SkymonkeyONE

Nate was fantastic guy and I was very happy to get to see and hang out with him at Wildwood. We had only first met in early 2001 at a swoop meet, but from that first meeting on I really took a liking to him. I killed many a braincell standing/sitting alongside Nate and usually found myself belly-laughing at our conversations. I was very fortunate to be among the extended group that really threw down at Wildwood. It was an epic party and I spent a great deal of it talking to Nate (or trying to) and poking fun at Katie, who was so hoarse she could not speak. We all laughed together, rode carnival rides together, and walked aimlessly. It was brilliant! I am very happy that those are my final memories of Nathan. It was pretty funny that we had each walked right past each other upon arrival at the beach for registration and had almost missed each other because we each looked very different than our last meeting. He with his bleached out hair and dark tan and me with my ponytail and goatee. We turned, looked again at each other, then busted out laughing and back-slapped each other. It was like old home week. Nate was a fantastic skydiver and a great swoop competitor. I am proud that I was able to call him "friend" and that he had been on speed dial in my phone for three years. BSBD, Chuck Blue My thoughts and prayers go out to Nathan's extended family, blood or otherwise. Katie, you be strong.

I will be there kicking it BirdMan style.

As someone who used to do O2 jumps from that altitude on a fairly regular basis at work, I will concur that "real" HALO jumps are not fun. Overpressure from your O2 mask, heavy fucking rucksacks, freezing cold, middle of the night.. You can have that. The civilian version that they hawk for $350 at the convention is pure novelty. It's great for the person who can also afford to pay that amount for jumps from the bomber, but is no more entertaining, freefall wise, than one gets for the $45 one pays for a jump from Mike's plane from 23k. Chuck Blue D-12501 ODA 724 MFFJM, retired

Bill, while you say that the process is so hideously complex that you can't see it happening, remember that today's computers (which we walk around with, some in our pockets) have more power than one that would fill a building three decades ago.

Carlos was a fantastic person and a great friend. He, at age 60 was always striving to better himself as an instructor. Everybody liked him as he exuded a light, happy attitude. He had endless energy and worked his ass off. A very experienced tandem instructor and Coach, Carlos had been training to attend the AFF Instructor Qualification Course that is running this month here at Raeford. He was up at CSS with two rigs about to make a bunch of train-up jumps in preparation for the course. Carlos was a very fit man. Tan, good looking, rode his Harley to the DZ most days. I was incredulous when I heard the news than he had simply fell over dead. Unbelievable. I spent a great deal of time with Carlos over the past few years and was happy to have him on staff. BSBD, Chuck

You having EFS on your rig will not ellicit any more attention than the "Hot Mama" Lisa Smith (Mouth) has on hers.

Everything is Coke where I come from. Common exchange follows: "Hey, Bo, you want a Coke?" "Yeah" "What kind?" "Doctor Pepper"

Today's happy moments: -waking up and getting some drawers from my hottie girlfriend -riding my harley back to the house after I unloaded it from the truck -going and doing some tandems and AFF in an hour -seeing my brothers this evening

As our Super Otter is up in X-Keys for the bigway and our other otter is flying support at the other drozpone here in town, we will be forced to jump our CASA 212 all weekend. Chuck

Pay him in Loonies, he loves it.

And there you have it. It doesn't make a lot of sense to me for either teams or video to get pigeon-holed into thinking there is only one way to do something. It was not too long ago at all that we all used to have to switch from left to right door exits on a pretty regular basis at meets depending on what the DZ had on its flightline. Back then it was QueenAirs and Twin Bonanzas. While these days it's a pretty good bet your league is jumping an otter, all bets are off when it comes to international competition. Chuck

I have seen a photo, actually a matted lithograph, of the German Army Parachute Team doing a ten-way (technically 20-way) with all tandems. I have seen photos of the same guys in a big round all wearing roller skates. Chuck

I saw Asaf Fishelson jumping one in Deland a few months ago. Not sure where he got it.

