dploi

Line twists are generally caused by body position after line stretch. Adding stows in the pack tray to hold the lines might actually increase the chance of line twists if the stows don't open't evenly.

You could, and it would be a very bad idea. There's a reason why we don't do this.

That's interesting. I find that BASE jumping makes me a more conservative skydiver. Tom, you appear to be under the impression that I'm not an idiot. Well, let's set the record straight: I'm one shiny can short of a tool shed. ;)

This is right up there with a "how far can you stick a chainsaw down your throa?t" contest. The one time I pitched at about a 1K' with a Katana 97 on my back, I grounded myself for the rest of the day (no one saw me do it). I'd spent a few months BASE jumping without skydives and developed some habits that were bad for skydiving. The canopy opened straight and on heading at around 500', giving me just enough time to unzip my arms, pull the LQRS, and do a hint of navigation to landing (still did a 90° front, though). Had I received my occassional half-to-full spiral on opening, which adds about 300' - 400' to the opening, it'd be interesting. If I had a mal, I'd be dead (but that canopy never mal'ed). Anywho... congrats on the ground rush, but don't genuinely encourage others to do this.

Correction, you can fall 7mph and go 500mph forwards. It's awesome.

Sssshhhh!!! Don't tell him.

You can fall 12mph and move forwards at over 300mph. It's awesome.

Definitely take a course or go with someone who is experienced (at least a few hundred launches) in foot launching SKYDIVING canopies. Out skydiving, BASE, and ground launching, GL probably has the highest chance of injury (broken bones, big abrasions), etc. I know of too many legs and vertebrae that have cracked apart in the bodies of people who've tried to train themselves.

One thing I know for damn sure from a lot of ground launching is that leaning forward puts pressure in the front risers, giving a slightly steep angle of attack. Flying on rears while putting some pressure on the fronts will yield the "slimmest" angle of incidense relative to that angle of attack. In other words, you go faster forwards. It's not a huuuge difference... until you have to clear the treetops on a hill or the edge of a pond.

The glamour.

There is a threshold. I think what you're seeing are the limits of the highly loaded larger wings. A 190 with 300lbs of lead loaded at 2.5:1 will not outswoop a 90 with 45lbs of lead loaded at 2.5:1. The reason is that as size goes up, so does drag. The guys that are loading up with 50, 60, 70 pounds will tell you that there's a sweet spot for wingloading and canopy size. Paragliders don't have the proper speed building characteristics. Aggressive front riser turns on most paragliders just cause the nose to collapse. Wings that are being built more efficiently for swooping (better suspended weight distribution, more internal construction to support higher wingloadings and thinner profiles) may further offset the wing size and amount of lead worn, but not by much. In other words, I doubt we're going to see any records set on a 150 loaded at 2.5:1. That's just too much fabric to cut through the air.

Excellent work, guys!

Prodigy. No unzipping.

You count too fast. Very impressive, James!

Exactly how much crack did these "experienced" jumpers smoke before your conversation? Anyone who's stood at the exit point of a big wall and the board at the Potato Bridge will tell you what an intense experience your first big wall is. Properly transitioning from dead air to terminal has one of the biggest learning curves of anything in BASE. Starting with that is a horrible idea.

I've never flown a Katana at a loading lower than 1.7:1 (I fly mine at 2:1), but all the reports I've heard has been that it still flies great. I flew the Crossfire 2 at 1.3+:1 (after loading other canopies much higher) for awhile and it was a good experience. Big swoops, lots of flare, decent speed. But it definitely wanted to me to load it more to have some real fun on it. I recommend weighing yourself with your gear on and accurately calculating your wingloading. 1.4:1 is the bottom end for this class of high performance elliptical canopies. They fly much better between 1.6:1 and 1.8:1 (Katana flies great on up to 2:1 and maybe beyond). However, if you do load them lower, the benefit will be that you'll get to learn the flight characteristics of a high performance canopy in a more controlled manner. Assuming you actually load a 120 at 1.4:1, I would recommend that your next step (after this one) be a smaller version of the same canopy before you get into that top performance tier. As I'm sure you've already realized, proper pace makes the better pilot.

I'd recommend the Katana. But it also depends on what flying style you prefer. If you're aiming for the top tier of canopies someday, do you want an insanely fast, low front riser pressure/high rear riser pressure canopy (Velocity), or do you want a turf surfer (VX, Xaos 27)? The step you take next generally determines what you end up flying, as manufacturers tend to build canopies to be flown with a certain style. Want a Velocity someday? Get the Katana. Want a VX someday? Get a Crossfire 2.

Straight down? Just admit it... taking a wingsuit into a vertical wind tunnel is a fun trick, nothing more.

Yep, looks fun, unless the canopy stalls right in the middle of it... Seen that happen a few times.. Or when a brake line goes. I've seen that one. It's absolutely amazing how far and violently a human body gets flung when the shit goes down. Water was the hero that day.

I like to be really damn high for my jumps. ;)

Very cool that you found us here! I saw your illustrations over here: http://www.killingcaterpillars.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=21

Next time, try keeping your legs extended with a bigger bend at the hip, treating the lower half of your body as a giant flap. This works with any suit, and I've found it to be the best way to "float". That is, keep the fall rate and forward speed low. I wouldn't call this "lift", though, as this technique only induces drag.

The guy on the left exited late and unstable. Yes, there was some skydiving gear involved, but it was modified for BASE.

Think less. Jump more.

It would be cheaper to build a tower with an elevator. That would actually distract jumpers from the bridge.