bmcd308

>>You don't have to get out of the way; the wind gets you out of the way.

>>Can you see that we don't open our parachutes at ground level? And can you see that when you open your parachute your vertical descent rate will decrease significantly? And can you see that you will then travel horizontally away from your opening point?

You were almost there. See Hook's post. ---------------------------------- www.jumpelvis.com

My problem is with the tendency to generalize it down - Would you want the group behind you to open at the same point over the ground as you 5 seconds later if there was a 50 kt wind? 20 kt? 10 kt? No wind? A quick read of the post to which you responded and your post might make a reader believe that you would be OK with those scenarios, as well. ---------------------------------- www.jumpelvis.com

>>Possibly more since the plane may have to fly faster at the cut to maintain airspeed over the wing surfaces.

I am a little surprised that you are an advocate of the "it's OK for everyone to open at exactly the same point over the ground and at exactly the same altitude as long as they are five seconds apart" side of things. While the wind will blow the canopies downwind for five seconds before the next group gets to that fixed point over the ground, I would sure prefer to open at a point over the ground different from (upwind of) the previous group's. But maybe that is just me. ---------------------------------- www.jumpelvis.com

>>I went to it when it was mentioned in the thread. But if it's going to tell me the group before me never reaches 45 degrees it's wrong. It's time vertical and more importantly horizontal. 45 degrees from where I am when I exit.

>>Can you see that if you roll one marble down it, then another in 10 seconds, they will still never be at the same place at the same time?

>>Also on days where the otter would have zero airspeed on jumprun, we would usually wait a considerable amount of distance past the dz, a usual "there is no too long" day.

>>I've jumped out of several Cessnas with zero groundspeed before and I definitely didn't have to wait infinitely to exit after the person in front of me. No tracking, no high pulling, and we weren't even close at pull time. How would you explain that? Was it a miracle?

Maybe, maybe not. From the second group on, conventional wisdom is to start the climbout once separation has been achieved, so that if someone falls off, you have the desired separation when the rest of the formation dives out after them. So there is always "wasted" time for climbouts. During a slow climbout on an 80 knot jump run, the plane can cover a ton of real estate. ---------------------------------- www.jumpelvis.com

Please search on airspeed and groundspeed. Flying into the wind at a given AIRspeed, you will be over the target area on the GROUND for a longer amount of time than flying crosswind. Flying crosswind, airspeed = groundspeed. Flying into the wind, groundspeed = airspeed - wind. ---------------------------------- www.jumpelvis.com

I am not sure what you mean by work harder. The plane maintains its altitude balancing the lift created by its wings with its weight. Lift is a function of airspeed. It does not matter how much ground the plane is covering. ---------------------------------- www.jumpelvis.com

420 ex will work with all 7 focus points, but 550 ex will only work with the center point on the cameras you mention. 550ex is half a stop more powerful. 550ex has more flash-mounted controls so more of its features (modeling flash, FEL, etc.) will work with your 300. D10 has on-board CF controls so that will not be as critical with that camera. ---------------------------------- www.jumpelvis.com

Please do a search on airspeed or groundspeed. Plane has same airspeed on jump run regardless of into the wind or with the wind. It just covers less ground per unit time into the wind. Airspeed vs. groundspeed is a really really really critical thing for all skydivers to understand, as it has an impact on every aspect of skydiving. Brent ---------------------------------- www.jumpelvis.com

>>The way I'm getting this logic from Kallend and others is, "Wahh, it's anti-freedom to ban these model rocket engines, so because I'm so mad about that I'll support even more erosions of freedom, like the freedom to own various types of guns." Great logic there.

I got genuinely scared when I reached for my main deployment handle and it wasn't there. That was an awful feeling. I was scared but not terrified when I landed Steven's 135. My favorite was when Chris landed Judy's batwing - he said, "that was the first time I've been scared skydiving in a long time." ---------------------------------- www.jumpelvis.com

Sweet! Looks good for the times when Yardhippie, Drakeshelby and I will be arriving. NB - YH is married. DS is working on a girlfriend. I need love. Brent ---------------------------------- www.jumpelvis.com

>> I alwyas have people telling me to zip up my jumpsuit, but I never think to ask why-- I just do it.

>>apparently forgot to pull about 20 jumps ago

Because of this jump I only wear a weatshirt or other bulky clothes over my jumpsuit when I absolutely have to in order to stay with a slow falling person. I have always been very careful to tuck it in, but when it comes out and covers up stuff you need right now, it sucks. Brent ---------------------------------- www.jumpelvis.com

PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - Bird flu may have decimated poultry businesses across Asia, but rat dealers have never had it so good. "I've got a constant stream of customers," Van Vath, a rat butcher in the western Cambodian town of Battambang, told Wednesday's edition of Cambodge Soir. With customers shying away from chicken for fear of catching the deadly flu virus that has killed millions of birds and at least 20 people, she has been selling more than 400 pounds of rodent meat every morning -- twice her normal turnover. In far-flung corners of the jungle-clad and impoverished Southeast Asian nation, rat -- fried, grilled or roasted with garlic and vegetables -- is a highly prized delicacy. It is not the only ingredient to be found scuttling on the rural Cambodian menu. Spiders, water beetles, crickets, snakes, frogs and ants are all choice treats, with local tradition saying they were first eaten by starving peasants during the Khmer Rouge (news - web sites) genocide in the 1970s. ---------------------------------- www.jumpelvis.com

The crowd of people that would come out to take a swing at this prick would be huge. ---------------------------------- www.jumpelvis.com

MGB is next weekend. My e-mail about needing you to pick up that picture was d!ckbrained. Brent ---------------------------------- www.jumpelvis.com

I'm a WTS regular, and the smallest rental gear I am aware of is a Sabre 190, although I'll admit to not being an expert on what is inside all those rigs behind the counter. Your ride to altitude will be with four other jumpers in a Cessna 195 that is all engine. 20 minutes to 12.5, which is smokin' for a Cessna, particularly a Cessna with a 5-way and a pilot on board. The 190 would not be a bad choice for you anyway, since the bigger canopy will help slow things down for your first jump at an unfamiliar dropzone. Not that it is a tough landing area, though - the mowed area is huge, and there are good outs all around. Look forward to meeting you - what day you coming? Brent ---------------------------------- www.jumpelvis.com