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rhys

Africa Ground launch spot.

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After being in kilimanjaro, Africa for a couple of months I had resigned myself to the fact that there is too much brush and scrub to ground launch the awesome geography there is here.

But last week...

On the way to Nairobi I found the spot in the attached photo. the whole area looks like this and is only an hour and a half away from my home. No fences and no power lines!



B|
"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

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Hi Scotty,

Just recieved the JVX.

I won't get to jump it for a while as I am the only instructor here since Nick left. The plane costs US$200 to take to altitude with a tandem and leigh on camera. so not much cheaper for just us two.

I was going to splash out on a load but decided the money would be better spent during our training session in South africa and Namibia in a couple of months.

The spot looks steep enough in reality but ui Havn't launched an 84 before! Leigh is giving it a crack with her omega too.

I'm just grabbing our helmets and my Alti (to check the hills altitude top and bottom).

let y'all know how it goes later!
"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

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Hi scotty,

Oh the pack volume.

It packs like a 129 or something. If you look at kras' vector 3(same as mine) an 84 hybrid (top skin only) will fill that snug!
"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

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Feed back!

I couldn't get leighs little ixus camera to take a good photo, turns out it was on macro! so sorry about the lack of photogrpahic evidence!

I have video but too big to attach.

I ended up using the JVX as it worked great! I was having trouble kiting it at first because of the steep trim, It kept surging forward and frontal collapsing. but with a little input on the rear risers it was kiting smooth. When I took off I was amazed at the lift created by the small 84' canopy.

I used to pull the front risers at the very beginning of my flight with the crossfire to get the penetration for the take off. but the Jvx just wants to be there!

The flight was amazing. I instantly got the lift needed to surge into full drive and had plenty of range so I could start carving the slope. there must have been between 8-15 knots not gusty but not consistant. The wind is convective i'm pretty sure because on the other side of the hill (a few k's away) the wind was blowing the other way. The base of the hill is at 5000' asl and the top about 6000' a good flight with a 20 min hike!

I only did 4 launches because I was helping Leigh. she had 3 flights from halfway up the hill. Next week we will do 6.

good fitness!

This is a fast canopy I can't wait to jump it, that will be in 2 months though so I will be GL'ing it every week until then.

We didn't get many photos as we were to busy having fun. But next sunday we will bring the good cameras and camera helmets etc. and get some awesome footage.

Cheers,

Rhys
"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

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our training session in South africa and Namibia in a couple of months.



Where are you training bro? You coming to visit us at JSC? (Johannesburg Skydiving Club) Nice one on the GL spot too, damn!

B|

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>I would love to see your footage you should put it on skydivingmovies.com.


We were too busy having fun to get footage last week. This week we are going to head up there on saturday arvo and spend the night for a full day on sunday.

I will get as much footage as i can and make a nice wee vid on Imovie. then post it on skydiving movies.

I've never done that before but how hard could it be?
"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

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Will see you at JSC in april.

Can't wait to see the pond!B|



Nice one! B| Just FYI, Canopy piloting Nationals are from 6-9 April at JSC and the rest of Nationals - Freefly and FS take place at Wonderboom in PTA from 25 April to 1 May, meaning the porter will not be at JSC but at Wonderboom for those dates (25th - 1st).

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It is interesting that whenever you go groundlaunching you are not garanteed to fly your canopy but you are always garanteed an adventure.

we got to 'the spot' and the wind was all wrong. we drove to the other side of the hill and had a wee play but the conditions and slope(landing area) were less than ideal.

In africa people like to make problems in order to obtain money out of you. The area we are launching is a Masai area and fortunately for us we employ a Masai to guard our home and I am also teaching him to pack the tandems.

A guy came up to us and said we have to go to the office. I diplomaticly told him we will go to the office and do things properly. Leigh was already half way up the hill so i went up to retrieve her. the wind was all wrong anyway.

We drove to the nearest settlement and stopped at a small shop constructed of wooden logs wrapped in sacks selling single cigarettes and newspapers. The guy there spoke no english. but with my limited Swahili I could understand what he had to say.

I asked where the office was and he said "downstairs" :D:S we were standing on a dusty dirt area with no signifcant buildings to be seen.

we jumped in our van and drove 100 metres 'down' the road.

waiting for us was the so called 'village chief executive officer' and the office was the side of the road, I smelled a rat.

He asked us what were were doing and why we were there without permission.

I have to add; the area is a masai area and we asked our guard to ask the local Masai if it was O.K. to fly there. and they were all very happy to have us there. we were there for the second time, the last time we were there all the children were very thirsty so this time we brought 80litres of clean drinking water with us. we like to respect our site and the people from there.

I told the man that we asked the locals and they were fime with it. There is no office and no sign for any such office and we appologise for overstepping our boundaries.

He then told us that we could leave but our guard had to remain with them (there were about 10 of these people by this stage)and will be taken to the police. I asked him what he had done wrong and he said "you do not know the laws of tanzania so you are free, your masai does know the laws and he will pay for breaking them.

I knew he was false and wanted to do something with our poor guard, if he wanted money he would have detained us!

I said my guard is my responsibilty, we bought him here and we are responasable. please get in the vabn and we will immediately go to the closest police station to sort this out properly not on the side of the road.

He began to sweat and told us to leave, with our guard.

we then went to Pashas (our guards) home which is a small family settlement made from cow excrement and sticks. but quite comfortable, we did sleep in our van though;)

http://www.on-the-matrix.com/africa/masai_people.asp


the moral of the story is that you never know what will happen when you go groundlaunching, be careful and be educated on the ownership of the land in question.
"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

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Funny story :D:D:D you describe it very well, you almost feel like being there.

It's very far from the everyday problems we encounter here en little Denmark on a rainy and cold wintersday.

Be careful out there, you won't like the Masai people to see you as a lion, who's trespassing their grounds;)

Peter

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