ORANGENBLUE

I must have imagined the 2 out/chopped perfect bi-planed main @ 200ft the last time I was there.

I'll walk to swoop any day of the week. I think anyone interested in SWOOPING (Stu, Steve, Ian, Sparks, JP) would agree. Unfortunatly it sounds like the ppl at your DZ are more intrested in showing off

Once again JP, exelent point. Maybe the LZ needs to be enlarged. At the DZ I frequent, the landing area is LARGER than SAZ's and you have do have at least "C" license and prove proficiency to land at the airport. Otherwise you land at the alternate LZ.

JP, I think you might be on to something here! Boogies often have jumpers participating that are not very current, at a DZ that they are not very familier with, possibly lacking sleep (from having a good time) or still feeling the effects of a good time. one of the things I look foward to watching is the pops big ways at Lost Prairie, they are usually good for a cypres fire or two!

It sounds like, in your perticular situation, where could be a fairly easy solution. you Have a "big field" perhaps the DZ could more clearly define landig areas for standard patterns, accuracy, swooping etc. as it sounds like you, fortunatly, have room to do so. Maybe bringing your concerns up with your DZO and brain storming some PRATICAL ideas on how to solve it will make things gravey. I have found through experiance that birnging up genuine concerns, but having some reasonable ideas on how to solve them goes a long ways. However, simply stating that something is a problem and then expecting someone else to solve it is rarely productive. I jump at a DZ that has a relatively small LZ with very few outs. In the summer we are turing a caravan and 2 182s. We have a defined swooping lane, a pea pit and some open grass. We have a good population of "swoopers" and you would be hard pressed to find anyone on either side of the fence that don't get along. I think that the biggest contributing factor at our DZ is willingness to talk about problems without getting our feelers hurt and compromise a resolution. I think that most DZO's are willing to try to accomidate. You might have to make some consessions (i.e. starting your downwind 100ft lower) but everyone else must be willing to do the same (designatins a standard set up direction for swoopers that dosn't interfer w/ standard pattern) but the key is the communication.

Oh I've had that muttered/said/yelled at me a few times. Cause I fly a big-ass spectre 135 after a wingsuit jump and I fly a standard student-type pattern around the field (900 ft, 600ft, 250 ft or so, with no s-turns etc), I sometimes get "in the way" of some of our AFF instructors who want to swoop. Well boohoo. They want me to fly a much tighter (= lower) pattern because I have plenty of jumps. Well I don't want to. and I shouldn't have to. I have absolutely nothing against swoopers, hell I video most of the competitions here, but don't tell me that I need to adjust how I fly so that someone can get his swoop on. BTW other jumpers are just fine swooping with me flying around them, it's just 1 or 2 that have a problem with me. Tough luck If someone yells at you for getting in the way and you are flying the pattrern the way you say you are (i.e. not crossing the converging centerling, no "s" turns) than they are way out of line, and any respectable, competitive (not talking beer line, like actually compete) swooper is going to back that up 110%. however, the attitude of I don't want to, I shouldn't have to, tough luck, is just as irresponsible as the ones that are yelling at you. It's not about being right, it's about being alive. It's about communicating, and finding solutions to the problem. those types of attitudes don't help the problem, they compund it. If in the end I am right and your wrong, or right and I am wrong, but we are both dead, than it really dosn't make any differance.

Yes. Belive it or not some people enjoy the canopy flight as much or more than the freefall (myself included) and would be willing to pay the same price as a regular skydive to do so. p.s.-when i am in Eloy, if swooping is not an option, I wil not be doing any turns more than 90s. If this is an attempt to improve safety than allowing 180s is RETARDED. I can assure that, if done properly, a 180 can generate just as much speed as a 270, and sitll has pattern conflict issues. I have done some ripping 90s in my day and don't see the point in potentially pissing off people for a 180.

What kind of exercises do you do to get in shape for the tunnel?

Thats a schmancy lookin' new rig you got there Stubert. Are you going to be in Eugreen this weekend?

WOW, I just got tickets to go down at the end of April to, derust (thats what happens in the nw) and do some trainig for the up coming CPC season. Wish i would have known last week

Rhys- I have one of Jeff bells systems. It had two tabs bar tacked to the trailing edge of the slider that the lanyard for the D-bag and P/C attach to. One of the tabs ripped out from the slider and the lanyard broke where the two sides come together. Jeff fixed the torn slider at no charge and has redesigned the attachment slightly to add strength. Thanks Jeff! I have not looked closely at the Paraconcepts slider, but i would think that if it attaches to the slider in this way that it would be possible. I think the biggest factor in this is packing. Because of the stiffness of the sliders W/cable releases and the bulk of the grommets on some of the other sliders, it is very easy to have the rings not full seated when you quarter the slider, or slide down a little while S folding the canopy. If this is the case, the chance of bottom skin inflation occuring is greater, as was the case when mine broke.

Every jump for the last 400-500 jumps, the only problem I have ever had was losing the p/c and d-bag when the attachment line broke on a hard opening. Maybe you should ask Luke Akins and Andy Farrington where they stash theirs, (thats where i got the idea) and how many they have lost.

I just stick mine between my back and container. $=0 rigging=0

Luke and Andy both jump "in between" size canopys with stock size line sets Andy jumps 93 w/stock 98 lineset. flattens out the wing and adds a little line length. also Precision has some of the best customer service in the biz! I broke a x-brace one week before a comp and George had it fixed with new x-braces and next day shipped back to me in a couple of days for less that $100!

That was also my take on the Xaos-27 vs. VX openings. I preferred the VX's sharp on-heading openings to the Xaos-27 shifty, easy-to-spin openings. In the end I decided enough X-brace headaches for me (such as opening complications and negotiating canopy traffic). I sold my Xaos last year and picked up an Aeroyne Vision. It's been great fun to fly, but has predictable openings. I feel comfortable taking it up for freefall formation jumps (the x-braced canopies I only enjoyed for hop & pops). Chris Simple solution to the "bowtie" problem on Xaos 27s. Brakes just need to be set deeper, one inch is usually enough to keep the tips from out flying the center cells on opening. I have owned/jumped consistantly six different xaos's and loved the openings on all of them. Two had the bowtie problem and it was a five minute fix! btw- If the people that were always asking if "x" number of jumps, or do think I'd be ok jumping... would spend more time jumping and less time posting, than they would soon have the required jumps and skills to jump "x" canopy and not get killed. STOP TALKING ABOUT JUMPING AND START ACTUALLY JUMPING! the more you know.

With tendems it's pie. Ya just hide behind em!