diveout

I'm interesting in getting my AD license (if still possible/ applicable). Is there anybody planning on being at the swoop festival who could administer the official test for me?

Troy- I have a room reserved at the Summit condo-right next to the spinnaker club. I'll be at SDO Friday and Sat. I'm trying to find someone in Florida to check in for us at 4 or 5pm on the 27th, I won't be able to be there until Midnight, I also plan on leaving Sunday A.M.

Just got off the phone with Chris @ Precision, He told me to keep it for another two weeks and see if the problem settles out, if not- they'll build me a new one. Thanks for your help guys!

A normal head down exit is the best way to stay with a drogueless tandem pair, you'll have to be on it when the drogue comes our, but you won't be very far away, guaranteed.

What up gordo? You must be referring to my swoop practice round at Eloy, that was a memorable landing, especially since I've got point of view video of it. I'd love to be competing in the Red Bull Qualifier this weekend but I can't be there. I slept in so much over the new year's boogie, you should've grabbed my 125 and took it for a dance. Tell Will I'm gonna slap him if he's not back here in OR for the Freedom Jam

I am absolutely going to keep it! It's still a demo for another 2 weeks, so I'm figuring the cash/debt arrangement necessary to make it mine, all mine... It's amazing what you can afford once it becomes a priority. Just a side note-Precision didn't have a demo in this size so they made me a custom colored one-it's a demo with an option to buy it directly from them. Sweet!

The taco opening thing seems to have stopped for now. I put seven more jumps on the canopy since my last post. It still turns to the right before the brakes are released, but it's not a huge problem -Thanks everyone-

Yea, it ain't the harness turn-I feel like I've eliminated that possibility My last 450 jumps are on a xaos 21 @2.0 (- about 30 on a set 400) The master rigger I took it to helped me measure the steering lines, and all of the c's and d's- they seem to be within what I would call a reasonable tolerance-even for this wingloading. I'd never just sew on the lines without appropriate supervision and an OK from Beezy or whomever at precision I'll jump it as much as possible today and give a further report

I cannot believe how sweet the xaos 27 demo I am flying lands and handles---totally unreal. However-something is up with the brake setting. It turns right only when the brakes are stowed, I release them and then it flies straight. Also. A couple of times (1birdman, 1 sub-terminal) it has inflated almost fully, with the slider up in a taco shape, flown for two to three seconds and then finished opening. It looks REALLY wierd... I am gonna buy the thing if I can get this problem fixed or fix it myself (I'm almost a rigger and I own a sewing machine) ..please advise (I don't wanna send it back if I dont have to). I've been the only one to ever jump this canopy -9 jumps, it's a 118 @ 2.15

possible water in the fuel, not sure what the FAA will have to say about the seats- i'll post the local newspaper story when it's available online

the wbs caravan had to make an emergency landing today, props to our pilot, everyone is ok there were only four people on the plane, none planning to skydive from it

belly=123 sit=155 hd =160 birdman=67 (I've only got 6 jumps on my GTI so hope to see numbers in the mid 50's in the next couple of weeks) i think height and weight should be posted here too; I'm 6'6"220

get a xaos- they are the best opening high-performance canopy out there, and the swoops are amazing. I went from a stiletto 150 to a xaos 21 125sqft, it was the perfect transition. I think I would have been bored with a crossfire or cf2, plus the xaos can handle a little more wing loading if that's what you want. prices are similar and the extra performance is way noticeable. I have a xaos 27 118 on the way now for swoop competitions.

