dgskydive

Sorry for the late reply Cheste. I have beenout getting my butt kicked at Nationals! Oh well next year and 10 way is still coming up. As far as your going back up in canopy size. I appauled you. I think you are making a wise decision. I will tell "Mom" you are a good boy! I agree with Bill. I think you would do better on the Pilot. Nothing wrong with the Sabre2, but I do agree that the Pilot has better openings. That is crucial on bigways. The Spectre would be a good choice as well, but it does take a long time to open and if you are in the base breaking off at 4k and some knuckle head in the wave before you doesn't track well and you have to suck it down........ well, I just want something that opens a bit faster (even if it isn't quite as soft). The stiletto is one of the most popular canopis in the world and has served many well. IT is just not my first choice for a crowded sky. Think Pilot! Bueno mi amigo! Dom

The fans are at the top. The wind comes up through a net. Think of it like a tennis racket but with steel netting on the racket. I don't know if it would have cut his head off, but he would not have been a happy camper if his head got caught in that net for sure. Dom

Ft. Polk!?!?!?! So sorry for you. Who did you piss off? Dom

If you ever see a guy named Michael Bowles (my real dad) at that bar. Give him two of those and then kick him in the nuts TWICE for me. I mean kick him in the nuts HARD!!!!! I'll pay ya 50 bucks for a picture of him bent over as you are kicking him in the nuts! Don't know if he goes to the same bar, but my half sister says he goes to High Street all the time to get drunk. As a 16 year old she would have to go down and pick him up because he is always to drunk to get home. Dom

I to have had a Gorilla Fart. You are missing the Wild Turkey that goes in it as well. Dom

It's true you won't see any of the competitors in the tunnel after the draws are posted. Christy Frikken works int he tunnel has to take the days off to compete. Since just by working in there with students she will be disqualified. Dom

This is already happening. IF you feel that way you shouldn't attend any of the Big Way camps or a lot of the upcoming bigway events. The big ways we just did at Perris had 2 or 3 people on it that have relatively low jump numbers and lots of tunnel time on it. They displayed good skills and awarness at the camps and are safe. Not only that, but they displayed good enough skills to get invited on some rather challenging dives that many people were turned away from. I guess what I am saying is they are here and they aren't going anywhere. Some will get it and others won't. It's like when I, or you started. The older jumpers used to say we were dangerous. We all need to be on round canopies. When I started they made students use round reserves still. It was stupid to let a student use a square reserve. Times change. Some of the Tunnel guys will be really good and others will be dangerous. God and Darwin will take care of the others. Dom

I don't spend a lot or make hardly anything off of the tunnel. I love it plan and simple. I put together camps for people and (believe it or not) don't make a dime. I pay the coaches, but I do it for the fun of it. The tunnel is a valuable tool that we shoud all use if we can afford it. The playing field has changed and is going to change more as they build more tunnels. There are going to be two "camps" in skydiving. The Tunnel Guys and the No Tunnel Guys. Sad but true. DOn't knock the new jumpers for being able to go to the tunnel and progress faster then any of us did. We as more experienced jumpers need to look out for them when it comes to the canopy stuff. Be smarter then them when it comes to letting them on bigger loads still. They need to gain the awarness over time. The tunnel will never replace that. Exits and the like will still need to be learned. I still believe the sooner you can get in the tunnel the better. Costs less over time. The problem is getting more experienced jumpers to admit that they can learn something in the tunnel. I see it all the time. Jumper X with 3000 jumps and gets in the tunnel and can't fall straight down like they thought they could. They have there butts sticking up in the air and realize they never really learned how to arch. Very humbling for a lot of them and it is a touchy situation to deal with. Example. Last week after the big ways at Perris. A bunch of those folks bought tunnel time. A few newer jumpers where heard asking "I thought you had to be good to get on those big ways?" A few of the big way participants where heard to say "I thought I knew what I was doing until I got in the tunnel" I won't name names, but some of the names you see all the time in Parachutist realized they had a lot more to learn about flying there bodies. There is a new learning curve going on. The way we skydive is changing and like it or not it is happening in the tunnel. Dom

