Kolla

Vince, the photo actually belong to an article in Blue Skies Mag - it is not a part of the Mirage ad (although the placement is no accident ;) ). The article titled "Freefall Sex" is brilliant though, so you'll just have to find someone with a copy of the magazine to check it out - or as SkyGod would say - man the fuck up, support that little magazine and subscribe Blue ones, Kolla Blue Skies Magazine

You know, I love the Stiletto. I jumped it back in the day and loved it, but then put a few jumps on the Vengance and eventually owned a Katana for a while (whilst working at PD). Now that I'm perpetually sort of un-current, I'm jumping a nice big safe Pulse (which in some ways is the baby sister of the Stiletto), because it allows me to cram a size bigger canopy in my rig fairly easily. In my opinion, the Stiletto is a timeless classic much like a good pair of jeans. It is flat, it has a sweet glide, responsive and fun. And no, it's not a canopy that will win you any swoop comps - but then again (and incompletely unrelated news) I have seen Scott Miller out-swoop Velocity pilots using a Navigator 220.... So, if you like the Stiletto, have at it. There is a reason it's still being manufactured in the numbers it is, and a reason Craig Girard and many of the Airspeed guys and gals have zillions of jumps on it - and STILL jump it. it's a solid design. You'll just have to deal with the fact that a handful of people on dropzone.com won't think of you as a shit hot swooper... but then that's what therapy is for ;) Blue Skies Magazine

I suspect that not too many locations are bidding to host a CP World Cup/Meet as the requirements are pretty stiff (pond of legal size/proportions, appropriately rated judging panel/technical course director, electronic scoring system etc etc). Takes a bit more than an airplane and a manifestor to put on a Category 1 event. The rules of the event are pretty specific when it comes to wind limits and course set up, but there is nothing in there that addresses temperature, humidity, density altitude, elevation etc - all of which play a role when it comes to canopy flight. Should they be regulated? Or is adapting and responding to changes in those a part of what it means to be a canopy piloting competitor? I don't have that answer - nor am I a competitor, just a humble judge. Really interesting conversation Frost, thanks for bringing it up. Look forward to hear everyone's thoughts, especially as it is less than a month until the Florida league starts up for the 2010 season. Hope to see lot of safe competitors for the first meet in Sebastian! Kolla Blue Skies Magazine

Nope, nothing is confirmed until the FAI says it is - until then both are pending :) Blue Skies Magazine

Hey, want to try a DZ.com private msg, since it appears that we are having e ma issues? You can also call me at 386 259 0306, I'm on the road at the moment so if I don't pick up, please leave a voice mail. Blue ones, Kolla Blue Skies Magazine

I'll second that SkyMama.... dat boy Lee was one of a kind! Blue Skies Magazine

Those are brilliant George, thanks for sharing. So many fun memories - he was one of a kind that guy. Blue Skies Magazine

Hate to keep you on the ground, but love the support. And since you are already sitting out two loads, maybe you can scrounge up some fun news and tidbits and send to us... maybe take some photos or edit a fun video... just sayin :) Or that might be bit much, we'll start by just being very grateful for you subscribing ;) But seriously, we love participation from readers. This magazine is for skydivers, so the more you let us know what you want, the more you'll love the mag. Bunch of blue ones, Kolla Blue Skies Magazine

Yeah, I guess it's time for a new poll, we have tortured Ian for long enough (or maybe not). We need some good ideas so help us out, oh people of dropzone.com! You guys come up with polls 24/7, so help us create a fun one for next week on the website! Post suggestions here or e-mail them to kolla -at- blueskiesmag.com. Thanks!! KK Blue Skies Magazine

Thanks Jason!! Much appreciated guys! We are hard at work on the first issue and also keeping a pretty steady stream of smaller news, stories and updates coming on the website. Definitely let us know if there is something you have to share or would like to see - we want you to have as much fun flipping through the pages as we have putting them together. Fun times ahead, wooo Kolla Blue Skies Magazine

