Geoff

Just to be unhelpful, don't forget that Icarus are supposed to be bringing out the Safire Generation II (or whatever it'll be called) soon. Not sure when. It's supposed to make the flare easier (though I've never had any problem with mine). Geoff

I posted exactly this question on the BASE Board 6 months or a year ago. Maybe there's an archive. I got several replies. One from Tom Sanders saying that he'd done all 4 objects legally and knew several others who had. A Russian guy replied that it was easy in Russia because there weren't many laws against it. I also got a few indignant replies from people arguing that legal BASE was easy in the US, because it's not illegal at all and it's just that the courts keep misinterpreting the law and convicting innocent people. They're not too touchy on the BASE board (except when they're criticising each other, which seems to occupy most of their time) - as long as you don't mention or ask for the names of individual sites - even legal ones. The theory is that if the legal ones get mentioned too often then someone will find a way to make them illegal. I guess the very high profile ones like Kjerag, Petronas, Bridge day are OK, but not the less known sites. Geoff

My experience may be of interest to you I went from jumping F-111 student / rental gear loaded at about 0.8 to my first rig - a Sabre 150 - loaded at about 1.1. I had 40 jumps. It was really scary to start with - I didn't really feel in control, and breathed a sigh of relief after every landing. I suppose I was lucky and got away with it - I only had one minor injury on landing. An extra 50 jumps on an intermediate size would have helped a lot. Basically it was a mistake. Geoff

For what it's worth I saw a guy go to hospital after a brutal opening on a Velocity last week. No idea if it was in trim (should be with Vectran lines) or packed properly (was packed by the jumper with 2000+ jumps), so this may just be an isolated incident. Shit happens occasionally. Geoff

How secure is a sidewinder for freeflying? It has no chin-strap, but has double velcro tighteners compared to the single one on the Oxygn. Does that actually make it more secure, or does it just make you feel more secure? Anybody had any problems? A friend of mine freeflies with a Sidewinder, and always looks a bit vulnerable to me, but he's never had a problem. Thanks for any opinions. Geoff

The Nova had a very bad reputation for collapsing in turbulence. I stress the word reputation. I have no first-hand experience. I wasn't aware they were still being made. Be real careful, Geoff

You probably won't get caught if everything goes OK. In the UK a couple of months ago, a guy illegally jumped a DC3 over an airfield where he was planning to land. The run-in was too fast. He struck the tail and broke his arm (fortunately the plane wasn't damaged.) He then spun and tumbled unstable (due to the broken arm), and was just able to pull his reserve in time. It partially opened, and he slammed into the roof of a hangar. He survived with only his broken arm, and maybe some ribs, plus a lot of bruises. It was obviously impossible to keep this quiet, and I'm pretty sure he's now banned from jumping. For info, he had over 2000 jumps, and no AAD. Be real careful if you try this! I guess it's easier in North America - there's a lot more empty space. Cheers Geoff

troll? oh well, here goes.... This is absolutely not true. That loading might be 'optimum' for longest swoop in expert hands, but lower loadings are fine,just like any other elliptical. "We recommend wing loadings from 1.00psf to 2.00psf." taken directly from http://www.icaruscanopies.com/canopies/Crossfire/ You're taking a risk with any heavily elliptical canopy and a wing suit, but it's your choice. Something like a Safire or Sabre2 would glide a lot better than a Spectre, but be less prone to twists. Yes, a Crossfire 99 is almost certainly too 'hot' for you (and me!). Please don't kill yourself. Geoff

I've noticed these holes or at least tiny worn patches appear on my canopy even after about 100 jumps. What causes them? - I always cock the kill line before putting the canopy in the bag, and there's no exposed connector link inside the bag. Can careful packing prevent them? Thanks if you can help Geoff

Another alternative is the BOC throw-out on the new Mirage, with the tuck-in pud-style handle. Should be much more secure than a normal hackey or plastic-tube type handle. I haven't tried or seen one though - just seen the pictures. Geoff

I often wear a Gath, so I'm not anti, but please bear in mind that the Gath provides virtually no protection in the event of a serious impact. Geoff

yes of course But seriously, please consider larger canopies. A 150 is definitely too small based on what you've said, and a 170 is risky. But it's your decision, your ass.... You're welcome. Have fun and stay safe whatever you decide.

