ikenever

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Everything posted by ikenever

  1. Thanks for the endorsement smart ass
  2. Like Perry said. Around your waist and UNDER your suit. As a personal preference I disconnect the co2 cartridge to prevent a premature inflation while wearing it under the suit. The manual inflation mouth piece valve will work fine with about 2-6 breaths depending on your lung capacity. To use it: undo your chest strap, take both front zippers down to your knees, pull the LPU out of the container, put it over your head, tie or zip the front to secure it. (depends on model), inflate it by using the mouth piece valve until its rigid. Follow your water landing procedures from there. GET FAMILIAR WITH THE LPU UNIT BEFORE YOU WEAR IT ON A JUMP. TAKE IT OUT OF THE CONTAINER AND INSPECT IT, INFLATE IT WHILE YOU ARE WEARING IT ON THE GROUND. To deflate it so you can pack it back into the container, pull the manual inflation valve to release the trapped air. (read the unit directions) Scream for help while you are in the air! Sound travels... See ya there!
  3. Brand X pack job on a brand x canopy = x tra fun. Moscow bound in July!
  4. To reduce your chances of line twist have your local Rigger sew line stow loops or a binding tape ribbon on the flap of your deployment bag. Stowing lines using the loops on the sides of your d bag does cause your bag to rock back and forth as the lines unstow on deployment. This is a one prime cause that makes the bag spin or turn on deployment especially if stows are uneven or the bag was built uneven. Space line stows 6 inches apart on the flap. Use a 2 inch stow. I use the tube stows because it releases the stow with less friction, they last longer and they make packing easier. It is most important to use the heavier black tube stow for the locking stow due to the pressure put on them from this modification. With the line stows close together, line dump is eliminated even during non wing suit deployments. Another culprit for poor openings is your canopy starts to inflate on one side or the other. This will cause the canopy to turn as it inflates. Try to get your 3 centers (inner) cells to inflate first by rolling or folding your 2 (7 cell) 3 (9 cell) outside cells in toward the center cells. If you use a hired packer ... never mined! You get what you get!
  5. We will see you there Friday morning on the 12th. Maybe we can con Groundzero into joing us. hint - hint! Chris are you out there? The girls are going and so should yours.
  6. Place grips on the side of the knee. Use a cutaway pillow shape but first sew a 1" wide piece of binding tape on the inside of the suit where the pillow is to be sewn on the outside. This will reinforce the area underneath the grip. A grip sewn at the knee will allow the dock-ee to make tail adjustments without interference from the dock-er. A dissimilar color from your wing cutaway handle may be considered for obvious reasons.
  7. There may be a chance that Norman will be at this years event. If there was ever a time to get that one and only photo of yourself to place above the mantle this will be the time and Norman is the artist.
  8. For those of you who haven't flown a wing suit over the Florida Keys, here is your opportunity. November 11-14 at Marathon Key (close to Key West) Skyvan and Otter. Skydive Sabastian puts on a good one.
  9. Sorry Steve, I was 20 miles from home on my way to the boogie Saturday morning and my engine light came on. I turned around and limped home. It's a 2 year old Jaguar. I didn't want to chance it. It turned out to be the 02 monitor. (NOT REAL VITAL) B.J.
  10. Leonardo, Sorry for the late response. I've been in Toronto for a few days. I'm no expert on this but like everyone else I'm trying to put a little imagination into this. Honestly I think that suit compatibility would help but may not be necessary in the smaller formations. I do believe that the S3 flyers should not use the wing tip grippers. The S3 is so stable without them when it comes to flying tight and when contact is involved. If your jump mates are jumping the Bird-man products other than the S3 they aren't using them either. I think your 4-way diamond will be a snap with the qualified people. Pick your most versatile flyer to float up from below and behind to close up the tail. Maybe consider sewing a grip that resembles a cutaway pillow near the heel of the booty. Heres an 8-way for you. Imagine a 9-way diamond but take away the row 3 middle man. Everyone makes one grip except for the tail man. Your eyes must be 90% on the person that you're holding on to and 10% peripheral.
  11. Steve, you have the right idea. Now drop row 2 one foot below row 1. Drop row 3 one foot below row below row 2. Drop row 4 one foot below row 3. So on... Everyone gets the good air. If you or I can't fly that slot then maybe someone else can. And as far as the rabbit... Shoot it! Don't chase the rabbit. The point man has to fly their slot and set the pace that EVERYONE can follow.
