JGarcia

Hi Mel! This is gonna be sweet! Looking forward to seeing you and jJ again! I'll be coming down with Angela who's definitely looking forward to meeting you. We're leaving Orlando sometime in the late afternoon. SkyMonkeyOne: WTF?? You're not going to make it to this one? Was looking to do some 2-way Bird-Man rodeos with you & Katie... unfinished business from 2003's Holiday Boogie in Eloy! Definitely looking forward to flying with old friends and making lots of new ones...and maybe kill a few brain cells sometime Saturday nite! See ya Friday! --Jairo Low Profile, snag free helmet mount for your Sony X3000 action cam!

Two jumps: 1. My first jump after my dad passed away. He had confessed to my mother that he'd always wanted to make a jump, as they watched me make my first freefall jump (5 second delay). He didn't tell me directly because he didn't want to encourage me jumping out of "perfectly good planes." 2. When I fractured T6 and T7. The planet all of a sudden snuck up on me, following a sick front riser 180 on my Velo 90. OUCH! 1 night in hospital, 3 weekends without skydiving! I was EXTREMELY lucky I twisted my body at the last second, allowing me to avoid death/paralysis. The doctors were all amazed I didn't even have a bruise anywhere on my body. --Jairo Low Profile, snag free helmet mount for your Sony X3000 action cam!

Oooh... I agree with you... that's looking rather disturbing. Seeing set-ups like those makes us appreciate our RAWA's, doesn't it? Best bet would be moving it like you suggested, or using a lot of Gaffer's tape to fill in the gaps & round things out a bit more. --Jairo Low Profile, snag free helmet mount for your Sony X3000 action cam!

Yeah, that stuff leaves a nasty orange residue! I wouldn't want it to ruin my Angelic White reserve!. --Jairo Low Profile, snag free helmet mount for your Sony X3000 action cam!

Hi! I'm with Chuck on this one... I jump a Velo 90 on my main rig and a Xaos-27 93 on my secondary rig (loaded between 2.0 and 2.2)and I make it a point to be deploying high whenever possible for many reasons. Usually I'm jumping a camera and that's reason enough to open higher than normal. I also pack my mains so that they open very softly and nicely (read 800' openings)...both of these mains I can deploy straight out of a track and they will still treat me well. Also, I flying them, so the more time I have underneath them, the happier I am, and I'm free to practice new approaches up high, swoop down to others below me and film them under canopy, or just do a little CRW with the Reserve side Instructor when I do AFF. However, the time I was happiest for deploying high was on a Veteran's Day Demo a year ago. Yes, I was jumping my Velo 90 into a demo because it was at a park and I had plenty of outs and I'm dead on with my accuracy on it. Exit was at 5500 ft, launching a 4-way round and spinning it (we were wearing smoke) until 4,400' and then break off. It was planned that I would pull in place so that I can film the guy carrying the flag while under canopy. As soon as I deployed, I had the nastiest spinning line twist malfunction I had ever dreamt of. I finished kiciking them out at 1500' (my hard deck), landed right on target with the crowd cheering bec they thought it was part of the show. The video from my point of view is ridiculous with the cork-screw of orange smoke painting the blue sky above me, and the view of me passing all the other jumpers as I'm seeing earth-sky-earth-sky and the canopy is screaming towards the planet. Maybe I'll dig it up and post it here. Moral of the story: Deploying your high performance main up high is not only cool, but handy when you need a little extra altitude to deal with malfunctions. --Jairo Damn, that was a much longer reply than I thought! Low Profile, snag free helmet mount for your Sony X3000 action cam!

I'd have to agree with AggieDave on the Spectre openings. I grabbed my gf's Spectre 135 a couple of times when I was running to meet a load "hot" (before I had 2 rigs) and each time I thought my head was going to fall off when that thing opened. At the time, she didn't know that their openings weren't supposed to be that bad, so we sent it to PD to get relined. Came back and still opened like a whip, no matter how one packed it. Sent it back to PD again and they "re-engineered" the nose , but that only solved the problem temporarily. Soon, she sold it and bought a Vengeance 120. I wouldn't trade the openings on my Velo 90 or Xaos-27 93 for any other canopy's, especially when jumping a full camera set up! However, I have heard that the Crossfire2's rock! Cheers!! --Jairo ...stuck at 1499 jumps for another 10.5 hrs. Low Profile, snag free helmet mount for your Sony X3000 action cam!

