kimgriffin

Hey Katie! Bummed I'll miss you and Chuckie this go around! Thinking of you. If it's any consolation, it's damn hot and humid here in DeLand too! I'm sure being next the ocean will offer some relief (Wildwood). Well, that and a frosty pina colada at the end of the day! Hey... if anyone is interested... www.spiritairlines.com had some really good prices on flights in to Atlantic City (closest to Wildwood). ~Kim

Even though, Robert and Jari have years of history together, I'm sure this change will be good for both of them. One thing certain about life is change. It's awesome to see wingsuit flying continue to move forward with each year. BirdMan is still full speed ahead from what Jari has told me. I've never met anyone with so many designs and ideas in his head (as Jari) - it's a gift but I wonder how that boy sleeps at night!

Yep, with 3+ parellel jump runs dropping simutaneously you don't want to end up playing dodge bird! Even if you are a very experienced flyer, I'd make sure to get a full briefing on where to fly and not to fly from the very knowledgable and talented Chuck Blue and Scott Campos. I look forward to seeing many of you there! Miss you monkeys especially. I'll be there for Vigil but I'm always loving the Bird booth!!! ~Kimilintu

Sweet job speading the love in Russia, Perry!!! Welcome home! ~Kim Griffin

Hi! Jari has a bunch of jumps on a Katana with his S3. I know he'll be traveling soon, but you still may be able to catch him on email or at the Bird office. ~Kim Griffin~ BMI, BMCI

Hi Fred. You find it odd that I do not post Vigil USA's exact sales figures? I find it odd that you assume I should. How would the numbers 113 or 173 affect the discussion we were having? I've worked for PD, BirdMan and now Vigil over the past 12 years and it has always been the policy to keep exact sales numbers in house. So, I was just doing what I thought was right. If the owners of Vigil USA tell me to go ahead and release the sales figures, I surely will. There's nothing to hide. Okay, you got me on the math! I had to laugh to think that you would consider that I was trying to mislead anyone with my botched addition. _____________Quote____ Amazing how quickly you can move us from 1600 ft to 1000 ft and tell us that's within margin of error. ________________________ Before you go attempting to slam me any harder, please re-read what I wrote: The jumper said he pulled around 1600 ft The Vigil recorded his pull at 1300 ft The jumper said he was in the saddle around 1000 ft (he may have been a little lower than that by the Vigil's calculations) Now... with most modern AADs, if you are pulling low, you DO risk popping your AAD +250 higher than it is set to fire. This is due to the change in barometric pressure around your rig while you main is sitting you up. _____________Quote____ What I expect is that you just want to help your company by posting an explanation for an accident that is outside of tolerance, and is probably very unlikely to happen again. ________________________ I have no idea yet if the Vigil was "out of tolerance" or if something was done incorrectly when the rigger replaced the cutter. I am waiting for the factory to finish their tests and get back to me. _____________Quote____ At worst, you're intentionally trying to mislead the skydiving community into believing your product is safer than it is. _______________________ Come on, Fred... I'm trying not to use any swear words here... that accusition is so incredibly insulting. Why would I promote a product that I thought would comprimise a skydiver's safety? This is skydiving for God's sake, not cut-throat politics or the oil industry. I've been jumping a lot longer than I've been working for Vigil USA and I will still be jumping if I stopped working for them. First of all, after learning all I could about the Vigil, I feel more confident about this AAD than any other on the market (really). Hey, but I know that is just my opinion (although it is an informed opinion). I encourage people to question and research info on past and current AAD technology and make up their own minds. In the big picture, I see Vigil as being great for this industry - no matter what AAD people choose. Breaking the monopoly that has been dominant for so many years is going to only benefit the skydivers. Over the years, competition is going to force AAD mfgs to try to out do eachother with better products. Fred, maybe you're just one of those types of people who are generally suspicious of everyone. Well, I actually respect that over someone who would never question anything. I can swear to you, though, that no I am not out to "mislead" people in to purchasing a Vigil. First, my personal integrity comes before any company I work for. Secondly, if I WOULD intentionally mislead people that would only be bad for the company - this is a very small industry and it doesn't take long for word to spread. Kim Griffin Vigil USA Sales Manager

