apoil

In a wind tunnel that doesn't mean you will immediately plummet towards the net at 160mph. When the wind stops, your speed is ZERO relative to the earth and you will start to accelerate from there. It will be like falling from wherever you are onto the springy net. The only difference is the body position. Hitting the net head first from 10-15 feet up carries a significant risk of serious injury but it isn't inevitable. A skilled flyer should be able to tuck up and land on their back.

Then why does the speed of the uppers matter? Sounds to me like separation is based only on the planes airspeed indicator, and separation sould be the same regardless of the direction of jump run. This has plagued me for a while.. intuition has told me that that distance covered over the ground shouldn't matter because separation needs to be achieved in the airmass. But using the ground as a reference IS what is taught - and ground speed is used to determine separation. In the case of the balloon Untethered: airspeed = 0. No separation achieved. Tethered: airspeed = windspeed. Separation achieved.

So, ironically, waiting for a 45degree angle doesn't work but TELLING someone to wait until there's a 45 degree angle may well guarantee you the proper separation. The rest of the load gets hosed, but at least no one comes through your canopy. It may even be more effective to tell them that than to tell them to wait 10 seconds. Nearly everyone counts seconds way too fast on jump run.

It's really cold. So cold that really the only way to survive is to share your sleeping bag with a friend. Byron folks are typically more than happy to do this - understandable since it's a matter of life and death.

It is a nice pic, I hope he had some shoes left after sliding on pavement. Notice how inflated his 'collapsed' slider is? This is why I prefer the stowing the slider behind my head with one of those plastic ball and bungee things. Of course RDS is optimal, but it's a bit more complicated for every day jumping.

No it doesn't. The freefly unfriendliness of the dolphin has nothing to do with the way the reserve flaps are closed. It has to do with the riser/bridle protection and the tightness of the BOC. And I'm not disagreeing with the earlier post saying it's possible to make one ff friendly. No one is having premature reserve deployments as a result of the flap configuration. I have personally seen and filmed a dolphin premature main deployment from a sit fly.

People got cut on the record itself, but I attended a couple of big way camps at Perris and no one got cut. If a big way "camp" is cutting people then it's not really being organized properly. People can be arranged in such a way that everyone is challenged and improves their skills whether or not the planned formation actually completes. If the goal is building a specific formation, then you may have to cut people in order to achieve the goal - but that's no longer a "camp". The only people who should be cut are people who aren't capable of flying safely in a large group and that's about discipline and break-off.

ROFL - because the scientific method is how freefly suitability is being measured here?! Give me a break. This is more "I have one and world champ x/y/z has one so it must be the best!!" I'll go more slowly - when someone says I've seen more javelins do x than any other rig, it makes a difference that in all likelihood he's seen more javelins PERIOD than any other rig. If I say, I've seen more malfunctions on Javelins than any other rig does it mean Javelins are more prone to malfunctions? Not without more information. My last Jav stayed closed for 1800 jumps. Then I changed mains to a velocity with a bigger pack volume in the same container and it didn't fit exactly right. Due to wear on the stiff tab and an improperly sized main it started opening. I had a rigger put a new tab in and now it is perfectly secure. I've seen the main flap open on other rigs. I mentioned Wings, Mirage and Vector because they all use a similar design to protect the main pin. "It just happens". That sounds more like "I don't know why it happens and I can't be bothered to do anything about it right now" It doesn't happen to all Javs, particularly if the main is the proper size for the container. Lots of highly experienced jumpers end up changing main sizes and not wanting to invest in a new rig. It can be fixed, but maybe not all riggers are up to the task, and not all jumpers are up to the expense for something that is ultimately more of an inconvenience than a safety issue. I might not buy a brand new Javelin if I were shopping for one today, but it would still be a leading candidate.

I never liked Ned that much anyway. Seriously, if my friends had a problem being told they were full of shit they would have stopped being my friend a long time ago. And yes, I still have a few.

There are more javelins in the market than any other rig. Thanks for your scientific method. If the canopy is the proper size for the container and the closing loop is the right length and the gear was properly broken in, this doesn't happen. I've seen it happen on Vector, Wings and Mirage rigs as well. Every rig has its pluses and minuses. But all are safe for freeflying. Oddly, as annoying as it is, I've never heard of or seen a malfunction or fatality that resulted from the main pin cover being open.

ok. At the risk of totally ignoring my own advice about irresponsibility: smallness. A small rig is less bulk to lug through a transition, and less aerodynamic drag all around. Better be able to fly the tiny main and the highly loaded reserve under all circumstances though. In my case my canopy skills evolved at the same pace as my freeflying skills which is to say very slowly. For some that's not the case. Safety under canopy is top priority. But smaller kit is nice when you freefly. My gear has always been cutom sized for me and articulated. The cut in laterals on new gear is also nice, although it makes less of a difference if the container is narrower than your back. I also use the bungee between the leg straps. With hip rings that makes a huge difference for head up flying. Some swoopers don't like it though because it affects their ability to harness turn.

Very irresponsible to call those "pullouts" They are all BOC with different style handles. I've never heard those referred to as "pullout handles" only as "freefly handles". The "pullout system" has a similar style handle but the pilot chute is packed into the container closed with a straight pin. Even with that all clarified there's no need to have a "freefly handle" or a "pullout system" in order to safely freefly. It comes down to individual preference.

Where are you learning, and what is your progression? Are you considering an AFF jump a "solo"? Beause, if solo is "jump without instructors" in a progression other than static line or IAD, then you should have already been tought the technique and have demonstrated it. If you are in the middle of your AFF progression, then don't worry, the technique is introduced before you are released in freefall, and is typically not needed until the final stages when which infolve deliberate instability and recovery. I personally teach it in the First Jump Course, just in case. That said, I heartily endorse the numerous statements that you ask your instructor A student trained by the collective wisdom of dropzone.com would be a horrifying sight.

I don't know why so many folks are trying to marry components of their rig. Maybe congress is right. Maybe gay marriage has opened the door to this kind of perversion.

How many "people"? It doesn't sound like you are ready for freeflying in groups.