Mr. Bill Dive

[raiderscott 0]

Looking for info on how to do a Mr. Bill Dive
Thanx

[Kris 0]

Mr. Bill's ROCK! There are a lot of things that you have to be aware of though and watch out for.
The DZO at my dropzone (Oklahoma Skydiving Center) is Mike Palmer, also known as Mr. Bill #1 and one of the first (if not THE first) to actually land a Mr. Bill. Here are some of his words of wisdom...
1. Do not use carabiner's or any type of strap to connect yourself to the other jumper. It's dangerous and does not count as a Mr. Bill.
1A. You should both have hook knives!
2. Pack the canopy for a SLOW opening. Think Spectre slow and then add a couple of hundred feet.
3. Mr. Bill (The passenger) should be facing Sluggo (the other jumper) with grips on the mud-flaps and with legs locked around Sluggo. Sluggo is holding all the weight here...
4. Get as deep a cut in the airspeed as you can. If you can con someone into IAD'ing you out of the aircraft, take it. You want to deploy before building up any real speed.
5. Mr. Bill, hang on like you're clutching the last lift-ticket on the planet.
If all goes well you should both be under the same parachute now. If not, Mr. Bill is in freefall and Sluggo has a long canopy ride ahead.
If you pull it off, Sluggo should bring his legs up so that Mr. Bill can use it for a step. Mr. Bill should be trying to climb up Sluggo so that he can eventually sit on the slider.
WATCH THY ALTITUDE!!! It will go fast. Around 3000AGL or higher, Sluggo should flare the hell out of the canopy to stop it, letting Mr. Bill falls off into the windless abyss.
If ou need anything else answered, don't be shy, give Mike a call at 918-225-2222. He'll be more than happy to let you know what you need to pull it off safely.
Kris

[slotperfect 7]

On my one and only Mr. Bill, I indeed packed for a REALLY slow opening. We launched a 2-way line (side-by-side) from the Otter, with me (Sluggo) in front. We semi-funneled it on purpose, so the rear floater (Bill) folded into me on exit, He had a left hand grip on my chest strap on exit, and gripped the same with the other hand after the semi-funnel. He also wrapped his legs around mine and held on. We chose not to use the arms behind the main lift webs grip in case we had a hard opening - didn't want him to injure and arm. We planned for emergencies; the action for each was for him (Bill) to let go. In case of a tumbled exit or main canopy malfunction I planned to tap him on top of the head signalling him to release. All worked like a charm. Have fun, and be careful.
Respectfully,
SP

[cobaltdan 0]

i watched marcus (pier1) do a mr bill. they had someone hold their pilot and static line them out of the plane.
the person holding the pilot did not hold on that tight and the guys tumbled on exit.
we all watched as they fell out of sight with the bridal wrapped around both of them twice.
they got out of it (eventually) but it was enough to make me question the wisdom of the stunt.
sincerely,
dan
atair

[bwilling 0]

Many years ago my original jumpmaster made a mr. bill jump, and actually wrapped his arm inside "sluggo's" harness so he could hold on...
woulda' worked too, if it hadn't snapped his arm like a toothpick... nothing like regaining consciousness in freefall...
be careful!

[raiderscott 0]

Did my first two Mr. Bill Dives on 8-11-01, both as Slugo and Mr. Bill. Both went very perfect, However, at 11000 feet you get tired real fast.
Super fun
Make sure one jumper has video!

[Aviatrr 0]

I have never pulled off a Mr Bill - tried it once.. I was Mr Bill, and Slugo was supposed to pitch his PC right out the door.. We were perfectly stable, but for some reason he delayed.. We had briefed prior to the jump that if it went beyond 3 seconds after exit, we would abandon the Mr Bill and just turn it into a Horny Gorilla.. After nearly 10 seconds, I saw him reach for his hackey - and I bailed.. Sure enough, he pitched....and I stayed on my back waving to him for a few thousand feet(he pitched at about 8k after a 9k exit).. Hell, I was damn near re-packed by the time he got down..
Next time I jump with a good friend of mine, we're gonna try a Mr Bill on his canopy.. He's jumping an Extreme VX that he loads at 2.2 - and it will be loaded about 4.5 with both of us.. Mike

[Kris 0]

Heh... If you want to hear something really scary, Luigi Cani has successfully landed his Icarus Extreme with a 4.7:1 wing loading. Damn, 1.36:1 is enough for me right now.
Have fun with your next Mr. Bill attempt. Glad to hear that you were keeping your eye on "Sluggo" during the last attempt. :)
Kris

[mountainman 0]

Quote

Luigi Cani has successfully landed his Icarus Extreme with a 4.7:1 wing loading

Who is this guy?? I've heard about him and stuff, but have never seen him (pictures) before. Anyone have info about him or maybe a website??--------------
Check out our all-new website!

