Chris-Ottawa

Hey man, I bought a Kurupee suit and I am 120lbs and 5'8". DEFINATELY NOT a fast suit. Kurupee only uses cotton as far as I am aware. It's a great suit, but it's better suited for fast fallers, not slow fallers trying to go fast. I highly recommend the suit, but not if you want to go fast. I have another thread trying to figure out my slow sit speeds and the cause is about 90% the suit. I have purchased a new pair of FF Pants from a Canadian company called Vertical suits. They make a wide variety of skydiving gear, and with the shitty Canadian economy, your suit will only cost about 77% of their advertised price as the exchange rate puts the US dollar at about $1.23 per Canadian dollar. http://www.verticalsuits.com/ PS: I got the suit in a "tight" fit as well. Picture attached As for the Vertical suit I just ordered...turn around time was about a week and a half. There are a few of these suits at my dz and they are really well built and nice suits. "When once you have tasted flight..."

It's actually a very cool feature. Ever had to make a "stop" before a load? Well, this option provides a zipper in the event that you're geared up but not quite ready. It's a lot better than removing all your gear, just to "go". *Please don't believe me...I'm just making sh*t up. "When once you have tasted flight..."

I'm curious by what you mean by "committing"? A Vector is more than a Mirage and a Javelin is even more than both of these. I just bought a spankin G4 and love it. I went from a used Odyssey to the G4 and am so glad I did. I honestly wanted another Javelin, but I think I'm happier with the G4 now that I have it. Unless you weren't referring to cost at all? I'm just entirely curious. "When once you have tasted flight..."

Thanks for the confirmation everyone! "When once you have tasted flight..."

Hey, I've done a bunch of searching on DZ.com, UPSA.org and the FAA site. I can't find anything recent regarding the proposed 180 day repack cycle. As far as I can tell, it hasn't changed, but some of these articles date back to 2005. The reason I'm asking is because I'm going to Florida over Christmas and have to make sure that I'll be in date for my entire trip. I think my rig is expiring during the holidays, so it really sucks... Thanks! "When once you have tasted flight..."

Hey Fez, Never had an issue last year. Orlando was like, whatever, put it in the bin and go. Ottawa on the other hand swbbed it and thought the 3 rings and the cutaway housing were brass knuckles. They called a supervisor over to verify and had me point out what it was. I carried it on the plane in both directions. (Westjet) I had a bunch of paperwork detailing what it was etc...never had to use any of it. I will bring it again though as I would NOT want to check it. Msg me and I can give you more details. "When once you have tasted flight..."

Last year, I was on the same load as my sister's first tandem. I wasn't allowed to lurk as I was pretty new. Since then I've been on a couple jumps with her. About a month ago, I had the opportunity to be with my mom and dad on each of their first tandem's. It was a really happy day for me to be in freefall with my family. I've had many people (mostly skydiver friends) say, "Dude, you're lucky, my parents would never jump". I respect that but think that I have an AWESOME family! *Picture (L to R): Sister, Mom, TM, Me, Dad Taken after my mom's jump, dad was yet to jump. "When once you have tasted flight..."

Steve, Look how many of your friends have posted here. Let's do a count of people that have posted in this thread that PERSONALLY know you and have jumped with you. Jim S Chris K Adam G Peter C Fuzzy Freak Myself I may and likely have missed one or 2. Take a look at this link... http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=3194504;search_string=ahmed%20kotb;#3194504 Now tell me that someone with thousands of jumps, someone who is HIGHLY current, or someone had the experience to save himself can't make a mistake? You knew Ahmed, you jumped with him, he was your friend. Think how these people that are posting FOR you would feel if the worst did happen to you? Steve, we've discussed this at length outside of dz.com, but your posts are just making you look like an as$hole. These are people you jump with every weekend, these are people you teach, these are your friends. Jump the canopy for all I care...but don't make yourself out to be an ass. Why are you doing this? Just stop posting your attitude on dz.com, keep jumping the canopy and hope all goes well. "When once you have tasted flight..."

