tdog

I have set mine for the "you should do something now" altitudes... I am always thinking, when I hear the beep, "I expected that, right" - "It is not taking me by surprise". If it is a coach jump, it is when I want to see the student track. If it is a group freefall - it is when I leave. Knowing that altimeters fail, I rather have both the visual and audible telling me "time to do something" instead of using one to say "you are already late"....

I gave a good show to my friends last weekend... They watched me spin it up... My exit sucked... We got rushed (long story)... So instead of spending the last few minutes visualizing a clean flight, I was communicating with other jumpers on the load about some last minute changes... Hence my exit was less than perfect. All I remember is the world spun very fast the second I opened my wings. It was clearly not something I could fix. I grabbed my knees and went into a ball for about 3 seconds. Once I saw the horizon come around while still somersaulting, I opened up and actively flew out of it. I had talked to everyone I knew with wing suit experience about their experiences on spins. Their advice seemed to work. Stats: Phantom - bad exit - about 5 seconds to recover - the G forces were minor because I quickly reacted, I think I was on my side/back spinning, but the sky was spinning so quickly the first thing I remember seeing was the horizon after I balled up.

You are welcome... It is going to be a lot of work, it already has been... But I hope to learn from it... Is that the name of your team? I need to make sure I put it down. Nevermind... I looked up your registration and found that is what you put... Found some good news - lots of people have already signed up! So far, we have about 1/3 of the ordered tee-shirts given away based upon registrations... Spread the word guys.... I ordered a lot, I don't want extras!

www.coloradoskydivingleague.com The CSL schedule and sponsors have been posted to the CSL website. If you are nearby Colorado, or in Colorado, please consider participating in some league events. Heck, with Southwest flying into DIA cheap - a trip to Colorado might be an awesome opportunity to fly in the tunnel at night, and participate in the CSL events during the day! If you register on our website - you can get a free tee-shirt (but you must be in Colorado to pick it up). Colorado has a few wonderful teams lined up - including the Air Force teams that took the Collegiate Championships by storm. It is going to be a fun season. I will keep all you DZ.commers in the loop as to events and scores as they occur. And - yep, there will be a tunnel league too, to celebrate our new tunnel!!!

Dude, Miami.... Am I the only one reading this thread right now that knows you? My friends who came to the DZ still remember you as the nuclear powered day-glow yellow guy with the super small canopy who swooped them... But, if I say "the guy who swooped ya" they will say, "Who?"... If I say the guy in yellow, they go, "Oh... Miami!" So either you have some serious sarcasm, or you never have to look at yourself in a mirror with your gear on.

If you fill out your profile and say, "Who here lives in my city?" - you might get someone who says, "I do, lets meet at the DZ at 10 tomorrow and I will introduce you to all my friends." Maybe that person will be a coach or instructor - and you already will have a friend to help you.... Also, like someone else said... Go to the DZ to hang out - if you jump, all the more the better - but you don't have to jump until you are ready.

I have a very similar server running SQL... I have over a million rows in a payroll tax table - and in another table I store .jpg images for employee badges. (If I was going to do it again, I would store the images on disk and link to the images, but the report viewer I had at the time, an older version of Crystal, did not like that. So I went the easy route on development with the con of having a huge table full of images) The database on disk is a few hundred megabytes. The amount of transactions is nothing like a credit card processor or mapping - but large for accounting/customer relationship management. Maybe 200 normalized tables... It has not slowed down at all as I push more data into it. I dig a lot into the raw data, and have learned returning a million rows to my desktop is not a good idea, so I make sure I limit the data I pull on the query/server instead of filtering it on the desktop (duh) - even when just pulling raw data to paste into excel or something for analysis/customer review. I guess the answer is, "It depends"... I have a SQL Query that is written poorly that takes 10 minutes to process. I have one that is much more complex that takes 2 seconds to process. Nesting 10 layers of queries in one query will slow down any machine. Also, how many transactions? One user hitting the server hard is different than 10,000 users hitting it lightly - but still, transaction loads effect a lot. If you had only a few rows in the database and it was hit hundreds of times a second - you would have a different "beast" than millions of rows touched by one user. What is your goal? What are you planning on doing with it?

