jerry81

...probably by a US soldier who would then knock her up and have his picture taken with her brother and a message on a board describing the whole thing.

Really amazing, isn't it? Perhaps he decided being free again was too much fun to let bitterness and hate spoil it...

Sure. It's called Photoshop. But seriously, if you're satisfied with a predesigned template, try Kurupee or something. Otherwise, draw a suit outline in PS and get creative.

Are you still in Serbia? Have you asked around yet or checked with the old-timers? I'm pretty sure most of the rounds that were used there came from the east-bloc, so chances are someone should remember how the system worked. BTW, I'll ask our instructor if he's ever jumped that.

Interesting as well. 1.My comment was directed more to the statement I bolded out- to consider that execution a form of revenge may or may not be obviously anti-american (as a foreigner I may not be the best to judge), but to conclude from that that you're also fighting world media (strangely enough, most examples of anti-americanism came from US newspapers) was imo both too simplified and more than slightly disturbing. 2.Cognitive dissonance; perhaps this is just a product of my euro-liberal view (although I don't really subscribe to the rabid anti-americanism that seems to be so chic over here right now), but I don't think it's just the uncommonness of the thing that makes us more enraged at prisoner abuses. In both cases it was human cruelty at its worst, but only in one it did not fit our expectations. Which, if I recall, is the definition (albeit very rough) of cognitive dissonance. Perhaps it's also worth noting that the level of empathy you feel for one of your fellow Americans might be a bit higher than that of the rest of the world (and apparently, a part of the USA as well) and consequently your reaction will be stronger. 3.Think 'commies', a few decades ago. (perhaps not the best example for me to give, since I have no first-hand experience of the era, but I hope you understand what I meant to say)

First of all, this conclusion is a bit frightening. To me, it basically implies that media all over the world should report things as USA sees them. Whatever happened to seeing things from different perspectives? So if I slander you and try to paint you as a malicious murdering lout, would you not defend yourself? And if it were quite a few people that have the same opinion - would you not? Or, would you just hold your hands up and say, "Eh, yeah , sorry , your right." Oh, I'd probably defend myself, although I think I'd need to understand exactly why you see me that way before choosing an appropriate course of action. But I doubt I'd cover my ears, claim that you simply hate me and go around telling everyone willing to listen that I'm really a good guy.

Hell, I'll bite... First of all, this conclusion is a bit frightening. To me, it basically implies that media all over the world should report things as USA sees them. Whatever happened to seeing things from different perspectives? And second- on the point of coverage the prison abuses were given versus the violent death of Nick Berg; perhaps the reason lies in cognitive dissonance- islamic extremists slaughtering an innocent civillian is hardly a shock, gruesome as his death may be, while US soldiers sadistically torturing men that may (or may not) be linked to said extremists, well, I suppose we haven't gotten used to that yet, hence the outrage. As for the wording, I'll partially agree that posting unsubstantiated claims as facts is hardly good practice, whether they come from Al-Qaeda or the US government, but, regarding the second to alst paragraph, I'd also like to point out that the term 'terrorist' itself has apparently acquired a certain connotation of moral judgment that can, in my opinion, make it less suitable for use as it is becoming more and more of a blanket term for everyone who should with force oppose the United States. For me (and bear in mind that this is once again purely my opinion, although I suspect a few people may share it) the term 'Islamic militant' does not paint a person in any better light, but it does, however, make for a more precise description than 'terrorist' would. Just my view...

You certainly have a point there. He had, I assume, at least five seconds before impact on every single jump (although it might have been as much as eight on a few). Hell, it was almost enough for him to unzip his wings after deployment. Add to that the fact that he had a base canopy and it becomes clear it was no big deal at all. It all becomes clear now- Robert is just a big wuss hoping to impress the whuffos and unknowing skydivers.

Well, I just find it hard to believe half a billion people are watching this crap. And I hear our guys placed second to last in the semi-finals anyway, so one more reason to not care at all.

If I recall correctly, Robert was talking about a 3:1 ratio in that suit, not 1.3. Now, he might not be the most modest man in the world, but I wouldn't say he was off by a lot, if at all.

