MB38

I much prefer my Steenbeck. I really don't know what I'm talking about.

I'm looking for high resolution stills of K****g, namely the landing area and shoreline. Research use for an internetless friend, PM me. Thanks a million. I really don't know what I'm talking about.

I'm sure it is! I really didn't mean it in a bad way [What's YOUR exit weight, you're clearly WRONG!], though I can see it being misconstrued as such. Smilies all around

I was having a chat about this very question with a few friends recently. Our consensus was to get an Acro. That way, when the jumper is skilled enough to move up to a large suit [V2/S6/whatever is out at that time], they'll still have a purpose-built acrobatics suit. Thus, two different suits for two very different types of flying. But I really don't know shit, that was merely the consensus of a conversation involving one rookie wingsuit flyer and a handful of wannabes. I really don't know what I'm talking about.

I was just curious. I know I couldn't have handled a 143 reserve when I had 25 jumps. I really don't know what I'm talking about.

Self packing, of course. I really don't know what I'm talking about.

What is your exit weight? I really don't know what I'm talking about.

Here's a 60-second shot at it. That's a tough picture to begin with. For your basic tandem work, just play with the camera. For the ones you want to keep, a little PS wouldn't hurt. I really don't know what I'm talking about.

FWIW, I just checked my 350D (Rebel XT) and it does have saturation control. I was totally unaware of this. Can't wait to try it out! It's subtle but it does cause an effect. I really don't know what I'm talking about.

Don't worry, I know the deployment altitudes. I was referring to decision/hard-deck/EP initiation altitudes. I RTFM I really don't know what I'm talking about.

If you're shooting film [which you're not], shoot Velvia or a Kodak equivalent reversal stock. If you're shooting digital [which you are], there are a few things you can do. Many Canon cameras have controls over image saturation. I don't think the 300D would, as it's a consumer camera, but I know that their 20D does from experience. Boost that all the way up. Next, shoot RAW. If you bump up the saturation on a JPG too far, it will become obvious. It gets really ugly and you won't like it. So shoot RAW. You can get basic with your saturation-boosting, but there are Photoshop action files out there that will automate film stock emulation. For example, I have an action file that turns any old image into a "Velvia" image. If you apply it to anything short of a RAW file, though, it looks awful. I really don't know what I'm talking about.

Is that Medusa on their main page? I really don't know what I'm talking about.

Are you referring to the instructions on page 23 of this manual? If it is, I've jumped Icon risers before and stowed the excess line as pictured. When I unstowed my brakes, everything went according to plan. This was with fairly new/slick lines. I really don't know what I'm talking about.

Of course, I've seen many a video of the road being cleared in the PF suit as well. I just brought it up as a point of comparison. And Pete, I don't have any experience with the suit. Frankly, I lack the experience to warrant even trying the suit... I'd rather put time into improving my track in my normal jumpsuit before I start with specialized suits. But I'm just talking about the sky, there's no BASE for me for a very very long time. I really don't know what I'm talking about.

I remember talking with one of my instructors about their peak volume. Doing 45 a day is not even close to their daily max during the summer, if memory serves. I really don't know what I'm talking about.

For me, I define a tracking suit as anything you can walk around in/climb in/access the exit point in. If you can raise your knee above your waist... it's a tracking suit. If it just looks like a regular old [though strangely fitting] pair of pants and a jacket... it's a tracking suit. A wingsuit is beyond all of that. It's a purpose-built suit whose only functional environment is freefall. You wouldn't wear a prodigy to the bar. Those would be my criteria. That said, I feel that the Impact's flight characteristics are far more "wingsuit" than "tracking suit" and should be treated as such. Also consider my complete lack of experience with either. I really don't know what I'm talking about.

edit: others already got to it. I really don't know what I'm talking about.

Through discussions with several designers about the construction of the two suits [as well as threads on this site], it seems that the Impact is more suited to terminal tracking [I.E. they will produce significantly more drive and lift than the PF] and the PF suit is more suited to sub-terminal tracking [faster inflation, but less power overall]. That said, I don't think anybody I had this discussion with had actually witnessed or experienced the Impact in a sub-terminal environment. The Impact reportedly has the drive/lift/characteristics of a small to medium wingsuit... it seems to be quite the suit. But as for how it performs sub-terminal? I don't know. I have seen videos of jumpers clearing the road in a certain Swiss valley while wearing the Impact. I really don't know what I'm talking about.

