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Aatif - just spotted this thread. YEEEHAWWWW! I'm so psyched to share the sky with you in a wing suit!!!! You, me, Lurch in a docked 3-way will be EPIC!!!! See you in the sky soon! Let me know when the shenanigans begin - I really want to be there to see the grin get stuck on your face during your first flight -Rick

Was thinking of Dave today... Really miss him.

Concrete Rebound Hammer, even when used correctly, may cause serious injury or death. Unless you sign the waiver. In invisible ink. Concrete Rebound Hammer is stone washed and pre-shrunk. Concrete Rebound Hammer is so all-powerful that it CAN create a stone so large that it cannot lift it. The new and improved Concrete Rebound Hammer v2.0 does actually appear to be moderator resistant, unlike the earlier model. Your mileage may vary. (Thanks, Lurch, for pointing out this thread to a whole new group of folks at the fire last night!)

Irena, I only flew with you a few times, but those flights were all great fun. I am deeply saddened that I will not have that opportunity again. My thoughts go out to all who are touched by this tragedy. BSBD

There will be a skyvan visiting CPI in Ellington, CT for their "Second Annual 50th Anniversary Boogie" August 9-12. Check their website www.skydivect.com There will also be a skyvan at Pepperell's boogie August 23-26 - www.skyjump.com After that, the skyvan usually makes the trip up to SNE for Tiki Bar Weekend 8/31 - 9/3, but I do not see any info about boogie aircraft on their website yet: www.skydivenewengland.com So you have to time it right, but yea, there are sometimes tailgate aircraft in the NorthEast... Jumping the Caribou last year at Jumptown was AWESOME!!!! Can't wait for that bird to surface nearby again!!!

It might be interesting if the moderators could look up in the DZ.com database to see how many people have selected "Wingsuit" in their jump profile.... Clearly, not all wingsuiters are on dz.com, and there are still some profiles for folks not with us any more, but it is a hard number... I am not sure how to extrapolate a "how many wingsuiters in the whole world"....

Disclaimer: I do not jump a "lazy bag" so my advice may be worth exactly what you have paid for it... Thought #1.... Ask your rigger!!! Thought #2.... Most of the wingsuiters I know pack "grommet up", in other words a 90 degree rotation from "normal". So, instead of having the grommet against the top of the main pack tray (ie against the reserve), it is facing you as you close it, and the grommet ends up against the closing flaps. It is actually 1/2 way between the two solutions that you show in your video. Since the bag is not square, the fit may be a bit different, but in my rig, it fits well, and closes fine. This orientation reduces the rotation that you noted, and seems to reduce the occurrences of line twists on opening. And it keeps the bag in an orientation where it tends to lift up and out, around the "lip" (bottom of the container) and not hang up on it, as you were concerned about with the 180 degree rotation. Your mileage may vary! Thought #3.... ASK YOUR RIGGER!!!!

When the suit count is higher than the bank account, then you have too many

I am flying a Sabre 2 210 at about 1.1 wingloading, and I often use my wings to get out of line twists. Big, docile canopy, so it is almost always flying straight and level regardless of how much it spun up do to whatever I did wrong that time. It doesn't take that much drag to help get you started spinning the correct direction. I just get it started that first 1/2 spin, and then close the wings and watch the panarama unfold. I like getting that quick look around to be sure my airspace is clear I like this technique, but it always takes me a moment to figure out which wing to open I guess I am just a slow learner...

I will hopefully be down on Sunday, but I am already committed to working at Pepperell on Saturday.

Hey Lurch - thanks for saving me a whole lot of typing!!!! Marty - I agree with you totally that pure jump numbers is not a good measure of skydiving ability - that is one of those things that becomes more and more obvious the longer you are in this sport. Some folks are "naturals" at this, and others are how shall I say it... "Slow learners" . The smart folks realize that we are all perpetual students as there is always more to learn. Unfortunately, jump numbers is the only objective yardstick that we have been able to come up with to help the newer jumpers understand that wingsuit flight is an ADVANCED skydiving skill, and you need to learn the BASICS first! Jump numbers is far from perfect, but it is the best tool we have at this point. Also, please read the SIM carefully - the minimum jump number is actually 500, with a caveat that if you have 200 jumps in the past 18 months COMBINED with one-on-one instruction from an experienced wingsuit pilot, then you meet the USPA minimum recommended experience level to attempt a wingsuit jump. As Lurch so eloquently described, the real issue is getting to the point where the skydiving part is second nature, so you don't have to think about the survival skills, they just happen. Then, you MIGHT be ready to add the complexity of wingsuiting to your bag of skydiving skills. Anyhow, that is my 2 cent's worth... No need to hurry - the sky will still be there when you are ready!

+1 !!!!

First off, John, kudos to you for starting this thread - it has been a good one. Most of what you said in your last post I totally agree with, but wanted to touch base on one thing... You are totally right that sometimes "you just have to get there" regardless of what happens between standing in the airplane "tightening it up" and pulling "smartly" into your slot. I also totally understand the desire to "just get along", however I would like to point out that it is incumbent upon each of us to provide at least some feedback to the organizers - if nobody mentions that the fall rate was too slow or too fast, or the forward speed was not quite right, the organizers have no way to know whether adjustments are appropriate or not. While I never presume that I am "in the right", if I struggle during a jump, I feel that I should offer to the organizers my view of what that jump was like. If I am one of several people with similar comments, then the organizers know that there is an opportunity for improvement. If I am the only one commenting in a particular direction, then I will have to "just suck it up" on the next jump, and make it work. I believe that I am contributing to the overall good by providing appropriate feedback when the jumps are happening at the edge of my flying envelope. And I hope that others are willing to speak up at least a few times during a boogie to help get the rates "tuned in" to the group's abilities. It helps to know the relative abilities and flying styles of the people you are flocking with - if you are the only "fat guy" (been there, done that!), then yea, your gonna have to work to not fall out, but if there are a bunch of "gravitationally enhanced" flyers, then you may not be the only one struggling, and sharing your view may help your fellow flockers when the organizers understand what is happening "in the trenches". Just my 2 cents worth... Rick

I am still at a loss for words... How do you describe such a devastating loss?? Steve's service today was very touching, a superb tribute to an amazing man. He has touched so many lives in such a positive manner - standing room only in a very large church... All I can say right now is "Wow!" Condolences all around, to all of Steve's circles. It was an honor to fly with one of the best! Blue skies forever, my friend. Rick

I just spotted this thread, and checked the Science Channel's website - the show will be rebroadcast this coming week: Monday, Oct 26 9:00 PM and Midnight Tuesday, Oct 27 4:00 PM Wednesday, Oct 28, 4:00 AM Looks like they switch to the next episode after that, so best catch it while you can!!!