I can see where Paul is coming from. The focus now days for new jumpers is usually to get good in freefall and they really don't think to much about canopy progression. That was Pauls way of saying. Hey, Don't forget the most important part of the whole skydive! The part where we land safely and live to do it again. It may sound silly that it needs to be said, but more and more people will hurt themselves this year and from now on unless this issue is kept in the minds of us all. The tunnel is great, but it is going to make a bunch of new problems if we don't watch out. Dom

Sorry you were born in the wrong country. Kick your parents in the shin. Dom

I love living at Perris! Perris Precision will try and not suck to bad. That is if we can get a camera man locked in. Dom

Dom

John Lee. Thanks! I'll try him. Dom

[Frown] WE have lost or second camera man in as many weeks. Need one for nationals. Anyone still available? Pm me if you are going to be around or would like a team to video. Dom

WE have lost or second camera man in as many weeks. Need one for nationals. Anyone still available? Pm me if you are going to be around or would like a team to video. Dom

I recommend everyone get in the tunnel as early as possible. It saves time and money. The sooner you can get in, the less bad habits you must break. That having been said. The tunnel is not a MUST for everyone. People have learned to skydive for a long time without it. It's just that a lot of the people that learned without it are going in to the tunnel for the first time to "see how it is", and they see all the little things they could be doing different that over the years have become a problem for them. It ends up costing them twice as much to unlearn what they have been doing wrong, as it does for a new jumper to learn it right the first time. Big advantage for the new guys, at least in freefall skills. THey say you can't teach an old dog new tricks? Just put him in a 12ft circle full of air and have all his friends stare at him as he bounces off a few walls. This is a very good point! Being able to turn and stop doesn't make you a good canopy pilot. That takes time and experience. Same for air awarness. Just cause a person can turn like the devil in the tunnel doesn't make you aware of what is going on around you in actual freefall. IF it is right in front of a person sure they know what is going on, but to be able to tell what is happening all around you takes time to be that calm and relaxed enough to be aware like that. Dom

You are talking about Kermit right? I am setting it all up for him. Dom

Conway I have a call out to him. I really don't think Don has a web site. He has probably given the images to OB. I'll let ya knowif he has one or how to get in touch with him. I don't feel right giving out his cell number without his permission. Dom

Thanks Bill. I didn't want to touch that one. Although it may be better for awhile if people believed that. Dom

It has happend already! Jari and Jeb have both flown wingsuits relative to canopies. Jari docked on Vladi (I believe) and Jeb had Luigi walk across his back. Dom

THe thing that I find funny is that none of this is really new (freeflying) I have seen pictures of guys going head down in the 70's. I have seen people turn point on there backs in the 70's and 80's. I have seen people sit since the 70's. So is freeflying really new? Or is it retro? I of course admit that they weren't doing all the stuff they can do now, but I don't consider Freeflying new at all. It has been around for a long time. More refined now, but not really new. Autmonauti, now that is new! Gotta try that soon. Dom

You left off the obvious choice of "Drunk Bastard" Dom

If I was gay it would have to still be BKDICE! Her SO is a lucky guy! She is just way to sexy for her own good! Best part is she doesn't act like it. What is that noise in the background? Oh, it's a kitten. Must go kill it! Dom

I guess I need to clarify the location of the camp is at the Perris Windtunnel. Sorry Dom

After last weeks Bigways. I was approached about setting up a basic skills tunnel camp for some people. It is in the works. The dates are the Nov. 11th-14th. This is going to be a more structured camp then what we did during the DZ.com Boogie. We will be using the tunnels digital video system for debriefs. Jumping will be optional and extra costs will apply. Coaches as of right now are Andy Delk and Nina Kuebler. More will be added as we get more participants. The additional coaches will be pulled from the PErris PErformance Plus crew as well. Plus little ole me . Time is available in 10 min blocks for 125.00 or 15 minute blocks for 187.50. The full hour price is 750.00 that includes the coaching and debrief obviously. Buy an hour for yourself or share it with friends. Old or new skydivers looking to improve there skills and get better. This is the camp for you. Get rid of old bad habits and improve your quality of skydives. Low stress enviornment, great coaches and fun to be had for everyone. *If you want to make jumps as well. I can set that up for you also. The camp is strictly tunnel but, I am sure the coaches will love to jump with you guys in between sessions. *additional costs will apply if you want to jump with a coach as well. Contact me and I will get you the information. PM me here at dz.com or call me at 909 956-7239 Dom