I have only recently started using a Removable Deployment System (RDS). In reality, I have had three different systems in the past three weeks and have finally settled on the "complete" (slider included) system. I will discuss my experiences with each and why I choose to stick with the last: a) My first system was built for me my Joe Bennet. It was a "standard" RDS which consisted of three lines, one RSL shackle, and a sleeve to cover the shackle during packing and to protect if from jettisoning at opening. The lines (two off the slider attached by larks-head knot and one about five feet long which the two attach to by means of the RSL shackle and is larks-headed to the end of the collapsible PC) were made of pretty heavy, tandem main-weight dacron. I thought the system bulky. I sewed two attachment points to the rear of my slider, just inboard of the grommets, as directed, and went up for a jump. I stowed the excess line on a separate stow bar on the side of my D-bag. It was tidy. I had been warned about the potential for the RSL shackle to prematurely release, so I took off the red tab and metal loop and replaced it with a knot of super tack. This mod on the recommendation of a Deland swooper who regularly jumped this type of system. On my first jump on the sytem, just after opening, the entire deployment system ripped clean off the back of my slider and was gone. I mean gone for good. I was very pissed. The bartacks had ripped cleanly through my slider. What to do? Bum another deployment system (thanks Heath! You da man!) b) My second system was built for me in ten minutes my Katerina at Rigging Adventures at CrossKeys (where I was training for the PST meet). After bumming a replacement deployment system from Heath Richardson (off an old Jav of his), he showed me his system. Same length lines, but made of the smallest Vectran they had. Also, he told/showed me that he and most of their guys who were using RDS ditched the RSL shackle and were just using a very-small Rapide link, barely threaded. Brilliant. No way that thing is going to jettision accidentally, plus it is just as easy to remove......most of the time.... Instead of stowing the excess "main" RDS line on a stow-bar, you simply s-fold it neatly and stick it under the leading edge of the deployment bag. No muss, no fuss. OK, so I made a few jumps with this system and had varying results. First of all, let me just tell you that you better not be dumping low with an RDS of any type. They take a good while to get reeled in and if it's windy you might find yourself flying off into the sunset unless you stay cognizant of where the DZ is and harness-steer your way around while dealing with this ordeal. Another thing to consider, hopefully before actually jumping the system, is "where the hell do I stick this stuff?" In my case, as I had yet to sew any big pockets onto my swoop shorts or other jumpsuits, I simply stuck it under my shirt. Yes, it looks like you are pregnant when you do this. Others are able to roll the system up tightly and stick it behind their backpads (Danny Koon does this), but I was not able to get it back there in a timely manner. On one of my jumps, my "main line" sort of tension-knotted around the Rapide link and I was unable to sort the knot out before it became critical for me to get over the DZ and throw my turn. On that jump I finally relented and simply reeled it in and jammed it all down the collar of my T-shirt, still attached to the back of my slider. What a nightmare! In competition, I would have simply cut the lines with a hook knife and retrieved it if I lost it. This one instance made it clear to me that having one complete system, removable slider included, was probably the best solution. Heath Richardson and Danny Koon both still train and compete with their sliders still attached (standard RDS), but my final solution arrived to me on the first day of competition at Wildwood when Joe Bennet showed up with my new removable slider. c) There are not less than five different types of removable sliders in use in competition today. Mine is of a design nearly identical to that in use by the "other" Icarus team (Evolution). I will take photos and add them later, but basically, pulling one cord in the center of my slider (in a left then right motion) releases all four corners of the slider from the grommet "floaters". The floaters stay on the risers and simply slide down into the V after you release the slider. My Vectran RDS lines are larks-headed to the back of the slider, as far outboard as possible. Those two lines are larks-headed onto the long, "main" line which is in turn attached to the ends of the collapsible PC with a slink. I choose to use a slink as opposed to a Rapide because I feel it poses less of a snag hazard. The excess "main" line is stowed, s-folded, under the leading edge of the bag. It's incredibly simply and timely to pack up; nearly hassle-free. In normal "competition" mode, after deployment one simply reaches up behind their risers and grabs one side of the slider. Tugging the center line releases the entire system and you then pull it around in front of you and "wind" it up. I actually find it faster and easier to deal with a "complete" system than a "standard" RDS. In the complete system you actually have something "solid" to hang onto and it gives you something to start wrapping the RDS line around. It's sort of like reeling in kite line. Fold the slider in half, wrap the long RDS line around it tightly, get to the end of the collapsible PC then skip over that, continue by tightly wrapping the PC bridle around the slider, wrap the PC itself around it, then stick the entire mess inside the D-bag. Roll the D-bag tightly and then stick it in either your RDS pocket on your competition swooping shorts, or stick it under your shirt or behind your back. It works great and you simply cannot believe how much of difference this thing can have on your flight characteristics, but believe me, it does. My canopy is much faster with the system removed and that additional speed in the swoop ads substantial distance as well. OK, so now you know where I stand on the subject. I do not use the entire system on "regular" skydives, though I do use it on every AFF jump as I dump around 4 grand, sometimes higher, on those. For regular use, I simply undo the slink that connects the PC to the RDS and reattach the deployment system to the back of my canopy in the normal bridle attachment point. I keep the removable slider on all the time; sometimes I remove it, sometimes I don't. If removed, the slider itself is small enough that you can stick it anywhere without that "pregnant" look. When I don't remove it, I simply roll it up tightly after pulling it down into the V and use the slider stow on the yoke of my rig. In all, I am extremely happy with my complete system and I would like to thank both Joe Bennet and Heath Richardson for their help and advice in getting me "with the program." RDS systems are clearly not for everyone and then clearly not for every application. People still struggling with setup points and making entrance gates regularly have more to think about than playing around with RDS systems. People who do not compete really have no business playing with removable systems either. Dealing with an RDS system in a sky full of traffic would be an absolute nightmare. Hell, it's bad enough when there are only four canopies in the air! In competition these days its pretty funny to see four guys complaining about how long of a delay the first guy is going to take because he, even though loaded the heaviest, has to deal with removing his system. What happens in those cases where the first guy out dumps with only a short delay is that the last guys out end up having to sit in very-deep brakes while the earlier jumpers deal with their RDS. Amazingly, competitors seem to have it worked out pretty good these days. Most people all jump and deploy at about the same altitude, then the first person simply spirals down and out of the way to spread out the stack. I never saw a single instance of people "piling up" at Wildwood, but encountered it repeatedly the past couple of years on tour. Good for us. Cheers, Chuck Blue D-12501 Raeford, NC

