craigbey

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Everything posted by craigbey

  1. Good description of the unfortunate reality of airlocked canopies. Vengeance... http://www.performancedesigns.com/vengeance.asp
  2. It can be tough to find a DZ that's open this time of year in our area. And even if you do, you may only be able to get in a few jumps when the weather opens up. Some could probably get away with it, but I would definitely need more jumps than that each week to remain current enough to continue swooping.
  3. Yeah ... the comment about the bagpipes was out of context and just plain silly. Kind of reminds me of how this thread got started. But I didn't make any false accusations or threaten anyone with a gun, so I'm doing pretty well considering the tone of the thread.
  4. Sorry, I don't know any of the parties involved in the alleged incident. But it is an exciting story, isn't it? Now, if I can get someone to play Feliz Navidad on their bagpipes, I'll be right as rain.
  5. There's another test that I like to perform on occasion. After completing a pack job, pull the pin and extract the d-bag. Leave the rig on the ground and pull up on the bridle. It's a little extra work, but I think it's a more appropriate test.
  6. I saw dual patterns work well this summer at QCSC in Geneseo, IL. The combination of additional canopy traffic due to the larger aircraft for the weekend and the layout of the landing area made for a unique situation and a good fit for the dual patterns. But this is another solution that will not work everywhere. Many DZ's also have areas in or around the DZ that are no-fly zones.
  7. Not trying to be a smartass, but the best answer may be to demo the canopy or canopies you may be interested in flying. Canopies don't have quantitative flying characteristics, so you can't put them on a scale to rate their performance in manner that everyone would agree on. People have different experiences and perspectives when they fly, so using general terms is the only way to describe the canopies to the masses. You've already discovered more about the Spectre vs PDR from your experience jumping both. Although PD put them into the same category regarding turning performance, you found the PDR to be more responsive. You will discover more when you demo.
  8. So ... if Billy is not discouraged or dissuaded by such arguments and he continues his turd like behavior, can we say that he is 'undeturd'?
  9. No yelling needed, but an observation... Some of the people who learn or jump at small DZ's that don't enforce conventional landing patterns get in trouble when they travel to larger DZ's or boogies. It can be tough to get the feel for flying a standard pattern in traffic at a new DZ or boogie when you don't practice flying a pattern at your home DZ. I LOVE going between Skydive Chicago, Chicagoland Skydiving and the Skydive Iowa Swoop Park (TM). For several years, my partner and I have been very fortunate to split our time and hit these 3 great DZ's during the midwest jump season. As you can imagine, the canopy traffic is significantly less at Skydive Iowa. That is also a small Cessna DZ. But when I'm there, I still do everything I can to fly a predictable, conventional landing pattern. It also helps me setup and *try* to swoop. (TM) OK ... it's obviously not a swoop park, but it's a wonderful place to practice.
  10. This is sometimes also known as the "First Man Down" rule.
  11. You've simply defined his action as 'being a turd'. I think a PA would be to say that 'Billy IS a turd'.
  12. Are you in here somewhere? http://www.manifestmaster.com/video/ I'm using my imagination -- and the search options -- and the name 'eightate8at8' keeps popping up. Do you know this guy?
  13. Well, no one had a cow about this... http://manifestmaster.com/video/chasers.wmv It's sloppy and nowhere near the quality of the OP's link, but it WAS in the USA. Is it my imagination, or did one of the jumpers get a little close to the prop?
  14. Yep ... and some people still seem to think that the Stiletto is unique in that category. Too bad.
  15. http://www.divemaker.com/trajectory/da.php http://www.pilotoutlook.com/calculators/density-altitude-calculator
  16. I put ~300 jumps on a Stiletto and had line twists exactly once. My partner has jumped a couple of different Stilettos for 8 years and she gets very consistent openings. Where does that myth about Stilettos come from? Stilettos are great canopies and have a niche in the canopy market. But they are just one tool of many that are now available.
  17. Well ... not exactly like you. Where did you get those fabulous packing pants?
  18. Reverse S-Fold Technique... http://sidsrigging.com/articles/greed.htm
  19. Yep. Right off the 88 tollway. Easy drive.
  20. Reverse S-Fold Technique... http://sidsrigging.com/articles/greed.htm
  21. Glad we could make it out there to get in some jumps over Hinckley this past summer. Where will we find CSC next year?
  22. I wouldn't be surprised if our DZO owned a dump truck. Just don't ask him where he parked it. One more item for the list ... shooting range. Congrats on your new digs. Hope the transition goes well.