Albatross

At this point you should fly the slot. Get your center point to the right spot then think about grips. Grips are reward for a job well done. If you fly there they will be right there beggin you to take them. If you reach you will suffer Chris

As always Bill has some great points about your bodys response to looking. For a 4-way vs a 2 way there are a few more things to consider. 1. becasue there are 3 other people you must do more of the work to stay level cause the other 3 are already making adjustments to stay constant. Also the formations have different fall rates. Due to the amount of space between people the formations have different fall rates. Also people tend not to make that first adjustment soon enough or hard enough. Remeber if the 3 are doing fine it is really your job to match them where in a 2 way both people are helping. Good luck FLY well Chris

Shark no worries. And yes a cypress or any AAD is very much like an airbag. It is a tol as the last line of defense and might save your life. But there is the slim chance that it might mess up and kill you. If you remember Nick was under us a few seconds before breakoff. I mean 4-5 seconds later and we could have been over him when the reserve opened and some of us would likely not be here. Yet I still ahve a cypress in my rig and will jump one at every opportunity. Chris

About the cypress misfire at Perris in 2002. NO shit there I was. My friend Nick and a few others were doing a 4 way out of the Van and at break off there was something flapping, we all thought bridal or such. But I looked around and he was under a reserve at like 3200. He sent the unit in to the US guys. They sent it to Germany. The Germans recreated the problem. The unit was detecting an eroor but not powering down before shut off. When the unit turned off it fired. They replaced it with a used unit. But they were VERY angry with me for posting it all over the boards. Chris

While some teams do have the Outside give the count it is rare. The comments above are good thoughts. 1. have a slow predictable rhythm to all ow your OC to get a good launch. 2. Remember that the OC has a hard job tryingt o get up and away from the plane and that IC belongs just below the OC in most formations. 3. Get your hips Below the OC and arch. The IC launch is most often dropping through the hole that the Tail/Rear float vacates. It is a hard exit. 4. Make sure that you don't "run over" the OC. Take all this with a grain of salt as we can only make general statements and have not seen the video! Chris

Nope never was in it for the adrenaline rush. I always wanted to fly and this was as close as I could get. I agree that it is like swimming in air total freedom :) Chris

I have a big chunk out of the back of my helmet from the bar on an otter, I have been hit by coutless knees and elbows and I got one really good riser slap. Damn straight I wear one!! Chris

DOn't stressa bout it. Most WUFFOs seem to think that we all jump to get that adrenaline rush like a near car accident cause they don't understand "thrill seekers". Just smile and nod and leave it alone. It is like trying to explain why you like art or something else like that. They will never understand it Chris

It is all about the canopy you are jumping and your comofort landing it 100% safely in the area. NO Gear is worth an injury cause you were stupid. That being said I follow gear and try to land near the person especially if they are inexperienced since they might not be used to the reserve's flight and flare and might be hurt or just shaken or disoriented. I mean I was lucky on my reserve ride I was right over the DZ with no wind so my gear all landed near me and i landed in the main area and my free-bag was at the packing area before I was. Thanks teammates Chris

Glad that it all came out well man. That can be some scarey shit. Good job and buy that rigger a bottle. Chris

Cheer-free and cold water are what Tony-Suits and most other manufactures recomend Chris

SHirley Pellian?? She is the seamstress at Perris. She makes bags that hold mails with D-bags and snaps for the risers. People call them Shirley bags. her company is Pineapple Express. She is the woman to talk to Chris

What he said.... Take the bus. Ask at the airport but ask for Wet-n-Wild. It is across the street. Chris

Ok I have a ton of time in the tunnel and Most instructors do wear a full face. Granted the tunnel "Rats" don't true but they also don't spend that much time in the air belly to earth, Also they have tons of time. Second, Knee pads are a good idea. People tend to bang into the walls and the padding will prevent bruises and sore knees. The Tunnel will ahve some so use them. Last, absolutely pull the hair up and stow it away and eveything else. The Tunnel tends to spit up little bits of dirt and that much time tends to be had on gear and anything else exposed. Michelle don't be stressed be excited and have fun. You will love the experience. It often feels like being in a fish bowl! Chris

THings that you'll need are gloves, knee pads, full face if possible and plenty of layer sif it is night time. The tunnel is great. Expect to feel very bad about your flying. SInce the walls don't move every movement looks huge. Expect to focus on Body position a lot and to come home sore. Remember you have never made 15jumps ina day before! Chris

Flying each type of canopy you need to learn the flare. The designs will make some have a longer flare than others. Also the trim on student canopies makes them different. The spectre is also ZP which makes flare more strongly. That said practice high and feel it. Then ask an instructor to watch you. Chris

OMG with the cypress radio issues can you imagine a remote cut away system. Flying along and you get cross talk at 50' and get a cut away. THAT WOUDL BE A MALFUNCTION. Chris

I hate this debate. The "mantis" is a silly discussion. ALl the position is a more dynamic position for flying. It is not one fixed position but rather the head high legs engaged position that allows for more dynamic movement, more stability and better vision. ALL world class 4-way, 8-way and such fliers agree that it offers more range, better movements and better vision. WHY would you want to have less vision, slower movement and poor stability?? Chris

Think that by giving all memory to the front or back piece it prevent all members from being in switched positions and allows for more familiarity and continuity. Chris

Biker I agree completely on both points. 1st the piece will see the point and the point will have a clear view for most of the last turn. The center ALWAYS tends to build toward the point as that is what is in view. Feed the tail on the leg and then focus ont he point. As for the weakest member on the tail. All I ahve to say is Thomas Huges???? Chris

I think that Ron has it exactly why worry about a snappy sidebody if the solos are going to be the slow portion of the block. It is much more important to be insink with the sidebody catch thatn to go fast. BE NICE TO YOUR TAIL BIOTCH Chris

I agree with Joey we could all fly without booties but the moder era of RW but it is not using eveything that you need or can use. Get Booties they will help you learn to fly your body and leg and become a better flier Chris

Yeah so i spend my last dime on 4-way and would rather have kick ass 4 way than a new car?? That doesn't mean I am wrong! Chris

I have heard similar things. However, what I ws told is that the 126 may not fly as well as the 113. I currently have a 126 and I have yet to fly this one (May it stay packed forever). But I have flown the test model and i think that you may just have some issues with a loaded 7-cell F-111 canopy adn peopl used to flying eliptical ZP and then having to use this. Don't really know. BTW I ahve 1ride on a PD-160r and would NEVER put anything else in my reserve (at least from what I know right now). Chris

O.K. I am a self proclaimed Canopy Nazi and I will say that the down size seems a bit fast to me but with good coaching and Canopy control classes it is not obsene. The part that I will rail on is the lack of a distinct pattern. Bottom line is that in both canopy courses that I have ben to they say basicly the same thing. Develop a site picture and a pattern. Know where you are going to be when you start the downwind, base and final for any approach. By doing this you can figure out how to land in a particular spot and what your turns and landings are like. Fly the snot out this canopy at this wingloading and you will learn a ton Chris