2008 POPS World Record Attempt

[vegasjoe 0]

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So Kauffman got cut ALREADY??

1 F in Kaufman.
Hope you can fly better than you spell.
You should jump more. Most Organizers arent interested in how many posts you have.

[jsaxton 0]

see you Thursday?

[vegasjoe 0]

Yep.
See you Thursday 7 AM in the Bombshelter.

[vegasjoe 0]

Looks like I'm bringing my hat and spurs, I'm on the Texaas plane!!
and it will be easy on my shoulder. Don't hurt me John Winkler. :)
Same slot I had last year, just 1 wacker back...

first door on the right, follow Heather, left down Broadway, sheepdog Bob Johns, last wacker 12 oclock.
Right Trail Rocks!

[AndreLapointe 0]

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I'm bringing my hat and spurs, I'm on the Texaas plane!!..., last wacker 12 oclock.

Yep, the quick axe position!
Don't forget to duct tape the hat on!

[vegasjoe 0]

I found a purple one for $12.00 on ebay, but won't it slow down my SWOOP?

[kallend 1,623]

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I'm bringing my hat and spurs, I'm on the Texaas plane!!..., last wacker 12 oclock.

Yep, the quick axe position!
Don't forget to duct tape the hat on!

Rule #1 - don't hurt your plane captain!

...

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

[AndreLapointe 0]

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Rule #1 - don't hurt your plane captain!

No problem John
you see, I just calculate my velocity V, multiplied by mass M, over time T, add barometric pressure, angle of attack...

...and if everything goes to hell, then I just use Joe for a back stop before sliding in. Voila

[(V x M) / T]+ B, A = woohoo,...if then else 'crunch Joe'

[elltee56 0]

Andre, I thought I was the only one who used that approach.
See you tomorrow at Perris. L.T.

You are only as good as you think you are.

[Scrumpot 1]

Hey Andre - good luck.

Go get 'em guys!
Blues,
-Grant

coitus non circum - Moab Stone

[vegasjoe 0]

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Rule #1 - don't hurt your plane captain!

hell, then I just use Joe for a back stop before sliding in.

Yah, good luck with that. with any luck we will still be out of frame, when I redirect you to your slot
Now don't be tugging on my purple leg.

[Bones 0]

Well?

[kallend 1,623]

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Well?

Weather!

Only 5 jumps so far over 2 days.

Lots for beer, though.

...

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

[Scrumpot 1]

Any update? Did you guys get it?

coitus non circum - Moab Stone

[jsaxton 0]

nope, not this year, we lost a day to weather and ran out of time.

[tbrown 26]

I'm gonna throw this one out for discussion, especially from anyone who was on these jumps. At the poolside beer meltdown Sunday night, I was hearing some discussion among participants who said the formation was unecessarily complex for the number of people and too difficult to fly.

I take NO side on this issue in any way, shape or form and intend no criticism of the organizers or their planning. But since I was hearing some talk along these lines, I'd be interested to know how other participants feel about this.

Do they have a point, or is this just whining ? Joe ?

Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

[jsaxton 0]

It's basically the same formation we completed last year.
This is also the formation that P3 has been doing sucessfully at the 100way camps.

http://www.freak-brother.com/POPSRECORD/formations.html

Personally I think the reason we didn't complete is that we only got one jump on Saturday, that put us behind the curve.

[BillyVance 34]

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It's basically the same formation we completed last year.
This is also the formation that P3 has been doing sucessfully at the 100way camps.

And if I'm not mistaken, it's basically the same structure used in the 300 - 400 way world records done in Thailand.

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[gemini 0]

All the POPS regional events used the same basic formation and it is almost the same formation as last year's record.

The formation was not complex at all and is one of the more simple big way formations. There were several areas where jumpers from multiple planes merged onto their radials, but this occurs in most formations over 100 ways.

