offaxis

It's stupid simple! Plan the dive - Dive the plan. If you are dirt diving (even 10 minutes before take off). Then you are responsible for your slot and you should do whatever you can to make sure it's a safe and successful jump.

Chris Dixon / Scott Plamer / Ryan Risberg are all doing tunnel camps throughout the winter at Ifly Austin. By far the best air in the nation(no buffeting at all). The new Dallas tunnel will be open by then as well.

I ordered a brand new NexGen and after receiving it I noticed the embroidery on the cutaway handle was missing. One phone call with Sandy and less than 24 hours later my handle was at my door a few hours before a rigger was showing up to assemble it! Everyone who has seen my Nexgen loves it! As a free flyer I could not be happier with the rig. The laterals are just as good as Infinity's and I absolutely love the magnetic riser covers with the tuck tab built in!

I jumped a pulse at about a 1:1 WL and it definitely did not have the best flare. I ended up getting a pilot zpx which packs small like the pulse but flies nicer and has better openings than the sabre 2. Of the 2 though I'd get the sabre 2 - Better resale value and much better landings.

Fact! I do however assert that after watching many, many, scary AFF jumps via youtube the only thing I had to fall back on was knowing that a good foundation of flying my body was the only thing that gave me the confidence to jump. Yes there are several aspects of a jump that don't include the free fall portion of the jump but it's primarily what's going to determine any AFF student's pass / fail criteria unless they just can't fly a canopy which is a different think all together. I thought about this more last night and I think that while jump numbers count the USPA should introduce something like what the UK practices - http://www.bpa.org.uk/training-and-progression/further-progression/ This would incorporate better the crossover skills between the sky and the tunnel.

I would argue that good judgement comes from, in part, your own confidence in your ability to make the right decision. Most people I know are not scared of the canopy work they need to do on their first jump but are terrified of falling from a moving air craft. Seeding those individuals with a foundation they can start from would most likely make for a more confident, and therefore better judging flier. Overconfidence can be as bad as ignorance. Skydiving longevity takes a humble person who know his/her limits (whether that's doing vice versa exits out the door or rocking a 2.0 wing loading 200 jumps into the sport).

Disclaimer - I love the sky far more than the tunnel and I have a huge amount of respect for good belly flying! That said - Judgement and attitude are subjective and can't really be measured. Your ability to fall in a stable position can. Agreed that great tunnel flyers don't equate to great big way / RW skills but i'd hesitate less to do some fun jumping / 2 way vfs with a tunnel rat with 100 jumps than a d license belly flier who recently started freeflying assuming adequate break off / tracking skills exist in the tunnel rat. My whole point is I think i learned to fly my body far more efficiently in the tunnel than if I'd just done AFF (even belly) and the USPA should recognize that jumping from a plane isn't the only way to get a solid foundation for free fall.

I'm always amazed that there isn't a stronger alliance between the USPA and the IBA. Before I ever jumped out of a plane I had 4 or 5 hours of flying in a tunnel where I was above proficient on my belly, back, and sit flying. It took no time at all to complete AFF and near the end of the program all we were doing was playing simon says. That said free fall is only half the skydive. I'm stating the obvious here but there is a huge difference between flying your body and flying your canopy. A progression model that disassociated free fall from canopy work would be a good place to start. It would be nice to see the USPA incorporate the fact that wind tunnels are great teaching tools. They are the video game version of skydiving but it should count for something.

Well after reading a ton of private messages from this thread and deciding that I really wanted to have a skyhook I ordered an ICON Nexgen. The rig looks amazing and the work that's gone in to it from a free flying perspective convinced me that this was the right choice. I'm looking forward to seeing Infinity and RI come out with a MARD. No reason I can't jump 2 rigs ;) Thanks for all the help guys!

Haha. I want to make sure that the DZ's I visit have riggers / packers that are super familiar with the gear I jump. I have actually never seen a racer but that's not saying much. I did however jump a Jav all the way through AFF and A license and an Infinity after that. This has actually eliminated the Voodoo Curv from my choices just because my DZ has no experience with it. And in an added twist a friend of mine is getting rid of their near brand new Vector 3 so I should add that in...

Ok I'm having a hard time deciding. I'm a free flier that has hours in the tunnel but not a lot of time in the sky. In my view this is how I've stacked up the 3 containers I'm most interested in: Voodoo Curv: Pros: All inclusive - no options to mess with Super freefly friendly Supposed MARD system in the works Cons: 10 weeks ( i know it's no that bad ) Can't downsize as easily as other rigs No real track record No current MARD system No semi stowless D bag?? Infinity: Pros: Very simple and tested rig Floating laterals 5 weeks for fully custom rig! Can pick up the rig with two fingers under the pin protector flap Cons: No MARD Not a huge fan of the closing flaps Javelin: Pros: Magnetic Riser covers Tried and tested MARD I can hae one in 2 weeks with a fully customized harness! Cons: A little pricey _________________________ Unknowns on all: I'm having a difficult time between ordering something with a Skyhook (Javelin) or a standard RSL. I am usually pulling around 4.5K and while there is never a guarantee I try to be one of the last out of the plane (single or small group free fly). I've spoken to a few DZ guys, some of whom swear by the simplicity of the RSL and even speak out against new conditions that the skyhook introduces and others who are sponsored jumpers by companies that don't offer the skyhook but fly a skyhook configured rig. This controversy has me at a loss. Help me decide!

I actually had two other skydiving locations I thought about going to first as I live in Austin, TX but after a little research and speaking to a few local jumpers I came to spaceland. I could not have made a better choice. As far as I'm concerned this is now my home dropzone.