larsrulz

Fundamentally, a more elliptical wing produces less drag. Google "oswald's efficiency factor" sometime if you are bored...a perfectly elliptical wing (the british WWII spitfire had a {nearly} elliptical wing) has a oswald's efficiency factor, e, of 1. They actually misdefine it in those pages you'll find, but it is the same basic idea. The bonus this has with parachutes is that full flight drag compared with drag when a single toggle is dropped half way is that the difference is much much larger between elliptical parachutes than non-elliptical. This means that an elliptical parachute can respond very aggressively to a relatively small toggle inputs. Also, Bill...saying "the lift they generate is equal to their exit weight" is not exactly correct, otherwise a parachute could enter steady, level flight, which obviously they can't. In fact, Lift*cos(x)=Weight where x is the angle of flight with respect to the ground. In the end, the forces of lift, drag, and weight sum up to be zero (which is basically what you were getting at), but part of the lift is taken away to overcome the drag force. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

Given so much pro-slink talk here, I figure I'll bring in a negative aspect of them. Unlike rapid links, slinks can go out of trim much like a lineset can. I know I have heard Brian Germain mention this issue before. This isn't so much a problem with a large, docile main canopy (like I assume you are getting), but can develop into a problem with more aggressive canopies. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

--> [_beer_] with the _'s removed. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

0:13:! 8 awesome jumps saturday and 4 awesome ones sunday. Firsts 1) First CReW Jump 2) First Two Stack 3) First Bi-Plane 4) First Elliptical 5) First Airlocked (same as #4) 6) First Seven Cell 7) First all F1-11 (Same as #6) 8) First 14K hop'n'pop 9) First Round jump 10) First Round landing 11) First Paid Coach Jump Dear god...I'm just gonna get a keg and save myself some money!!! I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

Bill's right....the FAA doesn't expect a pilot to be omnipotent, so if you sign off your repack card, then you are the only one to be held responsible. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

Being I work with Carbon based composites, you won't find a single researcher who knows anything that says this is possible in the next 20+ years. While we are finally to the point where material engineers can make single wall carbon nanotubes relatively "inexpensive", getting their maximum strength in a composite is not possible. A composite requires two materials, a reinforcement (the nanotubes in this case) and a matrix, generally an epoxy (think about those bonehead composite helmets where you can see both the fibers and the epoxy). Unfortunately, there is no epoxy that can bond to the nanotubes strong enough to actually break them. As each individual nanotube length is a maximum of micro-scale, i.e. a few 0.000001 m or a few 0.001 mm, the nanotubes merely pull out of the matrix instead of breaking under the load applied. This means that while the theoretical strength for a particular carbon nanotube composite may be 100 tons, the real world strength will be closer to about 1 ton (around 1% theoretical strength is what many researchers tend to get). I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

$44.29...she lives an hour away and is the one who drives down to visit me! I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

I drive about 110 miles to and from each and every weekend. You eventually get used to it, just part of the deal. Also, you can go 80 in Illinois without a cop taking a second look. Just so you know, IVPC is out of service currently, so you'll have to go considerably further. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

0:6:1 Only got 6 in saturday; went home as the SO said she was coming today, then she didn't show up, so not only did I only get 6 jumps, I got no humps. Did get my first paid coach jump saturday though. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

My DZ uses a video waiver for their static line first jump course. It is a precursor to the training video that SDC put out so many years ago. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

Anyone still got one? I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

And he already let us know here I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

180 since I started the beginning of April. I haven't jumped since a balloon jump the wednesday during the convention...feels kinda wierd. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

I'm a coach, not an AFFI (nor any other sort of I), but this question holds the same for me. My DZ also says students may only jump with instructional rating holders. I believe that there shouldn't be a need for restriction. If there was a 100 hour tunnel rat who showed that they had good tracking and canopy skills after finishing Cat H but before their A check, then I wouldn't think putting them on a 6-way would be completely out of the question, especially if the other 5 had ratings. Self-regulation needs to be given a chance before restriction; I could be completely wrong, but I doubt there are any dropzones that are throwing 20 jump wonders on 12-ways. If the restrictions have to cover every little detail, then the SIM would be ten times as thick. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

