mccordia

Does it have scallops? Does it fly 20 mph sustained? JC FlyLikeBrick I'm an Athlete?

TV crews generaly dont like hanging around any longer then needed. So usually they go with the footage their own crew shoots. Get one person to have a computer or camera nearby who immidiately captures/copies tapes of your cameraflyers, and already make a rough selection of footage, so you only provide them 1 to 5 minutes of material. Set a time at which the capture stops (say 12 o clock) and let the tv crew knew a 'media tape' with air to air footage will be available around 1 o clock. So they can have somone hang around to take the tape with them. If possible ask beforehand if they want footage in 4x3 or 16x9 format.. Having certain people with good talking skills and a pretty face pointed out as spokes persons for interviews helps in making sure you dont get wrong info on tv, or people looking to plug themselves instead of your event. And try and have one person in the center of all this coordinating things... JC FlyLikeBrick I'm an Athlete?

I love the structured setup in your pdf, though SEVERELY disagree with anyone doing anything over 90 degrees directly at breakoff.. One stray flyer behind the formation is all it takes to severely ruin the day for more then one person. Keeping funnels/incomplete formations in mind, the odds at people still being stuck behind when the formation is building are quite big. Having someone 180 and fly straight into those stray flyers could potentialy kill...and near misses HAVE occured.. We cover much more distance on wingsuit jumps then we do on normal freefalls, so we should have no trouble finding open airspace if groups just seperate at reasonable altitudes. If possible..try and not do 180 degree turns at breakoff..limit it to (SLOW CARVING) 90 degree turns, while keeping an eye for people coming from the side... JC FlyLikeBrick I'm an Athlete?

It does do 20 mph sustained supposedly JC FlyLikeBrick I'm an Athlete?

Just a few hours short of ending the year..we are proud to show you our new TopGun website! www.birdmantopgun.com Expect lots of new content for 2008, and hope to meet all you guys at a boogie sometime soon! JC FlyLikeBrick I'm an Athlete?

