Darth_Vader

Hey HristoP (we have the same name...?) I did do a few jumps of the Kraken and it was super nice for a 7-cell with good openings for WS and solid flare (way better than my Pilot7 UltraLPV). Hope season comes soon and you enjoy your new canopy! Cheers,

Apologies for the bad advice - not intentional - that is why i put the range of 1.1 to 1.3 and that's why we have you. I agree 1.3 is aggressive in general and especially for some, others do great with it - one should know what is right for them and have his/hers instructors confirm. Nothing wrong with renting for 200 jumps to get your own custom rig for the next 500-700 jumps and enjoy awesome comfort with a canopy you like and can handle. Of course, in the mean time one can get a new/used rig at 1:1 - its personal choice and I shared my opinion and experience or renting various canopies to figure out what i like and need, then get it custom. Thanks for pointing out my opinion is too aggressive in its upper band and hopefully preventing some bad choices, although this is internet forum and nobody should base their purchasing decisions nor wingloading on advice from here. That is why we have experienced instructors at our DZs who know us personally. As Joellercoaster pointed out that I should have not been on a 1.25 loading at 200 jumps - downsized only after being comfortable with each step, taking canopy courses, doing hop'n'pops for drills including landing downwind. Never had a awful landing nor was scared of the canopy - find it quite relaxing under a 150 with still some speed when desired. May be I am just lucky so far and hope it stays that way. riggerrob - agree with you, that is why i suggested for fencks to wait until he figures out what he wants to do and downsizes to something he would want to keep for some time. blue skies, Chris The Power of the Dark Side

As in many previous posts and just above: wait until you get to a wing loading of 1.1-1.3 and then: - you will have much better idea of what you like (type of canopy) - you will get a canopy that will be fun to jump for 300, 500, 700 jumps... - you can better match the harness (for comfort) and main to the reserve (yes, first pick the reserve (size)) - you will have a better eye for used gear (if buying used) Good luck and blue skies, Chris The Power of the Dark Side

Looking for swoop shorts for the comfort of jumping - its hot in Dubai and swoop shorts with that teslan or similar fabric went, wick and dry fast. Also, the fit can be tight and comfy without being Capri while having cordura on butt and knees. The Power of the Dark Side

I want to be an old and not too broken skydiver - going conservative and a larger canopy is great for wingsuting. Jumps Load Size 11 1 - 11 0.77 240 17 12 - 28 0.84 220 14 29 - 42 0.88 210 15 43 - 57 0.93 200 45 58 - 102 0.97 190 52 103 - 154 1.09 170 8 155 - 162 1.16 160 29 163 - 191 1.23 150 The Power of the Dark Side

hey burim88, if you are a "new" tracker best is to first learn very well to rack in a t-shit and shorts - hold heading, fly your slot, be comfy to go flat or steeeeep, change direction to follow the base while keeping your slot, do some transition... then get into a suit. The other consideration - how many people track in suits at your DZ? are you gonna be alone or with just this one other dude who comes once a month? If there is a bunch of people flying tacking suits - great - ask to try theirs to see how it feels and what you like. Finally, much more people fly wingsuits ;) Hope that helps and happy tracking! The Power of the Dark Side

Vertical VS LiquidSky! Anybody having one or the other - will appreciate views and opinions. I have seen both and spoken to guys at the DZ, just wanted wider view as opinions do differ.... Thank you very much and blue skies, Chris The Power of the Dark Side

Thank you for the reply, BH. I hope you would consider a "summer" version with solid ventilation for hot months/climates (something the C6 Air tried to do, but failed to get to production). Are you planning a sony action cam mount? Thanks and blue skies, Chris Kind regards, Chris The Power of the Dark Side

Hey BH, Looks like a great product - nice job! From the photos I cant see ventilation on the helmet (or is the 'aero' pertaining only to weight ) How will it do in hot weather (Dubai)? Thanks and blue skies, Chris The Power of the Dark Side

Thanks jumpwally :) Yes, its not big as a student rig, but its not a sub 100 ft either. Having said that I'd rather have a "large" rig than a large splat... The Power of the Dark Side

Hey strife, The Pulse 150 packs nice: no real "struggle" putting the D-bag in; the pin closes easy (with standard length closing loop); and the Curv does not look "preggo" at all. Also, you can press on the container and its relatively "soft" (see pictures) On that note, I was also contemplating getting the Vc1, but Angela at RI strongly suggested the 150 Pulse did not fit in it. I have not seen a Vc1 to confirm that. All in all, even with fast and shitty packs I have no trouble fitting the 150 Pulse in the Vc2. Side note - I hear the Pilot ZPX packs even smaller and might be a canopy to consider if you go for the Vc1, but getting the right canopy should come fist. Hope that helps. Let me know if you have more/other questions. Blues skies, Chris The Power of the Dark Side

Here are some photos of my Curv. Its a Vc2 with a Pulse 150 and Optimum 143 Very comfy rig and feels quite lite for such a big one The Power of the Dark Side

Hey guys, I am in Essen and want to do some jumps this and next weekend. Any advice on DZs around Essen and specifically Marl as it seems the closest. Crucially - anybody in Essen/Dusseldorf reading this - let me know if I could catch a ride to a DZ and get you some beers? Cheers and blue skies, Chris The Power of the Dark Side