Ok. I hate to expose the dirty laundry in Colorado Paragliding... But I USED to paraglide - and I no longer do - because the Colorado gang of paragliders are not friendly, and very competitive for "customers" in their schools, constantly bad mouthing everyone else they know. The controversy was as heated as the Skyride topic - with instructor ratings being pulled, hearings in front of city leaders, flying sites being closed down, etc. I could not deal with the negative energy... For an example, I went to my first RMHGA meeting and introduced myself as a student of a specific instructor - and eager to learn, etc. After the meeting, the group of people lined up, like in the movie Airplane where 100 people line up to slap the passenger who "lost it", to tell me that I was going to die because I chose the wrong instructor. I agree, this instructor made some poor ethical decisions on the ground a few times, but he told the truth when asked, and knew his stuff in the air... I contacted the President of the club and told the officer why I was upset and said my piece... She referred me to someone else, another officer, who gave me a multi-page letter of why I was wrong, he was right, and I needed to quit my lessons with this instructor before I died... My reply was short and sweet, "you don't get it." Still to this day I respect the instructor I picked, because he taught me many valuable lessons I transferred over to other parts of my life, and I share with skydivers. I still look to some of the lessons I learned from him when I decide it is better to stay on the ground instead of fly... I still to this day believe I had a great teacher. Why do I say this? Well, because I don't trust anyone in the Colorado Paragliding community to tell the truth, especially if they are talking about people who learned from other teachers or are not in their clique... It is sad I say that, but, it is true. Notice, the person they quoted was an instructor at a school in which this pilot was not involved? No surprise. Also, no surprise she did not say "no comment", like a skydiver or BASE jumper would after an incident they were not involved in... She instead spread dirty laundry to the world about her weather observations. To give you an idea of their community, here is a quote from the RMHGA discussion forum about this incident: They never have had the "no personal attacks" rule... And here is what Kay posted: Anyway - Calvin19 - Matt - Get well soon, my vibes are with you... And if any Colorado Paragliders are reading who are the good guys, I am sorry I never met you, but I apologize if my paint brush was too wide and I marked you wrongly. Travis

The tunnel is at Park Meadows Mall. Real south of Denver, but in a real nice 'hood. The pepsi center is downtown. I live across the street from the Pepsi Center in a loft downtown. If you ask nicely, I can give you a ride... It is 25-30 minutes by car. In a year we will have the light rail up - which will allow you to take a train from point A to point B. But for now... Bus or Taxi or someone like me.

This is going to sound like a broken record as it has been said before... However, all altimeters should be a second altimiter to your eyes... I say this as someone who had a real nice and rather new alti break in freefall, and if I believed the the alti over my eyes, I would have had a AAD fire or gone in. My eyes told me my alti was wrong.

Has anyone said when the Vigil fired??? I bet the Vigil fired long before the plane hit -2300 feet in pressurization, it fired when it perceived a 78 MPH pressure change below 750 feet... So, in order of events, I bet this is what the different software systems saw. Step 1 - at 120 feet, the Cypres 1 and Cypres 2 went back to non-activation window. Step 2 - somewhere below 120 feet the Vigil saw 78 MPH and fired. At the same time the Cypres 1 and 2 were in "we really don't care mode - this is out of our fire window". Step 3 - At the bottom end of the pressurization the Cypres 1 units saw a hugely unrealistic altitude and thought, "Something must be broken, this ain't right" and locked out saying, "Send me to the doc". The Cypres 2 and Vigil both have more advanced systems and did not lock out. Note - I don't think the Cypres 1 locking out after it sees something so far out of the norm is such a bad thing... It is a good fail safe... From what it sounds, both Cypres models would have fired before the 1's locked out - if it was within the activation window.

