tdog

Now I'm wondering what that packs like. Larger. I dug and dug thinking there was a post that reprinted tests done for a Skydiving Magazine Article. The pack volume for the smallest optimum was the same or larger than a PDR of the same size. I think it might have to do with the quantity of reinforcement being increased... Now, once you got to the 143, it was much smaller. So, for the small ones - buy them because you like the flight performance. For the bigger ones, save some volume... Now without the data, I have no proof... Anyone keep back issues of Skydiving Magazine???? Issue 315, October 2007 - per the skydiving magazine website.

A B-roll camera is secondary imaging for shots that can be cut to from an interview or primary source shot. Think of it as a "second camera" shooting whatever is going on around the subject. True... But, another equally valid B-roll is when the primary camera is used to pick up "b-roll" video, which typically is not the primary action. For an example, in an awards show, you might have "b-roll" video of audience members congratulating each other at the front door, that would be played without audio under the credits roll. Or, in skydiving, B-roll video might be some incidental background video of people putting on their gear that is not directly related to the story line, to be used as a "cutaway". I do a lot of corporate events with broadcast video rigs (think $150,000 cameras and $200,000 projectors). The producer might ask the camera guy to "shoot B roll", which means - take the camera off the tripod and walk around the room and see if they can get anything interesting. Or the producer might ask, "do you have any B-roll of rocket launches to play while the scientist walks to stage?", where the tape operator would say, "I have a tape marked 1997 launch, it looks clean, wanna play it?" Sorry for the thread drift...

...Not the swoop and setup... His canopy was already "shut down" by the time they cut to it.

From someone who has flown a lot of wingsuits, what amazes me is how fast Lugi's canopy must have been flying to get in the dock. And the sky to ground radio/video was nice too! Everything else was just a typical wingsuit flight. The whole concept that "docking with a canopy" is a good training method, to me, is just marketing for the beverage company plastered all over Lugi's jumpsuit and landing area, and giving Lugi a bit of fame too... I am sure the sponsorship money is needed, so I can't knock them for using this... Using GPS recorders and/or proximity flying with other wingsuits would work just as well if they were really interested in data and fine tuning skills. But it was a good show, very positive, etc. Other than my previous comments about the lawyers. Wish they would have shown the landings of Lugi and given credit to the "aerial cameraman".

So the Today show opened with cool wingsuit video in the opening package for the show. The hosts (Kattie and Matt) were very complimentary, even though the word "Dare Devil" was used a lot... I was happy... THEN... The first interview of Jeb at 7:20 he brings out his Empire States Building Lawyer and start discussing why he is suing the Empire States Building for being an "Attractive Nuisance". He lawyer said, "We believe the owner had the responsibility to install a metal mesh to prevent people from being attracted to the building." I tivoed it and rewound it so I could get the following words right: "We have added a cause of action, affirmative defense, of attractive nuisance, which should preclude them completely from any recovery as result of the fact they were not blameless and their conduct and their failure to safeguard people created this situation." "Jeb, putting up mesh would put you out of the BASE jumping business, wouldn't it?" Jeb: "No, because I could still pull permits to do it for TV shows." So - I woke up with a positive spirit, but again, Jeb managed to lose all my respect by bringing his lawyers, and allowing the Empire States Building lawsuit to be part of this story... He could have simply said "no comment".... Instead he opened a whole new BASE can of worms by putting blame on the object owner. AND... He broke the rule of BASE - where BASE jumpers never expect others to protect them from themselves. I look at this with the question of: "Is Jeb bringing positive press to our group?" And I keep questioning the answer.

My computer is real. :-) I might take you up on the offer. There is a BASE jumper who called me a month ago: "Dude, do you know apples? I just got a new one!" "A little, what are you asking?" "How do I turn the damn thing off?"