Cool braid things (aka daisychaining the lines); -starting at the connector links, make a loop out of the lines and pass your hand through it. -grab the lines and pull them back through, making a noose. -now pass your hand through this noose and repeat steps 2&3 until you get to the canopy. Voila- you've daisychained the lines! Easy as pie. We usually teach this to the students before the first jump so they don't drag the lines on the ground while walking back from the landing area.

Quick question: What do you suppose happens when both sides decide the enemy will only stop when they convince them they're ready and willing to do whatever is necessary? Now back to just watching this thread...

In Bovec, Robert showed us a first-person video (could have been from Moscow) of a guy who was open at 20 feet (0.5 second ride). He wasn't wearing a wingsuit, although he might have been an Aussie.

Looks nice. Not too much white in my opinion, but if you intend to do a lot of rolling landings...well, mud stains come out very nicely when they dry (grass is a bitch, though). Last week I washed a Wings container with the whole reserve compartment in white that had taken a tumble or two. It didn't come out white as snow, but it was close enough. And besides, the pop top can be easily detached from the pc and washed by itself or replaced by a different-colored one, if it turns out it attracts too much dirt. (or if you simply decide you want to redesign your rig)

I can assure you that the ones who witnessed it (the birdmen did seven flights at the event over the course of three days) certainly 'got it'.

Sounds like the one he had in Bovec (where those flights were made), yeah. Rigid ribs in the wings and that fabric on the leading edge, plus I think the tail extends a bit further than on a regular sf3.

I have a fake tooth. (had a stupid idea on rollerblades once) Do I qualify?

ws Xtreme container with a Troll 245. I think he had a large-hole mesh slider, but don't take my word for it... And of course his slightly modified SF3...I still believe he could probably fly that thing up if he wanted.

Yup, those wingsuit jumps certainly pleased the crowd. Although I'm glad Robert didn't try the original idea the organiser had, which was to fly across the runway, disappear behind the treeline and pull over the riverbed, which is ~150' lower than the airfield.

Lately, I've felt that jumping from 9-10k (which is usually as high as we go in this crappy country of mine), I get much more satisfaction from opening high and playing with my canopy than from freeflying for those 35 seconds. Especially if I can play around those lovely lovely clouds...

Ballonists usually charge around 40$ for a ride to 3500-6000'. But every now and then you'll find someone willing to take you up for free...or a couple of beers, anyway.

I guess you're right about the dramatisation, but I'm pretty sure that however stupid the article may be, it won't present skydiving in a negative way. Yeah, it might say we're a bunch of wackos for willingly hurling ourselves from planes, but, to be honest, on a certain level you can't completely disagree with that. Plus I'm real glad we'll be publishing a photo of freeflyers (thanks again, Deuce!) in a country where most whuffos' think skydiving usually involves tights and an accuracy tuffet. Oh, and I work for the company that got the rights to publish FHM in Slovenia- don't know if that means I'm indirectly working for EMAP or not...

Ah, quit your whining! The States are probably among the best countries for skydivers, if not the best. Look what we have to endure; Slovenia C-206 to 10k' - 22€ Porter to 10k' - 15€ Porter to 12k' - 18€ An-2 to 10k' - 17€ Then you have Hungary on one side, where L410 to 13.5k' is 15€ Croatia, where a Slovak-operated L-410 to 13.5k' is 18€ (if they manage to organize a boogie, that is) And Italy and Austria on the other side, where prices for 13.5-15k' all range north of 20€ (mostly between 23 and 25). And consider the current exchange rate is about 1.2 USD for 1 Euro. As for gear rental- it's about 4€per jump, but AFAIK, you can only get student gear or cut a deal with another skydiver. Hope this cheers you up some.

I don't think we need another thread about that picture...Shotgun's link probably summed it up the best. But is it just me, or are these two sentences; just the funniest thing about this whole thread?

I did consider that, but the edges and blurring look a lot more like retouching than the effects of resizing or resampling a picture. So I'd still say that while I'm not sure about the first one, the second picture is definitely photoshopped.