gzimmermann

No, i think FAA and other authorities like BAZL here in Switzerland are smart and responsive. This thread was started re HP canopy flying and recent incidents.

Did we just open Pandora's box? We have to choose now maybe. Move the last few posts to the wingsuit section or just delete them. Unless we accept to become glider pilots anytime soon...

"if it flies, we want to understand it more." Sadly it may just be a matter of time until the radar will include wingsuiting in addition to incidents potentially related to HP landings. Being rather new to this sport I already took two lessons: I want to do downwind-base-final landings in the future and a solid education after the required basics PLUS maintaining discipline in wingsuit patterns and flocking are crucial. I have seen and been in some "interesting" situations with not even 100 WS jumps already. I think self discipline is important now among all of us, around the world. If not, the authorities will step in and make the wild thing a tame thing rather sooner than later. P.S. thanks for the transcript in RED to airtwardo, Jim

No need to worry, just a smoky smell / odor as if it has been worn in a smokers club. It is part of the added value of a Phoenix Fly suit. They have to be flown/vented in properly before getting a waterproofing spray treatment by the final user.

I vote for a webcam in the Phoenix-Fly factory. I would also like to see these guys working on the suits plus I wonder how many of them are smokers. Be prepared to either take your new suit outside into fresh air or even better jump them immediately after arrival. Just a funny remark I wanted to make based on my P2 and one that I have heard from another happy PF customer :-)

Jarno, my sincere congrats on this masterpiece! Awesome vid! And I was part of it and made it to the flock and in front of your lens. Still unbelievable and proud of it. Was not easy for a newbie like me :-)

Looks like a great body position to me, legs fully open! Wow! Obviously you got some of the best teachers, Jarno, Bavo... I am still struggling with a real stable backfly, but chasing you :-)

Very funny! For sure the video will be way more interesting than the wedding tomorrow :-) Keep it going Jarno, trailers are new to the WS movie business. Why not go for Oscars (Robis, Tonys...) next?

I just found this: http://www.wingsuitnews.com/2011/04/safety-warning.html Let us wingsuiters make it a habit to do the "shrugging shoulder" check among friends just like we do pin checks before boarding the plane. I learnt this in my PF first flight course from DSE and made it a habit since then for me.

"So each one have quality and default that s why it s difficult to choose i ll buy the cheaper i think...." Yep. And please use the money you saved for getting some coaching from either Jeff and Taya or Scott, Scotty, DSE. I can recommend them all!

+1 It is sort of the Swiss Army Knife for Wingsuiters. Very solid manufacturing too... I will not give it away even when flying bigger suits. Bigger is not always better. The P2 has done a great job in helping me with barrel rolls, back flying, flocking and will do so in the future.

Don't worry, you are not missing much. People are constantly burbling each other, the clouds make it almost impossible to navigate and return to the LZ, communication is difficult among the Brits, Dutch, Germans, Brazilians and you name it around plus packing makes us sweat.

...and having said that I can compare to some 5+ major US Dropzones. People are friendly, respectful and sometimes funny all around. I was on loads with plenty of space in the Otter on weekdays, they kept it running. Just missed the champagne before takeoff... Not to mention the wingsuit stars on site, the senior tandem instructors and the 4-way team. You name it, they will probably do it and there was everyone from AFF1 to highly experienced, in their 20s up to 80s enjoying the sport while I was there.

I received all the survey's i needed. surveys, just to add. Come on US students, learn the basics first please. Where the heck will your economy go if you become less capable of your own language than the average foreigner...

You guys at PF are worse than Apple, let people stand in line :-) However: If, and only IF DSE knows something, a grande standard Star..... coffee on the stairs of his trailer might help early in the morning. Great job PF, very much looking forward to seeing you in Z-hills to grow into the new Ghost3.

