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IslandGuy

Flock ‘n Dock 3.0 Z-Hills Mar30-Apr1

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Don't let Omar enourage you ... he's got an irrational fear of flocks. Come play with us, you'll like it.

BTW, for anyone that hasn't jumped at Z-Hills in awhile you can speed up your check-in by filling out the waiver ahead of time.

http://www.skydivecity.com/html/experienced/SkydiveCityCheck-InInformation.htm



Sooooo wish I could be there this year...you guys KICK ASS!!! See ya on a future Flock n Dock ;) This year is dedicated to CRW events and in between I'll be doing video editing...so after 2007, things will be a bit different perhaps..
Best of everything to my lovie birdies...flock your asses off and make ém big...can't wait to see Matt's great videos afterwardsB|





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A last-minute FYI regarding camera flying and the event video:

Last year's event video included footage from 10 different cameras, both inside and outside the flock. If you have a camera on your head and would like to contribute footage for the event video, please shoot in 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio. All the locals shoot 16:9, I shoot 16:9, and the final video edit will be done in 16:9. Even the oldest PC cameras can do this, if you don't know how please ask me on the DZ.

Also, last year it took almost an entire month to receive tapes in the mail from everybody, and that affected how long it took to get the video out. If you plan to mail a tape, please do it quickly after the event, that way I can turn the video around faster. Even better, get me a tape at the event or firewire straight to me (though I will not have time to connect to everybody's cameras one by one so maybe you can team up and create dupe tapes with a buddy, or maybe we can create a firewire station somehow).

Those flying outside camera on the bigways will coordinate with me on each dive; we don't need more than a few, and as Scott said we don't need 3 camera flyers backflying under the formation and colliding. We will have at least one dedicated, stable, centered top debrief video perspective on every bigway jump.

Two more days! B|
www.WingsuitPhotos.com

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Two more days! B|



NOT- we're flocking right now.B| (Except for the lightweights that drank too much and stayed up too late Monday and had to take Tuesday off and recover over at Busch Gardens).:o

I got there at 5p and still got 3 flocks in.

Larry popped the cherry of his brand new Mach 1 and he smoked it.

Jason and Lurch got there and we chased Jeff around on his back in a loose diamond. Lurch kind of acted like he was reborn which leads me to believe he hadn't been in a wingsuit for a while. Long NH winter??

Then there was the sunset scrambles. :)
And, did I mention how cool it was to watch 170+ people unload from a formation of 8 Otters? The sound and sight of all that multi-colored nylon in motion was quite a spectacle.

Hopefully I'll see you all there again today.

-Mike
Play like your life depends on it.

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Then there was the sunset scrambles. Smile Ya, Jeff and Chuck pooped it and we chased them. Enjoyed watching their antics in the double blind-man base formation and the sunset



No clue what type of dive you're talking about?

But it sounds like 2 people being all over the sky on their backs, playing with each other with a bunch of people wanting build a flock darting all over the sky trying to stay with them?

Sorry if I sometimes get lost in all the hip pooping lingo..:P;)
JC
FlyLikeBrick
I'm an Athlete?

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Then there was the sunset scrambles. Smile Ya, Jeff and Chuck pooped it and we chased them. Enjoyed watching their antics in the double blind-man base formation and the sunset



No clue what type of dive you're talking about?

But it sounds like 2 people being all over the sky on their backs, playing with each other with a bunch of people wanting build a flock darting all over the sky trying to stay with them?

Sorry if I sometimes get lost in all the hip pooping lingo..:P;)



You got it right except for the darting part - no darting. We did pretty good staying on them in a loose vertical V but they weren't making it easy. :)
Sunset loads tend to be very relaxed here. Since the sets are usually so beautiful, we set them up so nobody has to work too hard and you can divide your attention between flying and checking out the beauty. The flight path is typically set to give us a good view to the west. It's just a great way to transition from an awesome day of flocking to a cold beer.B|
Play like your life depends on it.

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we set them up so nobody has to work too hard and you can divide your attention between flying and checking out the beauty.



I understand that part, but I usually dont have time to check out the surroundings or sunset when Im chasing people...wouldnt a steady and predictable flying base do a much better (safer) job at that?

This game of backflying tag sounds like something for a 2way, with a not 100% predictable flight-path.
Exactly the kind of situation that could lead to someone loosing the base while 'watching the sunset' and repeating the dangerous incident that was talked and discussed soo much the last week..?
JC
FlyLikeBrick
I'm an Athlete?

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we set them up so nobody has to work too hard and you can divide your attention between flying and checking out the beauty.



I understand that part, but I usually dont have time to check out the surroundings or sunset when Im chasing people...wouldnt a steady and predictable flying base do a much better (safer) job at that?