60 kg is about 140lbs, plus gear puts you at around 170 lbs exit weight. If you're really only jumping once a month, then a 210 or maybe a 190 square foot main is probably about right. You'll want a fairly conventional main - I think a South African ZP-EXE is similar to a Sabre and the COE-D similar to a PD 9-cell. Your reserve should be about the same size. - a Tempo or Decelerator are fine and made in SA. Vortex II is a good South African made container, but there are others. You might just get new gear without an AAD for $2250, but you might not. I'm not sure what the local prices are like. Best talk to your dealer. You should be able to get a safe used rig with an AAD for your money, but I don't know how many used rigs are available in SA or Namibia. If you're buying used US or European gear, you should be OK as long as main and reserve are about 200 sq ft and you get a rigger to check the gear over. Stick to the docile canopies - PD 9 cell, PD Sabre, PD Spectre, Triathlon, Fury etc. Most containers are OK, but not all are suitable for freeflying if you want to try that. To be honest, though, you're not likely to get enough practice for that at 1 jump a month. Hope this is some help. It's just my opinion, and your instructor knows you better than I do. Good luck. Geoff

From a glance at their web site, it looks like the Icarus in South Africa is a local gear dealer and nothing to do with Icarus the canopy manufacturer. There's some good gear (containers and canopies)manufactured in South Africa by PISA and Chute Shop, and that'll probably be a lot less expensive than US or European gear. As for exactly what gear would suit you - it strongly depends on your weight, total number jumps, level of currency you intend to maintain (i.e. how many jumps per month will you be doing), and what gear you jump currently. The best advice will come from an instructor who knows you, though you should get some opinions here if you give us a bit more detail. BTW most people on this forum don't understand money in Rand - what's that in US$ ? Hope this is some help, Geoff

The truth admitted at last! I hope for your sake Dan didn't hear you! geoff

Spectra will last longer before a risk of breaking, but will go out of trim. Brake lines and 'outside' lines get rubbed by the slider causing spectra to actually shrink in length after a few hundred jumps. This can make your canopy fly and land badly. Vectran lines won't generally go out of trim, but are less resistant to abrasion. Now if a line breaks on opening shock, it's not too bad - you can decide whether the canopy is controllable and chop it if you don't like it. The real danger arises because the lower control lines are not loaded during opening shock, and are also abraded by rubbing through the metal guide ring, so they are more likely to snap during the flare. This has happened with Vectran lines. Legs have broken. But the bottom line (no pun intended) is that both Spectra and Vectran need replacing after a few hundred jumps or when they look worn. If you do that, they're both safe. If you don't want to pay for a full reline, then just replace the lower part of Vectran brake lines (that's what I've just had done on my Safire), or get the trim of Spectra lines checked by a rigger. Geoff

There's an old saying - the best way to end up with a small fortune after a career in skydiving is to start with a large one! Geoff (an office worker, so I don't really know what I'm talking about)

Anybody know anything about the new Ninja from Parachutes de France? I understand it's cross-braced, but less radical than Velocities and Extremes. Anybody tried or seen one? Ta Geoff

not this weekend (weather forecast looks shite anyway) - but I'll definitely be there for the helicopter etc. on the Monday 27th (unless the weather's really bad). Maybe see you there? Stay safe and learn to whinge like a Brit!

Skreamer - Were you at Hinton last Friday? there was definitely a guy with a SA accent complaining to Gus about being bumped. I'm the one usually in the green and purple freefly suit. Cheers Geoff

Been to Sibson once. It rained. No jumps.

I always wonder how much fun it would be to perform a rushed emergency exit and then deploy with loose legstraps. Could be painful, and then you may be unbalanced in the harness, unable to reach your toggles...... maybe low already, maybe under an unfamiliar reserve. nah... think I'll tighten mine before getting on the plane and risk looking uncool.

Here in the UK, the most popular 3 rigs are probably Javelin, Tear Drop (British rig), and Atom (French rig), plus a big minority of other stuff (Racer, Mirage, Vector, VortexII). The British, French and South African gear is popular because it's a lot less expensive here than American gear. As for canopies - well probably 60% PD, 20% french, 20% other. I'm viewed as a bit adventurous with a Mirage G3 and Icarus Safire. A lot of UK jumpers (especially the older ones) have never heard of the Safire, and think Icarus is the same as Extreme! Geoff

The 3x3 check (has several different names) goes like this... Remember to check three things, each of which has three parts: One - your 3 handles - main, chop, reserve. Two - your 3 points of attachment - 2 leg straps and a chest strap three - your 3 ring release system (actually 6 rings, but saying 3 helps you to remember.) That's it. Simple, easy to remember, saves lives. Geoff

I think most of us have done this at one time or another. Chest strap misrouting is the most common mistake made in gearing-up. I've caught at least 4 other jumpers with this - either on the ground or in the plane, and once my own at about 5000ft on the way up (actually my chest strap wasn't done up at all, but was tucked back behind the main lift web). That was a big wake-up call. There was no real danger because I always check it before exit, but it shook me up that I'd got that far without noticing. Geoff