I'm on the CANADA TEAM! + Updates of Guy Wright Bigway camp

[wildWilly 0]

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Its a record! 59-way out of 59 planned!

Massive cheering going on in this room!

Just got home and I'm happy to see you had so much fun and learned lots from Guy. I was on the record jumps and it was great to see the support team working just as hard as we were. We couldn't have got the record without the support team as some replacements were needed. It truly was a team effort and everyone on the record jumps was glad you and the rest of the team were there to cheer us on and fill in when needed.
Many thanks to Guy Wright, plane captains TK Hayes, Jeff Gemmell and Bruce Robertson(right trail rocks), Mike and Tara Pitt(DZOs) who went to all the effort of putting this event together and making it the best event yet this year.It's a really cool sight to see three twin otters spinning up to pick us all up and going to 16,500' We all learned from this event and that will make it bigger and better next time.
Mark, keep jumping and gaining skills and if you stay with it I'm sure you'll be on the next one.
It's hard for a lot of jumpers to get to an event like this, as it's a big country and we had people from out west, out east, and all points in between.
I met lots of new people and lots of people I hadn't seen since the last record in 2004. Everyone was great and a great time was had by all.
Now I'm looking forward to the Canadian Head Down record attempts at the end of July. So all you Canadian free flyers come on out for a new record and a great DZ and an awesome time.

Willy

growing old is inevitable, growing up is optional.

[packerboy 3]

Don't forget the packers. Skydive Burnaby has some kickass packers. They were packing for alot of the bigway jumpers and also pulled off quite a few tandems and video guys as well as some random lazy people.

Cheri (sp?) had hundreds of packjobs and rigging on the go as well as a few reserves.

Their board where they were keeping track of their packjobs was outragous!

Awesome job guys and gals!

BTW that MASSIVE swoop pond is going to be killer when it is done!

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In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. ~ Thomas Jefferson

[mdrejhon 8]

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BTW that MASSIVE swoop pond is going to be killer when it is done!

I had a chance to try it by accident
Not in the way you think -- just a standard traditional left hand landing patturn -- I had to land on the dry dirt bottom of this swoop pond under construction. Plenty big light brown landing field at the moment - I mistook it as a farm field (neatly dug, but not lined or filled yet) until I realized I landed in the swoop pond! During the bigways, the entire DZ and adjacent farm fields are fair game landing areas, and I was avoiding dense canopy traffic at the time.

[squink 0]

Cheri (sp?) had hundreds of packjobs and rigging on the go as well as a few reserves.

BTW that MASSIVE swoop pond is going to be killer when it is done!

[squink 0]

Mark, it was incredible to meet you. I think the conversation I had with you on Friday night was the most unique one I've ever had. I didn't realize you were jumping Sheri's gear on that load we were on together, she's really great about helping people out.

Congratulations on being a part of the record this week-end. What an amazing week-end, even for me b/c I've NEVER seen that many people at my DZ. I met some incredible people and had a blast. Hopefully I can come out your way sometime and do a jump with you. I hope your allergies have calmed down a bit!

...the door was open

SKYDIVERGIRLS.COM

[rredman 0]

Hey Guys,

I was flying camera for the record, and Sheri packed my rig for the whole time, and I had awesome openings, and talk about quick... I only missed part of one dirt dive because one of my team's rigs wasn't quite packed in time (we were running pretty tight on that one), and I waited for it.

Sheri, you rock! And the whole team of packers were great! Thank you all.

The whole staff at Skydive Burnaby were great with us all week, everyone was friendly and helpful, and all of us learned a lot.

Bigways are a huge team effort, and I can say this success was due to a great team effort!

Special thanks go out to Guy, Bruce, TK and Jeff for all the great work organizing and coaching. Also, Tara and Mike for hosting the event. What a great facility (and the wiew isn't bad either).

And one special one to Mark, for helping me learn how to fly camera on a big way! It's a lot harder than it looks! Thanks buddy!

