Tonto

That could have been me until about 18 months ago. I'd been jumping Jonathan's since 1992 and they didn't respond well to front riser input, resulting in me having around 3000 HPL's with toggle spanks. Buying newer US gear was prohibitivly expensive at the time due to a high exchange rate. (I'm not from the US..) As the dollar weakened and the cost of gear came down, I bought a 2nd hand Stilleto 107 and with help and input from several people on these forums, (Thanks Chuck) I set about learning new tricks as an old dog. Now, 450 front riser turns and 16 months later I've again bought a 2nd hand Safire 119 to explore its longer recovery arc over the Stilleto. (and to use in my birdman rig.) I think maybe 500 - 800 dives on this would be a good stepping stone to a crossbrace of even wingloading. I've been doing this 20 years. I'm in no hurry to get good one day. As an old CReW dog, I like to think that both toggle spanks and riser carves (or any other input, really) are what you make them. I did toggle spanks safely for 1000's of jumps, and I've seen several riser turners lose a toggle and femur themselves. It's the pilot who makes a difference, and I think that HPL's are dangerous and that debating which is "safer" is a misnomer. The primary reason for using your risers should be for the higher performance gain, not the lesser risk exposure. That's what my motivation was. To learn a new trick that we simply could not use on the rags we started with. That's my thinking, anyway. t It's the year of the Pig.

So after all that, the answer is... "Yes." (Tonto does a little dance and smiles because his Safire 119 is about the same size as his Stilleto 107![;)) t It's the year of the Pig.

Thanks. I guess I know where I'm buying my next reserve. t It's the year of the Pig.

We're a long way from home, but we're growing fast! This is what we have at Johannesburg Skydiving Club, South Africa. Classics 1. Kevin 2. Hannes 3. Beas 4. Reisnik GTi's Kalla Ralph Frenchie Taya Chris DJ Ed Marco Jason S3 t Terminal Tom (Infrequent visitor) We have another 5 GTi's here in about 6 weeks, and I expect to put in an order for another 8 suits when they arrive. (After the world meet when our teams return..) t It's the year of the Pig.

Are any reserves built with lines other than Spectra? Dacron, Kevlar etc? Can a reserve be relined with line other than Spectra? t It's the year of the Pig.

There's one too many "knows" in that line.. t It's the year of the Pig.

The lighter the handle on your PC is, the safer it is, both from an intentional and avoiding unintentional deployment point of view. I have PVC toggle or Freefly handles on my rigs. Best I ever saw was a practice golf ball as a handle. Light, but with none of the "thumb stuck" possibilities (which one has to confess is pretty hard to do..) t It's the year of the Pig.

Spot on. Buzzing describes it nicely. I was having to pop up to avoid contact and yet maintain prox. Does it just sort itself out with more awareness? t It's the year of the Pig.

Bear in mind this poster is in South Africa, a country with 500 licenced skydivers, of which only about 20 have any useful experience in CRW, and of those 20, half have not done a CRW jump in at least a year. There are simply NO Spectres, and NO Hybrid Tri's. The only other 7 cells are Cruislites etc from the late 80's. Trust me. Equipment is an issue here. t It's the year of the Pig.

Jumped with someone new to the flock this past weekend. They did well, nice exit, flew the pattern, good deployments, no line twists. When flying along side them though, it's clear that while they're facing in the right direction, they're zig zagging quite a bit. How best do I teach fine heading control and convince someone how little they need to do to make things happen? t It's the year of the Pig.

And me. Unfortunately for me, Fly like a pro, pack like a pro, breakaway etc all came 15 years after I'd learned those lessons the hard way. I hope it's not the same story here. Catch me NOW - while I still know nothing (and have cash in my pocket!) t It's the year of the Pig.

He's a full time skydiver in a warm country. He prabably lives in a hut! The bastard! Well - I'm part time really. Weekends only, but I've done over 300 for the year so far.. I was doing Tandems in the Caribean when Huricain George moved through though.. So It's not always plain sailing! t It's the year of the Pig.

What! I can't get enough dives in a day - max 9 or 10 - and you're trying to encourage other people? Me first! Encourage me! I want more airtime! (Just kidding.., although I won't turn down another Birdman dive, and I may need to borrow your rig after all.. t It's the year of the Pig.

Ah. Locally (In Africa) that's refered to as a dead spider. There arn't many waterbugs out here... t It's the year of the Pig.

Ahh. The joys of Africa. Still winter here, and a pleasant 23 deg C today, no cloud, no wind.

No. I have canines. I'm an ominivore. t It's the year of the Pig.

I have a soft reserve handle on my "regular" rig, used mainly for AFF and infrequent fun jumps. I also have a freefly handle on my main pilot chute. My "other" rig I use as an occasional back-to-back rig, but mainly for Birdman jumps. It has a regular metal D reserve handle and the standard pipe main deployment handle. I prefer it for it's low weight and the ability to feel it through a lot of wing. t It's the year of the Pig.

I was 22 when I started, and I'm 42 now. I'm jumping more now than I ever have before. t It's the year of the Pig.

I got it as a factory option and did the 1st 2 dives without it. I'd like to use it to see the difference and deciede what I prefer. My openings were good either way, but there's a lot of wing to move around back there! t It's the year of the Pig.

Anyone have any idea on rigging what looks like a shrivel flap to the bridal for the S3 Base PC pouch? I'm thinking it needs to be stitched on one side (maybe 2 bar tacks down each bridal seam for maybe an inch) close to the BOC as possible and not pin the kill line. Any excess on the other side can be packed into the pouch. Am I close? t It's the year of the Pig.

I got my S3 Sunday night and jumped it yesterday. Jump nos are 4300+ and a little over 50 Birdman dives, mainly on Classic 1's and 2's with a handfull of GTi jumps. I really like my S3. I think doing my homework on the smaller suits was time well spent, and although the S3 has many secrets to reveal, the performance difference over the other suits is simply massive by comparison. I think the "be afraid, be very afraid" feelings about the S3 may be a bit much though - or maybe having a bunch of regular dives helps a little. t It's the year of the Pig.

PM'd you. t It's the year of the Pig.

You're kidding, right? Right?

That's just awesome. I know people literally half his age that are afraid of doing new stuff. Cool. t It's the year of the Pig.