SkymonkeyONE

Hey, thread-hijackers, take it to PM.

You just elluded to something important: Rigger tickets. I was FASCINATED to learn how many of our packers at Nylon City here at Z-hills are certificated riggers. Almost every single one of them is a "real" rigger. Good stuff. I have never been to another dropzone where this was the norm. Chuck

I saw Kim at PIA. She was a "hired gun" for Vigil there. She is living in California now.

Steve, you are not coming to Z-flock? For shame!

The A license "test" has been oral since October 1st 2001. There is no written, USPA sanctioned A-license test anymore. Some dropzones may choose to create one on their own, but most instructors just create one from questions they choose out of the SIM. By the way, if you are interested in finishing your requirements without going through the Z-hills school at all, I can provide whatever coaching and validation you require while here. PM me for more info. Chuck Blue AFF/SL/TM-I, PRO, BMCI-4 Performance Skydiving (private instruction)

I am at Z-hills waiting for you guys to show up. I don't think the weather is going to be any better no matter which place you choose, though. Jeff, Scotty, and Grey Mike went to Sebastian. Myself, Sato, Phillip, Scott Bland, and whoever else will be here.

We have free full-time organizers for RW, freeflying, and wingsuiting here at Z-hills. I am the primary RW organizer Monday thru Wednesday and a full-time wingsuit organizer here. You will not have a problem finding people to jump with. Chuck

Quick note: please don't be one of those people who post on dropzone.com, come here, but never introduce yourself to those of us who live here, jump here, and also post on the forums. Don't be shy. Chuck

Please don't bring anymore new motorcycles for people to steal, bro! Actually, was that you or Sean? I don't have enough braincells left to remember.

I never do it because I don't like to stand around in the middle of the landing area in the hot sun, waiting to get hit by some toggle-whipping moron. I will stand out there and do that if I just landed from an AFF jump and need to talk the student down on radio anyway, but besides that, forget it. I untwist my brake lines when I lay my canopy down to set my brakes. Likewise, I have to make back-to-backs quite alot and I REALLY don't have time to fuck around then. Chuck

I set my brakes because too many packers simply do not know how or refuse to set them correctly. I set mine in a very particular way to prevent brake fires. That said, I don't feel bad at all if all I have time to do is throw it on the mat, pick up my other rig, and run to the plane. Setting brakes is part of packing and that's what you are paying for: a packjob. I have seen some places where they will bitch if you don't cock your own pilot chute! Forget it. Chuck

Like Matt, I have also re-qualified on my "other" canopies. Your PRO card only allows you to perform demonstrations on the canopy size/type you are qualified for. Because of that, and the fact that I also like "swoop type demos", I qualified all the way down to my old Cobalt 75 and up to the Sigma 370 tandem main. I think Nick might not have confidence in the PRO ticket because he has seen people who get their card simply for vanity or to perform some random demo. Matt and I are talking about something entirely different . "Real" demos are performed by teams which practice more than their annual PRO recertification. "Real" demo teams have train-ups where they work on line-ups, dial in their accuracy, prep their flags (or streamers) and smoke, and make lots of videoed/scored landings. Real teams send reps to ICAS to book shows. There is a place for swoop demos for sure. Places where you ARE able to setup a runway long enough that you do not direct energy over the crowd line (prohibited by the FAA). If you cannot initiate and perform your swoop over this clear area, then you are not supposed to be jumping that kind of canopy. I have seen plenty of video of guys swooping in right over the heads of the audience in order to land in a too-small cordoned-off area. That's simply dangerous. Again, you cannot direct energy (swoop, turn with a lowered rucksack or a huge flag) over the crowd. I have done a fair number of demos with very-small canopies, but the great majority of my demos have been "classic-style" under a StarTrac or PD 7-cell. Smaller demos by local DZ jumpers into local events are the ones that need to be tightened up. I have been on several such "throw together" demos over the years with varying degrees of professionalism. In the end, it's all about making the sponsor happy. If they are cool with guys swooping in in their shorts and Tevas to open up a new bar on the beach, then great. Z-hills has it's own actual demo team with proper mains and matching uniforms. The DZ I moved from had FOUR such teams. Either way you do it, you REALLY must have the proper landing area cordoned off for whichever type of show you are putting on and you must'nt allow under-qualified and out-of-practice jumpers on the load. Chuck

I have been stuck under canopy for over 15 minutes on a hot day before. Yes, that's after dumping at five grand with a tandem. My ex-wife stayed aloft at roughly 1000 feet on her 10th jump for like five minutes one day at Raeford. She was jumping a Manta and was doing little 45 degree turns back and forth right over the runway. All I can tell you is that if you continue doing slow circles over objects which create thermals (hot runways, forrests, etc), then you are going to continue to stay aloft longer than you want. Slow circles in such thermals (or updrafts) will not get you down. Get out from over wherever you are, man up, and spiral hard to get down past the thermal. As hard as your passenger can tollerate anyway. This happens to me quite alot, actually, when I am jumping smaller passengers. Chuck

