SkymonkeyONE

I have been wanting to do Burning Man since it's inception, but it has always been during the same timeframe as WFFC (where I work as a vendor generally). If you are ever at Eloy for the holiday boogie, make sure you ask Bryan Burke to give his Burning Man seminar; it's fantastic.

We don't have any problem training 16 year-olds at Raeford. Bring your daughter here. Chuck Blue D-12501 AFF/SL/TM-I, BMCI, PRO Raeford Parachute Center School

It looks like you did a fantastic job on your suit! Very, very stylish.

How in the world do you have any idea if that is an accurate statement? Do you control boogie pricing for either of the two companies? I didn't think so. Boogie participants looking to get first flight should just know that All instruction at that boogie will cost exactly the same. Some people would like to think there is some anymosity between BirdMan and Phoenix Fly. They are mistaken. As to the question of what BirdMan suits will be present, I will be bringing every suit I have available to me. Chuck Blue D-12501

One on one instruction? Heath Richardson at Monkey Claw if you want to jump up north. Jay Moledzki at Deland. Jim Slaton in California.

I will second Ian's advice; just don't jump in turbulent conditions OR high winds. When I was 20 and jumping a 200 square foot canopy I did a lot of very stupid things. I would talk the pilot into taking us on crosscountry jumps in 30 mph winds and 2000 feet of altitude. Canopy bucking the whole time, whahoo attitude, ass drug off my jumpsuit. You can have that stuff now; not me. These days if it's bumpy out, I am the first one to sacrifice myself to weather god (and crack a beer). I don't have any business flying either of my sub-100 mains in marginal (or worse) conditions. It's that mindset that has kept me in the sport for 24 years and my 41-year-old bones unbroken. To answer your question though, if you simply must jump, just fly straight through turbulence. Also, understand that you should attempt to land in the cleanest air possible when it's windy and/or bumpy out. That means you will likely be humping it in from out next to the runway or way out in the girl's landing area. Once again though, I simply don't jump when it's ugly out, nor do any of my grown-up friends. Chuck

Whachonamis?

dude, ive given up. ive decided to GO BIG, let it all hang out!. you will see results soon! YOU? Go BIG? Never!

Good point, Randy. When I do wear my factory diver, it's generally without the visor and with goggles (sky eyes with the tube stoe strap) over the top. The only time I wear a full face helmet with a visor is when it's freezing cold outside and even colder at altitude. That said, I have plenty of "proficiency" jumps in the cold and will generally not skydive if it's too cold to wear an open face helmet. Chuck

=> When was the last time you ate Top Ramen or Mac 'n Cheese for dinner? Yesterday for Lunch. => What strange things have you done to earn a jump ticket? Put christmas lights on a Twin Bonanza, dispose of a dead animal, beat somebody's ass. => Is your rig more expensive than your car? Yes and no. I only paid $2,500 for my Volvo 240 wagon, so yes. No, I have over 30k tied up in my Harley. => Can you come up with something really nice to say about Remster? I have met him on more than one occasion and have had nothing but good relations with him and his wife.

I have consumed: Elk Buffalo Venison Alligator dove Quail Turtle Rattlesnake Duck Iguana monkey ("carne de res!") cow goat Rabbit

I wasn't really responding directly to YOU, Eduardo. I was making the comment to the general public. Your's just happened to be the lead-in to it.

Katie will be there as well. Tell those MS rednecks to keep their grubby little dick-beaters off her.

Shanaynay is one of my favorite people in the world.

I would go, but I doubt there would (or could) be much skydiving going on at any boogie that Shimell had a part in. "oooooooh my head" chuck

Some things cannot be killed even by Lysol!

Untrue. There are still jumpers out there who have and use rigs with main ripcords. This has been debated here recently. Mike "Michigan" Sandberg still uses a spring loaded PC and ripcord as far as I know. There are at least two older jumpers (with new gear) that jump ripcords here at Raeford as well.

Right, Ed. Chris Martin never made a single wingsuit jump under anything but a Xaos and he was the 2nd most experienced wingsuit pilot in the world at the time of his death. He swore by his Xaos 21. No one is saying that you have to jump a "lame" parachute with a wingsuit; what they are saying is that you can still have the very best of both worlds by jumping a very-small, but straight-opening square or semi-elliptical as your "real" wingsuit main if you simply "must" swoop.

I think the answer is probably because they paid a lot more than that through an other-than-inexpensive dealer. Some people simply don't shop around and end up paying WAY too much for gear. How do you think ParaGear got to be such a big company?

Here at Raeford if it's breezy and you want to land out next to the windsock you are more than likely going to get picked up by someone in a golf cart. AFF and tandem students/tandem masters have a pretty good chance of getting a ride on a cart. If you land out, then someone will drive over and fetch you in a truck.

Do you mean on a tandem? No problem at all at my dropzone (Raeford, NC)

Also, for what it's worth, Colon Berry jumps a very-small Lotus and absolutely loves it.

As others in this thread have said, there are simply better canopies to jump if you are going to fly a wingsuit with any frequency. Smarter (if you only have one rig) would be to find a cheap, truly straight-opening square (or lightly elliptical) for use with your wingsuit. You can get away with a more-hp canopy, but eventually you are going to pay the price. I don't know a single person who really jumps wingsuits a lot that has not had to chop in one due to a brake fire or a spinner.

The jacked-up yellow EZ-GO cart we had at Rantoul two years ago belonged to the late, great, Paul Rafferty. His only request was: "don't fucking wreck it, please." It was very cool of him to let us take it to the convention. It drew tremendous attention to our booth (BirdMan) and was the absolute most-pimp way to roll around. My new one is actually an inch or two taller (tires). Lovely.

That is none other than Joey D'Annunzio. 22, two-time combat vet 82nd trooper (11B in the 504th), and about to get out of the army and move to Florida.