Aviatrr

Damn......I figured you professional swoopers would have rigs dedicated to pond swooping - without a CYPRES ever in it......and probably rigs that NEVER saw terminal.. Hell, I've been thinking about getting another rig just to dedicate to swooping.......ok, no, not really - I need to perfect the regular swoop before I move to the pond.. Mike

Packing technique? What are you talking about? I drop mine in the packing hangar, come back 20 minutes later, and it's packed.. Naw, seriously...On my Sabre2, I just flake it, quarter the slider, and leave the nose alone.. I've been experimenting with it(only have 50 jumps or so on it), and packing it different ways to see how the opening is.....so far, my preferred method is quartering the slider, but NOT pulling it way out in front of the nose, and letting the nose hang.. It produces soft, on heading, 600-700ft openings.. I don't like those 1200ft openings when I'm pulling at 2000-2500.. If you want a long, slow, soft opening - quarter the slider, pull it way out in front, and push the nose back into the packjob.. You'll have 900-1200ft openings.. Mike

As Marc stated, they both fly about the same.. I have jumped Hornets at wing loadings from 1.1 to 1.6 or so, and the Sabre2 at loadings of 1.4 to 1.6......they perform the same, when loaded the same, IMO.. The Sabre2 does dive a bit more after front riser maneuvers(very little difference, though), which is a GOOD thing for people that like high performance landings.....it allows you to release the front riser at a higher altitude, and still maintain the speed.. I bought a Sabre2(that I load around 1.5) for my second rig because it was available immediately, and I got a good price on it.. The Hornet is a damn good canopy at an awesome price.....go with it.. Mike

Well, I'm not sure what type of rig the person was jumping, but the CYPRES cutter is NOT located at the bottom of the loop on all containers.. Many containers have the cutter attached to the inside of one of the closing flaps - meaning that if the reserve is deployed, the loop is no longer through the cutter - therefore, the cutter CAN fire and NOT cut the closing loop.. Mike

I normally carry 2 small metal hook knives, and a 'Jack the Ripper' large hook knife......and when doing CReW, I carry a few more..

I'm gonna try to make it down there for that boogie - if nothing else, just for a change of pace.. I think it'll be a good time.. Maybe if I can get a night jump at Atlanta Freeflight(it'll be a full moon that weekend, too) I'll even have my D before the Naples thing.. As for the Staybridge being close to the beach landings....yea, that's great, as long as you don't have anything you need(like, oh, let's say a car) out at the DZ.. Mike

I'll volunteer to fly video for him on that jump! I think I'm gonna need a baggier jumpsuit, though.. Mike

Hey, I have an excuse....I was at Z-Hills all weekend.. No time for anything but drinking and jumping.. I may respond to the original message after I have another day or two to recover from the weekend......some very disturbing memories are surfacing.. Mike

Light switches.. They have Clay convinced he's the only one who knows how to set all the switches just right to make all the lights AND the coffee maker work.. Mike

Damn, man....you started out good, but then it all went to shit when you used that beer on the keyboard thing to say how much she means to you........after that recent thread, we all know it's not your keyboard - it's at work! You said your computer doesn't work....does that foot taste good? Mike

Here's my take on this issue.. If somebody wants to have a parachute for "safety" reasons because they live or work in a high rise - get the proper training and buy a BASE rig.. Otherwise, it's just not even close to being safe.. ESPECIALLY if there are hundreds or thousands of untrained people(I don't consider watching a video tape on how to use it training) in a building with those rigs when it catches fire.. If I ever go to work or live in a high rise, and I feel that this type of escape may be necessary, I will get a BASE rig, or a skydiving rig with some mods.. If I'm below the level which I feel I could survive a BASE jump(like the 10th floor), I'll stash enough rope to get to the ground and some rapelling gear in the closet.. Am I this paranoid? Nope.. On the other hand, if I had any such gear staring me in the face every day......I'd be too tempted to use it just for fun.. "But, officer, I swear....I thought the building was on fire when I BASE'd off it! Regardless of what those other 100 people tell you, I WAS NOT THE ONE THAT PULLED THAT FIRE ALARM!" Mike

Winter? What are you talking about? It's still in the 80's with thunderstorms in the afternoon here in Florida.....it can't be Winter yet!

Damn, you must be a seriousl lightweight if it'd only take 8 or 10, even on an empty stomach......well, that or the fact that you ENJOY that kinda thing even sober.. So, Clay....which is it?! Mike

The Staybridge is a nice place(I stay there often), but isn't it a bit far from the DZ? 30-45 minutes, I'd guess.. Mike

There is a guy that chopped at Bridge Day the past couple years with a Sorcerer.. It's a pretty cool system.. The reserve is static lined by the main(not an RSL, the main risers are actually attached to the reserve freebag).. Mike

PERFECT! That article is exactly what I was looking for.. Thanks! Mike

I use a Kenko .5 wide angle lens for my camera, which is good for up close - but if you're not fairly close, use a .6 or no wide angle at all.. The memory stick is for digital stills - not regular video as you will use it while skydiving.. I VERY rarely use the memory stick on my PC5.....everything goes on video.. The Hawkeye and Velocity come to mind, but I'm sure there are many more.. You can mount a camera to just about any helmet - so find a helmet you like and mount it to that.. I use a Velocity.. Mike

Thanks for translating, Chuck.. Was that Alabamian he was speaking?! Mike

Maybe she's getting ready for her 100th BASE jump....? Mike

Also I need info on pack volume for the Samurai.. I know that, being an airlocked canopy, it will not pack as small as a similar non-airlocked canopy, but does anybody have any specifics? Mike

I'm looking for firsthand info from anybody that jumps a Samurai.. How are the openings? How does it fly in front risers? Does it dive long after releasing front riser, allowing a lot of speed to be built up? I plan on demoing a Samurai first chance I get(hopefully this weekend), but would like some info other than what I have read on the website.. Anybody with any firsthand experience with the Samurai, please let me know what you think.. I'll be loading the canopy at 1.5 to 1.65, depending on the size I go with.. Mike

Ok, I know there are many posts regarding the Heatwave, and I looked through many of them, but haven't found exactly what I'm looking for.. I didn't look through all the posts since the server is running VERY slow right now, and I just don't have that much free time.. So here are a couple questions.. How does the Heatwave pack? They claim very small pack volumes, as with the Hornet - but can anybody give me a comparison to a Stiletto or a Crossfire? I know the Hornet packs quite small - a Hornet 170 packed up a bit smaller than a Sabre 150.. How is the Heatwave in front risers? Short or long recovery arc? Does it continue to dive long after releasing the riser? I will be loading the canopy at 1.5 to 1.65, depending on size.. How does it fly in mid to deep brakes? Stable? I'm still trying to decide on a canopy, and will be looking for somebody with a Heatwave that I can jump to try it out - but I have yet to find any locally.. I'm also going to try the Samurai, hopefully this weekend.. Any other canopy recommendations? Mike

Damn.....you got more out of that post than I did..

If you can't spell it.....YOU CAN'T HAVE IT! The Sikorsky CH/MH-53 is an impressive beast, isn't it? I wouldn't quite say 4 minutes to 14k - at least not with max payload.. Maybe very light.. Where have you dealt with MH-53's? The CH is the USMC version, the MH is the Navy version(heavy lift/minesweeper).. In any case, not bad for a 70,000+lb helo.. Mike

I had an email this morning stating that a problem had been found, but it did NOT state that a fatality occured because of it - just that it COULD have cause a problem during reserve deployment.. Below is the text of the message I recieved.. Mike