freeflyguy

I kinda did last year. Still worked some, but stayed at the DZ half the time. I spent more last year than any one person at Kapowsin. Thus my nick name Cash Money. Yahoo! Not bad for a turbine DZ. Almost 600 skydives last year. This year I am on to other things, so can't do it. But I will never forget, and glad I had that time. Lots a good memories. Maybe when I retire, (4 years left on a 5 year plan) I will do tandems and hang out. Who knows. For now, I have to stick to the plan. But enjoying that too. j ---------------------------- bzzzz

Interesting. The article speaks of private, or secret militaries Check out this web site. www.sandline.com. Pretty trippy, once you start seeing the equipment this "Private" military has, makes you wonder. But it may be legit. Who knows. ---------------------------- bzzzz

I live in a house, so if I could hear that would be bad, good? I read this yesterday, in the stranger, a Seattle alternative paper. Has cool stuff. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 13 In much lighter news: Yesterday brought the publication of a new Stranger, featuring the second Last Days item in three months about the Perfect Girl, the expressive young woman on First Hill who was overheard having noisy sex (during which she repeatedly yelled the word, "Perfect!") in October, then overheard having a loud, drunken conversation on her cell phone (during which she boisterously described "getting filled out like a fucking application in an elevator") on Thanksgiving night. Today Last Days received a missive from the Perfect Girl herself, who writes, "It's somewhat worrisome that your readership now has this image of me as a total woman-about-town (by which I mean "whore"), when that's such a tiny piece of my otherwise utterly mundane existence. Anyway, please let your readers know that I really am making every effort to be slightly less loud and obnoxious during and regarding sex." Thanks to the Perfect Girl for reading and writing. funny ---------------------------- bzzzz

Well, If you would like a little help. www.instantvoodoo.com But, It is the dark side. ---------------------------- bzzzz

We have one that mozy's by once in a while. It is based at Kapowsin. Cool plane. I've never seen a plane fly so slow. Not a jump plane though ---------------------------- bzzzz

Cool, We're on the same page. I agree totally with your post, and the one just before this one. I do get tired of hearing of guys downsizing to get a longer swoop. It doesn't really work like that. You guys know that though. I learned to swoop by pounding into the pond on my 170 Sabre. I didn't downsize until I almost had to hold it on the water with front risers. Learn, get good, then downsize. I don't know about the black panties thing though. ---------------------------- bzzzz

I think that the pilot is MUCH more important than the canopy. Agreed. Put me and JC up against each other in a comp. Put him under a Stiletto 150, and me under a VX46 (shudder)...... Agreed But for the sake of argument. Hypothetically, since that is the only way it can be fair. Take "YOU". Give you the next twenty jumps as practice for accuracy swoop distance. On your 97 Stilleto. Then give the other "YOU" 20 jumps on a 98 Xaos, with decent coaching. Then a 3 jump distance competition. You (Stilleto You) lose. Sorry man, it is a better wing. Vx, Fx, whatever, they all beat you. It is a different animal, but when you learn what it wants, you cannot stop it in less distance then the Stilleto would have allready quit, good pilot of course. ---------------------------- bzzzz

Whoa! I tend to not agree with some of your swoop methods, but that is a good analysis of canopy deployment. ---------------------------- bzzzz

Bail and Flail, I don't care. Get near me, and I will give you some vid. ---------------------------- bzzzz

He's a good pilot. If you want a good story, ask him about the time a load of skidivers got out of the Porter, then the elevator jack screw (or something like that) broke , which gave him full down pitch, a nice outside loop, and then landed on the throttle for pitch control true. Don't tell where you heard that. ---------------------------- bzzzz

Hey Chris Is Dave flying Kapowsin's Otter? j ---------------------------- bzzzz

Barry did this? Very cool guy. I don't believe he even knows how to think inside the box. Prob why MS loves him too. ---------------------------- bzzzz

Denton TX hah. yah black hole. Worked at the Excel in there. Strange place. ---------------------------- bzzzz

