
Tonto
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Everything posted by Tonto
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Yeah... Sorry about the cowboy quip... But we have a "wild one" who's a REAL slow learner. People are breaking around him, and he has over 1200 dives... to me - that's too slow a learner.. It's the year of the Pig.
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The one that put the dude in the coma - they cut the lines off and grounded. They offered no explanation what so ever. The canopy was less than 6 months old, and had fewer than 100 dives. The 100 - they had back 2 times to fix the turn, and both times it came back as though it had never been touched. Fortunately it was a demo-for-sale, so I never bought it. t It's the year of the Pig.
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Be careful out there. Traffic can be a killer - and if you know there's a problem there - stay away from it. Enjoy the boogie - and say hi to Erno from Finland for me. And Bluefingers.
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You feel less bloated - more normal - under pressure. I know Nitrogen Narcosis is common on dives over 3 bar, but the air you breathe on the surface is still under pressure when absorbed into the bloodstream when you freedive - and freedivers go WAY deeper than the average scuba dude/dudet - They're gunning for a record of 500 feet now? Do 6 or 7 of those in a day and see how you feel.
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Thanks for the info. I jump a Crossfire 109 and a Stilleto 107 and I could swear - by the way they fly - that the crossfire is at least 10 sq ft bigger. Goes to show what I know... t It's the year of the Pig.
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It was a 100. Had a built in turn too. To the left. There is also a case which may or not make it to court where a 135 opened so hard it tore the bottom skin of both end cells. The jumper was knocked unconsious and the canopy started a weight shift spiral which it maintained to impact. The cypres (expert) did not fire as decent rate was not high enough. The jumper was current and had completed 2 succesful cutaways prior to the incident, and was within weight and speed limitations. He is currently bed ridden and hemiplegic as a result of the incident over 3 years ago. Beleive me. I'm in SA. I see heatwaves hammer every weekend. t It's the year of the Pig.
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Hi There, Below 1000ft I would land in the plane - unless there is structural failure. Between 1000 ft and your desision altitude (The altitude that you would deciede to use your reserve if you had a mal) I would use the reserve. Above that, main, and see what happens. t It's the year of the Pig.
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It is worth doing a Tandem first, and then I would do AFF. PM me if you want the mail address of a few skydivers in London who could help you out. Blue Skies, t It's the year of the Pig.
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Hey! Welcome, enjoy your AFF, and mail your questions. You will get answers! Blue Skies, t It's the year of the Pig.
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If the canopy is airworthy, and packed by a rigger, and correctly operated - then a 5 cell Swift reserve is safe. No point in having bullet proof gear and no jump tickets. Airworthy is your goal. Enjoy your jumps. t It's the year of the Pig.
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Remember there are also sizing issues here, as PISA measures the PD way, and Icarus measure inflated.. so the 129 is closer to a "real" 135 anyway. Apart from that, the design philosophies are almost diametrically opposed. I found that the Heatwave had a VERY short recovery arc, and the crossfire has a longer recovery arc. (Have not jumped the CF2 but hear its further exagerated) Also, the heatwave has a short toggle stroke, and the crossfire is a full stroke. And the Heatwave has a tendency to hammer open while the crossfire openings can take 600ft - or longer. So there are a bunch of changes to get used to, and for you to contemplate from a hospital bed. SM1 gives 1st class advice. Small steps. You'll get there that way. t It's the year of the Pig.
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Having raced superbikes, and having nearly 4000 dives, and swooping a Stileto 107... I feel... That racing bikes and skydiving are different in that 1. the angle at which you hit the ground "Chris Walker crashing at Assen at 135mph.....his shoulders were a bit sore. Good enough for me!" So Chris would be happy jumping from 14000ft without a rig then, eh? 2. The way the armour works. "I'm not a swooper but I can tell you that riding a motorbike around a racetrack does require a lot of flexibility, and there isn't a problem there." Try arch with it. or show me the bike racer needing flexibility bending backwards. The very design is to prevent that from happening. Could you freefly with it on? Will it interfere with fallrate etc? Swoop. Don't fuck up. Those are the rules. t It's the year of the Pig.
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Damn Cowboys. Don't share a load with him. Works for me. t It's the year of the Pig.
