ManBird

In two seconds, you're going about the same speed as you would in any body position, so a stand wouldn't make the opening any harder. If anything, a stand could be softer because there's no "whip". "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Relax. Pace yourself. That's it. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Good lord, what a dramafest. It comes down to this -- some people that were helping run the Icarus demo station were being inconsiderate and unprofessional. Some people, myself included, got a big dose of it. End of story. Overall, I had a great time. If I really wasn't enjoying myself, then I wouldn't have come up with a new skydiver's handshake that makes people uncomfortable. I bailed early mainly because of some bad/sad news I got regarding a family member. The attitude from a few individuals was just a bonus. Well... that and the fact that Dusty wouldn't smell my finger or let me hold his hand. Freedom Jam was a GOOD event and this bit was a very small aspect of it that is getting WAY too much attention. On a side note... I knew I shouldn't have gone to Idaho this weekend... Kirk passed me up in jump numbers. Well, skydives, anyway. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Lots of fun this weekend. The highlight, for me, was witnessing Russell's stowed jump with a very respectable delay. It was awesome to someone that'd be expected to live a limited a lifestyle go far above and beyond the vast majority of people in the world. And major props to Tom's backyard engineering and desire to help make it all possible. Jared (swoopnutz) came along for the ride, just to check the stuff out. He ended out making 8 jumps (10 now), all stowed, including a floater and two two-ways, and learned how to pack. Unfortunately, he got stuck with the no-slider rig (except for the last jump where we swapped rigs). He also got stuck with the Portland crew, who apparently waits until the wind picks up to start jumping. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

You can leave your wings closed and still climb like crazy, because of: - the wings still catching air - d-arched on exit - fast jump run To avoid tailstrikes: - push your tail behind your legs before you exit - always arch on exit - keep your knees together on exit - don't move from that body position until you are looking at the bottom of the plane This mainly applies to newer wingsuit pilots. After a good couple hundred flights, you'll discover some more creative, yet safe, ways to exit. But even those shouldn't be practice on very fast jump runs or aircraft where the horizontal stabilizers are on level with or lower than the top of the door. I glad that no one was hurt, but it sucks to see the pretty suit get torn up. I'm sure it's been mentioned, but you were just inches away from the worst kind of hurt. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Leg cutaway on my S3 about half a dozen times on either reserve rides or low deployments. My GTi doesn't have the LQRS, but I've essentially done the same thing (unzipped only one leg) for the same reason on one jump. I've only pulled the arm cutaway on the Crossbow. The zipper is very far back on the arm and there was a lot of slack, making it difficult unzip all the way. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

