Skysurfing
Skysurfing is a team parachuting discipline, with each team consisting of two athletes: a Skysurfer and a Cameraflyer. The Skysurfer rides a specially designed skyboard during freefall, sliding, spinning, twisting and yes, surfing through the sky. The Cameraflyer records the performance with a helmet-mounted camcorder but also contributes to the performance interactively --and the team's overall score--through his or her own creative and athletic skills.
All Skysurfing performances take place in the four dimensional stadium in the sky called freefall. This is the only place where you can fly your body in all three regular dimensions, up/down, left/right, forward/backward, plus the fourth dimension of relative speed. Not even NASA astronauts get to play in four dimensions. In free fall, you can cheat the boundaries of time and space, but only a minute at a time.
Comparing Skysurfing to other board sports such as snow boarding and skate boarding is a common mistake. About the only shared trait is that all involve some kind of board. The Skysurfer's skills are much more closely related to freestyle skydiving, whose devotees perform gymnastic- and/or ballet-style maneuvers utilizing the aerodynamics created by the "relative wind" the athlete moves through during freefall. Adding a board to the equation, though, is not just a whole other ball game--it's a whole other sport.
By admin, in Disciplines,
Style and Accuracy
More commonly called Style and Accuracy, these disciplines are also referred to as the "Classics." The first skydiving competitions in the first half of the 20th Century involved landing on a target using a parachute, then the Style series was created:
Freefall style is a sequence of six maneuvers performed in the following order: 360-degree turn, 360-degree turn, backloop, 360-degree turn, 360-degree turn, backloop. All four turns and two backloops performed in proper sequence and in the correct direction is called a "series." Each of the four series prescribes different directions for the 360 degree turns.
For Accuracy Landing, a jumper guides his/her canopy to a precision landing on a disc, or electronic pad, with a three-centimeter diameter dead-center target. The object is to get as close to the center as possible. Accuracy landing is also part of the USPA-sanctioned championship event Para-Ski. Para-Ski combines accuracy landing with a giant slalom skiing race.
By admin, in Disciplines,
Eliana Rodriguez - As Bright as the Sunshine
Eliana’s huge smile is nearly as bright as the sunshine here in Arizona. Although she may be shy, she shares that smile on a daily basis. The warmth of that smile is inviting and uplifting to those around her. Most that have flown with Eliana would say they find her to be a gentle spirit in what is predominately a male sport filled with "A" type personalities. Her easy manner makes her approachable. Oh, and did I mention that smile…?
My first experience jumping with Eliana was a real treat.
Age: 29
Height and Weight: 5’6 140lbs.
Birthplace: Passaic, New Jersey
Marital Status: Single
Team: Arizona Airspeed
Position: Tail
Jumps: 4,000+
Neither of us at the time were proficient free fliers, but we managed to pull off a three way. We had a lot of fun doing it and captured the jump with stills and video. I am happy to report that both of our skills have improved over the years, and we can actually be in the same skydive together! Not too long ago, Eliana, Craig Girard, Omar Alhegelan and I all went out and played a game of 'follow the leader.' We all giggled watching Omar and trying to imitate his flying, with us looking like fish out of water as he performed loops, spins and twists with ease. There is much to be said about this woman from New Jersey who had big dreams and made the sacrifices to achieve them. The following is a brief overview of that journey.
Eliana was born in Passaic, New Jersey on Oct.1, 1974. Her parents, both from Colombia came to the U.S. in hopes of finding a better life. From the age of two to twelve her father moved the family back and forth from Connecticut to Rhode Island, always in search of a better job. After multiple trips to visit family in Colombia, Eliana’s father decided he wanted to move back to his homeland. The family took one final family trip to Florida to see Disney World, and her parents loved it so much that in 1988 they moved to Kissimmee, Florida rather than Medellin, Colombia.
During Eliana’s senior year in high school she was unsure about what career path she wanted to follow so she decided to join the army rather than attending college like most of her friends. She said the army offered her financial aid for school which she really needed, the opportunity to do some traveling and also the opportunity to take airborne training. She asked her recruiter about it and he suggested Eliana request airborne school after basic training.
