millertime24

I would revise that a bit. Nothing wrong with going up while you have Advil on board. Ive done this a few times due to hard openings on my Cobalt before I had it modded (although on one of them I likely should have seen a doctor after it happened). @guineapiggie101: In my mind you have made the right decision. You're seeing a doc. Thats the first step. The next step may be a bit harder IF the doc tells you not to jump for a while. I, myself, have never been a fan of people telling me what I can and CAN'T do. As a result I now have a pinky finger on my left hand that always hurts and will never have full ROM. That type of thing is going to be a decision YOU have to make (read cost/benefit). I hope you heal quickly. I hope you get your license soon... but not to the detriment of your health because I hope to jump with you sometime (in a wingsuit lol). Muff #5048

Thats the problem with ER docs. They aren't really Radiologists, and even though I look at thousands of x-rays a month I still miss stuff (which is why we can't tell a pt if there's anything wrong or not). Ive got a story too. We had a pt come (read walk) into the ER one afternoon complaining of a stiff neck. Sure enough I shot a c-spine series on him and on the odontoid shot the ER doc saw something that had him rubbing his noodle. So we call the on-call Rad, he looks at it (from home of course) and immediately calls back saying "Get that guy in a collar if he isn't already and put him on the CT table. Sure enough, we CT him and his atlas (c-1) was broken in 3 places. If that dude would have turned his head wrong he would have been a quadreplegic and he WALKED in. Muff #5048

I've been in the medical field for 9 years now as a x-ray tech (you break it I look at it). I work with doctors and pharmacist's on a regular basis. IF YOU ARE JUMPING INJURED YOU ARE GAMBLING! You're gambling that whatever injury you have isn't bad enough to become worse with the forces generated on any given skydive. As for drugs...DO NOT TAKE MORE THAN THE PERSCRIBED/RECOMMENDED DOSE PERIOD! Also, don't take ANY advice on dosage from anyone other than the drug company or a medical doctor. With drugs you're not gambling with making an injury worse; You're gambling that if you go to sleep will you wake back up. I say this because I've seen it happen a few times where people take pain meds (albeit a good deal stronger than OTC stuff), go to sleep, and stop breathing because the drugs affected their CNS. Be safe, get better, then have fun. Muff #5048

Don't fret too much about it. This is DZ.com after all. What I would like to do is share an experience I had today. I normally fly a Pilot 111 at a w/l'ing of 1.7. I also jump at a dz that is 4500' above sea level. Today it was rather hot (high 80's I believe). This makes the air less dense. There was also no wind today. I remember when I bought my canopy from my DZO he reminded me how much faster it would be in these conditions. Long story short I ended up biffing a landing (due to tripping on some weeds). The FIRST thing I did was put my gear in a cubby. The second thing I did was drove home and grab my 135. I hooked up my 135 and the rest of my landings (while fast) were easier to deal with. I'm not telling you to up-size. I'm not an instructor. I will tell you that when I went with my bigger canopy today to enhance my safety for the conditions I was told "you're being smart Miller". I'm just saying use the right tool for the job. I know in my case it's a bit easier since I have 2 mains at my disposal, but theres nothing saying you cant do the same thing. >>Caveat

So heres a hybrid I did last weekend. The two belly fliers had combined less than my total number of jumps. They did quite well with minor corrections from me on exit. My first attempt to go into a sit failed, but the second was successful. This is my FIRST=beer hybrid as a hanger. Enjoy, and any input from really experienced ff'ers on how to do this better would be appreciated! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eayDIK-ALbY Muff #5048

Ive got one of those too. Got it at Z-Hills for change from a 5 and kept it thinking "there aren't too many of these around". Mine also has a 2003 date on it (though I got it in Nov 10). ETA- Here's a pic of mine. Muff #5048

