cs_troyk

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Posts posted by cs_troyk

  2. I currently have a Petra (77.7, 3.25:1) and a Sofia (72.7, 3.5:1). The Sofia is pretty much specifically for XRW, and at that w/l, is pretty well in the groove. Would probably need to weight up to use the Petra, but the Sofia works so well I haven't bothered yet.

    Also have a 59 Sofia (intent is for XRW with smaller suits) and an 86 (experimental - not sure what it will be best for yet) on the way.

    I have a couple Leias; 84 - too big and flat for XRW), and a 66.6 - haven't tried it yet, but would imagine it will work well. I'll report back on this thread when I give it a go.

  3. I took delivery of my SS3 a few weeks ago and have had a chance to try it twice so far.

    Trying to capture ground video of my swoop, a LH 630 starting at 1600'. Setting the camera up about 20 yards downrange and off the side of entry gates.

    The good: it's picking up my tag right at the initial flare for the swoop at 1600 feet. It's tracking the general path of the swoop.

    The bad: It gets ahead of the track to the point where I'm not in frame. So far, have tried "tight" and "medium" telephoto settings.

    Upcoming: They have released a new software version that's supposed to improve tracking. I'll be trying this new version along with "wide" telephoto mode to see if I can get the swoop.

    I think this has promise if we can get the tracking working just a bit better. If the new update doesn't do the trick, I'll be contacting them to see if there's anything that can be done to optimize for this environment.

  5. I've said it before and I'll say it again - Current AAD's are incompatible with high-performance canopy flight.

    I can hit 110MPH vertical on a high-perf turn. What's the threshold for the speed cypress, again?

    We'll see if someone is able to come up with a unit that takes more data into account. Until then, remove it or leave it off if you're going big.

  6. Heya Pat!

    This is Troy from the Freedom Jam days in the early 2000's.

    I have more years under my belt than I care to admit as a database designer and developer. I've done extensive speaking and some writing on the topic of db design, for example: http://www.sqlservercentral.com/articles/Data+Modeling/61526/

    Shoot me a dz.com message if you're still looking for help on this project - it looks like good fun!

  7. Ronsebag

    ... I'm thinking Valkyrie 79 at 2.3 wing loading on a havok or hunter.
    People please share your opinions and experiences



    Opinion: mix some meat into your diet. At those numbers, you're only getting out the plane at about 180 lbs. You need to get up to at least 225 geared up, then you can get the VK75 and be an even 3.0:1.

  8. Di0

    Maybe, maybe not.
    But at least it shows that often "preventing" a problem is doing something that might seem like "fixing a problem that doesn't exist".



    Sorry for the tangent, but I just wanted to mention that people were well aware that swooping could fire your standard Cypres. I demonstrated this under controlled conditions in 2003, and there were a couple of (thankfully non-fatal) "unwanted deployments" that same summer. And it wasn't until after Adrian's death in 2005 that the new speed Cypres was released, so there was definitely awareness of the issue. Now, I guess, the question is whether people understand that even the "speed" Cypres is subject to firing given the latest and greatest canopy designs.

    OK - back to the rather interesting debate on the fly-bys.

  9. Simple answer - get the multi-mode and change it to the mode appropriate for your measured speeds (e.g., "normal" 78 MPH mode when you're starting out on a larger wing, then "speed" mode when you're on more aggressive wings doing more aggressive turns, then "off"/"removed" mode when you're on a competition-class wing).

    Get some form of instrumentation (Flysight, or somesuch) so that you know when you get to the point of "tickling" the unit. It may happen sooner than you think if you're not careful. A jumper in Colorado popped a Vigil while jumping a VK96 at a little over 2:1.

    Be careful out there.

  11. Don't know what the camping situation is at the DZ's these days, but if you're looking for lower-cost accommodations, "Backpackers" (http://backpackershawaii.com) up the highway is a good choice. It's about a 20-minute drive to the airport.

    As far as which company (Skydive Hawaii or Pacific Skydiving), I'd try either or both (they're right next door to each other) if I were you and see which one you like better... at the same time, trying to stay out of their ridiculous feud.

  13. jacketsdb23

    I wonder why vigil and cypres dont offer the shut down/disarm option after open canopy like the Argus swoop mode? Is this to protect for no pull after cutaway Or is the algorithm too challenging?

    I suppose the market is probably limited as well, but id buy it if cypres offered it.



    It took a few swooping misfires on sponsored jumpers and Adrian's death before CYPRES came out with the speed unit, so I don't hold out much hope for them offering anything new anytime soon. Maybe David can shake things up: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=4719416

  14. The vertical acceleration profile for a well-executed HP turn looks too much like a cutaway+noPull event for my liking. I think that to the extent that any of the current AADs account for the latter, they are likely to fire under the wrong circumstances.

