Jiggs

Hi All, Having recently returned from a trip to tunnel trip I have written an article for our national skyding magazine (ASM) --> http://www.skydiver.com.au/ about the benefits of tunnel use (with some interviews with some top coaches). What I really need some help with is some cool photos - a picture is worth 1000 words they say. For me I can't believe what an amazing tool the tunnel is (and so much additictive fun - have 15hrs) My aim is to encourage more Aussie jumpers to spend the cash, go to the where its at, get coaching and knock out a bunch of hours to improve the quality of air skills and to get more people skydiving at a higher level. Anyway all I have are external shots of the tunnel so I don't think that will really cut it. So if you are willing to share some decent photos of people flying in the tunnel that would be suitable for publication - email me! or PM me Photo credits will be given but no $$$ - sorry it's all about the love "Don't blame malice for what stupidity can explain." "In our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart and in our despair, against our will comes wisdom" - Aeschylus

Go with the Sabre 2 if you can afford it I own a Sabre 1 and a Sabre 2 and hands down my preferred is the Sabre2. I have around 800 or so jumps on the Sabre1 and less than 50 with the S2. I would echo exactly what Tonto has stated and say that the S2 is a step up in all areas. Nothing wrong with an original Sabre but if you can afford the dollars get the new one. - Fantastic all round canopy and you can wring quite a bit of performance out of it . "Don't blame malice for what stupidity can explain." "In our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart and in our despair, against our will comes wisdom" - Aeschylus

Thanks all - got it "Don't blame malice for what stupidity can explain." "In our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart and in our despair, against our will comes wisdom" - Aeschylus

Hey anyone got a current email address for Todd? Using the [email protected] address all I get a rejected emails? "Don't blame malice for what stupidity can explain." "In our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart and in our despair, against our will comes wisdom" - Aeschylus

Hi all, I have around 300 w/s jumps or so (in the last 18 months) and am a BMI Personally I think that there is 2 aspects to buzzing other fliers - there is the danger component versus the issue of manners. In part this is defined by how close the approach is and who is involved with the fly by. I have buzzed many tandems and friends but now I rarely do unless the person has asked me to do so and that my situational awarness is up to it on the flight - eg can I track/locate all the other canopies on the load. If someone does not want a flyby I will not do so - eg if you don't want to do CRW after a jump how would you feel about someone trying ram a dock on a stilleto on you (same principle). The only other rule is never past students, they can be tempting but they have enough to worry about without some yahoo flying close - off in the distance is fine but don't try and freak them. Some people like flyby's others don't - get to know who is who if you want to play this game. If someone wants to do a flyby me I would want it to be someone that has great skills and someone that I know and trust - there are few of these people (only 4 come to mind quickly) not some random wingsuiter. I do believe that it can be safe to do flybys there is a number of factors (and skills) that need to be considered. Some people will only be safe doing a flyby at a great distance, others can naturally get much closer. How close depends on skill, trust and the exact circumstances of the relative bodies. The other consideration is that I think that there are many meatheads in skydiving who greatly over-estimate their ability to control a situation that is beyond their skill set. Eg some angles are not good to try and push. I think it's okay to play with you own life but you should never roll the dice on someone elses life. Manners cost you nothing - so don't be stingy. "Don't blame malice for what stupidity can explain." "In our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart and in our despair, against our will comes wisdom" - Aeschylus

Hey James, Many thanks for the flights - it was great to have some fun flocks at Picton! It was great fun to chase you after breakoff on the larger flocks! Many thanks for the use of that Demo Phantom as it was a nice change from my S3! Trust that you enjoyed the trip and hope you and Tif get in some touristy things before heading home. Cheers, Darren & Tanya "Don't blame malice for what stupidity can explain." "In our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart and in our despair, against our will comes wisdom" - Aeschylus

Edit - Damn photo is to large - have an excellent quality shot of some backflying - will try to make smaller or can some techo person do it? I'll email it across "Don't blame malice for what stupidity can explain." "In our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart and in our despair, against our will comes wisdom" - Aeschylus

My fall rate is usually slightly faster in this position but it is still more or less the same as a normal rel dive (I am starting to get more range ) True - there is no benefit in deploying in this position but it is something that I have been thinking about doing for fun. Editted to add: Doing for fun if it is not completely stupid! "Don't blame malice for what stupidity can explain." "In our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart and in our despair, against our will comes wisdom" - Aeschylus

