Canuck

When I spoke with Jay about the pop up thing last August, he most definitely implied that it was a very intentional technique and related it to a long range rifle shot. I suck at physics, but is it not a fact that anything will travel farther if it's thrust is directed at an upwards angle? I realize that several other factors come into play on this, like the drag of the canopy. Canuck

I know Jay and John were both routinely wearing 50-55 lbs. Now they will both be restricted to 15-25 lbs. That's a huge difference! I suspect we will see a bunch of people moving back down to sub 100 sq. ft. canopies in order to keep their loadings up in the sweet spot. I suspect distances will suffer a little for a while, but eventually someone will pioneer a new technique that works within these weight restrictions, and the current record will fall. Canuck

I think you are generalizing by discipline, when rather, you should be generalizing by personality type. I remember back in my flat flying days, there was nobody at the DZ freeflying, and the belly crowd was divided in two. One group was dedicated to points - everything had a dirt dive and a debrief. The other group was dedicated to...well I don't really know - every jump was a rodeo, a weedwhacker thingy, a freefall jello fight, a whagonwheel dirtball, or some other "pointless" skydive. Incidently, most of the people from group one are still jumping, most of the people from group two sold their rigs long ago. Today, we are seeing the same thing, only now it's freeflying. Don't give up on the discipline, just get new jump buddies. Canuck

I'm a huge fan of the Sony .6 In my personal testing, I have found it to be a wider lens than any of the .5 lenses you have listed. Also, it is a very low hassle lens as you can use the infinity setting with it, and the picture quality through it is superior to that of any of the single element lenses (IMO). I had a Diamond .3 for a weekend, and then promptly sent it back... Canuck

At least three Alpha 129s at my DZ, wingloadings all in that ballpark, and I've never heard a complaint. Alphas (as you know) are a very slow opening canopy though, and any canopy that takes that long to open is going to take some work during the opening to keep it on heading. Sometimes "following" it just makes it worse. Try just keeping the rings level by weight shifting, and don't even touch the risers until it's fully inflated. Canuck

Very similar canopies. I'd have to give a slight edge to the Alpha for both opening and landing performance. I am making this comparison based on a Stiletto 107 and an Alpha 104. As to the spinoff discussion on the Stiletto not being a good canopy to learn HP flight on - I think I use to same the same thing when the smallest Stiletto I had jumped was a 135 at about a 1.4 wingload. Now that I've got a bunch of jumps on a 107 loaded close to 2.0, I call bullshit. I initiate my 270 on my Stiletto 107 only slightly lower than I do on my Velo 96, and she dives and dives. The Stiletto is also a fantastic canopy for learning the importance of flying through your openings, as is important under any HP wing. If Stilettos weren't still the shit, Airspeed wouldn't still be jumping them. Canuck

Am I missing something? Are they not Slinks? Canuck

Yeah, that too. But I was mostly referring to the very distracting ass in the foreground of the picture... Canuck

That picture belongs in one of the optical illusion threads - you know, the ones that say "if you look at this picture long enough you will see a swooper". Canuck

Advice like this kills people. Canuck

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree on this. I know, for a fact, that my helmet goes on slightly differently every time I put it on (I can tell this by where the rings appear in my sight). I also know that every camera helmet I've jumped (FTP, FF2, and Hawkeye) shifts a little in freefall, especially in certain positions, no matter how tight it's cranked down. Sighting with your nose, a paper rienforcement ring, or anything else other than a fixed sight simply cannot alert you to this. A half an inch on your head makes a big difference 10 feet out. Don't get me wrong. I've seen lots of very good video shot with no sight, but I stand behing my comment that a sight is the only way to know for sure you're shooting clean - unless, of course, your sight has been bumbed Canuck

I use to have two camera helmets: a flat top pro with a ringsight for important video jumps (rw, tandems, coach jumps, etc.) and a Hawkeye with no ringsight for jumps where the video was less important. Didn't take long before the Hawkeye became a cameraless helmet. If someone is going to see it, I don't want even a second of my video to be framed shitty, and a ringsight is the ONLY way to know in freefall that you're shooting clean. Canuck

