matt002

Thanks, that seems to be an improvement since the X.

Hi Murf, can you open up the arm wing pressurisation zips and have a look at the cross cell venting, I noticed the original X used straight vertical hot knife cuts. I've noticed some other suits use fine mesh for the internal ribs, would be interested to see how the cross venting is achieved on the X3. Guess its not so important on a skydive but can be very critical to sub terminal inflation.

Canopy looks large and square as a barn door, probably a sabre 1 or similar, it looks fast as he made a low turn and was travelling with a cross/down wind push on final (you can see a windsock in the background as he comes in.) I have seen this a lot in less experienced jumpers. Looking at the windsock by the truck you can see the guy has been flying down wind and only just got back to the landing area, still flying downwind and without the altitude to make the 180 degree needed to land into wind, the only safe option in this situation is to take a down wind landing, this guy panics and makes a turn to the right (cross down wind) and pays the price, at least he didn't try to make a full 180, he would then be dead. This is one of the dangers of the 180 degree turn when swooping, in that if you mis judge your approach, you will find yourself low and needing to do a 180degree turn to land into wind (also you will be cutting off every one else flying a pattern.) This is not a "Mad Skilz" incident. Everyone can learn from it, Use the accuracy trick, if you find that you are going to struggle to make the landing area, find a safe place to land off, always have a plan B, don't get fixated on plan A. Under supervision, practice cross and then even downwind landings, they are a life saving skills and you should not be scared to use them when needed. This jumper would be fine if he had done either of the above. Also when you hold something up as an example of the "Mad Skilz" new guy, you instantly take away the learning value in it. Everyone then thinks that it doesn't apply to them, even when you are that Mad Skilz newbie, you have no idea that is what you are.

A wingsuit in a dive will have a terminal velocity, the same as a canopy in a dive or even a person in freefall, provided the exit altitude is sufficiently high for a suit to reach its terminal velocity before flaring out before the gate, then small variations in exit altitude will not have any effect on the results. Like in CP comps, the ability to dive hard and maintain the speed through the measured distance will be key. I've always thought wingsuiting has far more in common with Canopy piloting than any freefall discipline, interesting now to see wingsuits flying alongside small canopies and that wingsuit performance comps are basically swoop comps without a pond!

14 second rotations using up 1400' reaching near freefall speeds into occupied airspace is not safe especially at DZs like Perris that attract many unknown visiting jumpers with varying standards of skill and differing rules and regulations. Add the ego factor of being away at a new DZ and you have a very unsafe situation for eveyone. The 90 rule is necessary at a DZ like that for normal dz traffic, swooping needs to be separated from ordinary dz traffic patterns either by separate landing areas or separate passes. At smaller DZs it may be possible to keep it mixed so long as the swoopers are disciplined about when it's safe to swoop, but that does not seem to work at large busy DZs. At Eloy I was quite happy to walk back from the tunnel landing area when I wanted to thrown down a huge turn, clear air space for me to swoop and a safer landing area for those that don't.

in the amateur category the gates are 10' and water drag is not required, pros must keep under 1.5m gates all way to last gate and drag water thru gate 1. Looks like the rule change is doing what it set out to, reducing overall distance, still a lot of event specific technique required. Dragging gate 1 with a steep aggressive approach looks difficult but impressive when done right. Seems most competitors are making the decision to use more of a zone acc approach, but all the 100m + distances seemed quite steep and aggressive (curt @9:15 for example) interesting to see which way the event goes.

Seems that the approach angle that works best is similar to the old event (steep aggressive), except further back from the gate to allow a water drag. Just like the old event, there were only a few competitors in each comp that could consistently be that aggressive without bouncing off the water. Popping up still seems to work if you can get past the last gate with enough speed for it to be worthwhile.

