stoney3434

I registered but haven't been put on the list ... --- I'm coming anyway and still looking for my jousting partner. Stoney Life is what happens while we are making other plans.

Yo Condor #2 ---(Scotty) .....is that all there is??? No pics of some fat guy dancing his ass off in a grass skirt or some sexy hot gal holding "gently" hands with the same fat guy in the air? I'm disappointed,.... Seriously Bro,..I"m having problems getting anything on the Sky2productions site,..so if they are on there,..........I'm not doing something right...( go figure! ) ...and did Jeff ever give you or Justin that UFO Encounters of the Third Kind like "fly-over" Video of my flight over him at the Sebastian Flock South event in January ?...Please ask him for it ---I wanna see it in one of the flock south vieos if you like it like he did. ...bye for today,.. "Stoney-mon" (Condor #1 ) "We eat our dead" Life is what happens while we are making other plans.

DITTO to ALL on Quiet Storm's posting,...including helping out with 40/20/10/5 or 10 or 5 bucks , a pizza and beer and/or a steak (or whatever) for our skilled photographers.( "if and when you have" the resources to do so) I've seen Avery out in Elsinore set the gold standard for all of us to remember in terms of helping our core group of wingsuit flyers in the way he can. I choose to share his philosophy on the gift of being a giver and sharer. He couldn't be any other way. I have seen and been honored to experienced both Scotty Burns and Matt Hoover also showing their understanding of the personal satisfaction of givng without expectationor obligation ( when they feel they are not being taken advantage of and are dealing with others who recognise their talent, their investments and their value, or maybe see just the "personal worth" of one very "special shot" and are wiliing to pay a reasonable price for the value they receive. For others,( and there are always "others") there has to be some form of minimum price or maybe a trade barter or something of acceptable exchange for a picture or video, otherwise Matt and Scotty would spend their off-hours making free prints for "those others" who WILL take advantage of anything free and not even give it a thought. Scotty Burns and Matt have done so much of great value for everyone's flocking capabilities just by virtue of their skills flying in around above and below us SAFELY and taking the good shots at several angles for our debriefs. What we think we did and saw on the jump doesn't always match up to what the video and the stills show. They are helping all of us get better and identify potential safety situations. Sooo,...in effect the photgraphers are a key component both our ongoing joy and of our ongoing instruction and improvement programs , even if those are only self imposed. The artistic talent of Scotty ,Matt, Harry and of Spot in doing editing is GRAVY but very tasty gravy... I have no idea how they get those great shots with the sun and mountains and moon and stuff the way they do ,..but it happens too much for it to be luck. Artists always struggle ,..but artists also must travel and live and invest in their media. I'm getting sick of seeing people all over the world feeling a sense of entitlement to receive at no cost the benefit from others talent , hard work, time invested in learning/practice and their pride in doing their best . I'll pay for any pics and videos I want and I'm just thankful to see Scotty, Matt , Harry, Justin, Jeff, Zach or anyone else on the load with a camera I don't have. Life is what happens while we are making other plans.

Incredible Clarity,... a real treat for my old eyes! Very well done Matt,.... "Stoney" Life is what happens while we are making other plans.

Yo Condor #2 ---(Scotty) .....is that all there is??? No pics of some fat guy dancing his ass off in a grass skirt or some sexy hot gal holding "gently" hands with the same fat guy in the air? I'm disappointed,.... Seriously Bro,..I"m having problems getting anything on the Sky2productions site,..so if they are on there,..........I'm not doing something right...( go figure! ) ...and did Jeff ever give you or Justin that UFO Encounters of the Third Kind like "fly-over" Vid I did on him at the earlier Sebastian Flock South event in January ?... bye for today,.. "Stoney-mon" (Condor #1 ) "We eat our dead" Life is what happens while we are making other plans.

Hmmmmm tell us more about the High Altitude Low Opening stuff...... I love O2 in my nose! I'll be there if Jason promises not to hurt me ! Oh yea,....and I'm taking online pole dancing lessons from a young talented wingsuit friend over the internet ,...so I will be able to entertain the group. Argo says wooooooooooof>>> I think he wants to fly too ,....and I promised him he will someday,...(ashes to ashes and dog to dust), Can we buzz the Tabernacle? "Stoney" Life is what happens while we are making other plans.

