b52

Members
  • Content

    99
  • Joined

  • Last visited

    Never
  • Feedback

    0%

Everything posted by b52

  1. If you had 2 reserve rides in ~40 jumps in a freak, I’d be seriously worried about my pull technique. Did it not fit well? Never had issues with both PF and Squirrel so not sure what you did. Le pull is easy in both. Now the onesie pull seems to be the future and my favorite. Regarding no pulls in the freak, there have been several in PF suits too. This is a useless discussion just as the recent reserve canopy manufacturer discussion in my opinion.
  2. When you say it takes muscle to fly the Hunter. Do you mean your arms are exhausted after ~90+ secs on your belly or back?
  3. Same excuse every time...so nothing has changed.
  4. To clarify. I am not referring to the camera guy who makes sure the grid works. I am referring to the video you posted. Big flocks look amazing, so why not get someone in addition who can capture it nicely?
  5. Because we can...and people have different preferences.
  6. Congrats on the record. Very cool. Next time, please get someone who can actually fly camera well to capture the beauty of the formation, maybe someone who can carve around the formation. It's sad to see a record not captured well on camera.
  7. The solution is so simple. Hire someone who has experience in providing good customer service. No sky or base jumper, especially the type of person who does not respond or gets defensive. I am happy to wait 4-6 months. UPT does it and it works. Why PF can't do it is a mystery to me.
  8. It's only about communication and providing the correct lead times. It's really simple and I am happy to wait 4 months. Don't hire a sky or base jumper, just someone who has experience in providing good customer service. UPT does it and it works. Why PF can't do it is a mystery to me.
  9. He would probably, but never as clean and that's where the design of the suit matters. As said before most experienced WS Acro pilots will tell you that the wings are too stiff, the leading edge too soft, putting tension on the trailing arm edge is not really possible...this matters if you want to carve around formations, fly clean..so it probably does not matter for most pilots, but if you look at the Funk as an acro suit, it definitely does. That's why I am saying the suit is not close. I am sure Squirrel will get there with the Funk as they listen. This again is not about brands it's just my experience with the suits. I have and it does not look like comp material. So when's your video coming?
  10. I have flown both and I don't really care about brands. I have more Squirrel products than PF. I can't wait to see your video of snaprolls and carving around a rodeo in a Funk. Please post it once you have it ;)
  11. Probably the best acro pilot is involved in the design of the Carve and PF has the most experience in this suit segment. Other manufacturers were probably ahead in the bigger suit market (although it mostly comes down to preference anyways). When it comes to an advanced acro suit like the Carve however, no other suit comes even close. Inlet position/design, wing thickness/pressure, tightness around the body,... I am sure Squirrel will catch up with version 2 and if they include an experienced ws acro pilot who gives them the necessary feedback.
  12. And...? Don't get me wrong, it's a good promo, but it is basic flying, a lot of it not controlled or clean for ws acro standards. A great free flyer doesn't make a great ws acro pilot. It certainly helps, but it's different. Watch the stuff some of the european acro ws pilots do.
  13. Thanks for posting, fantastic glide ratio. It seems the suit is big leap for PF in the bigger suit market. I have one on order too. Wish PF would start marketing their products so customers don't have to do it for them. Well maybe they will start doing it once Squirrel has completely taken over ;)
  14. Could not agree more. Squirrel is always willing to help, tries to improve safety with a positive attitude, advertises safety (what's safe will always be debatable) , and do not have a defensive tone. They just need more experienced ws acro pilots (most of them seem to have experience with bigger suits) on the team to improve the Funk.
  15. A friend of mine had the issue with an Aura. He sent it to Squirrel, they fixed it by adding a bit of fabric to move the position of the zippers. It was done within a week. Great/fast customer service. The only reason why I hold on to my Havok is because PF has more experience with acro suits. In my opinion the suit is better balanced and can be flown more agile as the wings are not as rigid as the Funk. Does anybody know of any videos of carving around formations in the Funk. It seems it's mostly done in Havoks, might also just be pilot skill. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuUbfHaa_pw&list=UUqCe11PfGLN7fiJ442JQvuw http://iloveskydiving.org/view/videos/hello-tuesday-wingsuit-skydive/
  16. Talk to an experienced acro coach so you know how to properly use them. In addition good luck just dropping them during a stressful malfunction ;)
  17. I wouldn't worry. It works on most rigs and if it doesn't, Squirrel has fantastic customer service and I am sure they will will fix it promptly. Just send them an email.
  18. I demoed a SFLY Hawk a few months ago and their skydiving setup (it was the skydive version, no innie outie) is the best in my opinion. The material on the suit around the handles is stiffer so there is no or less of a chance of the handle getting sucked inside the suit. I wish PF would do the same and Squirrel offer an outie version. Having the rig inside the suit makes a (minor) difference and probably only competitors really need it in my opinion. The thumb loop is key for acro as you have more control over the arm wing therefore can fly much, much cleaner. The thumb loop on the Funk is important however renders the RAD system (fancy names..) useless as mentioned earlier. For Acro suits I would always go with a stiff leading edge, thumb loops and in that case cables as the stretchy sleeves with a thumb loop won't work. As with all flying it is important to have a clean leading edge, for acro especially. The image -- which was posted earlier - with the leading edge deforming shows really well how the flight characteristics are affected and 100% clean flying is not possible anymore. While I believe the stretchy sleeves (or RAD) make deployments safer, they also have an obvious disadvantage as the leading edge deforms. While some people say it's not a big deal...imagine a plane wing with a soft leading edge. No need for discussion unless you want to question proven aerodynamics. Just ask an engineer. And it can definitely cause issues at high speeds as you cannot fly the suit as precise and clean as with a non deforming or stiffer leading edge. For most pilots, it probably won't matter, but it you are pushing the limits I guess the pilot needs to choose the lesser evil.
  19. I find it interesting when people are mostly concerned with time/distance on suits like the Funk, Carve....not to disregard it, however the main purpose of an acro suit - and thats what the Funk and Carve are advertised for - is agility, being able to fly at any angle and have a great range (for example flocking)... To flip on your back and staying on it in an acro suit is a basic maneuver. Wingsuit flying has greatly evolved over the last few years and to me a great indicator is how good the suit handles carving, head down, barrel rolls... I am not reviewing any suit here, just my 2 cents on how some people seem to still be stuck with time/distance on suits that are made for something completely different.
  20. b52

    PF carve?

    Looks like it has the innie outie system.
  21. Looks like Perris. Who's the coach in the video?
  22. b52

    X-Bird Range

    I would suggest asking the coach about your skill level in your current suit and go from there. I believe Phoenix-fly had a nice break down of skill level and in which category you might fall.
  23. b52

    X-Bird Range

    Talk to an experienced coach and do a jump with him/her. Jump numbers mean nothing. I see people every weekend with hundreds of jumps and they still can just fly straight and even that not really well.
  24. Both ways are good, I just prefer this way especially after the Elsinore fatality (camera guy (no ws) fiddling with his camera) released his toggles to find out he had a bad canopy. Slow or fast under canopy you always have to be aware of other jumpers.
  25. Unzip arms Hands on risers to steer clear of traffic/orient towards the DZ Release toggles Unzip legs and stow them Collapse slider Fly home The reason why I release the toggles first is to make sure I really have a good canopy over my head. Let's say it took you a while to stow the legwing, you are already lower than your hard deck and suddenly after releasing the toggles you have a bad canopy over your head?