Eliana was stationed at Fort Bragg in 1993 and it appeared as though airborne might finally become a reality. Upon her arrival to her unit she requested airborne school and it was approved. Unfortunately, shortly after she had her physical the army realized that she had less than a year left in the military. Eliana would need to re-enlist in order to be sent to airborne school. Eliana declined the offer, as she wanted to attend college.
Eliana still wanted to skydive and so did some of her co-workers. After many attempts to try and get a group of people together she finally decided to go to the drop zone by herself. On October 1, 1995 she did a tandem jump in Raeford, North Carolina. While leaving the drop zone a member of the army parachute team who had been on the same plane ride up to altitude asked her if she enjoyed the jump and if she was going to go through the AFF course. She told him she loved the jump but couldn’t afford the course due to the fact that she was only an E-4 in the military. He told her about the 82nd Freefall Activity which is a military skydiving club. He said they had a static line program which was less expensive than the AFF program and that the jumps were discounted because it was a military club and she was in the army. Eliana told him she was definitely interested and he introduced her to one of the head instructors that happened to be standing just a few feet away. And so it began.
On April 24, 1996 was discharged from the military and returned to Kissimmee, Florida where she attended Valencia Community College in Orlando jumping as much as she could afford. She worked in a few different places but finally settled down in a restaurant as a waiter and bartender. Eliana would make the trek to Titusville every weekend even if she could afford to make only one jump.
In 1998 a Skyventure wind tunnel was being built in Orlando about 20 minutes from where she lived. A friend of hers from the drop zone suggested that she apply for a job there. Eliana felt that she was too inexperienced, but her friend insisted that she would be great for the job. When she gave the General Manager her resume the next day, she was immediately hired. While working at the tunnel Eliana became friends with the managers’ girlfriend who was also a skydiver. She was starting a 4-way team both for fun and to improve her skills. Eliana mentioned that she thought that would be fun and some day that she too would like to do the same. In December, 1998, Eliana started training with team Illusions, which consisted of Cecilia Ferrer, Cathy Hodge, and Rachel Vivier. Kurt Gaebel was their coach. They made about 50 training jumps together and had attended a few Florida Skydiving League (FSL) meets when Eliana’s mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Eliana quit the team, jumping, work and school and took care of her mother for the next four months until her mother’s death.
In September, 1999, Eliana resumed her work at Skyventure and once again the opportunity to get on a team presented itself. She declined due to financial restraints, not having worked for four months. Team Kinetisis was still short one team member as the season started. When asked if she could fill in for the first meet of the season, she did and was hooked again. After the first two training camps some personnel changes needed to be made. Two of her tunnel co-workers joined the team and they became Deland Tunnel Rage (with Thomas Hughes, Glenn Mendez, and Kyle Starck).
Deland Tunnel Rage was a very unique team because most of the members had very few jumps, with little to no experience in 4-way. Since most of the team worked at the tunnel and Glenn flew there regularly they all had very good individual flying skills. What they needed was to learn to fly as a team. The team agreed to hire Shannon Pilcher as their coach and they made 100 jumps throughout the year, did some tunnel time as a team, and competed at a few of the FSL meets. In October 2000 they competed at the US Nationals in Perris, California and won the gold medal in the intermediate class with a 15.3 average.
A few weeks after Eliana returned from nationals, she received an invitation to jump with another team that was forming. The team was being considered for the US women’s 4-way team and would serve as the trial in that category. Lilac Hayes and Sally Hathaway from Skydive City in Zephryhills, FL and Sally Stewart from Skydive Arizona in Eloy, AZ were looking for a fourth member. Meanwhile, The World Cup of Formation Skydiving was to be held at Skydive Arizona in the U.S. Since there were no women’s teams that competed in the open class at the nationals, this meant that the US lacked representation in the women 4-way division.
With only 30 team jumps together in November 2000, these women competed as Synchronicity at the World Cup and won the gold in women’s 4-way with an 11.8 average. Although they had only talked about doing this one competition for fun, they were now eligible to compete at the World Championships in Spain in 2001. The team agreed that if they were going to compete at the World Championships, they would have to train more. A plan was formed and they trained to go to Spain, hiring Joey Jones as their coach, making 300 jumps in a six month period, in addition to spending time in the tunnel. Their efforts paid off as they captured the gold with a 14.7 average.
