Hooknswoop

Less drag will give more speed and you will slow down at a slower rate. I get small in my dive and I can feel the difference in speed. The faster you go the more important (the more effect it has) drag reduction is. Hook

I completely agree with what Bill is saying. If someone adds a "safety" device to their equipment and then figures they can do more dangerous activities that may rely on that piece of "safety" equipment, they are less safe than they were before they started using that piece of "safety" equipment. I had about 750 jumps before I got a cypres in my rig. I don't remember it ever playing a role in my descion making process before a jump, I don't remember ever really thinking about it. I made about 1500 jumps w/ a cypres, then sold it. I remember wondering, and hoping it wouldn't, if not having a cypres would change the way I jump. It didn't. I never really noticed any difference between jumping with or without a cypres. A question: #1. How many (assume everyone is qualified) people would jump on a 300 way? #2. How many of those answering "yes" would jump on a 300 way without a cypres. If anyone answers "yes" to #1 and "no" to #2, they would fall into the catagory Bill describes. It would be interesting to poll all the 300 way participants and find out how many had a cypres and how many wouldn't have done the 300 ways without one. Hook

Looks like the #2 engine is shut down, or at least feathered............. Hook

I've seen it done w/ a racer, rigger installed during reserve re-pack, but I wouldn't do that, of course I won't pack racers. Hook

I've made and used a velcro attachemnt that slides under the top reserve flap. It's nice for two reasons, 1) it is always w/ the rig regardless of what jumpsuit you are wearing and 2) if for some reason you have to cutaway after stowing your slider and if the velcro didn't release or open the reserve top flap and slide off (I find it hard to believe that it wouldn't) activating the reserve would allow the slider keeper to slide off the reserve top flap. Hook

I am a big fan of the two handle system for training students for th reason that people tend to revert back to their initial training. I really like the two-handle-SOS system w/ the double-eneded white loop and two sets of cutaway cables for each riser. Hook

No contest, I am moving from Houston to Denver. If you like California at all (that is where i am from) you would hate TX and like CO. Hook

"For simplicity and ease of rigging/flying, I recommend a drop flag. Making the bag and attachment straps is SIMPLE, and it's easy to deploy, and almost impossible to rig upside down (taboo). " I was on a demo and watched another jumper deploy the U.S. flag upside down over a 4th of july Demo over Houston into the Westheimer festival. You would think a master rigger could pull that one off. Hook

I ment a swoop comp. Hence the "for a _run_ to count". Sport accuracy comp isn't something I am interested in doing. Hook

Must have been because of the RW, Meeker, exit you, Beth, Philppe, and I pulled out of the CASA Saturday! Nice Belly flying, BTW :-) Hook

"BTW, I meant with a 10 mph downwind on a course.... especially at Perris. The result would be some road rash and a big dust cloud." I wouldn't go downwind in a 10 mph wind. Hook

"Look, I don't doubt your ability, but just for your information: Shannon Pilcher swooped 418 ft starting on five foot entry gates with, at most, a 5mph downwind... and he stood it up. No crater, no injury. In fact, the winners in these events last weekend, mostly stood up their landings, and the ones that weren't standup were slid in... very safely. There were some minor crashes, but that'll happen anyway. Overall, it was some of the safest skydiving I've seen. I think you have some ego thing going on with stand-up landings. Do you criticize your AFF students for doing a PLF?" That is why I asked, the ratio of stand-ups/crash/non-stand-ups, because I didn't know the answer and was wondering. It is not an ego thing w/ the stand-ups, it is my self-imposed limits. I figure that if I can't stand it up, I'm in over my head, again, my personal limits. My point is if the best canopy pilot in the world isn't willing to jump in winds that would require him to slide in and the second best is, then the second best wins. "If you think you could break any record easily, in any wind... why don't you come out and try. I want to see it. You're not shy are you? Just jump when the winds are light-- nobody will give you shit for not negotiating a course with too much downwind. Safety is paramount. " Have a competition where the rules are that for a run to count the jumper has to stand up and the landing and I will attend. This is only my opinion, and I don't think it is the popular opinion. I think on this one, I am in the minority, most people agree with you Jason, and that is OK. I don't think this is a matter of right or wrong, just personal opinion. I don't think you are wrong, simply that we disagree. Hook

"Hmmm... I've seen a Velocity out perform a VX... by about 70 ft! At a wing loading of ~2.1. " I would bet you witnessed a better Velocity canopy pilot, or at least having a better day then the VX pilot. Chuck Yeager has the opinion that the pilot matters more than the airplane. One day someone dis-agreed w/ him. So they took up two different aircraft, one known to have better performance than the other and had a mock dogfight. Chuck won. Then they switch aircraft and did it again. Chuck won again. I stand by my statement that I haven't seen any canopy out-perform a VX. Hook

