DSE

imagine the Pterodactyls who had a Twardo tattooed on their wings Not possible. They hadn't invented ink back in those early days of Twardo.

they're quite hard to find, and always appreciated when they are. They are a "better" view, no doubt. I've got a couple, but don't jump them

If you're looking for the flare power of a sabreII (or the Pilot), then the Pulse definitely isn't the canopy for you. The Pulse is a lot more slow/docile, and when it stops...it's gentle. I'd opine that PD made it for folks that want a non-exciting ride to the ground and a graduated landing with little input.

Looking for an ash bag that has back vents to more readily disperse contents. Before I go to the drawing board, wanted to ask if anyone out there has anything already done up.

I'd recommend the Optima. Not a lot more than the Solo, but allows for much greater precision in setting altitudes. For the wingsuit FFC's, I'll have the student set the first alarm for 6100, second alarm for 5600, and third alarm for 3100. The Solo doesn't allow for settings outside the X000 and X500 points.

Did you ever find those "lost" cams?

IDT n4 is sweet too. There are several cams out there that can do some serious framerates now. Rentals are available for not a lot of relative $$

Brian Wallace at Skydive Ogden will take care of you. So will Faris or Fish. They're good people. Jack Guthrie at Skydive Utah will also take care of you. He's good people.

Jeff, I think you mistook my point. I have no issue with you taking photos. It's just a documentation of the jump. You didn't facilitate it. No problem. Your logo was left as a sign of respect. Apologies if you saw it otherwise. As far as the rest: I don't think it's an evil empire. I get paid for my coaching as well, and should because of the significant investment I've made into it. I have no problem with suit rental (I do it myself, on a local basis). However...instruction and first flight gear aren't things that can be done over the internet, IMO. Having a guy show up with an ill-fitting suit and no knowledge about how it should actually fit, isn't a good thing. Especially when that guy decides he can manage it on his own because "dude, I've seen so many of your FFC's on Facebook that I can do em' in my sleep." (True story, a guy pulled this with a Stealth2 for his first jump). Wingsuiting is growing. Very fast. FAA has been here twice to have "friendly looks at the wingsuit situation." I'm all for helping people get into wingsuits. Entirely for that. I'm entirely up for helping people learn to teach wingsuiting, too. That's one of my roles as a USPA C/E. We've developed a good program based on AFF instruction, a program that is entirely unique and demonstrably effective. And will share it with anyone who wishes to come here and see it in action. Again...it's not about taking something away from anyone. It's about sensible access to wingsuiting. Shouldn't we strive to avoid more fatalities due to terrible coaching, lack of knowledge, and lack of effective teaching methods?

Based on the -several- photos you posted in that jump series, it would be tough to convince me that it was "okay for an FFC." Any AFFI, or even any qualified USPA coach would never take a Cat G/H student into those clouds (again, based exclusively on the several pix you posted), and it shows a tremendous irresponsibility on the part of the "world examiner" who is the coach on that jump. That shit is enough to have the FAA step in, let alone common sense. I get the point of your list, Simon...You want to market your suits to more people. Once again...money rears it's ugly head in wingsuiting. It's killed a coupla kids...money being the motivating factor. Then add in that there is no interview process, no face-to-face conversation with the student about what they can manage. A professional instructor knows how to look over a student and decide which suit (or level of ability) is appropriate. FWIW, I just took one of your rentals off the line here, a few minutes ago. This guy should not be flying the suit you sent him. It is an improper fit (just like the one I had to ground a couple months ago when the guy kept nearly hitting the tail due to improper fit/exit problems). FJC over the internet just doesn't work. I realize you guys think you can take the PFC program from a kiped PowerPoint and water training from a few videos, but the fact remains that experience, and actually doing this stuff makes a big difference in the quality of training. Let's look at the guy with 30 jumps that destroyed my teeth and cochlea...he was trained by one of "yours." Let's look at other guys with the same experience, flying rings around your #1 guy in chicago at less than 1/50th the experience. This isn't about "you're stealing my business." It's about "you're teaching bad information" and giving credence to people who have no business coaching. A rear float exit for an FFC as a "Flock University standard?" That's just plain fucked up.

Sales of suits tied to/relevant to training have already been proven to be a fatal incentive. Rented suits have demonstrated themselves to be a problem regardless of any "waiver/agreement." If you want to rent suits, great. I can see how it can be a good thing ON LOCATION. How do you know that this potential FFC student should be in a Prodigy or Impact vs an Intro or Tbird when they're on the Internet? How do you know they're seeking coaching? I coach/teach wingsuiting every day of the week, all day. All students are not created equal. We've twice grounded people flying rented red suits. They didn't have the ability to manage the suits and were there a liability issue, we'd be the first ones dealing with a bad recommendation at a legal and ethical level. There are a lot of guys with self-ratings and self- inflated abiity to teach. There are a few people that actually have earnestly sought out instructiont to teach at some level or another. They don't parrot information; they have developed their own methods based around sound principles. Attached are pix of "coaches" in the past couple of months. They're some of your best. Is it OK with you to promote this lack of knowledge? I respect what you want to do (honest, I do), but there is more to it than "Here, rent a suit and there is a guy here that will teach you." At least...at the professional level, there is more to it. There *is* a standard. Unfortunately, most can't/don't/won't adhere to it, and common sense (as these photos show) isn't so common.

