tfelber

I was speaking with Mayor Neil and his wife Saturday night and they asked me what they needed to change to make it better. I told them it was already fantastic, but more specialty aircraft, can you say JET, would definately be appreciated. He said that was the number one answer.

The Blade is more like the Katana, etc. I also jumped the Stiletto 170 the main difference I saw between it and the others is the countersteering. I was looking for an all-around canopy rather than a strictly hi-performance canopy, but I ran into Beezy in the Food Tent and he asked me to give it a try. I would have liked to jump a Stiletto 150 but they never had one available when I wanted it.

Just got back from WFFC. Since we had several low altitude days and I was looking for a new canopy I started testing. I WAS jumping a Turbo ZX 165. I demoed the Sabre2 150, Pilot 150, Safire2 149, and Nitro 150. Sabre2 - Light front risers and quick toggle turns, very high quality, erratic, quick, sometimes off heading openings. Landed well. Pilot - Very quick toggle turns, more effort needed on front risers, very nice to land, soft, plush, on heading openings every time. Very difficult to pack due to the slipperiness of the fabric. Safire2 - Most front riser pressure, opened better than the Sabre2, but not as nice as the Nitro or Pilot. Landed nicely, but needed the most toggle input to finish the flare. Nitro - Very comparable to the Pilot, but packing was a breeze. The canopy was new at the beginning of the WFFC and probably had about 20-30 jumps on it. The openings were incredible. Now for the rest of the story. When I got back from jumping the Nitro Beezy asked me to try the 135. If you notice my jump numbers I broke 300 at the WFFC. I'm mostly a straight-in lander looking for something I can get a little more speed out of, the risers on the TZX165 are practically impossible. I was very sceptical about jumping anything smaller than a 150, EVER! Especially loading it at over 1.7. Well Beezy promised I wouldn't die, Told me it flies like a 150. I was sure the 150 didn't fly like a 170, but I got the camera guys ready for the landing, just in case I could get it on stupid human tricks or something to help pay the medical bills, and away I went with a 135 . Deployed. Same nice, soft, on-heading opening of the nitro and pilot 150's. Buried a toggle and did a very quick 360.

Highest - 31000' (Rantoul last year) Lowest - 1800' (Pilot informed us there was a major dust storm coming our way. We said get us over the DZ and let us out!) Highest without a parachute - 110' (into water) Highest unintentional without a parachute - 40' (slip, bounce, bounce, into water, broken wrist, 17 stitches in my forehead)

That' a nice rig, but I want to jump the model.

I'll shoot video of anything, free of charge, just let me know... I'll have my laptop, DVD, CD burners, and mixing software with me, so you can have it how you want it.

I thought the DZ.COM tent was having free wireless connectivity. Is it not up yet??? BTW there is a pic on freefall.com of all the tents and there's only like five cars in view. Looks great too bad we're going to wreck it...

