Vertifly

Brilliant! ...and from a local. Let's partner up and offer them 10% of their asking price. LOL I've got just the Porter in mind. heheheh I believe John is offing his; which, ironically, .....well, you know. Maybe he'll throw in the 1958 Hardtail also. LOL

Yeah, that is pretty humbling stuff. Wow.

Wow, you've got $5,000 sitting around??? What the heck are you doing on the forum...? Get out there and jump that cash away!!! I thought the forum was for the poor people.

http://www.xarenasports.com/ This really looks like a serious operation. Here is the link for the X- Arena Sports and Windtunnel. Here is the link to an article in the Trenton times: http://www.xarenasports.com/Groundbreaking/Times5_18_03.html It will have two motorcross arena's, the 100ft tall wind-tunnel, inline and skateboarding park, pro-shops, food courts, theme restaurant, brew pub, and VR-Game Room. Wooohoooo!

http://www.xarenasports.com/ This really looks like a serious operation. Here is the link for the X- Arena Sports and Windtunnel. Here is the link to an article in the Trenton times:http://www.xarenasports.com/Groundbreaking/Times5_18_03.html It will have two motorcross arena's, the 100ft tall wind-tunnel, inline and skateboarding park, pro-shops, food courts, theme restaurant, brew pub, and VR-Game Room. BEST PART IS THAT I LIVE 4 MILES FROM ITS LOCATION!!! Anyone want to come over my house for a party!!!!! Be glad to rent out some sleep space too!!!! Wooohoooo!

'me'

Just curious as to the experience level of people on the forum. I've seen so many different skill levels posted here, and I was wondering about the hard numbers. If you don't fit into the silly catagories that I put in, feel free to make up your own. ..but please, if you don't want to remain anonymous, also post a return to say that you've voted. Just say, "me" or something heheh

Never really crossed my mind to go jumping when I was younger. In the Marines, I had a roommate that went on a static line jump and said it was cool. I remember thinking, "I gotta try that 'sometime'." After the service, I spent 4-5 years waiting for winters to come around so that my friends and I could go snowboarding. In the summer, we would just twiddle our thumbs and pass the time doing road trips and stuff. In 1996, my girlfriend (at the time) wanted to try skydiving soooooo bad. With the thought still in my mind from the service, "I gotta try that 'sometime'", we planned a 14-person trip Sussex. Back then, Sussex was not even a full trailer-home large with one, very ugly looking, Cessna 206. The door was a piece of material that you rolled up and velcroed before exit. To say the least, I did not feal very secure about what we were doing. Regardless, I was there the very next day (after work), with $250 for the jump course and a tandem AFF. My girl and I went through AFF together, one jump per week-or so-until graduation. Looking back, it wasn't the skydive that kept me returning to the DZ (well, maybe a little ). After meeting the people there, and seeing their commitment to safety, and realizing how truly 'FREE' and concerned they were, it didn't take long to be hooked to my new life. Jumping there was also very cool. My first solo was a "T" and a standup...I'll never forget it. The staff there encourage me to do freestyle because of my natural balance up there. (I didn't even know what freefly was) Even though I do not speak to them anymore, I will always be appreciative of them teaching me a new sport and a new perspective on life. I miss it there sometimes...My Cessna Home-DZ has a special quality unlike the world class ones. Can't really explain it.

Skydive Sussex, NJ Crosskeys, NJ Skydive Jersey Shore, NJ The Ranch, NY Sky's The Limit (old), NY Zephryhills, FL Skydive Daytona Beach, FL Deland, FL Pahokee, FL Sebastian, FL Perris Valley, CA Skydive Suffolk, VA Air Adventures - Clewiston, FL Lake Wales, FL Eloy, AZ Raeford, NC Jacksonville, FL DelMarva, DE Atlanta, GA Dallas, TX Orange, VA Mile-Hi, Longmont, CO Elsinore, CA Wow!!!! Hope I didn't miss any. Thinking of all those places really brings back some nice memories. All the great people I have met and wonderful things I have seen. What a great sport!!!!