Steve, I hope you're enjoying the attention...Come on Steve...you're smarter than this. I'm wasting my time if I say anything more. Chris "When once you have tasted flight..."

Hey Al, Thanks for the invite, Jim and I will be there Saturday sometime early. I'd love to do some jumps and learn from the best. I know Jim would be in too. Weather looks like it'll hold up as well! Thanks and see you Saturday! "When once you have tasted flight..."

Hey, Thanks for the info, that's exactly what I was hoping for. I don't WANT to wear the weights, but it did make the jump easier to concentrate on proximity, rather than fighting to stay down, while half in a stand. I'm hoping for techniques I can use to increase speed. I've heard of pointing my toes, or my heels, raising my arms etc...I've been trying those and they don't seem to help. ONe thing that I'm thinking might be part of the problem is my rig. Yes I know I'm blaming gear again, and I know it's probably more likely skill, but my laterals are about 2 inches too long on each side and in a sit, the rig is WELL off my back scooping air. My new custom rig is to be delivered tomorrow and will offer a snugger fit. This might be contributing to the problem. I'm not looking for an instant result, I'm simply asking how I can get better and practice without needing instant help aids (weight). I weight 120lbs, ~140 out the door and I'm 5'8". I've attached a picture of me in my jumpsuit when I got it. Hope this helps! "When once you have tasted flight..."

Hey, I've read a few posts about sit flying, wearing weights and jumpsuits etc... I'll start by giving my problem, current things I've done and the result, then I'll ask for advice. Current problem: I fall too damn slow. Not shitting, my sit runs about 125-130mph and my stand is about 140-145mph. These are on an average of about 50-60 FF jumps. Things I've done: 1) Jumped with a tight jumpsuit. This seems to be great for control, but the fact that it's made of cotton, when I believe I ordered supplex, is slowing me down. Speeds around 125mph in sit, 140 in stand 2) Jumped in shorts and t-shirt. Speeds have increased a fair bit and I can now level off with other jumpers ok, but now I'm sometimes dropping out and can't get back up without going onto my back. Sit speed ~125 and stand around 135-140~ 3) Jumped in shorts and a fairly snug long sleeve T. This has so far provided me the most flexibility. I can keep a decent speed and fly with others etc. Sit speed around 125 and stand around 140. 4) 8 lbs of weight and my FF suit. This was an experiment and was on my more recent jumps. The guy I always jump with also put on a baggier suit. I dropped out with this combo and had speeds around 160 in a sit. With the added weight, it made flying so much easier and our proximity was MUCH easier to maintain since I had the control from my suit, but the added weight to not have to fight to stay there. Neptune AVG: 136 in sit 4b) 6 lbs of weight, same jumpsuit on other jumper. Worked much better but I was still dropping out. Neptune AVG: 131 in sit 4c) 4 lbs of weight, same jumpsuit on other jumper. This combo worked fantastic, levels were great, proximity was awesome. I never wuold have though 4 lbs could make all the difference. Maybe it's mental, or maybe not..I dunno. Neptune AVG: 129 in sit So, I'm reading that weights and FF are not recommended, or in some people's opinions, unecessary. Does anyone have advice on things I can try? I'd like to keep using my jumpsuit, but I'm just as happy jumping in shorts and a T. I'd rather not have to rely on weights, but the difference it made in my flying ability was incredible. It was all around easier, more stable, much less fighting etc. I'm uploading videos to Youtube right now of 2 jumps I did with Dave Calucci (Sp?) from the East Coast FF'ers this past Christmas in Z-Hills. Keep in mind this is about my 12'th sit jump and I've done about 60 FF jumps since then. So it is not an accurate representation. I know my legs are too narrow, up too high and slightly canted. I don't know what this video will benefit but it will give you an idea. Dave spent most of the jump(s) on his back. I was working on exits too...I get a much better exit now. Anyways, advice, comments, anything is appreciated. Thanks Chris EDIT: Adding video. Please note that I don't have the videos from Dave still on my PC. So, I have these jumps from about 20-25 jumps ago. I am the cameraman in all of these and as you can see, levels are a big issue. He's averaging 150 in a sit. I have more footage I can get from more recent jumps too. I am the cameraman, and the jumper in the red suit is my regular FF partner that I'm basing all this info on. Jump 1 is point #2 above - The exit was planned like that and I got a bunch of throw from the plane and knew I'd have distance to gain, horizontal and vertical. I was in a stand from the point I first had them on camera until you can see I'm on level, then I go back to sit to close the horizontal gap and they are dropping again. Jump 2 is point #4 above - You can see him in a stand to keep up with me at some points after I drop out. Exit was an attempted HD 3 way with a pretty new jumper Jump 3 is point #4b above - Terrible 3 way horny gorilla, levels were better, but I was still dropping out with him in a baggy suit and me with lead. Jump 4 is point #4c above - 2 way exit, levels were much easier to maintain between us, I burbled over him and we ended up in an unintentional horny gorilla when you see me looking around, then we tracked away. http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=UnoWo6qyL1g I realize this is not excellent footage, and we are NOT expert FFers, but it might help someone give some advice. I know footage of me would be more useful, but he is awaiting his camera setup and I don't ahve any footage of me yet. This weekend I'll give him my cam and get some of me. Thanks! "When once you have tasted flight..."

