dploi

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Everything posted by dploi

  1. Interesting launching the ITW. I've jumped there, but don't recall favorable conditions for a cliff launch. Did you go in the afternoon when the winds tend to pick up more? I've launched a skydiving canopy from a number of cliffs. I prefer a steady, strongish wind (10mph+) where I can kite in half brakes first to check the wind for consistency or "waves". Then I switch to rear risers and run off. How did you launch here? It was hard to tell in the video.
  2. At a busy event or wingsuit-heavy DZ where there is a clear plan, just a simple "WS" next to a jumper's name or group on the manifest sheet should suffice. But it should be there every time. If there is a plan (eg, "wingsuits on board -- pilot descends east, wingsuiters descend west") which must be changed for air traffic, clouds, etc, it's important for the pilot to know so s/he may communicate any changes to the wingsuit jumpers.
  3. - Landing areas separated by runway - No crossing the runway under 1000' - HP area lands in one direction only -- always -- regardless of wind direction - Main area always lands in the same direction as the first one down -- always -- regardless of wind direction (except tandems, as there is enough time separation) - No spiralling below 1,000' - Nothing over 180° in the main area - Must be approved by S&TA to land in HP area - Grounded for the day if any above rule is violated And I must say, everyone is happy. Those under docile canopies don't have us buzzing past them, and we have pretty dang clear air. That's not to say that we aren't paying attention, but it sure is nice to check your airspace and have all the room you need for whatever on at least 9/10 jumps.
  4. Over the past year, I've noticed complacency in the pilot/WS jumper communication department. Just a few weeks ago, I was on a 5-way with some visiting jumpers, none of whom told the pilot they were on board. When I did, the response I received was, "I'm sure he knows. Wingsuits are pretty common these days". They also didn't tell manifest. This was a relatively new jump pilot who'd only made one skydive and did not know about wingsuits. He almost gave us a go around when we got farther out. This was the first time he'd flown wingsuit jumpers. - Tell manifest there will be wingsuits on your load. - Make sure your pilot is briefed on flying wingsuit jumpers. - Find out which way your pilot is descending and go the opposite direction. - Don't fly right out the door -- clear the aircraft before you spread your wings. Complacency kills in this sport. For those who are newer to this discipline, and as a reminder to others -- people have hit horizontal stabilizers before in wingsuits, with far worse results than this incident. It's been awhile since this last happened and wingsuits have been safe for years because we have a protocol in place for easily preventing such a collision. If you don't follow this protocol, you are inviting disaster. With wingsuits being bigger and better and getting far more lift than in pervious years, we are *more* at risk to hit the stabilizer than ever. If anything, we should be more cautious and communicative about what we're doing, not less.
  5. My Katana 97 is my wingsuit canopy. I have 400+ wingsuit jumps on it without fail. I haven't chopped it at all, actually (knock on wood). I've also been lazy an jumped it with my Velo 84 (one rig, two canopies). No issues. I've actually never chopped an open canopy (full or partial) in a wingsuit (two PC-in-tows, though). I also had a good few hundred wingsuit jumps before I started jumping a HP canopy with a wingsuit. My answer my experience is this: jump what you know. If you know that your canopy will put you into a spinning malfunction with linetwists and you know that you have been having unstable openings or line twists on a square, then you might want to work on your deployments and/or get more used to your canopy without the wingsuit. If you aren't getting line twists on a square/docile canopy on wingsuit jumps, then chances are that you won't get them on your elliptical/HP canopy. A spinning line twist malfunction is maybe 65% body position, 34% equipment, and 1% God. As long as you have a good deployment, then it's up to bad packing to give you twists. If you remain symmetrical through the opening, even with twists, then it's up to either God being angry with you*, or maybe shift in the harness, to throw it all into a spin. * Note that God is generally angrier with Velocity pilots.
  6. You could even substitute the word "Cobalt" with any of the other two or three names they've given this same canopy for years.
  7. I concur. For carefree fun (for experienced HP canopy pilots), the Katana is a total blast. It's a very fun, playful toy. It doesn't require the attention of the Velocity, but it performs right up into the crossbraced range (except for the last half of the swoop). The Velocity is a whole different breed of canopy. In my experience, I've found that all other crossbraced canopies are more similar than not, and the Velo is in its own class. I'm not saying better or worse, but there's really nothing else on the market that flies like a Velocity. It's a deeply multi-faceted machine, and may require a lot of exploration to really appreciate its tremendous power. For me, the Velo feel like an extension of my body. The Katana feels more like something I'm playing with/controlling.
  8. Exit/freefall/opening separation doesn't address the issue. You could leave a minute before me and open 1,000' lower than me, but if you're under a Triathlon 170, my Velo will likely get to the ground first. Separate landing areas with separate air space below n feet is the best fix for this problem, IMO.
  9. wings3 was the first one to really fly. If I'm not mistaken, that's Leo Valentine. His book, "Birdman", is also a recommended read.
  10. Amen. I jump at a drop zone where the HP landing area and the main landing area are separated by a runway. No crossing the runway below 1,000' (normal anywhere). The HP/pond side is anything goes, the main area is no greater than 180°. You must be approved by the S&TA to land pond side, and there's only one direction in which you may land. If it gets too downwindy pond side, people just go to main area and play by the rules. I've seen this and similar at a few drop zones, and think it's the best way to go for any DZ that is putting up more than a single 182. It puts traffic in all the right places. Everyone is happy and safe. I for one have never understood why Eloy hasn't taken advantage of its massive surroundings to do something akin to this. That pond is pretty, but I say put it at least another 200' away from the grass. I'm all for putting a "fence" between those who swoop and those who don't.
  11. Awesome. The ability to fly to your spot really comes in handy here, eh? Could have been worse than the parking lot. Very cool.
  12. There's just one thing that I don't get with the video. Why didn't you guys park closer?
  13. The Top Gear thing? BTW, I love that shot where the flight angle matches the building in the back. Brilliant.
  14. Not with pilot chutes in their hands... OHHHH! luv ya, pope HAHAHAHA!!!! Nice.
  15. Fuck no wind and a 270. How about a lot of wind, an 84, and some hiking boots with really-fucking-good ankle support. :)
  16. Check British Pathé. They have lots of old newsreels from the Birdman days as downloads.
  17. Call me a dick, but I have no interest in going to a dropzone that doesn't allow HP landings. It's like going to a snow park with a 15mph speed limit. Great for some, boring to me.
  18. Sorry to hear that. Water fucks with your depth perception a bit. I've always felt it's best to keep my focus on the horizon with the water in my semi-peripheral. When first swooping a pond, remember that dragging a foot is a bonus, not a goal.
  19. Don't ask why, but I do 360s clockwise and every other turn counter-clockwise.
  20. Very nice rig. Great idea on the toggles for WS jumps! Though I'd rather just see this toggle idea on a WS-X. The WS-X seems a bit flatter and looks a little sturdier than this one (hard to tell from pics).
  21. Alas, the only people who take yoga are weird-looking fuckers that like to show off just how weird they look. And smell.