Pendragon 1 #26 November 10, 2008 Quote With so many f**ckers f**cking on the West Coast, the skies on the East Coast look delightfully clear. From above, I can see for miles and miles without seeing two or more men holding their hands and winking at each other. Even L/D seems to be better - with air undisturbed by horrendous burbles behind bodies in expensive mattre$$es plummeting to Earth at higher vertical speeds than horizontal, the airflow seems to be fully laminar, almost attached to every dimple on my body! I love f**cking world records! Yuri Brilliant! -- BASE #1182 Muff #3573 PFI #52; UK WSI #13 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mccordia 73 #27 November 10, 2008 All the ground/dirtdive pix are cool beans, but sky-pix! The 71 ways with only few people out! Us pixel-pushing-cubicle-dwellers need that stuff to survive the working day! My weekend was a solo from a C172 from 6000ft! Come on..throw the kid a bone here JC FlyLikeBrick I'm an Athlete? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shropshire 0 #28 November 10, 2008 Fantastic!!! fantastic photos, fantastic thread (.)Y(.) Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SuperGirl 0 #29 November 10, 2008 Quote All the ground/dirtdive pix are cool beans, but sky-pix! hey, he did show us some aerial video... which was really bad ass by the way! you guys are looking good, can't wait to see the stuff at the end of today. show me a solid 71way!!!!! Quote Us pixel-pushing-cubicle-dwellers need that stuff to survive the working day! so true, man, so true Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mccordia 73 #30 November 10, 2008 Quote hey, he did show us some aerial video... Didnt find it straight away..the direct link would have helped.. Rock on!Any chance at a video from monday (a shit..the time-difference thingy..probably still jumping)JC FlyLikeBrick I'm an Athlete? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pierre3636 0 #31 November 11, 2008 its a pretty tight schedule over here - early nights and mornings. we started doing the 4 groups/planes together from today and already looking at mathoover.com's shots over the clouds we are getting there, already whatever slot specific record was out there is shattered by multiple slots, the skill level around is insane....im pretty confident we can get to the number. fingers crossed ~ time is ~ time was ~ times past ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DSE 3 #32 November 11, 2008 Monday, November 10, 2008 Frosty breath and a late sunrise marked the start of this day. Today would be the first opportunity to put all four aircraft into the air loaded with would-be world record holders. Ed Pawlowski walked around the field, bullhorn in hand not unlike a major issuing general’s orders. The first jump went very, very well. But not good enough. Not many people fit perfectly into their slot as assigned by the grid system, although the formation was indeed, a beautiful sight. The formation really breathes a lot. By the time it’s 250 feet across, the wedge has taken on a life of its own. Flying a large wingsuit formation from this one is significantly different than other forms of relative work; there are no grips, forward and downward speed have to be perfectly timed, and there is the additional component of bumpy air that most skydivers only experience when under canopy. Today…the air was very bumpy. And we got bumped. Hard. A lot. We also reset the deployment altitudes this morning with the leading edge wings deploying at 2500’, the second row deploying at 3000’, and the third row deploying at 3500’. This added quite a bit of depth to the already fairly spread group of wingsuit pilots. Jumps two and three of the day were also very good, but not quite up to the bar as set by our fearless leaderJeff Nebelkopf). Think of the old MacDonalds commercial, it’ll make more sense. It was absolutely hilarious hearing 70 skydivers sing out “Jeff Nebelkopf when a couple skydivers were playing around with the old MacDonald’s commercial “Ba dabuh-Ba -buh….” By the third skydive, it was nearly noon, and the group was visibly tired from the early start and short calls, so the organizers gave us a long lunch break. Spirits were high, even if the physical body wasn’t quite up to the same level of enthusiasm. Jump four of the day wasn’t quite so good. Between winds, communications between aircraft, relative levels of aircraft, and a few other hiccups, the formation built, but it was a bit more challenged than the other jumps had been. Discouragement would normally be found at this point, but Jeff, Mark, Justin, Taya, Phil Peggs, and a few other leaders really worked hard with the jumpers to keep the enthusiasm high. We laid