When Eliana returned from Spain a conversation ensued with Alan Metni of Arizona Airspeed. Alan had decided to retire, leaving a slot open on the team. Eliana jumped at the chance to try out. December 2nd Eliana received the call of a lifetime. She earned the slot and became the first and only female member of Airspeed! She started training with Airspeed Zulu that week which consisted of Gary Beyer, Chad Smith, Kirk Verner and Jeremy Peters.
The plan was to make 1000 training jumps in 4-way and compete at the U.S. nationals in Chicago in September, 2002. The team experienced many difficulties throughout the year. Gary injured his shoulder while snowboarding, Chad quit the team and Eliana broke her ankle one month before the nationals so she was unable to compete. It was a disappointing set back.
Since 2002 was the selection year for the World Championships in 2003, the national champions of 4-way and 8-way would get the U.S. team slots and would have the opportunity to compete at the World Championships representing the United States in Gap, France. Airspeed qualified in 8-way, and Eliana was selected as an alternate. By the end of November her ankle was strong enough to train with the team. In December 2002, 300 skydivers including Eliana attempted a 300-way world record in the skies over Eloy, Arizona. After 12 attempts they accomplished their goal.
In January, 2003 the team began training 8-way. The team consisted of John Eagle, Craig Girard, Todd Hawkins, Neal Houston, Mark Kirkby, Steve Nowak, Dennis Rook, Kirk Verner, and Eliana. They made 800 training jumps by the end of August.
In September, 2003, after a very exciting competition and a jump off round the team placed second behind the Russians. The team averaged 20.2 after 10 rounds and 20.1 after 11 rounds. Airspeed tied the Russians even on the 11th round, but the rules state that if the teams are still tied after the jump-off round, the gold medal goes to the team who had achieved the highest scoring round of the meet. Airspeed’s highest score was a 24 and the Russians highest score was a 26.
In October, 2004 the venue for nationals was Lake Wales, Florida. The team competed in 4-way even though they hadn’t trained 4-way throughout the year. Airspeed Vertical with John, Craig, Neal, Mark and Steve came in 3rd and Airspeed Dragon with Todd, Dennis, Kirk, Jeremy Peters, and Eliana came in 4th.
In 8-way competition the team fared better. They took the gold and Eliana became the first women to win a gold medal at the U.S. nationals in 8-way Opens.
As 2003 was also a selection year for the 2004 World Championships in Croatia, the 8-way team qualified to represent the United States. Teammates John and Mark decided to retire from the team and were replaced with Andy Honigbaun and Mike Inabinet. The plan for 2004 is 800 to 1000 training jumps before September and to win the 2004 World Championships in Croatia.
January, 2004 Craig, Dennis and Eliana traveled to Tok-li, Thailand to participate in the 372-way world record attempts. On January, 6 a 357-way completed and became a new world record thus adding a second world record to her credit.
I asked Eliana what was the most difficult aspect of her journey. She offered that financially it has been extremely difficult, but she also offers that if you have a dream you need to find a way to make it happen.
PD Demo Program: make it work for you!
So you want to try a new canopy, and you have already asked what your friends, gear dealer, and local sky gods think about the subject, and they have given their opinions-repeatedly. When it comes to gear, pretty much everyone has a strong opinion on the matter. Unfortunately, as you have probably found, opinions have a tendency to be subjective rather than objective. Lucky for you, most manufacturers now have demo programs, such as the Performance Designs Demo Program, so that you can sift through others' perceptions, and create some of your own.
The basics:
The Performance Designs Demo program sends out the canopy of your choice directly to you to be used over the course of two weekends. The cost is currently $30. You receive it, you jump it, you send it back, the canopy is re-inspected, then put back into the demo program; lather, rinse, and repeat.
The details:
It's a rather simple process to get a demo. Go to www.performancedesigns.com and fill out the demo request form which can be found on the "support" page. Otherwise, use the direct link, http://www.performancedesigns.com/demorequest.asp
The demo form will ask some questions pertinent to your jump history, to better enable PD's Demo Queen, Anabel Durham, to assist you with your demo needs. As a side note, yes, it is official, the most beloved Demo Queen of all time, Kolla Kolbeinsdottir, has relinquished her throne. Shed no tears, though, as Kolla has moved on to other projects within marketing at Performance Designs, while leaving the demo program in Anabel's capable hands. But, I digress...
