NeedToJump

More info is available at the A&E website here: http://www.aetv.com/crissangel/ Click on the Episode Guide and look at the second episode (which airs 30 minutes after the first episode, Wednesday July 20 at 10:30PM.) It's called Levitation, I hear there's going to be some wind tunnel flying shown in it...

There's a ton of good bagel places on the upper east side. I was staying on 76th between York and the East River so it was just at the end of the block for me. Wind Tunnel and Skydiving Coach http://www.ariperelman.com

Yup, that's my point too. Wind Tunnel and Skydiving Coach http://www.ariperelman.com

I moved down to FL from NY about two years ago and I definitely miss the bagels. Pick a Bagel rocked! I also really liked Bagels and Co (76th and York) and some other midtown bagel place I can't think of the name right now, but they had the BEST lobster salad.

I think the Crossfire 2 has very nice openings. I have about 50 XF2 jumps and thought it was a great canopy. I just prefer the Katana. Good for the XF2. I don't see needing to pack neatly being a "sacrifice", but our opinion on that obviously differs. I'd willing to go through the sacrifice of packing neatly for all the other great things I like about the canopy. What??? I like PD canopies. They come out with a new canopy that I try and I like it. Brian Germain also makes canopies. I've tried some of his and liked them too. I personally liked the Katana better, not because it is made by PD, but because I prefered its flight characteristics. I bought the Katana. Where's the bias? Wind Tunnel and Skydiving Coach http://www.ariperelman.com

What you are learning is what a the canopy feels like before a stall occurs and how to recover from a stall when you are expecting it to happen and already have a plan in place for the situation. Learning this up high on a docile canopy will only make someone safer when transitioning to a smaller canopy which can stall close to the ground. Hopefully by practicing stalls and stall recovery up high you can prevent them from happening unintentionally. Since you know how the canopy feels before the stall occurs, you can recognize this feeling and fix the problem. Also, should you unintentionally stall your canopy, you will know how to recover from it (assumming it does not happen too close to the ground.) The point of taking wraps to stall a canopy isn't necessarily to learn where that particular canopy stalls but rather what a stall feels like and how to deal with it. Wind Tunnel and Skydiving Coach http://www.ariperelman.com

I don't understand how they sacrificed the openings. I have put over 500 jumps on two Katana and have love the openings. Out of my 500+ Katana jumps I've had 3 openings with line twists (same packer) and the canopy dove a hell of alot but it was easy to kick out of. 1 opening with one toggle being unstowed (same pack as above...) and the canopy opened in a slight spin. I didn't even realize that the toggle was unstowed, I thought I was just uneven in the harness and then looked up and saw the toggle. 5-10 openings where the canopy stays cocooned over my head and then opens unpredictably - caused by rolling the tail too much, no fault of the canopy. I've found that if I pack neatly, the Katana opens extremely well. I am a PD groupie, but this is because I believe in the company and its products. They have a proved track record and are the only canopies I have ever owned. I've jumped a lot of other canopies but I personally have always liked PD's canopies better. Being a PD groupie doesn't mean that I am biased against other companies, there are a lot of great canopies out there. I completely agree that a canopy should be evaluated for what it is and not *just* on who manufactured it. Wind Tunnel and Skydiving Coach http://www.ariperelman.com

Everyone is different, some people go through their student levels without repeating anything and other people repeat numerous levels several times. If it is something you enjoy doing and are doing for the right reasons (which only you know) then stick with it. Try some visualization where you visualize the entire skydive (gearing up, getting on the plane, riding the plane to altitude, exit, freefall, canopy, landing...) See yourself happy and calm through the entire experience, it may help. Another thing to consider is flying out and getting some time in a wind tunnel. They generally yield very good results

I agree. I have found the two canopies to fly very differently as well. If it's only a few inches of fabric difference then that's fine, I guess PD found the right few inches to change

I've got one and love it, it's held up fine for me. I've seen quite a few of them have seams blow out, but I've also seen quite a few of them that have held up great. Overall, the quality is good and the functionality is great! I love the Majik style grippers and booties. Wind Tunnel and Skydiving Coach http://www.ariperelman.com

