meatbomb

By that logic, the Crossfire2, Omni, Safire2 and reserve canopies aren't Icarus canopies either! Not quite sure it's as simple as that... From what I can tell, the Neos is the first of the above canopies designed by CIMSA that has yet to be adopted by the other Icarus partners...I'll see if I can get a take on this from Hector at CIMSA/Icarus... --- Swoopert, CS-Aiiiiiii! Piccies

Yup...? --- Swoopert, CS-Aiiiiiii! Piccies

From another thread, posted an hour ago: Looks like the people talked, and the power listened... --- Swoopert, CS-Aiiiiiii! Piccies

I did 6 jumps on my Neos 119 (2.4) this weekend, and I'm still trying to make my mind up. A bit of background on me: I've done 60 jumps on a Velo-120 (2.4) and 120 on VX-114s (2.5). Before that, I had done 500 jumps on Crossfire2s (1.7-2.0). I like the faster openings, flatter trim, and more positive recovery arc of the VX. I thought the Neos looked pretty funky in the air, with the partial centre arc / cross bracing, and the inflated stabilisers, and I really loved the whip I could get on my turn initiation, but I really didn't like the Velo-like recovery. It seems to sink in on recovery, rather than the more positive recovery of the VX. It certainly seems to descend faster in all toggle modes than my VX, and has lighter front riser pressure. Theorizing, I think a lot of the difference will be down to the lower rigidity of the wing, with less cross-bracing, along with a steeper trim than on the Crossfire2 or VX. I think that pilots who like the way the Velocity flies will love this canopy, but, for me, I prefer the VX. If I had to characterise the Neos in terms of other canopies, I'd put it between the VX and a Velocity. I'm gonna do more jumps on the Neos over the next couple of weeks, to give me more of a chance to get used to it, but if I still don't like it, I can always take advantage of Icarus' 30 day money back guarantee, and get myself another VX instead --- Swoopert, CS-Aiiiiiii! Piccies

I'm not all there... Could you expand on the "relative wall"...? --- Swoopert, CS-Aiiiiiii! Piccies

Agreed. You need to be aware that you cannot qualify as BPA A-Licence now, without a BPA CCI (Club Chief Instructor) signing off your application. I would recommend doing your training in this country, under the RAPS system, as I believe for most people, it produces the best graduates. However, everyone is different, and AFF is a better system for some. If you do go abroad to do AFF, make sure that there are BPA qualified instructors (RAPS/AFF), so that you can get all the work for your CH1 qualification (and others) signed off. Then, when you return to the UK, it is a simple matter of presenting the completed documentation to the CCI. So long as you cover the 8 UK levels, including the hop'n'pop, and do at least 10 jumps afterwards, it doesn't really matter whether your AFF instructors are USPA or BPA. When I went to Perris with the BCPA this year, the AFFers trained under the USPA system. I was able to sign off all the AFF grads on their CH1, some CH2s and JM1s, and do their exams. This meant it was very easy for them when they came back to the UK, as they could present a fait accompli to the CCI. --- Swoopert, CS-Aiiiiiii! Piccies

5! Mind you, I'm biased, that was my explanation quoted to start this thread! So, anyone got a better analogy than the seemingly quite popular train one? Or are we better off sticking to real life? --- Swoopert, CS-Aiiiiiii! Piccies

I just got my "baby" Neos 119 last night, and it's got Cascaded Vectran lines. It's also gorgeous! Can't wait to put it through it's paces --- Swoopert, CS-Aiiiiiii! Piccies

I just got my "baby" Neos 119 last night, and it's got Cascaded Vectran lines. It's also gorgeous! Can't wait to put it through it's paces --- Swoopert, CS-Aiiiiiii! Piccies

First off, I applaud Vigil for putting ALL of the fires on their website, it's great to see such openness in the industry. Secondly, I think you'll find a similar ratio of "unwanted" activations with any AAD. The "normal" activations are mostly those where the jumper has taken some action to save their life (ie low pull/slow reserve pull). If you pull below a certain height (usually around 1300ft), any internal AAD will be fooled by your change in attitude, and fire. Now, do you want the AAD to shut-off in this situation, thus possibly allowing people to die, so you can remove the risk of the "unwanted" firings? When you talk about risk with AADs, surely the AAD must err on the side of firing... Personally, I prefer to take personal responsibility for pulling. That's why, although I jump with a Vigil in my rig (so I can go to DZs with mandatory AAD policies), it is, for the most part, switched off. --- Swoopert, CS-Aiiiiiii! Piccies

I think that's the key phrase...Perception... I often used to struggle to get this concept across when teaching Canopy Control to first-timers, but as soon as I started talking about perception, it seemed to be a lot easier. I also use the swimming in a current, and walking in a train scenario to varied effect. It's all about frames of reference, and our perceptions of them. On an aside...I really enjoy swooping in high winds sometimes...It can be great fun to almost hover for a while --- Swoopert, CS-Aiiiiiii! Piccies

You forgot American and British. --- Swoopert, CS-Aiiiiiii! Piccies

If I can get hold of it, I'll try to drag out some footage of me on a VX-114 at 2.54 at Perris earlier this year. I was initiating my 270 5-6 second turn from brakes at 750ft (using a combo of eyes and Neptune Audible), and coming out perfect...(Turn wise, if not exactly where I wanted to be vis a vis the gates!). When I took this back to my cooler bonnie Scotland at sea-level, I was expecting to have to either bring down my initiation point, or speed up my rotation, to account for the differing density altitude. Whether because of the large wing, or the slightly heavier loading, I seem to be just fine with the same initiation point back here...wierdness...again, I'll try to get some ground video to back this up next weekend...(plus I'm still at the stage of my swooping life where I can't get enough of watching myself!) --- Swoopert, CS-Aiiiiiii! Piccies