Following the submission of the demo request, you will be contacted by Anabel. She will discuss your options and the availability of the requested canopy. If it is available, she will ship it to wherever your little heart desires. After a few days of longingly gazing out the window after the Fed Ex truck, the truck will stop, and with that stop will come the knowledge that you will soon feel like a kid in a candy store with your very own PD Demo to use over the next two weekends. Though PD does understand the sort of bond that is forged between jumper and canopy, we do request that you refrain from sleeping with the canopy as it may result in the degradation of the material-save it for the one that you buy.
Following the two-week romance, you will say that sometimes tearful goodbye, and ship the demo back to the PD Factory, where it will begin its journey all over again.
How to best make the program work for you: When selecting a new model of canopy to try, it is a good idea to select the same size as what you are currently flying. This will make it possible for you to make a legitimate comparison between the two canopies. Having a controlled aspect between the two canopies, such as size, will better enable you to determine the true differences in the flight characteristics of the canopies. If you change both the size and model of canopy, there is nothing in common to compare. You now have apples to oranges for your test group. When downsizing, try to avoid downsizing by more than one size at a time, as each size has valuable lessons for the avid skydiver.
The fear factor:
Many jumpers feel trepidation when considering the possibility of that first reserve ride. Or you just aren't sure of whether or not you are going to be comfortable under that smaller reserve that would fit so much more nicely in your cute, new backpack-sized container. The PD answer to this and many other uncertainties? Try it!! The Performance Designs Demo Program also has PD Reserves set up as mains so that jumpers can give their reserve a whirl, too. It is a fantastic opportunity to try out your reserve in a controlled environment. *Sigh* You really can't put a price on reassurance… oh wait, you can, and that would be $30, as well!! That's a bargain for peace of mind. ; )
Be realistic about your abilities. The one certainty about skydiving is that there will always be another load and another day, if you conduct yourself in a safe manner. Rush into jumping that canopy that is pushing your limits, and you are decreasing your odds of making that next load, and quite possibly, that next day. By learning how to fly your current size more efficiently, you will be ensuring that you will be able to maximize your canopy's performance once on that smaller size.
The recap:
Pick a canopy, fill out the form on the website, be nice to Anabel (bribery never hurts), cough up the 30 bucks, jump until your little heart is content (as long as it fits into the 2 weeks), send the demo back, lather, rinse, and repeat if necessary.
**Unfortunately, the demo program is currently available only in the United States at this time. If outside of the U.S., please feel free to contact us so that we can direct you to one of our remote demo centers, or check our events calendar to see when and if Performance Designs will be in your area.
Photos by: Joao Tambor
Gear Issues factor in death of British jumper
The British skydiver Clare Barnes died when her parachute failed because it was not packed properly, an interim report into the accident claimed today. The Australian Parachute Federation (APF), which has been investigating the incident, blamed poor gear maintenance and incorrect packing of the parachutes for the 24-year-old’s death.
Miss Barnes, the daughter of newsreader Carol Barnes and Foreign Office minister Denis MacShane, was killed when attempting her 200th jump with her boyfriend and seven other members of a skydiving club near Melbourne on Sunday.
Graeme Windsor, the APF’s national safety and operations manager, said the chain of events that led to her death started with the incorrect packing of the pilot chute, which is used to drag the main parachute from its pack. He told PA News: "Because the pilot chute was not packed properly it did not produce enough drag."
The report said: "When Clare activated her main parachute release at the correct altitude, she experienced a high-speed malfunction. It appears that Clare then followed correct emergency procedures by pulling the main parachute release system, followed by the reserve ripcord. Unfortunately, the main parachute did not release as it should have, and the reserve parachute became entangled with it, preventing either parachute from opening correctly."
Miss Barnes had taken part in a nine-way formation with the other jumpers but after she broke off, her parachutes failed and she fell.
The report went on to list several technical factors which contributed to her death in Barwon Heads, north west of Melbourne.