Wow. Thank you...I'll have to leave my DZ and drive an hour to Z-hills now! --Jairo Low Profile, snag free helmet mount for your Sony X3000 action cam!

What!!... KatieBear is now married? Damn....another good one out of the loop! How are you Katie! It's been a while...took some time off from the forums, not skydiving though! PM me and catch me up since I last talked to you after the Eloy Boogie 2 years ago. --Jairo Low Profile, snag free helmet mount for your Sony X3000 action cam!

Hi... I put about 350 jumps on a Xaos-21 108 before downsizing to a Velo 90 and a Xaos-27 93 (I'm 185 lbs without lead, out the door). I now have about 350 jumps on the Velocity and 200 on the Xaos. To me, they fly completely differently. I find that the Velocity is "easier" to fly/land, with relatively light rear riser pressure and great soft openings, but a shorter control range. The Xaos opens even slower than my Velo, is a LOT twitchier and takes more concentration to land, has a deeper flare/longer control range, but front riser pressure builds up quicker than on my Velocity and has slightly heavier rear riser pressure. If you would've asked me last week, I would've told you that I prefered my Velocity. But after this weekend, when I was forced to land the Xaos on rear risers only (no problem) and the very next jump on it gave me what felt to be one of my most efficient swoops ever, I'd have to go with the Xaos. If your choices are the between a Velo and a Xaos-27, you really can't go wrong by choosing either.... unless you end up hooking it into the ground. However, my feel for what I like in my canopy's performance will be different than what you feel and enjoy from your canopy flight/swoops. So definitely demo each and see how they feel to you. I did, and I bought both . Hope that helps a bit. Cheers!! --Jairo Low Profile, snag free helmet mount for your Sony X3000 action cam!

Hi! If the lender is requesting a Field Review, your property is either in a "Rural" area, or they think something's not quite right with the original appraisal. Lenders reserve the right to do this on any property if your file raises questions through with the Underwriter or Quality Control Dept. If your house was appraised, get a copy of the Appraisal Report. In it, you will see the sales value of 3 comparable homes within your immediate area...yours will likely fall into the average of these. If the house next to you sold for substantially more, your Broker can ask the Appraiser to look into using that home as a "Comp." This may help boost the value on the original appraisal if you decide to send it to a different lender. If the Lender you're with is requiring the Field Review, it's results are final. Your best bet now is to wait a little longer to get your HELOC (build more equity), or get your Mortgage Broker to submit your HELOC to a different lender, but you'll have to pay for another appraisal if you do this and still end up without the Equity you thought you had. If your Broker hasn't already done this for you, then it's probably a good idea to get a better Mortgage Broker that can help find a lender/appraiser that give you the best value for what you're looking for. Hope this helps! --Jairo (in real life, I'm a Mortgage Broker) Low Profile, snag free helmet mount for your Sony X3000 action cam!

Well, it's more comfortable for people over 5'10" in reaching for the hackey, but it's made for people that have large differences in square footage between their main and reserve canopies, or for those who just like the look of a longer, narrower, sleeker container. My primary rig is a "non-EXT" Wings... I fly a Velocity 90 main with a Tempo 120 reserve in that one. I'm 5'11". I prefer a shorter rig and thus chose not to get an EXT for my primary rig. However, my Birdman / back-up Rig is an EXT because 1) it's much easier to get to my hackey...Wingsuit's Wings restrict how high up my back I can reach. 2) I fly a Xaos-27 93 main with a Tempo 150 Reserve. And 3) it presents a much more aerodynamic surface in forward flight, thus helping to optimise my wingsuit flights. I hope this helps clarify the EXT vs non EXT Wings Choice. Which ever you choose, you'll be happy with a Wings...hell, I liked my first one so much, I became a dealer for them! Cheers! --Jairo Low Profile, snag free helmet mount for your Sony X3000 action cam!