There is SOOO much talent there and more than one record to break. It wouldn't take much to do a planned 3-point big-way or something like that. Keep us informed if anything goes down! (figuratively speaking)

Even though I answered "always", I mean it as always when necessary. If I am doing a two-way, answer is "usually no", but I usually track on my back (looking up) anyway. A great habit that I picked up earlier this year! Depending on the size of the jump, I will actually do a barrel-role, from my back - to my back, to see if anyone is underneath me - not above.

I honestly think that this is getting on the mechanical side. And I do not like to explain head-down (or freeflying) for that matter as a mechanical thing to start out. There really is no right or wrong way to do something in freeflying... Just safe or unsafe, stable or unstable, etc. If you are just starting out in head down, the best thing to do is be in the correct state of mind for the jump. Understand basic aerodynamics and know that anything is possible up there with enough practice. Next thing to do, it sounds, is to go find a good coach to help you understand "flying" your particular body.

. Not to be picky, but can you clarify. I think what you are saying is that straddle is faster for you, but daffy works just as well or just works. "Horizontal movement" is what I am referring to. But you should eventually be equally efficient both ways. When you get into the Big Ways later on, a lot of movement is discouraged. On Big Ways with sequential points, ...when you are in your slot...and you are required to change slots...and if your legs are in a daffy, you will probably have to change leg position for horizontal movement to the left or right. On bigger formations, a lot of movement is bad (up, down, left, right, etc.). If you are straddled already, minimal effort is required to keep it safe. It is possible to pull it off, it would just be difficult to carve and fly around. Have you ever tried to carve (quickly and efficiently) in a daffy? Like I said, I could be in the middle of a large formation, back out of it, carve around and change slots very quickly by shifting my weight and leg placemnet in a straddle. It is difficult for me to see how, aerodynamically, a person would be able to do that efficiently in a head down. Anyway, we are kind of getting far from the subject. This gentlemen is just learning, and I am simply trying to dissuade him from picking up bad habits early.

Great Job Eddy! If it is working for you now (during the first attempts), then by all means do it. However, later on, the daffy position will not allow you to move around the sky in any direction. Daffy is good. You can definitely fly that way if you can stick it. A lot of people use that position to fly slowly. Freeflyers tend to agree that this isn't the most dynamic way to fly head down. Quoting Mike Ortiz here, "You should eventually be able to fly your legs in any position, wide (straddle), daffy (one leg in front and one behind), or everywhere in between. This is why it is FreeFlying." At first, if you aren't keeping head down for a long period of time, chances are that your legs don't have much to do with it. (they may, but I would have to see a vid to know for sure). Usually when students aren't keeping the position for an entire jump, the culprit is their back and/or head positioning. Your steering and stability is controlled by your spine and your head will help you keep your back in line. Ultimately, you will be able to fly on your head, intensionally moving in any direction, by using just your spine. Legs are breaks. Arms are fine tuning and docking mechanisms. Once more, legs are generally used for speed control. Give it a few more jumps to get the position consistently then start concentrating on slowing down by getting your legs WIDE. And feel free to email me with any questions you may have. Good luck dude!!

Yeah... That is a definite. On the plane today, I heard Stuey say that he was heading out there. Contact those guys.

Like I said, I am there. Find me and we be flyin'. Wooohhoooooo!!!!

Hey Andrew, Just sent you an email. The event is still going on, but there has been a small change in plans. Monkeyclaw is going to run the show; I think you'll get the picture. But they will not be out on Friday if you want to do some fun sit jumps and check out the videos. -David

I called down there twice today. Despite the weather at my house (about 40 minutes north), they were definitely jumping. Not sure how they did though. Grrrrrrrrrr...I thought it was going to be shitty out, that is why I didn't go down.

