Chris-Ottawa

Where's Jeff Nebelkopf and the XRW crew when you need them? This could be XRW 2.0...seeking out, and docking with an unmanned aircraft then escaping before you're shot down. Mmmmm...wingsuiter target practice for military training. Most drones fly well above civilian airspace. The ones that don't won't be going far from home as they tend to be limited range (ie: within city limits) I wouldn't be too concerned...yet. "When once you have tasted flight..."

I could give you my opinion, but it would be just that. You might have better luck posting here: http://www.cspa.ca/forum/ "When once you have tasted flight..."

Like, get with Shah as in sleep with him? Wow, you skydivers really are crazy, but I have a few questions: 1) Where is the line up to "get with Shah"? 2) Is "Shah" male or female, cause I've never tested the waters if you catch my drift. 3) Should I tip afterwards? "When once you have tasted flight..."

Yeah, it is a slow day here...cold weather means no jumping. It's actually quite funny to see the same thread pop up every couple days about swooping and downsizing, but more so...GoPro's. I actually laugh at the fact that some innocent noob asks a serious question, only to be laced by the dz.com group because it's so common. It's quite the viscious, comedic circle of fun. DZ.com is pure entertainment in the off season. To be honest, it's probably just as, or more hilarious the rest of the season, but I'm on here much less due to jumping. Now, back to the thread: Thanks for all the advice everyone. Based on the discussion, my friend just sold me his Velo 84 and a tiny Micron. I ditched that honkin' Stiletto 150. I couldn't fit my PD-113 in the container though, so I got the new PD-Optimum 81. Now my rig is cool and tiny except it has pink pinstripes on it. Can anyone tell me if I can remove them and re-sew it myself? I bought a sewing machine from Sears on sale for $19.99. If not, can I use a black sharpie to black them out? I've changed my mind about the GoPro's and bought several VHS camcorders as suggested above. Initially I thought they were quite heavy, but then I realized that it will help increase my wingload and make my landings better. I still used the GoPro's, but instead of wearing them, i attached them to various parts of the rig. I stuffed one in my reserve container to get my reserve ride after I chop the Velo 84. One is on my pilot chute handle and the other 2 were zip tied to those 2 handles on the front of my rig. I'm not sure what they're for, but in order to hold the cameras, I went right around the harness too. It seems pretty secure. I'll be back later...I'm going to try and repack my reserve so I know what it looks like. Don't worry, I took pictures when I took it out so I can reverse the steps. Thanks for your help, keep it coming! "When once you have tasted flight..."

I just completed my 5th jump and now that I'm comfortable with jumping, I want to attach my GoPro's. I have 4 GoPro's that I want to attach in the following ways: -2 on my helmet, one facing forward, one facing backward -1 on my chest looking up -1 on my ankle Can anyone give me some advice on how to best mount them? I'm not interested in heard all that BS about experience, risk, etc etc. I know what I'm doing and don't care who says I shouldn't. I also know that 200 jumps is just a suggestion, plus I'm very confident in my abilities. I've used my cell phone camera many times on the ground, and I won't get fixated as everyone seems to think. Also, I just downsized from the Manta 288 to the Stiletto 150 I just bought. Can anyone tell me how to reline it with a Velocity lineset so I can get a better flare from it? I don't get a good flare because it's out of trim, and that's why I am having issues landing it. I might just buy a Velocity anywways since they have a better flare and when everyone else lands them it seems so easy. Can anyone teach me how to swoop? ********* Before responding, please be aware that I'm just poking fun at the forums. I haven't seen a new noob camera thread, or a downsizing thread, or a swooping thread in a few hours, so I thought I'd fill the gap while we wait. "When once you have tasted flight..."

And IKEA is making a commercial surrounding this incident to highlight the durability of their sofas. Even after hitting another car, the sofa survived. Here's the photo they've taken to base the advertisement on (see attached). (Ok, so I'm a jerk for making fun of this, but seriously? Couch surfing in traffic?) "When once you have tasted flight..."

Best comment ever: Fucking morons... "When once you have tasted flight..."

