BrianM

I saw one misfire under a reasonably large canopy that had been open for a minute or two, and was flying straight and level at the time. Altitude looked like 1500 to 2000. "It's amazing what you can learn while you're not talking." - Skydivesg

Two points that I haven't seen mentioned yet: - The coefficient of static friction is higher than the coefficient of kinetic friction, which means it takes more force to start moving the pin than it does to keep it moving. You can verify this yourself with a rig and a scale. If the pull force remains the same after the pin starts moving, you already have at least some of the force required to break the thread. - If there is slack in the thread, by the time the thread goes taught the pin/cable/handle/hand has gained some momentum, which I think would help to break the thread. "It's amazing what you can learn while you're not talking." - Skydivesg

Always! "It's amazing what you can learn while you're not talking." - Skydivesg

Yes, the grip begins with the "inner" legs. Here's how you do it: First, get into a side-by-side, then face off with the other jumper (so you are both facing 90 degrees from direction of flight). Taking grips on each other's wrists or forearms works well. Put your knees together and stick your toes in the small of the other person's back, toes turned inward. Then grab the other person's legs with your hands and cross them over your chest (forward foot first helps it stay together better, otherwise the forward foot wants to slide off). That's it! Now rotate your torsos toward the direction of flight and grab your toggles. Very important to keep your knees together and your toes in the small of his back the whole time. It's a good workout for your abs. It helps if you think of doing a situp the entire time. It also helps to be tall and skinny. When done well, it is a very solid grip. When not done well, it can start falling apart, especially when you try maneuvers that put stress on the grip (downplanes, butterflies, barrol rolls, pinwheels, etc). You can practice this on the ground - just sit facing each other on the floor, the first person sitting between the other's spread legs. "It's amazing what you can learn while you're not talking." - Skydivesg

I did. Some very interesting reading. Thanks! I find it amazing that they survived! That does sound like a parabatic grip. I don't think there would be too many different ways of doing that - it's probably the same thing. Do you know exactly how they did it? I can describe a parabatics grip, and maybe find some decent photos. "It's amazing what you can learn while you're not talking." - Skydivesg

Isn't this the same grip that can lock you up? I've been in a couple of DPs where at break off we were locked in. We had to reach back with our hands and take the tension off it to release. Wow. Never had that happen to me, or heard of it happening to anyone. There is a lot of force pulling the canopies away from each other in a downplane, and it takes a lot of effort to keep the parabatics grip together in the first place. Either jumper relaxing the legs even a bit is enough for it to get ripped apart. How exactly did you have your legs locked when you had trouble releasing the grip? Here's how I am used to doing it: - start with a biplane - #3 docks but doesn't plane - #1 and #2 transition to a biplane, #2 still has his feet in #3's lines. #1 just has his legs around #2's waist - #2 grabs #3's canopy with his right hand (bottom skin at the left center A attachment point) and kicks his feet out - #1 and #2 take up a parabatics grip - #1 and #2 go hand-over-hand down #3's lines - #3 takes hand grips on #1 and #2 leg straps (we had loops sewn on the harnesses but can be done without) - #1 and #2 fan their canopies outwards, #3's canopy pops into the middle To downplane, #1 and #2 (the outside canopies) simply turn away from #3, just like a normal 2-way downplane. #3 hangs on for dear life. I found it would help to bend my legs forward at the waist and nestle the parabtics grip in the angle so formed - it added a little friction and helped me hang on, especially during the transition. As it eventually got stretched out anyway, I would dig in hard with my toes. After the first few times, I could hang on as long as I wanted. On break-off, you can all break at once, or #3 can let go first while #1 and #2 keep the parabatics grip and continue in a normal 2-way downplane. "It's amazing what you can learn while you're not talking." - Skydivesg

The three way down plane can be. Check out the photos I posted here. The second photo is even easier - it requires neither a parabatics grip nor straps, just a plane old side by side with one jumpers feet in the bottom jumpers lines. I can dig out some photos of that if you want. "It's amazing what you can learn while you're not talking." - Skydivesg

Too bad you stole the BASE video from the IMAX film "Adrenaline Rush". "It's amazing what you can learn while you're not talking." - Skydivesg

I thought I'd post a quick update. I went ahead and ordered the suit. I got measured by the owner himself

Here ya go: http://www.cypres.cc/Downloads/6_2_Users_Guides/6-2-1-1%20CYPRES_Users_guide_english.pdf "It's amazing what you can learn while you're not talking." - Skydivesg

