JJohnson

I agree with you completely. As a fledging free flopper I have experienced many problems. First is that I'm all upper body. Even when I swim I use all arms and drag my legs. As a result, in a sit or stand, where I can over use my arms...I'm pretty rock solid. Go to HD, and the legs stop working as soon as I look around and forget about them. The martial arts thing is a good idea, but I would tend to think the soft styles of Kung Fu are better suited to FF than the hard styles. Most of my life I studied a lot of hard Japanese styles and kick boxed. The emphasis there is a lot of power movements, or as the Japanese call them: Male percussion strike. Very few American Japanese stylists use Female strike, (Aikido,Jiu Jitsu and some Kempo perhaps). The soft styles as they are called are a lot more fluid, use lower stance work and subtler strikes/blocks and such. This is a general statement of course, but it has been my idea that FF is much more like meditative soft style rather than a hard agressive style. Most of the best Freefliers look like they are in that totally relaxed zone, kinda like David Carradine in Kung Fu....like he gets to lay some deep zen shit on you before he subtly kicks your ass by moving his pinkie toe....rather than a Jean Claude type getting all enraged and flinging limbs all over the place..........hmm. Maybe I need to do a little meditating, lay off the gallons of coffee, stop getting all worked up and maybe the head down thing will kick in...... JJ JJ "Call me Darth Balls"

% of my jumps that are Hop and Packs? About 0.3%. As a general rule I can't stand them. 8 seconds of freefall followed by a pack job. If thats all you can get I guess they are cool for a change of pace. But I enjoy the freefall. If I want to play under canopy, I'll dump high and play with canopy all day. I agree with Andy, no rush on the D requirements. I took my D test at 200, the inspector lost the test and I never bothered to retake the test until 400 jumps. It don't mean much. I can still fuck up any RW dive I'm on, biff a perfect landing, and freeflop with the best of them. You got the rest of your life to get good at something in this sport. So long as everybody lands safe and had fun, its all good for me. JJ JJ "Call me Darth Balls"

Well you both make your points, but I have to tend to agree that speed through turbulence feels a lot safer to me. Both of you have said that going from a stall to full flight is a bad idea, due to potentially dangerous forward surge, close to the ground. Or words to that effect, I'm not direct quoting. Well, by my perverse logic, let's suppose you are landing into the wind. A wind which is inconsistent, gusting and varying it's direction. If you are in part brakes and the wind decides to lull on you, your canopy is going to surge forward, correct? I would also think that at that moment your descent rate is going to pick up a bit as well. But as you are already into the brakes, you are giving up control range of the canopy. I could be wrong in my assesment here. I have been slammed into the ground trying to ease into a landing during choppy wind, while riding a small amount of brakes. It feels like someone just takes the floor out from under you. It even seems that you lose forward drive, like you almost drop straight down. Due to those close calls, I prefer to build up some speed when landing into anything I consider turbulent. I haven't been biffed yet with that method. However as I would not classify myself as any sort top gun canopy pilot or an aeronautical engineer, I am open to clarification. Lacking that particular technical educational background, I am forced to pilot my canopy by what I feel and percieve and understand. As the original post was on airlocks, I will also say I did like the feel of the Samurai at Lost Prairie during some bumpy air. I can't say it was safer, but it sure felt solid going through the chop. More so than my Cobalt. MHO JJ JJ "Call me Darth Balls"

Yeah, what he said. Only not as technical sounding. JJ JJ "Call me Darth Balls"

Yeah, well I choose a larger canopy cause it fit better, regardless of that I felt comfortable under either and felt the 120 was a better choice. In all respect to Bill's experience and expertise, I didn't need to get flamed by him for my choice or the logic I used. Sometimes I like to pretend I know what is in my best interest and when I don't I'll be the first to ask for opinions. Apparently smart-*ss comments I can get anytime without asking. JJ JJ "Call me Darth Balls"

Was there something wrong with this logic? The 105 was too small for my container, so I went to the 120 which I feel is still a great canopy, fun to fly with plenty of learning curve still to go. The 105 was fine as well, I felt I could have flown it in any conditions I would normally jump in. So I'm not real sure where you were going with this. JJ JJ "Call me Darth Balls"

Sorry. I was trying to say that if you were to judge them, you may want to compare one size smaller on the Cobalt. It was not a plug for the canopy. From my experience, if that is what you require I will say that I would compare the Cobalt 105 more to a CF1 119. The Cobalt 120 seemed slower than the Crossfire 119 I had previously. Does this help at all? JJ JJ "Call me Darth Balls"

I didn't see anyone actually responding to his questions: Comp Cobalt vs. CF2. Anyone jumped both at same wingloading?? JJ JJ "Call me Darth Balls"

Atair normally says that to feel as fast in normal flight you would have to go down in size, as the Cobalt has a flatter glide. I can attest to this as I felt damn comfortable under a 105 Cobalt. I bought the 120 cause the 105 looked bad in my VooDoo. Major puckerage of the main compartment. JJ JJ "Call me Darth Balls"

No chance, I love that canopy. But I am looking at getting another rig again. I do love having two. Choices on that canopy would be: Comp. Cobalt Samurai CF2 possibly Or perhaps the crossbraced coming out by Atair or Big Air Sportz. The Samurai really impressed me. JJ JJ "Call me Darth Balls"

Let me know what you think about the CF2. I jumped the CF and went for the Cobalt. Also tried Safire 1. Recently I jumped a Samurai and was really impressed by it. I'd be curious to hear another opinion besides Rhino's. My previous experience with Icarus was not exactly a good one, but I'd be willing to give the CF2 a shot, if it really is as good as Rhino says. JJ JJ "Call me Darth Balls"

