sikorsky

All ads need to go in the classifieds...

get your risers customized... i'll have a picture of one in a few weeks --then include them with your order. find some new 3 inch wide 7mm divesuit neoprene (or a 6x36 piece) --include them with your order. they can wrap saran over the neo, push it into the legstrap with a metel ruler and just leave the saran in there --will last you another 17 years. hope you never get lines caught on your rig or you can KISSYOURASSGOODBYE

he allways laughed at me cause i couldn't freefall very well (especially during cutaway), but he did it in a way that made me laugh too. i once had a few too many with him and bit his belly-button and left a scar (he bled a little) but it was fun. he could hook-throw a basketball like nobody's business i'll never forget his final round during sport accuracy --he just glided perfectly 5 foot off the ground for a hundred feet and placed a dead-center with a big shit-eatin grin on his face to take 1st place! he is a good man --never saw him cross anyone. what a talent in the air though, absolutly great. i liked his comments on survival in video i saw long time ago. i like gus a lot

MaryLou sent me the rules that will be used (taken from the IPC 2-Way Sequential Event: Each round consists of a repeatable sequence drawn from the dive pool. Exit altitude shall be 1850 m (~6,000 ft) AGL with a working time of 60 seconds. The draw of the sequences: Each round consists of 5 points that have been drawn from the dive pool of 6 formations. When a formation is drawn, it will be immediately returned to the dive pool so that it may be drawn again. Scoring: The working time and scoring begins with the first 2-way formation whether correct or not, or 30 seconds after exit of the first team member, excluding the team’s videographer, whichever is first. Teams will be awarded one point for the first formation and each subsequent formation correctly completed within the working time. Teams will not be awarded points for incorrect formations. There will be no penalty. Omissions: Omission of a formation will stop the scoring at that formation. The next formation to score is the second correctly completed formation following the last omission. Scoring may also continue if the team goes back to correctly complete the omitted formation or incorrect formation. Each formation must be performed in accordance with the illustrations in the drawn sequence. Jumper position for each random is set by the draw, i.e. the dark canopy position on the first formation built within a round must remain in the dark canopy position on all subsequent formations of that round. There must be complete separation between each formation. No mirror formations are allowed. All formations shall be performed as shown in the dive pool, as seen from behind. In addition, it is believed that Alan Gutshall , Jon Sikorsky or Chuck Backus will sweep the event. They are accepting pre-event donations in the form of $100 wagers from all competitors. If you or anyone else would like to contribute please do so. Contributions (wagereing) are not being limited to $100 for those of you that have increased confidence. It is hoped that the great organizers of our sport will compete and therefore be afforded the opportuinity to also contribute as they have taken-in sizeable funds from the community already and should have adequate financial reserves.

you might can talk with carl d. in deland

Looks real nice... You can have my CRW dive generator if you want, check out [url]www.dqnt.com/formations.asp

i think there's one @ www.dqnt.com/acc.htm

...had a dream --where lots & lots of rounds were huddled togethor in a big circular formation that just floated towards the earth atop a warm mass of air. there was a ground crew following us. just a dream.

...with out anybody getting wrapped up. That's why I'm interested in it.

check out www.dqnt.com/acc.htm for more info on learning crw - it can have a very positive effect on your skills... canopy & otherwise.

2" wide 1/4" thick neoprene strips. wrap in saranwrap & push inside legstraps with metal yardstick. makes for a comfortable cushion around the nuts/lips.

http://crweuropa.skyservices.net/CRWEuropaRules.doc --is this official? I heard working time was 1 minute and that the French are doing 7 pts, etc.. If anyone knows the current rules please reply... Cause Alan & I are gonna kick some ass. That's right. Us, not you, not them, not nobody, WE gonna take the gold. We gonna blow the French away AND swallow.

Sounds like its going to be a great time with some wonderful people to spend a fun-filled, thrilling weekend with...

I've finnally gotton my brain cells down to a manageable size but I still can't remember anyone pulling-off a diamond (or even a wedge) --with rounds. If anyone know of such a feat, PLEASE email a picture to me.