I haven't been able to reach anyone at BirdMan for awhile, and really, really need to. If anyone has contact info for Erika or Kim (Jari's out of town), please PM me! Thanks, Steve "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Unless you have giant logos on the wings, BirdMan doesn't sell a $1,500 suit. There are personal incentives to becoming a BMI, but there is no exclusivity. I can buy a MTR2 and work to become an instructor for Matter, receiving those benefits, as well. I could cruise over to Spain and try to hook up with a Babylon and become a rep for S-Fly, as well. Most BMIs get the title for access to demo resources and instruction knowledge because they love flying a wingsuit and sharing their passion with others. Also, the point system really isn't enough for BMIs to go do a hard sell to anyone. The points I've received have ALL been from people that planned on buying a suit from BirdMan, anyway. I just took them on their flight and helped them order/measured them up. And I do tell people about competitor's products! I don't talk bad, either. I might do that on here , but with students, I do inform them of what's out there, where they can go to learn more, and who they can talk to for details and ordering info. We're not the bad guys. Seriously. We might charge for our time at boogies, but that doesn't make us bad people. As a BMI that utilizes BirdMan maybe more than I should, I strongly disagree. It comes down to a giant interest in wingsuit flight and a small demo fleet. That's it. BirdMan works hard for us. There's a LOT that they do that people don't know about. They hook BMIs up with individuals. A lot of BMIs (myself including) are willing to make big treks to get one new bird in the sky. With all the work they're putting into R&D and orders, I commend them on still being able to handle BMI's requests. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Hey, I am a BMI and I charge $10 less than you ($20 if it's my own suit). I WIN! Regardless, get some new birds in the air. I do have to commend you for organizing demo suits and instruction by polling your own resources. That's not an easy task. If you have any questions on running the FFC, be sure to contact the BMIs over at Bird-Man.com's BMI forum. No need! Just fold the booties up into the leg. Voila -- instant short suit! It will fly just fine. This is -- ahem -- one of the many nuggets of knowledge us BMIs have. PD doesn't send 20 demo canopies without a rep. Nor does Icarus. Nor does anyone. There is a tight relationship between manufacturers and their reps. It wouldn't make sense to send $10,000 in merchandise off to a "stranger". On top of that, there's a good six month waiting list for demos for BMIs. I scored some of the demo fleet for mid-September by making a request in early March! Jari, Kim, amd Erika are extremely kind and would love to send wingsuits to everyone in the world. The resources just aren't there. I don't get why BirdMan, of all companies, has so many customers that bash them. The irony is that BirdMan is one of the kinder and more generous companies out there. As far the whole BMI/money thing, I don't get that either. EVERYTHING in this sport costs a lot of money. Canopy and H/C companies can do free demos because they have the resources. The price of the gear offsets the costs of their promotions. Also, the gear can be a lot less custom. Your body shape and size doesn't warrant a super-custom canopy size. A wingsuit company is about as niche as you can get, suits need to be fitted (more or less), and the resources simply are NOT there. Our own diablopilot is an official intructor for Matter, as well as a BMI. There are also a couple schools in Europe for the S-Fly. So, yes, there are instructors for specific companies. You probably won't be flying a PF suit until you already know how to fly something else, so I doubt there'd be an instructor program. Each suit is rigged and flown a bit differently, so it's important to have knowledge of individual products before instructing anyone in their use. Otherwise, this is a good call, Levin. Does a canopy coach only give advice on one type of canopy (well, some do, but that's a different story)? No. Safety and fun. An experienced and properly trained BMI will make your first flight both as safe and fun as possible. If you aren't flying the suit properly, you won't have as much fun. We like to give students the feeling of flight right from the start by teaching them to fly properly. When it comes to safety, we eliminate guesswork in terms of rigging, pilot briefing, exiting, navigation, flight, deployment, and emergencies. I never had a FFC, by a BMI or anyone else. Now, approaching 500 flights and being a BMI myself, I wish I'd had one. I see my students fly as well on their first flight as I did on my 200th. TALONSKY and I had to figure it out on our own. The late, great Dwain Weston was there, as well, but even he only had 50 flights when we first started. The difference between a first flight with a BMI and without one is stark. Don't feel like you need to do everything on your own. And don't put on this anti-BMI or anti-BirdMan thing. Been there -- bad idea. I gave FFCs before I was a BMI, too. I got on the phone with BirdMan for advice and got great information. Then I took the BMIC -- invaluable. BMIs WILL help you the best we can. Patch or no patch, we are all for getting new birds in the air, and I think it's awesome that you've put this together. Have fun at the AOT boogie! "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Explicit pornography is aired once a month between 3:35am and 3:40am on a certain TV channel in Vancouver, BC.

My first skydive cost $300 and was 8 hours start to finish. My first BASE jump was free and took maybe 30 minutes, including training and hiking. And my "instructor" only had about ten BASE jumps himself. Though, those 80 or so skydives helped a bit. Just messing with you, Wendy. True story, but just messing with you. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

In 183 jumps? Nice. Have you ever made it through a repack cycle? I did this one time. It was awesome. Wait... no, it wasn't, really. I had to pay to have a canopy packed that I didn't even fly. WTF? When Jari is giving you your FFC, don't be surprised if he asks you to undo your chest strap and get your wings waaaayy back. He did that to me, too. Just kidding. I never had a FFC. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

S3 + VX is doable, but both of those things, especially together, will deliver their share of scares over time. So, if you're just starting, just take it easy. Fly a Classic or GTi to start and use a docile canopy. Get training from a BMI or a very experienced wingsuit pilot. If you can't do that, try the new BMI forum on BirdMan.com for some trustworthy advice. With all that we know and the resources we now have, wingsuit flying can safe enough. Just do it, damn it. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Jeff, you're reading everything too seriously. Here's a tip, any time you read one of my posts, listen to the most ridiculous Mr. Bungle track you can think of. That should help set the tone. Seriously, never take me seriously. And I am being honest and what was thrown my way went way beyond "teasing." I was personally insulted and the insulting was persistent. And canopy control is more than landings. Flying in traffic is said jumpers main issue. IMO, canopy collision due to errant flying is worse than landing improperly. Let me put it this way: 19 yo male 1.48:1 W/L

You haven't seen the balloon we're jumping. It's very nice, but it's a little smaller than Burner's and there's no step. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

