CanuckInUSA

I thought Eloy already had separate landing areas. It just appears that far too many (slow) canopy pilots are insisting on landing in Eloy's north LZ when they really should be using the south one. Why does the south landing area even exist? Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

I believe we are on the same side of this issue Zenster, but as a swooper I find it incomprehensible to think about a lawsuit from a swoop gone bad no matter when and where it occured. Are we or are we not supposed to be responsible jumpers out there who make our own decisions as to when it is or isn't a good time to induce speed for our landings? Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Is this other person spiraling down? I fear you're not telling us everything we need to know to make an informed decision as to whether or not you are just as guilty as this other person for trying to be the one who sets the pattern? Why are you often the first one down? Could you also be pulling low (low being in the 2k range which for anyone flying a highly loaded canopy should be considered low). You tell us that you "try to descend rapidly to 1000 feet" so are you spiraling down yourself? Why are you trying to be the first one down all of the time? Do you not look at who is on the load, try your best to determine what sort of jump they are doing and what sort of canopy they are flying. I'm sorry Bill but if you are out first doing a belly jump and I give your group 5-10 seconds separation and follow you on a freefly jump (and we both pull at the same altitude) who do you think has a better chance of being first down? The guy falling slower (even though he exited first) and the guy jumping the slightly larger larger canopy? Or the guy who falls faster and may be jumping a higher loaded canopy? I always evaluate who is on my load and try to determine where I will fit into the landing pattern before I even get on the airplane. Sometimes it makes sense to try and be first down, sometimes it makes sense to be last and more often than not, it just makes sense to try and sequence yourself in the middle of the load. So why aren't you doing the same? Why are you trying to be the first guy down? I don't know anything about this other person you speak of so I can not address how they approach their setup point, but for most accomplished swoopers who do a 270 speed induced landing, they do fly (at least from above) a standard downwind to base landing pattern. The only deviation is once at their setup point, they don't turn final, they turn the other way inducing speed for their landing and as you know from the time we initiate the turn to the time we level off above the ground we're talking about 5-8 seconds. Now don't get me wrong, I am on your side when it comes to people swooping in traffic, but I don't buy this "swoopers don't fly predicatable patterns" crap. What part of a downwind and base do you not recognize before the swooper starts the 270? You know if people spent more time trying to create separation in the pattern and less time worrying about being one of the first down, we would have less accidents in the skies. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

ask canuckinusa what happens when you rear riser stall at high speeds You hurt yourself, that's what happens. 1) Fly a canopy type/size appropriate for your skill level, experience and knowledge level. 2) Fly that canopy within the limits of your skill, experience and knowledge level. 3) Try your best NOT to be in the corner. 4) If you are in the corner, don't dig out on rears, use your toggles. 5) Never give up, keep flying the canopy no matter what. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

I finally decided to join the modern world and got myself a TiVo like device (they call it something different up here in the thawing north, but it is essentially the same). Anyway, this TiVo like device rocks. I was watching the Flames/Wings hockey game last night in OT and there was no worries in missing any of the action since I could always record the live feed and rewind it to watch something that may have been missed for whatever reason (like running off to the bathroom). TiVo rocks ... Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

The odds of something bad happening to someone like myself are a lot higher than the odds of something bad happening to your hubby. I'm not saying that something bad can't happen to your hubby since nothing at all is safe about all forms of aviation. It's just that in this sport the more experienced you get the more you're likely to push your limits. Dang I never should have applied for that "D" license. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

I'll be in rush hour traffic when they go out. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

All three are pretty cool. #1 appears to be inspired by "Mottob Larenim" while #2 and #3 are obviously wingsuit inspirations. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Were you at Eloy and did they tell you that you were not economically viable? I've never had a problem getting a low pass at Eloy. Although, I have heard of policy changes recently. I was being a smart alec. But ... what are we to do when the DZs tell us that we can't swoop on regular loads (for all the right reasons) and at the same time they won't let us do hop n' flops (for all the wrong reasons). Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Were you at Eloy and did they tell you that you were not economically viable? Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Mar rocks!!! Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Blame me it's all my fault. After all I am from Canada and I've spent time in the real South Park in Colorado. See the correlation? Hasn't anyone noticed that my head splits in two when I talk. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

I'm sure there are a few more spouses who may be alive today thanks to some stiffer gun control regs in countries like Canad'ia. But gun control won't stop the mass killings of the deranged killers of this world. After all the weapon of choice in the Middle East isn't the gun, it's the suicide vest and/or IED. So it's only a matter of time before we see the school massacres go from being a gun crimes to bombings (ie: like the Oklahoma City bombing in '95). In fact I'm surprised we haven't seen another Oklahoma City type bombing here in N.A. more often. Of course last year we here in Canuckville did arrest a whole slew of alleged radical Islamists with more fertilizer than what McVeigh used. But give our LIEberal bleeding heart society enough time and I'm sure some LIEberal appointed judge will pardon all these poor victimized people and they can continue their quest to kill and maime the non-believers of this world through the use of their bombs. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Here in gun control crazy Canada (at least in our large urban centers) we too have had our share of school shootings. L'Ecole Polytechnique, Concordia, Taber and just this last September ... our own Dawson College shooting done using a legally registered weapon. So if gun control laws work, why do we here in Canuckville continue to have our own set of school shooting incidents. Disclaimer: I am not part of the pro-gun lobby, I have never owned a weapon. I am not in favor of PFC owning military assault weaponry. But I am also not naive enough to think that passing laws will rid society of all the dangers of life. Live life today like it's your last day because it very well could be. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Time in the sport should have no more bearing than number of jumps. The bottom line as far as being a potential AFFI is concerned, is can the person teach and can they fly their body to the standards set by the governing body. I'd be willing to bet that the person behind this thread with his 800 jumps in one year can fly his body. But can he teach? and does it really matter since we don't even know if they dude is interested in becoming an AFFI. Finally there is something to be said about the person who jumps a lot. I know I did a lot of jumps in the summer of 2005 (I was lucky enough to jump virtually everyday) and it's hard not to get better when you're doing it so often. It's just something that should happen when you're constantly jumping ... getting better that is. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Most people aren't assholes, they're just boring lemmings who live their lives through things like reality TV. But for the rest of so-called no boring types, there is no shortage of egos out there. In the sporting world, in the business communities, at school and in the various religious circles. There's always someone out there trying to better the other guy. There is nothing wrong with being driven and having goals. It's just for most of us, we don't realize what a small fish we are in our big pond. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Damn ... Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Theorectically it's pretty simple. But we know that nothing is simple when it comes to flying and landing a canopy. Anyway, there is a leader and a follower. At the desired setup point, the leader signals (usually with a predetermined body movement like a leg kick) when to turn and the follower emulates the leader's turn. When done right, both turns occur simulatenously and you've got your synchronized landing. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Not sure why I let this one slip my mind, but "Out of the Blue" is pretty damn good as well and while we're on the subject, "Adrenaline Rush" is also worth a watch. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

I couldn't agree more and I am far from being one of those "experienced BASE jumpers". IMHO there are far too many people who rushed into BASE within the last few years. The people with little canopy control experience and poor gear knowledge should be told to spend more time at the DZs and rigging lofts and less time in BASE. Plus, while we know BASE is an order or magnitude more dangerous than skydiving, we shouldn't trivialize skydiving (as some do here ... not referring to Tom). Since when was any form of aviation ever considered safe? Finally, BASE jumping means different things to different people. One size does not fit all. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

To this day my 666th devil jump (a wingsuit jump out of a hot air balloon over an suburban environment) has been my most memorable jump. It trumps all of my freefly jumps, tracking jumps, swoops and yes even my BASE jumps. My memories of the jump (while fading) are nothing at all like the video from the jump taken from the balloon. But I still must say thanks to "Stacy" for being there in the balloon to catch it on video. The only thing missing from my 666th was the fact it didn't happen on a Friday the 13th. It occured in the early morning hours of a Saturday in May back in '04. Congrats to Katie for her 666th ... Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Sorry I stayed far far away from my 'puter last night. "Crosswinds" and "Good Stuff" are good videos. "Airspeed" is probably the best RW video. I've always liked "Fly Boyz Party Mix" and "Chronicles III" for their freeflying and Jimmy Halliday's "Standard Issue" and "Radix" also have some great freeflying and BASE footage. I'm partial to "Gravity Pilots" (since I make a brief cameo appearance in it) when it comes to swooping, but there are other swooping videos out there like any one of the Ranch Pond Swoop national videos as well as the PST 2003 video + The PD Factory guys came out with their own stuff. Oh and if you're okay with downloading there's the "Freestyle Posse" video with the best freestyle swoops of 2006 and it can be found at www.canopypiloting.com When it comes to BASE videos, there is no shortage of good ones out there. Both "Continuum" videos are good as well as "1st Base" (they came out with a sequel which I've yet to see). Super Terminal has some bad ass footage and "Beyond Extreme" is a good one highlighting one of the best BASE aerialist (Dwayne Weston) who's ever lived ... and died. Finally, from an educational point of view, you can't ignore "Breakaway". Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

I'll give you my two cents later when I get home. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

What sort of videos do you want? Freeflying, RW, swooping and/or BASE jumping? Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

As someone else has already mentioned, check out www.skydivingmovies.com first for all the free stuff. After that well there is a bunch of good videos you can order from the various gear manufactures. What's your fancy? Freeflying, RW, swooping and/or BASE jumping? What sort of videos do you want? Try not to worry about the things you have no control over