ManBird

I agree. While the competitors are busy swooping, the ones getting interviewed are the low-timers, many of whom aren't past the "extreme" phase. It'd be nice if someone more experienced would take five minutes to give the reporter the rundown, instead of X-treme computer consultants. The result is the publishing of comments like these: Thanks for the insight! You're hardcore extreme to the max, nerdnuts! "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

That looks like Vesa's suit. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Rent 'Dreamers'. It's Bernardo Bertolucci's newest (on video). It's very disturbing. There's a smoking hot chick who's naked for half the film, but the movie is so disturbing, you don't even notice. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Totes. Pushing it is for solos and breakoff. It's a whole other type of challenge to stay with others that fly very differently, and it's enjoyable in a different way. Keep in mind that we happily take a lot of people on their FIRST flights. Dropping a little fast is no issue. On sort of another tangent... I find that the more fun my canopy is to fly, the less I worry about getting long delays.

Interesting. Maybe even overthought. The "conventional" nose design has definitely proven itself when it's part of a good wing. The theory behind this nose design seems very innovative, but what about the rest of the wing? An average nose on an good wing makes for a better canopy than a good nose on an average wing. I guess we'll find out more after this weekend. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Do you have a canopy? You can use my Perigee that I won't be using at all. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

I shall be there, as will be my new wsExtreme. Stoked to try it. I wish I had a water rig. I'll need to leech. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

I thought only #1 could give these out. What's going on? Who is this?! "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Now that we're on the same page, I saw video and pictures of this canopy. It appeared that the nose was entirely closed, and the canopy inflated sort of through the bottom skin, right up against the nose. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

68? So is this Rage different than what Acrojunky posted about? On Flight Concepts' site, sizes were 90 - 230. It is the Flight Concepts Rage, right? I'm so confused... all the time. I'd like to hear how it flies. I'm more curious about the openings. Very strange nose design. Edit: Ah, Ian cleared that up here. Rage and R.A.G.E. -- got it. I blame Acrojunky and Sweet Cuppin' Cakes for this confusion. And to add to the clarification, it is the R.A.G.E. that I'd like to hear about. Keep your thoughts about the Rage to yourself, dammit. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Well, I didn't say "solos are where it's at", either. I'd say, "solos are where the other half is at." Not really, anymore. The role of the BMI, at least in the "modern" course, goes beyond just one safe flight. We (are supposed to) teach students how to fly properly. Fun is definitely a priority, and the better you fly, the more fun you have. And many BMIs, myself included, were evaluated on more advanced coaching -- flying relative/3D, minor body position corrections, etc. This may have only applied to BMIs that were above a certain number of flights (I had over 300 at the time), but I can think of a good number of BMIs that learned and were evaluated on more advanced coaching. I'm not. You know some very capable mentors. Someone in a remote area or at a boogie that encounters a stranger has to go by heresay if the potential instructor is not certified. That person may be a very skilled instructor or they might suck ass. If they are a BMI (especially one that has gone through the modern program), then they most likely don't suck ass. The whole idea is validation and trust. The BMI program validates instructors. However, the BMI program is not the only way to go about it. Being the only BMI around, I get a lot of calls from people in Idaho, Washington, and Oregon, and have been travelling quite a bit to do FFCs. By travelling and having people travel to SDO, I've now flown with a lot of people in the Northwest US that I've found to be very skilled wingsuit pilots and skydivers in general. I now have a mental list of people that I'd recommend in a heartbeat, none of whom are BMIs. I think that people contact me, not their local wingsuit pilots, because I have proof that I can teach them. Having met qualified wingsuit pilots who generally hold other instructional ratings, I can now send people back to their local wingsuit pilots. I think it's just a matter of validation -- "a BMI thinks this guy is OK, that's the reference I needed." Here's a little perspective on why this is important. When I had about 180 wingsuit flights, I was inquired about giving a FFC (before I was a BMI). He asked about my qualifications, and whether or not he should wait until he meets a BMI. "I've got 180 wingsuit flights and have taken people up before," I said. To which he replied, "Well, I've got 300 freefly jumps and wouldn't even think of teaching anyone how to freefly." "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Well, you should have titled the thread "Rage" and provided a link to http://www.flightconcepts.com/rage.html. Then again, maybe not. The site tells us nothing about the canopy, other than it comes in sizes between 90 and 230. I also learned that it'd be "radical" if I flew a 130. Wasn't there more info some where? Isn't this the canopy with the fully closed nose? "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Right on, Dave. Good stuff. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