I guess this depends on how you look at it. By the end of your AFF training (assuming outside the ISP), you need less handholding, but you do need someone trained to teach you the diveflow, backstop your safety checks, and observe your skydive. However... progresss to where you want discipline-specific training, many discipline-specific coaches are world-class talent that *can* teach other things, that prefer to 'merely' coach in a specific discipline. Skydivers don't have the financial wherewithall the DOD has. Do you really want to be spending over a hundred bucks for an instructor on a Cat G/H skydive?

Is the rating legit? Of course. Are all people who hold the rating of Coach legit? No. Like anything else, there are good coaches and bad coaches. Good AFFI's and bad AFFI's. If jump numbers are the only basis that we judge people for, then we've lost the battle. To be a Coach, one must: ~Current USPA membership ~B-license ~Minimum of 100 jumps ~Have the required topics signed off on the Coach ~Proficiency Card prior to the course ~Have completed the written exam ~Have a copy of the USPA SIM and IRM There are good Coach Examiners and not-so-good Coach Examiners. You'll learn a lot more from a good Coach than the items you've listed. Docking skills, fall rate skills, tracking skills, and other important ground and aerial skills. The fundamental behind the rating is sound. Whether you get a good coach or not... is entirely up to your DZ community.

Ghost 3 from a 182 the same way. Poised using left hand on strut, right wing tucked away (thumb under chest strap). open arms first, breath, then legs. It's a slow enough exit that it's not a big challenge. Have also done a two way with pilot standing on brake, me standing on tire, other person on twinkie, both of us with left hand on strut.

, great flying, really sweet edit! Hope to see some of this at the US Performance Cup

I will skip Argus, but I would say that Cypres had fewer problems than Vigil, same number of years after the introduction. Also true, fewer people used Internet in 1995, so bad news was not so spread out. Cite your resource. By your same argument, CYPRES was able to avoid widespread news of defect in the early days, too. I'm not taking a side, but I'd like to understand your resourc relating to AAD problem statistics for either manufacturer.

come on, stay fair. Any unit can malfunction. Errors/defects have been noticed, AFAIK, on all AAD brands and models. True, but you _have to_ agree that Vigil has had a lot of them, not only in the early phase. You're saying that CYPRES and Argus have not had a lot of problems not only in the early phase?

So an AFF student or non-A license student is grounded for the day if they don't comply? I entirely see your point, but even separating groups by landing areas would not have prevented the incident that spawned this thread. It might work, if DZ's were able to spend the time/money/effort to have a canopy cop. This seems to be one of the proposed answers for USPA, and that's probably good on DZ's running multiple aircraft. I can't see it as a broad answer tho.

Summers are not terrible, although sometimes August is nasty in the triple digits. However, it's a very dry heat, and not at all like the heat of Florida. Zhills in June kills me. Ogden or SLC in June is wonderful. Idaho...definitely a tad cooler, but if you're in the flat portions of Idaho, it's the same as SLC but without the cooling winds. To hunt deer, I have to step off my back porch. To hunt geese, 30 mins north of Ogden is some of the best goose hunting in the USA. Elk? Lots of Royals and Monarchs come out of Utah, several B&C records from Utah lands. Tooele? Or Dugway? Tooele is 5 mins from Skydive Utah, my home DZ. You're 50 mins from Skydive Ogden, a very nice DZ north of SLC. Tooele is 15 mins from my house (I'm on the mountain south of Tooele). Tooele or Ogden are great. Downtown SLC is great. SLC 'burbs are a tad antisocial unless you're devout Mormon, but you'd learn to quickly deal with "oh my heck" and jello heads. SLC and surrounding areas are not deserts, especially Tooele area, as there is plenty of water to keep it green. Also, if it does get hot, Park City, Bear Lake, or Cottonwood Canyons (Big and Little) are very short drives. It never, ever is hot in those areas. I'm a fan of Utah. It has its quirks like anywhere else, but there is a reason it's one of the top places to live in the USA. If you get out to Tooele, be sure to check out Sostanza on Main Street, tell Nick or Spiros that I sent ya. Great Thai place there too. Small town community with big city opportunities. Skydive Utah is open every day but Tuesday. If you're in Tooele, you're 5 mins or less from the DZ.

Hopefully you'll never have the day where you didn't say enough, and someone is badly hurt or worse. It's difficult at times, knowing stronger word or action could have prevented tragedy.

He's tired of being high and alone. He needs to gain some social skills and come down to play with the rest of us.

Chuck's the one that would need to worry. She'd still be standing when he's under the table.

I don't run any antivirus, but I have once been nailed pretty badly from a music lyrics site. Gotta be careful, but Mac's are not really any diff. (I use both, Bootcamp is my best friend)

Damn...I wish I'd used that line on the motor cop that pulled me over! I tried a story that Mike McGowan shared with me, but it fell flat.

I'll apologize to Rush when the county sheriff and court in Laguna Beach apologizes for giving me a ticket and subsequent fine because I didn't realize the speed limit changed from 50 to 35, I'll apologize for pointing out the theft of WSJ content that is clearly marked as copyrighted. Or, when the Flying Spaghetti Monster appears in body as our savior...whichever happens first. Fair Use does not apply.