SkymonkeyONE

I cannot believe that noone else has witnessed this, but the fact is, yes, it can and has been done repeatedly. Back in the late '80s and early '90s there was a couple that used to go to boogies at Barnwell (in SC). They would exit whatever tailgate aircraft was there, normally a C-16 Caribou, faced-off to each other and already "coupled"; the guy standing facing aft and the girl "hooked up" with her legs around his waist and arms around his neck. As I recall, last time I saw them do this (around '93 maybe, at the Halloween Boogie), they were in their early 40s. Neither gave a shit who saw them at the back of the AC getting ready. Quite a sight.
I also know a several-time world champion 8-way competitor who, prior to joining the Army, was working as a Tandem Master in Illinois. This brave gentlemen, who's name I will keep to myself, would regularly put chicks into a passenger harness backwards, hook them up, and skydive like that (faced off). Hop and pops were the norm so that they had all the time in the world to "work things out" under canopy.
Strange but true stories from Chuck Blue
Hey, that rhymes!

Froggie,
I am pretty sure you are talking about Brandon. He was partying with us most of that night. He is kind of stocky, and I think he had on a floppy hat that night. He and Alan, but Alan didn't wander around too much. His was the trailer that was "home" to the K-bottle, but we had it in our RV on Friday night for QUITE some time. On Saturday, it stayed in his camper, which was up against the building, hidden behind mine.

Not a problem at all. SOMEBODY has to do pretty pack jobs! LOL! Anyway, the hot ticket is to find a rigger with a TINY rig of his own. They are the ones that really know how to get something tight and pretty, because if it's not, then the rig looks like crap. My personal rig is HALF the size of the one that yall got through me.
Chuck
D-12501
Atair Factory Pilot

That was me that handed yall the pillows. How we became aware of your plight was that we were walking back down the hill from another buddy's (Charlie Lynn) tent. We heard the "lack of pillow" complaints and decided to help! That was Friday night, wasn't it? Maybe it was Saturday, hell, I don't know; I was rolling my ass off both nights! Anyway, it was me that actually gave yall the pillows, and yes, I am cool as hell. LOL!
Chuck
King of all Skymonkeys

I have to disagree slightly on the Stilleto/Vengeance comparison. Here are my impressions as someone who used to own both (back in my P.D. or die days! LOL!)
First: I owned Stilletos in sizes 107 and 97. Five years on a 107, then about six months on a 97 before I got my new Vengeance 97 (should have bought an 89). I weigh 150-155 and normally wear 12 pounds for 4-way.
My Vengeance packed quite a bit bigger than my Stilleto of the same size. It opened about the same; which is to say pretty nice. The control range was much longer, meaning the brakes are down around your torso as opposed to up around your ears. Turns were slower, but the canopy dove much steeper and was thus more "ground hungry." While it SEEMED like you might be going faster on the swoop, I didn't really go any further accross the ground with it than with my Stilleto; odd. To me, it just didn't make sense. But, back to the original poster: a Vengeance "feels" like a Stilleto one size bigger. For example, I thought my Stilleto 97 rocked, but felt my Vengeance 97 was a complete dog. I would have been much happier with the 89 and knew it, but was talked into a 97 by a rep at the PD factory.
I held off on buying a tri-cell even though that is what I really wanted because I was concerned with the fact that since they are so much more ground hungry, I might be getting in traffic jams with my students at Raeford. After jumping the Vengeance a couple of days and dealing with it, I decided to ditch it and buy a tri-cell. Ended up buying TWO mains: an Icarus VX-74 and an Alpha-84 (thus beginning my relationship with Atair).
Some people really like the Vengeance. Personally, it did nothing for me. WHAT A BITCH TO PACK! This is an individual sport and everyone has their favorite equipment. Luckily, we have these forums (though the equipment forum would have been a better place to post) to express our experiences with different gear. As Raeford is a typically "Javelin and PD" dropzone, I got a good bit of ribbing when I sold my PD mains. After a while, though, people started diversifying a bit and actually TRIED different products before they started talking shit about them. Now, I am proud to report that there are "diamonds all over the place". Gotta love it.
Chuck Blue
D-12501
Atair Factory Pilot (and former Vengeance owner)

