Bluhdow

This thread is about to explode in 3...2...1... Apex BASE #1816

Fly steeper. Apex BASE #1816

Too bad you're the one being pimped. Apex BASE #1816

Not replying to anyone specifically, but this is yet another example of a runaway police state. The police throw around terrorism and drug wars to empower themselves way beyond reasonable measure, and this is the result. The reality is, I'd rather have the threat of terrorism than today's "public servants." This whole time I was worried about politicians invading my daily life, now I can add police to the list. Demilitarize the police and maybe they'll stop acting like an occupying military. Apex BASE #1816

Go onto their Facebook page and blow them up with boycott messages. It's already well underway! https://www.facebook.com/bridgedaywv Apex BASE #1816

I disagree strongly. I just sold my Sabre2 135 and bought a Sabre 135 (pocket slider). It's better in every possible way. At some point I'll need a new canopy and I really hope that PD will be down to make me a new Sabre 135 with a pocketed slider. I love it so, so much. Apex BASE #1816

After putting some more flights on the suit here are a few notes: 1. I flew with an Aura (better pilot than me, heavier pilot than me) and he had both vertical and horizontal range on me. 2. I've flown with a V-Race a lot (better pilot than me, lighter pilot than me) and I think we're evenly matched vertically, but I'm actually able to fly faster than he is (possibly due to my weight). 3. I've flown with a Colugo 1 (I've got more WS experience, similar weight) and I've always had range on him both vertically and horizontally. 4. I was able to dive down enough to keep pace with a V4. The suit is very stable in a dive. No legwing flutter, no instability, it was comfortable for me to fly at an aggressive angle in the suit even with limited flights in it and no other big suit experience. 4. The suit is easy and comfortable to fly. I've heard some scary stories about other suits...involuntary turns, people being flipped on their back, slippery characteristics...really none of that here. It's flies accurately and comfortably. It seems that across the entire range of small to large suits that PF puts out the most agile and precisely flying designs. Tony seems to put out the best performing designs (speed, float, time) and Squirrel is a mix of the two. I'm very happy with the Power and, at least for me personally, precise and consistent flying characteristics are the single most important safety feature. Apex BASE #1816

It's true in the context that matters, the innie-outtie designs (which is the subject of this discussion). I too personally prefer the 1-zip system that's on my Havok. I think the innie-outtie mode is overkill for what we do in the sky and anyone who really needs to reduce drag that badly (e.g. WWL competitors) could simply buy a BASE only suit (which is already offered by PF). My advice to PF (and Squirrel) is to offer the 1 zip system as standard, or at least as an option if they believe in the innie-outtie that much. Apex BASE #1816

PF and Squirrel use the same zipper system. On my Venom, I use non-stretchy cords to tie the zippers together. I have zero issues with this. I think, somewhat intuitively, this is a bigger issue if you use stretchy bungees to hold the zips together, regardless of what suit you fly. Apex BASE #1816

No, but your attitude does and those two things are related. Like I said before, go jump your camera and post the radical footage. I can't wait to see it. Be sure to use "Sail" for the music. Apex BASE #1816

Since you're such an educated student of logic, surely you've seen this: If A=B and B=C than A=C. So if a camera requires a C license, and a C license requires 200 jumps, than a camera requires 200 jumps. I don't care how many jumps you have. My question is, how old are you? I'm pretty sure you're 17. Your next post should be footage of your first camera jump. I'm sure it will be so sick that it will redeem this whole shitty thread. Apex BASE #1816

You are dumb. You are wrong. These things might be correlated. I've attached a screenshot of the recommendations for jumping with a camera from the SIM. Among the recommended skills are: 1. Ability to handle any emergency easily and without stress. Am I correct in assuming you've already had a few perfectly executed cutaways? 2. Above average freeflying skills. I'm sure you're already a super sick freeflyer since you know how to ski. 3. A USPA C license, which you can obtain ONLY AFTER COMPLETING 200 SKYDIVES. Do everyone a favor and just go jump your camera. Stop posting here. Nobody cares. Apex BASE #1816

The main reason for the PC design is to reduce uneven air spillage and therefore oscillation, as suggested above. In BASE jumping an oscillating PC will turn a pack job (especially at sub terminal, slider-down air speeds) and cause an off-heading. In my experience, most skydiving off-headings occur after the canopy is at line stretch sniveling and "searching" for a final heading and it pressurizes. This is not an issue with BASE canopy designs. I think for skydiving these PCs would be nice and work well, but they are certainly overkill for what we need. I'm sure they perform well in a terminal/WS BASE environment (as that's Squirrel's specialty), but I'm curious to hear some real-work feedback in slider-down applications. Apex BASE #1816

I made a chart that I think will save everyone a little time in these camera threads. Feel free to use this whenever appropriate. Apex BASE #1816