100% in under 10s. I guess I'm buying your rigs. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

dick Hey, it works on here. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Crossfire 2 or Katana. Katana should be in 135 pretty soon (as well as a 150). It's actually a more aggressive/responsive canopy than the Vengeance. Crossfire 2 has sweet ass openings (sweet ass openings?), nice riser pressure (both front and rear), dives very well, and has a ton of bottom end. I have to disagree with my good friend TALONSKY and say that the Katana dives more than the Crossfire 2 (it damn near has a negative recovery arc), but the Crossfire 2 is a very nice canopy -- it's a swooping machine with very soft, consistent, on-heading openings. For non-crossbraced ellipticals, I think these two canopies are the best. I've flown both with a wingsuit, which is very demanding on openings. I like the Katana more in general (and now own one), but the Crossfire 2 has, IMO, better opening characteristics. LouDiamond posted this link to the Firebolt's opening. I don't know what it flies like, but it might be worth a demo. I need to rip some video of Katana openings whilst flying a wingsuit. It's been very, very nice to me. It's all body position. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Awesome! Is that at Skydive Chicago? Well, it's how you learn a very important skillset. This is sort of like saying CReW is where it's at. Flying relative to other canopies teaches you a lot, but doesn't necessarily improve your swoop, if that's what you're after. Someone with 300 wingsuit jumps where only 10% are solos dedicated to maxing out on performance will most likely be lacking in glide ratio and hang time compared to someone who's mixed it up a bit more. And that's also a big if... IF you want to do some performance flying. So, I wouldn't say "flocking is where its at." I'd say, "Flocking is where half of it is at." Of course -- free instruction versus not-free instruction. What do you expect? Much like getting into BASE -- why go pay for the BR course when you have experienced jumpers nearby that are willing to help you go in, er... take you in? And I believe they've accomplished that. I seriously doubt that anyone who took the same course I did would ever have the same problems as Glen's BMI. They would have failed. And people do fail the course despite the belief of some. The advantage to BMIs that were certified through the new course is that there is a level of consistency and thoroughness that you are more or less guaranteed. I did a decent job of instruction before taking the BMI course. Since then, I'd have to say that I'm practicing a first-rate instruction method as compared to what I was doing before. You may get first rate instruction from a non-BMI, but there's no real way of knowing. And lastly, please note the number of times that BMIs on here have said time and time again -- we don't charge if we don't have an expense, and the cost for the FFC can vary. Expect to pay more if you're at a boogie or if the BMI has to travel. You'll more than likely pay very little if you travel to a DZ with a BMI. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Nice! That's a nice looking suit, too. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

I'll sign up so long as she's my study buddy. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Come to what? Typing on a message board? How dire. Oh, dread. It's gone TOO FAR! Whatever. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Ah, I know what you mean now. Yes it does. Tonto, maybe you could emphasize/literalize the "head on a swivel" concept. A lot of newer WS pilots tend to go in the direction they are looking. If you can get them to hold their body still while moving their head about, that should help. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

The suits are designed to be flown safely by just about anyone without hands-on instruction. However, there's a MAJOR difference between surviving a flight, and learning to fly the right way. You can learn to sitfly on your own, but it will take a long time, you'll have bad habits, and you won't fly well with others. Those who learn to fly a wingsuit with a instructor certified by the suit's manufacturer will have a tremendous advantage over those who don't. I didn't have one, and I see people doing in five jumps what took me maybe 50 jumps to figure out. The reason is that they have proper training, so there's no guesswork. And I don't get ChrisG's obsession with BMIs being money-grubbers. BMIs pay to learn how to instruct others properly, and subsequent instruction will general cover the expenses of the course and travel, but that's it. We do it because we love to fly wingsuits and we love to teach others how to fly. We become BMIs because of the access it gives us to resources from BirdMan, such as instructional knowledge and experience, as well as demo suits. It's a great thing when your 200 jump student is breaking two minutes with proper body position and docking on their second or third flight. The likelihood of this happening with no instruction is very rare. If a BMI isn't around, the next best thing is to find an experienced wingsuit pilot. Regardless of how many jumps you have, any knowledge you can pick up in person will greatly benefit you. One of the worst things you can do in any aspect of, well, anything, is outright refuse training. In skydiving, we always see these two words together: safety and training. There's a reason for that. It seems like every post ChrisG writes is a shit-starting rant about any form of progress in the last 20 years. Some people think that getting formal instruction isn't "hardcore" enough. I only find this to be true when you're on the cutting edge, doing something that no one can teach you. But when there is well-established, proven training available, refusing it isn't brave or hardcore, it's just stupid. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Right, but a little target fixation can develop some good heading-maintenance habits (as well as some bad habits). "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Well, I think you mean "yep", but I know what you mean. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Something that works well for heading control and navigation (though navigation doesn't seem to be the issue here), is to pick out some landmarks, if possible. Have as many in mind as possible and know where they are. Then you can say, "fly until you're right over that lake, then turn left and fly towards the baseball field over there." Just an example, adjust as needed. You can do this in the door just before exit. The result is usually a pretty straight flight (without blown turns). "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click