Near Burlington, somewhere. We are opening a showroom up there. www.Realityhomesinc.com My latest incarnation is a salesman dude. Rad Money, but not a lot of time for me. I'd be happy to hang with you, in the sky, and show ya what i can. I have had great teachers. And On the subject. Everbody in the PNW claims it rains and is miserable place to live. But that is only because we don't want more people moving here. Hah! ---------------------------- bzzzz

"There is no spoon" ---------------------------- bzzzz

hmm. Cool. I live here. You'll like Kapow. I will be moving 90 miles north, but I wil fly into Kapow when i get the time off. Different World from Florida, but Natives love it. ---------------------------- bzzzz

Washington state Oregon Arizona Oregon Washington Atuntaqui, Ecuador Washington ---------------------------- bzzzz

Prefer 270's for many reasons. I think I carve, but when I see it on video, it looks like a hook. Right or Left, I don't care, depends on trafic and outs; Loaded at 2.1 and about 700 jumps in 2 years. Plus, rad swoop coaches. ---------------------------- bzzzz

Why I am posting, don't know, but I am shortly moving to Burlington WA. The guy and the weather balloons, true, I think he even brought a device to allow for decending. A BB gun.

I went through that with mine. Now, with carefull packing it almost never happens Just flake it out. I just quarter the slider, let the nose hang, don't shove it into the pack job or anything. What I think was causing line twists, is I would wrap the tail non symetrical. One side would pull more than the other. So now, I make sure when I wrap it, I don't go wild and get it tight, I make sure I don't get the nose in the wrap, and make sure it wraps even with the label. That and leaving a good 18 inches of lines after the last stow. Also, when I deploy. I get good and square, pitch, and don't even look at it, until I feel it good and out of the bag, then I go right to rears, and look for what I might have to do. Seldom get a twist now. I did have one on thursday, but it was packed by my rigger who just did my reserve

Some of you guys sound like a bunch of Golfers. 'If you can't hit the ball well, buy a new Club!' Cracks me up. Phillipe, If it opens good, flys basically good, have fun and learn on it. Buying a higher performance or more eliptical wing only decreases your margin of safety. Check out this pick, that is a Safire 1 above my head. Loaded just a little heavier than you are. Sure, it may not be the best, fastest or longest swooper, but after you get good on that, you will rock on a canopy that IS better. Thats my experience. j J ---------------------------- bzzzz

Might as well chime in Depends on what you want. I have put hundreds of jumps on a safire 139. Many many on a stilleto. As far as swoop distance, I doubt you will really notice a big difference, in the real world. True a stilleto may go a bit farther, but that does have it's trade off. A Safire will likely give you more predictable docile openings. Also, you won't have to worry about body position as much, on deployment, and under canopy, on the Safire. The Stilleto's are much more sensitive in those areas. Yet, the Safire will still turn fast, float great and surf great. It will perform almost as well. In all, they are both great, and you will likely get used to the character of both. But the Safire will likely inspire a bit more confidence, and not be as much of a step from a Tri. Of course, they can both equally break body pieces, but that is mostly up to you. I loved mine, and it was great stepping stone. ---------------------------- bzzzz

This Picture kinda says it all... ---------------------------- bzzzz

I yelled at Andy "No!" He said, do what you want. So, unfortuneatly, I did, Out at 1200. Got unstable, stabled out, and pitched (Threw like a mother!). I still kinda made the pond, but it wasn't much of a swoop. My limit now is 2K. 2.5K is comfortable. bad. no, bad. never again. well... ---------------------------- bzzzz

What the hell? To be honest, your picture has always spooked me a bit. Can't say exactly why. The picture looks like Nick Nolte's unknown brother. Anyway... I am inosently watching conan obrien and your face, or the one you show on DZ.com shows up, a couple of times. Conan just whips that puppy up there, and doesn't say anything. Whats the deal. Same Pic. ooo Ahh oH, check in out the bad traitor guy from Matrix now. ---------------------------- bzzzz