Tonto

Absolutely sure. Doesn't smell at all like chicken! t It's the year of the Pig.

Ah well. Too late to change now, I guess. What you see is what T gets! t It's the year of the Pig.

or maybe you just don't push yourself on your dives.. or you'll taste it when your awareness increases one day? t It's the year of the Pig.

Fantastic! I'm normal. It's only a second or two during late deployment and before I even start to free myself from my suit. Thanks for the info! t It's the year of the Pig.

So... Does anyone smell blood just after deployment on wingsuit dives? I do. The 1st couple of times I suspected a nose bleed - but nothing. This is not the smell of anything else. It's blood, and it only happens after deployment when I'm flying a wingsuit, and never after any other type of skydive. Any ideas? t It's the year of the Pig.

Nothing is boring if you work at keeping things interesting. Skydiving has come a long way in the 20 years since I started because many other people feel this way. t It's the year of the Pig.

A lot easier in freefall. Working in only 2 dimentions once fall rate is nailed, and having hands to block or climb are a big plus. With wingsuit - 3 dimentions - and no hands. t It's the year of the Pig.

He uses Beta. I start out quite far above and behind after exit and chase him fairly flat, trying for forward speed. Then he does a fairly sharp 120 turn. (This is where he loses visibility) This allows me to cut the corner and be nearly above him by 2-300 feet, maybe 50 - 100 ft back. It gives me the altitude to trade for speed to close the gap. While this is happening he does a slow 60 degreee turn onto his downwind leg, about a mile away from the DZ. It's this mile I need to cover at least a chunk of from 5000ft to prevent a poor spot after deployment. t It's the year of the Pig.

Really? Oh. I retract my earlier comment about the jumper needing the bulk of the balls. I'd shift that to the pilot with the dead engine and a drouge in tow... Sure you're not confusing Patrick's stunt with the pic I've attached though? t It's the year of the Pig.

I think the faster suits and higher skillsets available today may negate the need for a change of prop. t It's the year of the Pig.

I'm not. I'm happy to play with the plane. We use a Porter, and with one of the pilots I can stay with him till 5000ft AGL when I need to break for home or walk. Debriefing the dives is a lot of fun as the pilot doesn't jump - and so has a lot of respect for people who can fly "Like a little missile chasing the plane" There are some requirements though. There are times when the Porter banks, or you're above the wing when the pilot cannot see you. Your patterns and decent should be highly predictable and if they appear to be doing something new - it's time to end the game. Your decent rate may be quite high. In South Africa we have no noise restrictions, so the pilot's are allowed to use the prop pitch to brake the plane on desent. Some of the gentle decents I've seen in the US may make a "fly back in" a very difficult task. I think probably 80% of the skill involved in a "fly back in" stunt is the pilot's. We can only do it if they place the aircraft within the flight perameters of our primitive wings. I'm guessing the wingsuit jumper needs the bulk of the balls though. t It's the year of the Pig.

Nothing some duct tape, a magic marker and some dirt can't fix, I guess. t It's the year of the Pig.

orange? It has orange in it? I thought it was red/white or black/grey? t It's the year of the Pig.

I feel the same way about Mirage as you do. You have several options. 1. Go out and do several 1000 coached dives. Then you'll be really good, and may be able to pick up a sponsorship. 2. Progress through the sport, pick up a few ratings and get the 40% off staff deal at a participating dropzone (Like mine!) 3. Carry on with your skydiving, learn all you can and think more about how you do things than what you wear while you do them. By the time you reach this point, the gear you dream about today may be deemed unreliable and unsafe by comparison to what the future offers. Ever seen a "Wonderhog?" I dreamed of owning one once.. Enjoy every second. Unless you do CRW, swoop or fly a wingsuit - it's always going to be more about the air than the nylon/cordura. t It's the year of the Pig.

Absolutely. Of course, our DZ makes Arizona look like a built up area. Certainly. I jump it even when we have FULL LOADS on our Porter. No, I think it was more than a thought. We have very different canopies these days, built for very different purposes, different events, different sports. There are fewer differnces between Cricket and Baseball than there are between Sequencial CRW and Speed Skydiving. There is no way I'd use my Stilleto for Birdman, simply because, statistically, it would expose me to a higher risk of unrecoverable malfunction. I also wouldn't use it for a demo jump with a 70 KG flag into St Marc's square in Venice, Italy. That doesn't mean I can't handle my canopy. No one drives a Formula 1 car in the Paris/Dakar. There are no mountain bikes in the Tour De France. No one wins Giant Slalom in cross country ski's. No one shoots skeet with a Bisley rifle. It's not because they can't handle their equipment. It's because doing so would be stupid - regardless of their skillset. To think anything else is clearly not thinking. t It's the year of the Pig.

No. That's not it. t It's the year of the Pig.

Downsizing and changing to a higher performance planform at the same time are 2 steps in an events cascade. The 3rd step is the one that hurts. You're 2 thirds of the way there. t It's the year of the Pig.

Now THAT is a good answer! You may just make my AFF students think I'm smart this weekend. Thank You. t It's the year of the Pig.

You never read my question... did you? t It's the year of the Pig.

So do you think I'm flying my stilleto beyond my ability if I choose to use a Parafoil for Paraski or a PD Lightening for BiDiCReW? t It's the year of the Pig.

If 21 cell canopies have 21 cells, and 27 cell canopies have 27 cells, are 7 cell canopies not known as 14 cell canopies and 9 cell canopies not known as 18 cell canopies? 7 and 9 don't multiply by 2. Why do crossbrace multiply by 3? t It's the year of the Pig.

You're doing it dead right. It's a kinda "Pull yer pants down a bit" move, then throw. t It's the year of the Pig.

PD Stilleto and IC Safire in back to back rigs. t It's the year of the Pig.

9 Cell for a main. They have flatter glide, generally higher perfomance and better landings. 7 Cell for a reserve. They have more stable charecteristics, open fast and are very reliable. t It's the year of the Pig.

Maybe being at a surface elevation of 5000 ft AMSL means the air is thinner and people here fall faster. Anyone from high altitude DZ's have any numbers? t It's the year of the Pig.