fergs

Hey Jayhawk, I disagree somewhat. I know that I can flare out of a track, and while in a situp position can see virtually directly above me. I agree that a twist of the body is definately required, but that's exactly what I've been doing for 30 years and it seems to have been working. If Mr HeadsUp did something like that, then Pocyznec could indeed have been directly above him and in definate danger of eating pilot chute. I certainly don't want to open any controversial discussion on how to see above in or after a track - but will simply continue to do what I've always done at the end of an RW jump - track to clear sky, sit up, look (directly) above, also check around as well, if all clear, pull. Blue Skies and have fun, life is good fergs

So are we allowed to know who this Mr. Heads-Up is? What's his liquid lunch preference and even I'll send him a six-pack. J Jimbo, maybe Mr HeadsUp's name should remain anonymous ... then he can simply be any safe jumper on any DZ. I for one will do as you suggest and buy a few drinks for anyone I believe qualifies to be the Unknown Mr. HeadsUp. How about we all create a Mr. HeadsUp award on all our Drop Zones and have the award pass from person to person as reequired, along with the suitable prize of appropriate drinks!!!! Well, that's my thoughts on the matter. Blue Skies as always, fergs

[ so STOP YA Bitchin you lot NAh, I'm not bitchin' ... equivalent of 0.24 USD here per litre, guess that makes it 90 cents a gallon if a US gal is 3.79 litres. But I was bitchin' around 4 years ago, when the powers-that-be literally doubled the price one night. No discussions, no debate, no way to complain - just accept it. At least they still haven't introduced income tax here ... then I'd really complain!!! Blue Skies, fergs

Hey Kim, yep, have been swooping those camels ... so far over 30 jumps on the new suit. Totally enjoying it. Thanks again!! Will be back to Dubai end of the month for some more flying fun there. And yes, I'm spreading the love... But am returning home to Australia before long - so will be able to retire my gas mask and nerve gas antidote (maybe I'll auction them). Stay well! fergs

Yo Laurie, yep it's pretty cold here in the Middle EAst at the mo. And we had sand storms the last week that must have dumped 12 inches of .... sand on us. Was jumping at Umm Alquwayn last week (near Dubai). Bloody freezing. Between jumps I was laying in the sun on a creeper and at one stage I almost felt like I needed to put on a T-shirt, it was so cold. Driving back to Saudi it was a chilly 37 degrees ..... centigrade that is. Roll on summer when we can get all warmed up to a real temperature!!!!!! Take care and Blue Skies, fergs

G'day flyhi Gitty, couple of questions: 1. What is the date of manufacture for the Xerox yuou have? 2. For interest sake, what colour is it? Thomas Sports Equipment used to have a label on it that looked suspiciously like a TSO label. They called it "TSE". Yours may have a label saying TSE 23-b (or C or some other letter). TSE stands for .... wait for it ..... Thomas Sports Equipment. For it to then having numbers, like, coincidentally 23-C after it suggesting it conforms to a technical standard in the US surely bordered upon illegal. But it did not necessarily make the gear unsafe. It was, at least in the 80's illegal to jump Thomas Sports Equipment gear in a number of countries, Australia, for example. This was possibly due to the fact that they recognised a TSE label is not a TSO label. But I've lost track since - maybe Lofty Thomas has now gotten his gear actually TSO'd. If so - good. But if yours is only TSE'd, it may be - or is probably - illegal to jump in a number of countries, maybe even NZ. I had a xerox for a while in the 80's. It was a pretty good knock-off of the then wonderhog vector design. In fact one skydiving trip in 84 or so I was in Deland and Bill Booth had a look over it. From memory, he found a few technical/construction issues he was unhappy or uncomfortable with - but his dignity kept him from outwardly criticizing it. What a guy!! TSE then did and still do make gear that looks amazingly like major US manufactured gear. But jumpers in the UK seem to be loyal to the brand - maybe the pricing when comapred to imported gear from the US makes it an easy brand to buy. I remember a pop-top brand of TSE was banned in the US when some visiting UK team members had extremely slow reserve deployments. My memory is a bit clouded (I think I used to have Alzeimers Disease, but now I can't remember what it is ...), so maybe some others have more info. Let me know if your Xerox is brown tones. If so, I think I know soem of its' history. Blue Skies, fergs

Is there something bad about the Wingsuit? Are its flight characteristics not as good as claimed? Or is it just coincidence that nobody there seems to jump with them? The downside is that you risk becoming a bit anti social and quite happy to jump on your own or only with other wingsuits. Plus you cannot put into words an acceptable answer to the repeated question, "why are you always walking around with a big grin on your face these days?" No matter, keep wingsuit flying (at least do so once you have started) and spread the love. Blue Skies, fergs p.s. I'm always easy to spot these days - I'm the one walking around with a huge grin and refusing to join dynamite RWW loads.