Ah, but look, TG3 is showing electronic, but TG1 doesn't. I found the same thing. Searching for TG3 on google shows all results for EIS. TG1 however does not... Check it out... EDIT: UPDATE: I called Sony Canada to hear it from the horse's mouth and for anyone interested, they said it is Electronic. As a sidenote, I asked if it would be possible to pass a message to the R&D dept to maybe incorporate a screw lens on the next version or something like that. His response "When the TG2 gets released, this is something that it may have", to which I promptly responded "They are developing/releasing a TG2?" I got the impression that he was now covering up his mistake of mentioning unreleased information. Anyways, I got my question answered and had a glimmer of hope instilled in me that the next version may be more useful... Time will tell. Maybe in the spring "When once you have tasted flight..."

Hey Fast, Are you sure on the EIS vs the OIS on this camera? SonyStyle only says " SuperSteadyShot Image Stabilization", whereas if you look at the table on camcorderreviews, it shows the same as the CX7. http://www.camcorderinfo.com/content/Sonys-New-HDR-TG1-Pocket-Sized-AVCHD-Camcorder-34829.htm# Also, if you read the 7th bullet, it says OIS as well. http://www.krillion.com/xNOP-Sony-flashmemory_Camcorders-HDRTG1 Anyone have more input on whether this is OIS or EIS? I'm still leaning towards OIS since it is a higher end camera and everyone seems to be dropping EIS in anything but their low end cams. Thanks "When once you have tasted flight..."

Hey man, Ok, I think someone said it best when they said "You don't know enough to know that you're endangering others". You should really hear some of these people out, and I'll tell you why...2 years ago...I WAS YOU. Check my previous posts. Rapid downsizing, Wingsuiting, ground launching, reading all about it, being safe, structured etc... I wanted to "Do it all". Sound familiar? I'm not joking even in the slightest (Minus the fact that I didn't have quite the same carefree attitude as you do). You probably haven't realized yet just how small and interconnected the skydiving community is, especially in Canada. After my post, I recieved a PM stating that this person had already spoken to key people at your DZ. Turns out you ARE already on their radar... Got you thinking now? Again, no bullshitting here man...do you knwo why? Because the SAME THING was done for me. It made me realize just what I was doing, and I took a step back. I thought, wow, "Why AM I rushing?". Honestly, I didn't have a answer for myself. Dude, seriously, take a step back and read your first post. It sounds like something a 20 something year old guy would write about something that he has no idea what he'sgetting into. Can you guess how I know that.... Work your way through the sport, have fun, build your experience/knowledge, make goals, reach them, make friends, stick around for a while. If you think I'm joking about this, shoot me a PM and I'll send you my phone number and we can chat. I've adopted a whole different approach to skydiving now that I have the basic level of experience to know what's going on around me. Do I make sense? "When once you have tasted flight..."