LOL... Maybe this will be another Collegiate Boogie Tradition? Will there be a 2nd Annual Christina (post) sunset jump with Gary? We can only hope. I'm sure Gary's willing to donate his Tandem services. Maybe the torch will be picked up by another willing female this year?? It would sure beat a 2nd annual-naked-russian-guy-jumping-through-the-bon-fire. Cheers! --Jairo Low Profile, snag free helmet mount for your Sony X3000 action cam!

LOL.... Yeah! That guy was an A**hole. What was he thinking??! Seriously, though...Thanks for the laugh (and safety briefings), Art Cheers! --Jairo Low Profile, snag free helmet mount for your Sony X3000 action cam!

Not sure if they've gone through any modifications in the time that they've been out. However, I currently jump a Velocity 90 and a Xaos-27 93. The Xaos (originally a demo)used to have very brisk and off heading openings, which was unacceptable to me, as I do most my jumps with 2 top-mounted cameras on my head. After talking with Precision, they put a bigger slider on it and now it opens beautifully. Before these two canopies, I owned a Xaos-21 108 and it had great openings, but always at least 90 degrees off heading. Off heading openings never bothered me because I'm always very aware and hands on risers in case evasive maneuvers were needed. HOWEVER, after jumping the Velocity I've been spoiled. I've found that my Velocity is FAR more consistent with speed of opening and heading than ANY OTHER canopy I've ever jumped (over 10 others). Cheers! --Jairo Low Profile, snag free helmet mount for your Sony X3000 action cam!

Damn, I haven't posted in a long time! Here's my canopy situation: Primary rig, jumping a Velocity 90, loaded at 2.0:1. Second rig has Xaos-27 93. Both open GREAT, and love to fly and land them both. I used to jump my girlfriend's Spectre 135 before I got a second rig, until my neck couldn't handle the openings anymore. I know, I know, Spectre's are supposed to be the camera flyer's dream canopy. Well, there was something wrong with this Spectre: sent back to PD twice, relined, re-engineered. Never solved problem...although they termed openings as "acceptable." They were right, the openings were acceptable if you weren't jumping 2 top-mounted cameras and you didn't mind getting whiplash on openings. I love PD products, love my Velocity. Girlfriend gave up on the Spectre and bought a Vengeance 120. However, that particular Spectre, regardless of packing method or body position, was not right. Cheers! --Jairo Low Profile, snag free helmet mount for your Sony X3000 action cam!

Jeanie no longer works at Bonehead Composites. --Jairo Low Profile, snag free helmet mount for your Sony X3000 action cam!

Affirmative, I'll be there Weds nite thru Sat morning with my Skyflyer. There might be one more bird (Tomblin) with his GTi. Cheers! --Jairo Low Profile, snag free helmet mount for your Sony X3000 action cam!

The Spectre in question has about 30 jumps on a brand new line set, relined by PD. It was originally sent to them for the same issues, thinking the problem was the out of trim line set. They replaced the lines and put a bigger slider on, which solved the problem for about 5 jumps. At any rate, PD has been very generous and sent her a demo 135 to jump while they test jump and troubleshoot her's. We'll see the differences tomorrow. Cheers! --Jairo Low Profile, snag free helmet mount for your Sony X3000 action cam!

I've jumped Christina's canopy many times. We finally sent it to PD after I was tired of hearing/feeling my vertibrae crack on openings. I used to tuck my chin in when jumping this canopy to protect my neck (something I never had to do with any other canopy jumped whilst shooting video--6 other canopies). This was happening reguardless of what was done to the nose. Furthermore, it had a built in turn (don't remember if it was a left or right turn). We simply attributed all this to the canopy being out of trim. It took PD about 4 weeks of "engineering" before we got it back, but it did open better with the new slider/line set and the turn was gone. Didn't jump it for a while, but needed it for a camera jump this past weekend. You can see/hear how rough the opening surge is by watching the video. . The canopy has, maybe, 40 jumps on the new line set. If PD could get this canopy to open as sweet as my Velocity 90, I would be quite pleasantly surprised. Cheers, --Jairo Low Profile, snag free helmet mount for your Sony X3000 action cam!

cmnorris and I are renting a Beach house a few miles from the competition site. I'll ask her if it's already full or not, but last I knew (She's the organizer) she was still looking for some more people to split the cost. I'll post back when I find out. Cheers! --Jairo Low Profile, snag free helmet mount for your Sony X3000 action cam!