Should be ready as every weekend i see solid progress. I am now in Germany, but once back in Dubai late June will ask. P.S. you guys know anything about Fallschirmsport Marl or any other DZ around Essen? Blue skies, The Power of the Dark Side

Awesome you decided to take the AFF and becopme a skydiver!!! On malls and botched landings - no worries! Just stay focused and listen to Nigel - he is a great guys and a real good instructor: I would do an AFF with him any day! It only seems scary the first few times ;) The Power of the Dark Side

Hey Kalrigan, Dubai is best in Winter - many people from US and EU come and its fun. Especially in Dec-Jan we get the winder festival, mondial; all the other time we have local competitions and lots of organized jumps (like amateur swoop league, tracking jumps, FF...). So, you have a lot to do, great vibe, learning from the elite, and with 8am to 5pm you can make 6-8 loads on a busy weekend and 12+ on a weekday (depends if you pack fast or bribe a packer). temps at 12.5k are close to zero and ground is 20-25 in dec/jan. Just so you dont even consider the summer (read: May - October) is quite hot - especially in August going to altitude is like sauna (especially for AFF/Tandems in jumpsuits, but even in shorts its hot if not by the open door), also around the summer we get fog in the morning and stronger winds in the afternoon and finally the work hours are 7am - noon (if not too hot)... Hope that helps, Chris The Power of the Dark Side

The closest hotel I believe is the Premier Inn in Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO) which is about 25 min drive, but i would email the Desert Campus and ask if they have better suggestion as you are not the first to ask that for sure. Also, they are almost done building accommodation and hotel at the DZ but have not heard that its done yet. Taxi from DSO would be 70 Dirhams one direction, while the price of a rental car for a day is from 80-120 Dirhams and then you can go to JBR and other places in Dubai for sightseeing. Traffic in Dubai can be heavy and crazy + taxi in Dubai is cheap!!! :) Buses are useless in Dubai, but tourist ride the metro for fun (while also quite useless to us) Food at the DZ is good and includes hot cooked buffet lunch, and hot/cold sandwiches all day, fruit salads, ice cream, cookies, and red bull. Food is relatively cheap at the DZ and in Dubai in general (excluding nice restaurants of course) I would suggest if you know people in Dubai or can connect with jumpers to stay with them to save cash and have fun in good company. Also, on most days you can get a ride to the city with somebody. Blues skies, Chris The Power of the Dark Side

dqpacker: because sometime I can't choose between 2 options and ask only to get a 3rd or 4th that I like even better - because its a forum to share. If NegroKarlezi is firm on those two, no harm done; if its a helpful tip - awesome. From the rigs I tried, I really liked the Curv but its new and still quite uncommon (for better or worse). Apologies to you and NegroKarlezi if my suggestion was out of place. Blue skies, Chris The Power of the Dark Side

mattjw916: Dubai desert does look a bit like mars from above (see attached how yellow just blends in) I was not over thinking or shopping - I had 4 designs in mind and just made a poll which people like the most .... aaaaand... then it escalated into discussion on visibility, contrast, fading,... Thanks for the input and the pointing out that safety and facts should prevail over vanity and style - agree with that (but not sure how much I abide by it ) Cheers, Chris The Power of the Dark Side

Sparky: you were spot on re Orange jumpsuit and canopy... sweet stuff! For me in Dubai it will look just like that looking up, but looking down it will be harder to see blended with the desert - for that actually blue is most visible in my experience... Also, one time a dude demoed an Optimum - was hard seeing him from above. potatoman: its always a dry season here... I am leaning towards as red with black end cells. might have one white or extra black for direction orientation - now trying to figure out The Power of the Dark Side

a rainbow just like: http://www.flickr.com/photos/96925827@N05/12279485083 The Power of the Dark Side

Have you considered the Curv from RI - that's what I'm getting and it seems to be awesome - check it out: http://rigginginnovations.com/Pages/Containers/VoodooCurv.aspx But as all the rest said - demo and get whatever you like / fells best! Blue skies, Chris The Power of the Dark Side

Sparky - I agree with the studies and they do make a lot of sense. My question is how do you adopt this for the surrounding environment - in the desert its quite hard to see a yellow/orange canopy from above as it blends in quite nicely (I attached some pics above). Thanks. The Power of the Dark Side

This is getting off topic to my new canopy color selection, but is more important: LloydDobbler (D 30655) said in a previous post: "One of the master riggers at Cal City did a study on this subject a couple of years ago & presented it at PIA. His findings showed that most colors (including dark colors) held up well - but certain fluorescent colors showed weak tensile strength after prolonged exposure" here are the links: Presentation: http://www.upscalehomeless.com/muzak/fabric_color_study.zip Data: http://www.upscalehomeless.com/muzak/fabric_color_study_files.zip The Power of the Dark Side

I jump the N3 and N3 Audio: N3: normal stuff for audible that the Quattro does for less money and fits better. N3 is a great visual + log. N3 Audio: brilliant - once you exit a nice lady voice tells you every 1,000ft: 12, 11, 10... really awesome for tracking/wingsuit jumps as you are not looking at your alti (People also liked it for RW). Then it tells you "break off, break off" and "deploy, deploy" which i find much nicer compared to normal alarms (wave files you can change). Never had problem hearing it. As bonus you can listen to music going up or while packing. PS - dont wear the N3 in the silicon sleeve - lost mine on 2-way back-flip hug exit... :( Hope that helps and blue skies, Chris The Power of the Dark Side