Tjene Schwede! Let me clear some things up: First, there are MANY more than 20 Vigils in the US. We're past the triple digit mark in the US alone - and that's all I can disclose on that. Second, to my knowledge, there has only been one POSSIBLE (meaning conclusive tests are not back yet) mis-fire and that is the one in question in the Feb 04 Skydiving Magazine article. As someone mentioned above, there was a misfire last summer with a sponsored French team member. What many people did not know is that at the time the French were jumping beta test units - which was something different than a normal production Vigil. Okay, on to the Skydiving Magazine article... Parts of Skydiving Magazine's article about the US Vigil fire were completely incorrect. I will be contacting them about this shortly in order to get correct information out to the public. Skydiving Mag did not contact the jumper who had the Vigil fire and they did not contact me, so basically they went off of second party information. The jumper told me himself that, per looking at his Neptune, he pulled at 1600 ft to get separation from the other jumpers on the formation. He said he was in the saddle at 1000 ft when the Vigil fired. (Skydiving Magazine reported that his rigger said that he pulled at 2000 ft.) The jumper had two canopies out and landed safely. The computer data logger in his Vigil recorded that the jumper pulled at 1300 ft - and on the jump before that he did not pull much higher. The problem with pulling low with an AAD is that while your main starts to inflate and sit you up, the barometric pressure around the rig is changing. This can cause an activation up to 250 ft higher than the preset activation altitude. The Vigil in "Pro" mode is set to fire at 800 ft. (800 + 250 = 1150 ft.) Both the Cypres and the Vigil can and likely will fire at 1000 ft if you are pulling low. The ground fire of the same AAD... Believe me, I want to know the facts when it comes to the product I'm selling. I refuse to BS anyone - I've been skydiving for 12 years and skydiving community is like family. When I heard of the Vigil firing on the ground, I called the designer in Belgium. He said what MAY have caused the activation on the ground is that the two wires going to the controller and to the cutter were swapped. But, THIS IS AN UNOFFICIAL STATEMENT, so please take it as such. The Vigil in question at the factory in Belgium being tested right now. I am still waiting to hear the official word. I will be back when the tests are conclusive. A word on misfires... Be careful about believing everything you read. Research and inquire for yourself. Before deciding on your opinion, be as imformed as possible. (Which, I know you are doing, Schwede, by posting here.) Even if an AAD does misfire, you would never jump any AAD on the market if you based your decision on one (or even more) misfire. I don't know of an AAD manufacturer that can claim 0 misfires. EACH Vigil is tested six times in a pressure chamber before it will ship. The computer generated results will be saved for the life of each Vigil. I'm not a dummy, I understand Vigil needs to earn its good reputation, and it will. You have not seen all the data I've seen, or know what I know about how MUCH testing has been done over the years, and you don't know the design company behind the product. So, I don't blame anyone for asking questions. Of course, you should feel confident about the equipment you jump! I can tell you that you have every reason to feel confident with a Vigil on your back. Please feel free to ask me rather than believe everything you hear or even read. The skydiving rumor mill is infamous for the stories it can create. I will answer your questions as quickly as I can and I will be straight with you. Kim Griffin Vigil USA Sales Manager (Schwede, you know me as the BirdwoMan from last Herc Boogie)

I did not know him that well but I remeber his friendly face when he used to drop off pictures when I worked at Skydiving Magazine - usually of BASE jumps. Seemed like he lived big and had plenty of friends.

Really, the surgery doesn't hurt at all. Plus you have no feeling in your eyes since they will be numb. And if it's any consolation, they usually give you valuum before the surgery just so you're nice and relaxed. I had never taken it before - have to say I was definitely in a relaxed state during surgery. After that, they gave me a killer sleeping pill so you are out (and healing) for a good 6+ hours. I have a friend who is REALLY freaked out over anything touching her eyes or even the thought of it and she was fine during her lasik surgery. I think they may have slipped her an extra valuum though -Kimberly Griffin

I jump my dynamic corners (Odyssey) on any time of jump - BirdMan, freefly, RW. The only difference is in which way I pack my D-dag. On NON-BirdMan jumps, I pack my D-bag either grommet up with it towards the reserve tray. I have done RW and freely jumps with my bag packed for a WS flight (grommet towards feet) but the openings have been fine. -Kimberly Griffin

I also prefer loops. I have seen handles made incorrectly so that when the loop was pulled (on the ground) it came off the yellow cable. This would suck in a big way in freefall if you needed to get out of your wings and couldn't. If your rigger has any questions on how to make the WS cut away cables, have him email Robert (BM desinger) robert@bird-man.com or BM owner Jari, jari@bird-man.com BM can also ship handles either from Europe or the USA. They cost somewhere around $28 USD (not including shipping). It will be cheaper to have your rigger do them I would guess. Are the initials of the guy's suit you are buying S.M.? I look forward to flying in NZ some day! I'm sure it's spectacular. -Kimberly Griffin