Why would low battery be a problem if the unit will turn on, sound off alarms etc? "Don't blame malice for what stupidity can explain." "In our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart and in our despair, against our will comes wisdom" - Aeschylus

Hi all, I recently bought a brand new Neptune that I am using as an altimeter that has been causing some problems. Basically as soon as I get out of the aircraft the display resets to display the version number and the the "press any key" screen - Needless to say it is completely pointless! It does not even log any of the jumps. it worked for about 20 jumps with no problems and now this! I have gone through all the menu settings and it still does the same problem - Has anyone encountered this problem? Anybody know of a solution? Who should I contact? (I got this from the Perris gear store but I live in Australia) "Don't blame malice for what stupidity can explain." "In our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart and in our despair, against our will comes wisdom" - Aeschylus

Yes the speed is about the same and you do have some fall rate control - but not as much as normal (or at least I don't). I don't think that it is something that I will do regularly but it should make a good piece of footage and I think it can be done fairly safely. Wouldn't the same problems be faced with things like skysurf and the like - isn't the deployment more or less the same? "Don't blame malice for what stupidity can explain." "In our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart and in our despair, against our will comes wisdom" - Aeschylus

Howdy, Does anyone have advice and practical experience in deploying while in a knee flying position? After doing some time with airspeed in the tunnel I have been loving knee flying and I have found myself doing it on a bunch of jumps. - I am wondering what else I need to think of before I start deploying in that position. anything to watch out for, etc? What have been your expereinces? Cheers, "Don't blame malice for what stupidity can explain." "In our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart and in our despair, against our will comes wisdom" - Aeschylus

Probably O'Hare as I will be flying interstate - if you have any better suggestions let me know! But keep in mind I need to pickup a rental vehicle to actually get to the DZ. Cheers, DG "Don't blame malice for what stupidity can explain." "In our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart and in our despair, against our will comes wisdom" - Aeschylus

With any luck I will be there for the last weekend before WFFC - or erhaps by the Friday - but it depends on how the rest of my trip goes. Say what is the easiest way to get to SDC from teairport? Anything that I need to know? "Don't blame malice for what stupidity can explain." "In our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart and in our despair, against our will comes wisdom" - Aeschylus

I would say definetly close leg wings and arch. Since I had the arm wings unzipped I basically kept my free arm in when I deployed still trying to be symetrical & stable. Since I had picked up a fair amount of forward drive, the reserve hammered open. Really took the wind out of me. Call it a bonus but probably not that essential. "Don't blame malice for what stupidity can explain." "In our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart and in our despair, against our will comes wisdom" - Aeschylus

I have had 2 chops and on both of them I have taken the reserve to Terminal. One of which was on a spinning mal (lineover) on a Sabre 150 while jumping my S3, I deployed around 3.5k and I played around with it for awhile and tried to clear it to no avail. (I actually unzipped the arms - I only used the wing cutaway handles after I opened the reserve. Looked very funny as I had 3 wingsuit and 2 normal handles dangling out of my suit :-) When I chopped that I still had a fair bit of spin going when I got off it. It took me a few seconds to get it all sorted and flying flat and stable, also it was a lot of fun to fly without the weight of the main - it felt very clean from the slow speed exit. Anyway I would much rather open a few hundred feet lower with the best chance of opening it up cleanly PROVIDED I have the height to do so. The RSL would remove that opportunity. My second chop was on a wildly spinning 120 Stiletto, in comparisson it was incredible easy to get stable afterward, just flipped over and was stable straight away. (I took that one to terminal as well :-) - that one had a 5 second delay from when I pulled the reserve handle to the reserve opened (at terminal). That was somewhat scary (borrowed gear) RSL's are a choice, but I would prefer not to have one. I can see why they can be useful but for other reasons I would prefer not to use one. (I also do a fair bit of camera) "Don't blame malice for what stupidity can explain." "In our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart and in our despair, against our will comes wisdom" - Aeschylus

Hmm sounds fun - did not get to see the new toys as Jari did not bring them to Australia - I will be in the region so it might be cool to go and check this out. Any ideas on who else will be around? Will there be decent flocks or is it more of a first jump course thing? "Don't blame malice for what stupidity can explain." "In our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart and in our despair, against our will comes wisdom" - Aeschylus