down in the field again to measure out our slots. The axeman did arrive as promised in yesterday’s post; a few people were replaced with alternates, and tomorrow, some changes in the strengths of the formation are expected, moving the stronger flyers to where they’re needed. Jump five was filled with enthusiasm. We knew we were going to build it, and build it we did. Unfortunately, it still wasn’t a perfect formation; we had a few stragglers towards the back of the formation that didn’t quite get to their slots. Team captains met late into the evening to formulate a plan to help bring the formation to a successful completion. The left side of the wing has some challenges that need to be addressed; it’s nearly three-quarters of a mile that has to be covered in the first 15 seconds of the skydive in order to plug in the sectional to the entire formation. Covering that kind of sky with a safe approach is much harder than one might think. Then again, if it were easy…this skydive would have been accomplished a long time ago. The emails received from several wingsuit skydivers around the planet all seem to be of the same theme; “This just can’t be that hard.” Well…it is. Very hard. Looking forward in the formation and seeing 20 bodies directly in line in either direction ahead of you is a disconcerting, and it seems like the formation is really moving around. We’re displacing a lot of air up there, Special kudos need to be made for Veggie, Chris, John, Bob, and a few others that either didn’t make it to the alternates team, are grounded due to previous injury, or simply there for moral support. They’ve made sure we are fed, watered, and Veggie makes sure we have gum before getting on the loads. The landing areas are spread over approximately three-quarters of a mile in length and approximately 500 yards in width to assure that the groups will each land in safe areas. Skydive Elsinore has been great about sending trucks out to pick up the landed skydivers. Personally, I landed on the motorcycle racetrack on the fifth jump, and was tickled to see a truck racing towards my approximate landing area. The evening closed off with dinner provided by Avery and Team Ill Vision, along with videos from Matt Hoover and myself. We met for a pep talk following the evening' meal provided by Avery and Team Ill Vision. Tomorrow comes very early and lest I be snicker-snak to the vorpal sword…time to sign off for the night. One parting comment...while I feel we're doing very well, I also know what it is that Jeff is trying to accomplish. Nothing like this has been ever attempted before, and reaching *his* particular goal is still a long way off. See the SkydiverNetwork.org blog for more pix and a short video of two jumps (yes, it's copyrighted music, and yes, I have provisional permission from the publisher) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The111 0 #33 November 11, 2008 QuoteOne parting comment...while I feel we're doing very well, I also know what it is that Jeff is trying to accomplish. Nothing like this has been ever attempted before, and reaching *his* particular goal is still a long way off. Agreed. Regardless of what happens I give him kudos for setting a concrete goal and pushing us toward it.www.WingsuitPhotos.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DSE 3 #34 November 11, 2008 Me too, Matt. I think this event will be forever ingrained as one of the cornerstones of wingsuit skydiving and it's continual evolution. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SuperGirl 0 #35 November 11, 2008 and here is the direct link to the Monday video, for Jarno and everyone else who doesn't want to go through all the trouble of going all the way to Spot's blog. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mnskydiver688 0 #36 November 11, 2008 Absolutely amazing!Sky Canyon Wingsuiters Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
unclecharlie95 3 #37 November 11, 2008 Great work guys and girls, impressive!! I was just imagining what the 70+ gps tracks would look like superimposed on top of each other BASEstore.it Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mccordia 73 #38 November 11, 2008 Amazing stuff...! Looks like the experience of a lifetime flying with that amount of people....JC FlyLikeBrick I'm an Athlete? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
VectorBoy 0 #39 November 11, 2008 I was just imagining what the 70+ gps tracks would look like superimposed on top of each other At least on exit from the four planes and during transition to formation approach... but we must be carefull as not to invite yuri comments in this thread. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The111 0 #40 November 11, 2008 Quote I was just imagining what the 70+ gps tracks would look like superimposed on top of each other I came up with an answer, and also a great name for the event team. Team Flying Spaghetti Monster! I know Scott Bland would fully support!www.WingsuitPhotos.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
