Tonto

3 hours for a movie when you know the story and how it ends? You're kidding, right? t It's the year of the Pig.

I do! That's me in the frame, dead centre. He sure as hell never put me there. t It's the year of the Pig.

Give it 20 years or so. By then you either won't have any whuffo friends or family, and those that have stuck with you for that long will know more about the sport than most people with 500 dives. t It's the year of the Pig.

Pics? How many Andean Condors, Lilac breasted rollers or Egyptian Geese do you know who take pictures? Luckily there was an S3/Vampire pair I flew by at full tilt in a "Survival of the fittest" dive that got a glimplse of my rear wing deflector... t It's the year of the Pig.

Tried out that back-flying.... and it's awesome! Can't wait to do it in a flock! t It's the year of the Pig.

Well, as a BMI/PFI, I see nothing requiring FF time in the 1st flight manual. Even though I have 750 CRW dives, and 750 Tandems and the bulk of my dives are from 9500ft and Cessna's, I'm still ahead in freefall time in the USPA 1000/12 hr Gold, 2000/24 hr Diamond, 3000/36 hr Double diamond etc scale. I'm currently at 59hrs for 4750 dives - so you have to be doing hardly any freefall time at all for it to be an issue. t It's the year of the Pig.

I think that an average of 26 jumps a year over 4 years is not current enough to even think about starting jumping a wingsuit prior to 200 dives total. Even at 200 dives the recomendation is 200 dives in 18 months, and in South Africa, 300 dives in 2 years. Everyone is quick to point out that the sky's not going anywhere, so what's the rush? I'm with Erno. "It's all about how much you can cut away" - Redline. Spend less. Jump more. There are no crack addicts turning down a fix cos they don't have the money. They find a way to support their habit. If it's important, you'll find a way. t It's the year of the Pig.

Brandwars... I have 5 wingsuits - and they're not all from one manufacturer. I have 2 wingsuit instructional ratings, from different maunfactures. We just organised a weekend with 7 different types of suits from 3 manufacturers, and all flew together nicely. I just enjoyed my new suit. Is that so hard to beleive? t It's the year of the Pig.

It arrived on Friday evening.. I did 12 dives on it this weekend in flocks ranging from 7 to 12, and I can't describe quite how I feel about it. Clearly I was expecting something new, but I also anticipated this being simply a revision of a suit I already had over 100 dives on. It's so much more than that. Kitting up is easier and simpler without the press studs on the booties. Here in an African summer, the difference the lining makes can be felt immediatly, without the suit sticking to your skin. While the Mylar ribs are clearly visible, they didn't make it any harder to get 14 wingsuits into the King Air. As with most things that are new, you feel the difference right away. I feel the suit inflates faster and everthing about the flight is cleaner and more predictable. One of the things I like most about the entire range from Birdman is a clear design philosophy that allows the experience gained on other suits to transfer well to the new suit. I'm not a floaty flyer. At 177lbs and 5'10 I don't have the "tall and thin" thing going for me, but I like speed, and with speed comes lift. I managed a 49mph yesterday, which equals my personal best on the S3, but the difference is - I was in a flock that covered well over 2 miles from 11000ft AGL in a "Survival of the fittest" dive. (It's an African thing.) This is truely money well spent regardless of what the new thing on the block will be. I'm really looking forward to doing some solo's to explore more of the suit's range - and that will have to wait until the weekend. t It's the year of the Pig.

Hey Ed, Thanks for this info. I got it just before we headed out to the DZ. We did 12 dives, and built to a 12 way, and had a much bigger group to work with, many of whom are coming to the African Freefall convention. t It's the year of the Pig.

Sucks about the Helmet dude. This was a great weekend with more people and bigger flocks. The King Air is... challenging, but anything we can do out of a King Air will be much, much easier off a tailgate, and the 27th is getting closer all the time. I need a few solo's to savour my S3-S too. While cruising into 12 flocks this weekend was cool, I can't wait to get out there and just wring it's neck a bit! The dives at the AFFC are going to ROCK! t It's the year of the Pig.

Cool. [redline voice]You can be my number 13..[/redline voice] See you there. t It's the year of the Pig.