  12. No, no, no! Not in a few years. Please!!! Leonardo, I like the way you think. It's time for those who are past baby steps to make this 16-way diamond. This is possible now! And yes it can be done close like Leonardo's graphic. Work as a team not an individual. Canopy or people formations, no matter which, you have to fly your slot with your equipment or your body. Think slow-be slow, think small-be small, and just sit and wait until someone else will prove it can be done. Canadian Snowbirds, Navy Blue Angels said it was possible!
  13. This is a request or a challenge to all wing suit manufacturers to produce an instructional video that should be incidental to each suit ordered. Whether it be made by a third party or by combined efforts from each of you. I would like to pop the video in and see: someone explain to me how to correctly hook my suit up to my rig. Someone to explain to me on how I can get into my equipment easier Someone show me how to safely exit different types of aircraft or show me how to correctly launch from a cliff. someone to show me proper body positions so that I can fly efficiently. Someone to show me how I can fly inverted or barrel roll while maintaining stability. This list goes on. It's surprising how much good information you can put on a 15 minute video. As a long time Instructor I wouldn't want to be replaced by a video. My challenge to you is not a replacement for your field representatives or Instructors, my challenge is for you to aid your customers with this supplement. Most yes most dz's don't have BMI's nor do they have access to BMI's on a regular basis. If it's not cost effective for a BMI to conduct a course then the scheduled course will likely be canceled and so you may and will lose a potential order (s) This isn't targeted at the customer that has just met the manufacturers minimum qualifications but to help excel all users education and give us a reference beyond the pamphlet that we receive with our suit orders.
  14. In full contact tournaments without speed ..you lose.. harmony looks pretty in the movies. This person had a question. Maybe someone can give them an answer.
  15. I don't know where they jump but I know they do. I believe back in the 80's they were very competitive in CRW. Their team had a rotation world record of 22 rotations in one round. Back then that was unheard of. If anyone in this thread is successful in finding an "in" on skydiving in China I am also interested.
  16. Keep try'in brother. Give me a call when you get back in the states. B.J.
  17. If they can put together a 357-way in a minute plus or minus I think we can put together a tight 9-way diamond fast enough so nobody has to pull low. Unless they wish to. Plan the work - work the plan
  18. Chris You know that it's only a matter of time. If we refuse to do it someone else will. Some folks encourage, some folks discourage. I remember back when I was a pup, I was always starving for a world record. I worked long and hard at failures to become successful. We trained like dogs to be a worthy 9-way diamond base for the largest canopy formation. We would exit the Porter from 2000' - 2500' to build our 9-way diamond base for practice. That was our training altitude. Back in those days that was unheard of. We made it happen. Your words of encouragement will hopefully reach the doers. B.J.
  19. It appears that in the near future the number of wing suit manufacturers will multiply. Imagination will take us all closer to that ultimate suit or contraption. Then we look ahead to the ultimate ultimate... We need to move ahead, it's time! I'm constantly being approached by people who won't fly a wing suit and their question is doesn't it get a bit boring after a while? I wish I could step into a time machine and move "them" ahead to the near future. Then they would see that we are making 16-way tight diamonds, flying like Geese in a 30-way echelon, flying in a hybrid formation that looks like the Star Ship Enterprise comprised of wing suit flyers and people under open canopies, or even as transportation "wo too far">>> It's time we step out on a limb and invent this future. Imagine this... you're at an Air Show and a jump plane is on jump run at an altitude of 8000' (hi-vis) and 9 wing suit flyers exit and immediately form a tight diamond and I mean tight, then all of a sudden the tail man dumps then the right man on row 4 then the left man on row 4 then the right wing then the left wing then the tail of the remaining 4-way diamond then the right side row 2 then the left side on row 2 then the point as last. Would that entertain the crowd to see that diamond dissipate as described? Would that entertain you to be one of those performers? It's time
  20. ikenever

    Pilot

    Good all-arounder. I use mine for wing suit flights. This canopy will get you back to the dz after a horrible spot. After 31 years of jumping, I know a good canopy when I see one. I see the Pilot! Thanks Aerodyne!
  21. Lightnings are designed to open fast and straight for a reason. Having a few thousand jumps on them I would shy away from using one for wing suit flights. "Especially the 100% ZP's. Ouch!!! Like Scott said, there is better out there.
  22. www.fai.org/sporting_code/sc5.pdf Pay some current FAI judges to help write the Synopsis, provisions, judging training, rules, safety and scoring for each event. After your committee or council drafts the event give it to your hired judges and have them score it. Their experience is knowledge...