I must concur with my fearless sponsor, Dan Preston; I just do a regular PRO pack on my Cobalt 85. I, unlike Dan though, roll my nose once but do not stuff it back. I pull my tail around and roll it about four times in my hand. When I lay the parachute on the ground I maintain my hand and the rolled part under the center so it doesn't "unroll". I have never been smacked by a Cobalt, nor was I ever smacked by my older Alpha using the same method. I hope this helps.
Chuck Blue
D-12501
Atair Factory Pilot

Decorous,
I believe you asked two different questions, so I will answer both for you. First, the nose on a Cobalt APPEARS the same as a Stilleto or say any other nine-cell eliptical; leading edge flipped over the top a bit. The nose on a Crossfire is more closed off; with only two oval-shaped openings per cell. I am not sure what benefit this adds, as the Cobalt flies at least as well and certainly opens better.
The "control range" on a Cobalt is similar to most other "performance" mains (all tri-cells, the Crossfire, etc.) on the market other than the Stilleto. That is to say that the brakes are more around your shoulders/torso than your ears as is the case with the Stilleto. The Cobalt is a much less "jittery" canopy than a Stilleto, The Cobalt, as well as most other performance mains, also dives steeper and has a longer recovery arc.
I personally compare the Safire to something like a PISA Hornet; an intermediate experience-range, lightly eliptical main. A Safire flies nothing like a Cobalt.
I would write more, but hey, it's quittin' time!
Chuck

OH! While we have both been sponsored to some degree by Dan for a while, Caven and I had never formally met prior to that boogie. He is a hoot! Odd that we had not met, as my dad owns the DZ in Opelika, Alabama and I had skydived at Thomaston and most of the other DZ's he frequents before. I have lived in NC since '84 and jumped at Raeford primarily since then(DZ heaven if you ask us). Actually, I had not been at CSS since they had a D-18 twin-beech and a dirt strip! I didn't like it then, but was very impressed with the new facility and the good vibes.
Chuck

Froggie,
That was me and my wife that gave yall the pillows. Ours was the winnie you can drive that has all the scooby doo stuff and the black lights, etc. "the ambiance will seduce you." You are all correct, it was a great time.
To those of you from Cross Keys and points north (namely The Ranch): Kris and I were at CK during the POPS meet (though I am not quite a POP) and we were at The Ranch the next weekend. I think they had an RSL meet that weekend, but I was too trashed to notice! Anyway, we get up that way at least once a year. We will definitely be there for the Ranch Pond Swoop competition.
Chuck

As you were; I was speaking in relation to Opelika. It took an hour and a half to drive to Thomaston from my dad's place down there. I live in Fayetteville, NC and jump at Raeford, but my dad (Buddy Blue) owns Skydive Opelika. From his place, all the "other" places I mentioned are about equidistant, especially by air in one of our planes.
Glad Mike is getting a Super Otter. That blue one from Alaska or wherever for the GSL meet last year was a DOG.
Chuck Blue
D-12501

Geoff,
I am sure Dan will pop on and answer with "the factory answer", but the prototype that was jumped at the CSS easter boogie, a modified Cobalt 95, was a test mule for a future canopy, as yet to be named. That canopy is an R&D test bed, pure and simple.
My new 75 will have that mod so that I can do more first-hand analysis on the design. If I find I don't really like it (because I LOVE my current Cobalt), then I will have the nose things removed, modified, or whatever. I do not mind being a guinea pig. What one possible concern is with this prototype is that we might be blocking so much incoming air that we are negating the effect of the current "two stage" opening effect. It might end up that my prototype has small crossports cut into the 3rd and 6th ribs so as to allow better pressure equalization. I will be the judge of that. I will say, though, that Caven Warren, another Atair Factory Pilot, put down one blistering surf on the 95 prototype. Caven normally jumps an 85 and some weights. He liked it enough that we are putting the mod on my 75.
One other person at the CSS boogie who test-jumped the prototype indicated that he thoght the canopy waffled in a riser dive, so once again, don't be thinking that this mod is a "done deal" so to speak. So, in closing, thinking you might be missing out on "the newest thing" by waiting to put in your Cobalt order is not what I would advise.
Go Fast, Take Chances
Chuck Blue
D-12501
Atair Factory Pilot