Missing the briefing? Then you won't need to worry about going out last. The group has been working hard for the last 2 months on this in anticipation of the AFFC, and the skill set is now quite high. Many people have committed to the 8 dives Sat and 4 dives Sun requirement and we want to build flocks that are challenging. We'll need to sort something out when you get there, but as a group we're not sucking. Saturday afternoon we're aiming at 14 way 3-D, possibly with flock rotation. (like real birds do.) If you're missing the briefing and the smaller morning groups, you probably won't make the big stuff in the PM. t It's the year of the Pig.

Me too. I must have 2500 dives out of 182's, 206's, 207's and 210's.. And I'd go back to them if I had to. For me it's more about the ride down than the ride up... t It's the year of the Pig.

I was thinking short term. Later this month we have 2 CASA 212's and an AN-32 to play with, and I'm sure anything we can do out of the King Air will happen easier out of those... t It's the year of the Pig.

Sigh. Hint* Search functon... One liners in the topical forums... And since this is about gear - I/m moving it to gear and rigging. t It's the year of the Pig.

So.. We're working towards a 14 way out of a King Air B90 this weekend, and I'm thinking... The plane is fast and the door is small and I have jump run all worked out, so... 1. Don't fuck around in the door. 2. Don't pop the wings too soon 3. Fly your ass off flat and fast if you're out last. (or close to last) Have I missed anything? t It's the year of the Pig.

I don't like new canopies. They are slippery, and they sometimes don't fly right, and they don't fix very well. I like canopies with a lot of jumps on them, and I prefer to have jumped any canopy I'm going to buy. Not one like it. The one I'm going to buy. ALL canopies are different, regardless of being laser cut, etc. I bought my Stilleto for $600 with plenty dives on it. I beleive a minimum of 1500 dives since it was right at the end of it's non origional lineset. I relined it for $120 and have done another 550 dives on it, doing a retrim at 400 dives. I'll be relining it again within the next 150 jumps. Assuming I throw it away when I'm done with it, my current cost per jump is about $1.50, and getting cheaper all the time. My wingsuit canopy is a Safire. It was bought 2nd hand for $360 as a wingsuit canopy, again at the end of it's lineset. I replaced the lines for $140 and have put 220 dives on the canopy since then. Assuming I throw it away when I'm done with it, my current cost per jump is about $2.30, and getting cheaper all the time. I don't sell my canopies. I use them until they blow up or I retire them. That's fine for ZP, but I still see old F-111 canopies out there for sale. Those canopies will never blow up. They just open slower and slower and get worse landing each year. The chances of the jumper getting injured landing one of those things is high. It's the year of the Pig.

Analog is king when it comes to simplicity and how robust the unit is. That's stood me in good stead for about 4000 dives. Digital offers a LOT more. Backlights, logbook, freefall time and speeds. Reading is reading. Look at anything 4 or 5 times a skydive and multiply that by a few 1000 jumps and you'll get the hang of it. Of course, the cost to this "lots more" is maintenance. Batteries, software updates etc. If you can deal with that stuff - and you're not crashing on landing - I think digital is king. t It's the year of the Pig.

Really? I thought India had them beaten on that front since the late 90's. Is your info up to date? The US spends way, way more money on defense than any other nation on earth. China may or may not rise. You may find this site interesting. http://www.ibef.org/india/indiachina.aspx t It's the year of the Pig.

Good job! t It's the year of the Pig.

Moved from Incidents to General. The thread is over 3 years old, and wasn't a skydiving incident. t It's the year of the Pig.

Well, there's living, and there's waiting to die. George lived. At the last World cup he was working as a commentator. Some smart Alec Journo said "Hey George! You were one of the first to make it big in profesional football. What happened to all that money?" George answered, "Well, most of it went on Booze and women... and the rest of it, I squandered!" BSBD, t It's the year of the Pig.

Negative. When I went to the DZ.com boogie last year, I flew JBH to Amterdam to Boston to LA to Phoenix to LA to Boston to Amsterdam to JHB. My rig was never checked, always carried on and none of my hook knives were ever picked up. They did make me take my shoes off though, and ask me if my reserve had a CO2 cylinder though. t It's the year of the Pig.

Clearly you have not seen "Kill Bill" Vol 1. Knives and swords are the true threat. Unlike guns - they CAN kill by themselves, plus they NEVER jam and they NEVER run out of ammunition. Thank God for guns, the sensible, less than lethal alternative! t It's the year of the Pig.