Oh PS..."Front risers" are the new "toggles" All the cool kids are doing it. Oh, and the Velocity...Fantastic idea. I heard they open great. Hey man, Have you ever considered that your instructors peruse these forums and see the sh*t that you posted and realize that YOU are a danger to THEM? Have you considered that someone may contact your home DZ, (since it is posted in your profile after all) and let them know about your gross disrespect to your and/or anyone else on your load's safety? What if they said, we don't want you jumping here anymore if you don't give a fu*k? Think about what you're doing. Slow down... "When once you have tasted flight..."

Hey, Personal experience follows: I went to Z-Hills this past Christmas and jumped a wingsuit. I approached Jeff Nebelkopf and asked him if he had any tracking suits I could try. He did not. However, he responded by asking me my current jump numbers (137) and said, do some more and come see me later in the week or next week. By the time we met up again, I had 167 jumps and he said he had a suit for me. So, needless to say, I did 9 jumps with them over the next week or so. Now that you know I did it with less jumps, I'll tell you the scary part. There was another guy who was doing his first wingsuit jumps the same day with me. He had 300ish jumps and had done MANY MANY tracking jumps in a tracking suit in preparation for this day. He did his jumps and I didn't have an oppurtunity to chat with him before he left. Fast forward 3 months and I get a comment on my youtube video of my wingsuit jumps from him. We discuss it a bit and I'm astonished with what I'm being told. He had close calls on almost every jump. I saw the videos and they scared the crap out of me. Flatspins, uncontrolled spiralling, breaking the hard deck are all things I didn't expect to see. If you want to see my videos and his videos, PM me and I'll send them to you. Absolute night and day. Thankfully he is still jumping and doing well, but it cuold have been much worse. Anyways, I'll tell you that you can wingsuit and people will train you with less than 200 jumps, but as with anything else in this sport....THINK ABOUT IT! Looking back, I'm glad I did it, but if I had another opportunity to repeat the past...I wouldn't do it until I had much more experience. Fly wisely! Chris "When once you have tasted flight..."

Hey! Thanks for the responses. I did have a chance to see that youtube video, but the guy conveniently left out what lens he was using. I assume it was the .3 based on comparison with the video you posted earlier. As for the top secret stuff...don't worry, this public forum is totally safe, it won't leave this site....(bwahaha). Thanks again, I look forward to seeing the results of the .5 Actually, the .2 lens issue, I'm sure you've looked at this, but is it something that could be remedied by removing the housing at the front of the lens, ie the flash and "screwless" lens cover? I assume this is caused because the lens can't get close enough to the camera's lens? "When once you have tasted flight..."

Hey Cookie aka Jason, The box you guys made looks great, the camera looks great and the lens setup looks great. Only 2 things holding me back from buying this whole setup to throw on my head are: 1 - Vibration issue. I'm still waiting to see some videos uploaded to see if the same issue exists and the CX7 etc... Optical is optical afterall. I've seen a few videos now from the TG1, but not much, if any FF jumps. Hopefully some will surface. Looks like the cam is gaining popularity though. 2 - Lens FOV. Would it be possible to upload a picture of the FOV with a .2, .3 and .5 on there? I noticed that all the videos so far have helmets in view, and I'm wondering where that stops or if it does at all. I think you mentioned earlier that the .2 will show the helmet, but I didn't see any further mention if any of the other lenses will. Thanks for any input/info anyone can share! Chris "When once you have tasted flight..."

Hey, You are correct, but even though LANC is proprietary to Sony, any camera has the functionality. Just not through an easy little port. I'm not too concerned with the ability to start/stop the camera by a remote switch, I'm really only concerned that: A) It's ON B) It's recording. "When once you have tasted flight..."