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Hi Nac, Not this kind of "flyaway"
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Back in 1986 I had a Swift system. I think it was made by Paraflite. Swift main, swift reserve, swift harness. It was the smallest, fastest, most comfortable rig on the DZ, and it landed me just fine for about 180 dives till I moved to a 7 cell Cruiselite. Back then, most people had "radical" 7 cell mains, and "conservative" round or 5 cell reserves so the idea of jumping a "conservative" 7 cell reserve instead of the "radical" 9cell crossported eliptical has not changed. It's the line of proven technology. The flyaway brakes were a good idea. If the brakline failed in use - it normally happened at the loop - and in that case your canopy would remain steerable. Age does not make parachutes deteriorate. There are newer designs, but the PD and Raven range are all "old technology" anyway - over 10 years at least. Even the Tempo is old technology. A 5 cell reserve is a big step up from a round. There is no comparison. As long as you load it low, (and at 125 lbs + gear on a 177sq ft canopy you should be doing that) I see no problem. Your quote of "cheapo" was foolish however, and people will rag you for that. As for "newer technology" ask your rigger for the melting tempreture of spectra, ask what tempreture's are generated by line on line friction and then ask him if he has it on his reserve. t It's the year of the Pig.
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Yeah. A couple of simple one's years back with big gear and worn velcro causing out of sequence prem deployments. A lot of people moved to pull out after that, and one on an unstable pull on a throwout, but the drag cleared it after she cut away. t It's the year of the Pig.
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I think a lot of this is about normal altitude awareness. If you KNOW you're aproaching breakoff.... about now! Then you will hear the audiable. It's not an alarm clock, and you should not be sleeping. Never use it as primary. There are several dives I don't hear mine (Pro Track on goggles - no helmet or inside bonehead mindwarp if I;m freeflying) but I still know where I am on the dive. The Led is a good idea. And maybe wear two... t It's the year of the Pig.
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Hi There, Daisy chaining can be a good way to prevent a rig getting tangled in transit - or in your gear bag. I don't use it - I jump a 107, so its 2 loops and grab the bridle and walk.. and my rig is packed right after every jump - always. t It's the year of the Pig.
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Hi there, I see many people (I havn't read the whole thread) are refering to this as a gear issue, but a lot has to do with your AFF I's ability to "go fast" and have some range at that point if they need to get to your ripcord or give you a signal. There's also the issue of working the exit if you go 3D on them... Just a thought. t It's the year of the Pig.
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What are some of your Favorite Skydiving Dreams
Tonto replied to Casch's topic in General Skydiving Discussions
Flying head down with my buddy Mick, a 220lb green Plasticine (Playdough) parrot. Mick flys off the wingtip on the ride to altitude, then joins us on the dive, and fly's off my wingtip under canopy. He flies off at 1000 ft. Whipped us all in a tracking dive recently... t It's the year of the Pig. -
Airport Access defence. t It's the year of the Pig.
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I eat them to see if they're OK. If they're white, they're not ripe, and if they're all water and no melon, you've waited too long.
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Would that be a Rear Admiral, or a Vice Admiral, or a Full Admiral? t It's the year of the Pig.
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A lot depends on pressure. It's easier to hold your breath underwater, particularly if you're weighted or just holding on to something. Many people get confused by the "brain dead in 5 min without oxygen" arguement, forgetting that the air in your lungs will supply O2 to your brain for a very long time if your muscles don't use it. A lot of it has to do with being able to relax, slow things down, and just be there. I have several friends who spear fish competitivly and swim in camoflaged gillie suits, with bottom time which exceeds 5 min. That's BOTTOM time. Their dives are usually about 6 min, and they do 2 to 3 an hour. Me? On the surface, about 1.5 min. On the bottom, at about 25 feet, I can double that after hyperventilating, but need to pull the air back in from my mask that I breathed out to equalise on the way down. I've never smoked. I understand the risk of shallow water blackout and Narking from multiple freedives. t It's the year of the Pig.
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How should icidents be discussed in the INCIDENT forum?
Tonto replied to lewmonst's topic in The Bonfire
Second one for me - and I think that the questions asked should be related to equipment - not the person. t It's the year of the Pig.