[mdrejhon 8]

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and the wiew isn't bad either

Very nice lake view on the jump run!

GREAT VIEW! Most of the jump runs were flying almost exactly over the beach of Lake Erie with the wind blowing strongly inwards. That meant the jump door view pointed south, with a lake view (Lake Erie). Lake as far as I can see, down, up, left, and right, blending into the sky, with no land in view unless poked my head out and looked straight down to see the beach. It almost looks like we're jumping into the water, where we're not - with the winds blowing us into the dropzone a few KM's away from the lake.

On one bigway jump that was on a bad spot... I was definitely tempted to land on the sandy beach on an out landing - I could easily overlay a crosswind landing pattern onto the beach from where I was at 2000 feet. (I was tracking for 10 seconds TOWARDS the lake after one of the bigways on a jumprun that started slightly too far upwind -- resulting in the beach being very well within reach of landing on!). Instead, I landed in a farm field about 1 kilometer away from the lake, with a cluster of other jumpers, for easy pickup. The chase crew is amazingly fast -- they can identify which farm field the out landers land on, from several kilometers away!

[wmw999 2,370]

This is a really great set of reports of a bigway event from yet another (and very positive) perspective. Thanks for posting it.

In the long run, once you find the common languages, and know which questions are critical, and which ones have "standard" answers (not that anything is standard), being deaf is not likely to hinder you from being asked on events if your skills are there.

Ask John Woo, Billy Vance, et. al.

Wendy W.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[mirage62 0]

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Which is why people who can't track well should NOT be part of the outside group. If the 1st wave is doing its job, the 2nd wave shouldn't be able to catch them. IMO, any situation where the 2nd wave catches the first is 100% the fault of the 1st wave.

John all b.s. aside I am surprised to read the above. Your a great tracker, but you and I both know better trackers. Many times I have had to slow my track to keep from catching people from behind but because of my errrrr gerth I'm generally a mid-diver. Does that mean I need to move back in the formation or move up to the base?

Kevin Keenan is my hero, a double FUP, he does so much with so little

[kallend 1,920]

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Which is why people who can't track well should NOT be part of the outside group. If the 1st wave is doing its job, the 2nd wave shouldn't be able to catch them. IMO, any situation where the 2nd wave catches the first is 100% the fault of the 1st wave.

John all b.s. aside I am surprised to read the above. Your a great tracker, but you and I both know better trackers. Many times I have had to slow my track to keep from catching people from behind but because of my errrrr gerth I'm generally a mid-diver. Does that mean I need to move back in the formation or move up to the base?

Fortson, if you can catch someone who has a 5 second start on you, I think they should not be outside you to begin with. In fact, if YOU can catch them, they should not be on the big way to begin with. Track like your life depends on it.

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The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[livnbored 0]

I had a great time everyone. My wrists still hurt and I woke up with puffy fingers, but the good news is that I think the Toronto Star is going to publish something... what I don't know. Ross is getting paid for his first photograph so he owes BEER!!!!!
Woohoo for the 59 way!!

[mdrejhon 8]

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I had a great time everyone. My wrists still hurt and I woke up with puffy fingers, but the good news is that I think the Toronto Star is going to publish something... what I don't know. Ross is getting paid for his first photograph so he owes BEER!!!!!
Woohoo for the 59 way!!

Sheri! Thank you very much for lending me your rig when we all decided my rig should stay on the ground (stretched grommet - snag hazard)

[livnbored 0]

glad to do it

[rredman 0]

Sheri is getting paid for her first published article, so she owes BEER too So next year... 80way, 100way?

[yjumpinoz 0]

Tracking off is about being part of the team and saving yourself. You have to be disciplined in the way you track. Its just like the people who think that putting the power swoop on the formation and passing several people on the way. Sure they are fast but they cause more danger for the team. Most bigger ways use tracking teams anyway. If you can't stay within your team for the designated time, then you don't belong.

