aufreefly

While it is probably not a big deal under a lightly loaded canopy, I have been told by very seasoned canopy pilots that I should not take a wrap on the break lines when exploring my canopy's range. And I found out why on my next jump. After I stalled out my canopy it recovered into line twists(5). Luckily I was at seven thousand feet and had plenty of time to recover. If my hands had been wrapped in my brake lines and I had to cutaway my problem might have been significantly worse. (Just my personal opinion...feedback is welcome) michael hunt (yes, that is my real name...and i've heard them all)

Never even thought of practicing ditching the camera during my cutaway sequence. I think that I will start doing that and share it with all of the people at my DZ. Good advice! michael hunt (yes, that is my real name...and i've heard them all)

Thats EXACTLY the technique that I use to get down to RW formations. When you fly on your back you can see everything much more clearly than in a steep dive. (as an added bonus you can wave to all of the bellyfliers when you pass them on the way down to the formation!) michael hunt (yes, that is my real name...and i've heard them all)

A few of us decided one night after many beers that it would be a good idea to break out the credit cards and buy tickets to amsterdam. We actually got round trip airfare for less than three hundred bucks! We have no clue what we are going to do once we get there but it should be fun! Thats legal there...really(crooked smile crosses face) michael hunt (yes, that is my real name...and i've heard them all)

The pc110 also has a flash to be used when taking still photos. If all you are going to be doing with the camera is skydiving and filming the occasional dropzone antics then I would recommend the pc9. It is the same size as the pc5 but it accepts the same batteries that the pc110 uses. Even with the small battery I have no need to recharge on the weekends. The only other thing is that according to yahoo shopping (you will probably find the best prices there, they compare hundreds of retailers) is that the pc9 has no nightshot, which is crucial for capturing boobies at night! michael hunt (yes, that is my real name...and i've heard them all)

This one could work for skydiving as well. michael hunt (yes, that is my real name...and i've heard them all)

Just got an email from one of my non-skydiver friends. Would you say that this attachment sums up the skydiver community? They got it from www.despair.com, which is a really funny website. I hate all of those stupid motivational posters. If you are looking at telling someone that they are annoying, or that they have bad teeth www.justatip.com works well also! michael hunt (yes, that is my real name...and i've heard them all)

That is half of the fun of a balloon jump...you never know where you are going to land. I did one in AZ during nationals and we ended up landing in a field. The balloon has a chase truck that comes and picks it up. Our balloon came within a hundred yards of the border patrol station. It was about seven in the morning...none of us had ID and the border patrol responded with four trucks. I think that they were just really bored. If you have a chance give it a try, it's well worth the money (about sixty bucks). michael hunt (yes, that is my real name...and i've heard them all)

As a new jumper with 300 jumps and four (yes that sucks) reserve rides I understand what it is like to be nervous and check and recheck things on the plane. But lately I started refocusing my nervous energy. Instead of checking my stuff five times I casually look at other jumpers gear...especially recent AFF graduates who often do not have their own gear and are swapping mains. A while back I saw a jumper with more than one ring passing through the large ring on his 3-ring release. So use your fanatical devotion to safety for the benefit of others.:-) michael hunt (yes, that is my real name...and i've heard them all)

I have been jumping the PC-110 with the bonehead box for about 150 jumps now and love it. It completly contains the camera except for a hole in the back to use the viewfinder and operate the camera. I have a rather large .45 wide angle and it covers that completly. It seems like if your wide angle was small you would have to trim off some of the front in order to prevent it showing up on video. You will also have to cut a hole to accept a cam-eye or whatever they are called. Do you already have your camera or a helmet that you were planning on using? michael hunt (yes, that is my real name...and i've heard them all)

forgot to mention that I used to weigh 185 but my point is that you should just find a good canopy pilot at your DZ and ask as many questions as you can. (the best canopy pilot may not be the guy under the smallest canopy, I know people who fly 120 stilleto's who can outswoop almost all of the people I see under sub-100 extremes) michael hunt (yes, that is my real name...and i've heard them all)

