greybeard

Question: When manifesting for a wingsuit flight with a rodeo, and or freefly video, should manifest be noting for the pilot and ground control that more than one soul is involved in the wingsuit flight?

Good points and good positive responses, all above. Perhaps I'm just a little frustrated with being the only regular ws fun jumper at my dz. There is some terrific experience and skill around, but those folk are otherwise occupied with other responsibilities. The rare occasion I've had to jump other than solo in the past twelve months, have been with visiting experienced ws. My home dz is not so small that you couldn't expect to find five or ten ws jumpers on any given weekend. But, they are just not there. Is it the economy, I wonder. Many regular rw and ff fun jumpers say they would love to try ws. In Perris memorial weekend, I jumped with at least six first timers, and saw six or eight more experiment with first or second, or third ws jumps. No charge for anything. Now that's "spreading the love", and that's marketing. I got started because, after asking around, I was offered the unlimited use of a suit, anytime. "Just help yourself, and have fun"! And with Betsy's enthusiasm and guidance, encouragement and instruction from the local experienced staff, I got hooked on ' the nylon crack'. (Thanks all you devious dealers of depravity.) I'm not so sure I would spend $ today to make a first flight. I talk to lots of weekend fun jumpers that might take the plunge were it not for the $. I'm damn sure now that $ are worth spending for advanced instruction such as being offered in Eloy in October. This all seems to me a tough situation, and I do not have any answers to the many questions. I do think that the primary force in place may be the dz itself, hoping to keep safety the first focus. This is good! HELP I NEED SOMEBODY ANYBODY TO FLOCK WITH.

McDonalds had to promote and sell the fast food idea to it's customers before they could actualize the business as a profitable entity. Az Airspeed won some competitions and promoted the hell out of their sport and themselves, then they were able to market a product. It seems to me that wingsuit flying is still a very, very small niche in average dropzone business. And, begining with the $ cost for so called 'certification', i.e. BMI, the horse may be getting a little ahead of the cart, so to speak. I think that the availability and enthusiasm of Chuck, Jari, Betsy, et al, is fantastic. I hope it encourages and promotes great numbers for all of us to enjoy. I also fear that, the weekend jumper sees the $ as a barrier. I just don't see where the new customer base is coming from to justify these early (in the age of ws everyday dz flight) costs. I do understand how great it is to make a living on a drop zone. I also understand that you must create a market before you can harvest one. The market is just not there yet. More investment must be made. Sorry to those who are looking for a glory hole, it aint there yet.

I'm calling for a huge "HOORAH" for vectorboy. That last post was a great start onto what I've been enjoying most about this whole evolution in sky flight. All the due respect for the suit manufactures and sales oriented folk aside. The crux of the wingsuit era now upon us is the flock. The fun and pure joy of flight together. Hells bells, I had as much fun just watching bill & amy launch together and grab air as my own launch. This wingsuit thing, ( flying v/s falling ) can and will surley evolve as those of us current, present it to the rest of the sky community, as a fun and fantastic social flocking thing. Lets let safety be the premier prerequisite.

Ditto Vectoboy and Manbird. This does amount to a sit, but only in the understanding of the projectory. The relative sit on deployment the rw flyers understand is only a slight dementional degree to the true deployment sequence of wingsuit flight, dependent on a number of factors. To the newby, probably a OK senerio. Vectorboy, you are the luckiest soul to have found your ripcord after the time and space elapsed. Cool!

Is that chuck blue on Parachutist mag cover?

Seems like yesterday, my kids were break dancing and jiving in the eighties. I was coaching little league baseball and listening to oldies Simon and Garfunkle. "Looking for fun and feelin GROOVY!

Akido, a life study.

Phi is a code name for all you well read mathematicians and historians. 'Sophia' is deaper code. Well done!

Thanks, You nailed it! When I'm balls to the wall, I'm most fluid and stable. I can grab the air like turning on afterburners. When I try to rw adjust to others, I find the slip and slide. I will concentrate on the de-arch. My suit actually has two extra inches of span at the bootie, so I have a lot of extra drive when I need it. Gotta play his weekend, I'm thinking the knees may be the clue to control I'm looking for. And the de-arch which is a bit abnormal to my 14 years of rw belly flying. Thanks for the advise, anything else comes to mind, forward. Always open to insight. Mark

Please elaborate Lou! Suggestions for keeping up with the flock without dropping low.

Given that, can you recommend a body position that would enable more control? Knees, shoulders, elbows, hands, center arch point????? Thanks

excellent questions and excellent answers. I learned from both. Thanks THE111 and VECTORBOY. I've been wrestling with stability in max flight. Finally got deployment stable issues down. While in controlled rw I've underestimated the flight envelope of GTI and CLASSICs and perhaps overestimated the capabilities of the S3. Granted, the flight skills of the S3 pilots amaze me, the pilots in the GTI and CLASSICs seam more relaxed and stable than I in my SKYFLYER I. I've been very prone to swing left and right, level and on heading, but unable to stop the lateral transition when expected. I'm going to try the 'elbow down', deflection as apposed to hands and total extended arm deflection. THE111, don't worry too much about the neurotic, gear issues. Their are all good, but if what's working is working is working, don't fix it.

Roger that Erika, Arizona is on the look out.

Regards the earnings lost to general aviation in particular skydiving operations, while G W Bush attended the Daytona stock car race. Your insurance company should have a "interuption of business" clause and based on a "civil authorities action" clause, be liable to reimburse the lost revenue. Go for it.

Bryce and Betsy can show you the wild side. ( That crazy freestyle stuff). For plain ole fun , join up with teamflail for rw and a bunch of great ff folk always looking for new friends. Come enjoy the sun.

Right, very cagey, intrepid Vectorboy. Pioneered HALO mid sixties, can't say anymore unless you already know. 'If you remember, you weren't there'. 5x5 mike III .

What about SOG? Haven't heard that in while.

Eric Frohm wrote that any two people can marry and devote themselves to each other forever. The species we belong to is designated to mate for life. Defined as such. Been with my mate for 35 years, married 28 years. Some times she really pisses me off! I love her more than myself. Ever notice that folk you couldn't care less about, never spark the emotions of love or anger! I've taught my three kids to never say, "he made me mad", or "he made me do this or that". I explained that that is admitting the "he" has some power over you. How could you let someone else have the power over your intellect and emotions. Be the captain of your ship. The paradox is in a marital relationship, where-in two souls are entwined in such a way as to interfere with the individualistic, independent, existence. Deal with it, it's worth the work. .

Congrats DUECE!! I told you, 'You are "world class" dude'. This proves it!

Zenister, how about and early wingsuit flock, sat 14 th. See ya then and there! Mark

I'm visiting Texas and looking for some flocking sunday, Feb 1.

visiting in austin this week, looking for some birdmen and babes to flock with sunday feb 1.

Welcome to the flock .Onward and upward and forward. Soar on and have fun, spread the word!.

you are absolutely correct. Unless monkeys fly.