You did read the rest of my post didn't you? The camera thing is a hot topic because GoPro's aren't being condiered cameras due to their size. That being said, the rest of my post pointed out some other issues. I don't know who his instructors are, so hopefully they will read this thread or hopefully, have already had a chat. Dropzone.com is hilarious. Everyone fights against GoPro's because they watched a video where it hooked a guy's cutaway handle and chopped his main on exit, but when then in this incident, this guy had every right to jump a camera and we need to support him because it didn't "cause" the incident. Sure, it didn't "cause" it, but it was a factor, and was clearly being worn by someone that doesn't have the skill to be wearing it. Simply as that. "When once you have tasted flight..."

Dude...take it easy. I wasn't dissing you at all. I was making a joke about the camera, and even included a sarcasm comment. I'm not concerned with the fact that he had a camera on, my comment related to the fact that it's pretty apparent that this guy is a fairly new jumper, made a bunch of poor decisions, broke a bunch of rules and survived. The camera had little to do with the actual incident but VERY likely contributed to it. That being said...if the other canopy was lower when they collided... Lines+GoPro+No cutaway on helmet (guessing) = Very likely a fatality. Regardless, it's pretty apparent that this is a newer jumper, or maybe someone with enough jumps to be doing poor-way and carrying a camera, but it seems like they may need to review a few basic training regimes before jumping again. This jump was a shit-show from beginning to end. Mistakes I saw in that video: -If it was supposed to be an RW jump...it was terrible -If he was supposed to be filming the 2 way...it was terrible. -Tracking...was terrible -Deployment was stable and seemed ok. -Reaction to an oncoming canopy could have avoided this -Not looking at your canopy after a collision -Not doign a controllability check -Not cutting away an apparently deformed and barely flying canopy Basically, the list above indicates to me that this was a very new jumper, probably in the 75-150 jump range and had no business carrying a camera and yes, it likely distracted him because he was trying to get a mega cool video to put on youtube so his friends can see how bad-ass he is. This guy is lucky to be alive after making so many mistakes..glad I don't jump there... "When once you have tasted flight..."

Ah my friend, that's where you make a mistake. See, this person isn't a noob because he is wearing a camera and we all know you need 200 jumps before strapping a camera on. (Note: Sarcasm...) Actually, I edited this post because I realized it was a GoPro and we all know that;'s not a distraction as it seems they're strapping them to AFF students now. Carry on...haha "When once you have tasted flight..."

Most Automobile Associations offer insurance very very minimal costs. In Canada CAA covers skydiving (or more specifically, it doesn't have an exclusion). Seems they specifically say "Parachuting" IS covered.... Check this out a bit more: http://www.aa.co.nz/insurance/other-insurance/travel-insurance/ "When once you have tasted flight..."

Ha ha...I meant big boy as in "can make my own decisions". In actuality I'm a skrawny bastard with a few loose screws. If it gives you an idea, I bought my first motorcycle 4 years ago (I'm 28 now) and instead of buying something easy to learn on and docile, I bought a brand new 2007 CBR600RR. Definately not a beginner's bike, and I'm sure the guys were laughing at me when I picked it up and had never used a clutch before. Stalled it a few times, then rode it home. 3 years later, I sold it when I realized I was going to kill myself on it trying to do wheelies in amongst traffic and losing my license was inevitable when it was so easy to break 200kph on city roads (and no, I am not exaggerating). I was simply lucky not to get caught. I sold it to a 19 yr old kid who dumped it the second day he had it and totalled it (he was ok). I was very sad...that bike was my baby. Anyways, yes, I'm scrawny...all 120 lbs of me. But you should see me fly my wingsuit....heheh "When once you have tasted flight..."

I'm surprised no one has suggested the Optima or the Solo, both fantastic audibles and MUCH less costly. I love my Optima because one battery lasts me an entire season and I NEVER shut it off until I put my gear away in the winter. It gets turned on in the spring and keeps on going. If you need an audible, the $160 Solo is fantastic. If you need one with a bit more detail in which altitudes you want it set at, get the Optima ($230 I believe). "When once you have tasted flight..."

Hey Peter, Customs doesn't typically give a damn. Like I said, I've validly tried the "warranty repair" method and they charge you regardless. You can however usually get it reversed if you can prove that you already owned the device, or already paid duty/taxes etc. They'll charge you regardless 99% of the time, then make it your problem to prove otherwise. "When once you have tasted flight..."

