rhys

World meet 2006 I putt all the jumps and days into one entry. We worked hard to get there! "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

69, two to tango, Half pi.... off the top of my head. are you bit the same sex, experience, etc... these sort of things help the brain come up with suggestions? "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

These sorts of comments are so stupid. It’s like hearing a grumpy old man on a rocking chair “Back in my day……” 'Dale Stuart and the head down flyers' (kind of a good name for a covers band eh?) These people are no different to the guys that first started relative work! The relative work scene is very competitive and also puts people off skydiving as the fun falls away and the seriousness sets in. I think a lot of the attitude given by certain free flyers, freestylers, atmonauts, trackers, sky surfers, swoopers, etc etc. is the same as the relative workers. Most people interested in 4 way would aspire to be sponsored have 2 rigs a packer and do 12 jumps a day also. The situation is very similar to what has happened to skiing with the advent of snowboarding. At first a few punk surfers tried it out; it was shunned but the ski resorts and skiers because it was different and unknown. Very rapidly the new discipline (snow boarding and free flying) became very popular and imposed new strains on equipment manufacturers that were all too pleased to supply this new demand and creating a new industry in itself. Also the new disciplines gained more media attention and were included in the major competitions of the associated sport (parachuting world meets for freestyle then skysurf and freefly and the Olympic Games for snowboarding) It is funny(peculiar) that I entered the sport of snowboarding in it's relative infancy and also started skydiving when freeflying had only been around a few years. I have seen the same sort of tension between skiers and snowboarders that I have with flat flyers and freeflyers. In the Snow sports industry things have settled down and changed somewhat. At some resorts there are more snowboarders than skiers and there are terrain parks (worth 100’s of 1000’s of $$) to attract them to come there. The sooner the ‘Old Folk’ learn to accept new disciplines the participants in such activities will lose the attitude. Unfortunately this takes time and as time goes on those ‘Old Folk’ will move on and newcomers to the sport will be oblivious to any of the previous tension, because all the disciplines were there when they started. Having said all that I take part in the following disciplines; Flatfly (big ways, speed stars and fucking around, I find 4 way too serious), Freestyle (representing my country, camera), freefly, swooping, tandem, commercial video, AFF jumpmaster, ground launch (more a pragliding discipline than skydiving though), atmonauti or whatever I can get my hands on. I mostly snowboard but I also ski when the snow is hard and Telemark when I’m feeling adventurous. Why not give it all a go? Sorry about the bleat but I can see in the future the attitudes of some people will calm down as the opposition to the activities they are taking part in dies down. Lets all love one another? We are all skydivers. I have to add; I learned by static line and I agree with what has been said about AFF graduates, Saying AFF is the best way to learn and Static line is old fashioned etc. I simply reply to them “How could they possibly know when you havn’t experienced static line? I have pulled numerous 3 ways out. The first time I climbed out of the aircraft I was by myself, dependent only on myself. I essentially learned to ride the bike by myself and you had to have trainer wheels” Static line jumps are a huge adventure, with the buzz being spread over more jumps while you learn each skill more intimately. AFF you have to think about so much on your first jump that you don’t really get to enjoy it as much. Just my thoughts. Rhys "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

Austrailian sure are good at taking the piss. that was some funny shit. yes there are supid people in every country, but Americans are famous for being loud and stupid. there are always exceptions to the rule. The KFC dude had me the most puzzled. how can you know the answer to a question with out actually knowing it.... i don't know all the states but I sure as hell know that kentucky is one! "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

evolutions in gear!!! WTF. Strong tandem rigs are still using technology that has been proven to be inferior to other current models. Hard cutaways caused by an inferior 3 ring that is only still used because of stubboness, uncomfortable harnesses creating loss of circulation to the student, no attemt to redesign the stupid riser covers that failed to work the moment the velcro was removed and simply replaced by flaps, an Ill fitting instructor harnesses with only a megre attempt to make it adjustable.... O.K. they are cheap and therefore reasonably popular but hey there strong tandem and evolution don't belong in the same sentence! "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

