Chris-Ottawa

I have an Optimum 126 in a MXS 1/2 and it's a BRICK (including a Cypres 1). I put a 113 (without a Cypres) in there and it actually seems tighter. My main is a Katana 97, but my wingsuit canopy is a Traithlon 99 and it's a brick, but the Katana is a nice fit. The Katana and Optimum were jumped for several seasons. I wouldn't recommend the MXS 1/2 if you're putting a Op126 and a 107 in there....go at least one step up. Hope that helps! "When once you have tasted flight..."

I'm not going to comment on what would happen, but I will post something to consider as I've seen it happen. Guy at our DZ has a BRAND NEW Mirage G4. He puts 8-9 jumps on it and notices a problem. A corner of the reserve tray is ripped away from the backpad. Gets a rigger to look at it and they determined the following: The jumper was unstable (on his side), when he deployed on one of those 8-9 jumps. The main riser tried to clear the reserve tray, but the force of the canopy opening caused it to hold onto the reserve tray and rip it away from the container. Luckily, it cleared and his main opened normally. Instead of costing him his life, it cost him a repair bill of several hundred dollars. Now, consider how much worse that could have been. Instead of slipping around the reserve tray, lets say it had slipped in BEHIND the reserve tray. You've now got your main wrapped around your reserve and neither are, or likely will open. Deploying while unstable is just taking your odds from pretty good, to very poor. Not saying not to do it, but I'd personally make every effort to deploy stable, unless time/altitude wasn't on my side. "When once you have tasted flight..."

Get a few more jumps (IE: 15 or 20) and you'll have a much better idea what you should get, or might want and your instructors will help you, but you can also ask for info. Be inquisitive on a slow day or go to the DZ on crappy weather day and LEARN! I can't wait to get jumping again...it's still winter'ish here... "When once you have tasted flight..."

The card looks pretty good, but I do have a comment with something you said. I think this may be a bad idea, no matter how cool it may be. I say this because when you travel, some DZ's are skeptical of other countries membership cards as it is. Now, if every Canadian has a wonderfully unique card, that may only exacerbate the problem. They'll think it's a joke that each Canadian that shows up has a different card and they could be knockoffs etc.. Maybe adding a logo, or having a small box with a custom logo/picture, but for the entire background to be unique will undoubtedly make things more difficult for travelling jumpers. Think it's a neat idea, and I'd likely pay for my own custom card, but just being devil's advocate. "When once you have tasted flight..."

$40 is what one DZ in Ontario is charging. $35 + 13% tax = $39.55 I jump primarily at other DZ's in another province that include the taxes, but that still results in a $35 jump ticket (saving $4.55) Considering the US and CDN dollar have been hovering around even for the last couple years....that's crazy. Oh...I forgot to mention...that's not to 13,500...that's to 9,500 @$40....Canada blows. I also think that I would pay $100+ per jump if it came to that, but the total amount I spent on jumping wouldn't change so DZO's wouldn't gain by increasing prices for me. I'm willing to bet that many people would do he same...decrease jumping. "When once you have tasted flight..."

I played with the GoPro, Contour and Drift before buying a Contour. The Drift initially started high on my list to buy simply because of the display screen. But as I got to play with one, several things occurred to me. A) When do you land an show all your buddies that cool "X" from the last jump on your barely viewable screen which is "really" only useful to line up your shot. B)It's HUGE! Aside from that, it seems the video quality is pretty much a tossup. I personally thought the Contour had the best quality recording, simply based on my own perception. I also loved he easy record button on the Contour, a nice big slider, easily accessible with gloves. Plus the lasers to line up your shot...VERY helpful, and also helps you see if you forgot to rotate the lens back to horizontal etc.. So, it was now between the Contour and the GoPro. GoPro=Giant F-ing toaster, and looks retarded. Contour, small, simple, stylish. After viewing quality comparisons, I felt the Contour was best for my needs. I am super happy with my purchase, but wish I had waited like 2 weeks to get the GPS model with the bluetooth. Ask yourself this, for mounting options on a helmet...which one gives you better options. Contour/Drift = Side/top/front/back, whatever GoPro=Pretty much limited to top mount, unless you're using a "body" mount of some sort, but those are generally impractical for getting outside video. The chest mount is useful for getting self shots etc. That was my thought process on buying. Yeah, the GoPro is the big name, but I'm fairly certain Contour is gonna take a good chunk of their sales with the GPS model, considering it now does stills and has a "real" size remote screen. Oh, and if anyone is curious about editing, Cyberlink PowerDirector works AWESOME for HD video. It's not as complicated as Vegas etc, but I can do everything I need. (Crop/Stabilize/Rotate being the 3 most useful functions) "When once you have tasted flight..."