Perfect solution: Use a long sleeve T-shirt over your RW suit. I had fall rate issues during my first Non-eval jump because the Evaluator (Glen Bangs) floated on me and I couldn't get up. Threw the long sleeve shirt over my tight RW suit and it gave me incredible range...he never got away from me again. Even now, I use a long sleeve shirt over my RW suit on almost every AFF jump. Cheers! --Jairo Low Profile, snag free helmet mount for your Sony X3000 action cam!

Not to be nit-picky, or anything, but as I count them, I see Seven: 1) Precision Aerodynamic's Xaos-21 2) Precision Aerodynamic's Xaos-27 3) Icarus' Extreme FX 4) Icarus' Extreme V 5) Performance Design's Velocity 6) Atair's Onix 7) Big-Air's Sensei Five Parachute manufacturers, though...Wouldn't be surprised if Aerodyne jumps in there with one at some point as well. Cheers! --Jairo Low Profile, snag free helmet mount for your Sony X3000 action cam!

Damn, i hear that! PD Zero P is freakin' slick! Cheers! --Jairo Low Profile, snag free helmet mount for your Sony X3000 action cam!

The Professor for the course is a very cool guy: Brian Smith. Met him in Eloy, AZ during the Holiday Boogie and got a chance to do an impromtu 3-way Bird-Man jump with him. My specialty is Neuroscience and Molecular Biology at the University of Florida. Turns out he was lecturing for the Depertment of Neuroscience at UF a few weeks later. Small world, this sport reveals! Cheers, --Jairo Low Profile, snag free helmet mount for your Sony X3000 action cam!

Ok, here we go! I know I'm going to get flamed for my opinion, but here it goes: From your current experience, currency, and carefull approach, I would say downsize into a cross-braced canopy. (Waiting for the Downsizing Nazis to reprimand me) . If you are ready, and I think you will know it if you really are, you can downsize in to a cross-brace and manage to stay healthy. Know that you will be jumping a wing that can KILL...but I'm sure you understand that already from jumping your Samurai. If you do not respect the wing above your head it will kill!! Like Parachutist said, the cross-braced canopy will not dive out of the sky and kill you spontaneously, it will require you to place the input that can maim/kill. Oh, have I mentioned that swooping can kill?? Yes, you should be very profient at flying your current wing--comfortably, and consistently nailing your 180's, 270's, 360's without getting yourself in the corner. This has all been covered in this forum. You say you've been hurt before, and that will keep you more aware. I've had a fairly quick progression (which I do not recommend): Current canopies are Xaos-27 93 ft^2, and Velocity 90 ft^2, with an exit weight of about 185lbs. Like you I am extremely current, and I treat swooping as the most dangerous, yet most rewarding part of my skydive. I am extremely technical about my approaches, and have no problems bailing out of my turns if everything in the picture is not 100% what it should be. And I know shit can still go wrong! I am no expert on swooping...hell, but I'm working on it. Parachutist had great advice in telling you to Demo several canopies before you finally buy. Both Precision Aerodynamics and PD have excellent Demo programs. I have no experience with Icarus Canopies' demo program (HooknSwoop??). Demo a crossbraced 120, then work your way down over several weekends. It may seem a little expensive at first, but you may find out that a cross-braced 120 is where you want to stay for another season. Or you may fall in love with a 93 or 90! Fly them first, stay within your ability, and most importantly, stay alive. So I now feel that I should have some sort of disclaimer after saying all this, but I don't. Merely opinions, that many will disagree with. I'm sure Hookitt, Listo, SkymonkeyOne, Skygod7777, HooknSwoop, and many others in this forum with a great deal of swooping experience will have very sound advice. If you don't hear from them, PM them! Cheers, --Jairo Low Profile, snag free helmet mount for your Sony X3000 action cam!