Yes: Apple gift cards can be applied only to qualified purchases directly from Apple at an Apple Store, the online Apple Store or Apple Telesales in the United States. Apple Gift Cards may not be redeemed at the iTunes Store. Now, I did not call to ask, but the website says the same thing....

You know... I watched a video of a BASE jump where the guy "went in" with nothing out, but lived because he hit a steep snow covered hill... It was a wingsuit jump..... The landing looked like the worst ski jump wipeout you could walk away from. I wish I could find the video. I don't even remember where I saw it. Maybe Tom A would know, he seems to have a good collection of stuff like that. Anyway - I hope that video gets leaked the same day Jeb tries - so they can say, "Sorry Jeb, you were technically the second, not the first." Oh, and didn't someone skip across a river once too with nothing out and live? Or was that a dream? Anyway.... I might be wrong, but I think this has been done before.... Jeb might slide by the bad karma if he adds the word "intentional" before first wingsuit landing....

So I asked for an ITunes gift card from www.apple.com for a present.... Well, my technically challenged family rose to the occasion and got me one. Turns out, there is a click box that they missed that would have activated this card for Itunes. Instead it works on hardware and software purchased at www.apple.com or a retail store... Same website, different button to press. SUCKS. I don't need anything from Apple.... So, do you think I can sell it for $40 or something, since it has a face value of $50? Anyone know of anyone who needs IPod parts or stuff? This is why I hate gift cards.... I actually rather receive a verbal "happy birthday" than a gift card that has so many limitations I have to buy something I don't need... This time I even tried to get something I wanted... And I still got screwed. Am I a greedy bastard, or just upset at the American way?

I thought checklists and good rigging practice eliminated the age-old adage: "If you take something apart and reassemble it enough times, you eventually will have two of them."

Website links? Where?

Dude, the boogies on each side of the country seem to attract people from neighboring states... So, if you wanna knock me for calling our crowd "west cost", it simply was because I observed that the people in PR were mostly from the east side of our pile of rock, and I saw a lot of new faces. Whatever. I can identify a clear personality difference between drop zones on each side of our pile of rock (USA). I flew in ZHills and remember some different attitudes than what you will see, say, in AZ. Perhaps we are a bit more laid back??? Or maybe it is just overly emphasised in the wingsuit crowd? I don't know... So despite being a "west coaster", I still had fun. That was the point of my post!

Yep, I was thinking that same thing while being in a formation cross referencing.... I could even hear the voices of my AZ Airspeed coaches whispering in my ear, "levels man, watch those levels." Someone asked me, "Is it like those multi-plane bigways you have been on." My answer was, "no, there you dock and hold on and arch... Here you are flying." Also, it seems that a few of my freefly friends felt it was too much like RW and said they were not interested in large formations... But never fear, we have some others that are interested. No flock-n-dock this year for me..... Got other plans that involve other south of the states warm vacations in Spanish speaking lands.

Not so fast... That was my slot... I actually got a bit depressed seeing the missing slot photo, knowing I eventually filled it and that 9 way diamond was completed cleanly before breakoff. My experience for the boogie was "better late than never getting in, but once in, stay in"... It was a crap load of fun and I am glad I got the experience. I learned a lot. Previously, most of my jumps were 4 ways and such from Otters, low stuff from balloons (and I have to go to bed because we have a balloon in the morning), and 8 ways from Skyvans... So, I never got to practice being one of the last out, or even being the rear float, on big ways with separation on exit... In fact, I had never gone so fast with a wingsuit before in a dive, the typical flock at home is very slow at the far maxed out end of the range from exit to deployment. I watched Scott Campos pass me on a jump - I looked at his body position, emulated his body position, and quickly learned a bunch of new skills just by watching... Anyway - my point is - I learned a lot and I am thankful that everyone allowed me to jump with them. It seems the West Coast (Eloy/Moab boogies and my home DZ) specialize in more playful smaller flocks, so precision slot flying, especially with large separation on exits, are new skills for us (or at least me) to master. Scott (notsane) was a great load organizer and made me feel part of the group. I now have a few skills to practice at home.

