bob.dino

Hi from Australia!

but begs the question, what was the point then? So the jumper can see & feel how a canopy reacts to front riser input? Many swoopers start from brakes.

This is the answer. Go to half brakes and hold for 5+sec. Smoothly let up the toggles and pull down the front riser. Easy!

Got a little lazy while tracking away from a 4-way. Pitched, then realised I'd packed my Samurai 135 with the brakes unstowed. The canopy took me on a bit of a rollercoaster ride, diving, then twisting back towards the centre of the formation. Where our cameraman was chopping a lineover. Sometimes it's the little things that add up and turn into a big thing. I got away with it this time.

It appears that keyword highlighting has reappeared for Premier Members. For example, if I talk about BASE jumping, I get a handy link to the sister site. Around the time of the Aerodyne Icon kerfuffle, all of this was turned off for Premier Members (who are, after all, already supporting the site).

Nope. Wings and taking grips don't mix. rehmwa has posted a couple of times about jump suits for big guys. Do a search.

I'm not sure. I've always been very uneasy about the use of mercenaries. They're very hard to control and generally aren't accountable to a government in the same way as soldiers. Witness the widely-held belief in Iraq that Blackwater et al are outside/above the law.

Good point .

I'm not sure there's much out there that toggle-turns as fast as a Diablo. Maybe a Stiletto? ...but I wouldn't recommend a 135 elliptical to anyone with 160 jumps.

Analog is cheaper, tougher, and more reliable. Digital is more expensive and more accurate, particularly under 1000ft.

The easiest way to think of it is "the higher the number, the faster everything happens". The canopy moves faster and responds more quickly, and therefore the margin for error is lower.

You're also responsible for not putting others in danger, so make sure everyone else in your group and in the groups ahead of & behind you are aware of the height you're dumping at.

...and the beer goes to Rob!

Varies a lot by State, by Victoria Bitter (VB) and Tooheys New are probably the most popular nationwide. Next in line in NSW is probably Carlton Draught. For my money, Carlton is the only one of the above worth paying money for.

Is the system shutting down to save power? Start | Control Panel | Power Options and see what the Power Scheme is. If not, it's probably overheating. Make sure there's airflow and that all the fans are still working. If so, open the case & use compressed air to blow the spiders and cobwebs away. If that still doesn't help, take it into the shop.

Nicely done mate.

The traditional winter destinations seem to be Eloy and the Florida DZs (Deland, Z-Hills, etc). I'd be very surprised if Eloy couldn't accommodate your needs.

Absent big spiky things, things that go 'moo' and think canopies are tasty, and things that go 'bsst-spark' when you touch them, the canopy is probably going to be fine. The act of cutting a canopy away doesn't damage it. It's worth noting that the fabric the canopy is made from is not UV-stable. Leaving your canopy out in the sun for a couple of days will degrade it.

It certainly sucks a lot of fuel. As does the Maserati Gran Sport, which has clutchless paddle-shift.

It still takes 10 seconds to descent the first 1000ft, no matter what height you get out at. If you exit at 4000ft and take 10 seconds to initiate deployment, it's just like dumping at 3000ft from terminal.

It's completely unnecessary. But it is comfy. The spacer foam on my Icon is wonderfully comfy under canopy, particularly when doing a hop n pop from height. If you have $150 burning a hole in your pocket, go for it. If spending that cash will mean you get to jump less, go without.

Jyro. A (virtual) beer to anyone that knows what it means...

My vote would go to Martin Johnson. He supplied the mental steel of the side. England lost the Grand Slam in the last match a number of times early in the decade. Every time, Johnson wasn't playing. Ditto Leicester - their absolute dominance of the English game and back-to-back victories in the European Cup were achieved with Johnson wearing the captain's armband. I seriously disliked the bastard. He was dirty, tough as nails, a leader to his teammates, and an incorrigible whiner to the ref. I'd still have loved to have him on the Irish team though! I'll agree. Two very crucial players - I'd just order their importance slightly differently.

- Has your machine got an IP address (run ipconfig from a command prompt)? - Can you ping the IP address of the router?

Definitely not Australia then.