If I recall from the article in Parachutist, it wasn't that high, 3.1 I believe... Canuck

Use US airmail. No extra brokerage or disbursment fees that way. Takes a little longer, but it's winter here anyway. Canuck

Hey, Greenie... "Sit back and relax! Please take politics, guns and religion to the Speakers Corner." Canuck

I'm not trying to hold anyone back from anything. Giver shit - just don't kill me or anyone I care about in the process. I'm not sure how you pulled this spin off my post. There is no one "person in question". I am simply making an observation that a lot of people who are jumping wings that are questionable for their jump experience are justifying what most would consider a un-safe progression by claiming to have done lots of high clear and pulls. No hidden agenda. Go read Jays downsize progression on the PD site (if you haven't already). For the number of times he states he "almost killed himself", I'm not sure he was receiving such bad advice. Holding someone back, and helping to steer someone down a safer and more efficient path of progression, are not the same thing. You, for all you touting of canopy control coaching, should be well aware of that. Canuck

I absolutely agree with everything you say. Hop n pops are fantasitic for learning all kinds of things about canopy flight. I just get tired of hearing "it's OK that I'm jumping x canopy at x loading even though I only have x number of jumps, because I've done lots of high hop n pops." Canuck

I've got a few more swoops and jumps than that, and I think those are two pretty fuckin good rules. Two other things to think about: 1. Beware of the sashayer. Regardless of who is right and who is wrong, when one person is swooping and one person is sashaying, at the same time, that can really fuck up both their days. 2. Do hop n pops from 14 grand really make a person that much more proficient/safer at landing? I mean, if I sit right seat in an Otter, have the pilot do the take offs and landings, and I fly around a whole bunch at altitude, does that make me better at landing the plane? Prepare me for unusual landing situations? Teach me to land on a short runway, with a crosswind? Teach me to abort a landing when another Otter has decided to land in the same place at the same time? By no means am I saying that high hop n pops are a waste, but I think some people invest a little too much into what they are and aren't good for, and leave themselves with a false sense of security. Like I said, just something to think about. Stay safe. Good luck with the swooping. Canuck

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I hope you're talking about hitting the slopes on a beautiful Saturday in the winter time when it's too cold to jump and the DZ is closed. Canuck

I'm 30. Poison sucks, although anytime I hear "Every Rose Has It's Thorn" I remember making out with chicks at jr. high dances. But, how can you say that about the Crue??? They fuckin rocked!! ...skydive naked from an aero-plane... (Kickstart My Heart - Motley Crue) Canuck

One word - competition. Competition adds visibility and energy to a discipline. RW competition is as hot right now as it has been since I've been jumping. Look at the number of sponsored 4 and 8 way teams out there right now. Look at the number of teams that competed in RW at this year's US Nationals and this years WC in Eloy. Now look at freefly. Maybe VRW will turn things around, but for now, it's pretty hurtin. Freeflyers - gone swoopin... Canuck

I've always thought it would be pretty funny to show up as an unknown at a DZ to do level 1, deek the instructors on exit, and then put on a tracking clinic. Canuck

There is more to it than just creating distance from canopy to pilot. Not that you're going to get a great run out of it, but having the extra length in the risers can give you that little bit of extra control range to make the gates on a run you're coming in high on in your roll-out. At least this is how it has been explained to me by people jumping long lines/line riser combos. I still just have my normal lines and 21 inch risers. Canuck

First off, dress for success (yourself and your student). Big guys get big jumpsuits, little girls get little jumpsuits. I almost always wear my freefly suit, because it's always easier to go faster than slower. Second, it's all about anticipation. If you see a major slow down in the works, it's pretty easy to match it. It's when you get complacent and your student ends up 20 feet above you that your screwed. On release dives, I tend to be in my happy place about 2 feet high of the student. From there, it's very easy to maintain position of advantage. Third, it's about knowing your limitations. I'm comfortable taking students from about 120-220. More or less than that, and I start looking for smaller or bigger instructors. Canuck