icevideot

My guess is that it is not a skydive because he did not use an aircraft. (plane, copter, balloon, etc.) I don't think it is a BASE jump either. Maybe a BASE launch? "... this ain't a Nerf world."

No, I think the worst feeling would be realizing I caused it because I didn't take the advice of a lot of people. Of course if they had been nice to me...? It can be hard not to come off a bit gruff whe you see something you know to be dangerous. Picture a near miss in a parking lot. How calm are you at that moment when someone just exposed you to risk? I can only fly straight head down on solos. If there are others in the sky they just zoom away....or is that me zooming? "... this ain't a Nerf world."

Thanks for allowing this to go on here. I don't read anything in the speakers corner and I am amazed that individual insurance can be so affordable. Of course with the deductibles I have found I wouldn't be able to benefit from it most years but that is a blessing and not a slur against the policies. I still don't understand why a Tylenol tablet costs $8 in a hospital but that is another question. I wish Koji all the best. "... this ain't a Nerf world."

This line in the description cracked me up. "Naturally, only stupid people would take it as a true indicator of intelligence, and only intelligent people would take it as a true indicator of stupidity." 22 but there were a couple I knew were wrong as soon as I clicked. You probably had some of those as well. "... this ain't a Nerf world."

Check this ad in the classifieds. This is too funny. http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/classifieds/detail_page.cgi?ID=43437&d=1 So, state your zipcode. "... this ain't a Nerf world."

There was a similar thread in Instructors a while back that exhausted me. One good point (out of many) was that it could come back and bite you in the event of a lawsuit. For one thing, it shouldn't really be possible unless the harness is loose and the other is that it could be convincing as unproffesional and excessively risky to a jury of whuffos. To each his own but my dzo would not tolerate it. Oh and Jarrett, this is a pretty neat video. Stay safe and I look forward to seeing some more in the future. "... this ain't a Nerf world."

You are absolutely right about this. Anyone who can learn to properly pack a parachute and close the container can also learn to reconfigure a removable slider. You are seeking the information that will allow you to make an informed decision. I am personally going to try slocks first. Someday I may use a removable slider but for now I am content to let others discover the long term pros and cons of each design and then my decision can be based on even more information. Has anyone on here had specific problems with their own removable slider? I would be interested in reading about them. Even collapsible sliders can hurt you if you don't reconfigure them properly. "... this ain't a Nerf world."

How much fabric does a typical freefly suit take? Just curious and I realize this varies depending on body size, type etc. Just ballpark. "... this ain't a Nerf world."

I can say for certain it scares me. I am also glad it is posted here. I am planning to work on my riggers ticket when I can find time and reading things like this will decrease the chance of me cutting corners for the sake of speed. I hope I never stop learning and can avoid being an example given in one of these threads. You need to trust your rigger enough to not worry about using your reserve. Understanding your gear can make it easier to trust the person. "... this ain't a Nerf world."

Johnny Gates was one of those larger than life individuals who would jump with absolutely anyone. I am not sure I ever heard him ask anyone how many jumps they had. I also have to say, Man, he could take a hit! The funny thing is no matter how hard he got took out he was still smiling in the landing area. Nothing but a cloud of positive energy around him. Blue skies Johnny, you will be remembered. edited for lack of typing skill "... this ain't a Nerf world."

That sounds fair. Is there a list of approved main canopies that can be jumped in the Dual Hawk system? Thank you. Robin "... this ain't a Nerf world."

I was thinking the OP said he fell fast but looking back all he said was he wanted large wings. As for the worlds best, well I am not one of them but I fly large wings on almost all of my video jumps and I am quite comfortable with them. Yes, you have to learn to fly them but it is not unrealistic to do so in a fairly short period of time. I assume the danger you speak of with large wings is the potential to reach through the wing to grab your pilot chute. I honestly don't think that would be easy with either of my Bev suits but it definitely won't happen if you reach around the way you should. The more immediate danger I have witnessed is in a malfunction if you are on your back the wings will likely fold up over your handles. This has caused a delay in finding and pulling handles in at least 4 cases I know of. Grabbing a handful of fabric in addition to a handle is a guaranteed hard pull at best and is suspected in at least one fatality no-pull that I know of. The bad news is this can happen with any wing large or small and even many baggy jumpsuits. I know a lot of people are getting away from wings and flying some very good videos with freefly suits but wings are still a viable and solid piece of equipment. For a few years people got away from ring sights too but I love mine. I am just trying to provide my opinions and I hope the poster is happy with whatever he chooses. Blue skies and good lighting, Robin "... this ain't a Nerf world."

