BlindBrick

My reserve is a little bit too big for my Mirage and through watchign a couple of Master riggers and a lot of trial and error on my part, I've found that there are three things that really make a major difference. 1. Bulk distribution. This is always important on a Mirage, but it's doubly so if you have a tight one that's had the mod. Mike Gruwell's instructions are very good for this and are avilable on his loft website and are also available on Mirage's website. 2. Closing loop length is another absolutely critical one. The shorter the better its going to look. In my experience, I've gotten the best results by having a loop short enough that it had ~19 lbs of pull force, so it would be relatively easy mistake to shorten the loop to the point that it put it a little over the legal max. So you definitely want to test the pull force on each repack. 3. This was kind of the "light bulb" step for me. With a tight repack, there's a bit of a tendancy for the base of the pilotchute to shift off center. Recentering the base, if needed, as you close each flap prevents the misaligned PC from creating a small bulge on one of the side flaps. Seems like a little thing, but if the side flaps are are even a little bit off they will not let the reserve pin cover set totally flat. -Blind "If you end up in an alligator's jaws, naked, you probably did something to deserve it."

Good point. Are there any downsides to them though? Well, they do make you look "french"... -Blind "If you end up in an alligator's jaws, naked, you probably did something to deserve it."

I'm saving up for new handles. Cutaway is going to say "C Ya" and my reserve ripcord is going to say "Double or Nothin'" -Blind "If you end up in an alligator's jaws, naked, you probably did something to deserve it."

While I was in Z-hills a few years back, my buddy Kahn took me to Busch Gardens-Tampa. There, I found myself next to the croc enclosure as the sun was going down. All the crocs were camped out under a tree, and as it began to darken, birds began to roost in its branches. In preparation for their slumber, the birds just totally let their bowels go. Within a few minutes, the massive killing machines below them were covered in shit. That was when I realized one of life's greatest truths: No matter how badass you are, everyone's gotta take some shit. -Blind "If you end up in an alligator's jaws, naked, you probably did something to deserve it."

GFD is almost dead on. the assistnat dean of my school literally wrote the book9or at least one of them) on dining ettiquette. if possible, use the utensil that palced the offending item in your to remove it. If it's something minor like a single bit of gristle, let it go. Otoh, if it's obvious that proper attention was not payed to the preperation of your food, place your knife above your plate(as in between the plate and center of the table) with the point pointing towards the center of the table. This is a signal to the waitstaff that something is serously amiss, and within a very short time, the executive chef should be at your side inquiring about what is wrong. -Blind "If you end up in an alligator's jaws, naked, you probably did something to deserve it."

I jump standard Mirage velcroless risers and have no trouble pulling the slider down the risers. If you are having issues stowing your slider on standatrd risers, it's most likely an issue with the size of your connector links. -Blind "If you end up in an alligator's jaws, naked, you probably did something to deserve it."

It's also all relative. Most people would consider a 269 sf canopy to to be a massive, docile, safe bus, but it gives me a 1.2 WL which demands that I fly it with respect. -Blind "If you end up in an alligator's jaws, naked, you probably did something to deserve it."

Call Fiesty at SD:MO. He occasionally puts on a course if there enough interest. Mt. vernon is aout 2.5 hours from KC. -Blind "If you end up in an alligator's jaws, naked, you probably did something to deserve it."

I've been doing a ton of hp & pops(~95% of my jumps) and using the oppertunity to work on canopy control skills. I'm saving up for a set of CRW Assist risers so that I can get some more experience with front riser turns (269 zp ellipitical loaded at 1.2 means unGodly front riser pressure). -Blind "If you end up in an alligator's jaws, naked, you probably did something to deserve it."

That's what got me grounded. No one really believed me when I told them I average 179 on my belly, but once I got video of me docking with a freeflyer, it was hard to argue. That made my DZO realize I was also deploying at those speeds, and it was bye bye freefall. Which I really can understand from his position as both a friend and DZO. It's just that while I knew deploying at those speeds was dicey, it didn't have the same "imminent death" feeling I get every time I wear my suit. -Blind "If you end up in an alligator's jaws, naked, you probably did something to deserve it."

I have them set where I just barely have to reach to get them at full extension.. -Blind "If you end up in an alligator's jaws, naked, you probably did something to deserve it."

Right now I am getting down to the low 130's in the suit. It's doubled lined, denim, has sleeves with more fabric than a pair of bell-bottom pants, swoop cords, and a triple layer wing(inner layer is ZP). I also have the biggest size container Mirage makes. The truth is that there's only so much that can be done when you're 5'11 and ~320 out the door. -Blind "If you end up in an alligator's jaws, naked, you probably did something to deserve it."