[kallend 1,920]

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Tracking off is about being part of the team and saving yourself. You have to be disciplined in the way you track. Its just like the people who think that putting the power swoop on the formation and passing several people on the way. Sure they are fast but they cause more danger for the team. Most bigger ways use tracking teams anyway. If you can't stay within your team for the designated time, then you don't belong.

If you can't keep up with your team you don't belong. If you are so slow the team behind catches you, you don't belong. You don't maximize separation by tracking so slowly that it makes those behind you and those behind them slow down. A poor tracker on the outside creates a separation problem that propagates right back to the base.

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The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[yjumpinoz 0]

True that everyone should have tracking skills, but you also must be able to stay within a group for a certain time and then turn the jets on. Not just take off from your team leader. Why have tracking teams if you just blast off? I am more concerned about those that take right off in a steep dive and feel it necessary to open under people.

[mirage62 0]

John, John, John step away from the chalk dust.....

You track to the lowest common denominator -or- to the speed of the slowest tracker. John Appleton (sp?) seem to track up hill and I bet he would have past you easily. (not trying to be insulting you know how good he was) Soooo that would mean that you should have been (always) behind him. My point is that seperation is the issue and I will give you reasonable speed.

Besides your just saying this to promote keeping your skinny ass on the outside. Don't worry about it, you'd get to scared to function in the middle

love

fr

Kevin Keenan is my hero, a double FUP, he does so much with so little

[kallend 1,920]

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John, John, John step away from the chalk dust.....

You track to the lowest common denominator -or- to the speed of the slowest tracker. John Appleton (sp?) seem to track up hill and I bet he would have past you easily. (not trying to be insulting you know how good he was) Soooo that would mean that you should have been (always) behind him. My point is that seperation is the issue and I will give you reasonable speed.

IMO the lowest common denominator shouldn't be on the outside.

John Appleton could indeed outtrack me, but he wouldn't have caught me if I had a 5 second head start on him.

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Besides your just saying this to promote keeping your skinny ass on the outside. Don't worry about it, you'd get to scared to function in the middle

No argument there! The middle is one scary place.

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love

fr

xxxxx

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The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[kallend 1,920]

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T am more concerned about those that take right off in a steep dive and feel it necessary to open under people.

That too!

And it's not like tracking is a hard skill to learn.

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[livnbored 0]

It's in the sports section of today's Toronto Star... They didn't publish the article, but I'm still getting paid. And, the photo is huge and in colour!!!
sweet...!!!!!!!!!!!

[packerboy 3]

I'm on the way to buy it right now! Congrats on being paid, thats awesome! Thanks for taking care of Mark and lending him your rig. (I'm the guy that brought him to you)

Awesome weekend... what was your total for packjobs anyway? I heard you also did Fuzzy's reserve for him... man that guy needs to quit packing for himself!

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In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. ~ Thomas Jefferson

[mdrejhon 8]

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T am more concerned about those that take right off in a steep dive and feel it necessary to open under people.

I was never 'directly under' -- just that I needed to be sure I was really clear of people before I opened.

I'm still audible-less, but bigways are starting to require or strongly recommend one. As a deaf guy, I'm seriously considering getting an L&B Optima with flashing LED alarm. At 30-ways and bigger, it's starting to feel like one is becoming a requirement for bigways.

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[kallend 1,920]

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T am more concerned about those that take right off in a steep dive and feel it necessary to open under people.

I was never 'directly under' -- just that I needed to be sure I was really clear of people before I opened.

I'm still audible-less, but bigways are starting to require or strongly recommend one. As a deaf guy, I'm seriously considering getting an L&B Optima with flashing LED alarm. At 30-ways and bigger, it's starting to feel like one is becoming a requirement for bigways.

Mark, have you asked John Woo? He's been on a bunch of big ways and he's deaf too. www.deafskydivers.org/Profiles/JohnWoo/JohnWoo.html

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The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

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[DeNReN 0]

Fuzzy can pack?

He kept offering to pay me to pack for him recently....and Im just learning to propack