Another thing, Peej: It makes positively no sense to transition to crossbraced canopies unless you have wrung every ounce of performance out of what you are already jumping. If you are still leaving your chest strap tight under canopy, do not stow your slider, and are not planing out at the right altitude, then you don't need to be changing canopies. Nothing makes me more nuts than to see some yahoo flying a Velocity straight in with his slider up above his brakes, his chest strap tight, and his arms working the toggles like an AFF student. Crossbraced canopies are shitty vanity purchases. They are expensive, pack very large, don't open nearly as well as non-braced canopies, and will hurt you bad if you allow the canopy to fly you. You must stay focused well ahead of fast canopies. Chuck

Just after opening, pull your knees up and slide your legstraps down to the meaty portion of your thighs. Continue flying like that (knees together and up) and then lever your legs, one all the way up and the other all the way down to get the most torque out of your harness turns. If you legstraps are all the way up next to your nuts you are never going to get any leverage out of your harness. Chuck

It is POSITIVELY a downsize from all the actual canopy-on-top-of-canopy comparisons I have witnessed lately.

Mark indicated in another thread that he was the only person who routinely flew a wingsuit on the dropzone. There are plenty of suits there though, I know that for sure. There are also plenty of people there who fly suits well.

I totally agree with Matt. None of the DOD teams I have ever jumped on would let a guy who did not have a PRO rating jump into demos which require one. Under-qualified people pull dirt on those shows. Also, there is quite a difference between "some DOD guy with a few hundred jumps" who ONLY does demos and a person with a Stilletto and over 1000 jumps who has never bothered to qualify for a PRO ticket under a proper demo main. Apples and oranges. If you don't train for demos, then you are not qualified to do demos, regardless of jump numbers. Chuck PRO rated since there was such a thing.

We normally keep extra goggles in the plane, but on the times when there were none available I just jumped without them. No biggie. Bob Sinclair has NEVER jumped with goggles in his over 50 years in the sport. Doesn't seem to bother him at all.

I am assuming you are talking about "modern age" here, Peej, or I would tell you that I switched from a Bogy 150 to an Excallibur 150 in 1989 (or whatever year it was the Excal came out). Those were VERY small canopies back in those days, brother. Much later, 1999 I guess, I was jumping two Stillettos (107 and 97) and decided I just had to have a "new school" crossbrace. Actually, I was not really too sure about it, because Jim Slaton and Joey Costa were winning meets under Alphas. I ordered an Alpha 84 and a VX-74. The VX was brand new and JC was the only guy killing it with any regularity under it. I bought those two canopies because I wanted a longer-diving main that was going to give me more distance. The VX opened like shit, but I could get my longest swoops out of it maybe 25 percent of the time. I had to do a perfect turn on it to beat my "normal" 270 turn under the Alpha, so I sold the VX to Troy Ketsdever and I think he still has it (for windy days). I jumped those Alpha/Impulse/Cobalt canopies alongside my teammates Eric Butts and Bryan Harrel very successfully in pro competition for a few years. Eventually, I decided that I just needed another new crossbrace, regardless of opening characteristics, if I wanted to stay competitive. Amazingly, I found that the two new Velos I got in 2003 opened just fine and they were easy to dial in. Wonderful stuff! Given the right amount of concentration and respect, there is simply no beating a crossbraced main. They plow through turbulence, have tons of usable lift, and get you down to the ground fast when you are doing "work" dives (AFF, tandem video). They are also tremendously fun to swoop. That said, they are not right for every job. I will never again put another crossbraced main in my wingsuit rig and I would not consider jumping one on a "classic" demo into a tight area. Chuck

In 1999 and early 2000 it was actually fairly common for people to tinker with linesets for swooping. People were changing trim with longer/shorter rapide links front and rear and people were even lengthening the outer lines to make the canopy "flatter". I know at least three guys that were doing it in Venezuela back then. That's regular Joes, not any factory R and D machines. Jim Slaton used to jump an Alpha with sideways lines and three risers. He said it flew much better than stock, but opened very hard. Like Ian says, "there are people who get paid to do such things." Chuck

How about asking that question in the photo/video forum?

I was stoked for my boy Aaron Stocum! 3rd Place!

Be smart and do not put your tent up over on the right side where ALL of our dogs go to poop everyday.

SkyFlock in Texas (during SkyFest) in early July.