I don't have this month's Skydiving newspaper with me here at work, but There is a full color ad in there; it may have a website listed. The Auger Inn paraloft (which makes Monkey Fists) is right behind SkyKat on Raeford DZ, and SkyKat sells Monkey Fists, so go to www.skykat.com and see if they are listed on that site.
Chuck

To the person asking about a DZ near Columbus, GA: Yes, there is a DZ within 35 minutes of Columbus called Skydive Opelika. It is a two-Cessna 182 DZ located right off of I-85 between Auburn and Montgomery (actually in Tuskeegee on Moton Field). You would cross the river on 280 into Alabama, then turn left on Highway 80 and follow it straight for about 30 miles. The website is www.skydiveopelika.com . Jumps are $12 to 10,500 and the crowd is very laid back. There are also two righteous natural swoop-canals there. Check out the pics of me swooping them in the photo gallery on this (Dropzone.com) website.
If you don't like Cessna DZ's, then the next closest DZ to you is Thomaston (about an hour and a half drive). Last year they had an Otter and a Queen Air. I went to a GSL meet there last year and had a pretty good time. Not much farther away is Skydive Monroe (I recommend it). Also pretty close is Cedartown.
Chuck Blue
D-12501
Atair Factory Pilot

Andrea,
luckilly, my wife (who has a bit over 2,700 jumps herself) doesn't mind me getting a bit stinky on the DZ. I believe it drives her crazy! Such a good woman!
But yeah, the guy that said "if you can smell yourself in freefall...." was right on target. When my jumpsuit stays shaped without me in it, then it definitely needs washing.
chuck

There was a big K-bottle on the premises for filling those balloons. That and a bunch of "other" party favors caused me to be very social over the course of the weekend.
Chuck

Outstanding; my wife and I made one of Stacy's pics! The two top "neat people" in the Thursday night picture are me (Chuck Blue, king of all skymonkeys; and my wife Kris). Lovely time had by all!

Yep, I definitely wash my suits several times a year nowadays. I have one white one for summer (and whenever else I feel like it), two black, and a blue. Black in the summer makes for some very rank odor after just a short time, but is great for making you sweat and thus lose that extra weight you might be carrying around. True, ten years ago I wouldn't consider washing a suit unless I got "evidence" on it. To hell with the people who didn't like my fragrant aroma! I only washed it when I couldn't stand the smell of MYSELF. LOL! My white suit, on the other hand, I wash about every two or three weeks just to keep it nice and clean/white. I even bleach it with color-safe bleach so as to get it REALLY white, while not ruining my orange and blue grippers. It has been a very long time since I biffed in that suit, but I de-stain it IMMEDIATELY after getting evidence on it. I have managed to get five years out of it, unbelievably. It's a first-generation Michigan Comp Bootie Suit. Of course this does not mean that my suits do not normally stink after about an hour of use. Us hairy Scottish-blooded guys can really stink one up! Actually, I think skydiver chicks dig the smell.
Chuck

"It took all of two weeks to get a Cobalt demo on all three requests, not to mention tons of support I received from Mike at Freeair and Dan in piloting and picking the right canopy."
Glad you were happy enough with your demo to go ahead and order your new Cobalt! We had a great time this past weekend showing off the demo Cobalts (plus the new Indigo seven-cell eliptical) to the crowd at the CSS Easter Boogie. We also had a Cobalt 95 with prototype nose modifications to lock in more air. It flew beautifully and I have a new 75 with those nose mods on the way (factory pilot bennies!). Any Perris guys out there will see myself and Caven Warren swooping it up with Cobalts at the Para Performance Games in June.
Chuck Blue
D-12501
Atair Factory Pilot

I like Monkey Fists. I just put one on my new Javelin Odyssey RS. As I am from Raeford, I was actually lucky enough to have the manufacturer, Eddie Spears, put mine on personally. I have had hackey handle as long as they have existed, but I am very happy with the "feel" of my Monkey Fist. You can buy them as just the handle, or as a complete kill-line pilot chute; I got the latter.
Concerning weight comparisons between Monkey Fists and Hackeys; there are at least two types of hackeys: one heavy, with beans inside; the other with some type of white foam stuff inside. The monkey fist is smaller in diameter than both. It is heavier than the "foam filled" hackey, but lighter than the bean filled ones.
There are a ton of colors available. Mine was woven of the orange and blue nylon cord and I believe is refered to as the "mandarin mix". Outstanding.
Chuck Blue
D-12501
Atair Factory Pilot

