JohanW

Old Neptunes can be updated with new software. They'll generally last a long time. If none are for sale, that might be because they're gone quick. 50$ sounds a little low. Johan. I am. I think.

Not an instructor, but based on your first name, I'd say you were a girl. So don't take Sangi too seriously.

Yes, it has been dealt with before. Of course people have had problems carrying it on. Put it in a bag, don't call attention to it yourself, make sure you have the TSA, USPA and CYPRES documents with you, and you may still be required to check it. Oh, "Your search for rig carry on returned 1695 results in 0.808s." Johan. I am. I think.

Learning to pack tight takes practice. Very probably, more than you've had.

21 Jumpers? Do be careful loading that, I've seen a Grand Caravan go on its tail taxiing with 18 (+ 1) in it. Twice. And with a relatively short grass runway, if the engine quits at the wrong moment, I hope you don't have obstacles off the far end of the runway. Sure, with 900 HP you can lug a lot of dead weight into the air on raw power .. until it quits. Then you'll be heavy. Johan. I am. I think.

Hm. First, your landings were fine for your experience level. No wind landings are more difficult (or at least different), you could have done better but you walked away. Any landing you walk away from is a good landing. Any landing you limp away from, you've survived. I hate to second-guess your instructor, but had I been him (probably not her - guessing here), I would have tried not to yell. (Maybe you scared him. He's human too.

Why would, say, a brother and a sister living together be treated differently from a married couple for tax reasons? How about inheritances? Same goes for two brothers, as far as I am concerned. Maybe one of 'em used to be married, had kids, the partner died, he or she moved back in with Mom&Dad (grandparents can make for a great support system), why shouldn't the other sibling eventually be legalised as a parent, say, after Mom&Dad die? You won't find a priest to bless this holy matrimony of course

Guess one corner is Green. My money is on them. Johan. I am. I think.

Looks like a brain fart. Skysurf, belly, freefly, I'm sure he meant. Johan. I am. I think.

It can be done perfectly safe, but then there needs to be a longer delay between the last FF and the first RW. Johan. I am. I think.

Indeed, exit order sounds strange (assuming jumprun was into the wind). For a two-way, tracking perpendicular to jumprun seems a good idea, but would not have helped in this instance (if you were indeed the 2way at 45 feet). With the winds honking and the freeflyers exiting first, with only 7 seconds delay, and one of the freeflyers tracking up jumprun, I can easily see how he could have gotten that close horizontally. Can't explain the altitudes though. Number of jumps should be a non-issue in the whole discussion. 1) It probably was you. You exited as a bellyflyer immediately after a freeflyer without doubling exit separation. 2) Next time, RW goes first, then FF. Within each group, larger formations go earlier than smaller ones. Soloes count as 1-person formations in their respective disciplines. Exercises like tracking, sitting and esp. early headdown attempts should be done perpendicular to jumprun and leave lots of separation anyway. But even a solo bellyflyer can have one hell of a backslide, and should be lieing across jumprun. John Kallend has an excellent website about this, with a simulator. There have also been numerous posts about exit order (and jumprun direction, and what the winds do). Johan. I am. I think.

Also, steering toggles do NOT come with the canopy. They are part of the risers. Johan. I am. I think.

I have never perceived the Dutch regulations as extremely strict (except for the very lightest jumpers. say

40 Is quite the hump, isn't it? Johan. I am. I think.

I have a house, a job, two cats, some stuff, a bridge club (and a regular mate), two home dropzones and a number of friends and family I'd have a hard time giving up. There's a lot of stuff I could do without, but uprooting my life to the point where I could not keep practically anything is just too much. I like the security of knowing what I have. The question has come up, and that was the answer. Age has something to do with it, of course. There is very little stuff I would like to take with me. It's the intangibles that prevent(ed) me from taking the leap. Johan. I am. I think.