As a Canadian jumper, we jump in freezing weather often. I have been using neoprene gloves and they are the BEST solution out there. I wear an extremely thin pair of microfleece gloves, with neoprene ice fishing gloves overtop. I don't have to worry about sweating, bulkiness, freezing hands etc. Honestly, BEST solution out there and in my eyes...the safest. It's always better to layer than to buy HUGE BULKY "warm" gloves. I have incredible dexterity with these gloves. "When once you have tasted flight..."

The Drift is HUGE and bulky. That's enough for me to not even bother considering it. I preferred the sound and picture quality of the Contour over the GoPro. I only briefly considered the Drift for the screen, but then I got ahold of one and the quality is terrible in comparison to the GoPro/Contour. "When once you have tasted flight..."

I've put several jumps on an Xfire2 99 loaded at 1.45...I thought it outright sucked in comparison to the Katana of equal size/loading. It felt incredibly soft (barely pressurized) all around, but had awesome openings. Riser pressure was ridiculous beyond a 180 and I was told that it must have been because I was under loading it. Who knows. Now consider it at 1.1... I bought a Katana 97 and it feels completely solid and riser pressure is fantastic well beyond a 720. Openings can be testy though. I'm getting the sense that it may be above your head to be jumping this canopy and you're looking for approval because it's "only @ 1.1 loading". Don't think you're gonna find that here unless you fill in your profile. "When once you have tasted flight..."

Very cool...puts the Contour ahead of GoPro in my eyes. Too bad I have the 1080p, not the GPS model... GPS Model adds: -iPhone & Android connectivity via bluetooth -Photo mode -GPS (likely useless for skydiving - GPSs' have trouble with aluminum aircraft...) Now able to view live video to aim for the perfect shot, review recorded videos and reconfigure the shooting modes on he camera from your iPhone or Android phone. Very Nice! http://contour.com/software/mobile "When once you have tasted flight..."

That's a great idea...and a good excuse to do some para-motoring. I have yet to try para-motoring, but it does interest me. We typically don't have many chops in Canadian DZ's to justify having a para-motor, but it would be really handy anyways. "When once you have tasted flight..."

Just curious how people got involved in the different sports and which one drew you to the other. Watching this made me think...chicken or the egg? http://vimeo.com/18191997 I grew up wanting to get into paragliding, just never had the opportunity where I lived. After moving, I ended up going to do a tandem in 2005 with a group of friends and was instantly hooked. Started PFF (AFF) and didn't look back. Since then, I've been eager to get more canopy time and was drawn in by he enjoyment of hiking and low cost of paragliding. Last year I took my intro paraglider course, quickly progressed through the first 2 licenses and have been flying since. Share your story. "When once you have tasted flight..."

If it's only a recommendation, why do all the dz.com "safety officers" get their panties in a bunch over it. They're trying to enforce a rule that doesn't exist. In my eyes, if he/she asked, and it's only a BSR, it is a completely valid question. It's up to their DZO/Safety Officer to make the official call. Point is, DZ.commers have nothing better to do than to spend their time discouraging new skydivers from asking questions and making them think this sport is made up of a bunch of assholes. Do you think it would be better for students to ask and get told the facts, or to know that they're going to catch hell for even asking and hide a camera in their jumpsuit to connect in the plane where no one will see? Nope, but it means you "could". "When once you have tasted flight..."

Too scared or too new? Do you think every single persons' first thought when joining dz.com is to make sure their profile is as accurate and complete as possible to minimize the risk of being considered a troll? Have you considered that its not a conspiracy? "When once you have tasted flight..."