unclecharlie95 3 #41 November 11, 2008 Quote Agreed. Regardless of what happens I give him kudos for setting a concrete goal and pushing us toward it. I like how he came up with the number, born in 1971 - so 71 way it is BASEstore.it Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
notsane 0 #42 November 11, 2008 You guys are doing an amazing job. Kudos to all the organizers and participants ... I truly wish that I could be there! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
normiss 620 #43 November 11, 2008 +1 I wish you folks the best success! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
robblack31 0 #44 November 11, 2008 Thanks DSE for keeping us all posted, you are a great writer and its very exciting! The best I ever did was participate in some of Ed's events at Lodi. Striving for perfection is great, but what the group has already accomplished is AMAZING! Anyone who has put on a w.s. knows its a lot harder than it looks... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DSE 3 #45 November 12, 2008 Tuesday, November 11, 2008 “Skypirates.” That’s the word that came to mind as we lined up in the frosty Elsinore air this morning. Shivering, shaking, cold wracked bones in a wet field watching mists rise off of Lake Elsinore appeared like a scene from a Hollywood blockbuster. With names like “Ripcord, Lurch, Peggs, Peg-leg, Gimpy, Creepy, Spot, Monkey, Grey Mike, Purple Mike, Pink Mike, Dopey, Brokeback Zach, Harry Potter, Handsome Harry, we’re clearly a ragtag bunch of misfits, not even accepted by the USPA or FAI, the governing bodies of our sport. We have no flag to fly other than that of our individual countries, yet in the air, geographic boundaries are meaningless. We’re different because we fly forward and are somewhat anti-social because we can’t quite share the air with our non-winged friends that also wear parachutes on their backs. We fly formations that ‘normal’ skydivers can’t fly; we can fly directly above or below each other, and travel ridiculous distances that no skydiver could ever hope to achieve. True, we can’t exactly fly backwards, and it’s very hard to fly on our butts, and we can’t fly downward as fast as most head-down skydivers, but we’re moving forward at speeds where we regularly pass small aircraft on their downwind, base, or final legs. We’re weird. And we’re pumpkin-proud of ourselves. And we should be. This morning we put together more forward-moving people than ever attempted in history. And it was fun. And challenging. And exciting. We lost a fair number of people in the formations this morning, and another fair number were moved around. Regardless of fame, big name, history, number of jumps, who you know….if you weren’t performing or if you violated a safety rule, SNAK! Went the axe. You’re cut. Two painful words no athlete wants to hear. The morning began with a cutaway from a nasty spinner, but fortunately the trash was recovered fairly fast. My first jump ended up in a nasty spinner as well. Hands on the cutaway pillow, I realized that there was a canopy below me, and another heading straight my way. I knew I had some time, although I was below my deck of 2k. I quickly unzipped both arms and legs and began the process of trying to get my slider down by untwisting lines. Sabre2’s are very forgiving wingsuit canopies as they’ll fly fairly well even with half a dozen line twists. Later, the jumper flying towards me told me that he had pretty good video of me fighting my canopy, and wondered why I hadn’t chopped. He wasn’t aware of the canopy straight below. Jump five of the day, we thought we had achieved the record. Spirits were high, everyone excited. Luigi Cani had donned smoke along with another jumper and flew in as part of the fourth aircraft team (my team). We also had some new blood on the team and it seemed to be helpful. See my photos for images of the jump. Unfortunately, while the formation was beautiful and symmetrical, it also didn’t fit the measurement standard exactly as Jeff Nebelkopf prescribed. So, it was back to the aircraft for a few more jumps. Either way, tomorrow is our last day. Luigi is jumping an experimental 70 something Xbraced canopy that requires he carry a coat hangar with him. The canopy is so flattened that once deployed, the speed and flatness of the canopy causes the slider to creep back up. The slider is too high for Luigi to reach, even with short risers, so he