Emmie

Thx for the info. I friend of mine actually ended up being a dealer for them, so problem solved!

Ah, thanks. I got a hold of the UK dealer, but he doesn't deal with US orders. I'll see if I can get a hold of any of the Russians directly. How long did it take for you to get your suit, btw?

Does anyone have the contact info for Skylark Parachutes US dealers? If you have a jumpsuit from them, who did you go through? Thanks!

Hey Stela, I have a Tonfly 618. It's a great looking suit, and it's pretty much bulletproof. I've had about 5 different brands of suits before I got it, and this is by far the best made. It's also very, very powerful. That may be a good or a bad thing. It's good because if you know how to fly it, you can do a whole lot in the suit. However, for someone who's a beginner, it may not be ideal. I got my suit as an experienced tunnel flyer. I've always flown suits with little drag, so I didn't think that switching to a tighter suit would be a big deal. The Uno 618 however has negative drag. What this meant for me was that no matter how big I tried to fly, there was only so much surface area that I can present to the wind, and I would sink out unless the air was cranked all the way up. If you're just learning and don't have the endurance to fly at supersonic speeds, this may hinder your learning. Also, it may make it difficult to fly with others who are used to flying at slower speeds. The 618 also has cordura on the arms. I think this may make it difficult to take docks if you're just learning. In my opinion, the 618 is an advanced suit, and while I love mine, I don't think it's the right jumpsuit for someone with your experience. I definitely don't believe in having your suit fly you, but a little drag is never a bad thing. I think Tonfly now released the 619, which has a whole lot more range. I've seen a few people with it, and it's a great looking suit. Anyways, hope this helps, and sorry, don't know anything about Sonic.

Had an Ouragan, a Liquid Sky, and now have a Tonfly Uno 618. Ouragan was really well made, and so was the Liquid Sky. And with both of those suits, you have a lot of options as far as the design goes. Love my Tonfly for skydiving. Super sleek, badass suit. However, I'm a tunnel flyer as well, and have to admit that I don't love the Tonfly for the tunnel. It has zero drag. I don't like baggy suits, I think you need to fly your body. However, in the tunnel, a little drag is never a bad thing. No drag means you're forced to fly at much higher speeds, which in turn effect your efficiency. It's much harder to take head up docks when you're flying topped out... Just something to think about. Also, not sure that you need all that cordura on the arms. Other than that, I the suit is excellent. Also, I'm pretty sure it's bulletproof.

The longer you fly in the tunnel, the more you will develop tunnel muscles, and will be able to go for longer sessions without feeling tired. However, that takes time. Personally, for overall core strength, you can't beat Crossfit. If you don't have one near you, there are lots of youtube videos demonstrating the workouts. I recommend a coach however, to make sure you don't hurt yourself. Deadlifts, thrusters, kettlebell swings, etc. all these will work your entire body. For the most part you are really using your core for every movement. I've had really bad shoulder bursitis for years, and head up flying, even for a few minutes would leave it in pain. Started doing crossfit, developed muscles to take the pressure off the shoulder in just a few months. Also, can fly forever without getting tired. Totally give it a try, so worth it, not just for freeflying, but for your overall health and wellbeing.

Sent u a pm.

I get dvds every time I fly. I usually fly between 15-20 minutes per session. I have a giant ass stack of dvds at my house that I occasionally count to get a rough estimate of how much time I have. Too much of a pain in the ass to actually log it. But then again, I'm lazy.

Haven't jumped with it yet, just tunnel, so can't speak to the fogging via personal experience. However, it's very well ventilated (big vent in the front, and 2 in the back), and based on that I don't see fogging up being an issue. Also...I wore it around the house (don't judge, it was a new toy) for about 20 minutes with the shield down, and there was no condensation, or fogginess or anything like that. Can't imagine it would be any different in freefall, or under canopy.

So, just an update on the helmet, for those of you interested in getting one. Do it, it's awesome!!!! This helmet is amazing!!! I flew with it in the tunnel the other night, got in, flipped head down and then freaked out because I thought that I forgot to put the face shield on because I was seeing things I wasn't used to seeing with my old full face helmets. It was like I spent my whole with bad eyesight not knowing anything was wrong with my eyes, and then one day someone gave me a pair of glasses.

Yes, all open and functional. It's pretty badass! I wish I posted here first, would have saved me 2 hours of just staring at the helmet

Mike, between taking pictures of the helmet and helping me out with pretty obvious questions, you're a total rockstar! LOVE the helmet, thanks for all your help!!!!

Got my helmet in the mail today! Looks awesome, cannot wait to fly it tomorrow!!! Quick question to anyone that's reading, anyone have any idea how to flip the visor up. I uninstalled it, and then re-installed it following Cookie's directions. Can't figure out for the life of me what to push to flip up the visor. Thanks in advance for your help!!!