[Here is the entire letter I emailed yesterday to a bunch of flyers and our BM dealers. ~Kim~ Hey Kim .... so I haven't made it to your bunch-of-flyers email list. My heart is broken. fergs

In 30 years of jumping, more than 50 countries - and countless hundreds of seperate DZ's. Added to that is several hundred displays in different countries/locations. All as a civilian, on my dime, I might add. One period was 6 months touring the US in a van with my wife. If you're an American and reading this, be proud of your country's natural and enthusiastic hospitality. Over that time we'd often be hijacked by jumpers at whatever DZ we were passing through and taken home to their place. "You're not sleeping in that van when at my DZ" was the typical comment. Often they'd then call ahead to wherever we'd be heading to their mum, cousin, uncle, etc to say ..."these 2 Aussies will be coming to stay in a few weeks..." Awesome. So if you had two Aussies in your house for a day or a week back in the early 80's, maybe it was me. Thanks again!!!

.... and here's a poster pic .... And still no scuds have come over the horizon - we must have scared them off big-time!!! fergs scud-buster VII.ppt

This is a cross-post from Wingsuit forum. NEWSFLASH FROM THE MIDDLE EAST: Wishing to keep defense costs down to an absolute minimum - we've come up with a Wingsuit option to intercept any incoming scuds here in the Middle East. At least the jumps will be free. But we're currently having trouble in test flights flying in a straight line. I'm considering a seperate Ak in each hand to keep better balance. Would welcome any suggestions/input. If anyone has the private numbers for Bush and/or Blair, give them a call and let them know that test flights are progressing well. Keep Smiling - it's not all that bad .... Blue Skies, fergs scud-buster VII.ppt

NewsFlash from the Middle East: Wishing to keep defense costs down to an absolute minimum - we've come up with a BirdMan option to intercept any incoming scuds here in the Middle East. At least the jumps will be free. But having trouble in test flights flying in a straight line. I'm considering a seperate Ak in each hand to keep better balanced. Would welcome any suggestions/input. If anyone has the private numbers for Bush and/or Blair, give them a call and let them know that test flights are progressing well. Keep Smiling - it's not all that bad .... Blue Skies, fergs

hahahahahaha, just wait til you have a day with a little excitement in it .... Anyhow, hope you can make it to Dubai then up to the DZ on the weekend. Leave your sidearm in Yemen - but maybe we can have a little shooting comp on the range nearby. Take care - watch those invisible kidnappers, and most importantly, look around for bogies before you get your camera out. fergs

Y0 Maj!!!! Where are you? I was in Bahrain 3 times last week and couldn't find you ...... let me know. If you have a free evening this week, say Monday 3 or Tue 4 Feb, I'll come for a beer and a steak .... Or did you go Yemen? Just stay out of Baghdad the next cpl weeks ..... Next weekend we'll be juming in UAE, 6,7,8 Feb. Can you make it? The following week will be 11,12,13,14 Feb. Assuming we have enough jumpers, I'd like to think we can make 10 jumps each day. You up for it? It's tough in the Gulf!!!! Blue Skies, fergs

Done - and an alphabetical listing too. You're there! Hey Freakbrother!!! Thanks. Could you please correct spelling of my family name to "Fergie" whenever you have a moment spare. fergs FB 961

Hey Freakbrother!!!! Keep up the good work ..... how about first 1000 next? fergbird FB 961

Maj, I'll be in Bahrain tonight .... Country Club for a meal then shopping for a new rug downtown Manama suoq area. Can you get off base? Email me on my profile email address with a phone number if poss. Blue Skies, fergs

Hey MAj, Well I'm just over the causeway in saudi and come over to Bahrain reasonably often. Was at the Country Club in Budayah (western side Manama) on thursday last for a beer and a steak. Are you able to get off base? Lets get together. Also I concur with Poczynec - if you can make it to UAE, we are skydiving there. We'll all be there from 6 to 14 Feb - so see how you can make it. Blue Skies, fergs