The most awesome jump so far!!! I was at Rantoul last year and it was the evening load and I was last one out. I was the most nervous I have been since probably my first static line. We were flying along gaining altitude and continually looking for a place to land. "That place looks good. Watch the fence." "We're still not high enough. Look a further out." "I hope we don't have to get out here." "That area looks good!" And then it's time to go. Climb up on the side of the gondola and the pilot says GO... You're immediatly into dead still air. You hear the noise of the air in your ears steadily increasing as you reach terminal and then you think damn I'm low. Throw out, look up, good canopy. Now "Where was I going to land?" I'm over a soybean field and I'm not going to make it out. As I reach the top of the plants I flair and pick up my feet. It was like landing on a stack of feather comforters, soft as could be. I gather up my gear and that's when the excitement begins... The chase crew pulls up and I run to the van. Next thing I know we're off on a 100mph baloon chase and none of us know how to get around this area. Not to mention the wind is starting to kick up. Down one road talking to the pilot...DEAD END! We turn around head through a town trying to keep an eye on the baloon. People hearing the balloon's burners start coming out of their houses and following in their cars. It's getting darker, the winds are still picking up, and the chase crew is starting to get a little worried. We find an area that looks good, but we need to get there before the balloon. As we race down the 2-lane road catching zero G's as we hit a bump we see the ballon passing the clearing. Now we're getting desperate. Driving along a fence line on our upwind side we finally got ahead of the balloon. The pilot says this is our last chance or we're going to have to regroup further out. The balloon is moving quite fast as it scrapes the top of the weeds before the fence. Everyone gets ready to grab the gondola and the pilot clears the fence and drops the balloon to the ground! We all grab on as we get dragged accross the road. The pilot continues to pull the rope attached to the vent in the top of the balloon and the balloon drift lightly to the ground over the top of a barbed-wire fence and just short of the train tracks... We all take a deep breath, acknowledge the pilot for his super-human feet, and wait for directions. About an hour later we have the ballon stored in the bag, loaded on the van, and we're headed to the closest store for some beer. Like I said. IT WAS AWESOME. I will definately do it again in Rantoul this year...maybe twice!

You GOTTA be shittin' me

Is that in the middle of your stomach???

Was it Kyoto's in Old Town Scottsdale? That's the best in Phoenix!

Sushi is the best!!! I just found this place in Chino Hills, Haru Haru Sushi, it's incredible. And the price is right I had an awesome lunch today of Miso Soup, Spicy Tuna Roll, Salmon, Seared Yellow Tail, and Tuna Sashimi and Sushi for $15. But in Phoenix, where I just moved from, Kyoto of Scottsdale is the place. You get the same thing for $5. Spicy Tuna Hand Roll $4.95. Absolutely the best. Edited to add: Now I'm hungry!!!

I didn't have pics at work, but here they are...

Chihuahua's are great dogs! I have two of them. They don't tear things up, they can sit in your lap without suffocating you, great on road trips, don't slobber all over your back door or scratch it up... I was looking for a Rotweiller when I ran across Jose and I wouldn't trade him for anything. A short time later I got Cypress. He's got a bit of an attitude but very friendly. When I got a divorce, my ex wanted the 60" Mitsubishi and surround sound system--I kept the dogs.

You're right, he is an excellent writer...and now a skydiver

I just saw a post on freefall.com bulletin board from belos. Said he had a van and was going from Lost Prarie to Rantoul and looking for people who need a lift... It was in the Ride Share Board.

I'll take it!!! Vodka is like heroin... If you just start drinking again the hangover will go away and you'll feel fine...

Well, it sounds like it was packed correctly to me...

So was the PC cocked or not??? It would have been very simple to check. And, I don't mean look at the window. If it wasn't cocked I assure you I, at a minimum, would NOT go back to that packer!!! If it was cocked and you just couldn't see the marking in the window and I felt safer riding down in the plane, that was my decision. Either way no reason to fight but I would have had a discussion about the cost of the pack job. However, it is only $5. Let's be realistic here.

Like my 2yr old tells me every morning, "The sun's up it's time to get up." Mullins' will probably be on load 3 or 4 by that time anyway.

The locals are definately in support of us!

That's pretty cool. I'd probably hang out there all day...

Not my reservebridle, my main bridle. I pull lightly on my reserve risers to ensure they aren't loose. That's the best I can think of to do... I also keep a close eye on my gear by either staying near it or locking it up, but I've always done that. That is one of the reasons I rent a car for the WFFC every year so I have a locker to store my gear. But when I was a newby, renting or borrowing gear, I wasn't nearly as concerned. I just grabbed it and jumped it. Probably just due to lack of experience with the possble hazards. BTW, the two times I went to my reserve were on borrowed/rented gear...

That's why you make the BIG bucks!!!

The caption says "These exhilarating designs showcase the thrills of both solo and tandem skydiving." Now which one of those pictures show a Tandem skydive???