I wear my Neptune on my left wrist outside the jumpsuit. I have the display over the side of my wrist near my thumb rather than centered on my wrist so I don't have to turn my arm either in freefall or under canopy to see my Neptune. Works well for me

Yes. Instead of actually doing this, the wind speed is left the same and wearing the zp suit I am able to get more lift than with a non-zp suit. Wind Tunnel and Skydiving Coach http://www.ariperelman.com

I purchased my ZP tunnel suit because I was looking to fly slower with less drag than the baggy tunnel suits. My ZP tunnel suit accomplishes this perfectly. It flies slower than other tunnel suits of the same size. Therefore: I conclude that the ZP material has more drag than the material the other tunnel suits are made out of. There's no theory about it - in my experiences ZP tunnel suits fly slower than other tunnel suits. I do not any experience with Matter's ZP suit or any ZP suit designed to fly fast so I cannot comment on them. Wind Tunnel and Skydiving Coach http://www.ariperelman.com

If you took a 150 square foot bed sheet and jumped holding it over your head, would it slow you down as much as a 150 square foot ZP canopy? My zp tunnel suit slows me down a lot more than a suit the same size made out of "standard" suit materials. Wind Tunnel and Skydiving Coach http://www.ariperelman.com

Even if it is true that the canopies are almost identical, in my experiences they fly nothing alike. I have found the Katana to be a MUCH more aggressive canopy than the XF2. Wind Tunnel and Skydiving Coach http://www.ariperelman.com

Jimmy T can track head or feet first, on his belly or back as well or better than most people's standard "track." For feet first on his belly, his arms are straight out. His torso is flat with his legs down at around a 45 degree angle. It's fast as hell too. Wind Tunnel and Skydiving Coach http://www.ariperelman.com

Because he has just jumped out of an airplane and is now falling through the air at 120 mph towards the Earth. Training in a wind tunnel is a great way to improve freefall skills, but it is not skydiving and does not simulate all the additional stresses and distractions of skydiving. From what I have seen, students who use wind tunnel training in conjunction with AFF *generally* progress through their AFF with less trouble. I've also seen students do well in the tunnel and then seem to forget everything from the tunnel when getting into the air. Everyone is different. Wind Tunnel and Skydiving Coach http://www.ariperelman.com

I disagree with this statement. Just because someone is AFF qualified does NOT mean that person is also qualified to teach anything in a wind tunnel. I've seen people who are AFF qualified try to coach in a wind tunnel and end up being a danger to both themself and the student. Wind Tunnel and Skydiving Coach http://www.ariperelman.com

Depends where the pole is - put the pole in the wind tunnel and I'm sure Paige could find some creative positions to be fit quite a few Portable Paige's on the pole. Upright Paige, Headdown Paige, hmm the possibilities... I need to find a pole to bring into the wind tunnel!

Me too, I went from a ST 120 to a KA 120 and I LOVE the openings. Wind Tunnel and Skydiving Coach http://www.ariperelman.com

If you're looking for a canopy to learn to swoop, then stick with the canopy you are currently jumping since you know it best. A Sabre2 135 is a wonderful canopy for learning to swoop on - it can be flown as aggressively as you want. Changing canopies at this point will only hurt your progression since you'll need to learn the basics of the new canopy before progressing on to swooping. My advice - stick with what you've got, get some good canopy coaching and then re-evaluate your canopy and needs in a few hundred jumps. Good luck!

Get coaching from Sean MacCormac in Lake Wales, you'll be hard pressed to find a better coach. Wind Tunnel and Skydiving Coach http://www.ariperelman.com

Thanks, you too! Now come on down to Florida and fly in the tunnel with us!

You mean there's someone other than a hot chick in that picture? Didn't even notice Wind Tunnel and Skydiving Coach http://www.ariperelman.com

Bump I really like the new PD Zone part of the site, especially the PD Spotlight