The111

A little PSA for the skydiver on a budget: There is a place less than a mile from the Sombrero called the Sea Dell. I stayed there last year and it's certainly not fancy, but it's not a dump either. It is the lowest priced hotel you will find in the area (or probably the entire Keys, for that matter). With a little negotiating, you can stay there for just over half the price of the Sombrero. Multiply that by 3 nights, and you've saved yourself 7 or 8 jump tickets. www.WingsuitPhotos.com

The problem with applying that to our situation, is that there's no such thing as 95% dead. Life is binary. www.WingsuitPhotos.com

There is a difference between safety and success rate. According to insurance companies, I became a much "safer" driver overnight when I turned 25. If the fatality rate triples next year, that will not mean skydiving is 3 times more dangerous than it was before. Statistics only measure success and failure. Risk (danger) is not measurable. www.WingsuitPhotos.com

I'd imagine we're all sick of the "driving vs skydiving" debate. I'd also wager that it's impossible to accurately answer that question with statistics, nor is the answer even important. What IS important, and perhaps this will help the original poster with his feelings, is to realize that skydiving is NOT the only dangerous thing we humans do on a daily basis. For people that don't skydive, driving is probably the most dangerous thing they do, and the scariest part is that most don't realize it. I think the whole "skydiving safer than driving" line is valuable in that it makes us think about safety with regard to both activities, regardless of how true it is. As I get older, I develop more respect for the risks in skydiving, and approach the sport more safely, and the same is true for driving. I am amazed at the number of stupid things I see done on the road each day, by people who seem oblivious to the inherent risk in piloting tons of metal at high speeds, in opposite directions. To the original poster, consider this: my girlfriend skydives, and I am always a bit scared for her when she jumps (as I am for myself). But, we live 80 miles apart, and I am also scared when she is on the road to and from my house, because I know she's not safe there either. Risk surrounds us all. www.WingsuitPhotos.com

I would think POV video would be interesting... as Robi and VKB have proved.

Did I tell you about my opinion that slacklines should be used for field sobriety tests? Reason: I can do it fine while drunk. And it certainly takes more coordination than driving a car... What is hard though, is doing it in the dark. I rely heavily on sight while on the slackline. Although the other day I tried closing my eyes and was ok (for a few seconds)... www.WingsuitPhotos.com

As others pointed out, it's a Tony Suit - click if you haven't inverted the pic on your own. www.WingsuitPhotos.com

Tammie - is there anywhere to put up a line? Last year that was my line in the middle of the campground, and I had to take it down because there were so many tents. We really need to find a good place to put one up... I always have mine with me when I come to the DZ.

I was editing some old pictures tonight and hit the wrong button. The result seriously scared me. www.WingsuitPhotos.com

There has been good progress lately in the world of solid state devices. Something like this will be possible soon (already), and with much greater capacity than a CF card (and not much greater size). The question is, is there any reason for the camcorder makers to use solid state over HDD? It's already doable. Remember that we as skydivers are not a significant portion of their business. And if you had enough skills, desire, and time, you could certainly hack something out. Hell, with enough skills, desire, and time, you could build your own camera. www.WingsuitPhotos.com

People, not substances, are the possessors of addictive qualities. www.WingsuitPhotos.com

I've printed 20x30 from 8MP, and I think it looks fine. That said, I agree with the last poster - get an XTi. And then trade me for my XT.

Very interesting Yuri. I have actually always noticed something similar when maxing out my S3 in the sky, and I thought it was just me. Is this observation of yours unique to the V2, or would you say it applies to other high-end suits (waiting for a joke about how my suit is not high-end)? I've always noticed that when I lift my hips up (de-arch), my knees naturally bend a bit. I always assumed the knees bent because my body was naturally balancing itself, and due to my build (long legs) I would tip over forward too steep (dive) without the knee bend. You say that it is physically impossible to hold a de-arch at the hips with straight knees - do you mean because of the effort required to do it in flight? Because on the ground it certainly doesn't seem impossible as far as flexibility goes... but in flight while resisting air pressure, it could be a different story. Again, I thought it was just me and if I was able to balance myself better I could get those knees locked AND hips up, and was always disappointed when I couldn't. I never was able to fully explain it though. www.WingsuitPhotos.com

My knees only bend one way. www.WingsuitPhotos.com

He added V-1 style grippers and filled in the "triangles" at the end of his legwing to also make it look more like a V-1. Not implying his intention was to make it look like a V-1... the reason for the legwing mod, as I understand it, was to repair some tearing that was occuring from backflying flappage. There was a pic of his suit in classifieds for a while, I'm too lazy to look for it now. www.WingsuitPhotos.com

You pissed off so many people by just walking up to the fire, making one zoomie, and setting the record. A record that is yet to be beat, BTW. Bastard... He even put my prize fighter out of commission! www.WingsuitPhotos.com

Just double checking... we do not need to pre-register for the Hog Flop, right? www.WingsuitPhotos.com

He just said that he was using a zoom lens for the other one. I'm guessing he was standing on a bridge... www.WingsuitPhotos.com

Well Vinny, I actually did pick her up with a conversation about aerodynamics. It was at a bar, too. www.WingsuitPhotos.com

IMO (as someone who was a student for 17 years), most teachers unfortunately do not put this emphasis on fundamentals. And let's be practical: if she tried to derive the quadratic formula on an exam, every time she needed it, she'd run out of time. I am all about the fundamentals, but there is nothing unreasonable about committing the quadratic formula to memory. www.WingsuitPhotos.com

While I sympathize with your position and disagree with some of the opinions offered myself, you must understand that the questions you offered REQUIRE an opinion to be answered. If you ask "what should", "how should", or "when should" questions, do not be surprised when opinions are brought to the table. www.WingsuitPhotos.com

Also worth noting is that if the twists are numerous enough, the lines will become locked and at that point you'll be unable to re-align your links. Which is why, as Chuck says, you want to align them as early as possible. www.WingsuitPhotos.com

That was apparently in a zoo cage as an experiment to teach an animal how to get food for himself. You push the button on the wall, and then that paddle thing dangling from the ceiling. Do that in the correct order, and a biscuit is dispensed. Later on in the show after Sawyer finally figured it out after a day of much trial and tribulation, the captor came by and commented snidely: "It only took the bears two hours to figure that out." Ha! So now maybe the humans are the experiment, which were previously trial run with animals? Skinner box www.WingsuitPhotos.com

Yet another good reason to keep your knee and anklebones touching, not just for the pull, but throughout the entire deployment process. It is very difficult to unevenly load your risers, with your knees and ankles clamped; try doing a harness turn like this sometime. www.WingsuitPhotos.com

Great point. It is even part of the BMI training program that if you think you can fix it, you UNZIP, then FIX. And in the video it is clear that Mark did try to untwist the lines (very briefly) before realizing he could not, and then cutting away. In his defense, the spin was not very severe when he was attempting to fix it, but it was not looking great either (it got worse near the end). But it was his choice. I know people have untwisted worse before. One other point of interest, at about 0:30 you can clearly see that the risers are very uneven... this is what makes the difference between spinning linetwists, and linetwists which fly straight. www.WingsuitPhotos.com