robblack31

I just ask them to "make a wide stance".

Thanks for posting this video. I am almost looking forward to some line twist so that I can try it out. It looked like only 1 or 2 twists in the vid, does it work equally well for the nasty spin ups?

Scott, you rocked! Seriously! The editing was hysterical. How were you able to "order your team to open their chutes"?

Thanks for understanding us locals who backed out. I didn't want to pay a small fortune in baby-sitting fees to sit around being pissed off at the weather. Oh well, at least the $25 reg fee is a tax dedcution

Glad you came out Monkey, it was a lot of fun. Looking forward to jumping with you at the 20/20 or sooner..

Hey Ed, Yes, of course I totally agree. Thats why I don't think people just make blanket statements like cutting away your wings is not part of a successful recovery plan. I am sure there are people out there still flying suits like the S-1. Anyways, it was a long time ago but thanks for the great training. I have never felt like it was a "straight jacket"

I found the following on Bird-man.com on the FAQ section. Maybe it is outdated info now with the new suits but here is the quote.. Q: What if I can not control myself during the flight? A: Arch and relax. If that does not help, pull the cut away handles to cut away the wings and continue your skydive in "normal" body position until pull time.

Yeah, we are talking about relativly small arm wings on a Birdman S1 compared to the monster wings that exist now.

I am not really sure that I agree with everything in your post. Perhaps emergency procedures have changed but I was taught that I should pull the wing cut-away handles in free-fall if I got unstable and could not recover. I am not proud to admit that I once got unstable in my Bird-man S-1 and could not recover. My exit from 13,000 ft was terrible and I tried to get stable until about 8,000 ft when I followed my instructors training and pulled the arm wing release handles. It was a great relief to have my arms free and it just turned into a "normal" skydive (of course I closed the leg wing). I did try your suggestions for stability before cutting the wings away but it just didn't work probably due to improper execution on my part. With my experience now, I am confident that I could get stable without using the arm cut-away system. So, should beginners be taught to release their wings in free-fall? I am no expert and so I won't answer. All I know is that it saved my ass! I would much rather pull stable than pull in some funky twist/spin/ball.... Flame away if you want for using the arm wing cutaway in free-fall but I was very happy with the results.

Eddie P trained me up back in 2003 and I was happy to help him get rich. The training was great and that first jump is still probably my favorite w.s. jump. It all went well until I did a "phantom pull" of my hackey and went back into full flight. I looked over to see Eddie laughing at me until I reached back and pulled properly. Then I got married and now my w.s. (which has gotten smaller) mostly mocks me without remorse.

Here is mine from a few years back. Rare to have these clouds in California.

I am pretty sure that is why they started making suits like the Mach and Steath for fat guys or "big boned" as I prefer. But then the skinny guys just buy big suits, doesn't that just defeat the point??? I am sure your response will be something like,"lose some weight fatty", but whatever...

Is it invitational or can any safe but under-talented pilot show up?

Damn Scott, you make it look so easy. Very inspirational. When you make the move to take your slot it seems so effortless. Nice Flying.

If it is flown "lazy" by the w.s. pilot, then regular trackers should have no problem. This photo was taken by a tracker in a ff suit. I am not sure who gets official credit for the term "birdeo" but I know that I used it before I had ever heard anyone say the term

Thanks DSE for keeping us all posted, you are a great writer and its very exciting! The best I ever did was participate in some of Ed's events at Lodi. Striving for perfection is great, but what the group has already accomplished is AMAZING! Anyone who has put on a w.s. knows its a lot harder than it looks...

Lodi is a great place to jump. There are vineyard but plenty of outs as well if you are very aware. 1. You landed safely. 2. You didn't get kicked off the DZ. I say job well done!

Is you neck sore? I got slammed for the first time last week and when I woke up the next day I literally could not move my neck. After a week, I am still in a lot of pain.

I never saw that clip, do you have a link?

I could look this up, but what is the minimum number of jumps the "perfect" student could do in your course?

You want to hear some real dumb luck? I was helping a newb close his container when I found out how loose his closing pin was. I told him that we need to tighten that up. I then asked if he had cocked his pilot chute and he just looked at me with curiosity. He had jumped this loose pin/no cocked pilot chute set up for about 30 jumps without incident. Amazing!

I arch like hell out the door but then tend to go a bit knees low but not nearly as much as yourself. I am glad you posted this question, it really made me think about what I do...

What percentage of the tandem students do you think actually observe the swoop? I think you have the safety part covered but is it even worth the effort? I have tried to point out other tandem canopies opening to the students and they usually cannot even spot that or even find the airport on their own without instruction...

Hey Greg, that was a great coach jump a couple weeks back. Calculus teachers rock!

Nice one Ed, that hurt I should pay more attention to the text next time.