I think the Vigil did what it was designed to do. It was in a weird situation and its default is to fire. The CYPRES1's were in the same situation and they decided to shut down and not fire. I think this is a safer default than firing. The CYPRES2's worked fine. They did not sense the issue and a big deal and did nothing. Based on that only...I'd rather have a CYPRES2, then a CYPRES1 then a Vigil. I'd rather it not get "spooked" and if it did get spooked not fire as a defult. I think thats safer. Reading another thread about the Cypres 1 units that locked up... There is an activation window in the Cypres that goes from 750 to 120 feet - and any time within that window you are sensed to be going greater than activation speed - the unit will fire. The representative of the Cypres units posted that the equivalent of 78 MPH was indeed reached, it just happened below the 120 feet threshold - thus the Cypres brand units did not fire. So, I guess, to me, Vigil did what is was supposed to do, it was not confused - it saw 78 MPH below firing altitude, without a bottom end of 120 feet. The only thing that saved all the Cypres brand units from firing was the 120 foot bottom end of the activation window. I now have greater confidence in the Vigil unit then I did a few days ago - because equivalent pressurization of 78 MPH was reached below 750 feet - thus - the unit fired within it's design parameters. So I guess the newest question on the table for me is... Why did Cypres choose 120 feet as a bottom end? Should Vigil have done the same? There is some logic process out there that the designers used that saved Cypres' butt in this case - but who knows, could have equally bad repercussions for a completely different scenario.

Hey I just heard about a book he (Scott) wrote, I am surprised it was not in his post - but you should run out and pick it up I am sure it has lots of useful info in it. Yep... I have it... Matter of fact, I have it with me here in Lake Tahoe, to keep me entertained as I sit in this hotel...

Oh, BTW... I forgot to thank you for all the advice. Some day I hope we can meet in our travels, as I am sure I could learn a lot from ya, and I am always looking for coaches to improve my skills. (Alan, don't slam me for posting again, I just wanted to say thank you because I realized I didn't - once you side tracked me. )

Alan, If you would like to come to this gig and hear about "Gramoxone Inteon" and "Strobilurin Physiological Effects", I would be glad to stop posting and start jumping. But for now, I am going to post whore. So, are we jumping this weekend? I was home for about 8 hours last weekend, just long enough to pack my suitcase again, do a load of laundry, and put on the wingsuit and "fly" around my house dreaming... The forcast for Sunday:

Another reason why I love PF and the service they have given me already... Robert Pecnik personally responded to me and confirmed some measurements and gave me advice... Bravo... I am a big fan, and now even a bigger one!!!

Now, Alan... You had to rub in to me that you hit some pretty good fall rates while I was out of town being a DZ.com post whore because there is nothing else to do in these hotel rooms... But, must I remind you that someone was getting tunnel time, because his client put him up in a hotel across the street from a tunnel, while you were, well, not getting tunnel time... How about that, Mr. flies his wingsuit at the same speed as the old lady drivers from Pasadena on a Sunday morning on the highway... Which somehow just became a back handed jealous filled compliment... Love always, Travis

Yep... Most doctor's phone numbers can be called from home phones. If it does not go away in a day or two - don't jump and see the doc. Do you scuba often? Is this the first time? My friend had to have his eardrum cut in a office visit with the doctor after scuba diving gone bad and he ruptured his ear, and he was a regular diver. He said it was painful followed by instant relief...

Are you wearing the same or similar shoes that you were measured for the suit in or are you wearing thicker soled shoes? Something as small as a shoe with a thicker sole or using a hiking boot when you were measured wearing Vans can make a difference in suit fit sometimes. Nope... I have worn the same pair of shoes every day for the last 6 months... Sure a few business days I had to put on something more fancy - but I am the type of guy who sticks with something until it is time to throw away - and my shoes are one of those things. But, if I remember correctly - we all were measured barefoot... I remember thinking standing in the dirty Mcdonalds floor barefoot was gross... Don't ask why we were measured in a Mcdonalds - other than Jay was doing us a great favor to get it done on the way to the airport for one of his BASE trips or something... And the order form does say "without shoes"...