TJNK or TJNK.5? Also what reserve do you have in there? Edit to add: Verticalflyer - Am fairly indifferent between the 136 and 120, would prefer to go the 136 as after a few hundred jumps it can go to my better half. Not advocating anyone pick a main based on the size of their container. "Don't blame malice for what stupidity can explain." "In our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart and in our despair, against our will comes wisdom" - Aeschylus

Hi everyone, Has anyone had any experience with attempting to pack a 135 airlocked canopy into an OJK sized Odyssey. Before you ask yes - it is listed as sized for a 139 main (and yes I have emailed sunpath but it's been a few days and they have not responded yet). So is this doable or is it to much of a bastard to contemplate? I currently have my old Sabre150 in there at the moment. Or would I have to go with an airlocked 120 in order to fit it in? What are your experiences? "Don't blame malice for what stupidity can explain." "In our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart and in our despair, against our will comes wisdom" - Aeschylus

Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences, there are some useful opinions here it has given me some food for thought. (as I am sure it will give to others that are at the same place). As much fun as ellipticals are to fly, I guess I don't need the extra hassle on the openings, I think mellow will be the way to go. I have already had my first wingsuit chop (lineover from a friend) and while it was an interesting/fun experience the hassle of lost gear is a bastard! I guess I will most likely go with a lotus instead of a Sam as w/s is my preferred discipline at the moment, also since I only do around 200 jumps a year a cruiser main will be a better option. Unfortunately second rig is not an option (as handy and as much as I would love it!) at the moment but I will have to keep it in mind for future. Cheers! "Don't blame malice for what stupidity can explain." "In our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart and in our despair, against our will comes wisdom" - Aeschylus

Hey all, I am looking towards getting a new canopy pretty soon and I have come across a few options - looking for something fun to fly but something that will also not be a hassle on wingsuit jumps. What I was wondering if anyone has much experience with jumping a Sam for w/s? How does the canopy behave on openings? What is inflation like? What have been your experiences? Or should I go with a more mellow Lotus? Should I ask how long the canopy stays inflated after a chop? Cheers! "Don't blame malice for what stupidity can explain." "In our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart and in our despair, against our will comes wisdom" - Aeschylus

I will be there! Tanya and I fly up on the Thursday morning (21st) 8am so looking to pick Jari's brain and carve it up with some flocking dives. Not to mention some all time coaching would be cool. "Don't blame malice for what stupidity can explain." "In our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart and in our despair, against our will comes wisdom" - Aeschylus

Thanks for your insights Ed, will have to give them a go and just go out and experiment I guess . I can always fall back to the matter but the S3 is so much more fun to fly. Looking forward to the opportunity of flocking with you all! Cheers, Griggsy "Don't blame malice for what stupidity can explain." "In our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart and in our despair, against our will comes wisdom" - Aeschylus

Hi everybody, I have around 120ish wingsuit jumps at the moment and have a MTR2 and a S3 (about 50 jumps on each). I have had some fun experiences taking up various friends for their first wingsuit jumps and I have brainwashed a few people into wingsuiting - Anyway what I am hoping for is some tips for flying with lightweight chicks (eg giving 20kgs or more away in weight). Does anyone have any good tips for being able to maintain low fall rates but low horizontal speeds - particularly with the S3? (no worries with the matter). It seems like when they put on a slow fall rate (particularly after a variable fall rate) I really need to chuck on the speed to maintain the lift. Maybe an example would make it more clear - last weekend I was jumping with a 55kg chick (in a Classic) and I was jumping vid in my S3. Her forward speed was so slow that I would need to really bend my knees to stop presenting my leg wing to fly sufficiently slow in order to match her forward speed. Basically with just my arms I could go faster than her! Problem was that it was hard to maintain the fall rate without leaving her behind. I know that by doing video was not helping but everyone always wants video! - so any sage words of wisdom? Or should I just leave the S3 in the bag and use my Matter for jumps like these? Also, I am looking at coming out to the US from June to August - any one got any suggestions for some cool flocking action / coaching while I am over? Any boogies in particular that I should check out? Cheers "Don't blame malice for what stupidity can explain." "In our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart and in our despair, against our will comes wisdom" - Aeschylus

Seems like a huge rip off to me, why not just get an old cheap paraglider harness? Hell I have an old vector tandem harness that is being modded so that we can use it as a cutaway harness / ground lauching. Why spend all those bucks on a simple piece of gear? "Don't blame malice for what stupidity can explain." "In our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart and in our despair, against our will comes wisdom" - Aeschylus