I had some suspicion that this is what he was referring to. I always wondered what they called those things. Yeah, I have heard "pack boy" before; just didn't know what the packers were talking about. SILLY ME>>>

up

Oh darn!!! Well, I'll be glad to save some energy and do some jumps with you anyway. When you get to the DZ, just look me up and I would be honored to help out. I am not officially coaching at Crosskeys until next year, but we can still do some fun sit stuff and take a look at the videos and talk about it. Let me know. -David

thanks kev! How are things? Send me an email dude!

Hey everyone! HEADS UP SKILLS CAMP ALL WEEKEND AT Freefall Adventures CROSSKEYS. JULY 11th - 13th. It is going to be an extra-ordinarily exciting weekend at Crosskeys. We have the 120-way jumpers at the DZ, but they will be using the planes about 5-times per day. So, in between that, we have about 24 people already signed up for the SIT AND STAND SCRAMBLES. That's right, it is a Heads Up-Skills camp at Crosskeys. The event is being co-ordinated and organized by Dave Colucci (me) and MonkeyClaw Freefly. The best part is that REGISTRATION is FREE!!! You don't have to be there all weekend either. We will be holding a seminar every morning. At that time jump plans will be announced and safety issues and sit-fly strategies will be talked about. The less experienced jumpers will get paired up with more experienced freeflyers. The novice sit-flyers will be paired together and provided with some challenges to improve flying skills. Come one, come all; whether you are a beginner, novice, or expert freeflyer. There is much fun to be had. It's going to be lots of fun jumping during the day and party time at night (as usual for Crosskeys). Feel free to email me at [email protected] to sign up now or if you have any questions. See http://www.SkydiveCROSSKEYS.com for details I WILL SEE YOU THERE!!!!!

Hey everyone! HEADS UP SKILLS CAMP ALL WEEKEND AT Freefall Adventures CROSSKEYS. JULY 11th - 13th. It is going to be an extra-ordinarily exciting weekend at Crosskeys. We have the 120-way jumpers at the DZ, but they will be using the planes about 5-times per day. So, in between that, we have about 24 people already signed up for the SIT AND STAND SCRAMBLES. That's right, it is a Heads Up-Skills camp at Crosskeys. The event is being co-ordinated and organized by Dave Colucci (me) and MonkeyClaw Freefly. The best part is that REGISTRATION is FREE!!! You don't have to be there all weekend either. We will be holding a seminar every morning. At that time jump plans will be announced and safety issues and sit-fly strategies will be talked about. The less experienced jumpers will get paired up with more experienced freeflyers. The novice sit-flyers will be paired together and provided with some challenges to improve flying skills. Come one, come all; whether you are a beginner, novice, or expert freeflyer. There is much fun to be had. It's going to be lots of fun jumping during the day and party time at night (as usual for Crosskeys). Feel free to email me at [email protected] to sign up now or if you have any questions. See http://www.SkydiveCROSSKEYS.com for details I WILL SEE YOU THERE!!!!!

Hey everyone! HEADS UP SKILLS CAMP ALL WEEKEND AT Freefall Adventures CROSSKEYS. JULY 11th - 13th. It is going to be an extra-ordinarily exciting weekend at Crosskeys. We have the 120-way jumpers at the DZ, but they will be using the planes about 5-times per day. So, in between that, we have about 24 people already signed up for the SIT AND STAND SCRAMBLES. That's right, it is a Heads Up-Skills camp at Crosskeys. The event is being co-ordinated and organized by Dave Colucci (me) and MonkeyClaw Freefly. The best part is that REGISTRATION is FREE!!! You don't have to be there all weekend either. We will be holding a seminar every morning. At that time jump plans will be announced and safety issues and sit-fly strategies will be talked about. The less experienced jumpers will get paired up with more experienced freeflyers. The novice sit-flyers will be paired together and provided with some challenges to improve flying skills. Come one, come all; whether you are a beginner, novice, or expert freeflyer. There is much fun to be had. It's going to be lots of fun jumping during the day and party time at night (as usual for Crosskeys). Feel free to email me at [email protected] to sign up now or if you have any questions. See http://www.SkydiveCROSSKEYS.com for details I WILL SEE YOU THERE!!!!!