>Well in case you hadn't noticed, North American natural gas and oil production have already peaked, and are trending downward. The rest of the world? Not even started!!! In the south of New Zealand there is oil seeping out of the ground. the south pacific ocean has only been touched very briefly with exploration. Yes, it is a rough ocean but the amont of oil that is said to be there through the minimal testing that has been done is absolutlety massive. In the 1970's it was too hard to get but with modern technology and current demands I would think that human beings are more than capable of making a profit out of it. I know something is in the woodwork at present to start drilling at the sites that were tested in the 1970's, Not too sure how far down the track they are but is is defintely happening. It is all very secret by the way so don't tell anyone. There is shitloads of oil! The wars in the middle east have not only been about the ownership of the oil there, but about what those particular owners do with the money they make from it. come buy some new zealand oil, much less hassle, and do a tandem while you're there we have plenty of those too. "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

Law rocket you mind is twisted by your career. by your rationale if you were told you had lung cancer, you would continue to smoke because you are already dead anyway! that is a lazy, selfish and pathetic mindset. but you are american i suppose? what are you driving a 4.0? nah, you're a lawyer it must be a 5.0. It compliments the career. Gas er up mate and take her to 100 just for kicks. "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

>More recently they have moved into designs specifically for "speed flying" which the PG community generally calls blade running etc. Precicely and that is where the paragliders are behind in the technology, look at a Nano and compare it to a GLX then look at a ordanary paraglider and then a Nano. does tha nano look like t paraglider as you know then or does it look like a high aspect ratio parachute? I was not talking about paragliding as whole and I was not saying paragliders are inferior to parachutes. speed flying is behing ground launching in wing technology but is rapidly catching up as more people do it! Jim Never claimed to invent the sport and if you read his website it clearly states that. He along with others moved to regulating it a sport and creating competitions etc, he did in fact put the sport on the map. An a quick question, Is speed flying really only considered a winter sport(with skis) because from what i can see it is? "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

>Is ground launching the same thing as Paragliding? That is what I am trying to work out with the New Zealand Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association at the moment. Their rules say; any wing launched by foot in New Zealand is to be regulated by them. I know Jim Slaton developed the World Swooping Association but do not know the boundaries of the WSA. I believe Ground Launching parachutes and Speed Flying paragliders will develop into a single sport where both Skydivers and Paragliders take place. It seems the Paragliders are a little behind in the wing technology. Paragliders are quite different to parachutes. I was reading that highly experienced Paragliders (pilots) were not willing to fly the first generation speed gliders as they were simply a scaled down paraglider and far too dangerous. They are now designing wings more like parachutes but the sport of ‘Speed flying’ seems to be classified as a winter sport using skis. I foresee a common sport called ‘Para swooping’ or similar with Blade Running events etc. The term ground launching is not descriptive enough when you consider it to be a discipline of Paragliding. "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

'my other ride is a triathalon!' "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

I was 27 years old My fiancé however has an interesting story; When she was 13 years old she went for a tandem jump with 2 of her friends, paid for by saving her pocket money etc. she loved it so much she took on 3 jobs while attending high school did 6 or so more tandems before her 16th birthday when she began AFF(at 7:00am on that day). She started on stage 2 as she was allowed to do stage 1 on a tandem before the age of 16, after a year or so she had over 100 jumps paid for completely by herself and then began the commercial skydiving diploma in Christchurch when it first started. By this stage she was already packing for a job. She was a commercial photographer by the age of 18. Now at 23 she has numerous records, including the JFTC 151way(youngest participant), Has jumped in every continent except Antarctica and has competed at the world meet in freestyle skydiving for New Zealand (with me), and now approaching 5000 jumps! Cool eh, (thinks to himself "what a score") "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