I'm a heavy guy with a bellyfly speed that surpasses the average freefly speed. Because of this, my DZO placed a requirement that I had to find a way to slow down to ~120 mph if I wanted to do anything besides a hop and pop. The only thing that works for me is a massive hybrid suit that's an extra baggy cut freefly suit with a swoop-corded camera wing that extends to just below my knees. Because the wing needs to get my rig on with a wing that goes to the knee; the wing is sewn to my hip and then attaches with a velcro sandwhich and heavy-duty buckle. The gap between the end of the stitching and the velcro is about 10 inches. Every since I've got the suit, I've been thinking about the possibility of creating an irrcoverable horseshoe mal by reaching through the gap when I go to throw out the PC. I've modified my throw out so that I reach up and touch the back of the rig before going for the PC, but even with this modification ot my routine, I've felt the wing fabric in my hand two of the last three jumps on the suit. It's gotten to the point that the suit has me so fustrated/scared that I'd rather go do a hop and pop than mess with it. Is this just a case of gear fear or do do I really have a gear issue? -Blind "If you end up in an alligator's jaws, naked, you probably did something to deserve it."

An old Indian would never refer to himself or his people as "Indians" Funny, there's well over a million of us who are proud to be Indians. -Blind "If you end up in an alligator's jaws, naked, you probably did something to deserve it."

Alors Nico... are you going to M.O.A.B? Bien sure! I need to find my handles! Just remember to be careful aroudn the old runway. That's where the quicksand almsot got me looking for your handles!

Which brings up a good question. At, have you had some one with some experience test fly your main? It's a demil'ed F-111 canopy which means that it could quite possibly have a large number of jumps on it. Given that F-111 loses flare power after several hundred jumps, it's imporant to know if your canopy is "ragged out". If it is, it could definitely be a factor with hard landings. Especially considering the lower flare pwoer of a seven cell and the fact that your jumping at a DZ with an elevation a significant amount above sea level in hot tempatures. -Blind "If you end up in an alligator's jaws, naked, you probably did something to deserve it."

At, call them again. I ordered a 269 from them in the latter part of last year. I /think/ mine's the biggest one they've made yet. Now that they've made one that big, they might consider a 299 now. You might also want to talk to MEL (Masterigger1 on here) who runs one of the Icarus US service centers. He, or someone on his staff, has put a test jump on my canopy and could probably give the designers enough info for them to make an informed decision on a 299. -Blind "If you end up in an alligator's jaws, naked, you probably did something to deserve it."

Very true, the Safire II has a more radical taper, about 22% more IIRC. -Blind "If you end up in an alligator's jaws, naked, you probably did something to deserve it."

Icarus will make you a canopy in any size you choose. You might look at the Omni and Safire II. -Blind "If you end up in an alligator's jaws, naked, you probably did something to deserve it."

I'm batting 2 for 2 on my R-Max also. flew great both times. -Blind "If you end up in an alligator's jaws, naked, you probably did something to deserve it."

Meh, why bother with a life raft? All you really need is to have the good firtune of your airliner disintegrating with a snow covered mountain nearby. It worked for that stewardess in Europe. -Blind "If you end up in an alligator's jaws, naked, you probably did something to deserve it."

Yeah, yeah I know. Approximately 2,000 ft pulls combined with with old, snively canopies and FXC 12000's. I opened above firing altitude but within the commit window so when I got my main down to the firing altitude the FXC did it's job. Definitely my fault for dumping lower than prudent,(should have been dumping at 4 instead of what I thought was 3) compounded by using gear I knew I had issues with(the alti). Luckily I survived and for the past threee years I've been focusing on making smart decision in this sport. -Blind "If you end up in an alligator's jaws, naked, you probably did something to deserve it."

Theoretically, yes, just like a Cypres or Vigil could theoretically be turned off by accident. However, like them, if properly installed it wouldn't be easy at all. Typical installation of a Astra control unit places it on the main lift web at a point which is not a common area to rub against anything, this combined with the large plastic shield that guards the switch makes it extremely difficult to accidently get to the switch. -Blind "If you end up in an alligator's jaws, naked, you probably did something to deserve it."

That's kind of a bogus argument. I've jumped both and you do not have to think about reading a digital altimeter. You just process the numbers as an icon rather than a data string. Pretty much idientical to looking at a clock and "knowing" what itme it is without actually stopping to consider where the hands are. I'd also point out that for those with visual issues, reading the digital display can be easier than finding a needle on an analog. I used to be able to read my alti-master with about a 1,000 margin of error. After a couple of two out situations, I upgraded to a digital and haven't looked back. -Blind "If you end up in an alligator's jaws, naked, you probably did something to deserve it."

Well imagine a cross between a 12 year odl boy and a resident of San Francio going "Yaaaaaaaaay!" and you get the idea. -Blind "If you end up in an alligator's jaws, naked, you probably did something to deserve it."