Hi everyone, I just got my new G2 in the mail, and LOVE the way it looks! However (and this may have something to do with the fact that I'm technologically challenged) I cannot figure out how to install the visor so that I can flip it open. I went on Cookie's website and followed the instructions in the video and just don't get it. What do you press to flip it up?!

Thanks for all of your comments guys. Just got off the phone with Greg at UPT, who helped me order the rig and is familiar with my canopy. Looks like I have to stick with the Optimum. I think the reason I could get away with a smaller container considering the pack volume of my main is because the Optimum 143 packs up so much smaller than the PDR, and would have been a loose fit, allowing the main to fit better. He said I could get a PDR143 in the container, but, it would be a tight fit, and would feel like a brick on my back.

Hi guys, Just got a new container, and need a new reserve. When I originally ordered the container (Micron, v 310) I was going to go with an Optimum 143. However, at this point, I think I want to save a few hundred bucks and go with a PD 143 reserve. The main I have is going to be a tight fit as it is (Pilot 150), wondering if fitting a PDR 143 is going to be an issue considering the size of the main. Pack volume aside, are there any dramatic differences between the two reserves? I demoed an Optimum 143, and it flew like a main. However, my last reserve ride was 9 years ago while on student status, so it's not like I have a lot of reserve rides to compare that to. Any thoughts?

Thanks so much for your comments. I have a follow up question. I plan on putting a go pro mount on top of this helmet if I get it. Would it interfere with opening of the visor. I know that when I had the go pro mount on my Z1, there wasn't enough room for the visor to open all the way up.

Do you happen to have any pictures of it while you're wearing it? Just want an idea of what it would look like on.

Saw that Cookie came out with a new full face helmet, looks pretty great, and I'm kind of tempted to get one, but wanted to see if anyone bought one yet/had a chance to fly with it, and what they thought? I use Z1 in the tunnel and a Factory Diver in the sky, but the Z1 is getting pretty beat up, and not a huge Factory Diver fan. It's a pain in the ass to keep taking it off/putting it back on in the tunnel, and it gets foggy or partially foggy on almost every jump (unless I just don't breathe...then it's ok ). Anyways, anyone try the G2? Do you have any pictures? Thanks!

Spread your legs wide...think of head down daffy, then basically do that (but go wider, as much of a split as you can get into) in your sit. one leg would be behind you, the other one in front. That should slow you down some. Try adding some layers under your jumpsuit as well...

I concur with the tunnel comments. I learned head down in the tunnel, and never had a backsliding problem in the sky. I think that ultimately, the tunnel would be the cheapest, safest, and the most efficient way to learn head down. With that being said however, I understand that not everyone has a tunnel available to them. Also...before you can start learning head down in the tunnel, you will need to learn how to backfly and fly head up...and head down takes hours and hours to learn. So, if a tunnel is not available to you, I would recommend getting a coach, or at the least a proficient head down flyer to fly with you as a point of reference. Make sure they have a camera so you can debrief your dive, and figure out what you are doing that's causing you to drift. A good coach is invaluable and totally worth the money. I don't think that it will do you any good being there by yourself. So many people think they are flying down tube when in fact they are backsliding the whole time, and with head down, your point of view is so distorted anyway, that it's really hard to judge whether you are backsliding. If you have a point of reference, you can 1. figure out whether you're backsliding and 2. try to counter the problem. As far as backsliding goes, I think that it's helpful to imagine your body as sort of a shape of a sail...think of driving with your head. So, if you move your head forward, and sort of push forward your upper unit, you're creating an arch, and will go forward, if you de-arch and tuck your chin back, you'll go backwards. I definitely think it's more than just your head, and more of your entire body working together...but not tucking your chin in would be a good start. Oh, also, since you already know you're backsliding, I would make sure that when you exit, you turn your body perpendicular to the line of flight to ensure that you don't end up drifting into someone else's airspace. Also...I'm not sure why people are giving you a hard time about asking a completely legitimate question, but don't let that keep you from asking more questions. If you don't ask questions, how are you ever going to learn? Good luck with your progression. M

I would first of all make sure that you have freefly friendly gear. Student gear usually is not, and while it's fine for bellyflying, having loose velcro, rig that doesn't fit you right, etc. at higher speeds and vertical orientations is dangerous. I would also get the basics of bellyflying down before jumping right into freeflying. I did around 100 belly jumps before I learned to sit fly. I also second the comment about the tunnel. I learned to freefly in the sky, and then spent hours in the tunnel unlearning the bad habits I picked up. The tunnel's also a cheaper option, and it's much easier to translate what you've learned in the tunnel into the sky than vice versa. Good luck to you, and welcome to the dark side