moto89

I saw that tonight as well..... Although this was the first time I've seen a report say that the cutaway was a mistake. Less talking, more flying.

Have you considered a Big Air Sportz Lotus? I recently bought on and really, really enjoy mine. It flies similarly to a comparably sized Sabre 2 I think, but it is airlocked unlike that Pilot/Sabre 2/Safire 2. They are a bit more expensive than the others new, but I've seen them go cheaper used than their competitors because it doesn't have the PD/Aerodyne name on it. It's a great canopy and I'd say it performs every bit as well as the other canopies in this range (better maybe?), and Brian Germain definitely knows his stuff when it comes to designing a parachute. Less talking, more flying.

I think sharing designs is cool. It might be a little weird if a local jumper showed up with an exact copy of my rig, but I wouldn't be mad by any means. I found some inspiration for my rig online, and am very happy with the results. Less talking, more flying.

I'd say you pretty much hit the nail on the head. The gift of a beverage also gives you the chance to enjoy it with them after hours and get to know them and the sport better. Less talking, more flying.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0G9vDKcdLg&feature=related Less talking, more flying.

Whoa that's nutty, it took me like 30 minutes to get 96. Less talking, more flying.

http://flightsimx.archive.amnesia.com.au/ My best is 65m. I'm sure someone will best that. Less talking, more flying.

+1 Those magazines don't print themselves. Less talking, more flying.

1:37 is the coolest way I've ever seen to exit the tunnel. Less talking, more flying.

I've got socks that are a dead match with my goggles on the way. Less talking, more flying.

I once had a similar experience to this on a borrowed rig. On deployment I felt the left leg strap open up all the way (as far out as it will go). It put me into a pretty substantial harness turn. I used my right arm to hold some left rear riser to fly straight-ish while I used my left hand to tighten the leg strap up the best I could. It's a scary feeling knowing you have a problem that you cannot just cutaway from and use your reserve. Less talking, more flying.

Just saw a Beck's commercial that had some sweet wingsuit BASE footage. Anyone else see this? Less talking, more flying.

This what you had in mind? http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/output/motivator6898589.jpg Less talking, more flying.

http://www.skydivingmovies.com/ver2/pafiledb.php?action=guestpass&id=a652x here is a video of this guy today. Maybe he should be asking himself this question. Lucky to be alive. He is now a poster child add for sky hook lol Whoa, that is scary. Less talking, more flying.

Oh... a Sabre2. That's a little more reasonable, but from the canopy shopping I've done I would agree that it is still overpriced. Less talking, more flying.

No. Less talking, more flying.

You mean to tell me that somewhere deep down inside of you you didn't want to chuckle a little bit when the parachute lifted up, let out a plume of smoke, and kids poured out like they were being shaken out of a sardine can, all the while with a ridiculous guy in the background half scream/laughing? I don't really have a problem with illeagal drugs anyways, it's them illegal one's I worry about. Less talking, more flying.

The guy in the background laughing/screaming at the end there is hilarious! http://www.break.com/index/one-cop-vs-25-stoners.html Less talking, more flying.

Honestly... the hostility you are getting is because you are asking about getting into base with 30 jumps. That's all it comes down to my friend. Less talking, more flying.

What does your number tell you? Less talking, more flying.

A few weeks ago I bought a second hand Lotus 130 (custom size) with the Lotus MAX line trim on it. I load it at 1.23:1. I've got enough jumps on it now that I think I can give a fair review of it. First thing, above all else, is that I am VERY impressed with this canopy. I would agree that this canopy does fly a good bit like the Sabre 2, but I would say it flies a smidge smaller. Everything seems to happen a little sooner in the toggle stroke (flare, turns...) and the riser pressures seem to be a bit lighter. The flare is similar to a Pilot or Sabre2, with great shut down. Landings in no wind can usually be walked out. Add a little headwind and you can easily park the thing in a hover. I have not done any HP landings on it, but the front riser dive up high does seem quite aggressive. It definitely dives faster/longer than the Pilot, and probably a bit more than the Sabre 2 as well. The only thing that I'm not totally sold on are the openings. My canopy has a pocket slider on it, and I think this is pretty much necessary. The canopy always comes out of the bag right on heading and snivels for a long time, right on heading. Once the slider makes it half way down the lines, the outboard cells "pop" open, and the canopy has a tendency to dive to one direction or the other. It is not an overly aggressive dive which can be leveled out with opposite rear riser, and if you've jumped a Sabre 2 you would probably agree that the opening are more consistent on the Lotus. Ive found harness shifts during the deployment work better for keeping it on heading than rears, and if you're really on top of it it can be kept more or less on heading. Airlocks.... well, I'm not going to say that this is the reason alone to buy the Lotus. They are cool, and the wing is definitely very rigid, more so than a non-airlocked canopy, but I would not say that it is carte-blanche to go jump in stupidly turbulent conditions. Yes, they do make gathering up the canopy a bit tougher in a windy landing area, but it is no reason to not buy the canopy. So in closing, if you're in the market for a semi-elliptical or tapered canopy, I would whole heartedly recommend this canopy. It is by far my favorite of this class, and I've got a number of jumps on similarly sized Pilots, Sabre 2's, and Safire 2's. The Lotus is a little quicker and ground hungry than the rest, but it is still very comparable as a middle of the road canopy.

Surely "mooning" is an American tradition? Funny that his name is John Thomas, though Hell, I remember laughing my ass off as a kid when my dad mooned some choloe gang bangers in the car next to us. They did too. What has this world come to.... Less talking, more flying.

Dude.... how about no. Try again later. Less talking, more flying.

I'd say your best bet there is to go straight from step three to step ten, and skip all the day to day nonsense. Less talking, more flying.

I'm in, cool idea.