westcoastSD

Tracing is quite specific I thought... Atmo is mellow, tracing is fast, tracking is flat. That is how I see it being referred to.

A lot of people get the shoulder straps moving off thier shoulders in freefall when flying head down and especially a steep angle dive if they have chest rings. You can order without chest rings, unless you are petite then I see no real advantage of having chest rings.

Skydiving is basically banned in New Zealand is it not? You cannot even fart without having to write a thesis about it. I will never work there again. I thought that NZPO did not have any rules pertaining to Argus other than accepting them as an approved device?

http://vimeo.com/89085167 Dayum!!!

My buddy is a 777 Captain, his theory is that it was probably a similar incident to this... http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/twa-flight-800-crash-bomb-missile-officials-article-1.1389008 This model of 777 had middle tanks fitted and though they were supposed to be removed... This route is not long enough to warrant using the middle tanks so it is likely that there was a tank full of vapour just waiting for the right catylist... Still, it is bizzarre that no pieces have been located...

Sicko! Where is it?

I am not sure they would recommend using anything out of their sizing chart, even if it is all good... This opens a can of worms for them. "XXXX at Sunpath said that I can put an XXX in an XXX" I know this is out of the sizing chart recommendation, I simply asked if anyone had experience... I already have a JVX 74 and I aready have an NJK to use... I would like a RSK and I am sure sunpath would like to sell me one... I got it today and put the d bag with my JVX in (without any reserve etc...) Seems(as others have suggested) it will be more than fine...

Cool Thanks... Never been a Javelin guy but this one is an opportunity not to be missed. Looks like it will work out perfect.

Hi, Just wondering if a NJK is too big for a JVX 74? Expecting a Petra 69 in coming months which will be perfect... I think the JVX will be OK. Any experience out there?

Yep, Using racer is quite out of the ordinary these days...

245 is only 111kg. at 76 KG I can take up to 126 KG (277lb) and remain within the gear's limitations. I have taken this size a few times. 245 is quite normal. I am an average sized guy so my guess is that if you got a reasonable sized dropzone with an array of staff you will be able to jump no worries. Looking for advice on this website can be counter productive.

Like the one in the attached photo! I Liked the Argus for many reasons. With a cutter that is undoubtedly going to work these would be the most versatile on the market hands down. Do it!!!

Well I have done some soaring on a crossfire 109, I do not define that as speed-flying. You can certainly turn in adequate winds on a parachute. I consider speed flying to ride 'down' the terrain like you would on skis, not back up it... Not sure there is an official definition so I guess it is open to interpretation. You certainly can soar on a speed wing, also on a parachute, a para glider and a hang glider...

Then you re not speed flying , are you!

I keep hearing this. In all of my experience the only collapses I had were kiting in dodgy conditions and pretty much every time I decided to go home as I did not want to hurt myself. Both speed wings and parachutes have very similar construction and it is advised in both disciplines to not perform the activity in unsafe conditions. If someone is injured speed flying a stiletto due to a collapse... then they would probably have been injured on a speed wing too. In fact I believe a speed wing is more susceptible to collapse due to the flatter trim and the existence of frontal collapses on para gliders and the likes. Try doing a double front approach to land on a para glider or speed wing...? But assuming you are correct and speed wings are optimised to recover from a collapse faster and flying in turbulent conditions is acceptable. How many metres would it take in a best case scenario for such a wing to re inflate? Are we not flying only a couple of feet from the ground here? If there is a few knots of wind then any ram air wing can easily be kited and the mylar ribs are not as needed. In 5+ knots a parachute (more than 100 squ feet) is as easily launched as a speed wing. The terrain will decide which is more suitable. In 15 knots a parachute is more suitable than a speed wing IMHO.