"The pilot chute that drags the main parachute from its pack had not been packed correctly, and was unable to develop fully," it said. The federation also blamed the failure on the fact that parts of the kit Miss Barnes was using was not compatible with the rest of her equipment. "The main parachute could not escape from its deployment bag because some suspension line stowage bands were too large to allow the bag to open under the reduced pilot chute drag conditions," the report said. Mr Windsor explained: "One of the rubber bands was too big so the bag would not open and let the parachute out."
The report said the main parachute release mechanism did not work because it contained "non-standard fittings". Mr Windsor said the release mechanism "was not the standard one for the harness she had on".
He said the major factors in the tragedy were "poor gear maintenance and packing". Miss Barnes was an experienced skydiver and a licensed parachute packer. "There is no indication at this stage that she did not pack the gear herself," Mr Windsor said.
The APF said all factors contributing to the accident had been illustrated in the past. "The combination of all these factors at the one time has led to a tragic loss of one of our experienced members," the organisation said.
Renewed advice stressing sound maintenance of equipment will be given out as a result of the accident, the APF said.
A final report will wait for the findings of the coroner’s inquest.
Yesterday, Miss Barnes’s parents arrived in Australia to make preparations for the funeral, which was expected to take place in Melbourne on Friday morning local time.
Fatality Database Entry
Forum Discussion
Times online
Aerodyne - New season, new website!
The Skydiving season is starting to come to life as spring approaches and boogie calendars start to become published. New canopies & gear, new drop zones and new faces... What's more, there will be another change in 2004: You will now discover a whole new www.aerodyne-int.com.
The actual version of the website appeared in 2002 and gave us the opportunity to increase our audience by offering complete news coverage and interesting features. Now is the time to introduce an improved version of the website, giving you faster access. A more user friendly version with optimized features that lets you browse more easily on the new and improved aerodyne-int.com.
Check it out! www.aerodyne-int.com
Aerodyne introduces its A2 tandem canopy
Aerodyne recently started to ship demo’s of its A2 main tandem canopy. The A2 is an elliptical 9-cell canopy with a surface of 389 square feet. It is a so-called hybrid construction, meaning that the top skin is made out of zero-porosity fabric while the bottom skin is constructed from a 0-3 cfm F-111 type fabric.
Initially Aerodyne baptized this canopy with the name "Gemini", but having been confronted with a claim that this name is already used for a parachute canopy by the Canadian company Canadian Aero Sports we decided to change the name to "A2".
The A2 caters to tandem equipment owners who are looking to replace only the main canopy. With this goal in mind Aerodyne decided to ship each A2 with a set of miniforce™ tandem risers. "By supplying a set of risers with each A2 canopy we are preventing any compatibility problems with the various tandem rigs on the market", explains Edward Anderson, who is Chief of Operations at Aerodyne Research in Florida. "The tandem owner can easily install the A2 into any rig and is not confronted with the issue of steering line lengths or the position of the steering line guide ring on the riser. And of course there is the added benefit of the unique miniforce™ risers. The "elongated" middle ring of this 3-ring release system significantly reduces the pull force required to cut away. Especially in the tandem environment we feel this feature greatly enhances safety."
The airfoil and the conservative planform factor of the A2 guarantee superb handling characteristics minimizing the workload of tandem masters. Not only will they find the toggle pressure, turn response and flare power they have been seeking, but they will be pleasantly surprised by the soft on-heading openings. The turn recovery and ability to slow the canopy in no wind conditions are additional features that will be greatly appreciated by all tandem masters. The A2 is equipped with Spectra suspension lines which make for considerably less bulk and a more compact container on the back. Because of their lower weight the Spectra lines also reduce the risk of line dump and subsequent premature opening of the deployment bag, a significant cause of malfunctions.
We have designed this canopy to maximize safety, but at the same time we made it an economical tool that will maximize the number of jumps per day. To reduce packing time we chose a hybrid construction. To reduce air time we built a wing that will fly slowly in brakes, but gives you a significantly higher rate of descent when flown at full glide.
The A2 comes standard with miniforce™ risers, Spectra 1500 lines, a slider with lightweight stainless steel grommets and #6 stainless steel rapid links.
