ManBird

We've just started a canopy club at Skydive Oregon. Basically, there's a canopy course every weekend starting in a couple weeks (aka, hop and pop season). "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Took pics of the assembly process and will write a little thingy up for here and stuff. At the DZ and forgot to bring the camera to pull the images down, but I'll do that on Monday. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

It wouldn't help in RW. The Pantz will make you float more, but that's a good thing for getting big freefalls in for tracking. You really don't need a lot of experience to fly the Pantz. A long sleeve shirt or freefly jacket will do (to keep you from tipping forward too much). Getting the Pantz and getting used to tracking with them now will make it very easy to start flying wingsuits when you get up or around 200 jumps. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Option 2: Don't be a wuss. Actually, after flying the S3 for awhile now, I'm finding it very easy to stay maxed out for the full flight, for many flights. I used to be unable to hold it for even one whole flight, but by flying the suit and doing a wee bit of weight training, I don't get fatigued until the fourth or fifth maxed out flight of the day. This leads me to believe that the endurance needed for larger wings can be achieved, just as it was needed for the Skyflyer 3. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Totally. Getting it dialed in to where you can stay maxed for the entire flight actually takes awhile. As you get more comfy with the suit, try maxing it out for maybe five to ten seconds at a time. Keep incrementing the time (maybe even within the flight). It's not just the increase in skill that will get you there, but endurance, as well. These suits demand some muscles that no one really uses for anything else. Just be patient. You obviously don't underestimate the suit, so I'm sure you'll safely work your way to kick ass flying. Congratulations on the purchase. We need to see pics. Stand next to something that will give us a point of reference, like a car door or something, so that we may be in awe of the superior surface area of your wings. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Nice. How tall are you, exactly? The size of the tail on you big guys makes you bastards scream across the sky. What suit were you flying before? If you haven't flown a Skyflyer or S3 yet, you'll find that the forward speed is insane and the suit is a lot twitchier. You and the suit might take turns flying at first, but you can usually keep it under your control within two or three flights. Your fall rate will probably be the same as whatever you're jumping now, but it will improve as you figure the suit out. Have fun and be safe! "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

The trick to backflying in a wingsuit is to have exactly the same max flight position as you do on your belly, but "arch" towards the sky just a slight bit. There is a tendency to get your arms and/or legs out in front of you while on your back. If you are wobbling, you probably have your arms out in front of you too much. If you are really dropping fast (ie, it gets really loud) but moving backwards, then your legs are probably out too far in front of you. If you're going nowhere fast, then you probably have everything out in front of you. Try not too look at your feet too much, as it will usually cause you to d-arch, and there for sink, and your arms will probably get in front of you and make you potato chip. It doesn't take too much practice. Maybe just a couple jumps to nail it. It's a little weird to fight the air in the opposite direction of what you're used to. On the S3 you should be in the low to mid 60s. In the GTi 70 is a good backtracking fall rate. I got down to 58 on my back on the S3 once. There's nothing quite like feeling the "sweet spot" while looking up at the clear blue sky. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

ensure: To make sure or certain insure: To buy or sell insurance "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

It's different than spandex. The mouth holds the PC very well. Pitching from there puts the PC in the airstream immediately. It also depends on the size of the pouch and your PC. My 32" PC is nice and snug in there. I don't know how my 28" PC would do. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

The chances of that happening are essentially the same as if the PC was at the BOC. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Nice! Looks kinda like TALONSKY's. Good idea with the different colored ribs. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

[reply??? I'm assuming flying the suit for three mins gets your thumbs tired or something... hoping "dislocated" was an exaggeration. I actually did dislocate my left thumb on a flight that was right around three minutes. It's still a little goofy, and there's pain now and again, but it's back in place and working for the most part. That's not a normal thing, though... even for big flights. I'm not sure why it happened on this one flight and not others. Maybe bad position of the loop (too high on the thumb). At any rate, the loop that goes around your thumb can put a lot of stress on your hand when flying hard, making it tough to bend your thumbs. That's why I now relax for about a thousand feet before pull time if I feel a lot of fatigue or stress on my hands. When I had my PC in tow, I was unable to bend my thumb and had to grab the handle by pressing it up against my palm with my fingers, resulting in a lameass throw. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Funny that you mentioned shoelaces. That's exactly what I'm using. I'm just burning some holes at first (with a cigarette, of course), and will use grommets later, so that they don't frey/rip too much. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

That works just fine. Just try not to "flare", or become overly head high on deployment, as this will present a "fatter" burble to your pilot chute, potentially resulting in a hestitation or PC in tow. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