Hey Michael!!! I didn't know you lurked this place or I woulda talked bad about you!!! Of course I would have had to make things up. That last jump was a blast. Just think of the cool things we can do once we actually learn to freefly!! Kathy says "thank you" and it was good for her. In fact she wants me to leave more often to see you, so long as I come back and greet her for you like that. She really liked the pez dispenser thing. I got a question for you, concerning my video helmet. What kinda cool set up can you do for a side mount on a Bone head? I got a D-box on it, but I think it sits out kinda far. JJ JJ "Call me Darth Balls"

The Byron Boogie rocked, always a great time...and Michael Bess is an all around great guy. I'm honored to have him as a friend. His helmets are more than what I need for the limited video I do, but he has been trying to teach me some of the fine points of his art. One day I may have to ask him to do me a helmet. JJ JJ "Call me Darth Balls"

Not the point amigo, These morons ain't killing cause God said so. You can't show me a religion that has it's foundations in killing innocents. You also can't say that over throwing governments is a religious ideal either. Throughout history mankind has used creative interpretations of God's word to justify what really boils down to self serving b.s.. To quote Humphry Bogart in Casablanca," I don't mind a crook, its a cut-rate you I object to." Or something like that, been awhile since I watched the flick. If you want to do something, that morally you know is wrong, at least have the balls to admit why you are doing it. Don't hide behind someone's skirts so to speak. Whether He gives a shit or not don't make using Him as an excuse anything more than cowardice. JJ JJ "Call me Darth Balls"

I like everything you said. It boils down to greed and power. Those in power want to stay there. Our own government is no different, we just try to hide it differently....national security. Dependence on oil would certainly affect our stand on the region, but not solve it. America will always back Israel, we have too large of a Jewish population not to. And I'm not knocking the Jewish. I'll be the first to admit that I don't understand all the shit going on there, but the fact remains that there is no word of God that I know of that tells us to kill, for any reason. It is that and that alone that pisses me off the most. If you are going to do all this shit, at least stand up and say why you are doing it: Greed, Lust, Ego-maniac, Racism...whatever....but don't bring God into it. I don't think He wants us killing anyone in his name. I could be wrong. JJ JJ "Call me Darth Balls"

I'm there, getting to jump with all my LP friends....Oh yeah get to jump with Thunder, Mad John, David and Alan....dig it! JJ JJ "Call me Darth Balls"

I got a 2 piece from Da Kine and love it. The only draw back is that I wear the pants more than the top, so eventually the colors will be mis-matched. The pants/top connect by three snaps and do not ride up at all. JJ JJ "Call me Darth Balls"

This could not have been a real swoop contest, I didn't see any Cobalts there. Must have been an ametuer event!! Nice photos, thanks for posting them. JJ JJ "Call me Darth Balls"

Take this for what its worth, but at 25 jumps, buy something non-elliptical. Learn how to fly it, and when you cannot scare yourself anymore, then think about smaller high performance stuff. I am amazed at how I see some people's canopy progression and their desire to jump down so fast. Just going from student gear to a Triathlon was a huge jump. I just cannot see safely going from 240 to a 190 semi- ellip. JMHO JJ JJ "Call me Darth Balls"

I got one and love it. It was originally the 1.0, but the riser cover kept coming open. Sandy Reid took care of it, upgraded it to 2.0 and it has been fine ever since. Hell he even offered to upgrade it again to the latest version, which is still 2.0 but with a few other small changes. JJ JJ "Call me Darth Balls"

Sorry to hear you are having problems with Atair. Mine was pretty much on schedule. Wonder what the hold up is? JJ JJ "Call me Darth Balls"

Strive for balance, seek the truth. JJ JJ "Call me Darth Balls"

Well, I had this same train of thought going, just on a different angle, so I'm glad you brought it up. I think eventually that wind tunnels are going to make a huge part of skydiving obsolete.......VIDEO!!!! We as skydivers are going to stop videoing any jump that is not a big way, or something that cannot be done in a tunnel. Why??? Cause we are not going to want evidence that a zero jump tunnel rat can out-fly us. We will be the adrenaline junkies that risk death to do what they do in tunnels...without the danger. In fact, I'd go further to say that it won't take too long before competitions are held in the tunnels. And that my friends will lead to the thing that our sport lacks: spectators. Which will lead to media coverage and normal sponsors. Will there always be skydivers??? Probably. But the wind tunnels are going to be easily accessible to the average person, no age limits, easy media coverage and about the same danger level as figure skating. What does that leaves us???: big ways, incredible scenery that cannot be duplicated in a tunnel, and canopy skills. I could be wrong here, but I'm thinking that the tunnels are a real wave of the future. Hell, I had a buddy of mine that did a lot of team 4 way. After a few tunnel camps his comment to me was that if 4 way was a bit easier in the tunnel (larger diameter) he'd quit jumping. That's just my opinion, I could be wrong JJ JJ "Call me Darth Balls"

On closer inspection the chick in the middle is giving the guy laying downa golden shower, the guy in the right on the cell phone...his leg is hanging down in between the black guys leg, making it look like his crank is hangin out. Other than that the copy of Parachutist laying on the chair has a wrinkled cover...bad form. Did I miss anythin else? JJ JJ "Call me Darth Balls"

The whole thing is nothing but sexual innuendo. Homey over by pool table is getting blown, the black dude is sliding the stick up the chicks rear, the chick with lotion on her chest looks like the fianl scene in the average porn flick and the guy in the pool has got his head between the girls legs going for his muff #. The one I find the best in the guy playing with himself alone with the ball. Did I miss anything? JJ JJ "Call me Darth Balls"