QuietStorm

Scott: Wow! Now that's a fast reply! Twenty minutes later.....I gotta pic! Its 2230 Pac Time.....0130 EST.......whaddya doin? LOL

I have a BM Firebird that needs some repair and would like some recommendations/thoughts. No major damage but it seems that after 1 year of putting 150 jumps on this suit the stiching is "pulling through" the fabric on the arm and leg wings and some "small" tears are beginning to develop as the stiching cuts/pulls through the fabric. This concerns me greatly. I have stopped flying the suit for fear of causing any more damage to it. I have paid a lot for this suit and I take great pains to snag or tear it.....no bad landings. Should I use rip stop tape or buy Zero P material from Para-Gear and take it to a rigger for repair? In time I don't won't a wingsuit that looks like its held together with tape and patch worked......resale value goes to zero when I want to upgrade my wingsuit......or spend my money on a new main canopy instead. I seriously doubt a PD Katana would not start coming apart after 150 jumps. I don't mind paying good money for quality equipment but when I put my money down I want performance. Any recommendations for riggers in the AZ, CA, west coast area that are experienced in repairing wingsuits? I just don't want to have the send this thing back over to Europe, cross my fingers, and bide my time getting it back.

Scott: Thank you for taking the pictures. Did you get a picture of the group in front of the windblades with your camera to post? [:)

Update from the "Hawks" of the Eloy desert! Nuclear Nick continues salvage work on his camera helmet. The card out of his Nikon D200 was saved....Ash has the pics. The tape out of the PC100 is intact but the cassette is smashed......currently we are working on trying to get the tape into a new "plastic cassette"holder so we can play the tape back and see what terminal impact looks like from a lost camera helmet.

Matt: We have not met and flown together.......yet! IMHO this is your best production yet and you have truly surpassed yourself.

Another paradigm! When I was doing hop & pops practicing for sport accuracy for nationals I thought hey why not take advantage of the altitude....throw on the wingsuit. Interesting to see how far you can fly from 4,500 ft down to 2,500 ft! Cheap lift ticket to see how far you can fly your suit.....before your arms tire out! Wingsuit canopy deployments are usually at subterminal velocities anyway ranging from 45 mph to the mid 70's depending on the wingsuit pilot. Easy dynamics on any canopy! As far as terminal velocity openings with an accuracy canopy....I remember "back in the day" that in "classic" style & acccuracy....you were opening an accuracy canopy under terminal velocity after doing a style set. Seems to me that some of the lessons of old still hold value today.

I jump a Spectre 170 with my Firebird. At one point I was thinking of jumping a container that had my Sharpchuter 245. Non-Elliptical canopies with moderate to light wing loadings tend to be more forgiving in the event of line twists, they don't dive and go crazy. There is enough going on at around 2,500 to 3,500 like unzipping your wings than have to deal with a canopy that is losing altitude fast. In my opinion you should not have any issues jumping a wingsuit and opening under an accuracy canopy.