BASIC FORMAT OF THE TD CAMP - by Alan Gutshall and Jon Sikorsky after 28 jumps from 13.5 we were pleased to see that folks were now able to top-dock accurately and pilot to some extent. 1st weekend: The top docking started out as an exercise in getting from the aircraft to the area along side to make a final approach from. They practiced getting there in 2 moves, although many controls were used, it was an out and back in move while closing the vertical gaps. For 5 jumps they only put their foot behind the outside a-line, then withdrew. Emphasis was on getting only the a-line and presenting the outside leg. The next 5 jumps added moving from one side to the other with minimal separation. 2nd weekend: 1st jump 1st day repeated the previous jump. Then we had them do the same drills but working on top of two-stacks. Since we had little or no wind we introduced them to noting the knot meter and judging the groundspeed. We had the pilot do long go-arounds for them to visually sense 80-90 knots ground speed. We also had them get a feel for airspeed by putting their hand outside the door. They learned the difference of 80 vs. 110 knots and should be able to tell the difference between up or downwind headings on windy days from the aircraft. 2nd day jumps were stair step docks holding the grip. 3rd weekend: 5 jumps - We worked hard on center docks emphasizing correcting the heading at grip time. The remaining jumps we posed as students, having them brief us, communicate with the pilot, spot and get us on the dz. We emphasized the 1st dock out of the door had to be made. After the initial dock we let them dance around and make as many points as they could. All the time we exposed them to where the airflow was around the target canopy and how to avoid it. We explained the burble they have and how to avoid it from affecting the target canopy. We made certain not to allow a sloppy dock while staying as close as possible so that they could see mistakes. We always kept a steady heading from the beginning of the camps while gradually leaning towards not helping with vertical separation and forward speed. I can say that for the most part our techniques worked and above all, were safe -- time will tell. I know one of them recently hung row five without an issue and the other started piloting. I know the precision learned in top docking helped. I'm certain of one thing, everyone else that can top dock can teach it differently, however I believe it is most important not to bail on them during a bad approach! This is not as easy as one might think. It does take some balls/ovaries! So far they have had at least 400 attempts at top docking and pulled off at least 100 that were correct. In contrast, it took me 2 years to get 100 ones right. It was disappointing to look back on my own progression when I first started, but seeing them progress evened it out emotionally for me I guess... 4th weekend: (August 14, 15 - ZHills) We are going to do some nice top docking formations and drills.

looks good --ordered a copy and thanks for writing it!