...and: Let us not forget one important thing here please. The cost of material for a wingsuit are rather high. Not to mention the cost for labour, the suits are made to order, measurement. Add the research effort (definitely to be calculated as leisure here, probably) into the calculation and come to USD 1000-1500? I am paying the same for 2 cotton business suits, standard size made in hundred thousands. Personally: I appreciate the fact that competition is here and the wish/need to convert an idealistic business model into a more profitable mass business has not happened yet...

definitely miss the "like" button for this piece of advice! thanks!

What a suit and probably what a leap forward in WS performance! I also like Phoenix-Fly going the safe way both with new features and advice: "Due to the large wing surface area the VENOM is not suitable for low experience pilots. We recommend a MINIMUM of 180 to 250 wingsuit jumps before trying the VENOM. The increased wingsize doesnt allow for the placement of a special B.A.S.E. leg pouch, as the wing would cover the location during deployment. Though the BOC is accesable with relative ease, we urge to account for the larger burble and minor delays in deployment with this type/size wingsuit when used in a B.A.S.E. enviroment. Adjusting your deployment altitude upward is high recommended."

Thanks for posting the link. I think that these are really well invested 40 minutes both for newer and advanced skydivers.

i think so. my reserve was re-packed in december, no change to the seal an no additional entry in the re-pack sheet unless of course the one for the modification. i am 99 % sure they did not touch the reserve for the modification and have used a sewing machine with a "long arm".

no, not at all. don't worry, they will only work on the flaps, riser covers. in my case i had to re-pack my main because they replaced the lower part of the break lines due to wear and tear after having gotten my agreement before.

Brand bashing, or "who copied whom" brings me to some thoughts and concepts: 1. The hundred thousands: Take the car you drive now and why you bought it. We know how to drive, we have spent thousands of hours in different models before we took our decision. We can do research and even ask if the oil consumption of my VW Tiguan Diesel of 1l on 30Kkm is above average or normal. 2. The thousands: Take Kiteboarding. The sport has really grown in the past ten years, I got in 6 years ago and I know that the design to change the angle of attack and usable range various by brand and really makes a difference in how I can perform. I have a choice of more than 5 significant brands with different product lines. However I only tried 3 so far with their products in different life cycles. I do not have the time to try everything available but there is a small number of kites and control bars I can compare and conclude what is best for me. If I want to I can read about 3 periodical magazines and join more than 5 internet sites to get information. Not to mention the buddies I meet when I go kitesurfing to the famous spots all over the world. 3. The hundreds: And that is what we are with WS probably these days. Privileged people like DSE, Jarno have several years of experience, tried most of the suits available from maybe 3 major brands. Joe Average or John Beginner have 20-200 jumps, 1-5 hours of flight time and have just gotten used to the P2, T-Bird after having grown out the Intro quickly. They are maybe struggling with improving their rate of on-heading openings / line twists, flocking and aerobatic skills. BUT: If Robi tells me, that on the new Venom they made the line from the arm wing towards the body more curved and convex than the rather straight line on the X-Bird because of the smoother aileron impact, I am all sold. And if Tony tells me, that the T-Bird makes it easier for me to have on-heading openings because of the arm zippers and design elements unique to it, I am all sold too. SOLUTIONS: At this point in WS development and personal stage I prefer to go with the ones who are open for discussions, provide quality that I perceive as durable and design that I feel I can grow with. And most of all: They provide a solution over all with services available to get into it and grow with WS. EXPERIENCE: Is probably a huge driver for performance in different disciplines of WS. So just getting used to P or T might make a big difference. And last but not least: We all have different body shapes we want to fly with. In terms of length, arm length, weight and ratio of upper body vs legs for instance. Now how stupid and tired was I to even write this down :-)

Forgot to say: Mine had a turnover of only 7 days. Paracentro Locarno did a great job and they also replaced my worn excess break line part. "Flaps modification" is now a line in the repack sheet.

Catch 22 - if we don't help = Bad Ju Ju . . . We help - Bad Ju Ju . . . there is no win for us no matter what we do. You may be right. Better do nothing at all here. See what happens and if the rest of the world can survive without the US for once.