SkymonkeyONE

No, Nick. A drivers license will do....... Trust me. Chuck

This is shaping up to be quite the car wash.

The bottom line when it comes to "getting better" is simply jumping your damn suit. You will never master anything if you do not go out and practice. One wingsuit jump per day, at least initially, will make for a very slow learning curve. Loic is masterful in his S-fly because the jumps the piss out of it. Chuck

The Tony Suit swoop (cargo) shorts that I have (capri length, just like the ones FireFly sells and are worn my Team Extreme) are fine for head-down freeflying, but really blow up high over your knees when you are sitting or standing. They flare out a bit at the bottom to give you some drag, so I wear them quite a bit when I am just screwing around.

I didn't read the whole thing, but it just looks like the federal government is going to make CSPA membership and licensing mandatory to jump in Canada. Am I missing something? Chuck

Chuck Blue and Scary Perry in the same location equals trouble!

A tandem "master" is a person who only has a manufacturer's rating and has not applied for the USPA rating. There are plenty of these people out there and I have no problem calling people who run to the airplane barefooted and yell "who is number 26?" a tandem "master" or simply "meat hauler." I am a Tandem Instructor as I am rated as such by the USPA and also maintain and use every other rating the organization offers which I find merit in. I teach the class, brief the students, take them on the skydive, and discuss the other ways to get into the sport.

As a small Tandem Instructor with a lot of experience in different disciplines, I have hauled many a "large" person. Very early on in my Tandem experiences I took two guys, one after the other, out of a C-182. The first guy was 6'7 and 265; the second was 6'8 and just over 275. No problem whatsoever other than getting us as a unit out the door of the Cessna and onto the step. Both of those were under EZ 384 mains. This past weekend I jumped a 283 pound man who was around 6'5 out of a Super Otter. No problem at all on that one either and we landed on the X in the peas under a Sigma 370. Yes, his feet were nearly three feet lower than mine under canopy, but I still got the side straps undone plenty high with a little help from him. In my experiences (>500 tandems) the only problems I ever encounter are getting the side straps undone (Vector, Sigma, and Eclipse) when jumping those "round" and heavy passengers who slump into their harness after opening. Not a problem at all with my new Racer system. I jumped two guys over 220 yesterday (Thursday) and there is simply no pressure on the side strap releases under canopy. I DID swoop the piss out of those big guys in no-wind conditions under my Firebolt 350 though! Hooty HOO! Chuck

I generally swoop in my custom logoed Bomber shorts, but also have a set of "capri"-length Tony swoop shorts that are very nice as well. The Ouragan swooping shorts are by far the beefiest and styliest ones I have seen lately. Justin Thornton's are sweet. Over rough terrain (read: Perris Valley) I compete in MX pants. They are expensive in a lot of places, but a little known fact is that you can also get them in bicycle shops. I got mine in Elsinore for like $40 bucks on sale and they are bad-ass. Chuck

Yep, I will very-likely be running a BMI course at that boogie.

I have replaced all but one main zipper on my old GTi, but then again it has over 500 flights on it. Continual use and abuse by students who "don't quite fit" into the suit and neglect to fully unzip the arms or legs after opening are the main causes of zipper failure. Chuck

I am sure you meant to type Jari, but I won't fault you for that. . I am sure you would be fine in an S3, but like everyone else has said, there isn't really any cause to buy one over a GTi if you have nobody to flock with or if all the other people on the DZ have "smaller" suits. There are many, many people out there who absolutely blister the sky in Classics, so don't think that buying the biggest suit is going to make you the baddest flyer. I rule the sky in my S3, but I love my GTi as well and can get away with cleaner back flight in it. Chuck BMCI

I think I made six jumps on Saturday and another six on Sunday. Sunday was outstanding. Many, many great flights with the newly minted BMI's and about four first flight students. See you next year! Chuck