Heal up quick Douglas! My best wishes for a speedy recovery, I'm sure you will be as good as new when this is all over and done with. Blue ones, Kolla Blue Skies Magazine

I so want one too.... got the 2g and love it. The video and the camera alone have me hooked, and the little digital compass gps feature. Spiffy.... If you get one, you better come back here and write a review, let us know how you like it!! Blue Skies Magazine

Thank you Ian and Den!! International mag it is - you know it can't be any other way with a combo of an Icelander, South African with connections into Canada and an American/Hawaiian on board :) And Ian... what list?? I know nothing of a list, no idea what you are talking about, not even a little bit Blue Skies Magazine

Hi Den, - sorry about that, refer back to my point of "not enough hours in the day" for an explanation to that omission That is definitely something we will be looking into - to see if we can swing better rates on printing & postage for people outside the US, as we mature. Thing is that the postman doesn't care if you live near the border or clear across Canada, our rates stay the same. In the early stages we must do what we can to make sure that we are covering our costs and hopefully putting a little something in the bank continue to grow and expand the mag - and hopefully have enough left over for modest paychecks for the 3 of us. We definitely envision a solid refund policy for the future, and it is our goal to be to that point by the time the 3rd issue rolls around - and sooner if things start exceeding our wildest dreams. We are cautiously optimistic, but realize in these times nothing can be taken for granted - and thus we do not want to make promises we may not be able to come good on. I can give you my word though, that we will do everything we can to fairly refund what remains of prepaid subscriptions, in the even that the magazine should for any reason close its doors (which is absolutely not on the agenda). I can definitely understand your hesitation, so for now you can start with checking out our website. You still have a few weeks to mull things over and a lot of things can happen in a short time. But, I would definitely encourage you to try to get your hands on the 1st issue (which we can sell as individual copies when the time comes) as that is pretty likely to make it big on eBay some day down the road So - there you have it. We want to be open and honest with our subscribers and keep the lines of communication wide open, so please feel free to keep the questions coming. We will drop in here on a regular basis, but if you want to be sure to get a hold of us, our individual e-mails can be found on the Blue Skies Mag website (www.blueskiesmag.com) - and there you can also comment and ask questions :) Thanks again - and lets keep fingers crossed that we can get this price down a little (and for the international subscribers that have already signed up, should we get a better rate, we will absolutely pass that on to you, likely in the form of extended subscription). Blue Skies! ~Kolla Blue Skies Magazine

Kevin - there will be, and we are actually looking for a name for that section! (known as "Maybe you've heard" in Skydiving). If you guys have any good suggestions, by all means pass them on! Joanne - I'm in the process of wrangling a PO Box from the post office in DeLand. Once we have the PO Box number, we will post the proper address on the website. In the meantime, I've sent you a PM with my address and all that good stuff. On a personal note, I want to thank everyone for the amazing positive and constructive response we have had already - and we haven't even formally launched yet! It's at the same time really humbling and really awesome to get this vote of confidence from people like Krisanne, Skymama and many other good folks. And Jan - yes, publishing is hard friggin work! I had a vague idea before entering into this, but I already need more hours in the day, and I have this nagging feeling that I 'aint seen nuttin yet'.... We will of course report on all things skydiving, but also plan to explore related fringe sports such as BASE jumping, ground launching/speed riding, paragliding etc. Should be fun - always good to learn something new :) Lara, Pierre and I are completely committed to growing Blue Skies Magazine into a fun and informative magazine for skydivers from all around the world (rated "M" for mature content - and kids, you definitely have to be *this* tall to ride this ride....). So, ladies and gentlemen, fasten those seat belts and grab a hold of the "oh shit" handle - the journey is about to begin! ~ Kolla www.blueskiesmag.com Blue Skies Magazine