I just don't think it's stressed enough. So many people are used to trying to figure their iPods and table-saws out on their own that when they have a rig in their hands... they do the same. Too many people lack that intellectual curiosity about the way things work. I've read the SIM carefully and use it for reference whenever I have a question. I've also read the manuals on every piece of skydiving equipment I own [which is limited at this point, but nonetheless]. The bummer is that when somebody responds to a question with "did you read the manual?" or "did you do a search?", they'll get yelled at for being a dick and not helping. Aye. I agree. RTFM. I really don't know what I'm talking about.

What lens/camera? I really don't know what I'm talking about.

Do not buy RAM from Apple. They overcharge like you wouldn't believe. It's not special "Apple RAM", it's Samsung RAM with a sticker on it. Buy from http://www.crucial.com/ or some similarly priced RAM site. RAM is RAM, get as much as you can fit in the machine. I really don't know what I'm talking about.

I have very limited experience with the Pilot and Sabre 2 [maybe 20 jumps on a Pilot, 40 on a Sabre 2, both of varying sizes], but I noticed a few things about the way they fly and flare that may help. The Pilot was snappier to serious toggle input up high, so it was more fun to fly for me. But when it came time to land, I didn't quite get along with its flare. I found that the Pilot's flare was spread out through the entire stroke fairly evenly. It seemed to have more low-end "punch" if the flare was completed with some fervor, but if I only flared 80-90% of the stroke I would have to run it out. To compare, the Sabre 2's flare power seemed to be right in the middle of the stroke. I could get most of the flare power of the canopy by focusing my input on the middle of the stroke. If I missed that last 10-20% of the stroke, I could still land fine... there doesn't seem to be much juice in that area. My observations could be completely wrong... I don't exactly have much experience to draw from... but that's what I noticed. So for the Pilot? Be strong with the flare and make sure that you finish it. Find the stall point of the canopy before you start getting crazy, of course. It seems that everybody flares differently. They learn something and stick with it until they really gain an understanding of a canopy's characteristics and how to really feel their way through it. I really don't have a complete understanding of any canopy's characteristics at this point, so I'm just using the generic Brook Flare™ that I crafted at some point... and that seems to be more compatible with the Sabre 2 than the Pilot. Obviously it's not just a blind "and... go for it!!!" flare, but it doesn't have the refinement that a more experienced jumper would have. For those curious, I've since switched to a Safire 2 - which the Brook Flare™ seems to work with perfectly. I really don't know what I'm talking about.

It's nice when little things that I pick up on these forums make a potentially huge difference. Yesterday I turned to break-off from a two-way freefly jump. I turned to track and looked down in the process. I realized that I was tracking along jump run, made a quick fix and finished my track in the appropriate direction. After the jump I learned that the person I was jumping with made the same realization and dealt with the situation similarly. It probably wouldn't have been a problem, but it's something that I would've never thought to do if it weren't for things that I'd picked up here. The concept of tracking off of jump run was only mentioned once in my training and it didn't make an impact. As it stands, I make specific note of jump run direction [as I'm sure most do] to keep aware of my position in the sky. I dunno. Not major or noteworthy by any means, but 'smart' nonetheless. I really don't know what I'm talking about.

The professional laptops of the current generation [read: MacBook Pro] are equal in power to last generation's professional desktops [read: dual ~2GHz Power Mac]. With enough RAM, you can cut true high definition or 2k+ DI on a [professional] laptop without difficulty. The consumer [read: MacBook] laptops are fast for their price and are more than capable of editing at speeds most equate with desktops. A current generation consumer laptop [MacBook] will be in the same range as a previous generation consumer desktop [iMac G5]. So there is always a slight difference in power. The Power Mac G5 Quad is still significantly more powerful than the top of the line MacBook. It's not that one can't do the work quickly on a MacBook, it's just that you can do it outlandishly fast on a Power Mac. Once the Power Mac becomes the Mac Pro [read: Intel chips], it'll be even more ridiculous. I really don't know what I'm talking about.

Pick up The Parachute and its Pilot, it's worth its weight in gold. I really don't know what I'm talking about.