If you're a new jumper and you want to wear a camera do us all a favor and don't post about it here. The only thing you'll accomplish is starting up yet another identical GoPro thread where everyone says the same things over and over, OP included. Please and thank you. Apex BASE #1816

To be clear, it's not my video. Just a friend's that I thought I'd share. Pilot is a jumper as well. Apex BASE #1816

This has been floating around on FB for a few days now. Figured it's worth posting here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zp8QVmyN4Gk Cool video of Skydive Taft's new Beech 99 being discovered, refurbished, and delivered to CA from Germany. Sky jumping ensues. Apex BASE #1816

Body position! Apex BASE #1816

I always snap up the legs after opening as part of my normal procedure. I've never had them unsnap on any of my other PF suits. My hypothesis is that the extra weight pulling on them as I run out my landings is enough to unsnap them. Again, it's not a huge deal and I was actually able to prevent it once I was more aware of it by running awkwardly with my knees together. =) I jump in CA where all of our LZs are dusty, dirty, and full of stickers. For me a dragging tailwing is negative, especially when there is extra weight dragging through the dirt. If I was landing in grass every time I might not worry about it so much and just let the wing "float" between my legs. Overall the suit is excellent and this is a very, very minor concern. But minor concerns usually have minor fixes so I wanted to put it out there. The new magnet placement is much better. It does a better job of keeping the wing off the ground. I also like that this suit lacks thumb loops. I never used them on my V4 and, in my opinion, it makes the pull much cleaner and easier. V-Power pulls are a piece of cake. Apex BASE #1816

Fatigue, for me, is similar to V4. I think the V4 took more effort to fly at best glide than the Venom, but the Venom will keep you in the air longer. I've only flown it with fins. The fins are a little inconvenient in our small-ish plane (PAC 750), but not so much so that I've taken them off. I intend to fly with them until I'm comfortable in the suit and then I'll experiment with taking them off. Apex BASE #1816

You can't (and shouldn't, and shouldn't even want to) always protect people from themselves. If someone is determined enough they will find a way to kill themselves. Exercising common-sense ethics and asking questions to potential buyers is reasonable and good practice, so we agree there. But registering gear to people (akin to handguns) is a ridiculous idea. Unless you live in the USSR. Maybe I should have asked first. Do you live in 1980's Moscow? Apex BASE #1816

Got a few flights in. Not enough to give a review of the flight performance, but enough to say that it's crazy fast and has a lot of power (no pun intended). Pretty easy to fly for me transitioning from a Havok and V4 but it's definitely a much bigger suit. I'll be flying it pretty conservatively for a while, it deserves respect. Some notes on it: 1. Having both BASE soles and fins makes the feet relatively heavy. It's not an issue until you land. I found that the buttons frequently unsnapped which left my tailwing dragging as I ran out landings. 2. I have no issues with handles getting sucked into the suit. I tried and I tried, but to no avail. PF uses a non-stretchy lanyard to connect the zippers which holds very nicely. I think some of the "hole expansion" is a result of other guys using bungees. Intuitively, that seems like a bad choice as it could allow the hole to grow. 3. That said the innie-outtie system seems like more trouble than it's worth, for me personally. I'll skydive this suit way more frequently than I'll BASE jump it so it's not that important to me. Maybe I'll get religion and fall in love with it after I hook it up to a BASE rig, but for now I wish it had a normal PF one-zipper system. To my knowledge, PF doesn't offer the normal system on this suit although I think it would be a good option to add. 4. My first flight felt a little wonky and I had some rightward slide. I felt like my bootie wasn't completely on so I tried to compensate and managed to make it work. When I landed my friend told me my bootie was crooked and the fin was completely horizontal. My conclusion is that the fins will effect your flight if not aligned properly. Make sure your booties are well fitted and in place before exiting! Second flight with proper bootie position was noticeably smoother and easier. Overall I think the suit has a lot of promise for me. It's built like a tank (I got the parapack version) and I'm very happy with the purchase! Also, it looks super radical. Apex BASE #1816

My V-Power came in last week, lead time was about 16 weeks. It looks f*cking amazing. Fits perfect, looks great, I'm very happy with it on the ground. I'll fly it for the first time this weekend and report back. Everything I've heard about them has been very positive though. Apex BASE #1816

"Novices, from toddlers to oldsters, would float 5 to 6 feet off the ground for two one-minute flying simulations, powered by a 30-foot-wide fan that generates 60 mph winds." LOL! Apex BASE #1816

The neighborhood is a little shaky right now, but east village San Diego has been cleaned up significantly and is now very nice and highly desirable. The mess starts around 10th street, with this tunnel being on 14th. I don't think it will take long before the gentrification expands another 4 blocks. I think Buzz knows what he's doing here. Apex BASE #1816