frost

Very simple - because it gets the job of putting a combat soldier onto a hostile LZ done in the most efficient and simple way. has nothing to do with cost.

indeed. Regular altitude for (US) paratroopers is 800 feet, "fun jumps" are made from 1200 feet, combat are from 500 or below and i dont even think any modifications are required for T-10's for that.... I heard stories that on real combat jumps a reserve was an option. Most preferred to carry more ammo. :) But this was a stunt for a movie, a very dangerous and a very well executed one, worthy of respect :) The planes in the shot are an An-2 and a Wilga (polish plane, not sure of the model).

Low altitude jump (~330 feet) with a round parachute. Performed by local professional jumper during filming of an action movie at DZ Volosovo, Russia. http://dz-volosovo.ru/index/MOV04780.MPG

I dont really compete... but i am guessing a win is a win... or so they say. I would be happy with a win, knowing that i can do better. Whenever you best yourself you should be happy. Even if the overall placement is not so good. ...or were these rhetorical questions? :)

kinda cliche... but I certainly agree that this is true for NON-competing folks. But in competition it's a different story. Then you ARE comparing your skills against others' (or they are being compared for you) - thats the nature of competition.

Sorry for offtopic, dont want to get into semantics... but there are PLENTY 1000 jump wonders that have way more experience, thinking ability and common sense then some 2-3 thousand jump "wonder-how-they-still-alive" 10 year veterans. It only takes 10 years to get 10 years experience if you're filling out a job resume. Again, there are many many great new swoopers that have achieved in 3-4 years what took others 15. One can say the "noobs" were following the footsteps of the experienced... i'll say oh well, thats progress. back to original topic... This whole "WORLD" team thing smells fishy to me. "Exclusive Forums"? "No access to non-members"? "Come ask this question at CanopyPiloting.com"... Secret team memberships, stealth leather suits... Wow i mean are there any psychologists here? Please tell me what this looks like? Megalomania, delusions of grandeur or just simple click forming?

I think this may be the one: http://www.nzaerosports.com/reg%20opening%202.MPG

Could you take some pics of it when you get a chance? Thanks

I got to make 8 jumps on a hybrid JVX-87 loaded at ~2.65:1. First impressions seem to go along the lines of what have been already said and reviewed many times before, so most of what i say below is a repeat of what you have already heard or read elsewhere. Packing: Hybrid 87 fits into a Mirage G3-M1 very nicely. For this size/type i would not advise a container smaller then an M1. It is somewhat of a pain to pack, some of this due to the HUGE slider and offset slider stops, some due to resistant sail material. But this was manageable and will become easier with more practice i am sure. Openings: Tried a few different suggestions (thanks marks and others who have posted the packing tips). In general the openings at terminal ARE softer then VX. But not smooth like say Neos or x-fire might be. I found that NOT doing anything to the nose resulted in much more on-heading openings. Medium roll of the tail seemed best too. It DOES dive and fly like a fighter jet. I think that heavy loading definitely contributes to it. Different from VX, recovery arc seemed similar to a Velocity. And it's fast - at full flight my optima was going off with a freefall alarm:) Rears are very strong on the JVX. As expected, I did have to bring up the turn about 100-120 feet. On the second jump landing it on rears was as natural as on any of my VXs. Of course I still have dial the JVX in, so i cant really comment on other aspects of the flight like distance etc., but one thing is for sure it did go further then my VX97 loaded at ~ 2.36:1. I get my longest runs on VX111 loaded @ ~2.1:1, but i cant compare it just yet, since i have a lot more jumps on VX111 My main concern was and still is the efficiency of a smaller AND much higher loaded wing going the same distance as a bigger lighter loaded one. I cant say conclusively at this point, but i do have high expectations of the hybrid JVX to go that distance. Hopefully as i put more jumps on it and figure out the technique - it will. Next thing is to get rid of that monster slider. Yuck. For 3 grand i'd expect an RDS to be included :) My x-braced experience: 1000 jumps on VXs (90% on VX-111) 150 on Xaos-21 120 50-60 on velocities (120, 111, 103) Current canopies: VX-111 and VX-97 Thanks to everyone who has given me good tips and info in the PM conversations.

Chill bro. Nobody is slamming you or calling you names, that would be a waste of time. May be you took it the wrong way? I dont think it was debating or criticizing the technique or people that use it. If it was a criticism, then it was a criticism of the rules, allowing pilots to get out of the gates that high. Also, when you say "why are people debating it?" you make a mistake. Why not debate and question the rules? Consider the weight advantage/disadvantage issue last year. Remember how there were various points of view on that issue? You didnt HAVE to use the weights, but people chose to use it to get better results. In the end, the rules were changed. I think whats kinda started happening in this post is a discussion of possibly requiring the swooper to stay inside the gates, keeping the swoop what it should be (in some people's mind) - a level flight.

