xAer0

These are good news, since I've been inactive for 2 years with 10 AFF jumps (having passed level 7). Empuriabrava replied that I'd have to redo ground training, and AFF levels 3,4 and 6, at a cost of 500 euros. I haven't checked with my local dropzone, but I plan on doing so soon!

Man, you look like such a HOT BLADE RUNNER in this pic...ROFL Tefkros

And don't forget to bring my lovely DZ manager with you! Tefkros

My stats are way better! 0:0:0 (Kinda goes with my DZ.com handle huh! ) And the worst thing, it's still exams period! Tefkros

MSN : [email protected] ICQ: 18355305 Tefkros

Yeah, that's the only dancing I do! I just can't coordinate my moving parts on the ground! Well it's too early in the morning, haven't slept yet, I have exams, so I can't get sentimental...but I'm sure we all feel the same way about each other And especially your name has a kinda special meaning to me...in a weird way, so there, more points for you! I hope I'll get to meet all of you when I come to the US for a PhD

Haha yeah, bandit jumping would be cool, and it can get even better...we may end up hijacking commercial flights just demanding they open the door so we can do some HALOs And if we had you naked on the load,the pilots would be distracted enough so that the passengers(the female ones) would demand the door to get opened!Piece of cake! Tefkros

Ok... I'm gonna be straight with you! At 7 jumps you should be learning about freefall skills than worrying about hot canopies and swoops! Well, I only have 32 jumps, and if it makes you feel better, I'm pretty agressive myself... But first, learn to surf that Manta (or get a Navigator if your club has one) ... canopy control takes time to master, and you never stop learning.Once you get around 40-50 jumps, a Hornet at 1.1:1 will keep training you for the skills you need. Now, since you are interested in freeflying and other new disciplines, I'd suggest you go with a freefly friendly container.Mirage, Vector, Voodoo, Javelin Odyssey are all good choices. Put a Hornet/Sabre2/Safire or smth similar in it, and start learning. But as i said...swoops are not as simple as they sound...I can surf the Nav 260 for 20 ft in a no wind day but never attemped and won't for at least 100 more jumps to turn with front risers near the ground!There are a lot of things to learn before you even start thinking about these! A good thing to start checking is the High performance canopy control from the Australian Parachute Federation. Remember... A canopy doesn't have to be shit-hot small to swoop...any canopy can swoop, you just have to know how! So, start learning about you canopy , and stay safe! As I said, any of the above containers with a Hornet loaded at 1.1:1 can keep you learning just fine... But IF you can stay very current and get the proper training, then you could go for a Cobalt or smth at smth like 50 jumps?I don't know that...we'll have to hear some other opinions. Sorry if that post sounds like a flame to your swoop desire, I don't mean it that way, I'm just trying to suggest what I believe as a safe attitude towards hot swoops!

I regularly jump at CCSPC (Cyprus Combined Services Parachute Centre) , but because I study in Greece, sometimes I jump at well...wherever the Parachute Club stations the drop zone at any given time (Polykastro or Lamia airfields)... But when I want to feel the air...I travel to Empuriabrava :) Tefkros

Pammi, I actually watched a ' Snow White and the 7 dwarves' porn version...I can assure you, these things are not proportionate...well...kinda...

I'm in love with a DZ Manager...a cute tiny blonde chick! And I just saw a few pics of her! Ahh... Don't pull low, unless you are afraid of heights! Tefkros

Man, why did you have to torture me like that?I am on my dual PII/333 I made my self and a plain TNT...I play the hell out of Quake 3, but Doom 3...well...scary... Oh well, I'm prolly coming to the US next year for a PhD, so I'll upgrade accordingly...then we can all spend rainy weekends kicking each others butt in Doom 3! Don't pull low, unless you are afraid of heights! Tefkros

Thanx Chuck... I don't plan on going to anything like 120 for several hundred jumps...i was actually considering a stock Cobalt 150 @ 1.3:1 when I have around 100 jumps if I feel it will be safe enough for the experience level, and then when I have the skill to downsize,put on a Howard mod instead...if the Cobalt is just as safe as you make it seem, and react good to a Howard mod , then it could beat cheaper mains long term! I guess we'll have to check it out... Dan, do you have any opinions on that? Don't pull low, unless you are afraid of heights! Tefkros

Hi there Chuck, Would you consider a safer/better (it's definitely cheaper) option for someone flying a stock Cobalt and is ready to downsize one size, to send his Cobalt for a Howard mod?If let's say he flys a stock Cobalt at 1.3:1, how would a Howard mod affect performance at such loadings?Would it be equal to downsizing a bit, or will the performance grow beyond a casual jumper's abilities?Or will there be any structrural and stability issues? Cause if doing this mod a low wing loadings can add reasonable performance, then , for $150, the Cobalt can become a real bargain, since it's like buying two canopies for the price of one! So , what's your opinion? Don't pull low, unless you are afraid of heights! Tefkros

Just make sure you don't turn up the volume too much, and use only one earphone...You must still be aware of the airspace around you, and also, you have to be listening to what your canopy is telling you...with time you'll get to be able to judge how it's behaving by the way it sounds,especially when you start going fast.