This game of backflying tag sounds like something for a 2way, with a not 100% predictable flight-path.
Exactly the kind of situation that could lead to someone loosing the base while 'watching the sunset' and repeating the dangerous incident that was talked and discussed soo much the last week..?



Ya, it might have been better if they were on their bellies, but I'm not sure about safer. They can fly on their back better than a lot of birds can on their bellies. Plus, they were not looking at the sunset, they were looking up at us so I don't think they would have let anyone fly into them. Plus, in a loose V formation, you don't have anyone right next to you or above/below you - more room to maneuver.

Navigating at that time of day is no problem because you know where the sun is at by looking at the shadows and you can use that as a compass to fly a predictable flight path - especially since the winds were so light. And, I was the designated lookout to make sure that we didn't stray to far from home.

It may have been sloppy, but everyone was there and it was safe and it was fun.
Play like your life depends on it.

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Ya, it might have been better if they were on their bellies, but I'm not sure about safer. They can fly on their back better than a lot of birds can on their bellies. Plus, they were not looking at the sunset, they were looking up at us



But they where not looking at the direction in which they where flying.
By what you sayd about double blindman/tag they seemed to be more busy with their 2 way, then watching the other people..

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Plus, in a loose V formation, you don't have anyone right next to you or above/below you



Its not the people IN the formation you have to worry about...

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Navigating at that time of day is no problem because you know where the sun is at by looking at the shadowsand you can use that as a compass to fly a predictable flight path



With rear-view mirrors?
I thought the base was backflying?
They are the ones navigating right?

I understand navigation on my back based on the direction of sunlight, but backflying its definately not shadows on the ground you're watching.

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And, I was the designated lookout to make sure that we didn't stray to far from home.



Then I do hope the base was paying attention to you, as your earlier words indicated you guys where chasing, with the base just doing its own thing..

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It may have been sloppy, but everyone was there and it was safe and it was fun.



There's a big difference between a jump that went safe, and a jump that is safe;)

Its your own description in your initial post that made me ask about the safety.
Please understand that Im in no way condemning anything here.

Im just trying to understand excactly what you are describing here, as it doesn't seem to be quite in accordance with all the 'lets be safe and never let this happen again' stuff from last week.

Be safe...do as I say...dont do as I do
;)

JC
FlyLikeBrick
I'm an Athlete?

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OK, one last post - I need to get my work done so I can go jump. Every minute I spend posting is another minute I'm not flocking.[:/]
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But they where not looking at the direction in which they where flying.
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Yup - not possible on back with current technology. ;)
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By what you sayd about double blindman/tag they seemed to be more busy with their 2 way, then watching the other people..
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Actually, they were doing both, at least that's what the videos show. But it's their eyes, so I can't say exactly what they were looking at.
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Its not the people IN the formation you have to worry about...
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Sometimes true. I've been hit real hard by birds that started out less than 15 feet away from me. A simple burble will make that happen. But you are right in that it is the guy that is out there lost or trying to get back in that is going to take you out big time. That type of situation is something you have little control over - best you can do is flock with birds you know and trust.
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With rear-view mirrors?
I thought the base was backflying?
They are the ones navigating right?

I understand navigation on my back based on the direction of sunlight, but backflying its definately not shadows on the ground you're watching.
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I didn't mean the shadows on the ground. I don't know if you can even see them from altitude. Rather, I meant the shadows on the flockers themselves. It's pretty natural for me to look at an illuminated object(s) and tell the direction of the source of the light.
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Then I do hope the base was paying attention to you, as your earlier words indicated you guys where chasing, with the base just doing its own thing..
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Ya, they were. And if not, I have ways to comunicate.:ph34r: I'm not walking home.
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There's a big difference between a jump that went safe, and a jump that is safe
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Agreed. I don’t do things (especially twice) that I think have a statistically significant chance of hurting or killing people, especially myself. Would I do that dive again? Yes.

Just because you don’t understand my poor, and sometimes joking, explanation of what I saw, doesn’t make it unsafe.

When you join us for some flocking some day, if you care, we’ll do it again and you can make your own decision as to the degree of safety.

And, sorry about the lines and bars above, haven't got the hang of doing the quote/reply thing yet. [:/]

Hope to flock with you someday! B|
Play like your life depends on it.

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I recall an assload of off airport landings due to the back flyer "navigating". To me, the ones on their bellies should navigate for the back flyers just like tracking dives. The one on top can see...and it takes very little effort to flap one arm to indicate direction...and if you don't turn, you'll see me leave and head for home!:P

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When you join us for some flocking some day, if you care, we’ll do it again and you can make your own decision as to the degree of safety.



Id gladly take you up on that one (the invitation to join you)

It was mostly the wording in your post that sparked my nazi-questionaire;)

Being bored in the office while the sun is shining outside, and you guys being out there jumping/envy had nothing to do with it;)
JC
FlyLikeBrick
I'm an Athlete?

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