kimgriffin

My dear friend Arlo and I shared a house for a year. Her room smelt like Raid many a night. She has a bed frame that is less likely for a spider to be able to crawl up and does not like to sleep under AC vents in case a spider might drop on her in the night. (Yeah, Arlo, I still say you shouldn't be sleeping with your mouth open just in case.) I saw the burn holes in her last apartment carpet. Once we all moved out she got Kissa the cat. Someone has to kill the spiders. Too bad cats won't kill on command and can't get them out of the bathtub. I've seen her be okay with a reserve ride and then be shaking in fear later that night because a spider got in the house. When a group of us knows there is a spider in a room w Arlo we all do our best to keep her distracted or eyes away from the area. Ignorance is bliss

Tjene Micke! Yeah, I used to consider adding weights under my WS. Being short and light (with an S3) I can't get the fwd drive taller or heavier flyers can get. I remember flying w/ you and Jari once long ago and feeling a little frustrated about just that. Although I was happy to stop wearing weights when I left 4-way, I think it may be something that has to happen (on WS jumps) when big groups want to keep relative and be able to fly clean. It's no different than in RW... having to fly in comprimised body position limits you. Ray, I wouldn't want to miss 60-way flock jumps - thanks. That's going be an amazing site. Yeah, size matters but hopefully safety will be the #1 consideration.

Sweet, congrats Superstu! It only gets better from here. BirdMan rocks!

Hi Rob! Do we go way back or what? Cal City days. Terry Pike, owner of Aero Tech Products in DeLand, Florida, use to repair the BirdMan demo suits. At the time, BirdMan supplied him with fabric direct from the BM factory. Maybe he has some left over? Just a thought. 386-736-2376 [email protected] ~Kim Griffin DeLand, Fla.

Is it in any fashion a different Vigil from the ones manufactured now, or is it virtually the same Vigil with two cutters? (i.e. give it a probationary period or not...) *** The 2-pin version of the Vigil IS the same Vigil but with two cutters. The cutter cable has a junction where it splits off in to two. Otherwise, it's exactly the same. The retail price shown here is correct. It's $260 for the cable only. If the Vigil saves your behind and you submit a report, you get it for free. ~Kim Griffin Vigil USA -Kimberly Griffin

Speed is a vector. It has no meaning without the direction or are you talking about horizontal and vertical components of your speed? Per my first post this morning: Just vertical freefall speed. ~Kim Griffin Vigil USA, DeLand, Fla -Kimberly Griffin

Hi Eric. Actually, the Vigil engineers designed the Vigil specifically so it wouldn't have to be returned for updates or maintenance. There are no moving parts inside to maintain (like the airbag computer in a BMW). All its hardware (battery, cutter, display) can be replaced by a rigger. The only part that can no be changed out by a rigger is the electronics/brain. Hopefully no Vigil will have to come back within 20 years. IF at sometime in its life, the Vigil's self diagnostic does not meet every parameter perfectly, an error code will be displayed and the unit will not switch on. That is when the unit would have to go back to the factory. But, I would guess that the Vigil would just be replaced to keep the jumper's rig form being down for too long. The engineering company behind the Vigil has automatic devices (in the non skydiving world) that have been in service for at least 20 years now. The guy who owns Advanced Aerospace Designs (mfg of the Vigil in Brussels, Belgium) has owned/run and engineering company for over 20 years. He has worked on AAD technology since 1996. In 1996 his company was subcontracted to produce the controller unit for the EPOS AAD but it never came to the skydiving market because the project was bought out by Airtec. Oh yeah, someone said a few posts back that the battery should be changed when it fails. Actually, it should be changed when a jumper gets the BATLOW signal on his display. Once BATLOW appears you can still do a weekend’s worth of jumping (about 14 jumps) but the battery should be replaced after that. The BATLOW signal will come on in anywhere from 700-1000 jumps. ~Kim Griffin Vigil USA, DeLand -Kimberly Griffin

Hi guys. Sorry... the Vigil will only fire on a wingsuit jump (or any type of jump) if the flyer's vertical speed reaches 78 MPH at 840 ft. Hopefully none of you WS flyers our there are in full flight under 1000ft. Being a big BirdMan fan, I have spoken to the Vigil engineers about coming up with a WS version of the Vigil. They said it would be pretty easy actually. They would just have to program the software with different parameters. My guess is that the WS version will happen in the future but the birdies shouldn't hold their breath just yet. ~Kim Griffin Sales Manager Vigil USA, DeLand BMI -Kimberly Griffin

I've had about 10 sessions of accupuncture for allergies so far. I only have 2 more sessions until I'm finished. I've been treated more for food allergies (and red wine.... grrrr) than hay fever. But, I do get that also sometimes. It HAS helped without a doubt. I got very tired of taking antihistimines ... they make me tired, skin all dry and they do nothing to fix the problem. What I like about the the type of accupuncture I'm getting is that it desensitises you to what your allergic to so you're no longer allergic. I don't know if this program (called N.A.E.T.) is offered at all accupuncturists. It may help to shop around a little. Here's a link if you want to read more about it. http://www.acudebra.com/bioset.htm#NAET Another skydiver lady living in Fla and her 2 yr old daughter are going to the same woman for allergies and are also seeing results. I've gotten results from being congested in one session - nice! Sometimes I relapse but over all it's so much better. The worst part is the money but if I'll no longer be allergic to so many things I'm eating, drinking and breathing, then it's money well spent. Allergies are a malfunction of the immune system. So, I'd also be making sure you're doing all sorts of things that help your immune system function properly. Good luck!