I just got off the phone with the folks at Aerodyne. Their new swoop machine is called the A-max. It will be available for demos in about six weeks from distributors. It is only going to be manufactured in sizes 90-104, so all you feather asses and 250lb exit weight folks like me are out of luck if you want to try one (at least for now). It is supposed to be competitive with the velocity. The guy on the phone seemed to think that there were only 30-40 people in the world who could possibly want something smaller than a 90, and that the market just wasn't there for anything bigger than a 104 or smaller than a 90...too bad for them

It is very easy to make a skyball, I have a couple that I fly with. i have a recipe that i use for mine but I'm not about to share it here -P.M. me I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you're responsible by flying with someone who's got a lot of skyball experience, notifying the pilot and DZo, using proper spotting procedures and so forth. Having said that, If you and your homies are good enough to hang with a skyball, it is a TON of fun don't forget the video!

the biggest VX demo in existence is an 89 -it tours the major boogies with all of the other icarus demos (that's what they told me today anyway) I think someone out there has to have a used VX with worn out lines in the size range that I'm looking for -if I get too impatient I'll just get a xaos-27...eventually. I want to see what's up with the A-max from aeordyne and the atair onyx as well.

I've seen a 74 @ 2.3 and a 69@ 2.4 and a 68@ 2.6 do it- I'm not talking about brake lines being too short and bucking the canopy I'm talking flutter between the c-lines and the trailing edge I would load your 60 @ 4.25 or so, sounds fun don't it?! Icarus had no plans of making me happy by having a VX demo that I can jump so I'll probably never buy one of their canopies, I'd love to get a deal on a big (114-116) VX and have the X-VX mod done by precsion though.

I've never had a problem with my xaos but I've heard of them doing bad things. Mine is a 125 so maybee extra square footage helps with stuff like that -i dunno. Were the xaos's that you've seen collapse during a recovery arc production models or early prototypes, super high wind? I don't think i'd buy a VX for 2 reasons: 1 inconsistent openings, sometimes hard 2 tail flutter on recovery arc when loaded up high You can't really go wrong with a velocity -they are totally rock solid. I like my xaos better, not as ground hungry and less twitchy from the deployment on. ******** HEY GROUND ZERO-How's about a 108 or bigger XAOS-27 cell demo, got one yet?

are you guys serious? Black helicopters -only night jumps? Come on really?! If that's the case-I'd hate to be the guy testing the recovery arc on a 70 something canopy that never existed before. How are you gonna test hook turn characteristics at night when you can't see the ground?! Do they jump into a super illuminated area or something- Also, where do I sign up for that job?

I have heard rumors that PD is developing a 27 tri-cell canopy, like a VX or a Xaos 27 -anybody seen or heard anything from down there in Florida?

At skydive Oregon the runway separates the high-performance area (we call it pondside) from the main landing area. The S&TA has to approve you by watching one of your landings in the main landing area before you can even try to land pondside. People are banned if they're out of control or frap in a bit or whatever going for the pond. The canopy traffic patterns are totally separate areas which is also nice.

Thanks, I haven't dropped either of my home-made spaceballs (will Olav come after me if I use that term- do I have to say skyballs?)...yet. We have a lovely area to spot them (I've done 18 or so two -or bigger- ways with them) I've never tried flying with both of them at the same time -as in the AD C& D tests. I did make one that flew about 185 one time when I was getting the recipe figured out, that made me a little nervous but I still caught the thing in plenty of time. The folks at surf-flite tell me that Vladi will be coming out with a version 2.0 ball if and when the ones that are currently in stock are sold. I think $60 is a good deal -at least for now.

No, But my freefly teammate is. He works for Mike McGowan doing tandem video's

Who's actually flown with a vladiball? Anybody with original spaceball experience who now owns a vladiball or had the opportunity to play with one? How was catching it in freefall as compared to an original spaceball? Thoughts? Anybody dropped one on purpose under canopy over a safe area to watch it work? Somebody out there has to have purchased one of these things and had some fun playing with it -just curious

Just the Strong stuff for now, USPA rating to follow soon. I'd say get them both at the same time if you can- the previously mentioned requirements are almost identical, it's just a little extra book work. You do NOT have to have an actual cutaway to get a strong rating. I did have one, however (extreme crew not recommended). Having seen a few Sigma tandem rigs -I'd say they're the best, I wish we used them at my DZ.