freeflyfrog

I'm on OSX at home... so I guess i know Unix and I didn't even know it!

Aack! All those computers and not a single Mac... why bother? Sorry... graphics guy putting my two cents in!

Hey Juanesky... As a former AZ jumper, I can tell you why the descent rate is higher under canopy. It's because the field elevation at Eloy is 1513' MSL... I see you jump near Boston, so you are used to jumping at probably not much higher than Sea Level itself. The combination of the higher elevation and the hotter, dryer air (something about density altitude... ask your local diver driver ) makes canopy flight a bit zippier. Definitely noticeable. If you go to Eloy (or any nonfamiliar DZ for that matter), use your first couple of jumps to fly conservatively and get used to the differences in canopy flight... especially flaring. And Eloy does have the best skydiving weather... but the Summer is a bit 'warm' for most people... Ciao!

Maybe this will help you understand: http://helios.unive.it/~pregadio/aas/benn.html It's a long one... and doesn't speak as to why those protesters in Paris burnt themselves, but gives some background on the practice by Buddhists...

Fuckin' Ay!

Sounds good in theory... I bet the skill of the fellatrix is a bigger factor in how good it feels! But I have to agree with the earlier post... it's ALL good!

I have thousands of jumps on a Stiletto 107 and only one chop... because of spinning line twists after a skysurf jump (all my fault... I was still turning slightly during deployment). First avoid getting line twists by careful packing (I leave about 18" of unstowed line in the bottom of my container) and good body position on opening. Then, if the canopy gets line twists, I check for traffic and if clear I just sit level in the harness and let the twists work themselves out. I think kicking out of line twists on a Stiletto can make matters worse by putting you in an asymmetrical position in the harness. I have only had twists a handful of times, and this method has worked FOR ME every time. Hope this helped. Ciao!

Hey Heather, We at Hinckley will miss you... Blue skies wherever you go!

It's real... it's the same guy from the Crosswind video who flew the suit next to that mountainside... something like Jean Loic-Albert...

Well, they'll dry out real quick in a stand!

Just do it!

I'm thinking I need to go support my local watering hole and show up at John Barleycorn... p.s. MAD props to all the lovely ladies of CSC! You all rock!

You've got a great attitude, Sunnydee... I think 200 is just the beginning for you. If you ever make it up to Chicagoland Skydiving, just look for the guy with the frog on his leg!

Not an expert by any means, but FWIW: The nylon fabric in Zero-P canopies undergoes a special process during manufacturing that gives them a mostly impermeable coating that does not allow air to pass through them as easily as it does through non-coated F-111. This coating is what makes a brand new ZP canopy such a bitch to pack. It is quite slippery until it has had several pack jobs. The major benefit of Z-P is longevity. I put close to 2000 jumps on a Stiletto 107 and it flew nearly the same on the last jump as it did on the first. Since the porosity remains relatively the same from jump 1 to jump X, the canopy maintains the same opening and flaring characteristics. Old F-111 canopies lose much of their performance as the porosity of the fabric gradually increases. For real technical details, try a canopy manufacturer's website. This may help: http://performancedesigns.com/education.asp

It helps to work at the DZ... I was full-time for 18 months... jump numbers go up quick when you don't pay for them...

3400 and counting... since 1992. Too many hop and pops as an S/L JM. And a dozen or so rides on the front of a tandem as my friends got their ratings. Concentrating on freefly now... too much fun!

Dosvydanya, tovarich! And that is ALL the Russian I know... except Krasnya Oktyabr (pardon the spelling)

Mi chiamo Chris. Sono Italo-Americano e abito a Chicago. Sto cercando un amico/a con cui posso parlare, scrivere, saltare, etc. Sto imparando di parlare l'Italiano e mi manca solo la pratica. Sto anche imparando di "freefly" dopo migliaio di salti sulla mia pancia! Parliamo! Scrivetemi... Ciao! For you non-Italian speakers out there : My name is Chris and I live in Chicago. I'm looking for a friend with whom I can speak, write, jump, etc. I'm learning Italian and i just need some practice. I'm also learning to freefly after thousands of jumps on my belly! Let's talk! Write me... p.s. you don't have to speak Italian to respond...

I think we all need to remember that Jim Rome and others like him say what they do in order to provoke a visceral response from people and thereby to increase their ratings. No one wants to listen to a dry and level-headed discussion of the inherent dangers and perceived benefits of this sport (or of any other similar activity). They want foaming-at-the-mouth and name-calling and graphic descriptions (pictures or video are even better) of these incidents and the people involved. And they want it all in the simplest terms and as quickly as possible. The facts are secondary to the way the material is presented. Just turn on your TVs or pick up your newspapers and you'll see what I mean. The news should be called the "Bad News" because that's all they seem to care to report. And our society laps it up and begs for more... and so they continue to spoon-feed us the latest soundbite from some second- or third-hand "witness" that has been carefully edited to convey only one side of the story. And it's all over in thirty seconds and they have moved on to the next disaster or outbreak of the Virus of the Week (MONKEYPOX!!! Run for your lives!!!!). We won't change this... not in our lifetimes. What we can try to change are the perceptions of those that really matter: the potential skydivers out there who may have seen or read these attempts at journalism and are being influenced by it. So forget Jim Rome and everyone like him. Their opinions are just that... personal beliefs that they are entitled to hold and to speak as well (remember that pesky First Amendment...). Much better to spend your time changing the perceptions of those immediately around you by speaking and acting in a way that completely refutes all the stereotypes and lies and raises you above the base name-calling and finger-pointing of the mass media. IMHO...