That sounds a lot better to me. Just to clarify a little. The whole idea of a rig+seatbelt+open door is pretty scary. What happens with a premature deployment if you are not free to go with the parachute? Now expensive camera gear with a seatbelt makes perfect sense. At least as long as the seatbelt isn't where it could trip/hold onto a jumper. "... this ain't a Nerf world."

Too bad mine is a CF1. With the issues they had, getting the new line trim might not be smart. I feel so left out. "... this ain't a Nerf world."

Bump. The slider on my Stiletto stays down pretty well on its own but I just got a Crossfire and the slider doesn't seem to stay down at all. I think the slider is a fair bit narrower. I am going to see about installing these. "... this ain't a Nerf world."

Ding Ding! I think we have a winner. "... this ain't a Nerf world."

I have seen Tony Hathaway fly large wings and he has neither eaten too many pies nor are his videos boring to watch. Wingsuits are like any other piece of equipment in that you have to learn to fly them. I have 2 Bevsuits with large wings and if I place my elbows at my sides they don't effect me at all but when I put them out I can jump with the smallest tandem master and student you are going to find. Wings are all about range. You still have to be able to fly smoothly to the slot you want to fly. It is also safer for any RW groups I might film. Wings only matter in a burble if they are too small to catch the air you have available. "... this ain't a Nerf world."

I have to fully agree with Bigun on this one. I did not go back and read all your old posts but I have had students with what seems to be a similar hurdle. It sounds like you have some inner confusion as to whether you want to skydive. That needs to be worked out on the ground. Skydiving is a high speed sport and we don't have enough time to second guess whether or not we should be doing it in freefall. That being said, this is something you can resolve if you spend some time focusing. Did you enjoy any of your jumps? If not then your answer could be that simple but if so, you need to figure out what is keeping you from progressing. I watched a student struggle with an uncontrolled turn for many jumps. Sometimes it was his legs and other times it was his arms but he always started turning and it always escalated. His real problem was he didn't think he was doing anything wrong. The instructor finally had to have the talk with him and explain that he could not seem to help him so he should stop wasting his money. About a month later the guy shows up and wanted to go again. He said he had gone to the tunnel and thought he could do it. He breezed through the rest of his AFF. The walls of the tunnel for reference combined with good coaching and the lack of a planet coming at you to worry about allowed him to learn to fly his body. That still leaves the skydiving aspect to deal with. Only you can decide that you are willing to manage the risks and that the pleasure you receive is worth it. Bigun is right again that skydiving is not for everyone. There are several other hobbies I love that I find myself neglecting because I am always trying to get in the air. Some of the others are even a good source of exercise. I do really enjoy the people I meet here but skydiving does not define who I am. It shouldn't need to define you either. Find a good and experienced instructor who you can talk to about these things. If he doesn't seem to understand then find another who can. Most of us would be happy to help you as long as you are trying to work with us. You should be comfortable that you understand what you have been taught but remember this sport takes a certain amount of faith as well. We can only teach what you are willing to learn. Good luck and I would love to hear how this goes. Cheers, Robin "... this ain't a Nerf world."

LOL, I found one named Martian Sperm & Bagpipes by Helios Creed. Think the bagpipes meet Ironman. "... this ain't a Nerf world."

Dude, I soo thought I had found it. Canadian Bagpipes & American Brass is the album name but the Star Spangled Banner is performed by The 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing band. I'll keep looking. ps I didn't realize bagpipes were Canadian. You don't see them on Southpark much. "... this ain't a Nerf world."

I don't mean any disrespect but apparently those are only recommendations. The word requirement implies some sort of enforcement. Some dzs have their own requirements for these and other types of jumps but even they are only somewhat enforced. This is just my observation. It may not be an absolute everywhere. "... this ain't a Nerf world."

I think it used to stand for Morale, Wellfare, and Recreation. Of course I was always in some swamp, desert, or jungle somewhere so I never really saw them do anything. "... this ain't a Nerf world."

We wouldn't miss it. It seems like moving to Athens put us farther away from everywhere else! It is bizarre! I take it we will see you there? "... this ain't a Nerf world."

For the last time no, I am not that guy from jackass! "... this ain't a Nerf world."

Yeah Bill I feel almost guilty. That AFF was sweet. 2 fun jumps. 4 video jumps. and 1 sweet cat C AFF Of course this weekend is looking to be kinda chilly. "... this ain't a Nerf world."