kkeenan

I think everyone who jumped with Brad misses him. As to his wearing of a helmet, I agree with you, it almost certainly wouldn't have helped. It (CYPRES wearing) all comes down to personal pref., and you have stated your quite eloquently, as always. In your case, I think that hitting a King Air tail, or dunking a basketball, are remote possibilities... kevin _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

Psycho Pack works great. Kevin _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

All new and retrofitted CYPRES units are RF shielded to keep those signals out. Statistical occurrences of misfires are so low as to be virtually nonexistant. Rewards outweigh the risks. Edit your book. Kevin _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

Ever since Brad Foster, one of the toughest and most bulletproof CRWDogs I've ever known, whacked his head on a King Air stabilizer and went in, I've jumped a CYPRES on my CRW rig. It's hard to point to a downside for an AAD in CRW. If you are descending at 70 MPH at 700 ft., I can't think of how having your reserve activated can worsen your situation. I know you didn't want the pros/cons of a CRW AAD, but I couldn't stop myself. kevin ToadSucker 46 _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

http://www.floridatoday.com/!NEWSROOM/localstoryA3282181065667660A.htm _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

I have very little wingsuit experience. I have, however, been in several Bird-Dog jumps on the CRW end, including the first ones a few years ago at Quincy. For anyone not familiar, that is a fly-by of a big CRW formation by one or more wingsuit flyers. As long as everyone involved understands that one of these jumps is the airborne equivalent of having William Tell shoot an apple off your head, then it is a case of informed risk. I read an account written by someone who was standing on the bridge at Royal Gorge. It is an understatement to say that the impact was devastating. I think that anyone who witnessed that accident would be very reluctant to act as a human racing pylon. Wingsuit flight is a lot like making a Space Shuttle approach. You can go left and right and down more steeply, but you can't ever decrease (flatten)the angle of you approach beyond the optimum. The bridge pass seems like a particularly hairy stunt, because of the layout of the obstacle. If you are trying to fly over the top, and your optimum angle turns out to be too low, your only option is to try to dive under it. If you're flying perpendicular to the bridge, left or right still gives you more bridge. At least flying at a CRW formation gives you a few more options as far as finding clear air to head for in case Plan A takes a dump. I don't think Bird-Dog jumps are any more dangerous now than they were a week ago, it's just that now we know more precisely what the consequences of mistakes can be. Obviously, no one takes up CRW as a means to extend their lifespan. Skydiving itself has perils that most of us know and respect. As long as people understand the risks, they can make the choices that we all make each time we do whatever we do. I never saw Dwaine Weston fly, but he must have been a tremendously skilled pilot. It's a shame that he's gone. Kevin Keenan _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

It's important to consider your "time to the ground". Exiting a stable aircraft at 2000 ft. is not the same as pulling at the same altitude while at terminal velocity. The 2000 ft. exit gives you much more time to deal with problems. Kevin _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

After reading on the Incidents Forum about still another canopy crash, I figured a comment or two in this forum was appropriate. I think that most of the swoop accidents are caused by people progressing too quickly through learning the types of entry manouvers available. There are several ways to gain the speed that a canopy needs to do a decent swoop. At one end of the spectrum is a srtaight-in approach on front risers, and on the other is a 360 degree front riser entry. It's common knowledge that things are easier to learn if they are broken down into parts and learned in a progressively harder sequence. Keeping track of one's location in space throughout a radically descending 180 or 270 degree turn is hard enough to do without throwing in the problem of having the ground very (possibly fatally) close. To any but the incredibly brainless, that can be damn distracting. If new swoopers train by starting out with straight-ins, they learn what to do with the extra speed that they will be arriving at the ground with. They have their landing area in sight throughout the swoop, and can get a feel for the angle and descent rate. Once they are good with that, go to a 90 degree front riser turn to final. This is the next harder step, and teaches how to control both descent rate and turn rate to get the final to come out where you want it, both in heading and altitude. The key to both of these is that the landing area is in sight the whole time. If something is not right, you can bail out of the turn before it's too late. Making a swoop where you can't see the landing area until you are way into the maneuver should wait until these first two types of approaches are mastered. If you are watching the landing area and projecting where the approach puts you, there should not be an incident where you are pulled from a crater in the dirt with your front riser loop still in your hand. Just remember, this is aviation, not skateboarding. People who are old, like me, are used to not being listened to. So, I won't take it personally when another dozen swoopers frap this year. I subscribe to the theory that you can't survive to make all the mistakes yourself, so it's good to study other's mistakes. So look at the incidents and try to learn something from each one. BSBD kevin k SCR 3022 _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

I'd advise you to look up Mike Paolin at Sebastian. He is the resident CRW guru. Most of the locals should know him. kevin CRWDog in Exile _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

Winsor - Just remember what to pull down on when you're landing. :-) kevin k. _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

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