less dangerous than smoking, much more rewarding" Now what do I tell my motorcycle friends? Good judgement comes from experience, and most of that comes from bad judgement.

totally. I was just trying to point out that there are a lot of things in life that you are in control of, and a whole lot more that you aren't. If you can put all of the 'controlables' in your favor, even if it means taking heat from others by "being a pussy", than you stand a better chance and are better prepared when life inevitably throws an 'uncontrolable' circumstance at you. and I have taken my share of funny stares and literal 'heat' from others by wearing a black, armoured riding suit in the dead of summer. "aren't you hot?" "not as hot as a skin graft, buddy" as I learn more about this sport, I hope to be able to keep my ego & head in check, not let the excitement of advancing get control of my decision-making process, and keep tilting those odds. When you average out my philosophy with those that rush to downsize their canopies, try things they aren't prepared for yet, and refuse to heed the advice of others that have more experience... well you end up with that average number. It's up to the individual weather he or she wants to aim for higher or lower than that median... that said, any one of us can die tomorrow, and the wheelie doing, drunk swooper with 100 jumps may live to be 100. such is life. cheers and blues... -Paul Good judgement comes from experience, and most of that comes from bad judgement.

umm I'm new at this sport but my thoughts are that you should definately spend some time at the dz with her. After several days and evenings spent both watching and socializing with the group that your wife jumps with, you might try to seriously re-evaluate your feelings about making one jump yourself. it's not for everybody, but it would give you a first-person insight into what she is now interested in. It may even be healthy for you to step a little outside your comfort zone & give it just one shot, but only if it's a little out of your comfort zone. In the same breath, I would say that IMHO, it would *not* be good if you made a jump only at the urging or pressure of others, if you really didn't feel like you could at least handle or tolerate it just the one time. It doesn't sound like this is a possibility, but I wanted to mention it in the name of balance.. I got into this sport trying to 'check skydiving off of my list of things to experience', like your wife. You might be surprised at how you feel and how, possibly, pre-concieved notions of what you thought it would be like compare to the actual experience. I can't speak for you and your feelings, but this is how I feel in hindsight. While the sport is by no means safe, I think it is somewhat safer than the popular opinion would lead you to believe. and I believe thats $.02 worth Good judgement comes from experience, and most of that comes from bad judgement.

I've had my motorcycle(s) to 39 states and 65,000 miles over the last 5 years. so I guess this is my new, safe hobby there is an immesurable fatcor here: The judgement of the participant. I dont ride drunk, I dont do wheelies, stunts, etc... and I adhere to what us cyclists call an ATGATT policy: all the gear, all the time. That means I wear a suit of cordura and armor plating, even in the summer, and even when I visited Arizona. I try to ride my bike up to 7/10th of it's performance ability when on the street, and no higher, to account for the unkown or unpercieved dangers out there. in my so-far short skydiving experience, I am finding myself interested in just getting a chute over my head, having nice and soft openings, and landing anywhere thats safe. the HP landing stuff just does not seem to appeal to me, at least at this point in my student jumping career. I tell my family and friends that on the bike, it is thrilling enough for me to just ride it down the twisty roads, and live to ride another day. I dont need wheelies, burnouts, or 100+ MPH runs on every ride to get my 'fix'. I think the same applies to my personailty as far as jumping goes, at least so far as I can tell this early in the game. My point? An unproportionate ammount of the risk in either activity is bore by a small amount of its participants. You can average it out all you like, but you end up with just that: an average. I'd like to think that my risk/reward calculations & tolerance for personal danger are tuned OK, thus far, but I'm always looking to up my game and do whatever little or seemingly silly things I can do to tilt the odds that much more in my favor. I don't thinks it's fair to categorize me in the same risk category as a sportbike stunt rider, heavy drinker, or high-speed swooper. your mileage may vary Good judgement comes from experience, and most of that comes from bad judgement.

wow, can I change a couple of things & repost that in my motorcycling forum? how applicable to life in general... Good judgement comes from experience, and most of that comes from bad judgement.

good, so it's not just me then.... 12 jumps into my student career I got sidelined by a previous injury that bothers me in freefall. I am now finally getting the surgery that I should have had 10 years ago for the sole purpose of getting back in the air. I am in the process of filling my head with all things skydiving to fill the void until the spring. It's going to be a loooong winter for both me and the people close to me Good judgement comes from experience, and most of that comes from bad judgement.

