Martini

Well it really was completely safe, Mr Bill was wearing a Gath. What a cool jump. Sometimes you eat the bear..............

Generally I'd agree with not making a buck of discount coupons but what if a seller has a great discount coupon but can't use it and sells it for real cheap? Only a little shitty? The seller has something of value and if it is transferable can help someone else out. Yes it would be noble to give it away but who's the judge? In my case many years ago I was sold a discount coupon that saved me over $500 from a guy who had no need for the coupon, didn't have a buddy to give it to that had any need for it and sold it to me for $100. The canopy mfg didn't take a hit because they willingly gave away a transferable discount (I checked with them and they were cool about the whole deal), the coupon seller got something out of his prize and I got a nice deal on a canopy that I wouldn't have otherwise purchased. This doesn't seem like bad karma to me. Things aren't always just black & white. Sometimes you eat the bear..............

No!!!!!!!!!!! Jumping BASE gear is totally dangerous from aircraft but is completely safe from solid objects. That's why we have laws to protect us. What are you, some kind of anarchist? Sometimes you eat the bear..............

If you like the Stiletto I'd keep jumping one, I think that they're a blast but may not be the ideal swooping canopy. Generally Stilettos aren't known to be hard openers but many open like this: snivel, snivel, snivel-whack! But the whack isn't all that hard. My guess is the lines are out of trim, in particular the brake setting. Get together with your rigger and some beer and check the line specs, they are available on PD's website. Also check the slider size which is also listed. I think you fall back in love with the 120 when it's in trim. BTW if it was mine and was out of trim I'd stretch the lines per Brian Germain's method or similar, you'll be amazed at the result. Brake settings may require some rigger work though if you don't want to do them yourself. Sometimes you eat the bear..............

How many jumps on the lineset? Sometimes you eat the bear..............

Isn't that dddangerous? Sometimes you eat the bear..............

I recommend that you take that up with people you trust at your DZ, also there have been numerous discussions of what might be considered appropriate wingsuit canopies on this forum. The Tri is a good safe choice, I don't like it because it's a slug. Which is exactly what it was designed to be. My personal choice is a Sabre, the old original Sabre. I like mine on the small side, your wingloading is not my business. Sometimes you eat the bear..............

My definition? Your interpretation but whatever. Call it a skydive with a BASE rig. I'm indifferent to the semantics. Freefalling anything off a cliff is obviously BASE. BTW you missed the tongue-in-cheek dig at the FAA. Jumping a single-parachute system from some aircraft could be illegal. Is a tethered balloon an aircraft? Is it a building, span, antenna or earth? Does anyone care? Have you signed the petition? Sometimes you eat the bear..............

Rob, Jumping a single-parachute system from a paraglider usually isn't a skydive, that would need a reserve to be legitimate. It's not BASE either. But it isn't illegal or even unreasonable no matter what you want to call it. You pick a name for it, it doesn't matter. BTW it could easily be a skydive with that gear, I've seen tandem PG over 12K. Also seen PG-BASE under 400'. And a two-way PG-BASE from one PG at 10K, is that a trindem? What's a BASE rig jumping from a balloon called? I need another beer just to contemplate all this. Just sign the damn petition. If you want. Please.

Probably but they would be at risk of losing their PG tandem ticket if one of the "enforcers" caught them. Anyone can sign the petition, if you want to help keep the rule makers from denying you your sport or freedom of choice then consider making your voice heard. There are plenty of fun police out there waiting to take away everyone's perceived high-risk activity, solidarity between flying groups is a good way to prevent your discipline from being next. Sometimes you eat the bear..............

My first wingsuit jump was on a borrowed Tri with a retractable PC (thanks Tyson!) Perfect opening, excellent beginning wing. Retractable is easy to deal with but, as you say, must be attended to. Personally I don't like Triathlons much even though I once said I'd never sell the one I owned, but they do generally open nicely and are very tame. Sometimes you eat the bear..............

Landing into cardboard boxes has already been done in BASE but not in a wingsuit from altitude. A couple of hundred feet is pretty impressive though. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CB4QH4Y3Yj8 Sometimes you eat the bear..............

I should add that you'd be better off with a longer bridle but unless you jump a big suit a standard bridle will serve. I was thinking mostly of the canopy which is a fine choice for wingsuit. Edited to add that the retractable is OK for w/s also, I don't see a need to change back and forth. Sometimes you eat the bear..............

Yes. At least no less safe than any other canopy. Sometimes you eat the bear..............

Define modern. Sometimes you eat the bear..............

How far do you pull the slider out in front of the nose of the canopy? Sometimes you eat the bear..............

I thought it was implied that metal ring soft liks could come apart unless tacked. Quote I don't believe that tacking has anything to do with the links coming apart, it's inconceivable that they could disconnect if assembled properly. Sometimes you eat the bear..............

Too bad Flyingfishman isn't jumping any more. Jim, you out there? Sometimes you eat the bear..............

He basically had a bridle long enough that his PC came around the nose and entangled the slider during the opening, causing his slider to hang up and snivel him into the ground.*** I've only seen this malfunction on spring-loaded pilot chutes, how does it occur on a BASE PC without even a kill line? I can get the PC in front of my Troll by backing up on rears but the PC is above the canopy. Sometimes you eat the bear..............

You aren't allowing for the way people grow and advance in canopy flight just as in any muscle/brain trained sport. When I moved from a Stiletto 150 to a 135 the speed and reflex change was a huge challenge. Anymore I'd have zero interest in jumping a canopy that large even though I'm a pretty mediocre canopy pilot. Accepting the increased risk that goes along with faster canopies is a personal choice. I don't expect to change your mind, only hope you adopt a less radical point of view. You may find that taking a less aggressive approach will improve your credibility. Sometimes you eat the bear..............

Who said anything about rules? Throwing super low with an armed AAD would be a really bad plan though. Sometimes you eat the bear..............

I don't scare easily but have scared myself on at least half of the canopies I've owned. You are talking about something completely different. A "severe fright" implies an experience so shocking as to permanenetly repel the recipient. Wingsuiting is what it is, paying attention to other people's mishaps is simply an education. Virtually everyone downsizes, some more than others. Some will get hurt, most will not. To each his own. I have friends with small x-braced canopies that don't swoop, others who are awesome swoopers but don't fly x-brace. And I know jumpers with many thousands of jumps who fly lightly loaded canopies and always will. Self-righteous canopy nazi-ism won't change people's desire to have fun with the toys of their choice, there are more useful approaches to encouraging change. No matter how you approach skydiving there will be injuries, the only way to end injuries is to end skydiving. The only way to end swooping injuries is to end swooping. Some DZs have done just that. Without a doubt not all DZs will follow suit. I'm truly grateful for the DZs that let me fly a wingsuit with my friends and jump any canopy I like. BTW I'm an athiest. "God" does not determine my actions. Sometimes you eat the bear..............

Since my response to your post, which was respectful disagreement, was apparently deleted by the censors, I'll try again. Most people downsize without ever getting a severe fright, getting hurt or getting dead. Your analogy of downsizing and the Peter Principle is indeed arrogant mainly because it's simply untrue. Sometimes you eat the bear..............

Pitching at 2 is dirty low? Bwahahahaha!!!!!!!!! Sometimes you eat the bear..............

Didn't mean to detract from the story, it really is a great one. A lot of people think oxygen burns though. Pretty incredible thing to do, grabbing an O2 bottle from an inferno in a shot-up airplane and tossing it out through a hole in the plane. Heroic. Sometimes you eat the bear..............