    Putting it simply, wingloaded HP landings where the turn is initiated above 1000 ft. (possibly lower) are not compatible with current AADs.

    I own 4 rigs -- the only one with an AAD is my "big rig", the Infinity I-44 that I jump a JFX 126 or Safire2 169 in. If I ever put one of my all-sail JVX's in it (which I probably will - those thing pack HUGE), I would not turn the AAD on for that jump. And you can damn sure bet I'm not jumping an AAD with my Leia 66.6 - I can dive that at 110MPH no problem.

  15. base698

    Those were issues before 2005 as well.



    Significant jump in fuel prices spurred a likewise adjustment to the cost of jump tickets.

    Jumpers became more selective about their jumps, and, therefore slightly less current. But to maintain the fun/$$ ratio, jumpers were/are more prone to "save up" for one or two big boogies a year. The increase in traffic combined with the lack of currency is what is getting people into more trouble.

    ^ Wild-ass speculation. Haven't looked at the reports that back the stats to see if there is a positive correlation between the collisions and larger skydiving events.

  17. dorbie

    ***If you think seatbelts are really going to save you in a serious accident, read this: http://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/AAR0803.pdf

    Skip ahead to pages 24 and beyond.
    The seatbelts failed in a crash the FAA determined to have forces in the survivable range. The way most jumpers wear their seatbelts conforms to the letter of the law, but in reality they might as well put them around their necks.


    top



    That is a case for improved tighter restraint in some aircraft, not a case against using restraints. Claiming they might as well have put them around their necks is nonsense. There are a range of crash scenarios and outcomes. In the Canadian crash I cited, the lack of restraint use was listed as the cause of increased injuries, without even getting into load balance territory. In any case it is moot, restraint use is an FAA requirement.

    I must be seriously misinterpreting something in that report. It looks to me like the 2 jumpers that didn't wear their seatbelts were the problem, not the failure of the attachment points of those that did.

  18. My new princess, Leia 66.6, arrived last week and I had a chance to jump her over the weekend. I got the sail internals as an option, and jumped with full RDS. Initial impressions...

    Exit weight 250 lbs., wingloading 3.75, field altitude of DZ = 5400 ft (1645 meters).

    All openings were great - on heading and well-staged (all hop 'n pops). Easy control the canopy during housekeeping (RDS + cheststrap).

    Very easy and responsive front risers. Very responsive to harness - I'd put it this way; you simply "think" about which way you want the canopy to go, and it responds.

    One thing that's different about these Schuemann-inspired wings is that in the shallow part of a single toggle input, the canopy will actually turn in the opposite direction. It seems the lift created by the input overpowers the drag for about the first 1/4 of the stroke, which causes that side of the canopy to lift relative to the other, and therefore turn the other way.

    Compared to a Petra 72 (w/l ~3.5), also jumped this weekend, I found this "opposite turn" phenomenon to be more pronounced on the Leia.

    Riser turns on the 66.6 are, as expected, extremely snappy. I find it easier to counter the turns on Leia than on the slightly larger Petra, which wants to keep going.

    Recovery arc seems to have a wide range to work with. I was doing a carving 270 (light front to initiate, harness for the rest) from 1200 feet and that was just about right.

    Flare is awesome - tons to work with even at this wingloading.

    On the first jump, I exited almost last (before a couple of wingsuiters). There were a couple fun-jumper groups and then some tandems before me. I opened out the door, played a bit with the canopy to get a feel for her (nothing exceptionally radical), and was the 3rd person from the load to land.

    Next jump, I did a "casual" test for vertical descent and easily hit 110 MPH vertical, about 120 total velocity vector. Rotations are much quicker than when I did the same on my VX74; about 1.8 sec./rotation vs. 2.4 sec./rotation. I didn't perceive as many G's, though. People on the ground said it looked like a radical spinning mal. I'll get more instrumentation to figure out exactly how much I can build up.

    All-in-all, a super-fun specialty canopy. Looking forwad to getting more wings like her in my fleet!

  22. So nice to see you going public with this, Dan! I've seen some of the preliminary versions that Matt was working with and it's so much easier than my Excel hack. Looking forward to using the software!

    P.S. Let me know when you get bored with your JPX 77. I have a JVX 77.7 on order to tide me over until my name bubbles up on "the list", but if I can get my hands on Petra sooner...

  25. Hey Marcel;

    Very glad to hear plans for a pond in that area. I live in Colorado, but work in Oakland, so Skydive California will be the closest DZ when I'm out there.

    I was part of the group back in the day that put the Oregon pond in, and would be happy to help out any time I'm in Oakland and can work it into my schedule. Keep us updated on your progress.