It's absolutely wonderful for skydives. Whether on a BASE jump or jumping out of a plane, you end up going the same speed, anyway. I'll try to get some pics soon. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

No, not get flat as you gain speed... start d-arched to slow down vertically, and as you reach your stall speed, flatten out (thus decreasing your profile) to gain speed horizontally. But that is obviously not appropriate for escaping from a group... distance would definitely have to come first. 99.9999% of my tracking is on tracking dives, and most of those are solo, using canopies or cars below as a reference. Whatever floats your boat, or butt, or, er... something. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

I thought the Sorcerer was more of a novelty than a lifesaver. Am I mistaken? "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Yeah. Over the leg straps. I put the jacket on first, then the rig, then the pants. I just bought the pants, jacket, all the materials for $37! Blue Columbia pants and a green North Face jacket, both a few sizes too large. Ugly as hell, but should work. They're both made of the same pretty dang non-breathable waterproof material. I'll need girlfriend and/or rigger assistance though, as I don't sew at all. Maybe now's the time to learn. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Definitely. I wear a freefly jacket with my Pantz, but a longsleeve shirt that isn't too tight will do just fine. Pantz, especially the BASE version, are made for forward speed. The lift is a byproduct. How many times did you jump with Pantz and which version did you fly? They're great right off the bat, but do take a little figuring out (especially arm position) to really nail them. I also think the freefly version isn't quite as effective, in terms of tracking, as the BASE version. When I first flew them, my fall rate was about 95 (in my usual max track). Same deal, I was pitched forward a little bit. I found that if my arms are slightly out to my sides and my legs aren't right up against each other (the inflation closes the "gap"), that within just five jumps I'd shaved about 14 MPH off of my average fall rate, with sweet spots/stalls another 10 MPH off of that. It also makes a big difference to apply that whole "progressive" track thing to Pantz, as well. It's what I do with any type of track, really... wingsuit, freefly suit, shorts and a t-shirt, whatever. Basically, get in the applicable "max track" position with a nice d-arch to get down to your stall speed (without going under). As you hit your stall speed, smoothly flatten out your d-arch. You'll usually bolt forwards while maintaining or only slightly increasing your fall rate. Going just for lift always makes me crawl forwards, going just for forward speed usually drops me. This "progressive" approach usually ends out giving me the best glide ratio. It'd make a difference with your RW suit, too, but Pantz can usually give you a lower fall rate by going for max lift (since they basically turn your legs into a giant valved pilot chute), and then flattening out. Timed correctly, one should be able to get a better overall glide ratio with Pantz than what they are used to with their RW or freefly suits. Where was I going with this? Who knows. Break time is over. Back to work. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

The explanations of how it was done at WFFC and for multiple groups was actually new to me, and would have been very useful in the past. Down in DeLand, I was still in flight, heading back to the DZ, when two four way groups dropped right in front of me. We had a plane about 90 seconds behind us. Had this communication been there, and had I exited first, I wouldn't have put myself in that situation. Whenever we've had two groups of wingsuit flyers on the plane, we ended out just combining the groups, which wasn't always the best idea (ie, putting new birds in large groups). With the exception of a handful of spelling and grammatical errors (sorry, my Mom was an English major I won four spelling bees in grade school, so I'm a stickler), it was an excellent and informative article that should be read by everyone in skydiving, whether they fly a suit or not, or have suits at their DZ or not. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Nice. My fall rate in the Pantz stays at about 80 - 84 MPH, with a couple ten to fifteen second "sweet spots" down to the low and mid 70s. I've only put about six jumps on 'em so far. They fly great right away, but I'm really looking forward to playing with these a lot, especially during winter when we won't have full altitude a lot. The mega-padded knees make these great for packing and for potential swoop screw-ups. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

It's hard to say. I can definitely tell when I'm getting fatigued, and it has happened on some of our flights, but the difference also shows up in JumpTrack. Whereas other flights, I maintain my fall rate, but his descent still slows. I think it's some kind of a damn sorceror. Word advice: never get on a sorceror's bad side. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Cool. I'm still looking for big enough nylon pants. I've found some large one, but I want some where the crotch goes down to my knees (for $25 or less). "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Hopefully TAS. SAS is cheating (except at DZs where the AGL is over 3,000 feet). SAS is made mainly for those at a higher AGL to give a more accurate comparison of what they'd do closer to sea level (like if you jump in Colorado but are going to compete in Florida). SAS at lower AGLs gives significantly lower figures. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Understanding the BirdMan Skydiver and Flight Plan by Scott Campos, BM-I A must read: http://www.bird-man.com/index.asp?n=article&a=id&v=88 "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click