There were a lot of problems this year that could not be overcome in 10 jumps. Usually after a weather delay jumps do not go well and that certainly contributed to the problems. Next, it took 5-7 jumps before the 30-way base completed which meant that the whackers and anchors never got any practice docking until the end.

On Sunday there were numerous approach collisions on the way to the formation. On one jump there were at least three collisions that I remember. The kind of stuff that you don't expect in such volume from experienced big way jumpers.

Numerous times an incident was caused by or included a long-time experienced big way jumper who had been very consistent, and competent in the past.

Finally some of the jumpers were inexperienced big way jumpers. They had the jump numbers and years in the sport, but had not done 100-ways. Even though they were recommended, it was quickly obvious that they were missing some of the big way skills necessary for a 100+ way.

The jumps were not bad and significant progress was being made on each jump. At the end, whackers were completing although there was still a lot of movement and instability.

It was apparent to the captains as early as Friday evening that we had a very different group this year even though a large number or even a majority were on the record in 2007.

Some of the changes needed for 2009:

Big way camp and 100-way experience for all jumpers. (The days of the long-time POPS record jumper who is not current or only jump during bigways appear to be over as well.)

Format change to a four day event to build in a rain day.

Better mixing of solid, experienced jumpers with lesser experienced jumpers in all areas.

Blue skies,

Jim

[elightle 8]

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On Sunday there were numerous approach collisions on the way to the formation. On one jump there were at least three collisions that I remember.

Jim,
I hope that nobody got injured and did no more damage than flush themselves and the jumpers they bumped into. It sounds like it's the close-in flying that jumpers need to clean up. You are so right when you say that big-way jumpers need to do more than just jump during big-way events.

Finally, thank you and Carey and all the other captains for working hard on these POPS events. I am sure put in a lot of hours to pull everything together.

Blue Skies and Big Blots!
Ed Lightle

[jsaxton 0]

only one injury (landing injury on jump 1), knee injury (soft tissue).

[vegasjoe 0]

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I'm gonna throw this one out for discussion, especially from anyone who was on these jumps. At the poolside beer meltdown Sunday night, I was hearing some discussion among participants who said the formation was unecessarily complex for the number of people and too difficult to fly.

I take NO side on this issue in any way, shape or form and intend no criticism of the organizers or their planning. But since I was hearing some talk along these lines, I'd be interested to know how other participants feel about this.

Do they have a point, or is this just whining ? Joe ?

Joe says it is just whining, and wishes those whiners would have taken themselves OFF the record attempt, before wasting 50,000 of our dollars. If they were listening in the dirt dives, rather than screwing around; they would have heard the plane captains ask everyone if they had any concerns about their own ability to do the job that was asked of them. After the jumps are over is the wrong time/to late to say that you can't do it. After all, this was a serious World Record Attempt, not a boogie event.

[danornan 64]

From out in the thin air, waiting to dock, watching all of the radial being crossed, I'm surprised that there were not more collisions! Too many people were not flying straight in and there were too many cross-overs and cross-unders...... Basic stuff.

Formation was one that has been done numerous times and everyone knew where they were supposed to be weeks ahead of time. The organizers did a super job weeks before the jump, there was lots of time to make a change if you were not comfortable in your slot and there was no excuse to not perform.

Dano

[kallend 1,623]

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I'm gonna throw this one out for discussion, especially from anyone who was on these jumps. At the poolside beer meltdown Sunday night, I was hearing some discussion among participants who said the formation was unecessarily complex for the number of people and too difficult to fly.

I take NO side on this issue in any way, shape or form and intend no criticism of the organizers or their planning. But since I was hearing some talk along these lines, I'd be interested to know how other participants feel about this.

Do they have a point, or is this just whining ? Joe ?

I emailed EVERY registered jumper about 4 weeks prior to the event, pointing them to the web site with the formation diagram and slot assignments, and asking them to contact their plane captains ASAP if they had any doubts about their ability to perform in their assigned slot.

It was not a hard formation, basically a scaled up version of the successful Florida and Illinois records.

...

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