Dom, you are such a humble guy For all of you infinity lovers on Facebook, there is now a fan page! http://www.facebook.com/pages/Infinity-Rigs/52691094543#/pages/Infinity-Rigs/52691094543 Check it out, and make sure to welcome Kelly F to the world of Facebook :) Blue Skies Magazine

It will be interesting to see how we are going to adapt these new rules for the amateur competitions, often held where there is no water to drag (course on grass). From this document I wasn't able to gleam weather you would have to land on land (in a zone) to get a score? Can you in theory cruise through gates 1-4, then hit the brakes hard and land in the water, to receive a score of 100? Also hope there will be a clear explanation of where the lines around the 2x2m box belong (is stepping on those lines "in" or "out"?) - I'm afraid judging "the box" will not be as easy as it might appear on paper. I'm sure it will be laid out clearly in the full document and look forward to see that. I plan to keep an open mind and work with these new rules the best I can. CP is still a young discipline so I am sure this will not be the last change we see. I encourage competitors and people interested in going into competition to study and know the rules - and be active within their respective organization to pass on comments and suggestions that may help improve each event, that then are passed on to be reviewed at IPC meetings (I don't think they check dz.com ;) ). Morris has shown us that it can be done - by building a smart case, thinking things through and follow up. For the US competitors, Marylou Laughlin is an excellent representative and an active FAI rated CP judge herself, I know she will gladly listen to your comments and pass them on. And Stu, if you want video on every gate and every line, you better start training new judges as we will need those to man all those cameras and to video review everything! The sport truly needs more good judges, so if you know of a good candidate, by all means please encourage them to get involved. Blue Skies Magazine

Now wait a minute mister, aren't you supposed to be in South Africa??? Blue Skies Magazine

And don't forget some "on the fly" coverage from the PD Press crew, working with Kurt from the NSL! Currently working on our first update of the morning, stay tuned! www.thepdblog.com Blue ones! Kolla Blue Skies Magazine

Not yet....not yet - patience young jedi I'm just as excited to see it as you are, but I guess we do have to let the guys unwind and relax a little and get back home to headquarters at Start Skydiving (Ohio) before we get to see the footage. Did anyone catch anything more on the news than just the few short clips from during the day? Blue Skies Magazine

Thanks Stu - the photos are up! http://pdblog.typepad.com/pdblog/2008/09/photos-from-911.html Enjoy. Blue Skies Magazine

Just spoke with Stu - shortly after they landed. He's really happy with how the jump went (everything according to plan). Said it was absolutely amazing to be a part of this jump and assured me that there will be plenty of photos & videos to come from it. Both Norman Kent & John Hart had cameras (still & video). Stu said he would post some pictures to the PD Blog as soon as he gets a chance (hopefully today!) and then Fastrax is working on putting together a quick video as well. Awesome job guys

I'm sure it will. Stu said they expect all the major networks to be there (he named CNN, ABC, NBC), so hopefully those with access to TV tomorrow morning can check it out. And maybe post something here, so those of us without TV's can live vicariously through the rest of you :) Blue Skies Magazine

No doubt - it will be an emotional moment for the guys jumping just as much as those watching from the ground (or anywhere). Spoke to Stu (SuperStu) earlier as they were hitting the road and he said they anticipated a lot of coverage. I believe someone from AP will be in the jump plane with them and several helicopters in the air, capturing the jump from all angles. As Phree said, a lot of dedication and hard work has gone into preparing for this demo. Apart from the jump being an awesome tribute, it also has the potential to show skydiving in a very positive light - and we can never get too much of that kind of press. The guys and gals on team Fastrax are professional, well trained and heads up skydivers - fantastic spokespeople for the sport. Can't wait to see it - best of luck to all on the team! Blue Skies Magazine

Greg Windmilller from the Golden Knights is the new CPC Champion, congrats Greg!!! I'm sure the full scores will be up on the swoop week website soon, but until then this will tie you over down to 6th place ;) http://pdblog.typepad.com/pdblog/ Blue Skies Magazine