How about: - Swoop mode when swooping, normal mode when not swooping. - DZ owned rigs that are used as both student rigs and rental rigs. - A DZ with an AAD away for service can borrow an AAD from a student rig to use in a tandem rig, or vice versa. - If you ever sell it, you now have a larger pool of potential buyers. "It's amazing what you can learn while you're not talking." - Skydivesg

Really? Would you also stop jumping? Because you would have just done exactly the same thing they did! "It's amazing what you can learn while you're not talking." - Skydivesg

Absolutely, guaranteed, for-sure two out. Your AAD is on your back, which puts it in your burble when you are on your belly - where it will read about 300' high. Your CYPRES is actually designed to fire at 1050' in order to get it to fire at 750' while you are on your belly. If you are not on your belly, it will fire around 1050 feet. Let go of your main PC at 1000', and the instant your main stands you up, your AAD fires because you are below its activation altitude. To not have two out, you need to be below AAD firing speed above around 1050'. How high you need to let go of your main PC to not have an AAD fire depends on how fast your main deploys. "It's amazing what you can learn while you're not talking." - Skydivesg

[replyI posed the question of removing *ONLY* the slider (RDS without the removable bag/PC) a while back. Yep, it's possible and has been done. "It's amazing what you can learn while you're not talking." - Skydivesg

That, and look at everybody else's in the plane. I do on every jump. "It's amazing what you can learn while you're not talking." - Skydivesg

During a bad exit, an IAD JM has the option of hanging on to the PC until the canopy is out of the bag, producing the same result as DB SL. "It's amazing what you can learn while you're not talking." - Skydivesg

So what? I have to zero my analog alti before each jump, too. "It's amazing what you can learn while you're not talking." - Skydivesg

If "everything else being equal" includes the resolution, yes. Otherwise - it might, or it might not. It depends on how much bigger the sensor is, and how much higher resolution - hence my comment about photosite density, which is what really matters. There's a reason that dpreview.com lists pixel density in their camera database. Can have, yes - but I would not call it digital zoom! Digital zoom refers to interpolating pixels (just like upsizing in photoshop), and will have worse image quality than a higher density sensor which will give you higher resolution on your desired subject. "It's amazing what you can learn while you're not talking." - Skydivesg

Are you sure ? I always thought lager sensor will create narrower DOF. Yep, I'm sure. The sensor has absolutely nothing to do with DOF. The lens does. The lens projects an image on the sensor which is converted to an electrical signal. The larger the sensor, the more of the projected image it captures, but it does not (can not!) change the projected image. All the smaller sensor is doing is, effectively, cropping the photo; you can achieve exactly the same effect by using a larger sensor and cropping in photoshop. Edit to add: We generally get more DOF with smaller sensors because we use a different focal length to achieve the same FOV. "It's amazing what you can learn while you're not talking." - Skydivesg

Well, sort of, but not really. A 10mm lens behaves like a 10mm lens, regardless of the sensor. The sensor changes only the field of view by cropping off the edges. A photo from a 10mm lens on a 1.6 crop sensor will not be the same as a photo from a 16mm lens on a fullframe sensor, with the exception of having the same field of view. Use the same lens on both sensors, then crop the photo from the fullframe sensor in photoshop, and then you will have the same photo. In fact, the crop sensor does not even give you more magnification, as is commonly believed (though it does allow you to better fill the frame with the same lens). Take the same photo with the same lens, crop one in photoshop to get the same field of view, and the advantage will go to the sensor with the higher photosite density, regardless of sensor size. "It's amazing what you can learn while you're not talking." - Skydivesg

I'm in the market for a new RW suit, and I'm thinking of getting one from Vertical Suits. I'm interested in opinions from anyone who has experience with them. "It's amazing what you can learn while you're not talking." - Skydivesg

You sure are dating yourself, Rob.. "It's amazing what you can learn while you're not talking." - Skydivesg

Speak for yourself! I think the antennas give it away (especially the 10 foot tall screwdriver). Oh, and my Rodriguez Brother name is Hamradio... http://rodriguezbrothers.com/cgi-bin/view_brothers.pl?id=1489 "It's amazing what you can learn while you're not talking." - Skydivesg

The IC-703 is rather large for a QRP rig. I'd try something like an Elecraft KX1, or an ATS-III, or similar. If you want SSB, I'm not too familiar with what rigs are out there, but there are definitely smaller and lighter ones than a 703. One advantage of CW is that you wouldn't have to deal with your mic picking up wind noise. I did a 10,000' hop&pop with a 2 metre HT once, and even with a 240 canopy the wind noise was a problem. 73 DE VE7NGR "It's amazing what you can learn while you're not talking." - Skydivesg

It doesn't have a cutter. It uses a spring to pull the pin. "It's amazing what you can learn while you're not talking." - Skydivesg