Why? To prove what? What about those who have no desire to compete? Are they not as experienced in various aspects of canopy flight not limited to swooping as the guys on PST?

You know i thought the same for a long time and still kinda do - i will always admire a nice straight style swoop just a little more then a pop-up "distance" flight... but i do think that this technique has a right to exist and should not be looked down upon. May be looking at "competition" swooping as stock car racing is a good analogy... There is nothing "stock" about it. Distance is just another discipline in competitive swooping...

how do you measure these distances? Gates?

i think most of the times majority of swoopers doesn't go for the distance style swoop (talking about that competition pop up technique after gate entry). Most of the times it's a straight swoop right? And those will always be shorter then the distance competition style swoop. I'd guess average distances are anywhere from 200 to 350 feet for most people.

It takes me about 10-15 seconds to collapse and stow my non-removable slider on the ball attached to the yoke of my container, and that is when i take the time to roll it really tight. I am guessing I could rubber band it to the ball in 5 seconds after I have full canopy over my head if i didnt care to roll it much. Granted i have done it many many times, and even still there are times when i tumble it and it takes me longer. It also takes me about 5-10 seconds to pull the RDS slider off, open the zipper and shove into my suit. Sometimes longer if the slider folded funny after it came down and i have to find the release cables. I may be wrong but i think it's safe to say that speed of removal is an added benefit, not a main feature of RDS sliders. If that's the ONLY reason you want an RDS... then you should give practicing stowing the slider behind your head another chance.

So which one is it? To buy or not to buy? :) hey did you ever think of more practice for stowing the slider? I mean it's not that hard, man, everyone does it and it takes about the same amount of time as it does to remove it. Plus free practice is always better then spending money. BTW, if you want to avoid a voice of reason (Spizzzarko, in this case) - there is always the option of adding another zero to your jump numbers and nobody will ever question your reason to get RDS. Instant respect and a state of bliss. :)

Thanks for the reply man, i know it's hard to compare with just a few jumps, so I appreciate the info. It was helpful. Overall, I just wanted to see what folks with JVXs feel is the best wingloading for this wing and for what discipline. Oh and also does anyone jump a sail JVX to terminal full time?

I kinda asked this in the other post... For those that have dialed in the JVX: What's the preferred loading for it? Does it matter what type it is (ZP or hybrid) Are there preferred loadings for distance and speed for JVX? Spizzzarko: your 89 is loaded @ ~2.6 right? Do you feel like you need more? For what, distance or speed? I know you need a few dozen more jumps on it to be able to answer this better, but still... Thanks

1) Good job Nick. As someone who's seen Nick swoop in person I can tell you that he is one hell of a good canopy pilot. The boy will be challenging Jeffro and TJ on the freestyle circuit for years to come. Plus the boy can pilot a canopy farther than I likely ever will. 2) The JVX is an awesome wing (I don't think there is a single person out there who has tried it who has said it is a lousy wing). But as we have seen time after time, it is the pilot first and the wing second. English comprehension must be different in Canada. Eh?

I love it when people talk about themselves in third person. LOL SoFPiDaRF - School of Fast Progress in Downsizing and Radical Flying. Because nobody knows your skills better than you.

I did a quick calculation, his 89 is loaded @ ~2.6 (2.58)... so he'd be loading an 84 at ~2.7... Are you saying that's the preferred loading for a JVX? Any type or hybrid only? Are there preferred loadings for distance/speed for JVX?

Here are the pics of my 30 second dive loop mod. No cutting no sewing, no headache :) http://public.fotki.com/tefloncoated/skydiving_-_rigging/dsc00125.html http://public.fotki.com/tefloncoated/skydiving_-_rigging/dsc00124.html http://public.fotki.com/tefloncoated/skydiving_-_rigging/dsc00123.html

Free, easy and quick methods that you can do yourself are always best in my book :) Take the free portion of the dive loop, roll it or fold it and tape with 2 thin pieces of gaffer's tape 5-6 inches long at the top and bottom of the loop. Middle will stay flat and fold in place when packed, but when deployed the loops will be free and easy to find and grab without looking. I will post a few pics later if the description was not clear enough.

Elisha is never spelled Elijah, these were two different people. In fact Elisha was Elijah's disciple

ignorance is bliss Elisha was the name of a Biblical prophet