I'm definantly going, I was mainly interested in knowing if there were any dz.comers that would be in attendance. But, why do people land off so frequently? What type of terrain will I be landing off in(places to land a high performance canopy)? michael hunt (yes, that is my real name...and i've heard them all)

Just wondering who was going to be there, and what days. I normally jump at Skydive Atlanta and am going to be freezing my as# off for this boogie. Will it be worthwile. Also, how far is CSS from Raeford? Hope to see some of you there. michael hunt (yes, that is my real name...and i've heard them all)

I think everyone is overlooking the fact that nobody knows the skill level that he is at. Canopy size is determined by jumper skill (being able to sink into a tight spot, turn low safely, or downwind a landing) and he might be an excellent canopy pilot. I have 250 jumps and can outfly many people with over 800 or even a thousand. I weigh 205 with no gear and jump a cobalt 135. People are suprised to see how I land for my number of jumps, ask clay. I got a cobalt 150 at about 90 jumps and have never come close to hurting myself or endangering others. I guess if the people at his dz feel that he can fly a 150 then maybe a 150 cobalt is a good option for him. Cobalts, in my opinion, have much more bottom end than a stilleto or definantly a saphire. I would recommend the cobalt and wheather it is a 150 or a 170 is a personal choice. Ask yourself if you feel comfortable under a 150. Just my .02 michael hunt (yes, that is my real name...and i've heard them all)

an update from Dr. Bill...there are no internal injuries and Russ will make a full recovery soon.:)

I agree...most people in America only like to see things from their perspective. As Americans we have this kind of superiority complex that prevents us from considering the whole issue...actually quite sad. BTW I am in the USN and am not condoning the attacks, just asking people to open up to the big picture.

I agree...beware, any activity at the atlanta freeflight festival might just show up on the internet!

Go to www.joereger.com. Joe is a skydiver at skydive atlanta and probably has the best personal hompage that I have ever seen. There are videos and stills as well as everything you wanted to know about joe. check out the shoe journal! Let him know what you think, there is a forum in the contact section.

what size should be used for a 135 ZP elliptical?

thanks for the responses and I will ask for a trim chart. Does anybody know how pilot chute size/material can effect openings?

I was wondering if, after all of the slack has been taken out, you can do anything to lengthen the breaklines? I have a demo canopy that I am not sure that I want to jump again but it is the only thing that I have right now and need something. The jump went like this. At 3500 I tracked off. At 3000 I pulled. At 2900 I had a fully open canopy with line twists. (I don't know how many because my head was pinned forward from the risers) After clearing the twists I tried to set up my approack with some front riser turns and suprise the canopy starts buffeting wildly. My question is also, is it customary to give away demo canopies that will kill you?

I think we should show what he did as something not to do. If you have a weak throw and reach back to "throw" the bag out of your container something worse could happen. The pilot chute was described as flapping around. What would have happened if the flailing pilot chute had wrapped around one of his wrists as the main was deploying. A reserve ride might have been a better option.

hey mountainman it sounds like you had an awesome time. I was wondering if any cobalt representatives showed up. I have been calling them for more than a week now.

For what it is worth I started jumping a cobalt 150 at ~1.5 from my 90th jump. I now have over 220 and have nothing but good things to say about my cobalt (once I figured out that the canopy really opens better when pro-packed, I would'nt recommend the psycho pack). If you are comfortable under canopy then 1.3to 1.4 probably is not too high of a loading. The only other canopy that I have jumped is the stiletto and the cobalt seems to have a bit more flare. I hope that this helps.

I was not trying to start a debate about the DZ's. I have not kept up with all of the posts about this. I will try to find the previous posts. I was writing after talking to a person in Auburn looking to make their first jump. I had told them there were many dropzones in GA and they contacted me and told me that they found only one. I had never heard of skydivinginfo.com and was curious if anyone else had. If all anyone is going to say is that I suck for posting this then that is fine, but I appreciate the one response that I got informing me about the previous posts. If anyone else would like to say something constructive that would be great but I was not looking to upset anyone, well maybe the people who created that website.