[Geoff 0]

Try http://www.icaruscanopies.com/canopies/EXTreme_VX/EXTremeVX46.htm
and
http://www.icaruscanopies.com/multimedia/
There are some really scary video clips on there!
Geoff

[mountainman 0]

Thanks for the links Geoff!!
Some of that canopy flight is INSANE!!! However, I only have 16 jumps, so that is understandable. But, damn.......Anymore links would be greatly appreciated!!
--------------
Check out our all-new website!

[cobaltdan 0]

typo?
4.7 i think you might mean 3.7 (i was told 3.6)
lougi's exit weight is about 160# for a 4.7 on a 46' canopy he would have to wear #60 of weights.
sincerely,
dan
atair

[DZBone 0]

Quote

for a 4.7 on a 46' canopy he would have to wear #60 of weights.

From what I've heard, that's exactly the weights he wore for some tests.

[skymedic 0]

from what I heard he didn't land it when he was weighted that heavy...
Marc
Because I fly, I envy no man on earth

[billvon 2,922]

>4. Get as deep a cut in the airspeed as you can. If you can con someone into IAD'ing you out of the aircraft, take it. You want to deploy before building up any real speed.
Do NOT do this unless the IAD 'jumpmaster' knows what he's doing! We had a very nasty accident (broken femur, blown up main) from someone hanging onto the PC for just a little too long.
-bill von

[freeflir29 0]

While this does sort of sound cool, it just seems a little stupid. If I want a "windless abyss" jump I'll find a ballon or go to Angel Falls.
"I used to know a girl...She had two pirced nipples and a black tattoo"-Everclear
Clay

[spectre230 0]

[freeflir29 0]

"You have got to try it clay,it is a blast."
Well...maybe with a Vector tandem rig I would consider it. It's just the getting the first chute open properly with no entanglement that scares me.
"I used to know a girl...She had two pirced nipples and a black tattoo"-Everclear
Clay

[chicagoskydiver 0]

This is going to sound like a dumb question, but I still don't know what a horny gorilla is. I've seen a mister bill attempt, but never a horny gorilla. What is it?
Hackey

[xAer0 0]

Well if I'm not mistaken, a horny gorilla is a star formation , (4-way and 8-way usually?) in which you all lock legs and start spinning it...it is a very fast falling formation, and the spin is quite radical...in other words...great fun:)
Anyone who can explain better or correct me, please do so.
Don't pull low, unless you are afraid of heights!
Tefkros

[Aviatrr 0]

Quote

Heh... If you want to hear something really scary, Luigi Cani has successfully landed his Icarus Extreme with a 4.7:1 wing loading. Damn, 1.36:1 is enough for me right now.

SUPPOSEDLY, as I have heard through the grapevine anyways, Luigi has done a tandem with a VX119 loaded close to 5:1.. I don't know if there is really any truth to this or not, but it came from a regular at Perris/Elsinore who claims to have witnessed the landing..
It scares the hell outa me just watching my buddy fly his VX at around 2.2... I normally load around 1.5 or so, but have gone as high as about 1.65.. My next canopy will be around 1.6.. Luigi is just nuts landing that damn thing loaded over 4:1..
Mike

[billvon 2,922]

To do a simple horny gorilla:
Do a 4-way round. Take high grips. On the key, everyone kicks their legs into the center and locks them. Everyone is now in a sit with arm grips. Let go, lean back, and you have four people on their backs. Beat your chest and yell if desired (to go with the name, of course.)
Dangers:
You will be falling faster, so you can't rely on time as much. A chest mount altimeter will read high. There is a good chance you'll get kicked at some point, so a full face might be a good idea. Make sure your bridle/pin covers can handle the sit position and higher speeds (usually no problem with a rig that's OK for freefly.)
-bill von

[Hazarrd 1]

I am thinking about doing a Mr. Bill but wanted to make sure that there won't be too much weight under the canopy (i.e. not cause a cell blowout or line snap) I am loading the Sabre2 170 at about 1.1 and the other passenger weighs about 160. Any comments appreciated. Thanks.

.-.

[winsor 235]

Quote

I am thinking about doing a Mr. Bill but wanted to make sure that there won't be too much weight under the canopy (i.e. not cause a cell blowout or line snap) I am loading the Sabre2 170 at about 1.1 and the other passenger weighs about 160. Any comments appreciated. Thanks.

A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. You will note that the number and type of lines is the same in both a Sabre 107 and a 230, and the line attachment points are of identical material and construction.

Your main concern is not equipment failure, since the rig will generally stand greater stresses than will the jumper. If you're opening hard enough to risk split cells or broken lines, Mr. Bill is going to be one unhappy camper (not so bad for Sluggo).

Get as slow as you can at exit, and pitch as soon as you're clear of the aircraft.


Blue skies,

Winsor

[johnny1488 1]

I did one under a xfire2 169 loaded at 2.33 and it opened and flew great! All you need is a stable exit and a real fast pitch.

Johnny
--"This ain't no book club, we're all gonna die!"
Mike Rome