What law are you referring to? And is that an actual law? "DZ area" in the Netherlands would probably be defined by the NOTAM, which has been in place for years for most permanent dropzones, long before the advent of wingsuit flying. Can't blame "Air authority" (CAA?) for not giving us more space when we didn't ask for it. Similar may apply to the 2 minutes to take your canopy down below 800 meters. I have never heard of any such rule in NL though. What laws specifically are you referring to? Who makes the rules? What did they say when you asked them (politely, of course

If you are talking about spinning linetwists, a Diablo can malfunction just as violently as a Stiletto. (Both are highly elliptical on the trailing edge, but the Diablo has a straight leading edge. The Stiletto does not.) The number of cells may have an impact. 11-cells are uncommon because the openings are squirrelly, 5-cells are uncommon I think because they just don't have as much lift/drag. Thus, one would expect 7-cells to open more reliably than 9-cells (while having less lift/drag). But other design features, like line lengths, aspect ratio and planform (square vs. elliptical), definitely have an impact too. I have no idea what influence the number of cells has on the lineover rate. Tension knots, well, less lines .. My gut tells me 7-cells are more reliable, but I really don't know how much of that is plain the number of cells and how much of that is other design characteristics, and how much those design char's depend on the number of cells more or less directly. (Yes, I need to demo a Storm. It may be the best of both worlds; it was certainly designed as such and is definitely marketed as such.) Johan. I am. I think.

I do. Generally, 7-cell canopies have a lower aspect ratio, higher cells, less lift/drag. They tend to be trimmed steeper, though obviously there are exceptions. 9-Cells tend to have a bit more surf on landing, so the flare timing is less critical as long as you keep it flying. This is why 7-cells are said to have less flare. 7-Cells are more stable in turbulence and are less prone to off heading openings. Obviously, these are again generalisations. But there is a reason why almost all reserves, almost all accuracy canopies and (almost?) all CReW canopies are 7-cells. 11-Cells would have certain advantages over 9-cells but tend to have opening characteristics that get a little bit too interesting. OK, back to the regularly scheduled flamefest now .. Johan. I am. I think.

The Azalea House in Palatka FL. www.theazaleahouse.com/ Because the Innkeepers are a lovely couple, the house is beautiful and Palatka has a great dropzone as well. My girlfriend at the time and I spent a great week there. (Yes, she was into stitching, why do you ask?) I still carry their business card in my wallet. It's a house out of a fairytale. Good food, too. Johan. I am. I think.

Two words: passive aggressive. Or maybe just one: HONEYPOT. Johan. I am. I think.

Actually, a Stiletto is perfectly predictable, but it has a tendency to oversteer a little. Depending on your individual style, you may notice this more or less (depending of the amount, and direction, of harness input you give automatically at the end of a turn). If you notice it a lot, you may find it unpredictable, but it's just reacting to your input. Johan. I am. I think.

Could you explain the reason for this, please? Giving harness input is a good habit to get into for swooping. Harness input works better if the harness doesn't deform and absorb the input. At 500 jumps I hardly need tell the OP, but a collapsible pilot, ditto slider and long chest strap are useful for advanced canopy flight also. All of the above: don't try to invent the wheel on your own. Talk to someone on why, and how. Johan. I am. I think.

Video? Get a Crossfire. Aspiring swooper? Do *not* get harness rings, and do *not* get a Stiletto. As long as you don't mention *what specifically* you didn't like about the Stiletto, and what you are instead looking for in a canopy, it's a little hard to give useful advice. Do you want to lose a a little or lot of altitude in a toggle turn? Do you want a short or a long toggle range? Low or high front riser pressure? Flat or steep trim? (Actually, when jumping video, you probably want a flat trim.) High or low toggle turn rate? Positive or negative recovery arc? About the only things I can say thus far is you want a flat trimmed nine cell with softest possible openings. All of which points to a Crossfire, but there's other, less aggressive canopies out there that may suit you better. Container - anything with a SkyHook. Johan. I am. I think.

I would fully expect it to open, though maybe not on heading. Reserves are not only packed carefully, they are also designed carefully, with different priorities than mains. Johan. I am. I think.

Two questions. I know what bridle and pin you're talking about, but I don't see how you got the pilot in tow. Could you try to explain again? Knowing this system firsthand and maybe jumping it again in the future, I would like to understand. Thanks.