JohanW

Thank you.

And it was beautiful. They did some training jumps (OK, they trained for a year beforehand), an unofficial 21-way, an incorrect 25-way and then a totally mindblowing 27-way. Much beer was drunk. Congrats! Johan. I am. I think.

I like that wingload was added to the profile, but I'm missing the last-modified-date. There is now no way to see how recent somebody's profile is, and that information is useful sometimes. Johan. I am. I think.

I spotted! I saw ground, green light, and the door was open Oh well, we all learned about landing out, landing together, landing near a road (this is the Netherlands folks!), having a pull-up cord on you to field-pack, .. My suit will be there about the same time yours is .. why o why did we get silver in it? Johan. I am. I think.

If it is, you're not tracking hard enough. Shape your body, wear an RW-suit with booties (cheating, yes yes, I know), and feel the lift. It's a difference of degree, not of kind, with a wingsuit. I'll go fly a canopy for the last couple of thousand feet down if you don't mind Johan. I am. I think.

And the video itself Clicky Johan. I am. I think.

Not that I know of. OK, who wants to go where? I can recommend Teuge NL, quite some DZ.commers, Grand Caravan, Birdfolk, CReWdogs, flat- and freefliers, reasonable prices, decent accommodations, open weekdays until end of October, not too big, not too small, rigger and shop available, well, whatnot Johan. I am. I think.

The Electra is the successor to the Merit, and, if memory serves, has a somewhat longer toggle range than the Merit though still shorter than a Silhouette, is a hybrid (ZP topskin, lopo bottom skin) same as Merit and Silhouette and is tapered same as Merit and Silhouette. It doesn't have the .. well, positive openings a Merit exhibits, but it still turns rather aggressively, requiring less toggle stroke than the Silhouette for mostly the same rate of turn and dive. The answer to your original question is impossible to give, because you don't say what you want in a canopy. I'm still flying the Silhouette 170 @ 1.3 I bought at 130 jumps, I now have 400 jumps on it and I know what I want from my next canopy: a longer recovery arc. I can still have plenty of fun under my present canopy because I fly it a lot harder than I used to do 400 jumps ago. Also, my landings might be more consistent. There really is no reason for me to downsize because I know how to put speed on my canopy, and I do not feel the desire to turn faster. OK, having the option of giving harness input that actually does something without frontriser input might be nice, but I'd have to demo demo demo to find out how other canopies react. I would have a hard time figuring that out with 2 or 3 jumps on a demo canopy. OK, that's me. What do you want in a canopy? Want more speed? Go smaller. Want quicker turns? Go elliptical. Want more flare? Get a different canopy. (No, I don't know which one. Demo.) Want to swoop? You can learn that on your present canopy. Want a smaller rig? Pack tighter. Want a new toy? Get a wingsuit. And talk to your instructors. They know you, and they might know what you want, even if you don't know it yourself. And they can tell you what you do or should not want for various reasons. Johan. I am. I think.

KNVvL (skydiving authority) only has authority over its members. If you're not a member, they can not and do not assert authority and therefore responsibility. The aviation authority (RLVD or whatever they're called now) doesn't regulate jumping, they leave that to the KNVvL. Which works as long as (almost) all jumps are made under KNVvL auspices. Strictly speaking, pulling below 2500' is not illegal as long as you are not a member of the KNVvL (if you were, you'd have to adhere to their rules). If every jumper in the Netherlands (or even just a significant number) quit the KNVvL and started a 'bandit' DZ, the aviation auth would feel obliged to start regulating skydiving itself. Which might be worse than the KNVvL doing it. Compare FAA vs. USPA, anyone? Johan. I am. I think.

Doesn't lift scale with area as well? And how's area's effect on stall speed? I can't remember the formulae, HELP!, but isn't there something to be said for a nice, more forgiving, bigger canopy to avoid injuries? Johan. I am. I think.

Isn't a Stiletto a blade that will slice through the air and make for nasty wounds on impact? (Oh wait, it is.) We now return you to your regularly topical discussion. Sorry folks, couldn't resist. Johan. I am. I think.

490 I'd say it's a bit harder than when belly flying, but easier than when tracking for effect. But hey, I have all of 4 wingsuit dives. As of last weekend. No, we did not link up on my first flight. We (well, they) did fly a nice close 3-man formation though. Thanks, Henny and Leon! (edit: spelling) Johan. I am. I think.

