lyosha

Perigees? Start 'em on the BASE gear early!

Cypres has a history of saying "trust us, it'll work" instead of explaining how their devices work.

This is a positive development for sure. Don't know if I'd trust it just quite yet, but at least they're thinking, which is good! :)

The individual in the incident in Switzerland was not likely conscious. He forgot to zip up one of his Arm wings and apparently made no attempt to resolve the situation from airplane exit to ground (likely he died midair from the high G forces). Given that he was unlikely to be conscious, there is at least one scenario where an unconscious skydiver in a wingsuit did not have enough vertical speed to trigger his AAD.

... you mean the guy with a Russian made wingsuit that not only swallowed his reserve handle but trapped it inside the wingsuit? I think his problem was he was flying Russian-made skydiving equipment. There was a fatality in Switzerland involving a flat spin last year. I posted a link to it recently. The guy didn't break 50 MPH, which would not fire an AAD in "Pro" mode (that everyone uses...). I started a "should you be switching your vigil to student mode for WS jumps?" thread based on that fatality. A couple of people have actually done that and switched and haven't had issues thus far. I haven't, but after recent events jogging my memory think I'm gonna measure my turn speed as well and see if I can join them under my current canopy.

I've only heard of one very experienced wingsuiter (that you know) that can do this (or so the rumors go... never seen it in person) - with his own spouse after tons of practice. So hypothetically I think it's possible, but "easy" it is not. Perhaps "possible with a ton of practice and careful incremental progress but very difficult" is more accurate.

What is that? http://www.basetroll.com/products/winx/

Last time PD was in town their rep said the optimum I wanted to demo (but didn't get to... grumble grumble) had > 1000 jumps on it. What I was told is that porosity deterioration slows down to a crawl after 500 jumps.

Out of curiosity, why the separate manufacturing?

I completely agree. My point was more that people in the skydiving community like to think that the bartak is there as little more than decoration, but I feel does add to the system.

While I've heard that multiple times, I've begun to question it since I started rock climbing and, looking over my harness, it's being held together by a small number of those "fancy zig zag" stitches, and with no fingertrapping. Made me think that maybe they do contribute something.

I've been a long time advocate of Grellfab mounts. They attach to the part of the helmet least likely to entangle with something. In the event of an entanglement they are held on by two rubber bands - meaning your GoPro won't try to decapitate you with your helmet (at least not more than it can before the rubber bands pop...). They have a cutaway. Useful piece of gear.

... what if the passenger specifically requests it and the tandem instructor approves?

You mean no grippers? I still see thumb loops on their pictures...

An RI magnetic bag's magnets do not open to let the lines out, just as the tuck tabs on other semi-stowless bags do not open to let the lines out. Mark The problem with RI's magnet bag comes in if some or all of the lines are misrouted and end up not going out the same slot as they came in. With a tuck tab angled down, the tab pops and worst case you get line dump. With the magnets going up, whatever lines are misrouted are held in place by the bag. Yes, this is a packing error. But it's one that apparently happens with some frequency. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDpCSxErk_E

Probably rigging innovations / chutingstar semi stowless. If you route the lines wrong they turn your canopy into a steamer. Yes, you have to make a packing error. But a ton of cutaways and even a recent near fatality from a world class base jumper (in a base environment, but similar packing error) say these kinds of oversights happen with some frequency.

It's a collapsed white pilot chute?!? ...

Yes, that reason being belly flyers that were around when it was first introduced (and broke DZ bums who can't afford anything more modern). In all seriousness the OP says he likes wingsuitting. Consider picking up another Sabre1 135 on the cheap for the WS flights. You're entering wingloadings where Sabre2 openings become really interesting on WS flights.

I think canopy selection plays less of a role if you collapse your wing on a smaller suit.

Do you have a video of this or something similar? The force restraining the slider at the top is the air hitting it and the friction from the grommets on the lines. Shortening the distance (i.e. if your canopy comes out with an instant line twist) will decrease the air pressure and cause your slider to come down prematurely, as I've seen in my own deployments a few times. But the distance riser cover to riser cover is the same as the distance ring to ring, so purely hypothetically this shouldn't substantially influence opening shock. Please let me know if I have my physics ass backwards. As far as the issue at hand, my wings container had a riser cover that on a couple of jumps stayed closed, but it was never more than a nuisance and the issue hasn't been an issue in almost 300 jumps after the container got broken in a bit. Make sure your main risers go on top of that flap that says "place main risers on top of this flap" under the riser covers. Wings are one of the containers where not doing so has caused fatalities before.

Hi Juan, You make amazing pictures. If I buy your book, can you send me a few in 4k resolution to use as background for my computer? Thank you!

What happens if my suit comes back with cigarette burns?

There are non-negligible arguments for asking PD to put a bridle attachment point on an OPT - based on second hand information, the fabric that the OPT is made from appears to be more durable long-term than the fabric Epicene is made from. The OPT fabric supposedly lasts for > 1000 jumps on PD's demo canopies. Squirrel says theirs lasts for ~700 jumps. And, not least importantly, an OPT is $500 cheaper. Personally I'm waiting to see what wingsuit specific canopies come out. One of them just might get me to switch from my Sabre1...

Buy an optimum, request PD to put a pilot chute attachment point on it. If that fails, a competent master rigger could probably sort you out.

I'm coming up on 300 jumps with it and no issues yet