Based on what? Rapid pressurization to a computer can mean a high rate of decent... if decent rate >78mph then "fire". Isn't that what an AAD is supposed to do? You are right... I have limited data... But I am working off the theory that if the pressure change was >78 MPH thru the perceived altitude - then the Vigil should have fired - and all the Cypres should have fired too... The Vigil in "Pro" mode fires at 840 feet at 78 MPH. The Cypres "Expert" fires at 750 feet at 78 MPH. So why did one brand fire and the other report an error code and lock out to say what it saw was completely abnormal after it saw a pressurization well below sea level and well below the calibrated field level? If the Vigils data log can show that it saw freefall like conditions thru 800 feet above the calibrated field elevation, then Vigil wins and Cypres, well, will have some 'splaning to do. Seeing abnormal data should not equal fire... It should equal no-fire. I rather have my AAD lock out instead of firing when it does not understand what it is seeing. Just my two cents... You don't have to agree with me.

Custom Made - Measured by the local dealer, (Basehoundsam)... He measured three of us at the same time, and it appears that one of the guys has a little looser booties than I... But then again, he does not wear size 12 shoes either... I am a tallish guy. I have not yet seen Jay around to show him the suit on... I am sure he will help me out - but I just wanted to ask other opinions for the sake of knowledge. If I lock my knees while laying down, I can point my toes to about the 7 or 8 o'clock position, if my legs/knees are at the three o'clock.

I just read the press release on the http://www.cypres2.com/cypres_news_letter_feb_2006_c.pdf site. If you read the whole release, the Cypres 1 did exactly what they were supposed to do when they measured unrealistic pressurization - they locked out and said, "send me home to get checked out, I am confused, I just saw something weird." The Cypres 2 have more advanced brains, apparently, and knew they did not have to see the doctor. However, the Vigils fired. Both the Cypres 1 and 2 did exactly what they were programmed to do... The Vigils? Is there any proof to show that the pressurization would mimic a skydiver in freefall at firing altitude? If the pressurization was within the parameters of AAD fire - all the AADs (Cypres 1, Cypres 2, Vigils) should have ALL fired, unless there is some documentation to show that the Vigils have different firing parameters and the exposure was within the Vigil parameters and not within the Cypres... So, I don't believe the Vigils did what it was supposed to do... I believe Vigils are great products, and some day I might own one... But, clearly there is something wrong with the code. To err is human, humans wrote the code - so now I just want to see them fix it quickly or announce why they fired... Sure, they don't have to - but I don't have to buy one either.

I love my new Phantom... The construction is like a work of art. But I have a question... The booties appear to be shorter than my RW suit. It is a struggle to get them on in the plane (King Air thus far, cramped on the Toilet). It is easier, but still tight, on the ground. An extra inch would make a big difference in ease. But - I am sure that is not easy to add... I have been wearing my trail/hiking shoes I always wear skydiving, so the knubbies on the sides of the soles are a little more rough than skater shoes, but not much different than a pair of Nikes... It appears the shoulder to bootie length is maybe a inch shorter than my RW suit. Under canopy, it is harder to get the booties off than my RW suit... I unzip the legs then use the opposite foot to kick them off... I definitely would not want to be opening low on a BASE jump and having to get them off in a hurry- but I don't WS BASE - so not an issue... I have looked at photos of Phantoms in flight - and other WS - and it appears I can point my toes in flight (granted I "flew" on my bed to get a good view) - just like what I see other people's feet... So - what are the "guidelines" or "design criteria" to know if it is cut the right length... If you were having someone on the ground try on a suit, what would you look for... The fabric does not look like the type to stretch with use - but do these things loosen up with time??? -or- the shorter version of this post could have been, "should the booties be a pain in the ass to get on?"

The first thought I had... One time flying back from Eloy - I forgot to turn my cypres off in my rig - and it flew in a Airbus... Nothing happened... I would like to support Vigil - but, what would have happened when I screwed up? Would it have fired when they pressurized the airbus???

I don't know where you are at, but here in Colorado we have been jumping the last few weekends... I however was in Orlando for work and it was raining and cold (but nice in the tunnel)... I looked at the sky and said, "I wish I was at home, I bet it is nice." So I called a friend and he rubbed it in... He was jumpn' and we both got wingsuits together and he told me that he got down to 45 MPH - hence rubbing salt into the wounds... But, I guess I can't complain, the tunnel was fun as usual... Never the less - Colorado has more days of sunshine than Perris and Miami Beach... Eloy only has a few more days of sunshine than here... So, Dan.... Fix that damn shoulder and have the doctor look at it, because I need a teammate this year...