A few years ago the NZPF was so swamped with the rapidly growing tandem industry that the NZPIA(New Zealand Parachute Industry Association) was formed to control the commercial side of things and The NZPF would be able to concentrate on sport skydiving. The NZPF in the last couple of years have obviously had more time and money for sport skydivers. The NZPF is a non profit organisation and senior members such as Tim Fastnedge and Peter Maher (among others) offer their own time to meet the demands of running such an organisation. As Gary said, they do a wonderful job and in the last couple of years we have seen the addition of; a Magazine, a canopy piloting National championships, coaches bought in from Australia and the United states etc, Jump start is a new thing staring very soon or actually presently in association with the NZ air force. 50 cancer patients get a skydive and sky divers raise, money and get to jump out of the C-130 Hercules, the NZPF also sponsor the National skydiving teams the entry fee to major events such as the World meet etc. I thought this would be standard throughout the world but when I was in Gera at the last world meet I discovered most teams have to pay for their own entry. The US teams were given a track suit and a patch that they had to sew on themselves from the USPA and the British teams got a T-shirt from the BPA. That is it nothing else. We had our entire package paid for and a persnalised uniform. We could spend our entire budget on training and getting there. Without the NZPF I/we wouldn’t have been able to compete. The NZPF are wonderful. There are very few fun jumpers in New Zealand but Many, many Tandems. Those that don’t know about the industry in NZ have to understand that it has only been the last 15 or so years that the Tandem industry has grown to its current state. On a daily basis in New Zealand well over 1000 people do a tandem jump at the 20 or so drop zones in the country(over 200 at a single dropzone in some cases) and less than 100 would do a sport skydive, not including tandem videos. The majority of the sport skydives performed in New Zealand are in fact Tandem videos and photos probably at about a 50% strike rate. A few are moving to Hand Cam but outside camera is still more prevalent because of the pristine surroundings. The Industry is huge. Small towns like Taupo and Queenstown with populations of only a few thousand people attract over 1.2 million visitors per year. The NZPIA was a good idea in theory but in reality it is much less than adequate! The NZPIA is a company! 50% owned by the NZPF and the rest is divided amongst the ‘Old Boys’ of the industry. The main members/owners of the NZPIA are the owners of the Major Drop zones in the country in the major centers. There is conflict between the NZPF and the NZPIA. One of the senior members of the NZPIA instructed his entire staff that they do not need to be registered with the NZPF because of a loophole!?!?!?! This guy used to be my boss. That is hardly promoting the sport or industry now is it? I look forward to a positive change in the regulation to enable the successful growth of the sport and the industry together as one rather than separated. I don't think it was supposed to be like this when the idea was presented the the NZPF members for voting when they created the NZPIA only a few years ago. The NZPIA informs any dropzone well in advance when they are going to conduct an Audit. This gives time for packing logs and other required paperwork etc to be updated or forged; this also allows the instructors to amend their usual sometimes unsafe practice for that particular day. The Audits are not satisfactory and do indeed compromise the safety and reputation of the industry. I have seen equipment in states that should most definitely not be jumped eg. no drogue handle, well over 1000jumps on the lines(probably more like 2000 but who’s keeping count?), out of date cypress etc., Jumped. These are simply not used on the day of the audit. This sort of behavior is almost expected when a commercial establishment is allowed to govern itself. I welcome a comprehensive review of how the industry is run in New Zealand. The CAA should regulate how things are done, The NZPF should be in control and the NZPIA should be under the NZPF as a separate division to the sport jumpers. The whole entity should be a non profit organisation, though ‘employing’ staff with all profits going into promoting the sport and industry as a whole. "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

>If you feel so strongly about it, you might want to talk to the WFFC organizers. Tandems go first as a rule there among thousands of fun jumpers. As far as I know, that hasn't led to any special problems. and what was the logical reason for that other than comprimising safety for faster turn around times? I have never jumped at a dropzone that puts tandems out first and if i did... yes i would question the reasoning because i cant think of another reason other than turn around time, another jumper opening higher than 5000' or a bird person! many have said they wouldn't go to the WFFC because of the safety record there. i am not schooled up enough to make a comment myself about it but yes it still seems like a dumb idea. even though cool people are diong it! "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

An interesting read, there is more than 300 dz's in north america so this is probably true for the states. The skydiving industry is changing. you said you could only make a living if you are working at a dropzone with either of the 3 following conditions >Stop trying to make a living on skydiving! This is impossible to do in a professional manner except in areas: 1. where the weather is extremely good most of the time. 2. where there is a very large population base nearby. 3. that have absolutely no other drop zones nearby. I bagan skydiving nearly 5 years ago and I could do it without paying a cent to begin with! My govornment subsidised a $15000 course by 50% and loaned me the remainder. so that I could fill a slot in the rapidly grown skydiving industry in my country. yes the tandem factory of new zealand. taupo tandems does the most tandems in the world per year(dunno the fugure but), during the high season 200+ per day is not uncommon. next door is freefall skydive they can do 150+ per day and on the same airfield again is another dropzone that can be doing 90+ in a day! Taupo is a very small town(only a few thousand people live there), the weather is shit alot of the time and there are 3 very busy dropzones on one small airfield. with many employees making very good money and doing over 1000 jumps per year! "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

excuse me, I'm still looking for the D.Z. where the fuck is it. this is not funny anymore.... "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

