frost

nobody knows...

holy shit man. Weren't you verticaling 10 foot gates in perfect wind conditions just a few months ago? Great job man, proud of you. Beek, sorry bro. I got a new personal hero. His name is G 2 tha W. Put me inline to be his wife, toy, gimp... whatever. But guys... i am in awe, once again... Respect to Jay Mo! How many years and how many consistent results, first places? The greatest swooper of all times. He is the real Michael Phelps of swooping

Yes. Yes they do. Thats because they are not cowards like all the Americans. They know what they are doing. They've been doing martial arts and racing motorcycles all their life. Their reaction is great, they are in tune with their body. The laws of gravity and physics simply do not apply to them. After all, they've logged more then 100 jumps or even have a D license!! MADNESS. Normal people dont believe me. I've heard of and seen first hand European skydivers with 150 jumps on small ellipticals @ 1.6, 200 @ 1.8 and 400-500 on x-braced at @ 2+ . I've also heard of one guy with less then 100 jumps on a VX80-something... And telling people that they are making a mistake or anything they dont want to hear is a complete waste of time. As most of people that have tried know. So now i try to set them straight once, and if i see the attitude like this i say: buddy, you just go ahead and do what you want, ok? you're a grown man and can make your own decisions. I just try to avoid these jackasses and try not to be on the same load as them much as possible.

GW you're funny, keep posting man, thanks for the updates. P.S. Can someone take a pic of GW with a sign "I should have joined the Navy!" when he is asleep, like they did on the PD Blog? I know i know, GW doesnt sleep, he waits, like Chuck Norris.

Just for the record, i agree with people's comparisons of the two canopies. This is what i wrote to Shane in PM yesterday, slightly edited:

With the exception of the first line, these are a bunch of statements not really based on reality JVX openings are NOT the best on the market. Not all JVX/Velo owners would say that, only closed minded or inexperienced ones would. And finally... it's not the JVX that's taking out records. It's the guy under it... and he is trying to get under the velo I promise you, one shouldn't make a choice of his canopy based on which one holds the record (and record for what?). You should pick the canopy based on your piloting experience and flying style. AFTER you had a chance to try them all out.

It's not unlike a mangina. Kinda like 2 girls 1 cup or BME Pain Olympics. You dont want to look but you cant stop... it's like "eeww.. really? oh... god, thats awful... argh........ Can you rewind that?"

Mike McGowan took this during the USPA Nationals 2008 in AZ

if it fits, it will probably be a pretty tight fit... For a reference an 87 JVX hybrid (top/bottom sail) fit snugly in a Mirage G3 M1, designed for a 120-150 sq ft canopies range.

Please take caution in giving advance piloting advice at your level of experience to another student skydiver. For someone with so few jumps, trying to land a canopy on rears after snapping a steering line just might end their world.

Rather then trusting advice of people on the internet I'd suggest educating yourself to know why people here say "dont worry about breaking a steering line if it's in good condition". Do some research about your gear in general. In this case about the strength of various line types and what their names (Vectran 700, for example) mean. Hint: that'll give you an idea of how much force you'd have to put on it to have a chance of breaking a fresh steering line. Trusting your instructor? In certain things, yes of course. And even then, not blindly. And only if you dont want to trust yourself and find it easier to trust someone else. Just like opening the door and jumping out without looking down first when the green light comes on ;)

Good for you. Then please explain to me how is using one's GI College fund (which, may i remind you, is paid for and earned by the veteran himself) for a VA accredited course (should a tunnel or skydiving rating become such) is taking away from you as a proud American and a law abiding tax payer? No matter how long or short that career may be.

I am forced to admit defeat.... Here is a draft of my concession speech:

To be able to use GI Bill one has to earn it first. The guy who is going to use it to get tunnel certified served his country to earn his GI Bill money. What have YOU done to be "proud to be an American" other then (involuntarily) have the IRS take 30+% of your paycheck?

your chest strap is a worthy opponent. But ... why is it so short? http://maxf.net/~vadim/albums/june21-2008/08_G.jpg http://www.linestretch.net/2008/Nats-08%20(319).jpg http://www.linestretch.net/2008/Nats-08%20(320).jpg

Really! Good to know i always thought of 300 as a much weaker line. but then why do 300s break so easily as compared to 350s?

thats the spirit. Blame the other "forengers" for your issues. that's all? My baby brother in kindergarten drank that much vodka over a two day drinking binge once. He died from alcohol poisoning, of course, but he only weighed 120 lbs when he was 5... he was the smallest in the family. Me too. But visually, at a quick glance i couldnt tell the difference right away between HMA 350 and 500...and vectran 500 looks a bit thicker then HMA 500, to me at least. Just that leads me to believe that there is a bit of a gain from drag reduction.

you need to lay off of that Texas moonshine, my capitalist friend. but he was on 300's, 350 is considerably stronger and has longer life. but if you still have concerns, i'd go with HMA 500, however I have also heard two reports of breakage on those lines with about 200 jumps...

You DONT need to cut the strap off. Remove the padding then fold and put a couple of stitches to hold the strap to fit your hand. It will fit in the cookie box just fine.

keep an eye on this link: http://www.omniskore.com/comp/2008/usnats/vrw/open.asp

vRW at the USPA Nationals 2008 Mandarin 40 points!! (two busts) Arsenal 34 points (one bust)

That's RIGHT! i forgot!! OK, I RE-extended my chest strap and got the JVX back. Cancel the retirement party, hold the gold watch... til next year.

Highly unlikely man. I already cut the chest strap down to normal size... i dont deserve to have the longest one in the world. Also pulled out my old Mirage to accommodate my new canopy which will be in the 150 sq. foot range. It's done. I'm retired.

... hopefully will lead that fresh new jumper onto the righteous path towards Canopy Piloting Greatness... And me? well, I am browsing classifieds now for a used Spectre 150...