What Kirk is describing does have both WS pilots facing the same way (one facing out, and the camera guy does a floater exit). I did this, too (as the camera guy). We both had the same problem -- the guy facing out gets up and out of frame too quickly. It's easy to score an exit shot like this, but the rest of the flight is harder to film. We're looking for a good way to keep the dive in frame right to deployment. Our theory is that having a moment of separation between exits will get the camera guy looking down right away. Yeah, "you aren't supposed to look down" -- whatever. I looked down at Ray deploying while I left and I didn't go head low. Not hard at all if you get into the right position before you leave. I wonder if for some magical reason, floater exits are more likely to end up head low? Both Kirk and I experienced this same thing, but that was across two flights, so who knows. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Just note that an impressive chest such as yours may disrupt the airflow and affect your forward speed. Damn right, I said that. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

It was Icarus Evolution. Brett and Wyatt are good guys. They were when I knew them at Elsinore, and they still were out at the DZ this last weekend. It was more of the Icarus entourage that carried around a noticeably bad vibe and shadiness. There was definitely an anti-other-manufacturer thing going on. TALONSKY's comparison is right on. When Vladi came out, he answered questions and had no issue giving matter-of-fact canopy comparisons and wasn't afraid to say, "I don't know" if he lacked some info. Then he'd provide resources for information, etc. He never said a word against other manufacturers. He also regulated what was demoed out to whom and was very positive throughout his stay. PD has picked a very, very good rep. In contrast, anyone who wasn't flying or trying an Icarus product was either outcast or blatantly insulted. In one case, I was packing my new Katana near the Icarus demo station and I hear, "You need to get rid of that piece of shit. I have a Crossfire 2 you can demo instead." Then two other people (including an Evolution member) followed up with similar banter, like, "yeah, the Katana sucks ass," and, "if you buy a Crossfire 2, you should be able to find some other dumbass to buy that piece of crap," implying that I'm a dumbass for buying one. I replied, "Not only was that a bad pitch, but I've just lost respect for Icarus, as well." Not really true, they make good canopies, but that left a bad taste. I got shit like this every time I landed or went to pack. If I planed out high or whatever, I had a "canopy coach" telling me that the Katana was the problem (nevermind the fact that I just got it and am still figuring it out). I observed similar occurences over the weekend. Some people seemed really coerced into demoing canopies, and qualifications were not checked well enough, IMO. A jumper with less than 200 jumps who's been having canopy control problems on square 150 loaded at 1.3+:1 was handed a 135 elliptical, no questions asked. This mentality and "sales tactic" was downright aggressive. Again, Wyatt and Brett are good guys in my book. Very kind, fun, and professional. Good for Icarus. But a good sized group that I've dubbed "Cliquarus" were just offensive or standoffish. Bad for Icarus. No, I don't want to identify anyone as that will open a can of worms. Not even PM. All it comes down to is that Icarus and/or Icarus' reps need to be more selective about who comes along for the ride. To a lot of people, that guy hooking up mains in the corner represents Icarus as much as the guys kicking ass at the pond. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

We're not seeing the same thing. The RAGE looks thicker to me. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

I'd use three if I had the money. One as my visual, one as my audible, and one in my front pants pocket that I'd use as my logbook (which is what I do with my ProTrack now). Great product. A lot of people look at the update frequency as a bad thing. To me, it just means that they're hard at work in keeping up with modern skydiving. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

This is what I got out of it, as well. You probably won't be able to stall that student canopy, but this is a bad habit for your next main. At least for awhile. The other problem, of course, is the extra speed after releasing the brakes. You don't need it yet, and if you do this too low, you just might wreck yourself. When you're a student, the more experienced jumper that yells at you is right. Swallow your pride, not your femur. Edit: Skyhighkiy, what's your age and real name? We need to know these for the fatality database. Unless you're just trolling, you're a "Hard landing while making a low turn" entry waiting to happen. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Kind of the same way that the only place I look good is in my own mind. I should be there tomorrow afternoon. Jared is posting on here now? I checked your profile. Nice gear, fatass. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

This one felt a LOT longer, even though it was about 1,000' less. On the last one, I had a crappy exit, I wasn't "feeling" the flight, and I shut down for a bit for a "normal" BOC deployment. It was still fun, but I felt like I'd wasted the first 1,500' or so. Ray had a good exit. I'd like to see the video. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

I think it's to keep the tailpocket from "bumping" the bottom flap. Same reason why a lot of wingsuiters pack grommet to pin and/or use "open" containers on skydiving gear. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Fun times. Don't know what was up with my tape. I think it was trying to do you a favor and erase that opening from history -- at least you stowed your brakes correctly. Good reaction, BTW. I figured you might go for a big turn, but looking back, that was a good decision. Definitely worked out well. And screw what Eldon says -- that rabbit should have died that day for its poor decision making. FUN WAS HAD BY ALL! ALL! Even that rabbit. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click