well as you probably know, your ear pops on the way up to altitude because of the expanding gases exerting pressure on the insides of your ear. this phenomena is apparently not limited to ears...

im a student.... and this seems to be the discipline of skydiving im mostly interested in. I enjoy flying my canopy very much, but not into the risk/reward balance of HP landings... or trying to fly a hankerchief for a rig. RW/CRW/Freeflying all seem cool, but dont really jump out at me. wingsuits and the ability to slow freefall, track at a high speed, and cover distance all seem *very* cool to me. so, knowing that I'm at least a year if not 3 away from jumping any kind of wingsuit, what abilities and skills should I focus on to prime myself to be a good/better wingsuit flier later in my jumping career? Good judgement comes from experience, and most of that comes from bad judgement.

uuuuh how about ignore him and live & let live? It's not like there's a huge number of dropzones local to most folks out there, and if they're all run like social clubs or sororities then everyone pays in the form of higher jump prices, right? there are people at my work, in my social circles, and involved in other things i do that i dont particularly care for but hey, i'm sure some of them don't care for me either aint that life Good judgement comes from experience, and most of that comes from bad judgement.

That's what I did... saved up for a year, and paid for all of AFF in one shot. Saved me a couple hundred bucks to do it that way as a package, plus I wasn't worried about where the money for the next jump was coming from. I had saved enough for gear too. Glad I did it that way. Wow!!! You are more brave then I'll ever be!!! I got surprised by my shoulder trouble halfway into my training and thought about trying to get a refund of the unused portion, but I ultimately decided that I paid for skydiving training and dammit I want to skydive! It's good motivation for me to get my stuff together this winter because I have all those jumps waiting for me next spring, after I am hopefully recovered. I could understand not wanting to buy 200 jump tickets that turn into a pumpkin at midnight on new years eve, tho... Good judgement comes from experience, and most of that comes from bad judgement.

here's another thought for you. one of my static line instructors told me that if money was an issue with being able to jump, then I should save it and come out to do 3-4 jumps per weekend, once a month.. He was saying that this is way better than 1 jump every weekend all summer because y the time you come back, some of the stuff you learned on the last jump has already faded. From my experience, my first jump of the day is always a little shaky. One day, I went out and made 5 student jumps in a day. While my muscles were sore the next day, I felt like I progressed a lot more being able to correct my mistakes on later jumps. Besides, I still get some door fear but it only really gets to me the first jump of the day. After that, it's no problem... thats how it seems to work for me, anyways. Maybe go do a tandem, save your money all winter, and pre-pay the rest of your training so that you can knock out as many jumps as you can in a day? Good judgement comes from experience, and most of that comes from bad judgement.

keep going if its too expensive, is static line an option for you? They don't offer IAD at my dz so I have no idea how they compare pricewise. My student jumps are $55 I did 2 tandems before I decided I wanted to get licensed, and that definately factored into my decision to do the S/L rather than AFF. 2 routes to the same end point, and I've done the freefall before so I didnt feel the need to get right in on my student program. I'm on hiatus until I have an old shoulder injury worked over, which is another thing I can thank skydiving for. I've been walking around for 10 years with a shoulder that sometimes decides to come out of place. that's totally unacceptable in freefall, so I guess it's time to get it operated on because I am definately not quitting this sport... waaay too much fun. good luck, ymmv, and I hope for your sake that you really do exist Good judgement comes from experience, and most of that comes from bad judgement.

im just trying to suck up as much knowledge about jumping as i can, even if i can't do it right now. i just realized that even in my avatar picture from my tandem, I can see how i'm babying my left shoulder & not fully extending it... Good judgement comes from experience, and most of that comes from bad judgement.

actually thats how my training went last weekend, so it's not yet a dead art. I've heard that a lot of dropzones dont do static line anymore but mine does, and so far I think it's a good way to learn. Good judgement comes from experience, and most of that comes from bad judgement.

hey im just a student, but from my experience I was able to bring my arm to near-dislocation on the ground. tghrow it up, back & behind you (once youre rehabbed enough to do so of course) every wihich way & see if you are able to make it feel unstable in any way. I can usually feel mine 'falling' out before it actually dislocates. YMMV Good judgement comes from experience, and most of that comes from bad judgement.