"Better" is a subjective term which will vary from person to person (ie. Who makes a better pizza Puzza Hut or Dominos?) The best choice for ME was Vigil. Ill list several reasons and explain how this influenced my decision. 1. No factory maintenance cycles. According to Vigil's website: I like this. It makes perfect sense. If it isn't broke there's no need to fix it. On top of that, when you turn the Vigil unit on it displays in clear language what it has just checked as well as giving me the option to check what the sensor is reading during the startup. A Cypres counts down from 9999 (I think), stops at some point then finishes counting to zero. That tells me nothing. 2. Their less expensive. There's several parts as to why this is true. At initial purchase a Vigil II is $1320 http://www.chutingstar.com/newgear_en/vigil-ii.html. A new Cypres 2 runs you $1450 http://www.chutingstar.com/newgear_en/cypres-2.html. Now lets talk about lifetime cost of each unit. Providing your Vigil never has an error code requiring maintenance then you will NEVER have to pay the company to check it through its lifetime. Cypres REQUIRES you to have a facory check it at the 4 and 8 year marks (respectively). Airtec's website doen't list the price but I seem to remember it being around $200 per check (thats and extra $400). Batteries. For Vigil II they're $60 for Cypres 2 $80. Life. A Vigil lasts 20 years. A Cypres lasts 12.5 years. I read better value for my dollar here. 3. (Dont laugh here) How it feels in my hand. Ive held both a BRAND NEW Cypres and a BRAND NEW Vigil. The VVigil feels more robust and less flimsy. This is what I want in MY rig. To sum it up, I look at my AAD as an insurance policy (one I should never need to cash in on). I turn it on when I get to the dz and never give it a second thought through the day. Ive even been known to NOT turn it on, jump all day then realize it wasn't on when I get home and un-rig my wingsuit. That being said, I in no way rely on this device. That is what steered my decision to the less expensive AAD (the fact that I believe, barring unforseen scenarios, that Ill never need it) I am in no way telling you that one AAD is better than another. I'm giving you my OPINION (and take that for what you paid for it) as to what led me to the AAD I purchased. -Caveat. I WILL NOT argue in this thread to the tune of "one is better than the other". If further explinations are wanted I will give them in the context of "why Vigil is best for me". Cypres is also a fine unit with an outstanding reputation. It just isn't for me. Muff #5048

Thanks. For the life of me I can't remember where it may have come from. Muff #5048

It would be kind of neat to find out who actually did get it and how. Muff #5048

Funny story about that. At the time I ordered the Vigil's (one for me and one for my brother) I figured the numbers would be sequential. I got Vigil #19999. On the SAME DELIVERY my brothers was Vigil #20001. Me thinks they keep certain ones for certain people. Muff #5048

And here's some pics of it. Heres what it is: Main- Pilot 111 Reserve- R-Max 138 Container- Wings W-8 AAD- Vigil 2 #19999 So excited to have new gear.

Skydiving is something we do. My wingsuiting buddy once put things in a light I never really thought of. We were in the plane at about 7-8000' and he looked at me and said "Do you realize what we're about to do? We're about to jump out of a plane in flight, have great fun, then throw a handful of nylon out into a 120mph wind stream hoping it will save our lives. At what point did it become acceptable for this to be a Saturday leisure activity?" The reason I bring this up is simple. Why do you want to jump out of a plane in flight expecting some bits of nylon and string to save your life? I think that if you can come to an answer that you'll be fine. Also, if you can be honest with yourself with this question it MAY be (after a bit of reflection) what you need to relax in the air. Good luck to you. I believe that you WILL get it!. Edit: Ill end with this... I recommend you read Brian Germain's book "Transcending Fear". It may help in whatever aspects of life you may find challenging. Muff #5048

This is the BSR. Not a recommendation. Technically you don't need 200 jumps in 18 months. Of course if you did that would be better/safer. It is possible, with a good wingsuit coach, to be a little outside the 18 month thing and still be able to fly a wingsuit safely. GOOD coaching is key though. So is it 200 jumps in a 2 or 3 years going to cut it? Is it all up to the coach accepting ones jump log as suitable? My problem is I'm in a lot of activities. So hard to dedicate full time to one area. You guys seem to be dedicated to skydiving as your main sport. Technically you could make 200 jumps, wait 6 months before ever jumping again, and your very next jump could be a wingsuit jump. THIS IS NOT THE WAY TO APPROACH THIS DISCIPLINE!!!. I also have another VERY expensive hobby (gun collecting and shooting). What you have to do is prioritize your hobbies to allow the maximum safety for each. For me, Wingsuiting takes the "front burner" simply because it's the most complex and has the worst possible consequences if something goes wrong. Where as with shooting, I can step away from a firearm for 2 years and still be able to handle it in a safe manner. Priorities. Thats what it boils down to. Muff #5048

Sorry, no skydiving related injuries on me (unless you want to include the horrible bruises I got on my thighs due to student gear leg straps, which I thought was piano wire at the time. Or a few hard openings nearly turning my lights out.). But the lessons Ive learned have been both many and invaluable. One example is when I was at LP last year and Monkycndo came up to me after a landing and told me "Finish your flare next time". I don't really know why that stuck with me (it wasn't a bad landing), but from now on I always end my touchdown with my arms fully extended down. The most predominate example I can think of is (again at LP) when I watched a jumper go in. I remember MadJohn giving a few of us a talk after it happened. To paraphrase he said "Here's a good example of "If you thought this couldn't happen to you, well it can". People will deal with this in their own way. Some won't ever jump again. Some will seek solitude. Some will drink. NONE OF THESE THINGS ARE WRONG. I will go up on the next load to remember why we do what we do. If you want to be on this jump, hand me a jump ticket, and if you don't, that's not a wrong decision either" I gave him a jump ticket. Scariest jump of my life. Glad I did it though to remind me of why I love this sport so much. I guess I never really thought before that that the Millertime could ever have anything like that happen to him. It put things in perspective and gave me a greater appreciation for life. Anywho, these are lessons I learned without any physical injury to me. Muff #5048

