ManBird

I never said they were, but they are only in the sense that they get the reserve out for you. RSLs are there to go the reserve out faster, but for me, if I truly need that extra split second for a save, I'm doomed, anyway. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Supposedly, they are about 50/50. PD is aware of it, and from what I've heard, is happy to exchange Vengeances in the event that you got one of those that doesn't open on heading. Vengeance is what I'm considering for my next canopy, even with a wingsuit. I have all the mods, and feel pretty comfy with stopping twists, at least to a certain degree, by grabbing just the lower part of thr risers I can reach next to my ears. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

It's hard not to chase after someone going lower than you on exit. ;) That'd the coolest fucking ride. What altitude were you at? 6 or 5ish? That's awesome. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

And then you start crapping hot golden woman. Uh... Actually, I've dreamed of a similar thing (the tunnel, not the golden crap women). I got my VS-1 t-shirt, and it says "Skyflier" on it, which really got me thinking... "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

I don't. I also don't have an RSL. I'll also never have an RSL. If I have the where-with-all to pull my cutaway handle, chances are, I can get the reserve out almost immediately afterwards. It's only happened twice, but this was the case both times. If I'm incapacitated to where I would need a RSL, then I should have a Cypres, which I don't have, and should. ;) "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

i'm choking on my fucking bread stick that is the funniest word pairing i've seen in a hot minute you cock burglarin cum bubblin fuckstick I've always liked: Bastard Nuts Dick Legs Shit Guitar Face Ass Dump Nuts Queer Dick Piss Hand Ass Nostrils Shit Dick Lego Tits Turbo Ass Dick Fuck Fuck Dick Shit Neck Ass Shit Ass Balls Crap Face Assgina Laser Fuck "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Ass shit is the very best kind. (fuck) "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Table of Contents 1. I got stuck on a fire escape 2. Went to a HP Lovecraft theme party 3. Felt-up anonymous body 4. Kicked a girl in the chest Chapter 1 I left my keys at home on New Year's Eve. The building in which I work is secured in a way that when it's locked up, you can't get in or out. Even the elevator locks. I was the last one there, and everything was locked. I called Allison and had her looking for my keys. She couldn't find them. I couldn't reach anyone else that could help me leave. I decided to just take the fire escape and have Allison pick me up. I set the alarm, go out the window onto the fire escape, walk all the way down, and find that there's no ground extension ladder thing. The building is about 100 years old, and I think that this is the original fire escape. I was about twenty-five feet up on this very unstable, rusted piece of metal. Being in downtown on New Year's Eve, it wasn't too difficult for Allison to gather several police and fire vehicles. It took quite some time to convince these various officers that I did not need a rescue crew, just the huge ladder hanging from the side of the fire truck would suffice. But they felt compelled to let a crowd gather and act like me clmbing down a ladder would make them heroes. I said, "thanks", and took off very quickly. I didn't need a lecture from some cop with a moustache. People get stuck on fire escapes, right? Chapter 2 I wanted to go to either Seattle or Vancouver. Get on the train and get away for a bit. But the fire escape incident delayed me somewhat, so I let Allison talk me into going to her friend's New Year's Eve party. Turns out that this was a HP Lovecraft theme party. To really fit the theme, we basically just went as dorks. I was actually very impressed by the work that went into the thing. It was at some weird guy's house in Northeast Portland. They really went off on the artwork and transforming the whole place into Cthulhu's lair. And many of the costumes were Hollywood-quality. Nerds. It was packed like crazy, the music was good, and I ended out having fun. Chapter 3 This party featured a large box where bold (aka drunk) chicks would strip down, dance around, and let people reach through small holes and touch them. I partook. My particular victim was this really hot, slutty chick that felt nicer than she looked. I reached in, and immediately had a tit cupped. That my girlfriend also felt her up was all the hotter. Chapter 4 There was a pole in main dance area. Later on in the night, some slutty drunk girls were doing stripper-style pole dancing with it. Some guys were just screwing around and being goofy with it, and I was one of them. Don't ask why, but at one point in my life, I actually spent time figuring out how to hang upside from a vertical pole and flip off of it. I thought I'd give it a shot again. I was dancing like a dork around this pole, then swung around, grabbed high up on it, and got inverted. Now before I did this, I checked to make sure no one was near, and people were keeping their distance from the thing in general. Just as I flipped over, a girl ran into the room, and my feet ended up in her chest. This wasn't just a bump. Contact was made at such the exact time and at such an exact angle that the entire force of the flip and weight of my body was projected at her. She didn't just fall. She was literally lifted into the air, thrown across the room, and landed audibly, through the music, on her head, shoulder and hip. She was OUT. I was freaked. This girl is actually a friend of mine, and one of the people I'd least like to kick across the room. She came to and said that she was alright and that she just had the wind knocked out of her. I didn't feel as bad when she seemed and claimed to be OK. But this girl is a glutton for attention. As soon as people started coming up to her and asking if she was OK, she put on the tears and started doing the whole, "No, I'm OK... I'll be alright... I'll just go to the hospital tomorrow and hope nothing's broken." Which was total bullshit and made me look like even more of an asshole than I usually am. I was joking around and said, "I'm so sorry, I'll go out and get you some sushi right now." She's vegan. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