What's "way off Topic" mean? Is that like a bad spot? (I'm still learning this sports buzz words from "you young kids") I''m looking for one "good flying"/"courageuos" opponent for some sky-jousting. ( and a couple 2&1/2ft to 3ft long soft, but not flimsey foam or rubber sky-toy lances,...and I bet they won't feel so soft on impact at a 200 mph closure speed) Courage untested is courage unknown.... "Stoney" Life is what happens while we are making other plans.

See you Saturday ,... "Stoney and Argo" Life is what happens while we are making other plans.

I will also not be making it this year----my son's coming to see me in Forida that week,....(will wonders never end) Advice from experience: Do not cut away over the swamp! Have fun .... Life is what happens while we are making other plans.

Thanks for the invite Justin,....I enjoyed the flights and my healed shoulder,... The beach jump was thankfully on target this year and your video recalls those beautiful days.....(even if it "is" missing my awesome diving "flyover" of Mr Nebelkopf )(who admitted he forgot I was still in the airplane when he left to video the formation. ( Yes I am lazy,.. and I really take my time leaving the door ,.. but damn it "Move over Jeff !! ....hmmmm...oh what the hell") "Stoney" Life is what happens while we are making other plans.

Remember the KISS concept----Keep it simple "something"... Give each flyer two small paint gun pistols one in each hand and pointing outward at 90 degrees from the grippers. Each pistol will be adjusted to have only and "exactly" just a certain range desired... and the colors will vary depending on assigned slot in the formation. Then at a predetermined ditter altitude , eveyone fires their pistol at the flyer to each side. Then you land ,..and do an after jump lay-on-the -ground dirt-dive to see just where the different colors hit the participants. ... Simple and Fun!!! Have Tony fund the pistols since he will wind up selling many more replacement wingsuits. I also want to invite all of you to the Stoney first annual wingsuit rodeo jousting tournament to be held wherever I can find a DZ outside the USA that will aloow us to conduct the event... Should we use "official" solid foam "stickers" or allow things like heavy rubber chickens to be thrown in the "open" expert category... I am a GO on this idea !..... does anyone seriously doubt that? Life is what happens while we are making other plans.

Ohhhhhhhh shit !!!! just bend your knees more or maybe let me lead while flying flat out.....and "you" fly a fun slot. Sign me up and I would like to hear from any of you who want to scuba dive someplace really good --like over off Culebra or off Vieques for a couple days after the boogie..... Any locals out there who know the good reefs??? Life is what happens while we are making other plans.

DITTO Extremely well worded and captured the essence of "living life" instead of watching it pass you by....... Thank you Jeff........ I sold aircraft for many years and I usually answer the perfectly good aircraft comment with,...."there is no such thing" ( just to begin too play with "their" minds a bit) I tell them the next time theyn get off an airliner to go to the window and wait until the passengers are all gone, the flight attendents have left and the Captain has headed for home,... Then watch as the First Officer hands a clipboard to what will appear to be an older wiser type Mechanic guy ---the Chief of Maintenance... On that clipboard is all the stuff that is "not perfect" and perhaps intermttent or questionable about that aircraft you just took off on, flew for hours and then landed in. You would not be all excited to fly at all if you knew what is often on that clipboard..... Then I just say ----after 40 years of doing both landings and jumps, I'd say my safety is about the same either way and I have much more direct control over the outcome when I jump...... And of course I remind them that they just came from the highway which is even more dangerous than landing in an aircraft or jumping... Its fun to screw with wuffo's heads huh?! Life is what happens while we are making other plans.