Climbing is very different in that the strength and stamina required take many years to build up, it makes free soloing anything pretty much impossible until such time as you are experienced enough to make an informed decision to start free soloing and how. You can grab a riser and start hook turning within a week of passing your AFF at some DZs. I know that 250 jumps may seem like a lot when thats all you have but it is an extremely small amount. Consider that you spend 10 seconds swooping on any given jump thats less than 43minutes experience. I bet you had been climbing for a number of years rather than minutes before you started free soloing? I know how frustrating it is to be in a regulated sport like skydiving when you are used to the freedoms of base and climbing but every time someone kills them self or another skydiver at the DZ it brings more rules and effects the freedoms of everyone else, especially in the US where swooping is being restricted at more and more Dropzones. If you want to experience the freedom you are used to I would suggest speedflying. It has a risk profile more similar to base than skydiving but no one will mind what you are doing off in the mountains away from the DZ. One piece of advice I can share with you is not to make the mistake of thinking that competency in one discipline will offer a short cut in another, if anything it will put you at risk and check out BFL #179 as an example of this. I love the steep part of a learning curve, its the most fun part and I try not to skip any of it. I remember a guy at work who after seeing one of my speedflying videos decided he wanted me to teach him. I explained to him that paragliding or skydiving experience was essential, however the next time I met him he had done some internet research on how "to pull the strings" and that he was already experienced in 'extreme sports'. (he used to roller blade in his teens!)

The technique that you are using may some times feel safe, as you describe having to hold the fronts down for quite some some time after the turn, you are probably finishing the turn quite high. The truth is that when you are low after the turn, and eventually, probably soon at the stage you are at, you will be low. You will have the incorrect muscle memory by continuing with your current practice. I have seen a guy at my DZ hit the the ground very hard using your technique, he probably let up his front risers about a second before hitting the ground, be very careful of this. You are right when you say that the responses you would get at the DZ would be very different to what you have got on here, if you jumped at my DZ I would have a idea of where you are at in your canopy progression and skills and would be able to give you some coaching on how structure your progression and coach you on the techniques you will need to do this, if I tried to do this on here, I would not be able to cover enough of the essentials. Taken out of context, that advice would put you at risk rather than help you. Edit to add: The structure I was taught on my very first HP canopy coaching course is the same one i still use now whenever I downsize, change canopy or want to learn a new rotation, eight years later, I make that pretty good value for money.

its impossible to 'know what you do not know' and that can be dangerous no matter how slow you try to take things, I know that 'get a coach' was not the answer you were looking for but it is the answer you need right now. A good coach can provide you with the basic knowledge, technique and structure to your progression, you can then take this foundation to 'self coach' and build larger rotations and manage you canopy progression. It doesn't have to be continuous expensive coaching, its the structure that is important. Don't cheat yourself out of this.

double fronts after the turn is a sign that you are not doing it right, its a bad 'fix' to bad technique that is based in a lack of understanding. At the stage you are at you really need good coaching, both theory and practical, it will pay dividends and doesn't have to cost the earth. You need more information that it would be possible to give here, as you are on the steepest part of the learning curve right now.

I think that this problem relates only to the low airspeed inflations associated with BASE exits and could apply to any suit. With the speed and direction of the relative airflow when skydiving what you see in the video would not happen, there are some photos on Base Jumper.com that show a potential problem if the top of the vent opening is pushed against the suit either before exit of by the relative air just after. On a x wing vent, the arm wing fabric extends inside the vent to form an airlock to prevent the wing from de pressurising once inflated. The lower opening is stiffened but only by about an inch. As relative airflow on a base jump is initially directly at the wing, I think it is possible that the fabric under the stiffened vent opening can be pushed against the fabric of the airlock extending into the vent preventing proper inflation.

It allows the design to be compared directly to all the other types of canopies that are used in competition, against the other top pilots, and on level playing field in terms of venue, conditions etc. This cannot be re-produced in any other way than in actual competition. Its exciting to watch and this all takes place in front of the potential customers for such a canopy, as these deigns are often competition specific designs that are sold in very small numbers. This does exactly what you say, it generates a buzz around a product within the target market. In not sure what you mean about the Petra, as far as I know, they are not on general release yet.

Im ok with it, I like to see the newest linesets and canopy designs being tested in the competition environment, for me thats part of competition, getting to see the new stuff. I have always found that the pilots jumping these new designs are very open about what it is they are jumping and how the testing is going, they can never say when its going to be released as that is not their decision. Perhaps I would feel different if I was competing at the top level but for me and I would guess 90percent of those who compete, the canopy/lineset is not the factor keeping me off the podium at a high profile event, experience is. Anyone who now jumps a comp velo will tell you that the difference between that and the regular is very slight, its not gonna break world records by itself. Most of the pilots who are experienced enough to be competing for medals at high profile events are generally the ones jumping these test designs anyway.