High: A client bounced a check on a job I did NOT want to do. Low: Getting bored when I had nothing to do. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

When a server in a restaurant asks, "Is everything OK over here?", I want to reply, "It was until you showed up." "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

I'm no BM-I, but this has worked for me, and is the result of planning, experience, de-briefing, and considering all that could go wrong. From the Otter, and maybe any high-wing/side-door: The passenger gets on the camera step, so they are completely out of the plane, entire body facing the nose and not the fuselage, holding the bar or handle with their right hand. If there's no step, they should take very rear float, get all the way out of the plane, save the right foot and the right hand on the bar. The skyflyer starts from just inside the door, also facing completely forward towards the nose, within reach of the passenger. The passenger grabs the left riser with his/her left hand, and shakes the skyflyer when ready. The skyflyer should queue with their head (of course). Timing and relaxation are the critical elements. Simultaneously, the skyflyer should do the tiniest sideways hop out the door, and the passenger should let go of the bar/handle and grab the right riser with his/her right hand. This basically puts the skyflyer directly in front of the passenger so that all that s/he needs to is move his/her right arm from the handle to the skyflyer without moving his/her body. Fly towards the nose at first. Trying to fly in any direction but into the wind at first may cause a spin, and will almost definitely cause a roll or instability. The skyflyer should start with all wings closed, and the passenger should lightly put their legs outside of the skyflyer's ASAP, without keeping the skyflyer's legs closed. If the passenger has done a sit train exit before, they should basically do the same thing, but from behind (keep the legs light and outside of the person infront of them, and they will just fall into place naturally on exit). Only, the passenger should not be sitting, but flying more or less belly-to-earth. Then, smoothly open the arm wings before the tail is entirely open. Chances are, the jump will start to dive on exit. Opening the wings ahead of the tail will level the flight out. As soon as the flight starts to level, smoothly finishing opening the tail. The turn away from the line of flight and away you go. This is where the passenger should attempt to "sit" on the skyflyer, though the forward movement can make it difficult. The fall rate is much faster and the glide is much less with a passenger, so you may need to actually watch the spot. The passenger also really limits the skyflyer's control range, and has quite a bit of their own. On top of everything else, the passenger's pulling on the risers raises the skyflyer's shoulders, making it difficult to d-arch and easy to flat spin. The skyflyer should stay relaxed. Try to cut the fall rate by d-arching, but relax the SECOND the wobbles start. The wobble-to-spin lapse is compressed with a passenger as compared to without. There should be a flight plan, and both parties should know it and participate in carrying it out. Know the dismount altitude before the jump. A big "no" head shake at any time is a good (and stable) way of signaling that it's time to go. The skyflyer's fall rate will be reduced and glide will be increased dramatically the MOMENT the passenger dismounts. The passenger should roll to the side with a hearty push upon dismounting if s/he doesn't want the skyflyer's foot or tail in their face. The skyflyer should also smoothly cut back to half-flight from the time s/he signals to the time the passenger is off and visible, so as to maintain stability while reducing the severity of the cork. From this point, the skyflyer should swoop tandems. ;) The main key throughout this, and all skydiving: RELAX!!! "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