For more information about Aerodyne and our products please go to www.aerodyne-int.com
Aerodyne Sponsored Instructor Program (ASIP)
Aerodyne proudly announces the launch of a sponsoring program aimed at professional skydiving instructors and coaches around the world. The Aerodyne Sponsored Instructor Program, or ASIP, is a comprehensive program developed to offer unparalleled support to those who provide training to other skydivers and contribute to the safe practice of skydiving.
"The ASIP program is designed to build longtime relationships that are beneficial to all involved: the individual instructor, their home drop zone, Aerodyne authorized distributors and our company. It was our aim to create an environment that encourages mutual cooperation between all those involved for the betterment and progress of each", explains Aubrey Easterlin, sales manager of Aerodyne Research in Florida. "It doesn’t stop with giving a good deal on equipment. We give our ASI’s the opportunity to actively promote our products and they are rewarded for the sales they generate. That way they become longtime partners and there is more to be gained by all".
How does it work?
Under the program an Aerodyne Sponsored Instructor will receive a full compliment of Aerodyne equipment at 50% of the manufacturer’s suggested retail price. He or she will also receive a package of product information, a stock of promotional material, a set of referral cards and an ASI identification number. The ASI will use the identification number to refer interested customers to the selected Aerodyne distributor. For every order that is received as a result of such a referral Aerodyne will credit the ASI’s account with 5% of the cash value of the MSRP. The ASI can use the accumulated credit for future purchases of Aerodyne products.
Who are eligible?
The ASIP program is open to instructors that hold a current rating issued by or on behalf of their National Aero Club. Because of the nature of the program Aerodyne seeks to support individuals that demonstrate a positive attitude and professionalism in their relationships with people. "The idea is that an ASI serves as a sort of ambassador for Aerodyne, for our distributor and for the dropzone he or she works at. Therefore we require every applicant to submit a letter of recommendation by the distributor and by the dropzone manager or operator", says Arnold Collenteur, who is Aerodyne’s European sales manager and one of the initiators of the program. "Although we like to stress the fun side of the program, it is still a business arrangement and we must make sure that the applicant meets our criteria so that we may expect our sales to increase because of his or her contribution."
Why the ASIP?
Although Aerodyne may still consider sponsoring competition teams on an ad-hoc basis, the company feels it has better chances to promote its products via instructors, who are in direct contact with potential buyers. When choosing equipment most skydivers look closely at the products jumped by the best or most experienced jumpers on their dropzone. The ASIP program builds on these premises by creating a world wide community of Aerodyne sponsored instructors with a local reach.
By offering to the ASI the opportunity to refer sales leads and generate additional earnings the ASIP also ensures that Aerodyne distributors benefit from the program. By helping Aerodyne to select the right individuals distributors create a small network of local ambassadors and increase their chances of selling to customers they might otherwise not reach.
Furthermore, the ASIP program aims to facilitate communication between individually sponsored instructors, their drop zones, Aerodyne’s distributors and Aerodyne through a sharing of information, educational material and media. Aerodyne intends to make its website play an important role in this communication process.
Enrollment
Interested instructors may request an ASIP application package from an Aerodyne distributor, via our website www.aerodyne-int.com or via one of these contacts:
North and South America: Aubrey Easterlin [email protected]
Europe and Asia: Arnold Collenteur [email protected]
Africa and Indian Ocean: Dave Macrae [email protected]
For more information about Aerodyne and our products please go to www.aerodyne-int.com
Choosing Emergency Contacts
One of the things that all most every Dropzone or Boogie waiver has is a space to list an Emergency contact. Most jumpers just fill this information in with the first relative or friends name that pops into their head as they fill out the waiver, but jumpers should fill this section out after carefully selecting a contact. Jumpers should put more thought into this decision then they do into what type of jumpsuit they are going to buy.
There are criteria that make people better emergency contacts then others and jumpers should keep this in mind as they make their selection. Potential emergency contacts should meet the following criteria at a minimum:
Potential emergency contacts need to be aware of any medical issues or conflicts that you might have. If someone is allergic to something and forgets to put it on their waiver the emergency contact might just be the last line of defense there is to prevent the emergency responders from giving them a potentially dangerous drug or drug combinations.