Hey guys, Just thought I'd post an update. I bought the camera today because it suited all my current needs, minus the AV input (so I later found out). NOt having AV input for a cameye or whetever is a minor problem for me. I can add a remote LED later. This camera is TINY. There are a few similar competitors namely Canon with the FS100 and FS10 and FS11. Then you jump into the HD models and they grow in size and price, as well as features. All this being said, the camera has already been returned for a couple reasons. A) You cannot record with the screen closed, unless you have the video screen side showing. You may be able to trick the camera though. B)Quality is not quite there. My MiniDV cam is my comparison, and it isn't quite as good, but I must admit it's close. Now, take this point with minimal consideration, as I used a standard SD card, not a SDHD or a high end "fast" card. I'm not entirely convinced that changing that would make the difference however I could be wrong. C)Videos are recorded in ".MOD" file type. The camera says MPEG2, but it wouldn't play in any player I had, including VLC Player. You can only use the proprietary software to manage the video. Yes the MOD files are able to be moved off the camera, but nothing plays them. I kept a copy of the videos to compare the quality on other cameras, but I think I'm gonna go HD if I'm going to buy an SD cam. Let me know if you have any questions! Chris EDIT: (5 mins after posting the above info I felt the need to add this.) I searched google and apparently if you rename the .MOD files to .MPG it will play in Windows Media Player....and it's true. Now, I may have to revoke what I said above because the quality in Media Player looks much better than when it was playing in the proprietary software. I may have to go and buy the camera again, then take it on a jump this weekend...with the proper SD card... I'll update the thread with more info... "When once you have tasted flight..."

Hey there, I've been hunting for a new camera, but they seem to be stuck in a "who's gonna win" phase. I know I can't buy a HDD model or DVD model, so that limits me to SD and MiniDV. Then I have to consider the Image stabilizer, ability to accept a conversion lens and AV input. I've been hunting and ideally I want a small sidemount. After countless hours of searching, I found this model. It's not HD, but that;s ok at this point. Camera is: Upsides -Inexpensive ($350) -Tiny (2.18 x 2.68 x 4.37 (WHD, in inches), weighing 9.6 ounces with card and battery) -Electronic Image Stabilizer -30.5mm Lens threads -AV input -SD Card storage Downsides -Not a popular brand -No firewire....(but then again, it's on an SD card) -Quality may be lacking? Please let me know if you've seen this camera, and based on it's features, would it make a decent cam? I'm not concerned about HD, I want something tiny, something with decent quality and cheap is good. http://camcorder.jvc.com/product.jsp?productId=PRD1209000&pathId=161 Thanks CHris "When once you have tasted flight..."

Thanks for the info everyone. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing some dealer that's selling them less than the others. This confirms my suspicions... Note to self: Suck it up! Thanks! "When once you have tasted flight..."

Hey everyone, I'm looking to purchase a new Optimum reserve and I'm trying to shop around for the best price. From all the dealers I've checked so far, they are all selling it at retail cost. Is there anywhere out there trying to steal the market share, offering a good deal? If not...I'll just suck it up and buy it, but I'm hoping that someone has a secret source or a dealer that I've missed. Thanks Chris "When once you have tasted flight..."

Hey, I agree half on each side of this conversation. I think it is smart to think about this and try it, but on the other hand, you have to understand what you're doing and what will happen. I had the exact same logic as the OP when I started. I held off because I didn't know exactly what would happen, and wanted to really understand where my canopy stalled first. I did it for the first time recently and thought it was a great learning experience. I was confident that I knew enough to land safely, which I did. The first one was entertaining though. I planed out and still had a bunch of forward speed...ran for 5 steps and my body was moving faster than I could run, so I did some nice flips. Second one I stalled the canopy when I was about a foot off the ground, stood the landing fine. Neither jump is what I would call graceful. Nonetheless...understand what you're getting into. I'd suggest getting na few more jumps before trying this, just so you've had some time under canopy, time to play with your canopy and learn how it reacts. FYI: Probably a third of my jumps or more are hop and pops from altitude. I love doing hop and pops because I get to play with my canopy without having to worry about any other traffic. "When once you have tasted flight..."