I have been using Sony CX760e for a month or two now and the footage is simply amazing. The image stabiliser is awesome with the whole lens moving and staying focused on the subject. At about $1000 they are a bit more expensive than others but this is still 1/2 of what we were paying for the old PC series cameras 10 years ago. Other models in the range include a surprisingly good projector that allows you to debrief in the plane using the ceiling or wall as a screen. This has to be seen to believed. There is also a light for back lighting in darker loads. I think these are the best cameras for filming skydiving today. Has socket for Hype eye, has internal memory, can take either memory stick or SD card and no need for wide angle conversion... these are wide. Anyone else out there using one?

Nope, that is a poor comparison. Base jumping came from parachuting.... Speed flying cme from parachuting... And a stiletto 120 flies quite nice with a nano 12.5 it is slightly faster and has slightly less glide but it is a square metre smaller to be fair... A stiletto 135 will fly nice with a 14... these are very similar wings the trim is different which makes all the difference. Speed wings have copied parachutes, not the other way around and every day they are becoming more and more parachute like. Put a speed wing like a nano or similar next to a para glider and then next to a stiletto... then tell me what is more similar?

? I fly a JVX74, is that more dangerous than it needs to be? I could fly a sabre 150... where some like to have a longer flight etc. I like to hug the ground and go fast. I was fortunate enouhg to have 95% of my flights not having to hike and with good gradient. Using a 109 crossfire was my favourite but in nil wind it was a bit too small, the 120ST is easy (for me) to launch in little to no wind. I look at the boys on speed wings and as much as I would like some more hang time sometimes, they are slower and they have to manoeuvre to stay with the ground. I don't have to do that and that is what I prefer. Nice long carving turns... Which I find would be more suitable for speed riding on the type of terrain I am experienced at riding on a snowboard and skis to a certain extent. I am becoming more proficient at skiing for this purpose. I also see speed fliers wanting to do those barrel rolls not just to stay with the ground, but cause they are cool. They make me cringe... Different strokes for different folks. Each option comes with its advantages and disadvantages and safety issues. There is a lot to be considered when speed flying/ground launching and a reasonable progression to take... It is not hard to find out this progression even just looking on the internet, the hard part is resisting the urge to leap frog a certain skill set.

Yeah, because people drop toggles all the time on parachutes, and people never spank in on speed wings... ever! Get a grip mate. No one is arguing that a speed wing is not a better tool. But saying it is too dangerous to use a parachute/stiletto for ground launching is retarded. And yes I call it ground launching because that is where speed flying and speed wings came from... Ground launching parachutes. You are always going to get people that want to have a faster learning curve and make mistakes buy being idiots and copying those with more experience not knowing anything... And you are always going to have people that are more conservative and follow the progression to the word... There is also a middle ground. Without the middle ground, you would not have your fancy speed wing, or a progression to work with, nor your parachute or anything fun. Horses for courses. Some people are capable of keeping themselves safe and some are not.

and the customer service on Neptune is appalling. Go for optima2 simply the best with all thing considered. Basically a lifetime warrantee with how L&b handle faults (they give you a new one). Altimaster will try to charge you a hundred buck for a fault while it is still under warrantee.

16.5 pffff, speed wing? More like a slow wing. lol in all seriousness, I have seen a 16.5 in action, yes it gets more glide but 5x come on.a stiletto is 3:1 at least. 5x that is 15:1, I do not think you would get 15:1 on a 16.5. The fellow that I saw using a 16.5 was doing so many erratic turns to stay with the hill that I was cringing the whole time... that alone adds more risk than just swooping the terrain with a nice carve on a stiletto. We could argue a day about this, like I said. Horses for courses.

