alain

Iwan, Thanks for the Stobo's link :) Fish, my swoops are so long that they start legaly in Belgium and touch down in France ;)

easy question for the pro: is this: http://www.manfrotto.com/product/templates/templates.php3?sectionid=100&itemid=317 the right camera quick release or is there anything better to get out of there ? [ur]=http://www.manfrotto.com/product/catlist.php3?sectionid=1&manufid=1[/url] ? (sorry if there was allready an answer in the forum but I did not find it)

true, I don't have any first hand reliable evidence or source on that point, that's only what I've read and heard many times. once again, people really concerned with Vectran lifespan should get in touch with experts like para-concepts...

I'm just slightly more experimented than you: take the following with a grain of salt At the point where you are you seem to have a good idea of how that canopy flies and if you feel that you want something slightly faster it's probabely resonable to go one size smaller (ie 1,3:1). One thing you should keep in mind for the next 500 jumps is that whatever you canopy piloting skills become (even with training seminar), you still have to built awareness that will prevent you of doing Stupid Last Minute Manoevres. You will do SLAMM's in the mean time (all of use did, me first: last one 40 jumps ago) and a resonable WL with good piloting skills will let you walk away with just minor bruises... go safe

Had a new vectran lineset on my Safire after 500ish jumps. The old lines looked dark and 'fuzzed out' but the trim was still like new. I understand that the darkness or 'fuzz out' factor are not the main concern with vectran's lines but they can snap without prior notice if you use them for too long. I did not play that game thoug and I could not say if 500ish jumps is a reasonable figure or if you can go further at no risk... Just my experience, get in touch with people at www.wara-concepts.com : they reline vectran canopies all the time

depends when and how, I would not mind if he smokes J at the end of a good day like I have a couple of beers. I'd walk away if he smokes/drink/whateverdrug all day long...

ooops you're right, that's the other way thanks anyway

thanks both of you for input :) I've had mine relined with the original trim one hundred jumps ago, I just love the way it flyes and did not want the new trim w/o having tested it. I've learned to slide out my swoops on no wind days beside the bottom end flare, did you notice any significant change with the -2 trim ? (openings, glide, dive, recovery arc...) do you rekon the -1 is a more swooping friendly ? do you mean 1,55 wl based on the warning label's size or with the 'true' size (safire-1 size + 7% = safire-2 size)

do you think thet could built a custom 350ish silhouette or sabre ?

wondering if some of you have significant experience with the Safire-1 at those wl ? how does it fly ? (glide on a long spot, dive, recovery arc, flare...) I've done 500ish jumps with a safire-1 at 1,3:1, I love it but love something slightly faster. I can hardly find a smaller one to test around here. First though goes to the safire 'coz i love the openings (wingsuit friendly) and general flight specs...

2-3 weeks ago, on the way to altitude (say at 7 or 8K), i do my usual auto check, then have a look around in the porter. I spot one miss routed chest strap, the guy has been in sport for a year, done 80ish jumps and apparently did not get ckecked before boarding. I show him his strap, he does not get the point. I point my finger at it again, no reaction. I'm pretty pissed off, I pull the strap, it comes off and say 'you're dead'. Back on ground, I've never seen someone so gratefull... (and yes he was very happy to buy some beer ;)

what do you folks consider pulling high ? (just curious)

how much have you paid for a balloon jump, lets say from 5 to 7 grand ? (where would be appreciated too) cheers :-)

no extra for a SVCD burned on a CD: don't have a DVD burner but that's fine for a 20 minutes video...

and it will rock as well alain

errr first attachement down here is a flying salmon second is a flying salomon suit ;-)

check this out: http://waycool.com.au/html/products/black-eye-lens.htm

interesting things here: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=408778;search_string=safety%20day%20cutaway%20lbs;#408778

did you spot a LanC port on it ?

you'll need sometging like this: http://www.sewelldirect.com/FireWirePCMCIACard.asp?s=google&a=FW_PCMCIA duno if that one is good though... edit: then you'll need a fire wire cable. they come in either 4 or 6 pin. You need 4 pin on one side to plug into the camcorder and 4 or 6 on the other side to plug into your lantop port. the card on that link has 6 pin ports.

is the articulated option on the wings worth the extra money ? or put it this way: if the articulated option cuts the budget for the full stainless hardware, what would be your first choice ?

