pilot-one

For the same money buy yourself a Tonfly Performer. I have both and the Tonfy is far superior in most aspects including head protection of which the Cookie has little.

If you were my customer I would take the rig back, refund all of your money and send you on your way to someone else. It is absolutely disgusting that you make smart ass comments such as those above. That is all.

Imagine that.

That's weird because there is no doubt for me the Pilot is much more fun than an equal size Safire 2. In oher words the Pilot is more responsive and had a much more powerful flare. Maybe production tolerences come into play here? Or possibly wing loading?

Power Vinyasa yoga specifically. It really helps with your breathing more than most yoga practices that is almost automatically transposed to skydiving or flying in the tunnel. Opening up the hips and building hip strength is a priority for me that really seems to make a diference.

There is absolutely not a descernible size difference. In fact the Pilot has a bit more of a "sporty" feel to it than an equal sized Sabre 2. It does pack a bit more voluminous but not much. In ZPX the canopy would pack much smaller than the Sabre 2. I've owned these canopies and jumped them so this is from the horse's mouth so to speak. Jumping a size smaller Pilot would be a mistake if you're not ready for a size smaller Sabre 2.

but now that I am nearly 40, just dunno any more. *** Why would your age matter? 40 is pretty young.

Judging by your posts in other threads, I can see how the "thinking" part of canopy operation wouldn't appeal to you. You seem to be more of a, "Hey - I'll yank on this and see what happens", kind of guy. I realize that this comment is just a thinly-veiled way of you having a pop at me, but I will rise above that and answer in an adult way: On the contrary, if you had really read my comments, you would know how much time and money I have invested in canopy coaching and education. I don't really feel the need for all the meditation-type content, but that is totally different from not thinking about canopy operation, aerodynamics and how the various inputs affect the flight of the wing. I haven't been through Brian's course but I have read his books and listened to him speak at PIA. He is a smart guy and a good teacher, he seems to have pertinent background in the 'psychobabble stuff' and thus he relates it in his course...nothing wrong with that if you don't have any knowledge of how to control your body with your mind without negative emotion. It's basic competitive athlete stuff geared toward skydiving. In college I boxed and played football...my coaches taught the same kind of thing. Controlling and focusing your mind to overcome 'natural' reactions. I found myself doing those things in the skydiving world because it was hammered into me for years, it's a useful tool and something one may want to consider if they have no experience in those areas and are stumbling. Simple things like breathing right and visualizing success in your mind may seem trivial and unnecessary...until you master them and reach goals you earlier couldn't. Well said. Anybody from skeet shooters to hammer throwers to include skydivers, that are champions, subscribe to these methods. Mastering control of the mind is 50% winning. Sure you can get by without it but you will find yourself well behind the curve of someone that does even if you are more talented. If you are not interested in being a champion in skydiving then please stay off my load.

Take his course, you won't regret it. It's 100% canopy control related. Last time I checked the psychoBabble was a huge part of skydiving and flying a canopy. That will never change and to say it isn't is only cutting oneself short of reality. The whole core of the canopy accident issue is exactly this same short sightedness. Wake up.

Yep.

I'm assuming it's short for documentary

If you get to Colorado instead of Florida one of Ari's flying partners Mike Silva is much the same. There's a way they explain things that can't be explained. I am in much the same position you are in and feel like I've wasted hundreds of skydives only accumulating bad habits. I recommend the tunnel for any new or not so new skydiver. It simply is a tool that can't be beat.

This is my favorite rig ever.

So I was PM'd by someone I highly respect questioning my statement. I need to make it clear that I have no problem flying in an aircraft that has been grounded for something and then properly repaired. My problem lies within the integrity of the ownership not the airplane itself. I very well could be wrong and I may be convinced otherwise. However based on the information available to me now this is my opinion and at this time is not a risk I am willing to assume.

I think he's talking about the plane and the maintenance of it or lack thereof. Personally I would not jump somewhere with the consistent history of lying about maintaining an aircraft. I don't care if they're doing it now or not. They've lost my trust forever. 'Nuf said.

Who withheld the rig? The owner? The rigger at SSM? or someone else? And why? There seemed to be quite a bit more going on other than just the Argus incident as it's my understanding the rig didn't even have the right repack card and the one that was in it was supposedly pencil packed. The whole thing from the get go including the rig owner is weird. If you read the report written by Kirk Smith you can see that a local SM rigger (Eric Butts) had the AAD from the time of the incident to the evaluation that Kirk did with the FAA & others present. The rig was given back to the owner and has not been released for further evaluation. . I did read it and I think the whole thing is weird. It doesn't ad up.

I don't understand what the big deal is. Personally I think the whole thing is weird and he's onto something. Maybe not conspiracy but definitely something isn't right.

Here's kind of what bomb means and a little different angle. Maybe don't try to put your leg back like that yet but catching the air on the inside of your shins will make a huge difference. It takes a lot of practice though. Zach here is around 210 pounds and pretty solid. He's jumping with the skinniest of runts that I would estimate around 140ish, not experienced and quite floaty.

Who withheld the rig? The owner? The rigger at SSM? or someone else? And why? There seemed to be quite a bit more going on other than just the Argus incident as it's my understanding the rig didn't even have the right repack card and the one that was in it was supposedly pencil packed. The whole thing from the get go including the rig owner is weird.

Exactly. I flew a Saloy 206 in Alaska for fuel reasons only. Even though it burned about 25 gal/hour nobody wants to haul AvGas to the bush.

Hey Hokie, There are a bunch of us at SSM that know gear very well and what's available in the area for sale. Most of the time the guy you buy something from didn't even know he was going to sell it. Next time you are out there track down Tony, Greg, Suzanne or K-Hawk. We can certainly steer you in the right direction. I'm not sure who you are but odds are we've crossed paths since I'm there pretty much every weekend. I would point you away from any Racer for the simple fact that there is no rigger that wants to pack them out there. There are others nearby that will but most charge a premium. They also have poor resale value in South Texas since most people tend to stay away from them. They are a fine rig and from what I understand quite comfy but there are others that would make more sense. Track one of us down. I can think of more than a few rigs right now that might work for you.

I personally know the family that owns Schlitterbahn and hence the Cedar Park project. There is a lot going on within that circle that is not conducive to the project moving forward to the point of a tunnel. To answer your question it's both.

It's not going to happen. Trust me, there will be no tunnel in Cedar Park.

I too have had this issue. Finally I am losing some weight. From 235 I'm down to 205 and expect to drop another 15. I am now "floaty" in the same jumpsuit that I was previously hauling ass in. Not only am I lighter but I can move around much better. The problem with the baggy cordura jumpsuit is it's really hard work to do much other than just "sit" there. Of course some people don't have the option of losing weight depending on body composition. The best option is to lose weight. Do it right and it's not hard at all.

There will be many people from San Marcos and Houston that weekend. It should be fun. One word to the wise though, go easy on the drinking. It's difficult enough to stay hydrated already and for your first time 1 hour is going to kick your ass.