With me looking out of the window franticly, trying to see if damn kids with fireworks arent blowing up my motorcycle, and a few hours shy from heading off to friends and celebrating new years eve, it seemed like a nice time to look back at the past year.. If anyone has something to ad...definately do so! Formation Flying The past year was a great year for flocking. With the all round skills slowly increasing, formations are flying more and more. And looking less like a bunch of freefallers with expensive overals. And the skills in flying are also growing, with more and more tight small formations being flown all over the world. And more and more bigway attempts everywhere. With the note that those bigway attempts are still plagued by a lot of stray flyers and incomplete formations. The past year we also had several collisions in bigway attempts. With broken bones as a direct result. And most of those can be lead back to either low experience on behalf of the people in the dive, or a diveplan that was less then optimal for the attempted formation, and too many people crossing eachother in the build process of the formation. There is still a lot of learning (both in skills and knowledge) that needs to be done. Lets all work hard to make 2008 the year where we get a lot of this stuff sorted. And make it common available information. Instead of just inside info available in books and with a selective group of organisers. Following suit to RW and Freefly bigway attempts, making sure everyone has the skills to be in the formation thats being attempted, is definately the aim for next year. Excluding jumpers is not the idea behind those plans. Safety and increasing the overal skill level is. Let 2008 be the year of record wingsuit formations, as big as is SAFELY possible.... BASE If youtube and the media are any indication of what currently captivates many people, then it must be proximity flying. No longer is a wingsuit a device to help you fly as far away from a cliff as possible. But instead, its an amazing fighter plane, then enables you to dive, dodge and swoop past cliff edges and mountain sides. Several times the past year, my belief in what was possible with a wingsuit was pushed by people such as loic, espen, robi and many others Though the ground is always sayd to be the limit. The proximity, speed, accuracy and most of all, balls with which some of these people are currently pushing the sport, mean we can definitly look forward to many more amazing feats in the year to come. With wingsuit base pushed to new highs and lows nobody deemed possible before.. R&D I think the year 2007 can safely be dubbed the year of the big wings. All manufacturers released new suits this past year, and almost all seemed to focus on bigger wings. Tony went from Mach1 to SuperMach1 Birdman submitted the Blade as its big wing entryPhoenix Fly brought us the Ghost and, in a last end-sprint, showed us the new Stealth (sure to be the hot item for the start of 2008)FlyYourBody completed the line-up of big wings with their Pro-Fly Clearly the race for the biggest suit is not over yet, and I think 2008 will be the year where designs will be pushed to the limit with respect to whats still safe and survivable to jump. We've come a long way over the past few years. Showing a skyflyer3 to someone a few years ago prompted a lot of gasps, and people often got scared of the big wings on those suits. Having someone with little experience jump one of those suits wasnt deemed safe, and smaller suits were definately recommendable. With the dicipline becoming more widespread, and accesable, a thriving market for 2nd hand suits and a lot more proper instruction available, people are getting to big suits a lot quicer then just a few years back. If the caution of a few years back was silly, and people with lesser and lesser jumps are deemed safe and skilled enough to jump bigger and bigger suits..time will only tell.. But for 2008, lets all try and help the dicipline grow at a safe rate by allowing people to progress in the sport at a pace that doesnt ancourage them into actions that are not suitable for their experience level yet. And what that experience level should be is sure to be a hot item of debate here on dropzone.com for the next year. As it has been all the past years. Just always remember the sport isnt going away anytime soon, and both BASE and skydiving will be around a long time after you, I and everyone else have left this planet for the eternal playground up in the sky. There is no need to rush it. Progress at your own easy pace. And dont let other push you into thing you are not ready for. Goodbye.. The past year was also a sad year. Loosing one of the driving forces behind wingsuit flying and all round safety in skydiving with our resident Tonto was a heavy blow for many people. If you are new to this forum. Give Tonto's 6000+ posts on the forum a search to find out more on who he was, and read the tons of good information and educational nuggets of wisdom he put on these forums over the past years. JC FlyLikeBrick I'm an Athlete?

The nickname looked a lot like lena's...sorry about that... As for which suit is better...wingsuits are just a stable, well inflated wing profile. And it only provides you with stability and lift. As in the end its still about you learning how to fly it well. Flocking especialy, comes down to 90% skills...and the suit (provided it can keep you up with the group in terms of lift/wingsize) doesnt do a wole lot for your flying besides that. Give it time and more then a few jumps and you can learn to fly it in any situation. Be it slow or fast. And that truly goes for almost every (big) suit... Ive seen some lesser examples of inflation on the ghost, but that aside..if anyone asks me currently what suit to get..I honestly wouldnt know what to reccomend based on performance... I have my own preference for the suit I fly. I can fly time/distance/flock/backfly/aerobatics like a squirell on caffiene pills, and truly love it to death! But I cant say that its not comparable in performance to quite a few other top of the line suits from other manufacturers.. I dont quite like all the niche suits (designed for a specific sub-dicipline) as a lot of the current big suits are well suitable for a mixture of things..aerobatics, flocking, distance flying...and owning 15 suits for all different types of flying just seems silly.. But having to choose...I thing the ghost/stealth(looks great! solid inflation)/sm1/blade would probbly all be wise choices performance and constructionwise and speed of delivery and service could probably be what weighs in heaviest when ordering.. And with 1 week turn around times....I think Tony is the hands-down winner in that section (even though 20 mph sustained is a load of poopoo;) as for the original question on Blade or Ghost...Id probably go with the Blade based on better inflation..even though the tail-flapping on the Ghost supposedly doesnt hinder....but when it comes to flying..I think both would be a good choice performancewise... JC FlyLikeBrick I'm an Athlete?

then get your own dz.com profile...;-) And as fun as comparisons and flame-wars are..contests show the different top of the line suits of various competitors to be closer matched in performance then anyone is willing to admit...and the pilot is always the deciding factor in what suit flies further when comparing those..... JC FlyLikeBrick I'm an Athlete?

Based on what experience flying those suits lena ;-) ?? JC FlyLikeBrick I'm an Athlete?

That looks awesome...inflation also looks incredibly solid.. Cant wait to see more pix! JC FlyLikeBrick I'm an Athlete?

Would be great to see you in Spain the 6th Henny (and otherwise hop along for a weekend of fun in Belgium sometime) I'll probably be making my first jumps in Empuria on monday (arriving late in the afternoon on sunday). Think I want to mostly focus on smaller dives (3 to 4 ways) flying points/docks. Also doing some freeflying in between. But up for anything that comes along. If you see someone being a massive player, wearing a red/black tye-dye rig, its probably me. Say hi

Yea...true...lets forget about that whole overrated safety thing, and just focus on being cool... I for one will be glad when wingsuit AFF shows up. As we get soo many whuffo questions in the email asking for a 1st jump in a wingsuit without prior skydiving experience Yippy Kayee! JC FlyLikeBrick I'm an Athlete?

You may not realise..but the 10 page write-ups, one liners and people telling you to wait ARE all ment as advice, with your well-being and now and future enjoyment of the sport as a #1 priority.. JC FlyLikeBrick I'm an Athlete?

From what I heard the item ran on the Today show yesterday. If you go to www.msnbc.com and then go to the webcast of wednesday the 26th, there should be a streaming version there... JC FlyLikeBrick I'm an Athlete?

Whats the quickest/best way into wingsuits? Just jump and have fun! There are some 'training dives' we could post here...but that would mostly be to give you the 'idea' you are doing practice jumps...but (in my view) wont actually teach you anything tangiable when it comes to flying awingsuit. Just going to a DZ and having fun in FF or RW will teach you much more about flying in different orientations, speeds, levels, awarreness during a jump and at breakoff and flying skills than ay solo 'practice dive' can. And having other people around for direct feedback on what your moves/motions/body is doing to you fall/fight is much better feedback. Just go out there and have fun...that's all you need to do... JC FlyLikeBrick I'm an Athlete?

You asked what people thought of your actions, and seemingly got an answer you didnt like... Acting all bitter is not going to change anything. You had to pay for instruction from someone who doesnt seem to have your safety in mind. No matter how good the instruction was, you lack the experience and also show the invincibillity/ahead of 'the curve' thinking a lot of low timers have before doing stupid stuff. Dont act all hurt and surprised when other people tell you the same thing you already knew before getting into it... JC FlyLikeBrick I'm an Athlete?

Though I fully understand your urge to want to fly...comparing it to AFF and a car licence does strike me as odd.. Both of those require a lot of practical EXPERIENCE before you are set loose into the dangerous world out there... In wingsuits, there isnt an easy/safe way to practice. And doing it 'full on' is theonly way to make a first jump with wings. Be it with a set of suitable wings and good instruction But this instruction, no matter how good, is only comparable to the THEORETICAL part of both AFF and/or a driving licence. The bare minimum (though some disagree on that number) is deemed a small background in skydiving in which you HANDS ON experience and learn some form of control and mental abillity to deal with situations...right and wrong.... Though there is always someone who can stand up and point out a peron who did otherwise and did well...tell me... skydiving...base...wingsuits.....they are not going anywhere....they will be here longer then me, you and everyone reading here today... Why the rush....? If you are serious about wanting this..show a little spine and put some effort into it...instead of the lazy route which some deem the rebel/cool way... Its not....its stupid....and take that from someone who seen and done plenty of stupid things.... Take it easy...take it slow....and when the time comes we'll gladly bring you up to speed and help...There's just no point in rushing this.... You've had a taste....now work on getting the full meal... 200 aint a magic number...even at 5000 jumps you could still suck horribly...and plenty of those people ARE out there flying wingsuits...But try and see why this minimum requirement was made up.....Its not something made up just to annoy you...or limit you....its there to try and keep you safe... and as good as the instruction may have been...the person that taught you doesnt seem to have your well being in mind, and unless he made those 80 previous jumps holding your hand and analysing what you did on them, doesnt know a thing about your skills or mental awereness .....though many claim a 5 minute talk is all it takes to find out.... whatever you do....learn and be safe No need to make mistakes others have already made for you... JC FlyLikeBrick I'm an Athlete?