Check out a very good article on topdocking at: [http://www.dqnt.com/acc.htm] --or read it here: Topdocking By Craig Stapleton So Ya Wanna Topdock? You and your friends have gotten up the courage to not only do some CRW, but to try some of the more interesting and challenging formations. Those would be the ones with the extra canopy hanging off one side or two pilots: formations that require someone to do a topdock. Do not despair, the dock is not as difficult as it seems, and can even be fun to do. Certainly, it will change your perspective on CRW. First off, the goals for a successful topdock are to add to a formation without altering its flight path and without inducing the dreaded swing. Your ultimate goal is to have no effect on the flight of the formation as you dock. Swinging formations are probably the single most common reason for sequential wraps. What may look like a bad dock on the bottom or a too-hot approach is really the formation being out of sequence to the docker's perspective. Simply stated, a lateral swing in a formation that is not anticipated can make a beautifully placed wing dock finish with the catcher getting the center cell. When the opposite happens, ending with an end cell, it is easy to understand why formation swing is to be avoided. As a canopy pilot, there are several "weapons" available to make the job of docking easier. Of course, one can use the toggles to steer the canopy with simple inputs. But toggles are limited in the fact that they work only by slowing the corner of the canopy, this initially will decrease speed and increase lift with further inputs decreasing the lift of the canopy over time. All of the discussions here are in reference to a formation of a few canopies, not necessarily to the canopy itself. Toggles are what most canopy pilots are familiar with, but you need a variety to get the topdocking job done. Almost every CRW dog will tell you how much stronger they are after a season of jumping because they have been using their front risers. Front risers are great for increasing speed and losing altitude quickly without sacrificing your position near the formation, unlike a large toggle turn or big 360. Unfortunately, the down side is you can gain too much speed relative to the formation, or energy into the canopy. A jumper may dive down using front risers, then immediately hit the toggles to slow the speed only to find that they are right back where they started. The speed (energy) they gathered in front risers generated lift when they hit the toggles. You can eve sashay your way down to a formation to decrease the energy you can and lessen the impact on your arms. So, judicious use of front risers is necessary, knowing that you are gathering speed as you descend. Rear risers are not used as often and depending upon the canopy trim and aspect ratio, may not be very effective. They will work well coming out of a steep turn to flatten the dive and maintain the canopy energy to catch up to a formation. A good example of this use is after opening and running back to the formation, you mis-time the turn and wind up in that awful "low and behind" position. Instead of finishing the turn in that one toggle, you switch to the rear risers and finish steering in them. You may not gain all the altitude/distance back, but you will have at least salvaged what you could, with less time for your friends to laugh and point at you. That brings us to combination moves. Very rarely is a move all toggles, all risers, or all flight. Often times you need a little front riser and opposite toggle to "scrunch" the canopy into position. By working those two opposite controls, you guide the canopy easing one up and the other down for the desired affect. Unfortunately, this is all very experiential, and only practice really gives you the feel of how to make this happen, but it is easy to practice after breakoff. Grab one riser and the opposite toggle and keep your eyes on the landing area, then pull hard on one, then the other, then a little of both to get the feel of how your canopy responds. Reading over all this, you get the idea, that CRW is a busy sport, not just canopies running into each other. Quick hands are one of the greatest attributes a CRW jumper can have, not just to grab lines or nylon, but to get from one control to the other very quickly. You have to be familiar enough with your front risers, rear risers, and toggles to grab, wrestle and feel them without looking. You cannot take your eyes off a formation that is three feet away and closing to see if your hand is really where you think it is. If you must use front riser dive loops to make an aggressive front riser, you may need a little more upper body strength before trying this. All the controls should be an extension of your mind, and your hands can flow to all positions with as little direct thought as possible. You will have lots of other things to occupy your mind as you hurdle at a formation. During the final closing on a topdock, your body position in the harness is critical. Take time on some dives to feel how shifting your weight or hip position in the harness inputs the canopy. It is amazing how much turn you can induce with a twist in your body. As you topdock, you simply use a combination of toggle/riser inputs with twisting your body slightly to dampen the effects of your body hitting the top of a formation. Twisting away at the last second and inducing an outward turn, does not change your canopy speed at all but gives you that last little bit of turn you may need. This harkens back to the goal of having as little effect as possible and again it is something gained with familiarity with the use. This would be "fine tuning" the dock and separates a good top dock from a great one. Luckily not all the requirements for a good topdock are solely with the topdocker. Base and pin have to be solid and stable throughout the docking to add stability and predictability to the formation. Also, whoever else is docking first has to not induce any sudden changes or "bobbing" of the upper canopies by swinging on the bottom. Base has to fly a set, predictable heading. As a top docker you learn that various formations have a tendency to due certain things- changes in descent, sliding to or away, and changes in speed. Just like docking on the bottom and having an eye for what the formation is doing, the same is true on the top. Certainly, if you cannot dock well on the bottom yet, stay away from the top and practice more. Better to be thought a mediocre bottom dweller, than the guy that caused the triple cutaway. So, like any good flight, you have a plan for how it is going to proceed. As a topdocker you want to plan being a little below and behind the formation and intersecting it's flight path, in all three dimensions and at the same time. By using the controls above and your experience, you want to mimic the formation flight characteristics as much as possible as you intersect it. Now competitors may not seem to be doing this, but they are in a very small window of opportunity. Use a larger window of opportunity (time and patience), to approach the formation and as you get closer be flying more and more like that formation. A slight turn away, or body twist ends the intersection to dampen the crossing of paths. Outside front riser also works well, and outside toggle will induce a lot of lift and upward pull. While all this is going on, you need to remember to get a foot or a hand onto the canopy well enough to maintain a grip, while remembering to finalize the dock, and becoming a second pilot to a formation. Again, quick hands (and feet) and visualizing how you are going to grip/kick in before you get there is critical. Take your time and make a good approach, and learn from each one. Too high, too low, too fast, too slow, etc. >From the movie Topgun, "Better to breakoff the engagement than to push a bad position and lose the day" or something like that. So, what do you look for as your approaching the side of a formation and preparing to dock it? Relativity is the key, slow steady approach, slightly behind and catching, slightly below and coming up. Say twenty feet outside, head level with the bottom skin of the target canopy, back about the B or C lines. Be aware that you can get your canopy to rub on your target as you approach, so slightly below. Use your "weapons" and patience to close the gap and converge (not bash into!) your target and have in your mind where your hands/feet are going to go. If you get a little high, a little scrunch or even front riser if you can bleed to speed. If not sashay, toggle, whatever to get back to your set position. Then you have a reference point as you make approaches and can make adjustments. If you start making gun runs from all over the sky, you will not learn as much and your buddies may start making excuses about the next jump. Before you take to the skies and scare your friends into selling the CRW gear, plan everyone's role throughout the dive and have contingency plans. Get a dedicated base who knows how to fly a heading and keep a heading so you can land in the landing area, follow up with a reliable pin who can get the base every time. Topdocking a two-way is the easiest, but if someone wants to come along as cargo/witness/victim it would at least then be a fourway and a lot more fun. Assign everyone a role in the event there is a cutaway, this has to be a little fluid, since you never know who it could be. Start with some simple formations. A Tee formation tends to be the most stable and durable in taking a hit. Stairsteps tend to slide away from the side they are built, wedges tend to fly pretty fast and be a little harder to catch and that opposite wing loves to come around, stacks are just plain hard because you have to dock on the center cell on something falling out of the sky. As always, keep it a simple plan, --plan the dive and dive the plan. Topdocking is a great skill to have and can and some real challenging formations to your dive pool even for recreational/weekend CRW dogs. However, all the skills necessary to make a successful formation (i.e., base/pin, spotting) are necessary to ensure a safe, challenging and fun skydive. As a former World Champion, Sharon Shumway put it best, "not every dive needs a topdocker, but every dive needs a base and a pin." Blue skies and soft docks! Craig Stapleton

