freeflyguy

Yah, that's the one. Funnier than hell. He is also a great freeflyer. He was in parachutist a while back in a superman skydive suit doing a superman pose. cool ---------------------------- bzzzz

"if your not living on the edge, you're taking up too much space." --Jim Whitaker, first guy to climb Mt. Rainier, and a bunch of other cool stuff. I like it. ---------------------------- bzzzz

Hah. That is funny, considering who is in the picture. He has a picture of a "dock" in the Bombshelter in Perris that would make most guys cringe. He does like girls though, his girlfriend is cool too. ---------------------------- bzzzz

I like the openings on mine. Have had some line twists, but generally not anymore. No cutaways or anything supper goofy. oH, one really spinny one, but anyway. Some good tips here. I would say, Pitch stable, look at the Horizon, like somebody said. Don't look up at it until you are swinging down. I then go for the rears, but try not to steer it too much. Also, I think I was having trouble when I was over rolling the tail. Now, I am careful to flake it good, not over roll it, make it semetrical behind the lable, and don't catch the nose in the roll. fun canopy. ---------------------------- bzzzz

I'm there. My first publication. I think Page 14, the Night Hybrid dive. I am on my belly, blue helmet, white legs. That jump was a kick. OH, it was an 8 way, not 7, but who's counting. j

Here goes nothing. First time at photoshop. Regardless, this is a real pic. I did pretty good, the canopy deflated as I went over the edge, but then re-inflated, and I made a nice accuracy landing on the Lady of the Mist. j ---------------------------- bzzzz

Avatar. Cool SnowCrash. Way beyond it's time... ---------------------------- bzzzz

Demo Everything you said seems to say you are building more speed then your wingloading will allow. That isn't a problem. Just a progression. I don't understand how brakes will keep you on the ground though. Have fun, fly smart. ---------------------------- bzzzz

This is absoloutly not helpful, but I had a jacket for while, made by and of Tempo reserve material. With a Tempo label on it. It was cool, but totaly useless. Somebody wandered off with it. I hope it is happy. ---------------------------- bzzzz

Cool shots Rhonda. It is hard to imagine how nice it is up here. Plus, flying around the state in a Caravan with some of the best swoopers in the country, jumping out over whatever body of water called to you would have been a blast too. The life of the Rich and Famous. I am going to go hang out with them this Fri and Sat. ---------------------------- bzzzz

It looks to me like Hook is grabbing a large handful of front riser in that picture too. It is distortion, but not the kind of distortion a x-braced is better at. What a x-braced has over a non is like this. Think of a bread sack that measures 12 inches long when laid flat, no air. Then blow air into it. Although it is technically the same lentgth, it will now only measure say, 10 inches. What the x-braces do, is maintain that length. So a x-braced breadsack would measure 11 inches, with air and a non braced, stilleto or airlocked would measure 10. In effect a 120sf x braced will have more useable square foot over your head when inflated, then a non braced 120. I think I will get a sandwhich. j ---------------------------- bzzzz

It qualifies as a swoop when your brain says, "Oh yah baby,......I feel good!" Hard to explain, but when you are plained out with one toe a quarter inch into the water, life is good... ---------------------------- bzzzz

And another thing. This story is about Mt Hood, in Oregon. The Mount Rainier thing is a different story. That one started on Wednesday. Of those 4, 3 are dead, one walked out. I saw the Chinook that was helping recover the bodies fly by Kapowsin a while ago. Sad, but I am glad the government is willing to risk their lives to help. If they weren't they would just tell people they couldn't enjoy the mountains. That would suck. So sad, but thanks to the guys that tried to help, and the politicians that let them do it. It might be me one day.

This thread is scary. Get real, If you don't have the skill necessary to swoop a canopy loaded at 1.2, Then you don't have the skill necessary to swoop one loaded at 1.6 or above. The original question was "How do you fly that fast?". One good answer is "Understand the canopy you fly, explore what it will do in any situation, get training and practice." To answer that question with "Get a heavier loaded canopy" is nuts.

good read, HH

grumble. I almost made it, too busy. Next time.

Uh? You need enough input to keep it straight and level. He he. When I first started flying a plane, I had to think about every movement I made with my hands and feet, to land it. Consequently, by the time I thought about what I had to do, it was time to do something else. I will never forget my instructor calmly and very quickly saying "I got it, I GOT IT". The point of all that, is to land a plane, or land a fast canopy, if you have to think too much about what you are doing, it may be a little late. So practice and makeing it second nature is the only way to consistantly do it right. Congrats on being able to ask what it was you did wrong. Be careful, but keep learning. j

Giang, Dude, Jessie is pissed at you for missing the water training. You had better suck up. Or, what the hell...Have a blast at Kamloops

My thoughts. The dangerous part of the swoop is before you plane out, in the dive, or the turn. So the longer it is the more people will set up and turn over water. On today's canopies that means a pond of at least 300 feet. But that is big, and means big bucks. So If I had to choose, I would make it as wide as possible at the entry point, then narrow it down to the exit point ( think pie!). That keeps the most water under you at the most dangerous point of the whole event. Was that clinical enough? Oh, but the longer the better for the photo and ego aspect. Another thing, 3 feet should be fine for depth. I don't think my chow's have ever gone much deeper than that. :)

In a redneck sort of way, That's funny. So what's the deal? I 182 should fly about 4 hours on full tanks, what does duct tape over the cap have to do with anything? It is prelim though, they will find out the facts.

Chime. We have one awesome and gorgeous skydiver at Kapowsin that once woke up about ten seconds before she landed under her reserve. If it wasn't for the cypress, I would never have met her, she was knocked unconscious in an RW dive. I think she believes in them. As far as water landings. Last year, I had 3 full wet tumble crash landings in the pond. Cypress equiped, it was never harmed. In about 40 or 50 of those type "water landings" last year at Kapow, only one cypress was ruined. If you get out of the water, in short order, and get your cypress out, it usually doesn't hurt it. So normally, swooping the pond with a cypress is safer and better with it. But no, I wouldn't wear one in a pro swoop meet. All in all. I don't like to be told I have to use it either, but I do believe you should use it, always.

You trust me? I know you have seen me impact the pond at a million miles an hour, but OK, I like passengers. Besides, they won't let me use a parachute when I fly, so I am very careful.

I don't post here to talk about life much. But anyway, this is related to skydiving. 2 years ago, I was either going to start on my pilots license, or try skydiving, but just once. 600 jumps later, I am a skydiver. Today, though, because of skydiving, I took my private pilot check ride, now I'm a pilot. Good stuff, I fly.

Nice post Mike. I can't agree more, hands on, eyes on instruction is imperative to being a safe canopy pilot. Sorry about your buddy. j

I'll chime in on my method of carving. First, though, I don't disagree with you, this is just my plan. In a normal set up, I am down faster than most of the others in the air. That is what the wingloading dictates. I set up for a 270. This allows people that are in traffic with me to assume I am doing a normal base leg. Whether or not I do a 270 to the left, or a 90 to the right, to final, it is inconsequential, prior to the speed turn, I am on a normal base leg. So, like you, those in the air with me are not wondering which way I will go. It will be to the peas. The other thing I like about a 270. Before I commit to the turn, I will be able to see if I am low, or on. If I am low, than before I turn, I can easily change me plan and slow carve a 90 the opposite direction, and still land in the same place. As far as the carve. Yah, it is a carve, but if you saw it on video, it would look fairly fast, some would call it a hook. So to define the difference is a bit tough. I do need to rock it up hard enough to make it dive. Too slow, and it don't work. That's my plan. J