Tonto

And what exit altitude would that be, and deploying at what altitude? t It's the year of the Pig.

You don't know the Safire. Maybe 40% of the flare power is in the last 6 inches of the stroke - right at the bottom. Pilot is nice - I think the openings are too slow - but I think the Safire is better. Oh. In case you're worrying about objectivity, I own both. t It's the year of the Pig.

Correct No idea I would imagine there are several in the 60 sq ft range, and very few in the 50 sq ft range. (I know only of Bruno's) No canopies in these sizes are mass produced. Each is a custom order I would imagine. Smallest sizes I think are in the 50 - 60 sq ft range. t It's the year of the Pig.

3 posts in 7 minutes, the last starting with "Finally..." I wonder sometimes... t It's the year of the Pig.

And where you will learn more than 90% of the markmanship skills you need to shoot at 1000m. A .22 LR should be the 1st rifle you buy, and the last you should sell. t It's the year of the Pig.

Bush. He's done nothing to catch him in 3 years. What would change in the next 4? t It's the year of the Pig.

Dude! It's not all bad! Our season starts this weekend... and I have 400 jumps for the year so far! Wheee! Summer's here! t It's the year of the Pig.

I think I need a lawyer.. I have 60+ dives out of Jetrangers.... and nearly 80 Birdman jumps now... But no Birdman out of a helicopter - so I guess I owe beer! t It's the year of the Pig.

Sea level, moderate tempreture, breezy DZ, 1.1, maybe even 1.15. High elevation, hot, 1.0. t It's the year of the Pig.

Umm.. Same sex as you, or same sex as them? t It's the year of the Pig.

It'll be moving at about 40 kts, I would imagine. Our DZ is 5000ft AMSL, so being a jetranger I'd imagine it will HAVE to be moving! Thanks so much for the info! t It's the year of the Pig.

Yup... I've been blocked. (SA) t It's the year of the Pig.

I find the reverse is true. Once off student status and more current and relaxed, I find students tend to fall faster - not slower. When I'm doing AFF with 100lb 5'10 women (I weigh 160 and am 5'10) I wear either a freefly suit, or more recently, Birdman Pantz with a baggy sweatshirt and put them in a tight FS suit. Seems to work out ok. At this point though, surely fall rate is a problem for his instructors? They should be able to stay with him, fast or slow, stable or unstable. If not - they shouldn't be taking his money. t It's the year of the Pig.

Hi All, We're getting a Jetranger next month, and it's only going to 4000ft. I'm thinking of winging it. Would the exit be fall off with no kick (The drivers don't like that) and keep the leg wing shut till you have some airspeed? Any thoughts? t It's the year of the Pig.

Good point. In South Africa your wing loading may not exceed 1.0 until you have a B licence and 100 jumps. There are no exceptions to this rule. PASA MOP's are available at www.para.co.za t It's the year of the Pig.

Neptune. I usually wear 2 alti's, one on the left wrist, one on the right legstrap. Wrist is for freefall, legstrap for canopy. It also helps when someone's forgotten theirs - I don't mind lending. t It's the year of the Pig.

Hi Dan, No flames here. We have different frames of reference. When I started jumping, it was on a round canopy. People at the time felt that one should have at least 100 jumps before progressing to a square. I pushed the limits, much to everyone's concern, and was jumping a 240 sq ft Viking Superlight at 40 jumps, loaded to about 0.73. The excitement was mind blowing. I progressed to a Cruislite 220 at about 50 jumps and did fine till about 150 jumps when overconfidence, inexperience and phenomenally poor flying resulted in me breaking my femur in 9 places on a canopy loaded to 0.8. A year and several operations later I was back. I did a further 450 jumps on that canopy, then moved through PD 190's and 170's for a further 400 jumps. When I had 1000 dives I was jumping a Peregrine 150, (An Excalibur clone) that was yesteryear's crossbrace. At 1200 jumps I went to a Jonathan 120 and remained on that canopy, with the exception of 700+ Tandems and 700 + rotation CRW dives, till I had 3800 jumps. (1200 on the 120) At that point I moved down to a Stilleto 107 (WL 1.85) where I remained until recently getting a Safire 119 for wingsuit dives. So I'm an old fart. My progression was limited more by canopy design than by choice, but had I been on your canopy when I smashed my femur? I'd be dead. I still dream about one day having the skill and confidence in my actions that I thought I had when I had 150 jumps prior to that injury. I hear people with 100 or 200 jumps complaining that they're "bored" with their current canopy, with freeflying, with FS. Boredom is a state of mind. You'll probably jump your 190 without incident and downsize and have a happy and successful skydiving career. I hope that's the case. I really do. I also hope that you heed all the warnings you get, and learn to make wise decisions in your life. Being a clone is never healthy. To trust implicitly is foolish. I hope to see you continue to question authority - and not only the authority that does not agree with your current point of view. Heed the advice others have given you. Understand that the majority of death and injury in the sport today is under a fully functioning canopy and learn all you can as fast as you can. Your life depends on it. t It's the year of the Pig.

As I said earlier, I'm tired. When someone posts "don't tell me I'm going to die" or words to that effect, at 30 jumps, with one jump on the canopy they have chosen to buy, it reeks of arrogance and ignorance, which in my opinion is a deadly combination. Sure, educate by all means, but there must be some point at which you say, "No." If a very talented 4 year old child asked if they could swim alone, would you allow it? If an 8 year old wanted to take the family car to the shops, would you say yes? There are all types on this site. There are those who will teach people with few jumps to BASE, or fly a wingsuit, or fly a highly loaded canopy. There are also those who are so tired of saying "I fucking told you so, you pipe!" I'm all for education. I have 1000's of swoops and many of those I have mentored are better canopy pilots than me now and have returned the favour. But those I choose to mentor don't aproach me with a "Don't tell me .......... because I've heard it before." There is no right or wrong in life, but there is consequence. This is true for all things. t It's the year of the Pig.

Well they whipped South Africa! We came in 26th! t It's the year of the Pig.

I could help him out - but he expressly told me NOT to tell him the most valuable piece of info I can offer. Don't Die! We can't change the fact that he's made his desision against the better judgement of people with decades of experience and thousands and thousands of jumps - but we can choose not to support that desision. If I support him, and he dies, am I to blame? Read these forums. See just how many people were trying to do a straight aproach and saw some obstical - a fence, another canopy, an overshoot into rough terrain, had a brain fart, buried a toggle - and died or smashed themselves into carpentry projects for orthopaedics. Telling someone to do a straight approach is inane. In Skydiving, everything is always OK until it's not - and then someone is rolling around in the dirt, squealing like a pig while his tibia makes plow like scrapes in the dirt and everyone stands around and looks surprised. It's no surprise. The ground doesn't give a fuck. It makes me tired. t It's the year of the Pig.

It's a small flap sewn onto the container just below the bottom of the reserve flap on a rig where the reserve flap closes down. You may have seen them on some CRW rigs to help prevent lines etc from opening the reserve flap or pushing the pin out. t It's the year of the Pig.

It was SPOT ON! They've stolen just about everything from me but my sense of humour! t It's the year of the Pig.

Actually - it was probably a lot like a crime investigation in downtown JHB... drive by... "yup.. That's where it happened... keep going, quick! Before we're hijacked!" t It's the year of the Pig.

Is there no follow up? No autopsy, or search of the wreckage? Do you really just bomb and say "Gottem" and move on? That seems a little haphazard to me. t It's the year of the Pig.

That told them to bomb a house that's been empty for 3 months? How much do you pay for that kind of intelligence? t It's the year of the Pig.