FWIW, They don't typically look at whether it's a warranty repair or not. If you say the contents are worth $1200, you'll pay duty on $1200, not just any repairs. I've never once seen "Warranty" work on a shipment into, or out of Canada. "When once you have tasted flight..."

I ship to the US all the time...the Harmonized Tariff Code won't affect the duty as the device was not made in USA so NAFTA doesn't apply. As for customs "catching it", odds are good they will anyways, so I'd call it what it is, be ddescriptive. I recommend something along the lines of "Electronically controlled Parachute Deployment device". DO NOT SAY DETONATOR/GUN POWDER OR ANYTHING SIMILAR. Basically, as long sa you don't call it "bomb", "rifle", "terrorist", they won't give a damn. Duty will be calculated based on the declared value. If it's under $60 value, no duty will be charged, over $60...expect to pay about 15% duty. Also, calling it a gift changes nothing if you declare it as being over $60. Good luck! "When once you have tasted flight..."

Oh come on, this is the new age, do they still even make +200 sqft canopies? (Note: sarcasm) Honestly, I think this is a question for his instructors that see how competent he is. A good portion of his jumps were in the last year (this is good), Has his canopy progression been done at faster pace? Has he taken a canopy course? Is he capable of landing this canopy safely? To be honest, while it is definately agressive, if he has the adequate aptitude, I don't think it's "obscene". He's definitely increasing the likelihood of having an accident or killing himself, but if I was asked to say how likely that is, I'd lean towards the fact that he will not have any major issues, so long as he isn't just trying to go as small as possible, and has no skill to back that, AND isn't pushing he limits (ie: aggressively trying to swoop) I'm gonna get roasted for this, but I was on a Katana 97 with less than 300 jumps, and I am loading it at 1.5 roughly. Granted it was the high 200's versus the low 200's, not that it really matters from a safety standpoint. Looking back, I can't say I'm proud of this, but that's how my progression played out. I'm a big boy, and don't regret the decisions I made. I will also say that out of my first 200 jumps, I would guess that HALF of them were high altitude H+P's to play with the canopy. Not many people do that nowadays...I personally think it's a blast. Just this past summer, I got a group together to do a high altitude H+P, and 2 guys asked me where we wanted to open and suggested 6000ft. I laughed and asked if they wanted to static line me out the door at 12.5? When I say high altitude H+P...I mean it. Such a great way to play with your canopy and truly LEARN what happens in different scenarios. I'm not trying to justify my choices, but I think the person under the wing has a HUGE influence on the results of a downsize such as the person in question. "When once you have tasted flight..."

Ah...PIA speakign on behalf of Aviacom. Again, PIA and Aviacom have dome disagreements, so this can be construed to sound however Aviacom wanted it to sound. Regardless, this is PIA saying it was "designed" for another purpose, but nowhere does it say that it was not capable of safely performing it's secondary role. It simply wasn't designed for that....talk to the other AAD manufacturers and I'll be they didn't "start" with personal life saving devices designed for parachutes either. "When once you have tasted flight..."

@Peter I'm not suggesting conspiracy theories, even though the whole PIA thing seems like a shroud of silence has been placed over the situation. It honestly does seem like Aviacom was "ousted" because they refused to be a member. That being said, I'm not denying that Aviacom had some questionable PR methods, not that they had units which may have had failures etc. Fact is, each AAD manufacturer had incidents when they were starting out and the results were very different. I think Aviacom's demise in the civilian market was the restul of bad PR, an unfortunate string of incidents in a short timeframe, and PIA. The "unknowns" I refer to are the things like the ball bearing, the rig that was refused investigation by Aviacom, the student leaning against the back of the plane and that plane descending through activation altitude etc. Essentially, the circumstances seem to revolve around questionable gear maintenance, along with interesting "test cases" for the units at time of failure. *I'm not 100% certain of the exact details of the incidents either, but I do know that each one made me wonder. For all we know, these units could have been dragged through beach sand with batteries that were 8 years old and frozen on the weekends to keep the gear "fresh". Who knows. @Jerry Actually, this is the first I've heard of that. I heard that they wanted to avoid being named in further lawsuits, but I didn't see that they had no idea it was being used in civilian jumping. I'm certain if that's the case, they HAD to have turned a blind eye, or they're saying that to avoid implication in a lawsuit. One look from the supplier at the purchasing company's website and they'd have known. I seriously doubt that they had "no idea". "When once you have tasted flight..."

