Engovatov

I suggest taking your cat with you on your next skydive - let it learn how careful you need to be with your gear.. If you are an animal lover in a traditional sence - you may tie an old pilot shute to the poor thing before it exits.. P.S, One DZ in Russia used a dog tied to a pilot shute as a marker for jumps on rounds. It returned to the start by itself - no need to go to the field to pick your test drop.. :) P.P.S. You will get used to the smell. Soon. And will have more space for yourself on the jump plane.

It seems CRW could benefit from such increased rigidity the most? Hard to wrap an inflated matress around yourself. Whadda you think?

> we can't have people with these sick sick ideas running around....... Sick ideas? Do you have any boobies? Do you? How do you prove you haven't have them removed? No man, you can not stop progress.. .P.S. How was the heli at Monterey? should have tried.. ;-) P.P.S. Slow freaking Monday..

With the advent of modern technology, there is no more use for this redundant, cumbersome appendixes. They inhibit athletic performance and distract a good half of the population from productive work. I am having all my boobies removed as soon as figure out where I have them.

>FWIW, my Mirage, which uses a very similar closing flap, does not come open during deployment either. Doesn't come open? The container? Do you just take a deep breath and track to above a soft spot every time? ;-) Somehow I prefer containers that DO open.. ... Oh,, you were talking about the main pin flap..

> Glad to hear you actually were kidding. Not entirely, man.. as it always is.. I do (did) skydive for the mojo (according to Webster: a magic spell, hex, or charm; broadly : magical power ) Don't you? ;-)

>Man, I hope you're just kidding here because if you're skydiving for the mojo, then might I suggest you're doing it for the wrong reason. Mmm.. OK.. maybe this community is not the best place for sarcasm.. gee.. even Monty Python reference does not help... Probably because it hits so close.. I think it does.. Doesn't it? ;-))) (If you think CRW people are ugly - you should've seen us on a third day out there.. in the higher places.... it is not just the look - it is also the SMELL.. Cop once pulled me over after a good day of fun on the rock - when I went out to grab the license from the luggage, he sniffed the air, looked at dirty blood on my hands (forgot the tape), and let me go.. ;-))

...in discussion of the container options it was said: >In the long run, number of jumps is more important in keeping you alive than shiny colors. That is absolutely, patently wrong. How do you look in front of the opposite sex is the single most important thing in our lives. Damn - in ANY form of animal life. I would refuse to wear badly color coordinated clothes even if I am to climb solo on Buffin Island. Same for jumping with an ill looking parachute. It will drain your male energy and make your life useless. You will darwin out. Cease to exist. Your parrot will be no more. Admit it - 75% of skydiving, heck, of ANY "extreme" sport, is fashion show - even when the chicks do not see you, you keep recharging your mojo..

>In the long run, number of jumps is more important in keeping you alive than shiny colors. That is absolutely, patently wrong. How do you look in front of the opposite sex is the single most important thing in our lives. Damn - in ANY form of animal life. I would refuse to wear badly color coordinated clothes even if I am to climb solo on Buffin Island. Same for jumping with an ill looking parachute. It will drain your male energy and make your life useless. You will darwin out. Cease to exist. Your parrot will be no more. Admit it - 75% of skydiving, heck, of ANY "extreme" sport, is fashion show - even when the chicks do not see you, you keep recharging your mojo..

>I am very selective as to who I will give canopy advice >to. First criteria I look for is that they are open minded >and are actually going to listen. >Hook Hook, all you said is very true. I will not give a canopy advise, cause I do not know shit about them (expect for a very detailed knowledge of all the technical specs of all the skydiving equipment, but that's just because I am very curious ;-) I do not jump myself anymore.. ;( But what I can say - perception of safety, is not safety - and there is no point in playing guessing and blame game. People are dead beacause they were skydiving, primarily, canopy choice is just a contributing factor - and you can never draw a line. People are dead beacuse they lived. Information, what is and how it is dangerous is not is available. That's the beauty we still can make our own jugdements. Unfair reasoning and blame games do not help, in my very humble opinion.

>they didn't consider the worst case scenario when they >downsized or went to a more aggressive canopy, and >they didn't listen to those who "preached" being >conservative for the first couple hundred jumps. Not arguing with the idea that it is not vise to start small, I do not think that is fair to claim “Since my friend is dead, and he loaded higher then I perceive as safe, he is dead because of the high loading”. Just a bit of flawed logic. A quick looks at the statistics of low turn deaths shows there is little correlation with experience and wind loading, and the fact that we “perceive” something as safer, does not mean it is actually safer. My good friend would be just as dead if he had extra size above his head (to bring it down to “safe” 1.03 loading on a Sabre, from “very unsafe” 1.18 (at around 100 jumps)) He just pulled a toggle low above a hill. People speed and die in dinky little Civic just as well as on sports cars.

>I've actually noticed though that the less well known brands, like Wings and Infinity Wow, Infinity is less known, while Mirage made it to the big boys.. I actually thought Mirage is kinda smallish - and just decided to specialize on the premium end. Well deserved position, it seems..

