bclark

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Everything posted by bclark

  1. bclark
    Yes they occassionally open off heading, and due to the fact that they open in full flight they can often dive and change heading faster than you can. You can keep them pretty straight with the rear risers. I have only had serious line twists twice and was able to get out no problems both times. In my opinion the sporty openings are a small price to pay for the best flying and landing tandem main around. And come on, they are high performance parachutes, unlike many of the mushy sky-barges other tandem manufacturers offer.
  2. bclark
    We put our tandem students in class, show the RW waiver video and teach a verbal class. At the end of class we mention a few things, one of which being that all staff at our dz are full time and have put tons of time, effort, and money into making this experience available to YOU 7 days a week daylight hours and if you appreciate what we do tips are welcome and appreciated. Sometimes we get nothing. More often than not we walk off with an extra $20.00. Of course half of that would go to the camera guy if applicable. You might say it is tacky or unrefined but it is the truth, and at the end of the day those tips sure do help out. $30.00 tandem vs. $50.00 tandem, hmmmm.......
  3. bclark

    Tandem gear

    bclark replied to skydiverton's topic in Instructors

    Sigma w/ Icarus 365. Nothing like the right tool for the job.
  4. bclark
    I have had 4 cutaways on Strong Tandem rigs and they were nearly as effortless as cutting away my sport rig. I DID pull my secondary drogue release prior to cutting away in all four cases. I think that the downward pull required to pull the secondary drogue release and the upward and out motion required to break / peel the cutaway handle velcro are different so trying to do both at the same time is going to be much harder. I have also seen a Tandem I ride a main / reserve entanglement in on a Dual Hawk because he said that he could not complete the cutaway. Only one main riser was released and he fired the reserve into it. Both he and his student were very lucky and survived with relatively minor injuries. This was a Tandem I who I am sure is stronger than me. I think the problem is probably due more to instructor technique than a problem with the gear. Just my opinion though.
  5. bclark
    I don't own either, but am familiar with both. As soon as I have an extra $250.00 I'm gonna get me a Neptune. It does way more shit for like $40.00 cheaper.
  6. bclark
    I agree that the best and most effective way to avoid this type of situation is to have a plan before you go. It is said that most incidents are caused by not just one error in judgement but a combination of several. I see several errors in judgement here: 1. Jumping with someone who's skills you do not know. 2. Jumping on a 2 way with someone who's skills you don't know from a lower than normal altitude. 3. Not having a plan as to what type of skydive it is going to be ( belly , freefly etc... ). This should have been a very avoidable situation. Also, below 2000' you have no friends. Do what you can to clear your airspace while altitude permits by tracking and giving a clear and distinct wave off but don't let that person take you down into the basement. "Life is a learning experience, and it will never happen again" Hopefully you will think a little more about the variables involved in the future.
  7. bclark
    I flew out of Houston last Monday and my Cypres equipped rig and my camera helmet with associated bite switches, pro dytter, etc... I carried my rig in a small bag with nothing else in it and no one even mentioned it. It was the first time I had travelled on a commercial air carrier since 9\11 and it was completely painless. I showed up 2 hours before my flight just to be safe and ended up having PLENTY of time to sit. Today I am flying back to Houston from Salt Lake City and am hoping it is as easy going the other way.
  8. bclark
    The Icarus 365 is far and away my favorite tandem main. I have jumps on SET 400's, EZ 385's, SIGMA mains. Our DZ has a couple of old Eclipses with Icarus, and all of our new Sigmas are coming with Icarus. We have 3 older Sigmas with Sigma mains and I would rather jump Eclipse then jump that P.O.S. (IMHO) Sigma main. Yes you do sacrifice a bit on the openings, which can be quite sporty, but they fly and land beautifully and I can always get a positive flare in turbulent conditions.
  9. bclark
    My oldest tandem student was an 86 year old man. God those are scary jumps. However, they did a very nice job on the article in the Chronicle and I agree that it should be good press for skydiving in general.
  10. bclark
