LloydDobbler

I'd go with the 1-piece as well. I have a 2-piece LS suit, which I LOVE...but if you ever want to freefly in the tunnel, the full suit is the only way to go. (2-piece suits traditionally have enough drag that they come untucked in the tunnel, unless they're skin-tight. They stay on better in freefall because you have a rig on your back helping to secure it...and your flight time is a lot shorter). Just another thing to think about... Signatures are the new black.

Most people have good reasons for choosing their gear, so it always seems to get down to an argument. Which isn't always a bad thing. I started to type a response to you the other day, but then got distracted, so I'll chime in now. While I think both Vigil and Cypres produce good products, I chose to fly an Argus when I added an AAD to my rig last year. Here's why: 1 - I wanted a multi-mode AAD. I plan to start swooping at some point over the next 12 years, and would like to know my AAD is ready for that. That ruled out the Cypres. 2 - When I was making my decision, the stuff mentioned in the posts above about the Vigil firings gave me pause. I had made about 100 jumps without an AAD before deciding to buy one. I look at it as my responsibility to save my ass each jump, and (God-willing) hope to never have to use my AAD. That being said, I'm much more worried about an AAD that fires when I don't want it to than an AAD that doesn't fire when I do want it to. So going with the AAD that had just been reported as firing under odd circumstances didn't appeal to me. To be fair, you can make a good logical argument that 'when something funky happens, the AAD should default to "better safe than sorry"'. But seeing what happened to Adrian Nicholas and a few others convinced me that an AAD can be a killer as well as a life-saver. So I wanted an AAD that has very specific firing parameters. After watching the interview from PIA with the Vigil manufacturers (defending the firings as 'by design'), that convinced me I needed to shy away from the Vigil. --- The Argus offered the multi-mode capabilities, as well as the assurance that it wasn't going to be 'trigger-happy' under 'gray area' parameters. I also like its rigid, hard casing, and the fact that the batteries are field-replaceable. Yes, it requires a 4-year check...but I can live with that. So far, I've never had to use the thing. If I ever DO have to use it, I'll hopefully be still able to give a more in-depth review. Signatures are the new black.

Fixed that for ya... Signatures are the new black.

Add to that the fact that their website clearly states (& has stated since March) that the *initial run* of the box is currently being produced, and notes when the *estimated* ship date is. While I can understand the OP wanting to get their box ASAP, I think it's foolish to expect ANY first-run item to ship on time. That's one of the costs of being an early adopter. More often than not, 'stuff happens', and things get delayed. Anyone have their Neptune 3 yet? On the bright side, I'd rather have it delayed and work well than have it ship on time with flaws. I've been on the wrong end of that situation before. Signatures are the new black.

Congrats on the 4-way! Fun, isn't it? In the tunnel *or* in the sky, one of my favorite 2-way drills is a simple turning drill. Rather than beat my head against the wall trying to describe it, I've whipped up a little diagram in Illustrator. Basically, one person is base, and the other person is turning. Each turn goes in the opposite direction from the previous turn. Stars with you facing off, winds up with you facing off. Then you switch roles. It never hurts to get in the tunnel solo and work on your 6 points of motion (forward/back, left/right, up/down). Centerpoint turns are a great thing to work on, no matter how many jumps you have. I spend at least a couple of minutes in the tunnel each week just drilling turns and sideslides. The sooner you get the basics dialed in, the better your 4-way will go. Good luck! Signatures are the new black.

I'll second this, though the Optima's awesome canopy alarms deserve mention. +1. To the OP, I use: Optima - alerts in freefall & under canopy. Great customer service. Neptune - on wrist. It's digital for readability, and I like the logging (though I wish it was USB-compatible). Great customer service, too. Altimaster Galaxy - on mudflap, mounted via The Wedge. For tracking & wingsuit stuff. Signatures are the new black.

