Pendragon

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Everything posted by Pendragon

  1. Pendragon
    Try not fully mating the velcro on the shrivel flap, particularly if it's new. BTW - 28" is quite small for a wingsuit. As Yuri_base has demonstrated theoretically, you would need to upsize by 1 size in a BASE environment for a wingsuit. Incidentally, all my wingsuit BASE experience has been with a 36", taking c. 40s delays (so I am terminal) in a V-1. Also, check so see that you've sewn the shrivel flap to the bridle at the end closest to the pins. As for skydiving with the BASE pouch, you can secure the PC more than adequately - you just have to be careful, and also check it right before exit. -- BASE #1182 Muff #3573 PFI #52; UK WSI #13
  2. Pendragon
    Yeah, who is that guy dangling from that nice canopy looking like a hairdresser on holiday? -- BASE #1182 Muff #3573 PFI #52; UK WSI #13
  3. Pendragon
    When you track on your back (no wingsuit), you get the best lift by tilting your head right back and looking more in the direction that you're going in than back at your toes. That doesn't work in a wingsuit - you go head down as your suit follows your head. Best position in the wingsuit is to pull your bum up; imagine you're lying on your back on the ground, pushing down on your heels, the back of your shoulders and the back of your wrists. Don't tilt your head back as much as you would for a tracking dive; rather just keep your spine and neck straight (ish), and maybe look up slightly at the person that's above and flocking with you. Should help!
  4. Pendragon
    Not entirely. One reason why people rush to the 1.0-1.2 mark is because they're fed up going backwards when the uppers are strong! An apparent rush to downsize from there can be ego, or just an enthusiastic canopy pilot. -- BASE #1182 Muff #3573 PFI #52; UK WSI #13
  5. Pendragon
    I'd stop doing that right now. It's toggle whipping, and it gives you a poor swoop, but it's dangerous as you don't have any recourse should you be slightly too low. Ideally you shouldn't need to be performing little corrections on finals either, just stick to your lane. If you're going to perform ANY manouvre in order to accelerate your canopy from normal flying speed to land, go and speak with the guys on your DZ who might know what they're doing. The ones that fly those "pillowcase" canopies, as you put it, might be a good start. -- BASE #1182 Muff #3573 PFI #52; UK WSI #13
  6. Pendragon
    I personally think you can "underload" a canopy. I don't mean that from a negative flight or opening characteristic (unless you're at an extreme end), rather that you get the downsides of a more extreme canopy (eg, less predictable openings, behaviour in line twists etc) without getting the full upside benefits that the canopy can offer, and they can be more difficult / dangerous to learn high performance landings on, should you choose to do so. Why have a crossfire2 @1.4 when you can have a Safire2 @ 1.4? Why use a rear-engined sports car for commuting around town at 30mph? -- BASE #1182 Muff #3573 PFI #52; UK WSI #13
  7. Pendragon
    Oh, you've discovered the "smacking" thing! Women are exempt from that one... they just have to make pancakes with cottage cheese. I presume Csaber and the others got you very, very drunk? -- BASE #1182 Muff #3573 PFI #52; UK WSI #13
  8. Pendragon
    That's not unusual for many containers, and is to do with the shape and pack volume? Ever considered a PD Optima? Then you could have a 190-ish sized reserve. BTW - Sorry, but you're absolute level of experience (and likely levels of currency - you sound like you go on trips, do a lot for a short time and then leave gaps) make a 1.6 lbs/sq ft loaded main a less desirable option, let alone the reserve choice. Incidentally, one generally lands reserves: (a) in high stress situations, (b) almost never where they expected to land when they got out the aircraft. -- BASE #1182 Muff #3573 PFI #52; UK WSI #13
  9. Pendragon
    There's other effects to be considered here, not just air density, but humidity as well. Moist air is less dense than dry air (Molecular weight of H2O=18; N2=28), so on that basis you would expect places like southern Florida to behave like they were at higher altitude. Wrong! Humidity also changes the viscosity of air, increasing induced drag and shortening the recovery arc. So actually, humid conditions will lower, rather than raise, the initiation altitude. -- BASE #1182 Muff #3573 PFI #52; UK WSI #13
  10. Pendragon
    Was that the tandem fly-by you showed me where the wake turbulence from your wingsuit caused a nice flutter in the leading edge of the tandem canopy? -- BASE #1182 Muff #3573 PFI #52; UK WSI #13
  11. Pendragon
    With you there. Let's leave the Stilletto out of any comparisions; its a high performance canopy not designed with swooping in mind and is sensitive to toggle input. Let's face it, it's much safer starting on a Safire2 or Sabre2 at 1.4 than a Katana at 1.4. Indeed, shorter recovery arcs can be useful when digging. IMHO - and I'm keen to know what others think - you only get the benefits of a longer recovery arc when you perform bigger rotations. So what I initiate at 400ft on a Velo rather than 200ft on a Safire2? I can easily bail at any time, despite having only 200ft. Newbie swoopers shouldn't do more than a 90 for a while IMHO - too disorientating! -- BASE #1182 Muff #3573 PFI #52; UK WSI #13
  12. Pendragon
    Personally, I think you'll be fine. Providing you are confident that you can always land where you want on a straight-in, take cross-wind and even down-wind landings if you need to on your current canopy, you shouldn't need to upsize. Just bear in mind though that if you start on the road towards high performance landings, you'll be on a less forgiving wing. That said, a 1.3 w/l isn't out of the way for starting that kind of stuff. Do get a brief before doing anything below 1,000 ft though! -- BASE #1182 Muff #3573 PFI #52; UK WSI #13
