Geoff
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Everything posted by Geoff
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but how many skydivers die of lightning strikes in Florida each year? or how many skydivers die in crashes driving to or from the DZ? The comparison of 2 diffferent risks only makes sense if you only count the people who are exposed to both risks. (have I just been trolled?)
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Which statistics did you get this from? Geoff
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Does anyone know of any canopies other than Icarus which are measurably superior in every parameter?
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What do you mean by 'new' Hurricane? is there an updated version? The only Hurricane I know has been around for a while. Apparently it's similar to a Stiletto, but has a steeper glide. Geoff
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the folks on uk.rec. say these pics are not authentic. Geoff
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The BPA magazine won't accept gear classifieds which state or imply a purpose for the gear. Phrases like "Ideal starter kit", or "would suit lighter jumper" are not allowed. You simply have to state what the gear is (Sabre 210, VX79, whatever) and let the purchaser decide if it suits their purpose. Seems like a good policy to me. Geoff
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Dealing w/ Turbulence (Hey Kris!)
Geoff replied to Hooknswoop's topic in Swooping and Canopy Control
I would say this is an old debate with many opinions - but a larger and larger number of increasingly authoritative sources (e.g. PD) are recommending against flying in part-brakes in turbulence. Geoff -
Dealing w/ Turbulence (Hey Kris!)
Geoff replied to Hooknswoop's topic in Swooping and Canopy Control
I agree with the advice about flying fast and smooth in turbulence (so do PD here) but it does surprise me how many highly experienced think you should fly at half brakes. Heck there was even an official DZ notice at Eloy about a year ago (not sure if it's still there) advising half brakes! Geoff -
Very, very skilled stuff. Try a rear-riser stall (at altitude) then imagine that happening while you're doing 50 mph, pointing straight at the ground, trying to pull out of a dive. No thanks.
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Why not? The main flap on my Mirage stays closed on deployment as well.
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Yep, it sucks - but I did manage 2 jumps this morning at Netheravon before it got too windy - and, Boy, did that feel good! Geoff
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It's a HIGHLY risky operation, with a high chance of getting two canopies entanged. I would only even attempt it as a very last resort if my main was un-landable, but I was too low to cut away. Example: after a very low canopy collision trashes your main. In virtually any other situation, it's a very bad idea. Geoff
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I think this thread wins the award for "Least relationship between title and content of postings"......
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Most people know this already, but just a reminder to anyone who has one of these power tools - Please don't wear it round your neck while jumping - if it gets caught on your gear, it will not break!
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Sorry - I don't have any first hand experience of that. I jump mainly in the UK. Winter weather can be crap here, but we still get to jump at least every few weeks. Geoff
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Ok here's an opinion, linked to wingload. These are minimum currency levels below which I would start to feel nervous for the jumper involved. Up to 1.0: 30 jumps / year ( I regard this as the minimum to stay current at all) around 1.4: 100 jumps / year around 1.8: 200 jumps / year above 2.2: 400 jumps / year + Obviously it depends on the individual jumper, but I certainly think that jumps/year has a better link to wing loading and safety than total jumps. (For info, I load at about 1.7-1.8 and try to do 200 per year.) No I'm not in favour of the USPA, BPA, or anyone else introducing rules of this nature. Flame away! Geoff
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An interesting question (well I think so!) for any aerodynamicists out there - is there any theoretical sense in which a truly geometrically elliptical planform (constant sum of the distances from the edge to each of two foci) would be optimum? - in terms of lowest drag or whatever. I doubt it simply based on the fact that rigid airplane wings are not even remotely elliptical in shape. If not, then why did the term elliptical start being used to described tapered planforms? Was it just a fancy-sounding word that bore some resemblance to the planforms being developed? Any opinions?
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I haven't tried this as a method of getting down to an RW formation but I would be very concerned about zooming sideways during the transition from sit/stand back to BTE. Geoff
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Come on guys! This is a silly argument. It's all marketing speak. There's no scientific test for whether any canopy is 'fully elliptical', 'elliptical', 'semi-elliptical', 'mildly elliptical', or 'tapered'. The manufacturers tend to say 'elliptical' or 'fully elliptical' if they want to convey the impression of high performance. They tend to say 'mildly elliptical', 'semi-elliptical', or 'tapered' if they want to imply that the canopy is suitable for less experienced jumpers. It has very little to do with the actual shape of the canopy, except that any of these terms means that the canopy does not have constant chord across all its cells. Read Rob's excellent post on Gear and Rigging or Swooping (can't remember which) which explains all this. And no, the stiletto does not have a straight strailing edge. Geoff
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Sorry my reply upset you so much - try this version: IMHO the Crossfire and Cobalt open, fly, and land so similarly that anyone considering one should consider both. Furthermore, because they open, fly, land so darn near identically, you'll need to consider other factors (such as quality, customer service, colour, whatever) in order to decide between the two. Geoff
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Hardly any experienced jumpers will recommend you get a brand new container for your first rig. Sure, you'll need to make sure it fits OK, but it only has to be roughly right. About the same as your main for a first rig. That shouldn't happen on any modern rig, though the main flap coming undone on a ripcord student rig isn't that big of a deal. Get some local advice on anything you're considering buying. You sure do.
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I had a Crossfire on order when all the bulletins started flying. Basically lost confidence in it more due to the way Icarus handled the situation than due to the canopy itself. (Do a search for Aviatrr's experiences.) Cancelled the order (sorry Tim). To be fair, I know several people with Crossfires who've had no problems at all, and think it's a great canopy. Then I tried a Cobalt. Although constructed very differently, it handles very similar to the Crossfire - identical as near as I can tell. very soft openings. very rigid in flight. very responsive. huge lift and flare power. So now I'm a happy Cobalt owner. Or I would be happy if the fking weather would improve. sorry I'll stop whinging eventually honest....
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A couple of other thoughts - £969 is more like $1350 than $1107 - don't know where you got your exchange rate from. Be really careful if you're planning to import. You probably want a PAL camera, and the US ones will be NTSC. And unless you smuggle a camera in illegally you'll be charged 17.5% VAT plus probably some duty. Geoff
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If you want a real UK PC9 (rather than a 'grey import') you will need to pay about £880 - try http://www.askdirect.co.uk http://www.unbeatable.co.uk http://www.empiredirect.co.uk http://uk.pricerunner.com/ProductPrice.jsp?model=70286 I've heard some bad stories about the cheap online suppliers - long delays, no stock, etc. but also lots of people have no problem. Personally, I just walked into Kamla electronics on Tottenham Court Road (they're linked to askdirect.co.uk) and bought one over the counter. Same price as online. Geoff
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Am I the only one who lets off steam at the weather forecasters on TV??? Weather forecaster: "..and on Saturday we'll see heavy showers followed by rain followed by drizzle, and then Sunday it'll be blue skies with gale force winds.." me: "You bastard - I'll get you...", etc, etc..... ...........