I, too, jump with a 9' bridle. I think the main difference is that it is less likely to end up in the middle your burble, and if it does, it's more likely to fall out quickly and catch air. On deployment, I've noticed that it just takes a half-second longer to get the d-bag out. The pilot chute also gets noticeably further away. I now dump in a full track. With a standard bridle, I had the bag hit my foot a couple times when dumping in a full track. The extra bridle allows the PC to lift up enough and get far enough away to increase the angle between your body and the PC, thus creating a path with more separation for the bag to follow. Now that I have my Wings, I also pack grommet-to-pin, which is good on any skydive (could not do so on my old Racer). The other option is to just sit up when you dump (that sounds... so wrong). But 9' bridle is definitely recommended. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

> if I had not had the lqrs what would have been the > best thing to do? Same thing you'd do in any flat spin. Get super-relaxed and arch. If that doesn't fix it right away, ball up, then go back into flight. Flying with one bootie isn't too tough. You have to compensate one foot for the other a bit and stay relaxed. If you punch it out too hard or tense up while keeping your legs even, you'll spin. (Have been in this situation, sans flat spin) "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

>>>> "I completely blew by my partner"

> You wanna fly horizontal with up to 250k/h > groundspeed? Nothing against the skyray, I think it's doing great things, but call it what it is. It's a rigid wing. Hooking up to a skyray is no more body flight than is hanggliding. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

That was a hell of a lot of fun. I'm seriously hating this weather. We've got to do that again with video the first chance we get. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

I should be there Thursday and Friday, the 28 and 29. I might be there a bit on Saturday, but I also might want to spend Saturday and a bit of Sunday exploring two or three DZs anywhere between Arizona and Washington. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

This slowing of forward speed of which you speak is foreign to me. ;) "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

I think it's more of a matter of keeping the PC off your tail. If you can throw it out far enough away from you, you minimize the chance of it landing on your tail, if not... sure it will catch clean air, but if it gets in just the wrong position behind and slightly above you, it will get in that turbulence and pissible be thrown down onto your tail (as WSs generally trail violent turbulence behind them as opposed to the standard skydiving burble). With the Skyflyer, though, the double wing would knock it off, but it's better to not have the bridle on or around you (take this from someone who's had the bridle wrapped around them in a wingsuit) than it is to rely on that opening. Yes, you can pull and then throw a pullout far enough to get it away from you, but you have a much better chance of maintaining a solid body position due to less movement (inches matters on deployment in a WS), and a much better chance of avoiding the PC landing on your tail and possiblly resulting in a horseshoe. That pud's going to seem a lot less nice when it goes under your right foot and gets some bridle around your leg because you let it go too close to your body while moving forwards at 90+ MPH. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Yeah, Dwayne weighs like an ounce. I'm really interested in trying these, but not sure about buying them. I'm in the same boat... tracks are 80~ MPH in a freefly suit, and forward speed is fast, so I already disappear quickly tracking/flocking dives, or have to stairstep, or fly really steep to stay down with others. I think I want to really try to benchmark myself against Dwayne in TrakPantz and me in a freefly suit and see how much my ass gets kicked in a track, or if it does at all. The Pantz seem pretty middle of the road when you fly and wingsuit and don't BASE. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Hey, Rob, are you down at Elsinore? How's the BM scene? That was my home DZ for a couple years, and I'm thinking of heading down over Thanksgiving weekend. Would love to get on some larger flocks. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

There's a good chance that your wing's burble would prevent the pullout from getting clean air. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Ice skaters don't have to deal with rushing air. Your wings are just that... wings. The more surface you give the wind in a flat spin, the more you spin. Shifting your center of gravity would usually help, as I would assume that most spins have a slight offset, but if they're dead center, then you're basically a top. By not giving the wind any wing, the momentum will eventually die down, as per the jump in this post. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Just seconding this. I exited a 182 and had a bootie slip off as I was backing up into the door (dive out). I found that I could still fly just fine, but had to fight the auto-turn whenever I punched it out. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Talonsky was probably talking about me. My exits sucked ass at first. I got a good tip from a very experienced skyflyer that worked for me. Basically, I leave the plane the same way (chest into the wind), but rather than pop everything out all at once, I smoothly open the wings slightly before the tail. It's still fast, but it just feels really nice and smooth and is extremely stable. Regarding the booties, the tighter they are, the better, IMO. And regarding aircraft, while the horizontal stabilizer looks mean and low on the Caravan on the ground, it lifts up significantly in flight. I had the same fear of hitting it for while, but have found that, basically, if you're leaving the plane with your wings closed, you will lose enough altitude to get under the plane, even if it's for a quarter of a second. My 2¢. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click