That's about what I get with an RW-suit (with booties) - avg 80 mph, low sometimes 50 to 60 mph. The fun part starts when you actually feel you're getting lift from your head and upper body. Once I was having such a good time I actually decided against turning back towards the DZ and landed some 2 miles out, covering 2½ to 3 miles total. I still haven't figured out the perfect angle of attack though. Johan. I am. I think.

Consider the idea of jumping with several tens of pounds of lead .. then reconsider. It's just not practical. Yes, in my (limited) experience lighter jumpers have a problem heavier jumpers do not have. (Not to say heavier jumpers have no problems, or lighter jumpers have no other problems :) Johan. I am. I think.

I tried a pair once and went back to tracking in my RW-suit with booties. I'm sure my technique plays a part, but for now I'm sticking to the technique I know; there's plenty to improve my flying me instead of a pair of pants I wouldn't wear on normal RW dives. Birdmanning is looming in my near future however Johan. I am. I think.

Did you know you could close reply tags? Indentation shows nesting. Johan. I am. I think.

What, if I may ask, is the pressing need for a 135? Demo, find out what feels comfortable, and, if I may put this into perspective, in the Netherlands you would need 500 jumps (apart from meeting other requirements) before jumping anything smaller than a 150. I do not necessarily agree with this rule (apart from the fact it's a new and unproven rule), but it exists. Safety being relative in this sport, there is no one, or even just correct, answer to this question. I've never flown smaller than a 160, but my exit weight is over 210 lbs. I keep hearing however how a smaller wing will be a lot more radical than a larger wing, even at lower wingloadings. So there also is not one, or even just correct, wingloading. So demo, find out what you're comfortable with, and get advice from people that see you land. Have fun, and don't become a statistic. Johan. I am. I think.

Sounds like you had more speed to convert to lift, thus got a longer surf. Johan. I am. I think.

With at least one exception: Parachutes de France make a Springo 140. Not that they'll ship to the States. Edit: they probably will ship to South Africa. But I'll give you a .04 difference in wingloading is not a day-and-night difference. Johan. I am. I think.

Please keep in mind carefully you are saying something entirely different from what I'm saying. I'd skydive blind, I'd skydive blindfolded, given planning, preparation, confidence and trust, but I'd be breaking the rules to skydive, not skydiving to break the rules. Johan. I am. I think.

You are, of course, entirely correct. On paper. A few years back Texel, NL sent up not one but several blind people for a S/L jump. Double radios, probably one at a time, and they evidently did not pass the full medical, but with proper planning, they went up and came down in one piece. One rule does *not* fit all. Johan. I am. I think.

and a free jump ticket at ZHills. TK has blood drives there frequently. I suppose that's donating plasma? As someone else mentioned, I wouldn't feel comfortable donating whole blood and jumping anytime soon. Hey, do I get 30-odd free jumps for the donations I've made over the years that haven't gotten me more than a pluche (sp?) pelican and a coffee mug (and a warm fuzzy feeling inside )? Johan. I am. I think.

It never ceases to amaze me people actually get paid to donate blood in the U.S.. So maybe I can amaze all of you guys. In the Netherlands, donating blood gets you a needle mark and a cup of coffee (or whatever). You get to park the car for free, it costs you an hour and they punch holes in you, and you do it because it's the honourable thing to do, and it doesn't pay a cent. No real shortage of donors, either. (OK, back to the topic.) Johan. I am. I think.

I agree with the second statement, however, I would like a clarification on the first. Do you mean a tapered wing has more forward speed than a square one, all else (wingload, trim, size, etc.) being equal? I have a hard time believing this. Aside from that, does ellipticism (sp?) have any influence on toggle pressure? Toggle range? And do elliptical canopies dive more in turns than squares? Or are these unrelated? If you insist. I don't believe you have a dog. I'd like to see a picture of it, and of you, and of your mom. In bikini. Taken when she was 17. Johan. I am. I think.

In this little part of the Northern Hemisphere, it'll be 35 F, blue skies and lifts to 12k with a comfy Grand Caravan. Now where's my five layers of warm clothes? Johan. I am. I think.