The 1st TD Camp went as planned --well over 100 attempts in 10 jumps. Lots of smooth canopy work all the way to the outside 'A' line. Getting to the 'sweet spot' was different on each attempt, docking was the same method for all docks including presentation of the points. Alan & I were pleased to provide a safe environment to learn this over-rated skill. Next camp scheduled for April 24,25 - progressing to center cell docks and piloting... Send an email to [email protected] if you wish to attend and I'll let you know the availability of a qualified & safe base to fly with you. Anyone with current top-dock skills is encouraged to participate --for instance, we will fly a stairstep base for you to work with if you buy our slots, otherwise, one-on-ones are free.

if they don't have that line of death down pat or you find yourself in that situation take it out much further than the freefallers would and work away from the dz, then 90-degrees and then towards the dz... keeping on the other side of the line yourself. Time your last 90 back to the dz at around 2 grand. It helps to know how many minutes the next plane is away from dropping jumpers and figure 1000 foot per minute crw decent rate. Allways be on the lookout for traffic.

with you 99% --what's about 5 inches on a good day?

`Can't remember all the details... used the apex line to get down before docking, it was a long, delicate climb down the lines too --we landed it. Have fun!

cool!

jim did you get someone?

If anyone is interested in learning to top-dock that can make z-hills every 6 weeks for 10 jumps per weekend please email me and I will arrange my schedule and hopefully Alan Gutshall, Raul, Mike Lewis (and others) will be on hand to help out. Ten jumps per weekend should result in 100 top-docks if we plan the dive right --that should teach this valuable skill. After a few camps we will begin attempting wide accordions if we have developed the skills. I promise to stick to the training schedule and be on time and will pay my own slot --all I ask is that you stay sober and alert and give it your best each dive. This is the best way I know to improve your overall skills as a pilot and flyer and I believe it will pay off in the future with regard to breaking the big-diamond mold and advancing to more interesting formations. My attitude will be to share what I know in a professional manner and to provide a safe environment for each dive --not party all night and be too hung-over to jump the next day, etc.. I would expect everyone else to really put in their best effort towards learning to top-dock, or teaching it to others safely. There's a lot of old-timers that never had the chance to practice and a lot of newbies that want to improve themselves under canopy --I know you'll come away with increased skills under canopy if you commit yourself to this every six weeks for four camps... it will be easy to dock low wing or lockup, etc. after you learn to top-dock. You're aiming with your foot when you top-dock compared to aiming with the whole cell of your canopy --much more precise... Dives would be from 13,500 and would progress from 2 way to +7 way accordions by July. --March 13,24 --April 24,25, June 5,6 --July 17,18 - That's about 400 top-docks ($700) if you attend all the camps. All I need is one person that says they'll make all the camps and I'll be there to pass-on what I know about top-docking. I'm doing this to help the sport because I love it and I want new people to learn this earlier than I did and with $less jumps. As for the old-timers, all they got to do is show up and skydive. There's no organizing to it really --just flying a safe base and setting things up progressively more difficult each time will do fine. It took me over 500 jumps to learn back in the late 70's going after strato-stars, merlins and with floaty and fat folks. Now that we are much more relative jumping Lightning's this is a good time to cut down the time it takes to learn. I can't guarantee no wraps, but at least 'your canopy' will be inflated! Any other competent top-dockers are encouraged to join in and teach what they know at the Hills or on their own schedule at their home DZ. Jon

Anyone who tells you they remember the 80's at Z-Hills probally wasn't an original ToadSucker.