Better show up to the airport with your passport or a copy of your birth certificate! If you have neither, then you can forget getting on the airplane.....Seriously. I had not been to Canada in over 15 years and my military ID used to do the job just fine, but not now. Come on up here, but please be prepared at the airport if you are flying across the border. Chuck

ATTENTION!!!! If you are an American travelling by air up here, you BETTER show up to the airport with either a passport or a copy of your birth certificate. NO other forms of identification will get you on your airline flight, no matter the departure point in the USA. I very, very nearly missed my flight because I had neither on my person (though I possess both). I was within fifteen minutes of having to miss my flight when my fax copy finally arrived at the airport. Surf (Kim) from Mirage was not so lucky today and missed her flight, rescheduling for tomorrow. Anyway, I have been here a full day and things are shaping up nicely. Nice hospitality and a beautiful backdrop. Chuck

All I have to say is that if you are going to lay around on your lazy asses all day on the couches under the tent, you better have given to this fund or donated some part of the infrastructure. I have my own vendor tent to maintain, have to pay gas up and back in my dually/RV combo, but I still gave fifty bucks to the dropzone.com tent fund. Chuck

You have obviously never seen me borrow a Sabre 190 at the end of the day when I am too tired to pack my own rig and swoop that thing the distance of the landing area. The principles are the same, so what exactly do you think those of us who have been skydiving since the advent of zero-p and elliptical canopies learned HP landings on? We have been "turf surfing" for much longer than "proper" swooping mains have been around. Chuck Blue D-12501

I have seen TJ go over 500 feet unofficial and downwind in unmeasured winds. Still, there is no discounting the fact that your boy ripped the piss out of that swoop; nice job. You guys need to set up some five foot gates; ten-footers only count in horseshoes and hand grenades.

Pull priorities remain the same: Pull, Pull at the right altitude, Pull at the right altitude with stability. I MUST pull in order to survive I NEED to pull at the right altitude, no matter what my body position I WANT to pull at the right altitude with stability

The great majority of my jumps are under a Sigma/Sigma 370, but I also have a lot of jumps under a Vector II/Icarus 365 and a Vector II/EZ 384. I am also rated on and have jumps under an Eclipse/Icarus 365. I was originally rated on a Vector II/421. I really love Sigmas, but when it came time to buy our own, we got a new very-custom Racer with the Firebolt 350 (ZP elliptical nine cell) main. I got a great deal, it's setup with handles just like a Sigma, and the main flies just as good. Chuck

One thing that I neglected to mention was where I keep my hands during flight and landing: on top of the toggles with the control line run between my index and middle fingers. Keeping them that high (Paul Rafferty gave me my tandem rating and taught me that) allows you more bottom-end flare power and allows you to "lock-out" your arms if your student tries to flare too soon (with the bottom loop of the main toggles.) Chuck

Or simply roll the booties up into the suit you have been jumping.

Couldn't get it to play.

My first thoughts are that, out of the three, the foot canister idea seems most viable. I have done two ash release dives, but on both occasions we held them in the typical velcro-closed bag and released them out in front of us (once with me as TM to the son of the deceased). I can't see any way to use a standard bag in your application. What springs to mind is a bag, much like a long sock, with "cuffs" on the ends which would be held taut between your ankles and right at the end of your leg-wing (but not attached to the suit per se.) You could rig it closed in the middle or linearly with an LQRS handle. If closed in the middle, like linked sausage, you could close off the two separate ends with a loop and three grommets, just like an army duffel bags. Instead of closing the "duffel" ends with a metal snap, you simply run one LQRS cable (separate of course) through both of the loops (which run through the grommets, closing each end of the sausage bag setup). You attach the cable to the back of your tail wing and over to your left hip with gaffer tape, thus allowing for a big "puff of smoke" release at your leisure. Once you pull the handle, both sections of bag release each other and the ends come open. Kicking your feet will ensure that both bags empty quickly. Just my thoughts. Chuck

Stall surge. I setup in deep brakes, then release them (around 100 feet) to pick up speed prior to touchdown.