"I am glad you were under that cobalt canopy that got cutaway to make the assessment that is was a premature brake release...I think I can say that it was not."
I am not saying that your main was not hooked up improperly, quite possibly assisting in your spin-up, but I can personally attest that the one brake was still firmly stowed upon inspection. Either way, once again, it's all good and you had an uneventful reserve ride and other successful Cobalt rides. Luckily, it wasn't ME that hooked your main up! I have two reserve rides in 20 years in the sport; once because I mis-rigged a riser set installing a small canopy which just would NOT fly straight in that configuration, so I know the feeling brother.
Chuck Blue
D-12501
Atair Factory Pilot

Yep, when Dan looked at the retrieved main he kind of cracked up. He asked the guy: "so, it was spinning left?" (maybe it was right, but you get the point). "The right toggle is unstowed, but the left is still stowed." DUH! We laughed about it and besides, it's all good, the main was not lost or damaged. The kid on Sunday was jumping a Cobalt 150 demo and barely missed the tail of the Cessna, then his main got blown over the tail; almost ugly, but again, no damage. Once again, it was windy on Sunday. It was actually pretty windy up top the whole weekend. The Strong ATV thing was blown downwing during drogue-fall, then got ZERO penetration on the way down, thus the off-DZ landing. That thing uses a 1,200 sq ft main!
Chuck

Outstanding site Martijn. I checked all the videos and was really grooving on the cow-swooping. The one where the tandem pair lands on top of that caravan looked pretty wicked, too. Good job.
Chuck

My wife, Kris, and I got there about midnight on Thursday and there were still about 30 people around the fire whooping it up. We had an easy time finding an electrical hookup for our Winnie, "the mystery machine", right next to Alan Davis' and J. Porter's trailers so all was well. We finally crashed about 3am, then got up at 7:15 and started looking for coffee. Hooked up with Mike Tremen right away and did all but one of the big way jumps over the weekend. Smallest was a seven-point 12 way, biggest a 41 way, favorite probably a two-point 28 way. Mike and Cliff, plus Lyle Presse, did a good job of organizing. I made 11 of the "big ways" total over the weekend. It was good running into some old friends.
To "slot perfect", who I believe is John Hawke: The ATV drops were pretty interesting. The one I watched on Friday landed off DZ due to a shit spot, but landed on it's wheels and drove off. Sorry you missed it. It oscillated pretty bad under drogue; would have been neat to see in FF.
My canopy sponsor, Dan Preston of Atair, was there with a bunch of demos. Everyone seemed pleased with the Cobalt. We only had one kid chop one (premature brake release that he did not notice before pulling his handle) and one other have a near miss with a parked C-182 on Sunday (it was windy).
There will be lots of video shots of the boogie on the next Mad Track video magazine. Chris shot tons of footage of jumps, plus of all the gear vendors on site. He also dubbed lots of footage from many of the other vidiots on site.
Speaking of gear vendors: Thanks to Jari and Kim for hooking me and Dan up with BirdMan jumps. If any of you have yet to do this, GET ON IT! I had a complete blast and had a two-minute-plus freefall. "White with Orange wings, please!"
Bottom line: $17 to 14,500 (or better!), great organizing, good vibes, whacky Saturday night happenings. If you were there; great! See you next time.
Chuck Blue
D-12501
Atair Factory Pilot

I agree that SkyKat is an outstanding gear shop. Tony and Kate bend over backwards to accomodate me. Their website, which I gather you have already accessed, is updated daily. Of particular note is their guarantee program.
Chuck

I have done both the bathtub and the washing machine methods and have gotten good results with both. One step I give a little extra attention to is ensuring the cutaway and reserve ripcord housings are completely dry, inside and out, just as soon as I am done washing the container. I also check all the tacking; this especially if you machine wash.
Chuck