>Ti ni mozhesh govorit po roosky? Mogu. Tol'ko perevodit' len' bylo - Babelfish i tak rabotayet.. ;)

(translated from Russian by Babelfish, just a little cleaned.. sorry.. ;) 7 March 2002 Demonstration appearance of the parachutists of local aero club at some large aviation holiday. The technician of the team, Petrovich, carrying out in the old AN-2 the last group of athletes in the bright overalls, decided, that it is possible finally to be relaxed. He went into a decrepit shack, located on the edge of landing area, in where any unnecessary junk was stored, accurately closed the door, got from a stash the bubble of port and, wiping his hands against its brilliant yellow, as the entire team, overalls, he started to slice tomatoes. The last number of the demonstration program of athletes was trick by the name Rescue in air. Essence consisted of the following. The scarecrow in the overalls, which imitates either a passenger fallen along the road, or a parachutist with the defective parachute, is ejected from the aircraft. Following it jumps an athlete, overtakes scarecrow in air, embraces it, opens its parachute and both land under storm of applause of spectators. Spectators, who gathered in the landing area, with the pleasure observed the tricks of airmen, eating shashlik, and washing it down by cooling and other beverages. Finally last number. The man is separated from the aircraft and he flies to the ground, by track jumps out another and is borne after it. Crowd dies. The second parachutist skillfully overtakes the first and he grabs his hand. At this time, either a wind gust, or other reason tears up athletes. All, there is no more time. The second, after waving to the farewell by hand to the comrade, opens parachute. People, which does not suspect about the dirty trick, grows torpid. The body of the first is heading to the ground and at the enormous speed cuts into the decrepit shed in the outskirts of airfield. The clouds of dust, fragments of slate and decrepit boards were tossed on the spot of shed. Ambulance, after including siren it rushes to the place for tragedy, very without calculating someone is there to help. Following it run people. In the indecision, all stop before the large pile of boards. Suddenly boards begin to stir and from under them creeps out Petrovich in his brilliant yellow, flooded by port and stained by tomatoes flying suit, wildly looks around and curses, waving fist to the moved away aircraft: - "Fucking rescuers. Cannot catch - do not amuse people! Enough, bastards, I do not work for you more". They indicate that after these words, doctor from the ambulance fainted. It is written down almost from the words of Petrovich http://www.anekdot.ru/story-02-display.html?from=1&sort=1

>Heck, I'd jump a 15 sq ft canopy. I wouldn't land it, but I'd jump it. Hey - there are thousnads of people jumping even smaller canopies - called a "wing suit" I have heard somebody claimed they will land a wing suit one day.. ;) One just needs landing gear..

>And the Heli will come whenever there is interest Hmm.. I have interest.. Should be cool.. .. Just not yet sure I want to jump now.. haven't been at SMB since Andrei died.. Maybe helicopter is something that will pull me out?

>Wow, all these great ideas brewing and not one bottle open! ;-) Should I apply for a patent?

> I see a few problems with that. One, you need a significant length of extensible webbing to deal with a 120-to-0 deceleration. Two, it either requires replacement of the rig after use or mechanical separation of the reserve risers to replace the material. One need only absorb the peak shock - if it activates, at say 10G, that will absorb a lot of kinetic energy in the stitching. Also - the breakaway element can be easily replaceable (attached at each end to the bent riser. Unconcious, you will not be in head down.. Assymetric activation is indeed the problem.. Bulk as well. But the biggest problem is that it is not that much needed - current crop of reserves works OK. Getting safer closing loop and flaps will go a much longer way I guess. What's you opinion on the idea with bungee cord closed thick pockets on slider? Such system even may pass TSO at 150 knots, as it will be invisible, but still activate and slow dow the deployment at 170.. ?

> Any ideas from any readers will be listened to and appreciated. I mentioned some time ago one idea - would be interesting to know what is your opinion on that.. If I understand correctly, the problem is not with the reserve withstanding the opening shock: it can be reinforced, but with the user's back being broken. Somewhat similar problem in ice and aid climbing occurs:thought there it is not the integrity of the back - taken care by the dynamic ropes - but the brittle protection. One solution is the use of shock absorbing webbing (like http://www.yatesgear.com/climbing/screamer/screamer.htm ). Can it be incorporated into harness/risers? Unsymmetrical activation maybe an issue, but it maybe solved by a following system: have the main riser bent into a bite and shortened by a replacable shock absorbent sling, that is attached with some sort of a release system.. so when activated non-symmetrically, it can be then released and the full riser extended. Combined with a better material for lines (why did they switch from dacron - is not it a good shock absorber, used for this purpose on BASE rigs?) it will not slow down extreme opening, but may absorb the shock energy in the suspension. Another idea: why not a bungee cord closed slider pocket? Like in bungee cord collapsible PC. At high speed it will open and slow down the slider, at normal speeds, it will work like a usual slider.

>Wow, that I have not heard with a Safire. Yep.. I mentioned the same here, and was told I am wrong.. ;) I heard it survives most god awful trashy packing with flying colors - was big thing in my purchase decision.. Also not really convinced on very much different thing.. All canopies are a bit different though, and opinions on them are diverging even more.. Oh, well, maybe..

>there are no tricks in the world that will hold it there against the air pressure. Umm.. airlocks?

>I now have Triathlon, Safire, Hornet, and Sabre 2 Do notice that Safire measuring method produces a number that is about 7% bigger then equivalent PD number. So that Safire 210 feels and flies (and packs)as about Sabre2 195 (if it existed) in size.

>Both are 9 cells and have sweet openings. Triathalon is 7 cells. Try out Safire and Hornet. Sabre2 is overpriced and is not better - it is also a new design, unlike these 2 that have been in the market for few years.

>I heard mention that the crossports are too big, on all icarus canopies, causing behavior like this... Hm.. Have not heard or notice that.. People say a lot of different things, at least one of their competitors does...

>When half the Safires on a DZ have poor flares and the other half have super great flares It is fairly sensitive to the flare staging (not a very bad trait IMO) and where you atached your toggles/riser length, even harness size will affect your staging, until you tuned in the relationship between your hand positioning and the tail deflection.. Not good when you swap multiple rigs, but does not bother me, when jumping the same rig.. Life is full of trade-offs.. Just a hypothesis..