I believe ALL the comments from everyone I have been reading here for the last few days are sincere from their perspective and their level of emotional attachment or objective detachment to "the results" of what happenned in Elsinore. A specific official goal "was" indeed stated, and it will "be interesting" to see if that specific objective goal "was" attained,...but that's all it will be : nothing any more than "interesting". For those who were there, that mere "interest" will always be dwarfed by their thrill and sense of pride in that they were prudently trying something completely new and knowingly risky, they worked as a team with personal focus, and they experienced the pride of individual effort and/or accomplishment, comraderie and just the "feeling" of being a part of something totally awesome while being near and engaged with to so many skilled, decent , crazy, and happy men and women. Now to send this thread off into a whole different direction,... let me say that last week I was allowed to experience and witness for just a short time what Matt got to see over and over again from his higher position above and behind the entire formation. On the very last jump on Wednesday, the then-largest slot specific wingsuit formation ever attempted WAS FLOWN WITH "73" FLYERS and the photogtographers departing 4 Otters flown by incredibly skillful pilots and into the unarguably "world record , largest-ever aerial get-well-card" for a guy and friend named Rick who like all the participants , really wanted and sacrified alot to be there, worked hard to qualify to be there, traveled the US and to Europe to perfect his skills so he could be there,.....but was then denied that opportunity by the random chaos of medical hassels. Every day, Rick was checking on the group and he was as emotionally attached last week to what was happening as anyone there was. Rick was told what we were doing by phone as we loaded into the Otters and he text messaged to friends in two of the aircraft his thanks for what we were about to do as we climbed up to offer him our sunset flight energy and our best wishes that he would keep getting better and fly his wingsuit into the next big way . As a somewhat slow, careful, and shoulder crippled ( read the last 5 as "less-skilled" ) flocking diver and coming from the third aircraft into the middle of a then "well formed" 72 person formation with smoke at both sides, I was mostly concerned with just getting to the formation, thinking a bit about Rick and also thinking (as I'm sure it is with each of us on every jump),..."to be safe and not hurt anyone else or myself" . As I leveled out from my dive above and well behind the formation,.....I saw the most beautiful, most awesome and most spectacular sight in the sky I have ever seen since I was lucky enough to see the northern lights over Greenland from the cockpit of a Gulfstream IV at FL470 fifteen years back. Official? a Record? Frankly my friends, I don't give a damn! [ Life is what happens while we are making other plans.

Mike: "Let me tell you a little more about me" Her: "I am soooooooo wet right now" Life is what happens while we are making other plans.

thanks for this technique insight for line twists ---- I'm gonna see if I can spot the links and do this,...With the non-airlocked SM1, I can get my arms back onto my chest and then up to my risers as I look up in deployment ,... I have used the wing out technique combined with the usual kicking to get out a couple times... Scott Bland suggested "trying" to reach the steering line above a twist if you can and turning the chute out of the twist ----but I have not been able to make that reach yet on really tight multiple tline twists ,..even with my arms unzipped... ************************************* >>>>>Could those who use their harness offer some more detail on shifting your body in the harness to control or help get the line twists out,... I'm not a swooper and don't really fool much in the harness now,...but I remeber making turns just using my body shifting when I'm open and with my toggles stowed... Do you try to do this while "in " the deployment or right after the opening? ****************************************** The Gray brothers told me there is a "container mod for some rigs that helps keep main bag straight and therfor maybe helps keep the lines from twisting as the bag comes out of the rig... what is the name of that mod and who does it??? I have a G-3 Mirage and my rigger said he can not do it... Any other ideas,.....?? My Canopy line twists have always been "my Fault" and my 190 Spectre has always been " fully open " and steady above the twists with almost no induced turn.. Now that I open by just bending my knees some and without trying to close down the airlocked leg wing on my SM1,..I do not have twists very often ,.and when I do ,...it is usually only or two. I saw both of Justin's deployments ,..one on film after our jump and one from above him ----he was rock solid stable in both deployments ,..and the twists as soon as the bag left his back... I am going to assume that since I was on both of Justin's cut-away jumps,.. (and since I am getting so damn big that I am beginnikng to notice smaller people in orbit around me),...that I perhaps have some personal "event horizon" factor that is disturbing the gravitational space-time continuem in and around me... Sorry Justin! Scotty-Go-Fast has also experienced this,.... I almost set him up for pre-bar staples in his head while he was on his back and I was uh-hem,... "passing over him" for some photos of my suit... (you know,... burble flow positioning 'really changes' when someone is on their back) Oh ..and Scotty,... if "I" had been there,... it probably 'would still' have happened,.. but we would likely both be wearing turbans now. Does it still hurt??? and hey Rick,....a turban sounds like a great idea for your next couple months before you get back up in the sky with us....Cyper hug guy! "Stoney" ( "Condor Brother #1 ) Life is what happens while we are making other plans.

and the Baby Octopus in seaweed salad with cucumber....yummmmmmm ..... Kokuro's is " FINE" Driving west now to Elsinore through Salt Lake--- see you all soon,... I am not planning on any weathered-out crazy special "stupid-Stoney" entertainment for Elsinore. (as in F&D4.0 Helio nose-smash jump and Tiki Bar Flock U truck-to pond flight) I am thinking we will NOT be weathered out !! Ahhhh but "when" and after we get the record,......"then" we'll see ????????????? Life is what happens while we are making other plans.

my last vote showed scotty ahead at 25% ---YOU GOT IT SCOTTY !!!!.............way to go ..... Stoney Life is what happens while we are making other plans.