Scott, oh yeah, forgot to mention - always have a spare of everything that can be dropped or lost. This includes freebag/P/C, cutaway cable, reserve ripcord, reserve closing loop, main closing loop, tube stows, etc. A malfunction on first day of a boogie that you've been planning to do 100 jumps at will definately spoil your experience if you lose the freebag and don't have a spare. You cannot always rely on others to have parts - even the local rigger. So you should be as self sufficient as possible. Enjoy, fergs

Rick, before you learn too many bad habits - start psycho packing. You'll never look back. fergs

Scott, yes, it's a good idea to write your name and contact details on your reserve bridle. Also write the word "Reward". I travel a lot around the world and although have not used reserve for over 20 yrs (touch wood), feel very comfortable that I increase chance of getting freebag back fast by being willing to pay the finder. fergs

I packed many non-diapered and diapered round reserves from early 70's to early 80's. Some were with a pilot chute, others without. Many were front mounted reserves, others piggy back systems. Some were used in anger - all worked. I've had 3 reserve rides in last 30 years - all on round reserves. The first was an intentional cutuway with one-shot capewells and a front mounted 17' GQ reserve. That was 1973 or 74. Then a cutuway from a brand new (its' very first jump) strato-cloud in 1978 or so. That was a piggy back system, R-2 release (the old capewell fittings retrofitted with a combo leverage and velcro tape), navy conical 26' non diapered reserve. Finally, in 1981 a cutaway from a total (well, not exactly a total .... a pull-out deployment where my old bow-line knot on the bridle simply came undone - it was a real "throw-away" pilot chute .... I literally threw it away, hahahaha). SOS system made the decision to cutaway or not cutaway easy. It was a 26' PISA conical reserve, also non diapered. Haven't had a mal since then, which I put down to sloppy and fast pack jobs - but touch wood, I do expect a malfunction sometime in this millenium, hahahaha. Jumped rounds in early 70's before going to three cornered contraptions, then squares, with my first ring-and-rope strato star in 1976. Also dispatched many students on free-fall and static lined round canopies. Occasionally they malfunctioned - mostly line overs. Malfunction rate on round canopies was probably greater than we now see on square canopies, but cannot back up that belief with cold hard facts and figures. But I never saw a round reserve have any problems. Interested to hear of other oldies experiences. Blue Skies, fergs

Kevin, I've jumped lots of smoke on displays over the past 30 years. There's hot smoke and cold smoke. Hot smoke needs a bracket to keep it away from you. Otherwise you WILL be burned and your jumpsuit as well. Cold smoke can be taped to your shoe. ALL smoke stains your clothes/jumpsuit, from my experience. Some can be washed out, some cannot. I was never able to work out which was which until AFTER trying to wash it. haha Here's a cheap and easy alternative I used to use when pyrotechnic smoke was unavailable .... used to fill a loosely knitted woollen knee-sock with flour and tie/tape it to our shoe or shin. Guess what - it was quite effective. The terminal windblast simply blew a steady stream of flour out through the loose weave. But it was always white only. Over a few beers we would always discuss the possibility of dying the flour different colors, but never got around to it. So there's an experiment you may want to try.... Back to pyrotechnic smoke. The bigger the bracket, the bigger the risk!!!! Risk is basically two fold. Firstly there's chance of entanglement on deployment. This risk is bad enough on a normal skydive - even bigger on a wingsuit dive. You may feel confident keeping it all away from the bracket on a normal skydive or wingsuit jump - but consider a wild spinning malfunction .... take care. Then there's landing. One display I was on some time ago - 4 of us had hot smoke on brackets. One guy's bracket slipped down and hung under his foot under canopy. He didn't notice. He landed and instantly snapped his tib and fib into a nasty compound fracture. Not only did one of the two bones then jam into the turf, but the smoke was still burning and so he had toxic red smoke all over the wound/bone. Believe me, not pretty - a very long recuperation period followed for this poor guy. He didn't jump again for well over a year. So my experience of smoke leads to my always same recommendation - DO NOT USE IT unless someone is paying you very well. Recognise the dangers and plan for each and every contingency. If you really want to be seen in a wingsuit dive, try the flour-in-sock method. Try dying it a different color and let us all know how you fared. Blue Skies, fergbird

... aha, so seems like a wingsuit is a plus on this one, hahaha. Anyhow, Tom, thnx for the clarification. Cheers, fergbird