IslandGuy

Hi Scott, I use a Garmin ForeTrex201 and mount it on my the back of my ankle with the extender strap provided with the unit. Flying belly down it provides pretty good data. It works best when I turn it on about a minute before exit and I get an exit slot outside the door. I bend my leg at the knee facing it skyward. In this scenario, best case it will acquire before exit, typical worst case - it won't acquire until about 11k. I personally settled on the ankle mount instead of the helmet mount because, 1) I'm lazy and it was easier to do, and, 2), when I'm going for max performance I'm typically alone in the sky and so I just don't wear a helmet but I always wear my ankle

I'm not sure if I am heading to Z-Hills or Seb just yet, (or maybe neither if the wx sucks too bad). I'm leaning toward the Hills just because I think I'll probably be able to make more loads. --Grey Mike Play like your life depends on it.

Yup - as Matt said, it's a little smaller but still awesome. Check out the post: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?do=post_view_flat;post=2361912;page=1;mh=-1;guest=34222982;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC (sorry-not sure how to make a CLICKY thing) If I recall correctly, there were like 30-35 folks total. Not everyone made every day but there were some really fun flocks. Ckeck out the pics and video Matt posted. It's a great time of year where there is still a good chance of getting some towering cumulous action for cloud play. See you in a 4 weeks for 3.0! Play like your life depends on it.

Flock-n-Dock 3.5 of course.

The weather should be awesome – highs in the low 80’s, lows in the high 60’s, winds light and variable, skies clear and blue with frequent periods of nylon overcast. Come on down and thaw out! Don't forget your sunscreen and shades. Play like your life depends on it.

Awesome Matt!!! Can’t say much more than what has already been said except thank you for combining your excellent photographic and flying skills to give us these most excellent results. Also, thanks to you, Scotty, and the other camera fliers for providing the group with all the video for the debriefs. That sure made for some great feedback. THANKS to: Scott for all the organizing and flying a supremely skilled base, Everyone from all over the country who joined in the flock and tried not to take him out too bad, Jason and Viviana who put on one helluva top-notch boogie and to our local Puerto Rican birds who shared their island and made us feel so welcome, Everyone for all the great vibes, and, The weather gods who smiled upon us. Definitely looking forward to PR next year. Before then though, hope to see you all, new friends and old, at F&D! Blue Skies, mike Play like your life depends on it.

I’ll interpret your original post as posing two questions. First, should you try wingsuits before the 200 jump guideline? – that’s been discussed and debated at great length. I think not much more can be added to what has already been said. Second question is, should you start with the Prodigy? The posts so far have been from individuals and instructor, the individuals providing their personal experiences with the Prodigy and the instructors providing their experiences observing (collectively) hundreds of first jumps with both the Prodigy and other suits. If your only wingsuit choice is a Prodigy and have nothing else to jump, then any and all input from personal and instructor experiences will be valuable. If you have choices, then I’d listen to the instructors recommendations as to what wingsuit would best be used on a first flight, especially since they do have an interest in the successful outcome of their student’s performance. I do not find suggestions, to the effect that brand name allegiance biases an instructor’s recommendation, credible. Given all the new wingsuits and new birds, maybe a new poll is in order. Perhaps for instructors only responding (those with at least 20 students trained), asking what are the three best wingsuits for a first flight. Mike Play like your life depends on it.

That's it Mark, tie dye - great idea. One long sleeve, one short. On the long sleeve, we need a webbie. Play like your life depends on it.

Scratch n' Sniff T-Shirts?? How about gray t-shirts.... na, make them orange - then they'll go with everything. Play like your life depends on it.

It's Flock n' Dock - the CASA or the Otter will be full of wingsuits. If it's a Robi vs. Jeff competition - then wingsuit flying has just become a spectator sport. Heck then, this could turn out to be almost as much fun a bowling. From what I've observed, the only time wingsuiters get competitive is when they see another wingsuit in the air. Mike Play like your life depends on it.

If Yuri put some animal balloons in the leading edge of that guy's sleeves, he would probably be able to take off. So, Jarno, how come with these kind of winds we are not reading about somebody landing a wingsuit in the news today?

Why? Our governing body sez I can pull at 2000. Because the race ends at 3500 (or is that 2500?) feet. You open at the designated hard deck and see who got the furthest. And that is the problem with using altitude in determining where the end point is. If I open at 3k instead of 3.5k, I'll be another 500 to 1000 feet further along. The other problem with using altitude as the end point is that one guy getting a glide ratio of 1:1 will fly 2 miles and open over the swamp. Another guy getting a 2:1 glide ratio will fly 4 miles and open on the other side of the airport. Neither will be back at the DZ any time soon. I know if I'm past the DZ and over the middle of the airport at 5k, I'm pulling. Turning back into the flight path of some 20 other wingsuiters is not an option. And, I'm sure not going open at the other side of the airport at 3k. That's why the most reasonable way to do this is to have the jump run be the starting line and the parallel runway be the ending line. The less altitude you loose, the better your glide ratio. A flying start groups everyone together (and wastes altitude doing that - and assumes everyone will be able to get to the line in time for the start) and so when it comes pull time you now have to scatter. That's something I'd rather be doing above 3k. Flying starts are great for video in the first 5 seconds, but after that people will be too far apart to get any good footage. Play like your life depends on it.

