gus

Hi James,

I'm really tempted by one of these, one question though: With the old Prodigy I never found it that practical to leave the wings attached after deployment and I liked the fact that you could pop/yank the wing attachment really quickly. With the new attachment system is it as easy to detach the wings? From the pics it looks very secure but potentially a bit fiddly to undo.

Gus

Nothing?

The advice I've had offline is that if it's mildew it shouldn't affect the dacron because it's a polymer. But I'll never get rid of the smell.

Gus

I'm looking at a 2nd hand canopy that I might buy, it's about 4 years old with 50 - 100 jumps on it. 1 water landing. The dacron lines are quite dirty and they smell quite strongly of damp. They also feel a bit 'stiff'. And I don't have enough experience with wet gear to know if I should worry about it? Or what I can look for? The actual fabric of the canopy seems fine and in keeping with the jump numbers. It's possibly been sat packed for a little while which might not help the smell.

Thanks,

Gus

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...I also did video when fastpete jumped that suit in LB and the footage can be seen in Impact trailer in BM website.

Where is that video? I can't find it.

Thanks,

Gus

Outstanding. Nice one Baxter.

Gus

I love finding cool things like that in unexpected places. Go for it.

Gus

I have seen a good friend saved by his pc on a 160 ft static line jump-gone-bad. No question, he would be dead without it. I've seen several pc's damaged from doing static lines, one of which was completely destroyed but it's still worth it in my mind. Most of the jumps where damage occurred it was quite predictable if we'd actually thought about it, and easy enough to lessen the chances.

Gus

Good luck with the RM BASE. Cool project. The Corvus sounds interesting too.

Gus

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Not cool.... hum Thats up for discussion but it is moreover technical ability in this jumpers case...

Didn't the original thread say it was not intentional?

Gus

Nice pics Darren, especially Monty doing his flippy-do shit and DTM over the rocks.

Gus

I did a couple with my ProTrack in my pocket, to record my opening altitude and calculate glide. Our respective profiles tell me alot about my flights. And this was the best one!

Gus

Gus

I'm looking at something about 100 km south of LB, would be great to get some PMs from locals. Thanks.

Gus

Is it not a bit cheeky to rip off and re edit other people's footage?

Gus

Do you know what the percentage figures mean? Eg "100%: exposure for more than 30 minutes likely to cause permanant soft tissue damage".

Gus

I'm tempted to say that I'd rather not know. Ignorance is bliss!

How dangerous is the highest reading you've had? And where was it? (ie infront of a stinger)

Gus

I use Google Spreadsheets, it's not quite as flash as a dedicated application but it's a spreadsheet so you can get it to count things.

Gus

We lost Sean yesterday, BASE 621.

Gus

Looks like a good evolution of the suit, I like the reinforced knees and longer jacket.

Gus

Thanks Robi, it is an unvented 245. Why is that packjob unsuitable for an MDV?

Gus

Whoa! Outstanding effort, thanks very much I will try that right now. If I can get it packed nicely using the conventional folds is there any advantage to doing it this other way? What's the theory behind the packjob?

Gus

Pics would be very helpful, ta.

Gus

Specifically whilst using the base plate, how are you packing your wsx-treme? How far do you pull the canopy down before making the first fold, how high do you make the first fold and how low do you make the second fold? I'm experimenting a bit at the moment trying to get a nice pack distribution and tapered shape.
Have you tried anything which has effected heading performance?

At the moment I'm pulling the canopy down until the risers are taut, probably 3 or 4 inches from the bottom of the container, then making the first fold as high as I can, and the second fold as low as I can to fill out the bottom of the container. I found that pulling the canopy all the way down squashed the tailpocket and lines against the bottom flap.

Thanks,

Gus

If you'd looked at some specs you'd have answered your own question and noticed that the biggest BASE canopies are not much wider than the smallest. A 305 Troll has a span of 26 ft, only 6 ft wider than a 185 and only a few feet wider than the more common sizes.

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Specifically, does it serve to effectively rule out some kinds of jumps due to the size of the canopy and the implications of, say, going between power lines, light poles, or whatever?

It follows that a 305 will not fit gracefully through any gaps thinner than 26 ft.

Gus

Dude I don't buy all the negativity and 'body type' bs. You just gotta believe! Here's what's been working ok for me, with and without the tracking suit:

Slightly head high exit.
The exit and the transition in to the track should be one smooth, quick movement.
Body straight, spine stretched, arse slightly raised, neck relaxed and head just hanging naturally, looking straight down.
Shoulders slightly rounded.
Arms in line with the body but pushing down, slightly below the torso.
Legs straight and only slightly apart, toes pointed. You shold be really straining to lock the legs out, it should be hard work.
Wingsuit-style symmetrical pull in full flight.

It seems to me that there's two things going on: body position and body angle. The position is easier to get right but distance comes from the angle and staying in the angle. Don't be afraid to go steep! The smoother you track the more efficient you are tracking, any time you feel yourself "porpoising" where your angle is seesawing back and forth you are bleeding precious air. Be aggressive and really concentrate on feeling the air.

In terms of skydiving for practice I reckon fix the position and play with the angle.

Maybe Hippo will chip in, he had similar concerns but was cooking by the end of our last big wall trip.

Gus