pilotdave

Yeah I wore weight for my first release dives. AFF got a lot easier when I finally switched to jumping with instructors that could just fall with me. Dave

I'll have some clips available on skydivingmovies.com when it opens. Dave

I will own two next month when my new container arrives, at least until I sell my old one. If I can't find a buyer willing to pay a reasonable price, it'll just be my backup rig for a while. Dave

I've done two jumps on a manta288 loaded at about .45. Winds were pretty light both times so that wasn't a big issue. Problem I had was just unbelievably slow turns and weak flare. I turned final a little too high so I decided to S-turn down. I was literally using full toggle inputs all the way down to maybe 50 feet. It was a little bit scary having so little control. Glad it was my 9th or so jump and not my first, which was on a PD170. Dave

He claimed mirage is better made than wings. He went as far as to say a mirage will work 100% of the time, whereas a wings may not. But that's not the same as calling a wings unsafe. Besides, if the guy believes wings containers are actually unsafe, I'd like to hear why. I understand why people get upset when a manufacturer talks this way. I'd rather hear this stuff from an unaffiliated master rigger. But guess what? There is no unnafilliated master rigger on here explaining to me why one container is better than another. Every time anyone asks what container to buy, the response is always the same. "I love my ____." Now that is useful information. Everyone needs to learn at some point that they'll probably be happy with whatever container they decide to buy. Not too many people don't like their custom made container. Most people even love their used container. But does that mean all containers are created equal? Dave

I think if Mirage wants to advertise that their rigs are the safest out there, that's just fine. If they want to say their rigs are better made than wings, that's fine too. I'm sure Sunrise isn't personally offended. But what I'd like to see some data to back up the claims. Seriously, how often do containers fail? I've heard of one getting torn apart during a premature deployment in a sit (dont know what brand), and I've heard of grommets catching lines. What other failures have occured over the past 10 years? (that's a question, not a statement). Have mirages worked 100% of the time? How about wings? Someone said this thread is gonna hurt sales. Yeah, right. I don't see the appeal that a lot of people do in mirages. They're kinda "pretty boy" rigs, aren't they? (uh oh, did I really say that?

I guess I see things differently. I wanna see a royal rumble of gear manufacturers. Let em go all out and trash talk each other's products. Personally, I think Mirages are overpriced. At least now I know it's because they use twice as many stitches as they need to! Now I would have LOVED to have heard a comment like that from Sunrise or Sunpath. But that's just me. I understand why some people would be upset about this. But I don't like fluff. I don't want to hear that a rig is comfortable, looks good, and comes in 50 flavors (I think when the tie-dye craze wears out, flavored fabrics will be coming along). I want to hear that they are the best because their hard housings are made of depleted uranium stitched on with inconel thread. I want the specifics, and I don't care how sleazy they get to give them to me! I want to know why their rig is better than all the others. The only manufacturer that has so far been able to tell me that is relative workshop. I even asked a sunpath rep why the javelin is the best rig. He told me it's comfortable, has hard inserts in the risers, and blah blah blah, stuff that's true of every rig on the market (that I'd consider). I'd rather him tell me that the javelin is safer than the vector3 because ____. I can decide for myself if whatever he tells me has any merit. But he couldn't come up with a thing. So when I hear the stitching on a mirage is better than the stitching on a wings, or the stitching on a cobalt is better than the stitching on a PD canopy (which brought out this same kind of conversation a long time ago), I've at least learned something new. Dave

Well, their website shows ksuskydive@yahoo.com, but I have ksuskydivers@hotmail.com as the contact info for the president in my files. It's probably outdated anyway, but maybe worth a shot. Collegiate skydiving clubs disappear and reappear really quickly. Dave

As long as Bill Booth still runs the place, sure! The guy know's what he's doing... Dave

I absolutely 100% disagree. I'm smart enough to know that doubling the number of stitches doesnt make the rig twice as strong or twice as safe. But who else here knew that a mirage has double the stitches and all those other details? I personally want manufacturers to directly compare their products with others MORE often, not less. Yeah, it was clearly worded in a way that made the mirage sound better, but that's fine with me. I want to hear this stuff. Dave

I was far more impressed by "chief safety officer" Sol. "...if you haven't got the experience, you shouldn't be doing it, but you've gotta start somewhere and get the experience..." "..."but I wouldnt say BASE jumping is unsafe. Probably driving on the road is way more dangerous." Glad he's not in charge of my safety!

For those that missed it, selected clips will be available on skydivingmovies.com when it opens. Dave

Was it worth the wait?

You sure it wasn't a Bell? Speaking of Sikorsky though, I got to check out their newest helicopter last week, the S-92. It'd make an awesome jump ship...rear ramp and all!

...and EXTREMELY uncommon anywhere else. Dave

A mirage G4, with all the options, will cost you nearly twice as much as a similarly equipped wings. It's not twice as good. I think the wings looks better anyway. I wouldn't even consider a javelin right now because of the wait time and the fact that there's nothing so special about it. Personally, I went with a vector3. It's the only rig that stands out from the rest, in my opinion. Dave

Yeah, balloons and helicopters are just as "legal" as planes. I remember seeing pics a while ago of Ted Strong doing a tandem BASE at bridge day years ago. Times have a'changed. Dave

It'll be on skydivingmovies.com when it opens (soon), along with a few other clips of old wingsuit jumps. Dave

Very true. According to the cypres value estimator at the SSK site, my 2 year old cypres with fresh batteries is worth more than I paid for it. I'll sell mine for less than it's worth though (with my rig), since I'd rather have a new one. Dave

Yes it is. Now run on over to rec.skydiving to cry about it s'more! C'mon, lets hear the story. If the thread suddenly disappears, we know who to blame.

I have no clue how people were arranged in the plane. But after doing a few 182 jumps yesterday with only 4 jumpers on board, I can't even imagine how crowded it would be with 5. Under normal circumstances, moving around in a 182 is very difficult. If the JM was near the door, getting out may have been the only way anyone else on board could have gotten to the door. Everyone knows the risks when they get into a skydiving plane...or at least they should. I don't blame the JM even if he did just try to save himself. Dave

I do! I do! S'looking like next week. Then, after the web server catches on fire from the constant downloads, the site will be back online soon. I'm actually slightly worried about the hits. Check the dz.com topsites. Skydivingmovies.com is #1, and it's not even open yet. I'm thinking of putting up a fake front page that says subscriptions will be $20 just to turn away a few people a day.

Yep, the upload script is the last piece of the puzzle. I think the final kinks are being worked out. I have a web developer chained to the radiator in my basement. He gets half a loaf of bread and some water every day until the site is finished. And then just for my own amusement, I edit his work and delete his changes every once in a while. Well, it's not exactly like that except for editing his work and that's only by mistake.

There's no longer an (anonymous) ftp server, but all the videos will be available on the website. Much easier to use, more info about the videos, searchable, video ratings, and you can leave comments about videos. Oh, the menus and stuff will be available in at least 7 languages, hopefully making things a little easier for visitors from around the world. Final touches are in progress, and the site should be ready to open next week with over 1200 videos available for download. Dave

Trying to steal less these days. If I got permission from Joe Jennings I'd definitely do it. I got permission from Norman Kent the other day for the trailers on his site. But that's good advertising for him since those videos are for sale. Dave