piahenzi

...better yet...lend him a battery !...less risk!

That IS funny! Want me to do yours?? Mine are D O N E !! and the guys in D.C. actually owe me CPC entry fee money!! Hope it comes in before Saturday

Can't wait! tell me, Al, how does an accountant get so much free time during tax season??

I did..... this weekend... face planted into it after sticking the landing.... snow is easier to remove from canopy and pilot chute than sand... I vote for snow !

The only conflict I see for anyone like myself doing FL CPC and interested in doing IL as well is May 17th. Otherwise hope to be there for the latter dates.

LOL! you would key in on that !! Now I feel like I know you so much better

Didn't I tell you and Al to take your time?? you just couldn't wait to post my humiliating score, couldja ?? No really, nice job!!! See you in Palatka !

I'm currently doing the FL CPC but might also take the opportunity to come to Chicago and compete for more training and practice. Pls post the expected dates for the comps as soon as you can so that I can schedule my work appts around those weekends...makes paying for flights a whole lot less painful

Great to hear you are back in the air... Re Palatka... I need you there with me in battle ... don't let me down!!!

[And where are the full results of the first comp, Al? .... I for one dont even wanna see ... take your time Al, take your time

FWIW, I for one will take my -0- score sitting on the ground as opposed to scaring the bejeezus out of myself and others with 15mph+ turbulent ground winds.. I'm sure I am not the only one that has jumped in questionable/high winds and had canopy "buckling" during a turn/plane out scaring the crap out of those watching and gained respect for turbulence and the potential dangers. ... but I am not a serious competitor and the question doesn't really apply to me at this point. I do agree with Ian that honking uppers are part of the challenge in setting up and that shld not be the issue provided the competitor has a sufficiently good spot/fair chance to GET to the set up point. Its the winds from say 1K/1.5K' down that shld be considered as safety issue only, not "convenience".... now I am sure I have ticked off the wind Gods and will miss my set up points in Palatka with high X-winds that leave me short of the gates... I can see it already

taken under advisement ... although Spandex probably won't be much help to me either at this point in my game.

Rightie-o!! Funny thing is, re tools, is I was the only one with an analog Alti-2 on my wrist...hmmmm. talk about being in the dark ages! Felt like the "uncool" kid in High School Upgrading as we speak as the water did it in....Hopefully training with LoudDan at Zhills next weekend. Maybe I can be a bit more "current" in Palatka than Lake Wales... oh, and what to wear, what to wear...

I've enjoyed your posting on this transition. I am on a XF2 99 w/l 1.7 and starting to toy with the idea of going to XB canopy after another season on the XF and being very current. I've been told to demo the Katana, Velo and even the Xaos 27 which I will do as soon as I feel ready. I'd love to be able to make the transition to Velo w/o the Katana in between but I am a little low on courage with that right now and I need to dial in the rears on the XF before it's even worth scaring myself

I'm training at Zhills Feb 22-24.. dish now if you've got something good!

yes, digi-alt, and swoop audible are key! I had a few Sapporo's last night

As far as initiating the 270, I found coming off a Stiletto 107 to a XF2 99 (having done 270's on a Stiletto for a while) that slowing down the turn to bleed off the extra say 250 feet that I raised the initiating altitude to build up speed was the biggest challenge. Doing a LOT or harness work up high was the key . I found that if I started my turns in half or full brakes, I would turn too fast.... I find starting the turn in 1/4 brakes or even full flight, and initiating with harness and then going to risers works pretty well in slowing down my turn... although there is always room for improvement. I definitely believe that good harness work adds a lot to the equation. This definitely was a big hurdle for me in coming off 180's to 270's and raising the altitude while changing to a canopy that required a lot more altitude. I was told also to look for say a 5-6 second turn.. something that I also kept in mind while learning the new turn under a new canopy. Less than that and you get less than what you could in terms of speed. Something to keep in mind while you're dialing in your initiating altitude, along with so many other comments here which have been very cogent, but man, when you hit it right, it is so satisfying :) I am still working on getting on the rear risers after a LOT of 270's so take that aspect slow... it does not forgive.. Good luck to you and keep safe and hale....keep the faith and jump a lot!

Thanks to everyone who gave me such a warm welcome... hopefully I will break the 50 pt mark in Palatka. Cannot express gratitude enough to all who made their way to speak with me and took such good care of my mindset and keeping me grounded when my head was reeling. First comps are tough ! Special shout out to Loud Dan for saving me when I had an alti crisis. You are as big in spirit as you are in size .... Big big special thanks also to Shatalov for getting me there. It would not have happened for me without his positive attitude and enthusiasm for all things CPC.

Oh, sorry to hear you won't be competing and that it's taking such a long time for you to get back to full strength. I was looking forward to being on the same pass with you but very happy to hear you will be there to meet...Hopefully we will join forces in Palatka!!

Al, it's looking like I might make it for the afternoon to help with anything I can and a few jumps on Thursday. Somehow my work appts are finding a way to cancel themselves and free me up... I wonder how that happened

I am the good weather fairy and it won't be windy :)

Yep, will be there on Friday as well. Wld be great to have some jumps on the 8th. I always get the heebie jeebies after a long layoff (NY bites in Jan) so whatever we/you can make happen would be very much appreciated.

it's ok.... I have made a whopping 1 jump in 3 months and the comp will likely be the next time I get under canopy so there's gotta be some real fodder right there. Oh boy.. Frost is too kind in calling me a pilot (see his post).... more like a simulator wanna be... but I do try

Student - 220/190 Manta ?? Don't recall. Jump nos are approximate 30-100 - Spectre 170 100-400 - Sabre 150 400-500 - Sabre 135 500-750 - Sabre 2 120 750-1100 - Stiletto 107 1100-1400 - XF2 99 w/l at 1.7 What's next?? Hmmm, Maybe one day I will have the balls to get on a Velo....

Thanks for the email and post. I got tired of checking the website...I will try to make the back three. I doubt I can get current enough for Feb/March meets. ...NY has to represent and even if I execute less than stellar, at least there's another Yank in the mix.