Blame Canada, Blame Canada....... "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

>Does anyone find it to be a little strange that the tandems are leaving first? yes. i would have told the load organiser that the tandems should jump last unless somebody is opening higher than 5000'. there is no reason for a tandem to jump before a sporty other than the safety being comprimised for the sake of faster turn around times. pretty damn stupid if you ask me! "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

>I foresee in the very near future at least two of the other leading canopy manufacturers offering Sail cloth as at least a hybrid options on their crossbraced mains. They really have nothing to lose, do they? Not really at all! I want to see that material that was mentioned at a previous PIA symposium(is that how you spell it?) that was 4 times stronger and 4 times thinner than ZP with eqaul strenth and resistance in any direction. this is said to remove the need for reinforcing tape and further reduce packing volume. was also said to be 4 x as expensive too though "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

so a hybrid cross brace doesn't work better than an all zp one then? i think they do! then why wouldn't a hybrid 9 cell fly better than an all zp 9cell? sail cloth was available when the sabre was invented and paragliders were probably already using it. it wasn't thought of to use it for parachutes, probably because parachutes were too big at hte time so pack volume. would have been too much of an issue? it is proven the stiffer material aids lift and allows pilots to fly appropriate reserve parachutes without overloading them while using rediculously small main canopies! what is the difference between the benifits(lift) of the sail and the 3 cross braced cells? that is the question, i don't want to bring up angst between companies or people I just want to know. but i guess no one would have test jumped both canopies (in the same size) to know i suppose. also what is the pack volume difference with the two designs? "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

'bush wakkas' aaaaaaaaaaaaah! "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

My Precioussssssssssss. "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

>Dude, you are so Slatonized... by that do you mean he is saying the same thing jim slaton has said? Jim was made to fly a prototype semi crossbraced canopy similar to the neos and sacrificed valuable points in the competition. and they found the inflatable stabalisers to reduce drag much lesst than if they are not there at all. I didn't start this thread to bicker about what canopy is best. I was wanting to know what you experienced equipment buffs think is the better way to produce more lift. Having a semi crossbraced design or having a stiffer less material on the top skin, I wouldn't know if the GLXxf has stabalisers or not but i would assume not? Both canopies are in a similar category. "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

I'm sorry for mis-understanding your actions. There is nothing wrong with a fusion for beginning swooping. I was pointing out that it is a bad idea to use a downwinder for the purpose of going faster if you aren't getting what you want out of a canopy. Doing a downwinder in a controlled/safe environmet to see how the canopy reacts before having to deal with it in an unforseen circumstance is a good idea. Just don't do it for fun. If you want more speed there are safer ways to go about it. "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

If the details in your profile are correct? I highly recommend you purchase a different canopy and begin the correct progression if you want to start swooping. I could have killed myself being in a similar situation as you,(bored with my big slow canopy and want to go faster)but got away with a mild fracture in my spinal coulmn, but the nurse did put a tube up my penis and poke her finger up may ass. now you don't want that now do you When you play with high speed landings on a large lightly loaded canopy the marigin for error is too little. please be safe, and look forward to having a better/more appropriate canopy for what you want than trying to make a canopy do something it was never intended to do. "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

>want to make the voters happy so they can win in the next election and the Republican's want to still find a way out, but ensure victory along the way. What a load of crap! you actually believe the rep.'s are on the fringe of even seeing(with a satellite because thay are so far away) a victory in the game plan? a royal fuck up. they have a year to change the outcome and the cost the 'clean up' not to mention the cost of the inquest of the 'evil doings'. but won't. 'The Axis of evel' 'we're gonna schmoke em out' 'evil doers' how does spending billions, oops my mistake, trillions of $ on fucking over a single population in the middle of the middle eastern oilfields come anywhere close to wiping out the axis of evil and rid the world of the evildoers by schmoking em out? HUH Get the fuck back home and get rid of that stupid idiot son of an asshole. it's going to be a real c#*t to 'clean up' and impossible to stop the repercussions of what has already been done. but it is possible to begin the ending of this stupid war. Put a woman in charge it's worth a go and worked well for my country! "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix