mccordia

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Everything posted by mccordia

  1. The whole arwingcut is defferent, and actually quite a bit smaller compared to the G3. The straight/direct lines on the leg and armwings also make it possible to fly the wings with tension (if wanted) allowing for very direct/smooth control. Ghost3 has a small advantage performancewise, where-as the Havok is the more agile of the two. JC FlyLikeBrick I'm an Athlete?
  2. Already from way back in January, but here are a few shots of Benoit and myself playing with Havoks over Belgium http://vimeo.com/35135607 Most of the videos Ive posted recently on USA etc also had me flying the Havok for camera/base etc. Very stable and versatile suit! JC FlyLikeBrick I'm an Athlete?
  3. Im using the Altitrack with the same old USB track unit I was using several years before on my 32 bit machine, only requiring the updated drivers from the L&B website (overwriting the default install, with the normal drivers from the CD Rom that came with the USB track initially) when I updated to Win7 two years back. I didnt realise there where newer type units? JC FlyLikeBrick I'm an Athlete?
  4. the V2 is a bit more geared towards speed/distance, but in the jumps Ive done on one had no issues flocking with it at all, at various speeds. Nothing a thousand jumps wont fix though JC FlyLikeBrick I'm an Athlete?
  5. Similar to Tandem manuals, AFF instructor manuals and other materials related to safety, just reading a manual doesn't insure the instructor is actually a good body pilot as well. Related to first flights there are quite a few things an instructor can and should be able to do related to showing body positions, directions, as well as assisting in altitude awareness, pull reminders and more. All things that I've seen and had to do during FFCs in practice. Making sure people instructing are capable of performing such tasks according to a certain standard both related to what they teach in theory as well as what they do in terms of guidance in the air is a good thing. There will always be people opposed to better training and good standards. In the 9 years I've been flying wingsuits Ive seen people do good to great training and I've seen people train who should never be allowed near a student ever again. A good teaching system only works when you have a certain standard that people are forced to stick to.Being taught how to teach, knowing how to fly, with the possibility to have their licence being pulled if they don't stick to that standard. Seeing the amount of incidents happening worldwide, and how these rumblings have caused several organizations to create weird and sometimes insane rules and regulations themselves and simply forcing those down on the wingsuit jumpers, I think its a good thing that its being attempted by USPA to work with the people in the discipline in order to create these rules. JC FlyLikeBrick I'm an Athlete?
  6. Where is that +1 button when you need it... Expect a big PF website update this/coming week as well with this and more.. JC FlyLikeBrick I'm an Athlete?
  7. PM sent with a better link JC FlyLikeBrick I'm an Athlete?
  8. Jurgen, the ones you saw had one legewing tear open on the seams. Stitching seemed to be the weakness. Build quality may have changed by now. But on the suits you saw (Nico/Danny/Bassie suits) wasnt the best at the time. JC FlyLikeBrick I'm an Athlete?
  9. Klaus actually put a lot of work into making the website easier to navigate through tracks last weekend. You can have 500 tracks online, and still not clutter the system. All tables are now also able to be sorted by suit, person, and even per person, sorted per time/distance/speed score. Klaus put a lot of hard work into the website and paralog, why not use it? As to the altitrack showing climbing. Attached is an Altitrack graph that (on playback) shows a 9 mph climb. In reality it was just a flare seperating from a flock that didnt even get close to a flat glide (according to the GPS). Even a simple transition from front to backfly shows strange results with brief drops and/or climbs already. Even though GPS data on flaring is far from accurate as well, its at least more accurate than any pressure based measuring device. JC FlyLikeBrick I'm an Athlete?
  10. Slightly off-topic. But using a flare, I get reading off the flysight that indicate +- 10 mph fallrates, that on the AltiTrack show +- 20 mph climbs. I think thats mostly due to the fact that during a flare, there is a high pressure region under my body (chest mounted alti) that gives the device a higher (thus lower altitude) reading than the actual one. As the flare bleeds off, the pressure goes back to normal..thus having the 'climb' a few ft. All results of climbing so far, have a reasonable error-margin either due to air pressure in normal altimeters, or the 1G acceleration model on GPS units. As fun as all these readings are...the margin of error on all devices saves me from quoting these readings as the absolute truth, but more-so...indicating its only 'close', untill we get more accurate means of measurement. JC FlyLikeBrick I'm an Athlete?
  11. First of congrats. The video you showed looked like a massive physical undertaking, as well as a cold and exhausting thing to endure! Massive congrats. About the previous attempts. Several are noted as 'no evidence' jumps. But for sure, ive seen the odd bits and bobs pass on the webs the last few years. Aside from thinking my name doesnt even need to be in that doc. What Mike did on the same jump was more impressive, with a smaller suit (Stealth1). The video can be found at the end of this edit https://vimeo.com/24674600 (16:20 up to 22 minutes or so). I know the UK attempt (Andy Ford/Fraser Corsan) also had complete video/GPS coveredge but wasnt submitted to guiness at the time out of respect for Adrian Nicholas record. Several of the unverified long jumps will probably supply either video or GPS data at request. JC FlyLikeBrick I'm an Athlete?
  12. Stuntmen who jump motorcycles into rivers via huge ramps also still have a break on the car, in case they need to abort on a less than perfect approach. The rig on the back shows he is a sane person with a decent backup plan. JC FlyLikeBrick I'm an Athlete?