has to deploy, use the hangar to pull the slider down over his toggles, and then stow the slider. Somewhat comical to watch. Speaking of comical…I’ve long had a few silly opinions based on minor experiences with various wingsuits over the past year. Most of my opinions have been fairly well substantiated. This flock, contrary to the statements and opinions of some, is *extremely* varied in wingsuit type, body type, wingsuit brand, and talent. It’s probably most heavy on Birdman suits, with Tony Suits and Phoenix-fly making up the balance of the suits with a few SFly suits tossed into the mix. Some wingsuits simply aren’t made for flocking, and that’s all there is to it. Maybe if the flock had a greater forward speed or downward fall rate (we’re aiming for 66mph) it would be a different story. But… it’s obvious that some suits are better made for flocking than others. Bear in mind that this event is made up of some of the greatest wingsuit flyers in the world, with representatives from virtually every corner of the globe. Another interesting point is that some countries have teams from their area that are physically struggling with the various flocking techniques and speeds that seem to be common to the USA. And then there are those that make you sit back, scratch your head and think….’how do they do that?” It’s been a tremendous pleasure to fly with a few of the TopGun guys like Costyn. It’s been even more fun to jump with my friend Juan Mayer from Argentina. I flew with him when I first began this wingsuit journey at the urging of Scott Campos. Juan is part of my team, and follows me in the formation, flying off my right foot. Damn….it’s fun flying with some of these guys. Dinner was a blast; Hawaiian food courtesy of Ill Vision. We had another briefing, watched jumps of the day as filmed by Craig O’Brian and Scotty Burns, plus some ground footage I’d shot along with others. The rest of the group adjourned to a local bar while I went back to the hotel to finish the daily diary and upload video. Tomorrow marks the end. Win or lose, this has been a monumental undertaking, and Jeff, Taya, Justin, Phil, Ed, and Mark all deserve a huge vote of appreciation, confidence, and gratitude for having put together an event that is not only exceptionally challenging, historic, and ground-breaking, but monumentally difficult to keep safety at the fore. They have. I’ve watched big-name people be removed from the formation without any show of mercy as the result of a safety violation. I’ve watched one friend give another friend a Yellow Card (reprimand) for a minor safety violation. The organizers have made hard, fast rules and stuck to them without favoritism. I myself have had my ass ripped up for working on video between loads, prepping the video for briefings. Collecting video from seven different sources per jump isn’t fast. And it’s necessary. But it still made me late for a briefing and dirt dive, and got me into hot water with the very people I’m serving. In other words….no mercy. You know where you need to be; be there. To quote Ed Pawlowski…”Don’t be the last guy here.” Well…another long and rewarding day. Bonding and friendship abound, and no matter how it all falls out tomorrow, a lot of great strides in wingsuiting, skydiving, and friendships have been accomplished. We’ll see if we can pull it off tomorrow….6:00 a.m. still comes too early…. Even for skypirates with strange nicknames and rebellious streaks such as ours. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccpJassp5wg YouTube vid from the day. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mccordia 73 #46 November 12, 2008 Exelent write-up, and again, amazing pictures... Great work you guys! Looks like its only a day or two days of jumping away before its flown as a complete formation. Getting tighter and tighter with every picture and video I see!JC FlyLikeBrick I'm an Athlete? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SuperGirl 0 #47 November 12, 2008 awww man, the improvement in those formations looks awesome, you guys are too fuckin close to having it absolutely perfect! great work, all of you! keep it up! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mccordia 73 #48 November 12, 2008 That line-up on the grass looks epic...JC FlyLikeBrick I'm an Athlete? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
vidiot 0 #49 November 12, 2008 That shot is simply amazing! Thanks for the reports and good luck for today! KlausMy Logbook Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Butters 0 #50 November 12, 2008 It's not that cool ... Who am I kidding? It's really cool and I'm jealous."That looks dangerous." Leopold Stotch Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