Your post was one of the more informative ones posted...far from the worst. I just don't understand why people need to call troll, need to be smart asses, jerks etc... A NEW jumper asked a question, for which he had no better idea on if it was possible or a stupid question or who knows. A simple, "sorry dude, as per the USPA, you must have 200 jumps to jump a camera. I know the GoPro is bit different, but it can actually cause many problems. It could snag a line on your canopy, you could be distracted with it and lose track of altitude....etc etc..." I don't know this person from a hole in the ground, but this is a daily occurrence on DZ.com. If you're tired of people asking "troll like" questions, fucking ignore them...don't shit on someone who has no idea why you're pissed off, calling them a troll, making smart assed comments. I'm just tired of people needing to express how much of an asshole they can be. I guarantee...that if a student walked up to any person who commented in this thread in person and asked if they can help him mount a go pro to his helmet, their approach would be horribly different. "When once you have tasted flight..."

I have no idea why you (you know who you are) all feel the need to be a bunch of dinks and shit all over a new student who's curious and excited for the sport. Way to support the growth of the sport...morons. There...I said what the rest of DZ.com has been thinking for eons. I know none of you would say the same things to someone's face, so why be an asshole hiding behind your computer screen? Have some f-ing respect... "When once you have tasted flight..."

Makes sense. I guess anything is possible. "When once you have tasted flight..."

Agreed, but the end result is the same. Bye-Bye Helmet... "When once you have tasted flight..."

I understand the logic/reasoning, but how is this any worse than screwing your camera (semi-permanently) onto your helmet? "When once you have tasted flight..."

Then again...it stayed on for this...(using the velcro mount) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4C_04rMpoQ @Billvon: Yeah, that would suck, but I fully plan to ditch the whole helmet if hat happens. Then, with any luck, if/when I find my main, I'll also still have my camera and helmet. I can easily slip my Z1 off, and never do up the strap and my normal camera helmet has a cutaway. "When once you have tasted flight..."

I can vouch for that too...I did exactly as you did and the camera fell off on 2 of 4 jumps. Thank god for the tether...saved me very expensive jumps. The sticky part will NOT fail, it's the velcro connection. If nothing touches it, it'll hold, but the second a riser touches it...gone... Buy one of these (no velcro): http://pointofviewcameras.ca/contour-locking-flat-surface-adhesive-mount.html "When once you have tasted flight..."

I like opening high more than freefall..no shitting. I also paraglide, but that's a different sensation. The one fear I always have on a high altitude H+P is having a mal that high up. Kiss your main and freebag goodbye, unles you're willing to follow them for miles and potentially risk a safe landing. Attached is a photo from when I had about 30 jumps...I do this all the time and even got mocked for always opening high. But you know what? I have spent more time under my canopy than many people with hundreds or thousands of jumps. I have done all kinds of things with it up there, purposely exploring what happens if I do X or Y. FYI: I left my brakes stowed while I pulled a camera (attached by a safety line) from my jumpsuit and floated around for a while. "When once you have tasted flight..."

From what I understood, there's no ball, it's a Wingsuit rodeo. The "ball" is the "rider", ie: another skydiver. I get it, but it sounds pretty dangerous to be "attacking" and "blocking" other wingsuiters..while there's someone on their back. It may as well be called "Tackle wingsuiting". or "Tackle wingsuit tag". "When once you have tasted flight..."

Jumping into a national "Park" is illegal, but is it also illegal to jump into any random forest? "When once you have tasted flight..."

Hey Peter, Thanks for taking your time to check on this, I honestly wasn't that concerned. At the very least, i would have taken it on a H+P to see how it opened (which I still intend to do), but then again, my last wingsuit jump had me at 42mph vertical...so even if it was a CReW model, I'd likely still be fine (discounting horizontal speed) Thanks again...see you soon. There's more guys in Ottawa that have recently purchased or intend to purchase for the upcoming season. They are PST/STI regulars too. We'll have to make a flock...or maybe a Canadian record, we'd likely only need 4 or 5 of us.. "When once you have tasted flight..."