A wing that has 3x the glide ratio of a parachute is not a speed wing, it is a paraglider... I am talking about safety. There are speed wings with very similar angle of incidence as a parachute and some with a much flatter glide. A real gear freak would have a quiver of different wings for different winds and hills... a 3:1 would be an essential part of that quiver. I do not deny that a speed wing give you more glide and more air time. A parachute gives you more speed. and a large parachute can out glide a small speed wing. You are questioning safety... I have only had collapses when kiting in dodgy conditions. I have also flown when conditions were stronger than what you would have wanted on some speed wings (15 knots+). The para gliders had gone home, the hang gliders had gone home and we sessioned all afternoon in smooth winds and even soaring on our small cross braced parachutes. (this was when we were very current and doing it daily). I see speed flyers take a steeper fall line than the soaring you describe. The also do barrel rolls to stay with the terrain as their wings out fly the hill. What you enjoy and then next guy enjoys might be two separate things. You also might have a place where you can drive to the top and have 3000' of flight. Each scenario is different. You call it inappropriate gear... Tell tat to the PDFT that regularly fly small parachutes in the mountains. I suppose they are being inappropriate also? Once you are in flight it really does not make a difference where you exited from be it a foot launch or a helicopter. And BTW I have foot launched in order of size and experience; cruizelight 200, falcon 170, vengence 170, stiletto 150, stiletto 135, stiletto 120, crossfire 119, crossfire 109 (this is what I have the most experience on), Alpha 105, JVX 86 and JVX84. Never used a speed wing though I have had plenty of chances. I like to swoop so I like to stay with the ground without barrel rolling. I have done hundreds of flights (havn't logged them) fuck know how many hours, but all epic. I started in 2002 and am not the current these days. Might get a speed wing one day but had used skis with stiletto 120 and fly fight next to my buddies with 12.5 Gin nanos. They get a little more glide than me, but it is horses for courses when you want to ski as well. I surprisingly yet to have a failed launch on skis with a stiletto. I was going to sew some mylar ribs in but have not found the need. My speed riding rig is tiny and really comfortable. I have a GLH harness and my ST120 stuffs in there perfect. You could not fit a regular sail speed wing in this purpose built ground launching harness... Hope to use it more in the future, it is collecting dust at the moment. Don't spoil others' fun by being a gear freak know it all. You might have mellow hills and poor wind directions and need a speed wing to fly but with good hills and good wind direction any canopy can be flown comfortably,easily and safely. Concentrate more on the safety and learning side of it.

Bro, STFU. You are entitled to you opinion but it is wrong. My advice is to practice, know your limits and have fun. You obviously feel the need to use the latest and greatest gear... this is not necessary. The 'all the gear and no idea' crew get injured or killed more often than any other demographic. It is not about the wing you fly, it is about how much you know about it, what conditions you are in and how suitable your wing is for those conditions and that geography. The major advantage of a speed wing is the ribs in the nose. This is really only an advantage in nil wind, and nil win take offs are not advised nor usually successful for novices... After that the angle of incidence may be more or less suitable for the terrain depending on the terrain and the most suitable angle of incidence may not be a speed wing. That is why more and more speed wings are taking on an angle of incidence similar to parachutes... paragliders are not used to a 3:1 glide ratio. Slowly they are longing for it. But if your hill is 2:1 then a parachute is a better tool. I suppose those low barrel rolls you see the speed flyers do is safer than using a parachute to stay with the terrain? I have had no issue with using parachutes. Plenty of people are injured or dead from using speed wings. You need an attitude adjustment. Get of your high horse.

who said i use concentric? I like my full vision... there is a plethora of different options for ring sights. I guess I could have pointed that out.

I think that most of those that refuse to wear a ring sight and refuse the wear wings when filming, will have mediocre product. I see too many 'cool guys' that don't want to wear wings or a ring sight because somehow it is less cool, or you are less experienced if you need these... then I look at their videos and photos and mostly I see the frame dropping and poor range in flight especially with light passengers. I then look at the best in the industry and they use ring sights and wings, I am talking Tandems and belly speed stuff here not vertical stuff. You can get away with no ring sight and you can get away with no wings, but your range and precision is less. Nothing shits me more than an excellent flyer producing crap videos and photos because they are more interested in their own free flying technique and how they look than the product that the person that is paying for their skydive is getting. Framing is everything. If you get close up an in their face or back off and have some scenery to frame... a ring sight that is not a dot only 5mm from the lens of your eyeball is the best way to frame it. I like my ring sight at least an inch from my eye for more precision.