cobaltdan

"Most helmets provide pretty good protection from hitting the door on exit or being kicked or something in freefall, or having a bad landing where you hit your head. That's about all their for. I can't really think of any other use, other than mounting a camera to." for those of us that wear contacts, helmets also ensure a full face shield or that your goggles can not blow off. as someone that cant safely land without contacts i rarely jump without a helmet. also note: some boeri helmets have ventillation holes cut into them that have very sharp edges and a snap on the back as a snag point . when using them for skydiving you might want to put tape over these areas. sincerely, dan Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

two years ago we introduced our "space dart" at the pia symposium. it looked like a toy bomb measuring 3" in diameter tapering to an overall length of 8" with 4 tail fins. in the nose was located the weight , then electronics and then a packed 36" parachute. basically it contained a miniature aad and would deploy a tiny parachute if not retrieved. problem was it was not possible in small quantities to produce them under $500 each. we even worked on a version that would autonomoulsy fly itself back to the dz based on gps coordinates. we have since found home for our designed electronics and devices in several military products and have shelved our space darts. the idea of a mechanical design sounds great, and can be produced in a price range to make it desirable. good work guys sincerely, dan atair aerodynamics www.extremefly.com Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

dytters sample at only 4 hertz, they are incredible signalling devices but not highly accurate for dataloging critical jump information i.e. from test jumps or for record attemps. l&b does make a version of their protrack called a prolog aimed at test applications but althought they have done an incredible job of the software and math involved, it still suffers from the accuracy of the pressure sensor and sampling rate. several times during test jumps we stuffed a couple of prologs in next to our dataloggers. altitude data logged varied off up to several hundred feet and differed between both units. still nice for a matchbook sized back up... sincerely, dan Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

please reconsider a larger, base specific design canopy. i.e. a 245 troll, mojo, fox, etc...... be very selective with your choice of base instructor/mentor and equipment. sincerely, dan atair aerodynamics www.extremefly.com Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

robert & kathy, the equipment, and the course, all highly recommended! from the atair camp robert petnick, nenad pesault, simon mack and i all have gargoyle containers from morpheus (and of course trolls)... exceptional construction/design and imo the best looking rig around. sincerely, dan Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

i have seen jari and others pop up above the plane on exit when doing high speed passes on a casa. as far as diving and then gaining positive flight it is not possible with a wing suit without a serious trick. we dataloged 0 but only after a sustained dive with a piggyback passenger falling off just before pull up... sincerely, dan Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

most manufacuters will allow you to demo gear. some charge some do not. cobalts are free to demo for up to 2 weeks, but you pay for shipping. visit www.extremefly.com for our demo request form. sincerely, dan atair aerodynamics Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

cobalts have been landed straight in up to ~3.6#/' you should not have to hook a canopy to land it. sincerely, dan Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

bv covered it pretty well.... note: there are tso issues with most cutaway rigs and schemes. as such manufacturers will probably not lend out or rent their test rigs. there are 3 basic types: 1:extra parachute mounted on chest cliping on via extra d rings. only chest rounds reserves are legal, although sandy reid makes one for squares which i recommend. (safety first regulation second) 2:vertically stacked mains. i.e. strong 'trident' rig. looks like a normal rig reserve then main then experimental below. both the main and experimental use mini links connected to the same harness d ring. i do not like this system as i have seen it malfunction. in fact on a video with ted strong jumping as the test jumper. the experimental wouldnt release and he fought it all the way down in a spin. 3: horizontally stacked mains. basically the main container bottom is another 4 flaps concealing the back up main. (see video on our web site of the 500# c 120 test jumps) and also there is : 4: wear a harness under your rig connected to your exeperimental. bag your experimental out of the plane. sincerely, dan Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

if i didn't know better i would think you are joking about being shorter. at the recent SAFE symposium (military parachute and safety equipment) where we exhibited i was able to meet several of our us military test jumpers from china lake. 2 told me that they are a documented 1 1/2 " shorter as a result of spinal compression from test jumping. i though i was a test jumper unit i heard the incredible (crazy) stuff they test ! sincerely, dan www.extremefly.com Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

"That's an interesting concept but i'm not sure it's a very productive training method. At altitude, you can learn canopy control, but this is not specific to swooping." i dissagree, it is very productive: a huge part of swooping is your sense of balance, for lack of a better term. practicing up high will help you develop your sense of balance that tells you at what position in your arc you are. swooping is all about the perfect arc. with practice you can fly any canopy new or familiar and after a series of manuevers up high develop a sense for the canopy's movement in 3 dimensional space. you should be able to close your eyes, execute a turn to swoop, and know at what part of your arc you are, blind... newbie swoopers: up high in clear airspace, close your eyes and execute a turn to a level swoop, open your eyes and confirm you are not sinking or climbing/ practice until you have the feel ingrained. when beginning it is easier if you do not use a full face helmet so you can feel the wind on your face...this skill should be second nature before you transition to ground level swooping. remember visuals are of course very important for ground swooping, but they can fool you ! i.e we can all ride a bike blind folded, straight, in circles, etc... but someone can not ride without that learned sense of balance even with sight. to many people swoop canopies without fully learning the above sense of balance skill, with them it is only a matter of time before they get bit. be safe. sincerely, dan www.extremefly.com Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

"Stay far away from the ellipticals and look at a Sabre or the like. " this should read "stay away from canopies at wing loadings outside of your skill level". there are many elliptical canopies specifically designed for beginners now. the connotation of "elliptical" being synonymous with only twitchy high experience canopies is very out of date with modern technology. the only thing you can infer from only knowing a design is elliptical is simply that it is more efficient. weather a canopy is a student canopy or a high performance pocket rocket is a sum of many design variables. Any canopy that is does not use the exact same rib for every section is elliptical. Terms like ‘tapered’ or ‘semi elliptical’ are used by some manufacturers in attempt to avoid using the previously bad ‘elliptical’ word in conjunction with canopy designs that are focused towards beginners and intermediates. know that many ‘tapered’ canopies are far more elliptical than the most extreme pocket rockets. again the "extremeness" of a canopy is the sum of many design variables involved beyond just the planform. keep an open mind when it comes to old misconceptions, and listen to the manufacturers of the equipment. some common 9 cell canopies to be considered at 200 jumps: cobalt, safire, sabre2, hornet, etc. Sincerely, dan atair aerodynamics www.extremefly.com Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

i am the biggest fan of jeanie and bonehead composites !!!!! that said i jump a hawkeye, only because it fits me better than the bonehead. i have had it for several years and i'am very happy with it. sincerely, dan Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

yes, quality raw footage on dv please or high quality stills. sincerely, dan Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

i fractured my c6 on opening with a sabre 135. this is why i became involved in the industry: to design a safer softer opening parachute. sincerely, dan atair aerodynamics www.extremefly.com Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

we have experimented with (and are still experimenting with) spectra over braided aramids. but there are many issues with designing such a hybrid line. i.e. load distribution between core and cladding, fill or braided core, mismatches in coefficients of thermal expansion, mismatches in elasticity, abraision between core and cladding, termination method, etc... sincerely, dan Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

the contest footage is to be used in promotional material as such we are looking for footage. you need not own a cobalt to enter only submit original footage. film your cobalt friend, or borrow a canopy... sincerely, dan www.extremefly.com Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

Photo Video Contest Atair Aerodynamics is having a photo-video contest. First Prize: Atair Canopy of your choice !!! Multiple other prizes from discounts to embroidered shirts. To enter submit your quality footage of cobalts on a dv tape. Openings, Swoops, Formations, Canopy flybys, etc... footage may be of low wingload or high wingload canopies. exceptional still photo's are also admissible. first prise will be awarded by a raffle. everone has an equal chance of wining. all other prizes will be awarded based on merit. if we receive enough submissions before december 7th. we will announce the prizes at the pia symposium. if not we will conclude the contest early next season. please ship tapes to : Atair Aerodynamics 160 Coffey street Brooklyn NY 11231 718-923-1709 ph 718-923-1733 fx spread the word & good luck ! Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

Photo Video Contest Atair Aerodynamics is having a photo-video contest. First Prize: Atair Canopy of your choice !!! Multiple other prizes from discounts to embroidered shirts. To enter submit your quality footage of cobalts on a dv tape. Openings, Swoops, Formations, Canopy flybys, etc... footage may be of low wingload or high wingload canopies. exceptional still photo's are also admissible. first prise will be awarded by a raffle. everone has an equal chance of wining. all other prizes will be awarded based on mer

a note on wing zippers: many frequently unzip. i solved the problen by stitching on a small tab of velcro. i have seen other people use a small rubber band... attached is a pic of simon when his wing unziped during deployment. btw. he sorted the canopy and landed it fine... sincerely, dan Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

on my 3rd skyflyer jump i was playing monkey see monkey do witha friend. while trying to fly over then under him i fliped on my back and bumped. i went into a flat spin. it was definately freaky and my solution was the same. arching did not help and fliping over was not working so i balled up and rolled over at the same time, then went back to an arch then track. balling up definately works. sincerely, dan Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

chris, we were making prototype canopies with hma long before you heard of the stuff. i have since a couple years ago received quantity samples and full technical papers on technora direct from the japenese manufacturer teijin. whereas they have made a great improvement upon previous material, i still have some founded reservations. as such we will simply have to agree to dissagree. sincerely, dan Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

i think the best bang for your buck is probably consew... we use all new pfaff's and juki's and would definately recommend them. sincerely, dan Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

please read the faq page on our web site. it has a lot of geat information that you may not know. beyond that if your openings are fine but occasionally have a suprise, check your packing (or your hand placement during opening(read the faq page)). rolling the tail tight is important and most often ignored. grab the tail about 1.5 ' down from the lines when propacking and roll >tight< you should be able to roll at least 10 times. keep control of the tail through the rest of the pack job, i.e. dont throw it down and pack in such a way that it unrolls under your cacoon. if you think your openings are too slow. my sugestion is their probably not and simply get used to them and enjoy. or if you need to speed the opening simply touch your rear risers. as far as twists immediately check your links. level them and the canopy will always fly stable and straight. let me know. sincerely, dan Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

i'm with the 2 alarm club. 1 break off 2 pull if i ever hear the third its: 3 last chance to chop and pull reserve. sincerely, dan Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)