Hi Willy. Jari Kuosma (owner of BirdMan and fellow Fin) usually knows Jussi's where abouts. Jari's email is jari@bird-man.com Good luck. -Kimberly Griffin

Hi Stacy. I had lasik about a 1.5 yrs ago from the skydiving eye surgeon Dr. Joel Shugar http://www.shugar.com/. (The fact that he had done the surgery on over 10,000 people - 15 that I know well through skydiving - and that he is renown in his field was why I chose him - NOT the skydiver discount!) Anyway, having lasik was/is life changing, and my vision was not as bad as yours. The only hard part of the whole thing was parting with thousands of $$$ (I think Dr. Shugar's price for skydivers is between 2500 and 3000). But, even though I had to borrow the money from an IRA (with a huge penalty), it was worth every penny. My eyes are better now than they were with contacts. Everything is so crystal clear - it is truly amazing. The best part, of course, is to just wake up or go under water or have your goggles blow up a bit and still be able to see perfectly. It's been great for my skydiving - no more worries about contacts blowing out. The procedure was pretty fast and painless. Really, the only discomfort was that my eyes felt a little scratchy for a couple weeks and they would get dry easily. I was told to not jump for 2 weeks, but I waited a month. No problems at all. Sometimes I still get the starburst effect at night with on-coming car headlights (not bad though), but it's usually only when I'm tired or my eyes are really dry. But, I had WAY worse vision at night before - so no complaints. It's great that you are asking for opinions and getting advice - a skydiving eye doc even! I think research in to such an important surgery is important. I really wish you the best, Stacy!!

You've not heard of malfunctioning Mirages? They have had recalls, just like every rig mfg has. I have a friend who almost died due to a malfunctioning Mirage. He now jumps a Vector. (I have been jumping Javelin for 8 yrs.) If you're trying to claim that the Javelin is in anyway an unsafe rig, then you have not done your homework. Well, I guess we can all have our own opinions - makes life interesting for sure.

Thanks, Scott! It was almost like being there, except I was warm. Reallly, sorry I missed it. Looks like the Birds had some decent sized flocks. I've heard the NYE party rocked too. What is Sangiro bribing you with to fuzz out the pics of his face? Hmmmm... gotta wonder. Happy, safe and fun 2004! XO, Kim

Currently, Vigil USA has 16 dealers in the US, two in Canada and two in South America. We are purposefully keeping the dealer network somewhat small. Many Vigil dealers have units in stock right now or they could have by the end of Jan. (Everything until then is sold.) I would post the dealer list here but I don't want to overstep the rules in regards to sales on this site. I can email you the info or you can find it on wwww.vigil.aero (a pdf file, so you will need Abobe Acrobat Reader to view it.) -Kimberly Griffin

If you'll be at the Aussie Nationals or Empuriabrava Xmas boogie this year or at the Herc Boogie (Sweden) next year, then you can see some Vigil saves for yourself. Advanced Aerospace Designs (Vigil, Belgium) will be putting on a show for those of you who would like to see the Vigil in action. Vigil reps will be exiting the plane with a tertiary rig (3 canopies), will cut away the main, and wait for the Vigil to do its thing and fire the reserve. Of course, the altitude correction setting will be jacked up so the Vigil will activate the reserve at a very conservative height. I'll keep in touch about any other events or when plans are made to tour the US. -Kimberly Griffin

I've seen midnight NY's jumps many times at Skydive DeLand, although I'm not sure about this year. I did hear from someone in mgt a few weeks back that the NYE party would be held at the DZ this year (instead of the Holiday Inn). Here's what their website has to say: Ultimate Holiday Boogie Dec 23 - Jan 06, 2004 Skydive DeLand has always been the site of an extended boogie, and this year's winter holiday season is no exception! Join in on the fun, try a bird-man suit, do some CRW, throw yourself at the sky! From AFF training and certification to world class competition, team and record formation flat-flying, through advanced vertical body and performance canopy flight, our fleet of high-powered aircraft and top notch staff guarantee you a memorable holiday vacation. So hang out, have fun and hop into the upcoming swoop meets, the Christmas Day Dinner (bring an open dish) and New Year's Eve party, and enjoy meeting skydivers from around the world this holiday season.