exit wheight: 170lbs safire 220 4 jumps Safire 200 12 jumps Safire 189 20 jumps Merit 190 4 jumps Electra 190 4 jumps Electra 170 10 jumps springo 160 25 jumps safire 135 500 jumps these are figures , no advice. It would have been smarter/safer for me to fly a 150 for 200-300 jumps... Now take my comments/advice with a grain of salt (I'm only at 550 jumps, not thouthands like many around here...) Lesson learned: though I can now go through Bill's list with the 135, I won't downsize until I'm 100% sure to swoop the shit out of it with accuracy, what ever jump numbers it takes My little advice would be to use bill's list untill you get at 1.1-1.2:1 or whatever you need to feel comfortable on windy days. The question you should then ask yourself (beyond Bill's list), is do you wana go faster and is there any way to do so under your current canopy. answer to this is quite often positive and it will take some time in a few words (this is not from me but i like it!): canopies don't swoop, good pilots swwop edit: interesting reading here: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=104235;search_string=the%20shit%20out%20of%20it%20SkymonkeyONE%20;#104235

they are still a few stock ffx left, ask Ram or Allie if interested. as far as snag proof goes nothing's better than a ffx. my humble opinion...

getting close to 400 jumps with a Safire 1 135 loaded @ 1.3+:1, here's what I can say about it... The vectran lineset will probabely last another 100 jumps, that will take it to 500 jumps or so. I've checked the lines length not too long ago: they are all within 1cm from the factory specs !!! I use to find the flare quite tricky at first but now I realise that it was mostly due to me not being experienced enough for that wingloading at the time. The openings are nothing but sweet: I don't even bother to slow down my track before pulling, which gives me some consistant 700ft nice openings, on heading 90%. I reckon the last 10% are mostly due to lazy body position, anyway the canopy never dives nor spin. I look forward to jump that canopy with a wingsuit ! The glide is very good if you need it (rear risers), either to get back from a long spot or if you want to wait for trafic to clear... Despite what many people have said, this canopy has heaps of flare even on a classic strait in apporach, you just need a little research to find it... Flat turns are quite easy to dial in too. No issues with strong or turbulent wind. Now, the very good side of the Safire-1 compared to many of it's kind is it's ability to dive and swoop, don't expect 400ft though ;-). Recovery arc is not too short, front riser pressure is manageable (I had the lower steering lines lenghten of 3 inch to avoid some wierd reactions on front riser input). Best thing to do* is a front riser carve approach, starting slowly for 45°, then pull harder to make it dive and get some speed for another 90°, what you need for the last or so 45° needed to complete a classic 180 is to release the riser smoothly or eventualy pulling the other one a little bit if you find yourself too high: the canopy won't level out untill you want it to and it will keep heaps of speed. Then: the flare is cool ! After a smooth approach like I described, I usualy just need a little break input to flaten the glide and then the canopy flies horizontaly on it's own, pretty much toggles up, for about a third of the swoop. You just need to apply some breaks progressively to shut it down. Once dialed in, even on a hot no wind day, you won't have to run it out, not even a single step needed. slide&stop, that's how it works! My 0.02 euro advice to intermediate jumpers willing to progress safely would be: get one (with the spec-1) and take some time to learn how it flies. If you are more conservative and don't want to get into HP landings, maybe a Safire-2 or Sabre2 would be an easier option... * I would not recommend any front riser approach at first or for beginners, you don't need that to land the canopy proprely. But if you want to, do your home work and take the time and jumps to get there progressively (double front at first, then 90's, etc...) edit, 3 things I wanted to add (120 more jumps and a new line set since): - i'm now jumping it with my S-Fly wingsuit: great, no hassle, sweet openings. I got a couple of twist once, no worries the canopy flew strait and I had plenty of time to kick them out. just as good as I expected :-) - I had the opportunity to throw some nice 270's at higher elevation (1800ft) in Morroco lately, just one thing to say: leave your self some room 'coz the thing will swoop!!! No problems to shut it down though. Considering that sort of altutide density is fairly equivalent to one size smaller at home (sea level) and how enjoyable it was, I'm hunting for a 119 ;-) - I discovered how to make it dive steeper&longer, thus building more speed, by pulling on both risers during the carve. More speed means slightly longer recovery arc and better swoop, plus you to start the swoop higher with this trick which is a good safety point ! safe ones ! Alain

get a low profile wide angle (royal lens...) if you get a FFX, other wise any wide angle will do it exept that the larger ones can always be chopped by an elevator...