Yep, a BASE canopy would be fantastic as well, assuming you are in it for maximum freefall time. There are plenty of "good" options out there. My point was, why choose a "bad" choice?

For basic instruction, I only teach one method: the "roll" pack. It is very simple, doesn't take long to teach, and is nearly fool-proof. Once a person has their license, we allow them to use whatever method they choose, but reinforce to them that their goal should be to get the canopy in the bag in as safe and quick a manner as possible so that they can get back up into the air. Teaching PRO packing as a basic method does not make any sense to me. Also, anyone telling you that you "cannot" flat pack an elliptical canopy is dead wrong, so the argument that they "need" to know how to PRO pack as soon as possible is flawed. Chuck

Back when all canopies were "square", I don't recall a single person (at least at Raeford) who didn't regularly perform reverse spins and intentionally collapse their canopies (at altitude) for fun. I have done it with Stillettos as well and never experienced any irrecoverable linetwists. The key is in keeping your toggles pulled down evenly. I don't recommend trying this below 2000 feet (or whatever your hard-deck is).

I think the moral of the story is this: if you are setting up a second rig specifically for wingsuit jumping, then why not put in a main that will allow you more peace of mind. Jay Moledski jumps his suit quite a bit these days and he recently put in a PD 106R-M (a reserve with a bridle attachment point which is commonly used to give people a chance to jump a reserve to see how it flies). He loves it and regularly hums it quite low as a result of the confidence he has in that parachute. Some people will argue that it hurts their canopy skills to switch back and forth between their "normal" HP main and something else just for the sake of "safety", but I call bullshit. About a third of my jumps are already under something entirely different (a tandem main), but I can promise you that I still absolutely blister my Velo landings as well as those under my Sabre2. A good canopy pilot can get great landings out of anything over his/her head. Now, for those of you who are very experienced under your very-HP main and only own one rig, then I will once again state that nobody is forcing you to jump something else. Still, I can promise you that sooner or later you are going to find yourself chopping and it's only then, when you are trudging through the piney woods looking for your Velo/Xaos/VX, that you will understand why I choose a "smarter" canopy these days. Am a scared to fly my wingsuit with my Velo? Nope; never had a problem. I just don't want to lose my canopy and I hate the anxiety I have at pull time when jumping one with a suit. Chuck

