Aviatrr

Well, I can't say I know Howard.....but I was told that he's from the Atlanta area.. Mike

Lemme guess......you used the 'When in doubt guess C' method, right? Hell, it got me through high school.....and college....and flight school....and.....well, maybe I shouldn't have told you that last one.. Mike

Yes, stronger doors are definitely necessary - but it is somewhat of a logistical nightmare on the engineers part.. They have to design a strong door that will keep people out of the cockpit, but they also have to consider rapid depressurizations and emergency egress.. I don't know about you, but I don't want to have to use the escape rope unless absolutely necessary.. I hear that Alaska has begun retrofitting their planes with reinforced doors......I'm curious to see how it's made, and how it will react to a rapid depressurization.. Mike

Jeez....must be a slow day at Square One.. Mike

I hear that kind of email only gets sent when you visit their website..........what exactly were you looking for? Mike

Well, they're not for just bass fishing.......they're for EXTREME BASS FISHING! Mike

*** so 85-90 on I-95 is not out of the question. [/quote Hell....it's not even out of the ordinary!

Sorry, I meant to link the "Contact Us" page.. It's best to contact the DZ to find out.. Mike

Is that one of the requirements? Shit....no wonder I failed the AD.. Mike

Flagler is about 60 miles north of Titusville......about 20 miles north of Daytona Beach.. Mike

Uhhhh...... http://www.skydivenaples.com 'Nuff said?! Mike

A life? Mike

Damn, Clay....I thought you were at least discreet about it........but in public?! Mike

There used to be a DZ east of Sarasota, in Wachula.....I think it was called Suncoast Skydiving.. I don't know if they are still around or not.....other than that, I'd say your closest DZ is ZHills.. Mike

For those of you that used to jump at Skydive Daytona in Flagler, there is a new DZ opening up out there.......Skydive Flagler Beach.. I just found out about it today, and found this on a google search.. Nothing on the website yet, but I understand that they open this weekend.. Give 'em a try.. Mike

Man, that's not the way it seems to me.....every time I head over there I have people to jump with no problem.. Belly fly or freefly.. Mike

Well, I wouldn't call that one the pilots fault.. I've landed with one of three wheels still in the well because it wouldn't come down.. Left main on a Beech 1900.. Kept the left wing off the ground until around 30 knots.. Mike

I used to threaten to dock on them once they're under canopy.......with the landing gear.. Mike

Ahhhh, incentive......so when is the new record going to be set out in California? I'll see if I can make it.. Mike

Psycho packing has always given me very predictable openings.....I don't know what the people with "unpredictable" openings are doing wrong, but they're probably doing the same thing wrong when they pro pack.. I don't know of any videos regarding psycho packing, but you can read about it at the link below.. http://precision.aerodynamics.com/psycho/psycho_pack.htm If you click on 'Psycho packing the 7 cell ZP main' link at the top right, you will get pictures on how to psycho pack.. Mike

Deland has one.....you can do as few or as many jumps as you like.. Mike

The Samurai is an awesome canopy, and I would highly recommend it over the Vengeance.. I have less than 10 jumps on a Vengeance, but not a single one was less than 90 degrees off heading(most were more), and they all surged/dove on opening.. I had to grab the rear risers as soon as they were out to keep the openings reasonable.. Once open, it flies fine.....solid feel, good flare, fairly long recovery arc.. The Samurai had pretty squirrely openings, but not unmanageable.. Most of the jumps I put on the Samurai resulted in openings within 30 degrees, and very soft.. You definitely need to know how to steer a canopy through opening via harness inputs.. Very solid in turbulence, extremely responsive(tight spirals with just harness shifts are easy), dives like crazy(but you can plane it out easily by bumping the toggles or rear risers), but the bottom end lift leaves a little to be desired.. You will probably end up running or sliding out landings in low/no wind conditions.. Be sure you demo the Samurai in the size you are considering - you may find that you want to step up a size.. This canopy flies small, IMO.. If you want a very high performance swoop machine, go with the Samurai.......if you want opening issues, go with the Vengeance..

Hey, Rob....I'm gonna be up in Vancouver for a couple weeks in May.......how long is the drive to Pitt Meadows from there? I definitely plan on coming up and jumping with you guys for a few days.. Mike

That's right.. I have not yet jumped a psycho pack that reacted poorly as some people suggest.. The only canopy I've owned that I never psycho packed was the Crossfire.. Mike

My second rig has a Sabre2 in it that I load at 1.5.....flies and swoops great.. I've jumped a Sabre2 at almost 1.8, and Scott Miller has jumped the Sabre2 loaded damn near 2.5, IIRC.. I know he competed in swoop competitions on one at something like a 2.0 wing loading.. Mike