Not trying to be a dick. What would these questions be, and why not call them XRW risers? Care to add something more useful?

Can some tell my why people order through dealers? I have always bought my gear direct from the manufactures except in the case of my speedflying gear as the manufacturer does not sell direct to the public. Is there some kind of discount when you buy through a middle man? I know of a case recently when a dealer went bust and some customers lost out, I can't see the need.

You can also flare on rears by twisting the rears rather than pulling them, basically leaning forward and twisting your arms so you elbow face upwards with a straight locked out arm. This allows you to lean forward aggressively while still using the rears. Takes some practice to get smooth imput this way though.

I used to get stability issues when flying too flat. I would try a full skydive flying the suit steeper that you think would be necessary, and perhaps sweep the arm wings back a little to help with this, keeping your head lower than your toes and see how that feels. How long did your R Bird take to arrive? I have a tony suit on order not sure what the delivery times are up to now.

As I said, I'm a new jumper, it was my first day at a new DZ, I really don't know what his instructors there have told him and what policies they have in place, I only know my DZ which tends to be very by the book. My reason for the post was seeing if what I experienced is common and I just have a stick up my ass or if this as something that others would consider an issue. Looking back sure there are things I could have done differently, I was just seeing what the general community online thought of such a behavior. my subject line was probably more bold than it should have been, but a good subject line tends to grab readers. Nothing wrong with your post. matt002 is out of line. Your right, there was nothing wrong with the post, just nothing constructive either. Unless calling some one a corpse and bitching about them behind their back is constructive but I cant see the value in that. Perhaps you can explain?

Ok well to answer your question, you do seem to have a stick up your ass. My advice to you is to speak up when you see something that concerns you. If you approach the person in the correct way, they will respect you for it and realise that you have their interests at heart. Talking about people behind their backs, especially on an internet skydiving forum will not earn you much respect with anyone. Also, be happy with your own progression and don't get concerned by what other people are doing if it does not concern you or your safety. A safety conscious attitude will increase your probability of an enjoyable injury free skydiving career, you will see people taking shortcuts, be happy in your choice not to do this, remember that this is your choice.

A friend once told me 'If they are concerned for you they will talk to you, if they are concerned for their egos they will talk to each other instead. Either way, no ones talking about them'. Did you speak to this guy about your concern for his safety? If not, why not? What is this thread about for you? Validation?

You seem to know enough to label a fellow skydiver a "corpse", very classy. Congratulations on being so safe, have a big virtual pat on the back.

I dont think there is any way to get through to the future Sangis of this sport. Its still too abstract on video, especially if the video is of some one that you do not know or care about. In order to succeed in high risk environments, you must have faith in yourself and your ability, and you must believe at a sub conscious level that you will survive no matter what. You may consciously know there is a chance that you wont, but you can never truly believe this, because if you do, you stop. This personality trait is common to everyone who takes part in high risk activities, its like a spectrum with guys like sangi at one end and non-skydivers at the other, but make no mistake, it is a spectrum and we are all on it. For example, your non skydiving friends may think that you are crazy and reckless for doing any kind of skydive, in the same way that we can look at anyone futher towards the risk end of the spectrum and say the same of them. Who is right? And how do we decide? I find it funny how many of the people posting the 'I told you so's' further up this thread could well be the subject of this kind of thread themselves pretty soon. But of course, it only happens to someone else!

I usually jump at approx sea level. I have to put 150' - 200' on my turn height at mile high colorado, the difference is huge in all respects, height lost during the turn and especially during the recovery arc, horizontal speed over the water even straight in landings things happen much quicker. You can clearly see the effect in the distance and speed results of competitions held at very high elevation.

Im not a member of the canopy police, because you want to is a valid reason. But it would be smart to do your cutaway on a canopy you are competent to land, then you have more options and are not forcing your self to have to cutaway. For example you spin up or just get carried away flying and find yourself too low to cutaway, or find yourself in traffic or many other situations. If you really can't wait till your competent to fly a velocity then just man the fuck up and jump one, don't think that this is a better idea just because it involves a cutaway.