Geoff

I have a Mirage G3 MOS, which is sized for a sabre 135 (and pd126r). It also took a safire 129 (actually about 120 equivalent size) comfortably, and now I have a cobalt 105 in it - BUT I'm using the secondary loop point (on the base of the pack tray). This is no longer recommended by Mirage, and I think the newer G3s no longer have this secondary attachment point. So I have 3 choices (1) stay as I am, but inspect that grommet religiously (it's also surrounded by a raised ring, so the snag hazard must be minimal. (2) go back to the primary attachment point, and accept a looser pack. (3) get a new rig - Mirage has some trade-in scheme apparently, but they need to inspect the rig first, and as I'm in the UK it's not that easy. I might just get a Voodoo instead. I'll probably try (2) for a while and see what it's like. Mirages, excellent rigs in many regards, are definitely not the best for accommodating a wide range of main sizes. Geoff

Ninja is the new cross-brace. - it's been mentioned here a few times in the last few months, so try a search. Springo is a 'normal' elliptical - it's been around at least a few years, and is a popular alternative to the Stiletto in Europe. cheers Geoff

out of interest - what do you do with the slider on your Cobalt? thanks Geoff

I hope you don't mean that. I knew a guy who died from a low turn under a Fury 220. Take care. Geoff

well I can HD not bad but definitely not walk on my hands....... (well, except by placing my palms on the floor and then stepping on the backs of my hands, but I guess that's not what you meant.) the lawn-darting bit is good advice though....

No, the one on the far right is definitely Animals. - the picture inflatable big flying over Battersea power station.

Yes I believe it's more than possible. I especially worry about designs that have a metal bolt (to pivot the visor) right against the jumper's temple.

"Wave upon wave of demented avengers marched cheerfully out of obscurity into the dream." best song line ever. (IMveryHO)

Looking at this thread, I'm a bit concerned that newbies reading this will think that loadings of 1.7 - 3.1 are 'normal', and may feel peer pressure to downsize. Those jumping at these loadings are generally highly experienced, are taking a considerable risk, and need to stay very current to be safe. Most skydivers are loading at 1.1 - 1.6 and still have loads of fun! As somebody wise once said: "The only good reason to downsize is because you want to go faster." and somebody else said: "Tiny rigs aren't cool - walking without crutches is cool." I'll get off my soap-box and go bowling now. Do I deserve a CN number yet? Geoff (Cobalt 105 at 1.7-1.8)

I got the Kenko 0.5 from them. The 0.42 they showed me gave a small ' vignetting' effect (dark corners on the picture) unless you zoomed in slightly. Geoff

Will I got mine from Kamla electronics on Tottenham Court Road in London. They are the retail arm of http://www.askdirect.co.uk but I couldn't find the step-ring on the web site. Maybe email or phone them. I don't have the number but you should be able to get it from directory enquiries. If the one you are looking at is really 30.5mm then it probably won't fit. (Keene?) hope that helps Geoff

Don't forget the DZ at Netheravon Geoff

wow really? I still get an adrenalin buzz every jump and that's after 670 jumps. That's why I do it! Anybody else think the adrenalin goes after a while? Geoff

Good high-capacity DZ. Variable weather (better than North Europe, though). Small landing area, and a lot of severe hazards (a town with canals) to the south. Now requires AADs and has a its own licensing system for Freeflying. You can;t freefly there without the license. So even good FFers may need a check-out dive with a coach. I haven;t heard how strictly this is being enforced in practice, though. Good nightlife - and lots of accomodation options. Geoff

Your chest strap looks looser than most FFers would tolerate. Don't know if that makes a big difference. Still serious food for thought though. Geoff

1500 is your hard deck 3000 is your deployment altitude. It's a personal choice, but I stick with these figures. As for break-off, 4500 seems pretty standard for freefly - at least for small groups with no toys, and 4000 for RW (3500 seems to be going out of fashion), again for small groups. What's a small group? - well that's a matter of experience. for any jump where you're starting to feel uncomfortable about the number of people in the air, move up 500ft or more. Ask experienced jumpers for guidance on specific jumps. Really big ways (tens or more of jumpers) are a whole different ball game. Hope that helps Geoff

inside - you'll hear it better and you're less likely to lose it. Geoff

Here's a question for the pros. (for info, I have 670 jumps, 350ish swoops or attempts at loadings 1.4-1.8). I generally front riser my final turn (normally just 90 degrees or a little more)- but when the wind is turbulent, pulling the front riser makes the canopy buck or judder. (This is not a canopy issue - I've tried Sabre, Spectre, Safire, now Cobalt, and my brake lines are plenty long enough not to deflect the tail.) If it's turbulent, any canopy, at least at the loadings I'm using, seems to react badly to front risers. I'm talking mainly about turbulence due to the wind coming over the terrain, which may not be obvious high up. So I tend to get the feel of the turbulence on my cross-wind leg, then make a decision. If it's bumpy, I will toggle-turn, safe in the knowledge that I was high enough for a front riser turn. If it's smooth, I'll do the preferred front-riser turn, and generally get a better swoop as a result. Occasionally, I'll start the riser turn, decide it doesn't feel stable, and finish the turn with a toggle. Question: Am I developing a bad habit here? If so what advice do experienced swoopers have on swooping in turbulent air? Thanks if you can help. Geoff

They're both head-down positions. Daffy is one leg forward and one back. Froggy (aka straddle, Olav) is legs apart sideways. Pros and cons: It's easier to fly slower Daffy - you can use more of the area of your legs to slow you down. Personally I find small forward/backward movements easier in Daffy, but maybe that's just me. Heading control and turns definitely seemed slightly harder to start. Daffy is more stable in the sense that it's easier to stay HD and not 'fall off' because you have drag left and right (arms) and front and back (legs) whereas with Froggy, all the drag is left and right, so it's easier to fall off or slide backwards or forwards. Overall I would say Froggy is easier to learn to start HD. Daffy gives more control but needs more practice- but maybe that's just me, it's really a matter of preference. Hope that helps. Geoff

Waste of time? Plenty of folks think skydiving is a waste of time or worse. It's a very personal decision. If you make an informed choice and enjoy doing it, then no it's definitely not a waste of time. Geoff

Its the left-right shift in weight that makes the difference, not forward-backwards. Just tipping one end of the wing will induce a turn. geoff

This is potentially very dangerous. Imagine the brake line catching and jamming on the bumper as you pull on the toggle to make your last turn onto final approach. The brake jams part on and you keep turning into the ground. For this reason and others, I agree with Phreezone. I prefer slinks. To answer your question, slider bumpers are usually supplied with the canopy. Geoff

well almost. Confusingly, Aerodyne Research sell risers, pilot chutes, and d-bags as options ("highly recommended for optimum performance") with their canopies. I've no idea how they can believe their risers and d-bags are compatible with all manufacturers' containers. Geoff

and here's the second part. It's still readable even when compressed to below 150kb. Forget the PM. (sorry - I can't edit my first post) Geoff

Try this