Excellent idea. I figured with 50+ folks at F&D3 that we'd be putting out an entire plane load. That's why I thought a jump run parallel to the runway and flights perpendicular to it and once you cross you open - look up and down the flight line - highest man wins.

This gave me another thought - how about flying jump run parallel to one of the runways (say 3 or so miles - whatever everyone is comfortable with). Everyone flies to the runway (in a flight path perpendicular to it - the shortest route) and pulls when they pass it. Folks on the ground can verify they cross the "finish line". The person who opens at the highest altitude (Neptune check) has the best glide ratio. This way exit order isn't a factor and the flight can be longer giving more of a spread if there are some very close contenders. How fast your canopy opens would be about the only significant variable - slower openings of course working against you. Play like your life depends on it.

Chuck, how would you set this up? Have someone set the pace at their slowest fall rate and see who goes fastest horizontally? Or, maybe have a target base jump out first, give him 5-10 seconds and then see who can get to him first? If you go for speed alone, everyone will be on their heads going straight down watching (in the growing distance below) Ryan's wingsuit start to disassemble itself. I propose having someone like myself set base for a bit and have everyone else come alongside. When I nod my head everyone goes full-out for the duraton of their jumps and I video everyone pulling up and away (or down and away). Everyone has video on, so at the end of it, if one person went "far, but fast" and another guy passes him 20 seconds later but 400 feet higher and keeps going, everyone will see that in the video review Then if I understand it correctly we are looking for distance, in effect glide ratio - as Unclecharlie95 pointed out, is a true measure of a wing (and the pilot who makes the shape of the wing). So then, we could line up on a base with a flying start or possibly even have the pilot circle back and set us up for a jumprun perpendicular to the flight path home so everyone has pretty much the same distance to fly. We can make adjustments to the opening spot based on exit point if the difference gets to be too much. I can see the biggest variable being opening altitude. I'd assume we shoot for 3.5 or 4k to open and then we can make corrections on that based on some factor like 2-1 or 1.5-1. So if your Neptune shows you open at 3k then you get 750 or 1000 feet subtracted from your opening point. Whatever way we do it, it will be lots of fun. Let the games begin.

Both Matt (blue wings) and Omar (white wings). Play like your life depends on it.

Excellent video Matt! Thanks for all your hard work putting this together. Makes me long for summer - sure miss those clouds. Play like your life depends on it.

Chuck, how would you set this up? Have someone set the pace at their slowest fall rate and see who goes fastest horizontally? Or, maybe have a target base jump out first, give him 5-10 seconds and then see who can get to him first? If you go for speed alone, everyone will be on their heads going straight down watching (in the growing distance below) Ryan's wingsuit start to disassemble itself. Play like your life depends on it.

Generally we just don't jump if there is much wind, Thanks Yuri for that bit of info - I just figured the number of days with minimal wind were few. In that case the data is about as accurate as it gets. Now, just don't start messing it up by flying those canyons in ground effect.

I wonder what kind of release is used ?? Three ring?? Does look like fun. Ya, I'd try it. Play like your life depends on it.

Why would wind be less of a factor in BASE than a jump from altitude? I've never done BASE but I've climbed enough rock to know that there is usually wind in those canyons. So whether the wind is at altitude or driving up the face of a cliff (we have all seen hang gliders riding ridge and cliff lift) it still introduces an error when calculating glide ratio based solely on geographic datum, and I'd suggest possibly even more so in a BASE environment because the winds tend to have a substantial vertical component. From a plane, you can at least fly upwind/downwind legs to try and determine what effect the winds are having on your data (agreed this is not perfect since the winds can vary significantly depending upon altitude). However, in a BASE environment this form of wind error estimation/correction is not possible. In BASE, if you have good winds, you have awesome glide ratios, with bad winds, you possibly have not only bad glide ratios, but a very bad day. Like I said, I've never done BASE but from my climbing days I've felt varying degrees of wind on a cliff face, and since the comments I've seen here have suggested that BASE jump glide ratio calculations are not affected by wind, I'd suggest otherwise. Really looking to hear from the guys that make the BASE jumps to hear how much wind they typically jump in and if they feel it is significant enough to affect their flight results. Play like your life depends on it.

Excellent video Jarno - the footage, music, editing - very fine product, thanks for your great work. Certainly looking forward to the next one! Play like your life depends on it.

Thanks Jarno - first time I've seen an open front line like that - very cool. I'll see if we can't give that a try this weekend - or maybe make an X instead of Y. It would also be fun to try vertically. Play like your life depends on it.

Great flying and excellent pics - thanks! Question - in pic#2 (the V formation with the tail) how did you set that up? Who was base and who was following who? Mike Play like your life depends on it.

Lookin' good. Were you wearing a Neptune or GPS? Did you get any data on the flights (vert. speed, time in flight, etc.) Would like to see what kind of numbers folks are getting. Play like your life depends on it.