Thats great! You bear a tremendous responsibility as a rated AFF Instructor, so take the job seriously. I was thrown immediately into the fire the very day I got my rating. I took reserve side on a Cat C1 not one hour after I got the signature on my card. Billy Rhodes was proud. Chuck Blue D-12501 AFFI (among other things)

At Raeford, we use an instructor on the ground for talking down cat A (and sometimes B) students. At least one of the in-air AFFI's also carry a radio in case of off-airport landings. After the first jump or two, only the in-air AFFI talks the student the rest of the way down after he lands. We use small, two-way motorolas for both the student and the in-air instructor. Our students wear the radio, antenna facing down, in a modified CYPRES pouch worn on the chest strap. We as instructors generally wear our radio in the inside pocket of our jumpsuit. The ground instructor has a beefier 4-watt radio. Chuck

anything that opens straight is great for wingsuit jumping. That said, things that open reasonably straight are fine for people who simply must fly higher performance mains. Chris Martin is the 2nd most experienced wingsuit pilot in the world and he has never jumped anything but a Xaos in a wingsuit. I made quite a few jumps under my Velo 79 and even got away with several under a Xaos 69.5 I was borrowing, but these days I am just fine under my Sabre2 97. Old, original Sabres are dirt cheap and a dime a dozen and make fantastic "wingsuit specific" second mains. Their and other canopies' (original Monarch, etc) sometime hard openings generally do not manifest in wingsuit flight, so they become, once again, popular. Chuck

Jay Moledski took my lunch money.....again. Actually, I was quite happy to give it to him; he blistered it. I got 23rd out of 42 in Pro and had a blast, as usual. The meet was fun, the party was EPIC, and I met some new faces who were breaking into the scene. Most of the usual suspects were present and all but a few ended up in the same room on at least one occasion. Winds played a key factor in this meet. The pond was setup parallel to the boardwalk and the waiver only allowed it to be swooped in one direction. Unfortunately, on the third day of competition the winds turned downwind and started honking. Honking to the point that Jim and Lyle cancelled the rest of the meet. We in pro only got two rounds of zone accuracy in because we had to start so late the day prior, so that was it for individual stuff. The highly anticipated freestyle rounds never happened during "regular" competition because we were mandated by the primary sponsor, the city of Wildwood, to have our awards ceremony before sunset on Saturday. What Jim did as a caveat was to offer $500 to the individual who threw down the single sickest freestyle swoop across the pond on Sunday between the hours of like 8am and 3pm. As most people kicked the piss out of it Saturday evening, very few people even dared board the chopper to take a whack at it. I am not sure, but from what I recall it was either TJ or JayMo who claimed that cash. I got back home last night after an 11 hour drive dragging my camper. I am spent........until the next time. Most everyone present will be at The Ranch Pond Swoop Meet next. Prior to that, I will be at Rantoul blowing it up at the pond.

Sorry for my late reply, but I have been on the road for two weeks training for and then competing in the Wildwood PST meet. Anyway, I don't feel there would be any "value added" in splitting the two forums. Yes, anyone if free to post their general canopy control questions in this forum. Actually, I would like to see more of it as there is a pretty big disparity in the level of canopy control education taught at most basic training courses, whether AFF,SL, or IAD based. Are there books available that cover that stuff? Sure, several people on these very forums offer them, but young jumpers should not feel that they are being silly when posting here right along side the "swoop" threads. Chuck

BWAHAHAHAHA!!! I forgot about that! Nathan, did you know that Tim Thacker is driving your car now? They filed for and were issued a new title after the state declared it abandoned. It cleaned up nicely by the way.

Ultra was one of the first aftermarket "manufacturers" to get the DMV to issue them titles for their parts bikes. Illusion was the first company. This, of course, made it possible for people to finance "new" fully custom, mostly aftermarket motorcycles at their banks. Before that, if you wanted to build a similar bike then you had to have the real money to do it.