JohanW

I'll say it, because I haven't seen it enough in this thread. THIS IS THE CANOPY POLICE. I hope you weight is less than around 160 lbs. And you can flare-turn and flat-turn and do all the other things on BillVon's List on your 170. And you are really looking to increase your canopy speed, forward, down, turning and diving, and the associated risks in flying and landing your canopy. Nothing really wrong with your choice of a Sabre 2. Not sure you should be flying a 150 yet. Be careful, be safe, have fun. Continue to have fun. Johan. I am. I think.

From the OP: Not to mention jurisdiction. FARs don't apply to me. Back to your regularly scheduled thread drift. Johan. I am. I think.

You're asking the wrong question. Without lead and in my regular suit, I can do >160 on my belly. But in your situation, there are other techniques and solutions. Talk it over with (an) experienced jumper(s), in person, at the DZ. Then go jump with them. We can debate this at long, long length here, but that'd take ages and should be covered in some sort of introduction to relative work course, formalised or not, anyway. I'm not about to give you the entire course over the Internet, it'd take too long and you'd have more questions forever anyway (which is good). Good luck, and have fun! Johan. I am. I think.

I'll jump most anyone's packjob. No kids of my own, but if any, they could pack for me. Just don't put knots in the lines and have the slider at the stops. I've actually dared colleagues to pack for me. And I wouldn't be telling them more than 'keep the lines tensioned, have this piece of fabric up and try to stuff this oversize piece of nylon in this undersize baggy thingy.' No one has taken me up on that. Yet. I still hope for a free packjob someday. Johan. I am. I think.

I think I told them when I got back from a week's vacation that I had been doing a static line course. Not a problem. They show up at the dropzone every now and then when they know I'm there (her mom lives in the neighbourhood). When my then girlfriend and I got motorcycle riding lessons, my father joined us for the first ones. What could possibly be the problem? Why would anyone think we have a death wish? We're wearing a parachute, aren't we? Johan. I am. I think.

I seem to remember Jarno's moaning from last year or year before last when he would think of all the hours of video he'd have to sift through for the boogie vid edit. Literally hours - per 2½ minute jump. Times, oh 12 or 15 jumps. Johan. I am. I think.

No, you should probably not be flaring that thing in stages. Your problem might be not finishing your flare. You should be talking more to your instructor. He can see you landing, we can't. Maybe flaring more aggressively would help, too. That does make the timing more critical though, and is not something to be tried on authority of the first person to shoot off his mouth in Duh Innernet. Like me. Edit: Oh, and freefall is not 'the bigger thrill.' (Try landing a wingsuit if you're in for thrills.) Canopy flight/landing, be it canopy freefly, relative work, accuracy or swooping, is several highly satisfying disciplines in itself. (And a static line is just a deployment system. I mean that.) Johan. I am. I think.

Yep. #60 :) Johan. I am. I think.

ROFL! Entry won't be a problem, but I am not taking bets on my performance in a field of factory teams. And though I may have a dark knight suit and am, occasionally, ridden (by petite girls preferably), I am empathically *not* a horse. Or were you talking of ..? Johan. I am. I think.

Saskia, you do realise that with since latest revision of the rules over here, the jumpmaster rating no longer exists? I'm back to being an unrated up-jumper again. Jumpmaster is anyone the I says is (may need B, but since the last-but-one craze I stopped keeping up with the rules a bit). Dropping static liners takes an HI-rating (something like coach. has passed a course and can teach FJC). All of this is local Dutch rules and may, or may not, apply to the OP (I didn't check). They get both more and more and less and less crazy every revision. Maybe I'm just getting older .. Johan. I am. I think.

I have no idea what pack volume a Velo 96 has, or a Spectre or Triathlon 120 for that matter. I don't know your exit weight, but if the above poster says you can fit a 120 7-cell into your container, get one asap. Both the Spectre and the Tri are great canopies even at a 1.8 loading (which I suspect you'll be at or under). You might even get a Lightning like one crazy Belgian I know, but I'd advise against freepacking it (he does). Then again, I know people that like to jump XF2 99's for wingsuit, some nondescript Monkey jumps a Sabre2 97 I believe, I know one Swedish guy with a Sabre 97 (if you can find one, the price will be very right, very probably). A lot of it is where you're coming from. People jump (smallish) Katanas and even Veloes. Well, that's how many chops you'll live with IMO. Maybe even get one of the new PD reserves as a main? Johan. I am. I think.