A FIRM "DITTO" to Virgin Burner,... and I also "know" how hard it was to time this photo,........from the words of those involved... It would be sad to see a "once in a lifetime" photo opportunity,... that was planned for, practiced for, and then exeuted in such a successful way be selected as better than a photo that while very good ,.....can be ( and has been) replicated a thousand times over .......... I have Eagle fishing photos and Owl hunting photos and one Peruvian Condor gliding photo that are all better than the eagle shot I see competing with Scotty's picture,... I also have (and have seen) many hiking and climbing photos that capture the sun and the majesty of the Natural world well,...but I KNOW I will never have another photo of a space shuttle taking off framed by 3 of my friends and that I can look at and actually "imagine" myself being where Scooty was when he took the shot. Do whatever feels best for youselves as far as voting for whatever photo you think is best...but please don't degrade the accomplishment that Scotty's photo represents .... He did what every skydiver does on eah jump,...he planned his jump and then exeuted it. Also, as with Virgin Burner,..for myself,....knowing the unspoken bond I believe I share with 98% of every other man and woman who intentionally throws themselves out the door of an aircraft for the sheer love of it,...and with no compelling "alternative" reason to do otherwise, I will ALWAYS support one of those men or women if I can. From such a perspetive, I have voted each day for Sotty's photo and I encourage each of you who also feel such a bond to do the same. Thanks, Stoney Life is what happens while we are making other plans.

GREAT PHOTO SCOTTY,......IT REALLY "IS" THE BEST ! CONGRATULATIONS !! I'D WRITE MORE BUT YOUR DOG IS LIKING MY LEGS AND IT'S DRIVING ME CRAZY... SORRY I ALMOST CRUSHED YOU YESTERDAY...I AM A VERY "LITERAL" PERSON,.....AND IF YOU TELL ME ''FLY RIGHT OVER ME " AFTER WE EXIT,...WELL,... THAT'S WHAT I'LL DO.... Life is what happens while we are making other plans.

sounds like a fun plane to jump---- I remember the "camo" Caribou---- but I'm "old" !... All my J/M time was from a DC-3 ! I'll be running from Hurricanes til December.... Life is what happens while we are making other plans.

I'm looking forward to hearing it..... Scotty and I listened to "Voices" last night while feeding our faces... It was one of the CD's I salvaged from my boat when she went under. You need to check out the Tiki burn swoop pond ''weather-hold'' entertainment when Scotty posts it and maybe write me a song called " Soon to be a Ghost !" CU so. Life is what happens while we are making other plans.

SPOT----- I HAD NO IDEA IT WAS "YOU" ! ... UNTIL I JUST SAW THE OTHER POSTS HERE ON DZ.COM !!! BEFORE I EVER BEGAN WINGSUITING,.. (OR EVEN THOUGHT I COULD) I WOULD LISTEN TO DOUGLAS SPOTTED EAGLE'S "VOICES" CD WHILE SAILING BETWEEN ISLANDS AND JUST 'REFLECTING ON BEING ALIVE, "CONNECTED" TO THE SEA, SKY,EARTH AND ALL OTHER LIFE. VERY ''DEEP SOUL'' MUSIC ! THANK YOU! I BELIEVE YOUR MUSIC IS PERFECTLY EXPRESSIVE OF HOW MY SPIRIT FEELS WHEN I AM FLYING MY SUIT PEACEFULLY.---AND I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR MORE OF IT OVER PORTIONS OF FUTURE VIDEOS...-I HOPE OTHERS WILL AGREE?? Life is what happens while we are making other plans.

FANTASTIC PHOTOS SCOTTY..... THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK----- HUGS TO SKYLA MELLISSA AND WOOF TO CRITTER ''STONEY'' Life is what happens while we are making other plans.

My thanks to everyone who works so hard to allow me to come out from time to time and play like the kid I no longer am! Really great work Justin, Jeff and Phil ,.......awesome pictures and editing Matt, Scotty, Linda, Spot et al..... I'm looking forward to seeing all the videos later...... Thanks for the great packing Alex! ---and once again,...my congratulations and thanks to Rick for your 1000th......It was my honor to be your left wingman on that one. "Stoney" Life is what happens while we are making other plans.