Agreed. I was simply pointing out that it isn't the "law of the land". Muff #5048

According to the USPA SIM Section 2-1 J. Extraordinary Skydives part 6. This is the BSR. Not a recommendation. Technically you don't need 200 jumps in 18 months. Of course if you did that would be better/safer. It is possible, with a good wingsuit coach, to be a little outside the 18 month thing and still be able to fly a wingsuit safely. GOOD coaching is key though. Muff #5048

Alright man, Ill put it out there. Have you ever MET Jarno? Have you ever discussed your wingsuit choice with experienced w/s pilots? Have you ever flew a suit WELL beyond your skill level? I've done all of these. To address my first question, YES I have met Jarno and am very greatfull for what I learned from our conversations. Second question, I've consulted MANY HIGHLY experienced w/s pilots about my suit choices and my future suit choices. Third, Yes I flew a X-Bird having about 80 wingsuit jumps (damn thing about killed me... WAY beyond what I was ready to handle). I'm not saying "don't live life" or "everybody is hatin'". These guy really are looking out for your best interest. Also, shame on the DZ letting you fly a w/s at your numbers. If they are a USPA group member this should not be happening. Heres a post I sent VIA PM to a fellow jumper about a guy who may be jumping a wingsuit too advanced for him: Trust me when I tell you the folks here DO care. Nobody want to see you crater in because you made a poor decision. In addition to that, if you have 125 jumps and Jarno tells me you're good to fly one of the most advanced suits on the market, then I'm going to believe him and you really DO have exceptional skill. Not busting your balls. Just want to give you some perspective. -Mike Muff #5048

Very nice! Congrats! Muff #5048

A good start would be to ask your local instructors/H/P canopy pilots. Asking for advice on this website is sort of like pissing in the wind.... It's a great relief, but you usually end up having gained nothing but useless garbage. Muff #5048

ZPX option is not available only on Sensei canopies. The rest of our mains are available in both ZP and ZPX fabric. Any word on why ZPX doesn't work on the Sensei? Does it have something to do with the canopy being cross-braced? I'm just curious. BTW, you guys make the best canopy on the market (the Pilot) IMO.

Don't listen to the Swiss fucker!!! But seriously, I have a Pilot 111 loaded at 1.7:1, and even in asymmetrical deployment causing line twists it still behaves. You cant go wrong with this canopy. Muff #5048

To what end? I think you should seriously talk with your fellow moderator (DSE) about this subject. Otherwise you're going to come off as an uninformed person blowing smoke here. I think you should speak to somebody about being a buddy and a team player. Mike, not having been there, I'm gonna lean somewhat in the direction of Quade's thoughts. I can't watch the video/haven't seen it....but I wouldn't leave a buddy in distress if I see em' in a flat spin or other highly challenged situation. You're right, unless you're an unusually good WS pilot...you're not going to be able to do anything... but I've landed off with others when I could have made it back (on numerous occasions) so that I'm sure they're safe and not alone out somewhere. Fair enough. Could we have chased this guy down? Maybe. Though he doesn't have an AAD so if he would have fought it forever he would have gone in. Another thing to consider, what if while we were chasing him he decides to pitch his main to stop the skydive? Now we would be falling dangerously close to what will likely be a very unpredictable canopy endangering all 3 of us. What if his body impacted on I-15? Would you have me land on the shoulder? In the end, what is done is done. I and another wingsuiter made a decision that was best for OUR safety. I think it's funny how when someone chops nobody questions it because the "YOU'RE alive so you must have made the right decision" mentality seems to apply. But when 2 adults make a choice to leave someone to sort things out because at the time it seems to be the BEST choice for their personal safety, they become uncaring assholes. I think I'm done with this website for a while. Muff #5048

So I posted a vid of a jump me and my buds did today. In the vid you can clearly see that the guy in the X-Bird went into a flat spin on exit. Quade thinks that we (my other friend and I) should have chased him down to be a "beddy" (to what end he hasn't told us). Am I a fucked up guy for finishing the dive plan? Here's the thread: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=4121028;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unread Here's the jump: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9iRirDUY1k Muff #5048

Whatever dude. Thank you for making my point. Muff #5048

To what end? I think you should seriously talk with your fellow moderator (DSE) about this subject. Otherwise you're going to come off as an uninformed person blowing smoke here. I think you should speak to somebody about being a buddy and a team player. I think you should enter the world of reality. Muff #5048