  13. Phantom 3 Shadow 2 Alter between the two images, and you'll see that the difference is marginal. Performance-wise its mostly a different body position and slightly different inputs needed to fly (more suitable for acrobatics, but also easier for people not used to flying grippers, so more comparable to a normal tracking). Either suit is a good choice, its just the tuning options... JC FlyLikeBrick I'm an Athlete?
  14. I may be reading this wrong, but it seems like 'safety' is low on a lot of peoples agenda, and fear of having to pay for any form of coaching and instruction is the main drive to stick to the current situation. A rating will not change the fact that some teach for free and some teach for a coaching fee. It will how-ever standardize a lot of the training and methods, and mean that anyone who does an FFC will get the same information, safety briefing on exits, recovery procedures everywhere. And not be dependant of what the friend who teaches was or wasnt taught himself in the past and thinks is important to know. That aside. Some people will ask money regardless of a rating or not. Depending on the coach you pick, regardless if its an FFC or advanced flying on performance or acrobatics they are coaching in. They most likely ask the money because its their profession. And they are experts at what they do, and what they teach. In the end, you are the one choosing to pay or not pay. But if the coach you select is any good, it should be money well spent, and instruction worth every penny. Most fulltime skydivers are in the sport because they love flying and love teaching. Very few are saving up for ferarris.. JC FlyLikeBrick I'm an Athlete?
  15. Or we just that the performance competitions are like sailing, and wind is just one of many variables we just have to deal with. Sustained flight performance, and performance within a certain altitude window with preceding flare are two different things. Its not that hard a thing to accept, and just continue having fun, and brag about the results...be it due to flare, wind, weight, build, suit or pilot skill or all of the above combined... JC FlyLikeBrick I'm an Athlete?
  16. Martijn already scored over 60 seconds in his P2, in a competition...though tampering with a GPS may be a big thing on some peoples mind, rest assured he is capable of the scores he uploaded. And with less than a dozen jumps on the suit..probably will do better in time as well. That aside, scores are split of into official competition scores as well. Time aside, scores for distance and speed are (even within 'official' competition) very much victim of the wind conditions. Also between events. A 2.0 glide set in a certain suit on one event, with the same performance, may lead to a 2.3 score elsewhere. Similar to what's done here, it would be worth noting that when comp scores are posted as advertising for 'actual performance' of a suit. Wind, Pilot Skill, Suit Design are three big factors. Similar to swooping canopies. If you fear cheating with technologie, come to an acrobatic competition instead.. JC FlyLikeBrick I'm an Athlete?
  17. He's only had the suit for half a dozen jumps so far, and has been upping his scores by 2/3 seconds every single jump, and went from 65 second scores to 80+ Ranking #2 in time and #3 in distance. Sure kicking ass with the new Venom! JC FlyLikeBrick I'm an Athlete?
  18. Unless you mean Ghost3 instead, your statement is incorrect. The Phantom (1,2,3) and Shadow (1,2) have been used for flight courses conducted everywhere for quite a few years. The suit is easy to fly, suitable for beginners, as well as a lasting suit te fly well into the 'experienced' realm. (At 1700 wingsuit jumps, its still what I fly on a daily basis). Check the Phoenix-Fly website to see the recommendations for each suit. The Ghost 3 is advised only to more experienced wingsuit pilots due to the larger wing surface. JC FlyLikeBrick I'm an Athlete?
  19. Congrats dude! Sounds like a lot of hard work payd of! May it stand for a long time, and inspire more great flying in others! JC FlyLikeBrick I'm an Athlete?
  20. We're working on a whole series of new online manuals for suits old and new. Updated with information on rigging, fit etc. First week of June is when we aim to have those up on www.phoenix-fly.com JC FlyLikeBrick I'm an Athlete?
  21. I think thats because we're all used to snapping a gazillion pictures during a jump, and than 'weed through the crap' to find a few good ones. But if you're shooting (for instance) a wingsuit formation, and the only thing you care about is the final formation. Its actually quite handy to just shoot video of the buildup/seperation, and only snap pix when the thing is complete. Saves jumping with 2 big cameras on your head. For sure, for tandems etc its not a thing you'd ever use. But during normal everyday jumping, shooting video and having the option the snap a moment at higher quality when it happens is welcome feature. I know Ive used it quite a few times... JC FlyLikeBrick I'm an Athlete?
  22. Canon 550D/600D etc can take pix while filming, but you miss 1 second of video while doing so. JC FlyLikeBrick I'm an Athlete?
  23. For sure there is no issue at all with expressing oppinions. But in this case, it would make sense if the OP would have contacted PF as well and not 'only' posted here. Which was mostly what the comment was aimed at. In light of solving such product problems, be they minor or big you'll find that there is no hidden agenda. Just a wish to work with the customer to improve the product and fix potential issues. Hence stressing to also contact PF directly. JC FlyLikeBrick I'm an Athlete?
  24. Everyone is allowed to question things. Its only a suggestion. If the question is one regarding a product addressed to PF, it seems to make more sense to ask that question directly, to speed up reaction/effectiveness. JC FlyLikeBrick I'm an Athlete?
  25. Judging the odd/rare replacement zipper thats sent out, the (compareable) brand zippers PF uses seem to work great. Its not a daily occurence, and again, in the rare case where it does happen an easy fix thats handled by PF custumer care (if one contacts us, instead of on a forum). JC FlyLikeBrick I'm an Athlete?