Well then, you have a good point... Most people get emotionally involved without looking at the big picture. It seems you are not that type. Remember what I said about leaving the DZ? If they are not willing to hear your opinion as the jump pilot, then don't fly their plane. Likewise, you can always go up to the 80 jump wonder girlfriend and talk to her, so she has the balls to tell her BF no. And you could take the BF out back and have a serious heart to heart...

The current industry trend is to move the authority to enforce and write regulations for Tandem from the manufactures to the USPA.

You ask the internet, on your 2nd post ever, how to rat out someone, and you have 6 years in the sport? First, ask yourself how and why it is YOUR problem and YOUR responsibility to take action. I can think of some reasons that are valid, and some that are just BS... Whatever - but you have to have some legitimate motivation to take action. Then, go first to the TM and express your concerns. If he is positive, then move on. If he is negative, then address your concerns to his boss. If you don't have the guts to do it face to face, then you should not do it at all. If you are worried the DZO or TM will run you from the dropzone, then you should be running anyway. P.S. I know of one guy who, at 80 jumps, I would not have a problem (rules aside) fling with tandems because he had the skillset to outfly most people with 500 jumps... Want proof, he took a metal at an USPA competition for RW skills. So, maybe there are circumstances you are not aware of, like obscene tunnel time, and if you approach this conversation with an open mind, you will be successful.

I have found the opposite. What pushes a slider down is the spreading of the lines, wide at top, narrow at bottom. The tighter the chest strap, the more narrow the lines are at the bottom, thus the angle or force pushing the slider down is higher... Kind of like riding a bike down hill, it is going to go faster on a steep hill. Now, at the very bottom of the lines closest to your rig, if the chest strap is so tight that the lines are narrower than your slider, I suppose you get a bit of hang up the last few inches once the slider reaches the narrow lines. But, the original poster was talking about hang up at the top, where this is not a factor. Either way, I believe if the tightness of chest strap is slowing down your openings *that much* you need to do something else (like buy a new canopy if you don't like the spec or figure out why your old one is not perfromaning to spec)

Posts about this animal previously: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=3012768;search_string=calugo;#3012768

I only have 20 or so 23+ way jumps... But I remember my hardest. The base was an 8 way chunk out of the skyvan. I was front float on the trailing plane, and I docked on the base, and a dozen people docked onto a chain off my legs who came from both planes. I was like that pin that links the engine to the transmission, lots of parts on both sides useless without me. I had to: 1) Get to the base quickly. 2) Not get in the way of those who were trying to get in and line up to take my legs. 3) Be there. I felt huge pressure, and since people who dived out of the skyvan were at the base almost instantly, I felt like a kid in a china shop navigating thru the traffic. But, I would not trade that slot for the world, as I got to do something hard. The anchors on the base are my favorite slots, and Airspeed always puts me there when they organize the holiday boogies, so maybe it is karma.

{personal opinion about certain genres of music applied} THAT SONG IS TERRIBLE. If it ended up on my tandem video, I would puke? I mean really, a song about missing a girl looking for her to return on an airplane... But I suppose if you like that kind of music, then the song would be good. The only reason I made it past the first three seconds was that it was filmed at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, and since I design lighting for concerts, that is my favorite venue....

