flyhi69

because bones heal, chicks dig scares, and Glory is forever

Sweet....have a good weekend. Blue sky and fast dives Cheers

Me too!!!! All the beer at the Bama wouldn't have cured that headache. Would love to see it (even just a photo)...the sunset loads were amazing. As the plans stand now I will be there. What a great party. You? If you get to Z-Hills anytime drop me a line ([email protected]). I'll leave the wings on the ground and we'll get out for some freaky flying on our heads. Last weekend we were punching 8 way flowers out the door with just Z-Hill locals. This season is going to rock!!!!! Take care dude...and thanks for the vid!!!!!!! cheers jamie

Yes....I've made it a habit of immediately turning away from the aircraft on exit on about a 45 degree angle. I've noticed this allows for a quick wing inflation while diverting your energy away from the aircraft...not to mention great video of the fellow skydivers geeking my camera in the door. That habit is precisely what saved me from kissing the tail. In my opinion leaving an Otter can be done safely like that but there is no room for error on a Caravan. If I would have been on the line of flight the outcome could have been a bad thing. I think my biggest mistake was not taking the time to really think about the plane I was exiting. I new the tail was lower but I really didn't give any thought to it other than a quick watch the tail thought as I was boarding. I treated it like just another exit and because 98% of my wing suit jumps are from Otters it wasn't. I guess the moral to the story is the little differences can bite hard...and watch your exits fellow birds. Blue sky's and big sick white puffy clouds to all Cheers

I've been dragging my a** on ordering a capture card...maybe in a few weeks. If I do I will post the video. When you can make a plane full of skydivers gasp for air you know you just walk the line. However I do have a photo taken from the video which shows how close it was without the drama. The attached frame is when the plane and myself would have come in contact. The video frame prior to this I was even with the stabilizer. Cheers

I was reminded of a very important aspect of wing suite flying this weekend and lucky for me I'm alive to write this message. I'm a little embarrassed to share this but I've learned so much from other people sharing their mistakes I feel like it's my duty to swallow some pride and let out. When it comes to wing suite forums I've noticed most discussions are related to flight performance and getting a parachute safely above your head. I'm taking this time to remind all my fellow birdman that when it comes to wing suites it's game time before you exit...and don't forget that like I did. Memorial day weekend I found my self exiting a Caravan (I usually exit from an Otter) over a beautiful beach in Florida. Below me 4 friends fell planning on staging the openings for a stair step flyby. Inside the plane sat about 6 people who had never seen a wing suite let alone see one exit. One of them sat close to the door video running. Well I gave them there moneys worth and then some when I over amped the exit and missed the horizontal stabilizers by less than a foot and that's a conservative estimate. In full speed it appears that the wind from the leading edge actually forces my wing down and away as the plane passes above. I remember thinking damn that had to look good from in there cause it was forever before I lost sight of the people in the plane. If it wasn't for the video I would have never believed how close I came to a bad situation. I would have just thought they were exaggerating. I have always been very careful on my exits to wait till the aircraft has past before beginning my flight. However on this one particular jump I stood in the door thinking about a good clean exit for the video with no thought given to clearing the airplane. It's the last time I'll make that mistake but it could of been the last time I did anything. Not to mention that could have been a real problem for those left on the plane if that stabilizer would have come off at impact. Please be careful leaving your aircraft especially if it's from the side and not the rear. If you are smiling and making eye contact with people still in the plane you may be walking a fine line and don't even know it. Blue skys and big clouds Flyhigh