Congrats Lisa , Even though the first though that crossed my mind when i saw that 'It came...finally' , was either you just got a new rig, or you were having...emm...sex with a robot! Don't pull low, unless you are afraid of heights! Tefkros

Thanx Dan, that's what I plan to do...I'll try the Cobalt and IF I can stay current enough to master it safely,amd if I feel comfortable enough with it,maybe I'll go for it...no flames please people, my instructors will have to judge wether to let me fly one first,so I'll be going basically by what people that know me consider safe... Btw, Dan, do you send Cobalt demos in Europe? (Greece) Don't pull low, unless you are afraid of heights! Tefkros

Before I attract flames, just in case, I want to say that my canopy will prolly be a Hornet 170 @ 1.15:1 ... It just doesn't sound very realistic to me...how can you build real skill with hundreds of jumps on a canopy that will forgive every stupid act you make?I mean, sure, you can learn the right reactions instinctively...but then you get that thing at 1.4 and find yourself in a same situation...would you know shit about how it would react?Or would you do the same drill as the one you did on the forgiving canopy you mastered? I'm a big fan of correct training on medium performance mains rather a huge number of jumps on conservative loadings, and the reason I go for a conservative canopy is that I know i won't be a able to be current enough during this year to justify a higher loading.Sure I studied the High performance canopy handling manuals and apply the exercises all the time, but i feel that doing them on a low performance wing for a long time wouldn't do much good...one must downsize properly in the meantime, if they want to safely fly at higher wingloadings. That's just to complement what others have said, not to disaggree with anyone...sure, I was be flying a hot Navigator 260 until now and pushed it a lot, but I'm beginning to downsize slowly (230,210,190,170) so that I'll be ready for my main at ~80 jumps...I realise I picked a lot of bad habits with student mains in 32 jumps... And since we see all see new the new trend of going with the faster mains sooner...it might be better for everyone to start pushing DZs to give more thorough training to people, not just student level...it's scary to see many jumpers with more than twice my jumps knowing shit about canopy control...the ground doesn't care how many jumps you have! Training and curiosity, as Riggerob said... Don't pull low, unless you are afraid of heights! Tefkros

Viking man, don't listen to evil Remi... You'll have a blast on the first time! I sure did...and I was 21! Just pick the right girl!

Correct me if I'm wrong , but... The ellipticals are not curved at the sides forming an ellipse, they straighten out too, but the curvature at the tail and nose is heavier than a semi-elliptical.Aspect ratio on those is given by Span^2 / wing area , whereas the aspect ratio on squares is given by Span/Cord...and I would disagree on that 3.5 aspect ratio of the extremes...the only 3.5 aspect ratio canopy I'm aware if is the Onyx, and that because I've heard CobaltDan saying it...2.8 is as far as todays cross-braced ellipticals go, I think...the more the aspect ratio, the more efficient the wing. Also being ellipticals reduces the wingtip vortices creating a more efficient and fast wing...and you probably know all the other stuff about faster turns, oversteering usually etc... Dunno, am I correct? Don't pull low, unless you are afraid of heights! Tefkros

Well, my last jump was...25 days ago...it's exams period now, so no more jumping for more than a month!And I have these exams in Evolution/Molecular Evolution in less than one hour! In a desperation crisis I was willing to jump the VX 46 to ' relax' but wise guy Omri saved me with the words of wisdom: ' Commiting suicide is not the solution!' ...quite correct eh? Anyway,I'm waiting for the exams to finish so that I can take a trip to Empuria with a buddy to guess what...JUMP!

I'm a lesbian trapped in a man's body, can I come too? Tefkros

I appreciate your concern Lawrence, and if you read my post in the canopy sales ethics thread, you'd see we share the same thoughts, and I explain why a Cobalt wouldn't be good as my first canopy! Another thing I've noticed...and it's general in here! One says, I have xx jumps and I'm thinking of that canopy at XXX jumps...the responce is almost robotic..."You are thinking about that canopy at xx jumps?"No, I'm thinking about it at XXX jumps! Gee people, please be less excited when you reply, mistakes are often made and people get the wrong impressions!And if it's meant only that the thought of this canopy is just passing my mind at only xx jumps, well, YES, and I'm happy it does, cause that gives me a reason to learn the skills I need to fly that canopy WHENEVER I'm ready... Sorry if I sound aggressive Lawrence, I really appreciate your and everyones' input, I just explain the way I think!

>There seems to be an attitude that you cant swoop anything >that isnt eliptical. My humble opinion is that if you cant >swoop a Yugo you sure as hell shouldn't be trying to swoop >a Ferrari. True, very true I must say.I know , and my instructors know that I fly quite aggressively (yeah, that Navigator 260!),and accepting that fact, I ask, practice and learn details about HP canopy flight(I sometimes have ignored the some of the required '1 flare, 2 360 turns' canopy exercises that most DZs tell their students to do, just to practice my hook turn recovery), that others with much more than my humble 32 jumps have no clue what I'm talking about... And what did I soon find out?That even that huge Navigator is surfable! At less that 0.8:1 wingloading, it can 'surf' for 15-20 feet in a low-no wind day.Good enough for a 32 jump wonder I guess

My imagination fails to identify the person who voted against.It can't be FFF, can it? Man, I thought only I was scared of relationships! Don't pull low, unless you are afraid of heights! Tefkros