pilotdave

Easiest way you're gonna find is to move those download links to their own page, and throw a counter on there. That extreme tracking site i posted above will give you a lot more info about who is viewing the page. Dave

Is the site straight html or does it use php or anything? Do you want to display hits, or do you want to know how many people have clicked on a certain link? Check out http://www.extreme-dm.com/tracking/. Dave

Hurry up and get in the air to take s'more purty videos! Dave

I'm not sure what you mean by that. What does the wingloading have to do with it? I think the surge you're feeling occurs as your canopy recovers from the stall it's in during the opening. Maybe that's what you're saying actually. There isn't really a distinct difference between falling and flying. I mean, there comes a point when the drag and lift from your canopy slows you down to a new terminal velocity (your descent rate). But I think you mean the same thing I do... Dave

I demoed my main, but not my reserve. Switched from a Microraven 120 to a PD143. I'd like to demo a PD143 at some point, but I personally went by reputation. Very glad I demoed the main before buying though. I was set to buy a spectre based on the reviews and descriptions I had read. Demoed it, liked it, almost bought one, but decided to just give the Sabre2 a try before making a decision. LOVED it. Bought it. Dave

Wouldn't a properly planned pattern be a better idea in almost every case? I mean, why fix an approach if it's not broken? Also gotta be careful not to overshoot on no wind/downwind landings. Brakes aren't going to steepen your approach in those cases, but rather flatten it. Just sounds like a bad habit to get into, to me. I'm sure it's a good skill to learn for landing in tight spots, but not something to use on every landing. Dave

Is it a nice big LCD monitor? I can get that cleaned up real nice. Just send it to me. Dave

Wow. Just wow. Good luck staying alive... Dave

Ok too small for anything useful... Dave

I think a lot of it depends on how big your head is. I wear my Z1 so my mouth is lined up pretty well with the ventilation holes, and my nose clear of the padding. Helps prevent fogging of the visor and my glasses. Dave

Don't have any numbers, but I'm a little confused by your subject line. A top overhaul is nothing like a factory remanufacture. Make sure you're getting prices for the right thing... Dave

Nope, but try night jumps. Always brings back some of that first jump feeling for me. Dave

The Z1 also has internal audible pockets. Put it in one of those and try it. Mine's so loud I make sure the speaker is facing away from my ear so it doesn't hurt. The internal pockets aren't as convenient as the external one, but probably safer and you can get it in and out quickly with a little practice. The big question is why does a Z1 with an extra hole in it cost more than a standard Z1?

Thats the sad part... almost everyone hates spam, but it works. People really do buy that crap. I can't imagine buying anything from one of those companies no matter how much I wanted it. They're trying to trick the spam filtering at the ISP level, not at the PC level. Dave

Your glide ratio (through the air) increases when you add brakes, not decreases like you suggest. An accuracy canopy can sink in deep brakes... it has a lower glide ratio in deep brakes. But a modern sport canopy can't do that. Adding brakes increases your glide ratio in a no wind situation. So of course your glide ratio over the ground is even better with a tailwind and brakes. When you pull the brakes, you are right that your airspeed decreases and so does your descent rate. But the descent rate decreases more quickly than the airspeed. That allows you to glide farther with brakes than without. Into a strong wind is a different story. The lower groundspeed will cause a steeper descent (in relation to the ground) when you apply brakes. That's the only way you can sink a modern sport canopy using brakes. Seriously, take Scott Miller's canopy course. He does a great job of explaining this stuff and gives you a chance to see it for yourself. Dave

I'd love to know what that thing actually does and who owned it previously. I mean, whoever was selling it has no clue what it is. "THIS UNIT IS FULLY OPERATIONAL, TOTAL MOVEMENT SIMULATION, SOUND, AND FULL VISUAL... A MUST HAVE FOR TRAINING VS ACTUAL." Somehow I just don't believe that. And who wants to train to fly a helicopter that'll never fly again anyway?

I loved the cordura pouch on my reflex. My vector has a spandura pouch (just tougher than normal spandex) which works fine, but I thinkt he cordura was a little easier to work with. The thing is, once you open up the mouth to stuff your PC in, the rest of the pouch is pretty loose so the PC slides in easily. It's held in place firmly by the tight mouth though. I never had a hard pull, and the elastic stayed nice and tight the whole time I owned the reflex (still own it actually...just dont jump it anymore). On the spandura pouch, I can see that it's going to stretch and wear out the most right at the opening. It holds the PC tightly now, but I can see that as I keep stretching it open every time I pack, I'll wear it out eventually and it'll get looser and looser over time. With the cordura pouch, if it's tight when you pack it, chances are it'll be tight in the air. If it loosens, I imagine you only need to replace a piece of elastic instead of the entire pouch too. If I had the choice on the vector, I woulda gone with cordura. But then again, Bill Booth went with spandura and he knows just a tad more about this sorta thing than I do.

Don't forget that paragliders have WAY more exposure to sunlight than skydiving canopies. 100 hours is probably somewhere around 1200 jumps (at 5 minute exposure time per jump...would be less jumps if you pack in the sunlight too). I think canopies that aren't left out in direct sunlight for long periods of time probably degrade due to packing, opening, and being dragged along the ground a lot quicker than due to UV exposure. But maybe I'm wrong... Dave

Video Dave

Awww geez...the logical thinking. C'mon now, hollywood wouldn't lie to us, right? Didn't you see the movie? He learns head down in the fort bragg tunnel to be great at speedstar. Besides, what do YOU know about speedstar?? I think I'll trust the movie! Dave

You would benefit a great deal. Coached tunnel time is an awesome way to learn. Lots of fun too. If you decide to go to the tunnel, you won't be sorry you did... until you pay for your next rental. I'd agree that you should get a rig instead, unless you're in a really big hurry to make the speedstar team (a la "cutaway" the movie).

Yeah, me too! I still have never even opened that forum... or the womens forum either. Don't wanna know what happens in either one. BTW, your jump number up to date? Dave

gmail is just a web mail account, like hotmail or yahoo. But you get 1 gigabyte to store emails. It's in a testing period now. Testers can occasionally invite more people to test it. Eventually they're just gonna open it up to everyone. It's really nothing all that special. A gig is nice but I already pay for a 2 gig yahoo account, which is also ad free. I have barely even touched my gmail account since I can't access it from work...yet (ActiveX is required, which is disabled here). Dave

I let an 8 year old "help" me pack one day. I'd set one brake and she'd set the other, then after putting the canopy on the ground, she'd roll on it to get the air out, then cock the pilot chute (which she needed some help with). I realized my closing loop really needed to be shortened when she was able to get it through all the grommets with only a little help. Then she helped fold and roll the pilot chute. I tore up my fingers learning to pack... if an 11 year old can do it, I'm impressed! Dave

Ok, I didn't realize you meant to repeatedly tug on the toggles and let up quickly... here's what your original advice was... You implied that you hold 1/2 or 3/4 brakes until you are near the ground, then let up, being careful of the surge when you let up. If you do that, you will go farther on a low wind day. If you pump the brakes, letting it surge every time, I'm not sure what will happen but if you say it works, I believe ya. Dave