Vigil fire at 2090 ft after his main had just gotten open. He landed the 2 parachutes without incident." Does it mean that after a fully inflated canopy, Solly's fall rate was still at 78 mph or more???(speed at which the Vigil will fire.) I could have worded that more clearly... sorry. The Vigil fired just after Solly pulled so, yes, he was still going over 78 mph when it fired. It's just that he noticed his reserve coming off his back after his main had opened. ~Kim Griffin Vigil USA Sales Mgr

Not a rumor.... Solly William's (from DeLand Majik) had a Vigil fire at 2090 ft after his main had just gotten open. He landed the 2 parachutes without incident. What happened? The Vigil had been reset in to Tandem mode (unbeknownst to Solly). Solly, being a busy coach and competitor and DZ manager never noticed that his Vigil said TANDEM on the display. In fact, it was in tandem mode for at least the past 14 jumps. (The Vigil keeps the last 16 min of freefall in memory.) I downloaded Solly's Vigil jump info through the IR reader this morning and reported my findings back to him. He said his gear is looked at by other people and left in the team hangar. How it got in to tandem mode is unknown. Oh yeah, 2040 ft. is the preset firing alt for tandem mode. ~Kim Griffin Vigil USA DeLand, Fla -Kimberly Griffin

By Vigil "save" I did mean that the Vigil fired at the speed and altitude it was meant to and in a life threatening situation. I hope the term "save" was not misleading. Maybe the words "Vigil fire" would have been a better description? Actually, in his incident report the jumper did not mention that his main had deployed around the same time the Vigil cut the loop. News to me, thank you. I agree, jumpers pulling low and having two canopies out due to an AAD fire around the same time are, unfortunately, not too uncommon. ~Kim Griffin Vigil USA DeLand, Florida

A jumper at Gold Coast Skydiving in Moss Point, MS, USA had a Vigil fire last month. His freefall portion of the skydive was standard but couldn't activate his main. His Vigil was in PRO mode (840 ft). Here is what the jumper said when asked to briefly describe the incident: "Well, my main handle was tucked in and I just was digging for it too long, lost altitude awareness, the Vigil fired and I landed safe! Should have just hit my reserve handle but was not thinking." After he provided the report on the incident, he was shipped a new cutter at no charge. ~Kim Griffin Vigil USA DeLand, Florida -Kimberly Griffin

Hi Lara! Is that a Tennesse fainting goat in your avitar? If so, that's excellent! If not, then you probably think I'm really wierd. Jari... I suck... I didn't get to call you until 10p Fla time... too late... bet you're snuggled away up in a cabin in Lapland by now. Hope it was a great day and I look forward to seeing the new, sexy suit. Will it make my ass look small and tight like a gay sailor?

HAPPY 20 + 16th birthday Jari!!!! Thank you for your genius and perserverance in the world of human flight, for teaching me words like perrrrrkele, for not killing me with your insane driving, for that first taste of flight and for drumming the RW arms out of me. But, most of all, for not being afraid to be yourself and all that entails. You are missed here in DeLand! Happy Birthday! ~Kimi

I was suprised too that more people didn't chime in about seeing What the Bleep. I agree with you on the water crystals! Very very cool to see scientific proof on the power of thought. For anybody who wonders what the heck we're talking about, here is some info about Dr Masaru Emoto's water crystal study: http://www.whatthebleep.com/crystals/ Info on Masaru Emoto's studies: http://www.wellnessgoods.com/messages.asp "From Mr. Emotos work we are provided with factual evidence, that human vibrational energy, thoughts, words, ideas and music, affect the molecular structure of water, the very same water that comprises over seventy percent of a mature human body and covers the same amount of our planet." -Kimberly Griffin

Excellent documentary! Very thought provoking and well done (not boring... to the contrary!) I hear it's coming out on video mid/late March.

Hey, that's one papa mike. Thanks for the flashback! I also did a bunch of jumps from her back in 92-95. Sooooooo many good memories from Cal City. My forever thank yous go to Bob and Judy Celaya, who were running CCSC (and are still there).

Thanks, Scott, for the vote of confidence but don't think I'll be posting the nudies this time. Fergie, will be back with my dynamic corner photos soon. They're in a laptop that's stored away. bok bok ~Kimi

I have dynamic corners on my Odyssey... love them, easy to pack, great openings. I have pictures somewhere if what you see here isnt' enough. ~Kim G

Oh shit... I gotta love Jari... he's such a perv but sooo brilliant. Yeah, guys are easy... Better to just admit it than be a liar.

Nice Vesa!!!!

Shit, you guys are killing me here with those photos! Kimi

Oh crap... I stole that image from the birdman site and didn't realize how small it is. Sorry! I don't have the original image on this computer. Pooey!

Okay, I'll bite My favorite pic... a 2-way first flight from a Herc with Bruce from Australia (I'm the small BMI to the right). Herc Boogie, Lydköping, Sweden, 2002. ~Kim BB#1