What I hear from David Haygarth, is that there is quite a wingsuit party going on in Empuria at the moment! Definately post some pix if you got them! Looking forward to heading that way. We'll be there with 4 flyers, and looking to play! Anyone still around from 6 to 13 januari and wanting to fly...pull my finger! Tight flying and lots of docks! Have a kickass X-mas everyone, everywhere in the world! 2008 will be the year of the birds! JC FlyLikeBrick I'm an Athlete?

http://xkcd.com/331/ JC FlyLikeBrick I'm an Athlete?

Yuri is just pissed 'they' didnt get to the moon first... JC FlyLikeBrick I'm an Athlete?

From what I got, its going to be an item on the Today show, and will also appear on MSNBC website. It will feature some stuff on the GS1/Maria and Jebs landing attempt... And may feature a wee bit of a chubby looking Dutchman who desperately needs a shave Trying to look intelligent talking about wingsuits....(HEY! I sayd TRYING! not succeeding) Ill be getting a DVD version of the item, and can upload it to skydivingmovies (after the show has aired) if anyone is interested. JC FlyLikeBrick I'm an Athlete?

Cool..though shot way too far away to really do the camera justice I think...move in closer on the next jump! Would be great to see some wingsuits or freeflyers up close, and doing some agressive spinning/twisting manouvres JC FlyLikeBrick I'm an Athlete?

I definately think we'll see further specialization. Mostly marketing/sales orriented... If you tell people they NEED 5 different wingsuits..they'll BUY 5 different wingsuits.. JC FlyLikeBrick I'm an Athlete?

Yea..its amazing when you see the differences.. I think most of that is due to europe being a whole bunch of small countries. Its quite easy for each of those to set up a nationwide/covering network. (ahead of time, sorry about 'geeking out' here) I have this cool toy, with full qwerty keybord. Ive got 24/7 web on my telephone for just 10 bucks a month (no extra rate for additional data or anything) And I can just hook it up to my laptop via USB, and use it as a modem for that one at no extra cost. I travel a lot (my girl lives 80 km away from my place) so its wonderfull to be able to just surf/browse/work to kill the time on the train. At the moment its just GPRS signal (52Kbps) but its nearly for free, so cant complain. But there is talk about offering low cost web and (most channels) free TV etc via UMTS signal (384 kbs) with most carriers now. Its already available. But with UMTS you currently still pay for the amount of data, which can be a bit expensive. As for an EX...its something we are definitely looking into when our toyfund is back up to strength. We just ordered an (editing)Mac and (VFX/Animation) PC, a whole smack of software, and a lot of furniture and other misc junk/toys for our new office in Rotterdam (Netherlands). Also looking into buying a good HD TV to use as a monitor/presentation unit. Any tips/hints in that area (+-800 euro price-range). The amount of HD/HD ready TV sets offered is actually insane/scary. At the moment we just rent cameras, and have an awesome contact allowing us free (though limited) use of a RED. But its definately a toy we're looking at... JC FlyLikeBrick I'm an Athlete?

LG has a new phone/camera hybrid KU990, which also records video in divx/mp4/3gp. Its a bit of an I-Phone copy, but thats not a bad thing for those who get hot and turned on by that kind of stuf. Though some rumours have been going around on the web regarding a Final Cut lite version for the IPhone, allowing direct cuts only (nothing that would require rendering, like transitions etc.) But back to the toys thingy.. It records in 640x480 according to the specs, but my guess is the high speed feature will probably only be 320x240 (working like some HDV cameras, using 1/4 resolution to capture 4x higher framerates). Not something for the everyday video, but might be a fun toy for those with cash to burn when looking for a new phone/quick snap camera. JC FlyLikeBrick I'm an Athlete?