I've seen Ouragan (I think that means "hurricane") suits around DeLand. They have a ton of attention to detail, look fantastic and the quality seems very high. ~Kim

Whoooaaa... I just tried to change my avitar pic and all it did was make my current avitar look like it gained 100 pounds!!! I know it's the holidays and all but that's just wrong! Or maybe it's just me who's seeing my avitar pic all streched out? Is that some sort of computer-induced anorexia? Strange, very strange. Maybe Sangiro's out there having a laugh at my torment. -Kimberly Griffin

Okay, back with the answers I could not provide yesterday. The answers are from the Vigil designer in Belgium, actually. 1) I am assuming there is the same 'warning' that SSK has issued with the Cypress, for the jump plane not to go below the takeoff altitude (e.g. an airport on the top of a hill, then fly in the valley, then go back up to altitude for a jump.. ) I believe there was an incident that related to this where a Cypress didnt fire at the right altitude (lower than needed). What is Vigil's take on this scenario? **The Vigil is not affected by this and does not recalibrate inside a plane. 3) On the list of included equipment, it said there was another filter.. I didn't see one -- is it buried under the foam somewhere? (Kim) You answered this yourself and you were right. No extra filters. If you ever get your Vigil wet enough to need to replace the filter, contact me and I'll get you replacements ASAP. 4) Oh yeah.. another question.. in Student mode, does the Vigil need to be turned off if the student rides the plane down? (a la cypress) **Not as long as the plane doesn't exceed a vertical speed of 20 meters/sec (60 ft/sec). Airtec advices 13 meters/sec (40 ft/sec). But, err on the side of caution and switch it off. Or, ask your pilot to fly less than 50 ft/sec. -Kimberly Griffin

About 2000 jumps back in 1999. I had a such a vivid dream about flying the suit (since I had seen it in DeLand) so had to try it, even though I was a 4-way person. Yes, I did a FFC - I got lucky to learn from and fly with Jari. Soon after, I started working for BM part time so I could pay for my ClassicI. Now, I would prefer to teach a heads-up person with 200 current jumps who is a sponge for info as compared to a 5000-jump sky god who knows it all. The ego will always get in the way of learning. ~Kim

Testing has been going on for at least four years before now. Such tests include: - Pressure chamber testing (Advanced Aerospace Designs in Belgium has a chamber big enough to test 200 units at once.) - Computer simulations - Drop tests with dummies - Live tests with experienced skydivers exiting the plane with units inside their jumpsuit - Live test with experienced jumpers who have had and currently have units installed in their standard rigs. But, of course we could not ask them to not pull just for testing purposes! But, testing is over now. The Vigils that are being produced and getting out to the public are production models that are ready to do what they are inteded to do (save your ass if you don't or can't).

Hi Jonathan. To answer your questions... 1) I am assuming there is the same 'warning' that SSK has issued with the Cypress, for the jump plane not to go below the takeoff altitude (e.g. an airport on the top of a hill, then fly in the valley, then go back up to altitude for a jump.. ) I believe there was an incident that related to this where a Cypress didnt fire at the right altitude (lower than needed). What is Vigil's take on this scenario? ** I have sent an email to one of the designers in Belgium to make sure I give you the proper info. I do think I know but I my experience with the word ASS-U-ME makes me cautious I'll be back ASAP with that answer. 2) I was playing with the unit yesterday - very slick and rugged. I was playing with the offsets, and I turned the unit off. When I turned it back on, it looked like it retained the offset (??). I couldn't find info on this in the manual. From what I could see, it retains ALL settings when the unit goes off (PRO,STUDENT, TANDEM), including the offset. If that is the design, I think it needs better documentation. -- especially since it is different than a cypress in terms of retaining offsets. Cypress requires re-offsetting for each jump.. does Vigil re-calibrate at the landing area and require a re-set? **Yes, the Vigil will retain the settings you program no matter how many times you turn it off/on and no matter how long the unit remains dormant. 3) On the list of included equipment, it said there was another filter.. I didn't see one -- is it buried under the foam somewhere? **The manual states in section 4.1 (Components), "The box is equipped with two positive locking connectors, two integrated bronze filters, and a stainless steel closing screw." Is this what you mean? If so, then there are indeed two filers - they are installed on each side of the box. If not, I was not aware of an extra filter being included. I actually don't think that is the case. I have asked the guys in Belgium to be sure. 4) Oh yeah.. another question.. in Student mode, does the Vigil need to be turned off if the student rides the plane down? (a la cypress) **If the plane will decend faster than 45 MPH below the firing alt of 1000 ft, that would be best. -Kimberly Griffin