"I'd like to see you do your fastest landing on your VX 60 loaded at 3.1 and stand up your landing. " Every time, stand up. Ask anyone who has seen me swoop. I ask because I was curious. I could go break the 418 ft record easily, w/ a 40+ mph tailwind, but I would probably get hurt and I wouldn't stand it up. My feeling is that the winners of swoop competitions, for the most part, are the ones willing to take the biggest risk. I am just not as impressed w/ a long swoop if they crater the landing. I don't think swoop competetions or pushing the envolope are bad. They do good things for the sport and help educate jumpers on canopy control and canopy choices. I just worry that up and coming jumpers will watch a swoop competition and think it is OK to hook it downwind and crash and burn. I don't think any injury is acceptable. When the crowds are watching, the cameras are on, and money, bragging rights, and egos are on the line, people tend to do things and make descions they normally wouldn't. Look at demos. We gotta be careful out there. Hook

"A few question for anybody who might have been at the latest swoop comp:" I have one too. 5. What was the stand-up/crash/not-stand-up ratio for landings? Hook

I've got nothing to do w/ this one, even if someone is using one of my nicknames. I had to ask someone to find out who the packer was. I would fire her. Hook

"Hook, I've put a few jumps on my VX after getting the X-mod from Precision done on it when it was due for a re-line. I'm a happy camper so far. " What differences have you noticed? Hook

I'll make ya one. Hook

Coog- Had an absolute blast Sunday, thanks to all of Houston MACH 9 for a great 5 jumps. In at least two of the rounds Coog worked on his AFF skills, flying me around the sky. It was great, all I had to do was go neutral, close my eyes and close my hands when I felt grippers. He made me look good. Oh ya, when Coog says, "If there is any vertical, we'll go over", he means "We are going vertical, hang on". That was one heck of an introduction to 8-way. You guys are incredible, wish I could be there for the next one. Thanks again Hook

Bill already stole my "That is like asking, "What is the best vehicle?"" analogy. But since you narrowed the question a bit, I’ve never seen a canopy out perform the VX. It is an impressive wing. I do hope that something will come along that out-performs the VX…..soon. I think I can downsize once more before having to admit I’m not getting any younger. Hook

The picture of Charlie is him under his FX-58, I believe, and I am fairly certain they are triple risers. Smallest canopy I've seen is luigi under his VX-46. Hook

>what's the furthest distance, or most bizzarre, off-landing you've heard for a > tandem? Heard about Marc out of Skydive Space Center in FL landing a tandem on the shuttle runway. The security guys got all worked up and he and his student had to go to court. He said something like" I didn't see any "No Trespassing" signs the way I came in......." The charges were dropped. Hook

"This thread is scary. Get real, If you don't have the skill necessary to swoop a canopy loaded at 1.2, Then you don't have the skill necessary to swoop one loaded at 1.6 or above. The original question was "How do you fly that fast?". One good answer is "Understand the canopy you fly, explore what it will do in any situation, get training and practice." To answer that question with "Get a heavier loaded canopy" is nuts." I am not saying, downsize and start hooking it. I am saying I don't think people should start hooking canopies until they are very, very comfortable under a canopy w/ a long recovery arc loaded at between 1.3 and 1.6. And even then starting slowly, doulbe fronts, carving 45's, carving 90's, etc. So to answer the original question, "How do you fly that fast!!!", you get used to the speed the same way Indy car drivers do, start slow and build up. Not all, in fact very few, drivers are capable of progressing to the point of being a competetice Indy car driver. If hook turns is your goal, downsize as appropiate, learning all you can about each canopy you jump, but hold off on anything more than double front riser approaches to landing until under a suitable canopy. Practice "mock" hook turns at altitude. This is my opinion, no more, no less. Hook

"depends on whom is putting the new canopies out, Icarus i would wait, but if it was PD i would probably demo, not saying that icarus is a bad canopy or anything, just my 0.02" What about Precision?, Flight Concepts? Atair?, PISA? Big Air Sportz? Why? Hook

I would throw the switch and save the one patient, hoping that a suitable donor became available before the 5 died. What if a Dr. was at the railroad switch? Could he throw the switch to save the 5, sacraficing the 1? "You are a 20 yr old 2nd Lt Platoon leader. 3 of your 10 man squads are trapped by enemy fire and will all die unless the enemy fire is diverted. You have no communications outside your platoon. You have one 10 man squad in reserve. You can send them to flank the enemy and draw the fire away from the trapped 30. All 10 of the reserve squad will die in the rescue attempt. Do you send them? Does if make a difference if you go with them?" Why do I think this isn't hypothetical? Hook