Emergency contacts should have phone numbers to your immediate family members rapidly available so they may inform your loved ones about any potential incidents that might have happened. Poor choices for emergency contacts include people that have never met you or your family before you visit the DZ. At a minimum your emergency contact should have the phone number to contact the person that you would want to be notified of your injury or death first.
Another trait that makes a good emergency contact is choosing someone that is not at the airport the same time you are. In the case of something like a plane crash or canopy entanglement you might be involved in the incident with potential emergency contacts. By choosing someone that is not involved in skydiving or at the airport at all you maximize the availability of contacts that DZ personal might be able to reach in the case of an emergency on the dropzone.
Contacts should be someone that will be able to initially handle receiving potentially devastating news about you. Choosing someone that is known to be extremely emotional over the phone might be a poor choice as a contact if the Dropzone or medical teams need to ask questions of the emergency contact. Choose someone that will be able to calmly answer any potential questions after being informed that you are injured or worse.
Having multiple methods of contacting emergency contacts makes the task of reaching the emergency contact a lot easier for the dropzone personal. Emergency contacts should have at least one phone number and if possible multiple phones. List every phone number in the order that they should be called. Listing mobile numbers, home numbers and work numbers should all be done at a minimum to insure the maximum possibility of reaching someone in a true emergency.
Other things that should be used as criteria in potential emergency contacts include knowing who might be on vacation and out of reach at the time of certain boogies, knowing which contacts will be available to rapidly travel to deal with incidents if they happen, and in the case of international jumpers knowing the time difference and how that is going to affect the ability to contact your potential contact.
Using these criteria to choose an emergency contact will increase the probability that the dropzone personal will be able to reach and inform people of emergencies involving you, plus it will reduce the anxiety factor on the dropzone staff side in contacting people if they know they will not have to end up calling 10 people to reach someone that has needed answers about you.
L-1 Vertical Wind Tunnel
Initial tests prove that the L-1 wind tunnel is everything that it's fathers designed it to be... Under development for nearly a decade, dreamt about for 2 more before that, and the L-1 Vertical Wind Tunnel is NOW a reality.
L-1 is not your typical wind tunnel facility, built by the most experienced wind tunnel flyers in the world, our forefathers of this sport. And by our forefathers I mean, those who flew before us, still fly with us today and who invented the maneuvers that today win competitions. These are the guys who do it because they LOVE it, it's a passion in life, they are drawn to it like a writer to paper, or a bee to honey, or a bird to the skies...
L-1 is the ultimate playground and classroom for any participant at every level. The desire to build an L-1 type facility came immediately after experiencing the air quality Wright Patterson Air Force Base Military Tunnel. These poor underprivileged flyers who came from propeller driven tunnels, could now see an amazing change in the air that they relied so heavily on.
But what could a couple of tunnel rats do about it? Remember our forefathers weren't always fathers, they started out as kids too :) Determination, intervention and devotion to the future guided them on the path to their destiny. Their dream so simple, to have smooth, quiet air at tunnels across the globe, they weren't motivated by greed or profit, but by a sheer drive to share their experience with the rest of the world. Generous assistance from world-renown aerodynamicists, scientists and engineers along side of the worlds most knowledgeable bodyflyers, yielded an amazing 1/12 scale working model of the future L-1 VWT producing laminar flow. The test section of this tunnel is an extraordinary 70ft in length and is able to create a new dynamic within the industry; multi-level flight platforms on a single column of air. The designing didn't stop there either, the aesthetic beauty of an L-1 will certainly leave you without words, other than perhaps "Wow" Unlike other facilities, the only interaction you will have with the mechanical systems is to know that they are there...somewhere. It's sounds so quiet, you can carry on a cell phone conversation 25ft away from a flyer. Additionally the catch net on this tunnel was built with aerobatics in mind, built like a trapeze net, it cradles the fallen flyer safely.
Today, L-1 is a reality, built in the open air of North Carolina, it's a picturesque representation of future facilities across the globe. L-1 was also produced with the intention of reproduction, and full sales information will be made available to the general public by early spring 2004. Although you won't see any enclosures or tubes at this facility, those options are available to interested buyers.
Prospective buyers can learn more about this facility and schedule a showing by visiting Bodyflight Concepts www.bodyflightconcepts.com