I'd love to go. D*mn I need a sponsor. Let me see what I can do. Johan. I am. I think.

And then the man started to expound on the flaws of high lift gadgets from powered craft when applied to gliding craft (us, that is). That's where he lost me - going off on a tangent. Keep on track Yuri - streamline the trim, rig the angle of incidence, stop eating and hollow out your bones. Johan. I am. I think.

I second that. I'm not sure reinventing the wheel is useful. We may have use for some of the existing stuff. Meanwhile, Jarno ribbing Yuri makes my day every time. Johan. I am. I think.

It was. The comparison to your Sabre 135 goes wrong on two points: material, and number of cells. Johan. I am. I think.

I read the question wrong and voted too quickly. One yes should read no, I am not overweight. (At least my gear thinks so.

Talk to a pilot, they understand winds aloft. But it's basic arithmetic really. Figure 1 minute per 1000 ft. Leave some margin, you still want to fly a pattern before landing. The wind you fly in is just the relative wind, the absolute wind is just taking you places. The XC jump we did last year in Moorsele had one guy on a static line Manta with it. I could guess at his jump numbers, but so can you. We exited between, oh 8 and 12 miles out. We landed between 4 and 6 miles out I think. Yes, it's a risk you take. Decide early, and carry a cell phone. It helps if there are 50 of you (first one down can decide on a decent field for the rest; keep in mind not everyone can land on a dime), it's the last load of the day anyway, and people have beer money on them. I've done one earlier in higher upper winds from 8 miles, where almost everyone made the DZ. On that occasion, it was established Triathlons do not float as well as Stilettos. No surprise there (think number of cells). I don't pull high for RW with clouds, I have a wingsuit for that (though I might pull at 6 for sunset). I do pull high for recreational HP CReW. Johan. I am. I think.

Hmmmmmm .. it's never done that for me. And my 120 has a higher wingload than your 99. But I know of a guy with a Tri 175 who chopped a spinner. (On a demo

IMHO, the actual answer to OP's question is 'You can't.' Sure, there are ways to go skydiving without parental consent, before or after 16, 18 or whatever age. I am in no way implying it's a good idea though. Or a bad one. (IMO definitely wait until you're 18 and independent.) But it's unlikely you'll ever convince anyone, let alone a parent, that skydiving is a good idea if they need convincing. I *do* feel lucky (both) my parents never looked at it that way. Or at motorcycle lessons. When paragliding or groundlaunching comes into the picture, I expect no problems. BASE, that might be a problem (and they might be right). But truly convincing anyone, I don't see it happening. You'll have to do it on your own. You will have to anyway, of course.

Couldn't tell you any numbers. But I have flown both, and somehow the S3 was hard work to fly, and the S3S did not need all that power and force and was a ride much easier on the arm muscles. Johan. I am. I think.

Yeah, wingsuit BASE is not aiming low.

(Note to bdqpdx2k: You, my friend, are way more expensive than a reserve ripcord. Oh, and get a more userfriendly username ) You may want to discuss the scenario where the main opens after a main no/half-pull and subsequent reserve pull with a rigger or an instructor. You might or might not be towing it. It's slightly different from a pilotchute-in-tow, which is another but separate good subject for a discussion with a rigger or instructor. I now expect half of Duh Innernet to fall over each other explaining possibilities and the relative merits of cutting away the main first or not. The second half will be an entirely different discussion, right up there with the periodic RSL debates of course. Let me just say Schrödinger's Cat is definitely alive. Glad you made it OK. Great opportunity to learn from it. Johan. I am. I think.

That flying coffin? No thanks. Too noisy, and too much tendency to fall out of the sky. Johan. I am. I think.

Ed, welcome to flight!

Yuri, I'd say you still haven't understood it. Sure, those are great numbers, and I'd like to be that good. But the proof of the pudding will be tasted when he goes unstable right after exit. At 1800'. From a jumpship with a freshly dead engine. Or something like that - i.e. less than ideal circumstances. It might eat him alive. I hope he never has to find out, and fortunately the odds are against it. I'm a grumpy conservative spoilsport, I know, I know. Johan. I am. I think.