Your opinion is based on the lack of agreement with "MY" opinion and I respect that, but don't just tell me I'm wrong because you disagree. Fact is, there were shady circumstances surround EVERY SINGLE Argus failure/incident. Also, if you re-read my post, does it sound like I read any of the reports on the incidents, or the cutter tests performed, or the commentary on dz.com? It sure does to me. "When once you have tasted flight..."

If it makes you feel better, I jump 2 of them. 1 in a Mirage and one in a Wings. The Wings, I am 100% comfortable jumping it because I think of it as a faisafe. There are only a few scenarios I can see myself in that would put me in a position where I'm in freefall, and busting the activation altitude. At that point, I'd like to hope that the Argus will cut cleanly and save my life, but I would never EXPECT it to. That being said, I've questioned the use of it in my Mirage because it's on top of the pilot chute and if it pinches the closing loop and I require it in a situation where I am not busting activation altitude in freefall...it could prevent me from being able to use my reserve. Currently, I'm still jumping it and taking precautions to prevent that situation from happening. (Turning it off/on before each jump). As mentioned above, other AAD's have had issues, but it seems there's a whole bunch of political BS around Argus' being banned. And, conveniently, each situation involving an Argus failure, or interesting issue, had something "odd' about the situation. A loose closing loop, Argus never recieving gear to check due to riggers withholding the unit, wrong closing loop material, a ball bearing from a packing weight found inside the cutter, a container thrown on the floor, an airplane descent through activation altitude on a student rig etc.. Each one had unanswered questions surrounding it, and granted I'll never know, but I think it's all fishy once you start learning about the relationship of Argus with PIA, and the politics surrounding Argus and how the ban fell into place. Check it out for yourself...there's lots of information out there, and lots of tests done, and lots of opinions. That's my position and I'm sticking to it. "When once you have tasted flight..."

Hey everyone, I have been doing some searching for GoPro cameras, mods, mounts etc. and came across this helmet. It's got an NVS mount (which GoPro makes a mount for) and seems like it might be a decent helmet or the Base jumpers out there, or even skydivers. Anyone have one of these and use it for jumping? Price seems reasonable compared to most skydiving helmets nowadays. http://www.p3maritime.com/helmets/ops-core-jump-helmet-sport-helmet.html Please discuss! They also sell what seems to be a chin mount strap arrangement as well. I'd assume this type of helmet may move around, but with a chin strap...much less. http://www.p3maritime.com/helmets/helmet-accessories/ops-core-x-nape-head-loc-retention-system-chin-strap.html Note: I am in no way affiliated with this company. I'm simply sharing to see if someone's use this, or has any comments. "When once you have tasted flight..."

Hey, I will be the first to say that I know nothing of that specific model of gear, but I will ask a question that should come first before deciding on specific set of gear. If you could answer these questions, I'll respond with some useful advice, without being specific to this specific gear. -How much do you weigh? -What canopies (incl sizes) have you been jumping in the last 40 jumps? -How have you landing been? (mostly standing, some crashes, mostly slide-ins etc) -Does the rig fit you comfortably/securely (assuming it's local)? -Is the Cayenne a suitable canopy for your experience? -Do you have the option of buying it without the main canopy? I checked the manufacturer's website and it looks to be fairly high end "intermediate" canopy. This canopy may be nowhere near forgiving as a more suitable "intermediate" canopy. Just wouldn't want you to buy something that's gonna put you at more risk than is necessary. Maybe someone who knows this specific canopy can correct me that iit may not be as bad as I presume. Thanks! "When once you have tasted flight..."

Direct from the Triathlon page on Aerodyne's site...(then again this is for Spectra) http://www.flyaerodyne.com/download/Triathlonlinetrim.pdf "When once you have tasted flight..."

This is absolutely awesome to hear! I really hope this is the end of it for you guys! I'm sure you're aware of this, but I highly recommend keeping an eye out around the dropzone. Most people wouldn't break the law, but this sounds like a motivated group of individuals and they may try to take it into their own hands now that they see that the city won't do anything. Not to mention the questionable sanity of this group... Security cameras wouldn't be a bad investment at this point if they're not already there. For $500 to $1000 bucks, you can get a complete system, accessible via your smartphone and recording 24/7. "When once you have tasted flight..."