To the OP - you might want to do a search, too: it's been discussed many times. But just to add 2 more cents, I also recommend getting an analog for your first altimeter. But for 100% different reasons than what Karen recommends. Here's the thing - It's true that digital alti's fail on occasion. Batteries do go dead. At the same time, analog altimeters get stuck on occasion. It's happened to me, twice - once at an inopportune altitude during a student jump that resulted in me tracking for longer than I should have. Nothing like thinking you're at 5k & good to track again when you're actually at 4000 feet. With either one, you'll likely at some point find yourself relying on the best altimeter you have: your eyes. And landing with a stuck analog altimeter is no different than landing with a dead digital altimeter. The difference is, with a digital altimeter, in freefall you'll know that you have a problem before you start getting ground rush (or see your friend/coach tracking away & deploying). That's why I now use a digital - I'd rather know *instantly* that there's a problem, instead of 1000-1500 feet too low. That being said, I second everyone's recommendation of an Altimaster III/Galaxy. It's good to not change up too much while still a student (your DZ might not even let you jump a digital for a while). You'll also likely keep the analog forever, so you'll have a backup onhand in case you need it. I've handed off my Neptune to someone who needed it on the pane, since my Galaxy is mounted on my rig. I'll also be using the Galaxy over the next few weeks, since my Neptune got stepped on and is on its way to Alti-2 for service. For now, I'd say the classic analog Altimaster is the best option. Signatures are the new black.

That looks incredibly similar to *my* new Micron...

Hey, Oliver - Shoot a PM to Spot - I believe he has a rig with this mod, and should be able to give you some more info. Signatures are the new black.

Well, you beat me to it (so I'll add another one to the list). My Neptune LCD got busted at Z-Hills a few weeks back (stepped on, perhaps?) - I called Alti-2 and they're not charging me the repair fee since I had it in the Neptune Armor. It's not their fault the thing fell out of my helmet on the way to the mock-up - but they're fixing it anyway. And Smitty has replaced my scratched Galaxy lens a few times at Elsinore, and is always glad to test the calibration and see if something's off. Great company, with great people on their team. Signatures are the new black.

There isn't a *new* Phantom, per se - but Scott Bland has a suit they're affectionally calling the 'Phantom 2.5', which features a few upgrades. IIRC, it features a zip-in system similar to the Stealth (with cutaway cables running along the arms), as well as a modified, lengthened legwing (which adds quite a bit of forward speed - Scott was hauling ass on breakoff). From what I hear, it also features a modified inlet system (but I didn't take a close enough look to see the differences). Scott may or may not chime in with details I may have missed, and a firsthand review of performance (since he's the one who's been flying it). It was a nice-looking suit, that's for certain. Signatures are the new black.

Dear Sweet Jesus...looks like someone finally figured out how to keep Kevin in line. Looks like fun - hope I can make the next one. Signatures are the new black.

I just felt compelled to post, given that I've read through this whole thread trying to sift through the OP's rhetoric to better understand where he's coming from, and I STILL don't quite 'get it'. great quote...very true. I have been following this thread and i seems like the OP's anger and venom are greatly due to a lack of an immediate response and "correction" of the perceived issue. ...the "perceived issue" that was never communicated to the USPA in a clear manner (or so it seems). In spite of repeated requests for a simple explanation of 'So what's the problem, in plain English?'. If I speak Farsi to someone who only speaks common English, it's a little ridiculous for me to get mad at THEM for not understanding me (and asking for clarification). +1 Signatures are the new black.

Seriously, though, has there been an upsurge in 'I'm a student and want to study all you people who do crazy things' posts lately? Or did I just not notice it before? (My personal fave was the one with all questions having an 'I'm depressed, and find my life boring' angle...) Signatures are the new black.

Nice.

Now THIS is a fun idea... http://www.thecoolhunter.net/ads/Buzz-in-The-Elevator/ Hope these guys get some great attention off of it. Not just the ad itself, but the internet buzz, too.

Yeah...I didn't quite break my longest flight time on that jump. Looking forward to next year, when I'll make sure I have a suit that fits BEFORE the props start turning... Signatures are the new black.