Well, that is a measurement that means nothing because we don't know how wide your shoulders are, or how long the strap is. I see people all over telling newbies, "keep your chest strap loose". I had a wingsuit opening (think of arm positions available for recovery) where I felt the shoulder straps slide off my shoulders and down my arms an inch or two. That experience has changed my opinion. I don't distort the main lift web in, but I don't leave any slack either. And, I confirmed this measurement by having two friends on the ground try to get the straps off my shoulder and confirmed it worked. So, not only does a wider chest strap in your case cause a slow slider, I believe it adds danger. A more accurate way to measure chest strap tightness is by looking at the main lift web. Is it being distorted in towards the center, or does the strap have slack? It is true, the wider the risers (which the chest strap will effect), the slower the slider comes down. I have been recently reaching up and spreading the risers on opening as a way to know I have them in my hand if need be, and found I can keep the slider up for an additional second on my canopy if I spread them too wide. If it was me, I would try to look up at the canopy on opening... Are the brake lines bulbous below the slider, which will slow down the opening a lot.... Things like that. The fact that the rear risers help bring down the slider could be that you are pressurizing the rear of the canopy tightening lines, etc... Unfortunately, slider behavior is completely canopy dependant. My Sabre 2 and Katana of the same size open completely differently... So, it might be a case that the canopy just does not want to open quickly... Is it to the point that, if you pitched and did nothing, the slider would never come down? Or is it just slow for your taste?

God wears the same beard.

Our company is considering looking to mentally handicapped people to serve some of our customer's needs in the manual labor workplace. We are wondering if this would be a good resource (win/win) for the community and for our customers. If you, or any of your friends, have information about different types of charities, churches, community groups, help centers that specialize in work placement for these individuals, I would love to chat. My first initial question is basically "what type of handicaps are good matches for our needs." I am hoping some councilor or professional in the field of handicaps can train me on what is available out there. Clearly some handicaps "fit" some workplace needs better than others (grocery store bagger vs dog walker, they have different skillsets and immediate supervision for an example) If you work with anyone that is handicapped and has done a real good job, or has been a negative addition to the team, please PM me or post your experiences too.

The best coaches I have worked with (and I am not talking about some rating, but people who have taught me at various points in my skydiving life) have: 1) Made me EXTATIC about the experience. Even if I sucked, I knew what I improved upon and left wanting to spend more money on the experience. 2) Communicated to me in freefall/tunnel, with sign language, mouth, or even eye contact expressions, better than 1,000 spoken words. 3) Knew how to teach me, not some checklist of how to teach. 4) Made the jump fun. So when you get or work on your coach rating - you will be inundated with a bunch of stuff from the USPA and checklists and forms and evaluations. But, remember a good coach is more than that. Pretty much I look to a few guys (Craig from Airspeed, Pat from Perris, etc) as my role models. So how do you prepare now? Go practice your in-freefall-communication skills. You don't have to say, "Can you order me a pepperoni pizza?", but you should be able to say, "arch more" with a wink of the eye to say "I am having fun, you are too, right?" You know, I learned by accident that, playing Rock-Paper-Scissors is a good coach dive. If you can stay on level, three feet away, with the range of motion required to play the game - you have neutral freefall figured out. And, if you don't say the point of the game is to "stay neutral", the "student" does not over think it... They will spend so much time on the next "throw" they will forget they are learning how to compensate for wild movements of the arms. Oh, a good way to do a disorienting exit followed by proof of stability and a swoop and dock... Do a tube exit with a planned break at a certain altitude. When the "student" lets you go, tumble intentionally longer then them. Watch them swoop down to you, seeing if they check their altimeter while diving down. If they make it in time, sign language "hold on." Spin them around, let go when you know they have checked their altimeter at breakoff, and see if they track off/breakoff at pull time or pull in place. (The spin will throw them around a bit so they will have to check their heading before they track, something that will be a key skill for their group skydives post student status when they funnel at breakoff, and it will be unexpected, just like their first funnel on their 26th jump as a newly minted skydiver.) You won't find that "syllabus" in the SIM or IRM... But it teaches/tests many TLOs (Target Learning Objectives) in ways the student will land thinking "that was the most fun I ever have had", and as a coach, if done well, it is challenging too, thus worth spending a bit of time doing. This is how I can justify to myself giving away coach jumps to "students" because I can make them so much fun for myself that I would feel guilty getting paid. (not to say those who are in this industry professionally should not get paid.)