Tonto

I think it's quiet and serene. That's how I feel on a skydive. If I have feelings of intensity and risk, they are on the swoop to landing. We're all going to die. Trick is to learn as much as you can and squeeze as much life in as possible before it happens - and may it always come as a surprise. t It's the year of the Pig.

Ahhh... So near and yet so far! Taya and I wish you the very best from our perch at 5000ft ASL in Johannesburg! t It's the year of the Pig.

You really don't need to go that far. I'll help - I promise! (I guess I'm one of those 10 who can make the gates, eh?) t It's the year of the Pig.

Ah. My bad. Reading some of the replies it looks as though your honesty has put you in the view of some people with as many jumps as you but less experience. (Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want..) There are many, many people who have spent the rest of their lives trying to solve the problem they had. Keep doing what it takes to survive - and never second guess your desision to chop. You made it for a good reason. t It's the year of the Pig.

Well, you may be being a little hard on yourself... but here's where I think you could do better. 1. Demo gear + freefall. If this was simple 5 secs out the door, then I'm out of line, but if this was a long delay or a formation or freefly skydive, then you're stacking up a bunch of variables you can't control. If you were reaching your hard deck - you never opened high enough on a demo canopy - in my opinion. One task at a time. 2. Your awareness of the event is really high, and I'm not sure of the time frame involved, but with visual verification of brakes, harness shift, riser input etc, I'm wondering why you never just unstowed the brakes and flew it! Plenty escalation time, right? Having said that - I have 18 chops, and some people consider me to be a "good, safe jumper" so it's all about the numbers from here on. You're OK. You did good, but from someone who has had one reserve malfunction - blind faith in my reserve is a thing of the past. t It's the year of the Pig.

1 litre Brandy, 2 litre Coke, 3 litre Ford. It's a staple down here... t It's the year of the Pig.

9 dives for me. 3 Birdman 2 tracking dives 4 AFF Level 1s t It's the year of the Pig.

As one enters, another leaves.. I did 2000 + dives in the Pre Cypres era. My Cypres is now 12 years old - and I've never used it. It's cost me countless extra reserve repacks for a host of issues. I won't be replacing it. So. 4600+ dives, with a bunch of extra pulls for tandem and AFF, and 18 cutaways... I'm on my own again. And I think I'm in good hands. You can laugh about this post if you read about me being knocked out or losing alti awareness and going in. t It's the year of the Pig.

Very valid input from both you and Diablopilot. As for being a rebel - well, we were trying to look at all groups, right? I know you stir things up on occasion, but I don't think your passion has ever been questioned! Am I correct? t It's the year of the Pig.

Hi-Jacking is OK. After being accused of stirring decent, I thought about this a little. If you were an organiser at a boogie, and wanted to know what to cater for, surely this poll has indicated a clear preference for low drag = high lift suits? I've been lucky with my suits, I think. I have a little over a hundred on my S3, my Classic has had very rough treatment but is still flying. I'm very keen to see how the GS1/Sugarglider holds up. t It's the year of the Pig.

I'm not a moderator in this forum, and I'm entitled to ask any questions within the rules of the site. You, in turn, are entitled to answer, or not answer, as you prefer. t It's the year of the Pig.

Do you think this pole indicates a shift? t It's the year of the Pig.

Speaking of regional differences, do you think there's a reason that dispite dominating the skydiving equipment scene, there is no American Wingsuit? BM is European, as are Matter and S-Fly (Fly your body) and the Sugarglider is African, so nothing from the US. Why do you think that is? t It's the year of the Pig.

Yeah, but Perris is in California. t It's the year of the Pig.

Glad we sorted that out! I'm catching up on loads of news! Thanks! t It's the year of the Pig.

That was a really good read! I'm with you that my slowest vertical dives have been the ones where I covered the greatest distance. I've never seen 40mph. The slowest average I've had was 49mph, and I'm happy with that considering our altitude AMSL and the fact that I'm shorter and chunkier than you are. (But WAY better looking!) I now have 139 Birdman jumps. About 50 of those have been chasing new birds at between 60 and 118 mph, a bunch of small flocks, and the occasional solo which is increasingly becoming FS with the Porter depending on the pilot. Our Porter is being upgraded to a H4 Airframe, 4 bladed prop with a -34, and I'm interested in seeing the changes after exit! t It's the year of the Pig.

Yeah. I think that's what P W Botha, former Prime Minister of Apartheid South Africa said just before he declared a state of emergency... If you're doing a good job, why would you want the media to back off? t It's the year of the Pig.

I think the "Low drag = high speed" is what I love, so I'm more easily swayed to BM and PF. I also like the "suit + wings" feel over the "climb into the ziplock bag" feel, but I'm eagerly awaiting the arrival of a Sugarglider/GS1 to see how fast I can make it go. My needs are pretty constant, and have been for a while now. It's been over 2 decades since I settled on 9 cell canopies, and over 13 years that I've been on 9 cell ZP Elipticals. I'm a computer gamer, so AMD will always win over Intel. If I were buying servers, that would change. In the 11 years I've been using a mobile phone, I've always used Nokia. I could figure it out without the manual, and have never needed to learn to use another phone, even though 3G, SMS, GPRS, Blue Tooth, Video, Games etc have all sneaked in there in the past few years. We all have reasons why we finally choose to part with our money in return for a product, whether that product is a can of soda or a car. This makes some companies work, and others fail, or some to profit more than others. It doesn't mean that biggest is best, or that you've sold your soul. I do respect Birdman for setting up a training program though, but that is probably because as a former SL and Tandem Instructor, and a current AFF Instructor and BMI, I know where this sport would be without it's instructors. t It's the year of the Pig.

I never said you have to. I said "please choose which one you want to." Some people follow brand names. Is there really a difference between "Nike" and "Adidas"? What company philosophy inspires you? I have no doubt that we are all fans of winged human flight. It's rare though, among supporters of any kind to have no allegence to a team or a brand. I'm a Formula 1 fan, and a Ferrari fan, and a Bridgestone fan. I like computers, and I favour AMD over Intel. I love to skydive, but choose Mirage and PD over other manufacturers. I prefer my Neptune to my GF's Pro Track. I like Oakley more than Ray Ban, and Frosties in the morning more than Weetabix, and I like Nokia more than Erikson. If you don't wish to choose, that's OK too, but with your tone, and your "crazy" it looks like you're keener on conflict than I am. Just vote, or don't vote. Whatever you prefer. t It's the year of the Pig.

I'm not flaming.

Less Action too. "The new Phi will be out this summer!" Posted by Kevin on Friday March 26, 2004 t It's the year of the Pig.

So... People are leaving, and argueing, and disagreeing. I wonder what market share the different manufacturers hold on this site. If you have multiple suits from different manufacturers, please choose which one you want to align with. This is more about people to me than about suits. t It's the year of the Pig.

Maybe this is for another thread, but why do you think there is such... animosity between some wingsuit pilots? Is it loyalty to their suit manufacturer? Why has DZ.com been dragged into this? Any ideas? t It's the year of the Pig.

Some of the speedier opening canopies work well as Wingsuit rigs. I'm not a big fan of snivelly openings. Hornets can crack open though, especially the smaller sizes. t It's the year of the Pig.

Sure. I'll send you a check. It's worth more than my normal fee, but you can deposit the amount in my account after deducting your fee. Deal? t It's the year of the Pig.