Sadly, http://www.ponylove.com is already taken by an NSFW site. Otherwise, that would have been a great home for the photo of Jarno. Signatures are the new black.

Exactly. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the way I understand it in cases like this is you can only sue the government if the government decides to allow you to sue them. (It's a great system, so long as you're the government). Signatures are the new black.

The 'failed gear' is/was approved by the FAA on more than one occasion, as a TSO'd system and as an experimental system for 20 years.++ Maybe they should be suing the FAA..... I'm glad somebody brought up that point. It's an interesting contradiction that manufacturers are required to have approval by the FAA in order to sell their products...yet the manufacturer is still expected to foresee and be held liable for any and all failures/misuse of their products that the TSO deemed 'safe'. (Of course, all of this is speaking of legalities - I'm not sure that most people expect a manufacturer to anticipate every single misuse of their product that could occur.) No matter how many times we build the better mousetrap, Nature keeps building the better idiot who can somehow manage to snap his finger in it. Regardless, it's the sad legal reality in the U.S.: If you're an individual, you're NOT responsible for yourself, but you ARE responsible for everyone else. If you're a corporation, you're responsible for yourself AND you're responsible for everyone else. Anyway, if the Y-strap improvement WAS to be taken as a tacit acknowledgement that the design was flawed, then common sense dictates that the FAA is equally responsible. But there's not much of that whole 'common sense' left around these parts, it seems... Signatures are the new black.

(Or - apparently - if you exit normally, then slow the fall rate drastically by maxing out your Stealth2...?) Signatures are the new black.

Back on-topic, I'll just echo what everyone else said - the flights in this film are amazing. The production values are high, and the overall movie has several breathtaking moments. I own a copy of the original Fly the Line, and have to say, I thought it was a decent WS BASE film. But FtL2 takes proximity flying to a new level. Even beyond the breathtaking Seven Sunny Days clip that we've all been emailed a million times. I highly recommend checking it out. Signatures are the new black.

Actually, it was only 22k feet. (6705 m - I was on the load). And I'm sure they'll correct me if I'm wrong, but Grey Mike actually got a few seconds more than Jarno...to the tune of 05:30, IIRC. (Of course, according to the Neptune readings, they had 9-second and 11-second freefalls, respectively.) But the video shows it all. 5+ (boring) minutes of the ground approaching VERY slowly. I'm sure Jarno will post it when he has time. (Regardless, I agree - I'm pretty certain it was the pony doing the flying.) Signatures are the new black.

Martin, you make an excellent point re: the landing pattern separation. IIRC, the GM pledge specifically allows for separation by time. Yet for some reason, I continually say 'separation of landing areas', when actually I mean 'separation of patterns'. I need to remind myself to make that more clear when discussing the issue. (I wonder if others do the same, and therefore questions like the one at the DZO conference might get skewed results?) That being said, I've jumped at about 11-12 DZs over the past year, and it seems to be about half-and-half. The Cessna DZs I've been to have ALL mentioned 'separation by time' when going over the DZ rules after I signed the waiver. Oddly, it seems like the DZs with multiple turbine aircraft - the ones that seem more dangerous, in my mind - are the ones who are ignoring it. I'm not one in favor of more regulation (and I've got my issues with the USPA)...but I definitely hope the USPA can/will actually do something here. So long as they don't step on the toes of people like you, who seem to be doing the right thing. Signatures are the new black.

+1 to what Matt said on the cutaway - I'm guessing none of the Tony suits you flew in PR had the new(er) cutaway system? It basically means that the wing remains attached to the torso, with the only thing holding it onto your arm being internal inflation. Works pretty well - I'm sure you can do a search in this forum and find more reviews. As for the T-Bird, no experiences with it myself, but looking forward to demoing it at F&D next week. I'll post my review then, but it might not help you out very much since we're not the same size (I'm 5'5", 120). I've heard tons of reviews from people of medium builds, and every one of them has been impressed. I'm looking forward to testing it out from the 'featherweight' perspective. Signatures are the new black.