So the question is: What did the UN observers observe that necessitated such a sustained and brutal assault? --- Swoopert, CS-Aiiiiiii! Piccies

I think I agree with this. From what little I have read of the situation, this woman made a conscious decision to kill her children. That this decision was considered insane should not be a defence. After all, who would ever consider a pre-meditated murder sane? My tuppence worth... --- Swoopert, CS-Aiiiiiii! Piccies

Clickified

A "normal", or statute, mile is 1760 yards. A nautical mile is 2000 yards. Thus 1 mile per hour is slower than 1 nautical mile per hour (knot). It's all to do with the old way of measuring speed on a boat, tying knots in a piece of rope, and throwing the end overboard. It was easier to calculate the required distance between knots if you made a mile 2000 yards... Therefore, in the UK, when the BPA makes a rule that says the wind limit is 20 knots, this equates to around 23mph. --- Swoopert, CS-Aiiiiiii! Piccies

No, they don't. The plastic handled knives have a tendency to break without working. This is well documented throughout DZ.com and the "real" world. As for this...if you have a line-over on your reserve, chances are you would be better served using the time to fix it manually, and/or getting the canopy to fly straight, and above your head... The whole using a hook knife to fix a reserve line-over thing has never been done on a square reserve (to my knowledge). It comes from the days of round reserves, when it was quite possible to fix a line-over by cutting some of the lines, without making things worse... Does anyone have any examples of a hook knife being used to fix a square reserve with a line-over? --- Swoopert, CS-Aiiiiiii! Piccies

My first rig was a Talon with a Sabre 190 and a Laser-7 Reserve (227sqft). I then had a Teardrop SF with a Tempo 210 and the Sabre, but also fit a Crossfire2-169 in it, no problems. --- Swoopert, CS-Aiiiiiii! Piccies

Those really don't look like the double width RWS spec bungees...are you sure? The one on the extreme right looks like it's a normal dacron bungee doubled, and the extreme left looks like a broken RWS tandem bungee... It's always good practice, no matter which bungees you're using, to make them symmetrical...I was asked to pack a Portuguese Tandem at Alvor once. I took one look, and started looking around me for Jeremy Beadle! It had a normal dacron bungee that had broken and been tied together for one mouthlock , and a thin piece of bungee cord tied off and larksheaded like a bungee (but big enough to stretch around my head (which is quite big!), for the other... Nasty stuff... --- Swoopert, CS-Aiiiiiii! Piccies

Others, including ourselves, literally charge per 000ft...(£7 base + £1/000ft) (around $10, plus $1.50/000ft) 10k is £17 (around $25). --- Swoopert, CS-Aiiiiiii! Piccies

Well...two stories...one I know to be true, as it happened to me...the other...well you decide... I usually attach my helmet to my chest strap buckle once I land, and put my gloves/alti in it, so as not to lose it...for some reason, in this case, I decided to use a packer...(this was the first and last time for this packer!)...I went to pick up my rig, and found that the hat and stuff was gone. I found the stuff on the floor, and figured that my frappe hat had gone walkabout...went up to jump, deployed, and low and behold, my frappe hat comes flying out of my canopy, and down below me. I immediately started chasing it down, and was surprised to note that I could keep level with it by spiralling around it (on my Sabre 190 - 1.4). Of course, due to my magnificent spot (ahem), the frappe hat landed in our gravel pit! The Pro-Track contained was unharmed, and had registered the exit, and an opening height of 800ft. The second story I didn't witness, but apparently happened at Strathallan in the early-mid 90s. I have been related it by several independent sources, but it still sounds amazing! Basically, someone managed to scoop up a baby rabbit into one of the cells of their 7-cell canopy, when picking it up after a jump. It wasn't noticed when packed, and when the rig was jumped, the jumper was shocked to look up and see this rabbit running up and down one of his cells! On landing, it popped out of the cell and hopped away, possibly the first (and only) skydiving rabbit! --- Swoopert, CS-Aiiiiiii! Piccies

Nope...6'2", and almost as broad... Witness below...red VX114 taken during the first SoCal CPC at Perris, green VX114 taken during another Scottish bad weather day at Strathallan... Also Bundy, who ROCKS, literally screaming through the speed course! (Credit due to Dennis Sattler, Andy Ford and Sergei Rulikovskyy for the pics) --- Swoopert, CS-Aiiiiiii! Piccies

Unfortunately, I believe you will...the temporary membership lasts a month, and I believe must be upgraded after a month if you're still jumping Edit: Not sure about that...I just checked the BPA website, and the month-long membership doesn't mention renewal...(It is, however, £26.30 a month!) On the plus side, there are some excellent DZs around where you will be...Hibaldstow, Bridlington, and Peterlee, all within an hour or so of North Yorkshire. --- Swoopert, CS-Aiiiiiii! Piccies

I went from my XF2-139 to a VX-114, and loved it. I'm getting a Neos 119 to try out in the next couple of weeks, and I'll let y'all know how I think they all compare...Oh, and I've had nothing but the best serivce and support from Icarus, including 30 minute International phone-calls to discuss my options, and the design of their canopies... --- Swoopert, CS-Aiiiiiii! Piccies