  13. Pendragon
    Hey all, I'm flying to Melbourne on business on Monday 9th June and hope to get some jumping in the following weekend. I presume Nagambie is the biggest in the area, although I won't have a car. I realise that it's winter down-under, although I doubt it can be any worse than the current British summer! Anyone got any suggestions for a weekend or could give me a lift to a DZ? I'll be looking to jump Sat/Sun 14/15th June. Are any of the more local DZs around Melbourne any good? I'm into freeflying, swooping, wingsuits... Got >1,000 jumps, USPA and BPA "D"s etc. Oh, I can bring duty frees in liu of helping me out Thanks! Richard -- BASE #1182 Muff #3573 PFI #52; UK WSI #13
  14. Pendragon
    Caravans. Always been sat up by the pilot, on the floor. Not really given an option by others to sit anywhere else usually. You're right, it is a right pain though - especially since it's not an option to leave the leg wing undone on a Caravan. Usually get around being so cramped if I'm wearing a big suit by keeping my legs together. Something like an Acro (where the leg wing is much shorter) it's less of a problem. -- BASE #1182 Muff #3573 PFI #52; UK WSI #13
  15. Pendragon
    I think I can see where your friend may be coming from, but I don't think the answer is particularly important since you will probably move to higher rotations in time. Besides, snappy 90s may entice you to initiate lower, which will also cut your safety margin. Avoid doing this. In case you weren't aware, Ian Drennan is a well respected canopy coach. Do what he suggests! A lot of canopy coaches seem to teach the steadily increasing turn rate now. -- BASE #1182 Muff #3573 PFI #52; UK WSI #13
  16. Pendragon
    I totally agree with Ian. For example, a 270 degree turn on a crossbrace could reasonably lose 500-800ft in height at sea level, dependent on turn rate etc. The way I see it (and from recent personal experience) is that the problem new swoopers have to overcome is two-fold: 1) Developing consistency in the turn performed to actually match the "beep" height 2) Being able to continually assess the progress of the dive with a good sight-picture to make the correct adjustments, without getting overly distracted by or fixated on things on the ground (e.g. gates) - and knowing when to bail, if that is only option left Audibles and other forms of electronic aids are great - although surely their introduction should be correctly monitored by a coach? -- BASE #1182 Muff #3573 PFI #52; UK WSI #13
  17. Pendragon
    Is it just me or have I heard that many, many times? Maybe you will, but I doubt it... and if you take up swooping seriously, you may quite reasonably go for something smaller. -- BASE #1182 Muff #3573 PFI #52; UK WSI #13
  18. Pendragon
    Just an aside - what you feel comfortable with now (given level of currency, canopy type etc) may change in the future (lay-off, canopy downsize etc). Similarly, landing on rears if you're on a Manta 250 at 0.8 lbs/sq ft is very different to a Katana 109 @ 1.8! Ian's solution is likely to be the "play-safe" option. -- BASE #1182 Muff #3573 PFI #52; UK WSI #13
  19. Pendragon
    I've probably got too much on too, but I'd also like to second Jarno's thoughts on the Hungarian boogie. The organisers are very welcoming, know how to party... and Kaposvár has great weather that time of year (it was mid 30s Celcius last year, and blue skies all day ) You won't be disappointed if you go! Richard -- BASE #1182 Muff #3573 PFI #52; UK WSI #13
  20. Pendragon
    I'm just curious as to why anyone would wish to jump such a canopy at less than 1.6? By that I'm not suggesting such a rash downsize, rather why go for the complications when you won't get the full benefits? Wouldn't a Safire2/Sabre2 be a better choice at such a w/l? Besides (and the Lead may be) shouldn't an individual be in a position whereby they're nailing 270s before going onto such a planform (if swooping is the objective?) That's what I was doing on a Safire2 129 @ 1.6 before moving to a xfire2 109 @ 1.8 Just thoughts... -- BASE #1182 Muff #3573 PFI #52; UK WSI #13
  21. Pendragon
    An observation: When wingsuits first came out, little was known in the wider skydiving community about them and the risks involved (apart from a few scare stories I'm sure). So BirdMan (probably amongst others) put together a series of recommendations on currency/min levels of experience in order to fly one. These have been now almost universally adopted as, from what you say, there haven't been many life-endangering incidents and no-one can see the need to change a system that basically works. OTOH, most countries have few (if any) restrictions on the canopy that a jumper can fly. As already pointed out earlier in this thread, it's accidents under canopy that are responsible for most injures/fatalities right now, argubly most likely involving people using canopies with a performance envelope outside of their experience range. -- BASE #1182 Muff #3573 PFI #52; UK WSI #13
  22. Pendragon
    Rolf does not really approve of BASE, let alone wingsuit BASE. Besides, I'd multiply your wingsuit jumps by about 10 first... but you know that. -- BASE #1182 Muff #3573 PFI #52; UK WSI #13
  23. Pendragon
    Sounds like a good idea. There's a cross-over from flying high performance parachute wings... and speedflying isn't paragliding either -- BASE #1182 Muff #3573 PFI #52; UK WSI #13
  24. Pendragon
    What you need is: 1) Forget about the money 2) Go somewhere warm 3) Do a whole bunch of coached jumps with an instructor over a few days, but not more than 6/8 a day. You'll need a whole load more than you think to nail head-down! Oh, and btw, if after taking you out on a jump the coach suggests that you should spend a season on your feet and come back next year, do so. -- BASE #1182 Muff #3573 PFI #52; UK WSI #13
  25. Pendragon
    I saw that trailer during some football match on NBC. I thought I recognised that wingsuit! -- BASE #1182 Muff #3573 PFI #52; UK WSI #13