Cat F can actually be correct. The SIM does not say when a student can be cleared for self-supervision, but for instance my dropzone does that after the CAT D jump (a S/L DZ and CAT E is done as the last coach dive after F-H), but a coach can jump with a student as soon as an instructor clears them for self-supervision, which I am sure this varies between both method of instruction and dropzone. This implies that a coach could do the CAT F tracking dive (Jay Stokes my coach's course director explicitely said this), but he said (and I agree) that a coach should not be doing a tracking dive, as that requires air skills that are more suited towards an instructor. But in general, the CAT G-H are those that are said aside as "coach jumps." I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

Not a rigger, but had a nice talk with my rigger when I was thinking about buying one of the wings demo rigs at WFFC; unfortunately they sold it, so I was out of luck. He isn't a fan of wings, but not because they are harder to pack. In his opinion, the exposed pilot chute make the rig harder to look pretty, so his only problem is aesthetics, not functionality. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

I love my Vigil and it works great for me! I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

We have a decent sized club at University of Illinois over in Urbana. We jump down at Archway in Vandalia, but Skydive Chicago up in Ottawa is probably 30 miles closer for you. There is a small weekend dropzone (read 182) in Paxton which would be even closer. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

Which is why I was talking about the convention, where the vendors said they would require 500 jumps, but multiple 200 jump wonders got FJC. And I have 180 in about 4.5 months, so 200 in 6 shouldn't be a problem. Then why are there a number of people who got FJCs with 200? Here I was sitting around the LO tent not jumping when I coulda been flying! I'm just curious if (sounds like you didn't JP) Chuck dropped his requirement or if he was just doing this for friends. If the requirement was dropped, then I'm super bummed, because the closest BMI is up at SDC, which it will be at least a month or two before I can make it up there, and the convention next year will probably be the next boogie I go to. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

I've always wondered the same; the protec is honestly probably the safest helmet out there for impact, i.e. not riser slap. With a background in composite design and mechanical engineering, I have long wondered if designing and marketing a helmet that actually provides protection against moderate impacts would sell, or if people already having their Z1, Oxygn, and Hurricaines would just say screw it. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

So when did the requirement change from 500 jumps to 200 jumps? I would have had 200 by the end of the first weekend had I known you were letting 200 jump wingsuiters. And I'm sure the demos at SDC will be gone before I can get a chance to go up there. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

My rigger said they stuff foam and cover it with cordura, at least they used to do this. He hasn't done it in a number of years. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

Other balloon/van, Paula was on my load, but ended up riding with you guys after landing in the cemetary. I was a little shocked that the cemetary workers were so casual when we asked if they saw her: "yep, she landed right over there about 5 minutes ago and jumped in a van with a trailer." I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

He only offered me $4000 Hello , Thanks for the quick comply regarding this sale,so am okay with the price stated in your last mail but which is $725 and the condition at present Dont worry about the shipment , I have arrange with a shipping company that will come for the pick up in your location. I want you to render this help as far as this sale is concern,i have a business partner in the state that will send you the check of $4000 and he will send the cheque out to you as the mode of payment , once you have the cheque of $4000 deduct your funds and forward the balance of the fund through WESTERN UNION MONEY TRANSFER to the shipping company that will come for the pickup,if my payment terms are okay with you,I want you to provide me with the information below: FUL L NAME THAT W ILL BE ON THE CHEQUE................ PERSONAL ADDRESS(NOT P.O.BO X).. ... . ....... .... . CITY..... ........ STATE............ ZIPCODE... ............... CELL ,HOME AND WORK PHONE NUMBER........... I will like to know if i ca trust you by sending the shipper's fund.Expecting your quick response back asap. Thanks I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

Were you on the wednesday morning baloon chase too? Were you in the front seat of the mini van with the lady who kept taking wrong turns? And you're the second sub-500 person to post about making birdman jumps. What's with that? I would have been to 200 jumps by monday morning had I known they weren't following the 500 jump rule. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF