chachi

i agree he is an ass in real life - he's also my partner (B.A.S.E., we're not flamers) ..... and quite wise, this is one of those things i'll regret saying im sure...

my buddy lost a nut a couple years ago and he is doing great - had a baby girl 18 months ago too. cheers to you for facing it head on and trying to point out to people what you just did. my next jump is for you Nick.

valid points out of some of you and maybe i didn't explain what i meant to. my point was that i don't like to see people throwing 270's just becasue the pro's mostly do it. i think people mostly skip over 180's and miss learning a huge part of the site picture. for me i have progressed through canopies under pro advice and pro coaching. that is why i dont do them. i want that last 180 degrees mastered fully before i move on. once you have the most important 180 mastered then when you go to 270 - 360 - 720 ... the most important 180 sight picture is burned into your head. as far as pattern is concerned i do not do a downwind and 180 pattern, i do a long cross wind like a 270 approcah and then do a turn left downwind a bit then a left 180 - so a typical approach for a 270. i also get a great deal of speed and prefer this approach which is maybe why i have stayed with it for so long - oh about 650 jumps =) i only think that people rush into doing high degree turns and dont master because they only read about 270's....

what is with this demand on 270's. unless you have mastered 90's, then 180's which i dont know how someone does in 500 jumps what business do you have doing 270's. yes it is an easier setup to hit gates and yes it is a super effective way to build speed but pushing guys into 270's is wrong. fyi im not the exact best example but i jump a vx94 and am a pretty decent swooper but i have never done a 270 in my career yet. "tossing 270's" in the sky cuz the pro's do them is imo not the best learning approach.

^^ I think it takes a lot to be that honest to yourself and about yourself, thanks for posting.

my view would slightly differ i suspect from some on this forum but i personally believe if you want to learn to swoop there are particular wings better suited to doing so than others. find a good swooping wing and start with a bigger version of it would be my personal recommendation. stillettos teach poor habits due to short recovery arcs, think hook and pray your brakes save you... while crossfires offer longer recovery arcs. i do not agree that you should learn to swoop ANY wing. why? so you can learn bad habits and be working on things that will never even be a consideration later? if your aim is to be a good consitant swooper pick a platform and learn the flight characteristics and then downsize on the same platform. your learning curve will go through the roof because then you will be simply doing the same things only higher and safer as your size decreases. who am i though...

I will try not to beat up on the injured in this post as I am sure he has taken enough but I would like my point to be considered. ~Taking people well below the skydive grade into the BASE environment is irresponsible to the person you tell is OK to do it, and to the people around you that you call a community. If you want to forever be known as a bunch of screwups, keep this up. ~When you as a BASE jumper do things well beyond your skill level without considering the consequences, you let your community down - see point one. This sport let's you do what you want, and when you want within basic reason but if we don't look out for each other and consider some of our actions we will always be fuck ups to the public. In this case I see poor judgement, poor training, and poor mentorship. To whomever in this thread posted that 50 BASE jumps is not low level skill with zero skydives and only paragliding experience your fucked in the head, sorry. I also agree with whoever said we should not be advertising into BASE we should react to people looking for it. Japp makes a killer point, I think the injury to experience list would tell a different tale of things.

competition ponds are square so that they can be set up for different wind directions.

im usually not sucha canopy nazi but thats a huge jump in size and platform. your stilletto does nothing like the canopy you are going to jump, please be cautious and maybe consider jumping a loaded xfire or katan previous to the velo.

^and maybe you should "get a bigger canopy" - hahaha

i agree with peoples assessment of your flaring. the best part of the brakes on a Xbrace is how much they have. you need to slow down the flare through the stroke, be more smooht and you will have lots left at the bottome, resist the urge to actually land till the canopy sets you down.

no one wants to see your bright white body nekkid. STU! CLOTHES! NOW! lol.

here's one from me...

you should search the forum for info regarding digital rebel vs. 10D, same camera cept resolution and speed. Also your other post ask questions regarding stuff discussed over and over in here. SEARCH please, then ask. Researching first will provide you with better insight on what you really need to ask, you shouldnt come in here and ask us to decide on products for you. sorry if this seems harsh but the camera flyers in here get tired of doing all the work that they have done over and over and over before. ~Chachi

Are you talking about the xfire or xfire2? Because i've heard from reputable sources that the xfire had some problems. It seems that the xfire2 is supposed to be really nice, but i've flown neither so this is all hearsay. -A The only concern was that some American made ones by Precision had line sets made way out of tolerance so they replaced them all with properly proportioned Vectran lines to ensure no problems. They did some small changes but IMHO xfire or xfire2 no difference. By the way all xfire ones they offered to have linesets changed on and most people did the mod anyway. ~Chachi

you want a longer dive and better openings? get a crossfire, hands down one of the best canopies before you go xbrace. opens like butter, great long dive, powerful long flare stroke, and awesome swoops. tryone, you'll be hooked. ~chachi

ok jeffrey, settle down. if i didn't do anything at work that i was only supposed to do while not at work i wouldnt be a north american free person.

i have a frenum and a PA now. frenum, female pierced, PA male, and to be honest they both did awesome jobs. if you go to a professional place it is basically like a doctors office, clean and sterile, and you wouldn't care as long as they could do the job properl. both my piercers are fantastic between them they ahve done several on me and my friends and guys and girls, and sexual and non sexual piercings.

what a surprise, one of the first responses from you Yanks is can u sue, on an obviously joking pic...

bahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah, too funny jp, too funny.

heya Brains, what size do you find is most....ummmm....comfortable for you and a lady. Just got mine done two weeks ago....

I admire your determination, wtg. i quit five years ago, after i said i was done, i was done and that is how you have to think about it. attitude has everything to do with it. seriously, way to go!! ~chachi

i think if you are making $$ on the equipment it is your risk. Just my personal opinion though. are we allowed to have personal opinions anymore or will people write threads about why my opinion is stupid? ~Chachi

where is the option for this is the dumbest poll i have seen on dz.com?

I kinda see your point but the fact that it could be lost is not really even close to the value of a life and as it has been proven catching canopies can kill you I will always recommend following the canopy and finding it after. I honestly meant old F111 canopies should be taken out of circulation however, I do not think F111 canopies would be my first recommendation to anyone. points taken on both sides, at least discussion keeps us thinking. ~Chachi