    4 malfunctions in about 750 tandems. All on Strong gear w/ SET 400's. First one was tension knots. Second one was an 1800' snivel down to 3200 feet where it finally popped with 3 collapsed cells on each side and line twists. Third one was on that same canopy a week later, very similar. (We relined that parachute and it was fine after that.) Last one was tension knot holding the slider up and canopy fabric from the nose stuck thru the slider grommet and a wicked left hand turn. I have been jumping Sigmas and Eclipses for the last 250 tandems with no malfunctions.
  11. bclark
    I cross trained to Eclipse 4 months ago. I passed the test, did the jumps, sent in my paperwork AND $45.00 OF MY HARD EARNED MONEY. I still have not received ANYTHING from them. No rating card. Nothing. Anyone else had an experience like this?
  12. bclark
    Bob came to my old DZ out in Utah last year and went thru AFF. Also Moto Xr's Travis Pastrana and Kenny Bartram went thru AFF there too. Cool guys.
  13. bclark
    550 - 600. This has been my best year so far. My goal is 1000 next year. I just moved to a DZ where I think I will be able to do it NO PROBLEMO!
  14. bclark
    I noticed all of the jump planes in the poll were turbines. My FAVORITE jump planes are DC-3's and Beech 18's. Yes I know they are slow and often scary to fly in, but they have more personality than most people I know.
  15. bclark
    Beech 18 Twin Bonanza DC-3 C-182 C-207 Twin Otters King Airs CASA Caravan Cherokee 6 Bell Jet Ranger Balloons
  16. bclark
    The #1 question I get asked as a tandem I. by students is "dude, did you ever jump with a snowboard?". My answer (of course in jest) is, " when those guys show up in their tights we kick their asses and send them on their way". Or, "Why would I want to turn my body into the drive shaft of a big propeller?". No disrespect for skysurfers, I just think that there are much more versatile and appealing disciplines.
  17. bclark
    I would say that my longest canopy ride(s) have been those very enjoyable beer X-country 13000' Hop n Pops.... But that would be illegal so I won't say it. I read about them in Newsweek.
  18. bclark
    I am going to work at a DZ this winter that has some Sigmas and some Eclipse Tandems. I have a Vector / Sigma rating and a Strong rating. I plan to cross train to Eclipse while at this new DZ, but can find virtually no information about the rigs on the net. I have searched for Eclipse Tandem on search engines and on DZ.com and understand that Stunts is no longer in existence, and is now owned by some entity at Skydive Monterey Bay. I have heard that the Eclipse tandem is basically a copy of the Vector 2 tandem, with the same handle configuration and the drogue out the ass situation. Any tandem pilots out there who can tell me a little about the Eclipse system? I know that they typically use Icarus mains, what type of reserves are they using? What, if any differences do they have from Vectors? And if they are carbon copies, why would one have to cross train from Vector to Eclipse?
  19. bclark
    I work as a full time 7 days a week tandem instructor / videographer, and have done so for the last 2 years and still love every skydive I make. I only make 2-4 fun jumps a month. I make approx 80-100 working dives a month. If you love to skydive it doesn't matter what you are doing, you can find something satisfying in every skydive you make.
  20. bclark
    One for pilots, The 3 most useless things in aviation: The sky above you. The runway behind you. The fuel you left behind.
  21. bclark
    I have not been able to get into my Hotmail all day. I brings me to the sign in screen, but when I enter my password it says: "page cannot be displayed."
  22. bclark
    Yes, I was trying to learn how to back track and I spent just a little too much time on my back. Threw out my main at 1500'.
  23. bclark
    I have been flying camera with my PC9 top mounted on a Hawkeye. I am now wanting to add a still camera (canon rebel) to my setup. I have two questions. 1: I have experimented with side mounting my PC9 before and did not like it. I primarily am using my camera to film tandems, and it feels like I really have to crank my head back to keep the tandem pair in frame w/ the camera side mounted. DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY ADVICE ABOUT SLIGHTLY TILTING THE SIDE MOUNTED CAMERA UP? 2: If I am sighting my cameras w/both video and stills, how much difference will there be between the framing of the video vs. stills in the configuration I am thinking of? Any help would be appreciated.
  24. bclark
    I would save myself some time and cash and buy an Infinity. Small company, excellent product and product support. Or, if I wanted to spend a little more cash I would buy a Voodoo or a Talon 3. I really like Rigging Innovations products and customer service.
  25. bclark
    I really like the Flex Z's. They are almost gelatinous when warm and therefore form perfectly to your face. I've never taped the holes and don't have any trouble with my contacts. My only bitch is that they are about $15.00, and the rolled edges around them wear out pretty quick. I make em last longer by running a bead of superglue around the edge. They last a long time then.