Ronaldo

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To the OP:
What are you trying to have done my Mel? Is it a line set? If so, I recommend contacting JR Sides at Chambersburg Skydiving Center.

I asked MEL to do an H-mod on a used Cobalt 135 I bought. The canopy is already there (so I hope) thus I don't have the option to choose someone else.

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He met with Mel a few months ago and learned all the latest and greatest techniques for making lines sets.

Could he be the new guy at Skyworks (if MEL really passed on his business)? I'll try to contact him anyway, thanks

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He can make a lineset for pretty much anything, including the Cobalt that I see you have (I have a Space).

I'll make my line set (I made the continuos HMA lineset for the Cobalt150 I'm currently jumping) but that's another story

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JR made a lineset and a slider mod for my canopy last weekend and the workmanship was excellent, and very quick. He is reliable and will not disappear. He is also a good source for just about anything that you need done.

Thanks, good to know that. I just picked Skyworks because of the good references MEL has inside the skydiving community. I think this situation is just bad luck on my part. Maybe he is out of the office (maybe even out of US) in a place with no mail access. I prefer to believe he will show up in a week or so and settle this down easily.

Hi Terry,
The information about getting out of the business came from Patel (Icarus) but he did not confirm (I think it was something he heard) so it may not be 100% true.
I wouldn't mind waiting long periods to get the service done as long as I knew what was going on (which I don't).
Thanks

Thanks for the contact Jerry
Safe skies!

Yes, I'm in Brazil, unfortunately I have friends only in Deland, NJ and San Diego, none in SC. Sure, it would be extremely helpful to have someone doing this for me.
Thanks

Hi folks,
I really hate to use the public forums to solve personal problems but I have no other place to go. It's been more than a month without being able to contact Skyworks (phone and e-mail). I also tried to contact PeteS (who was supposedly working with MEL) without success. I sent a canopy to Skyworks to have an H-mod done and up to now I have no idea if it was even received at the loft. The last information I have from MEL is that the service would cost $150 and would take only a couple of hours. It's been more than a month now. UPS tracking says it was delivered so I'm assuming there was someone at the time to receive the package. My credit card was not charged so apparently no action was taken. I'd appreciate if someone could forward any contact information for MEL or this new guy at Skyworks
Thanks

Ronaldo

I e-mailed Patel at Icarus (Spain) and he told me that MEL apparently has left the rigging business. He is supposedly passing it to a friend and this guy is not supported as an Icarus rigger. They moved all material (linesets, patches, etc) from Skyworks to Chicago Service Center.
The problem is that I sent a canopy to him about a month ago to perform an H-mod and I have absolutely no idea of what the situation is or even if he received it.
If you have the contact of this new guy I'd really appreciate if you could forward it to me.
Thanks

Ronaldo

Hi folks,
I've been trying to contact Mel (Skyworks Rigging) for a month without success (by mail and phone). Does anybody know where he is?
Blue skies

Ronaldo

Thanks Rob, that is some really valuable information

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The Ven will produce more lift and at lower speeds then your Cobalt. This means it will keep flying longer through the landing. Your touch down speed will therefor be less.

Wow, that will really be a big surprise! One of the Cobalt's most impressive qualities (IMO) is the ability to really slow your speed before touch down. In a couple of occasions people came to me to ask which canopy I was flying, right after seeing me landing . They were really amazed to see me popping up at the end of the swoop and touching the ground with almost zero speed. The flare is extremely powerful, you can really feel that (no sponsoring involved

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For swooping I think you will prefer the Ven over your Cobalt. It will dive more in your turn, hold that dive longer and will not have a tendency to over recover. It's longer dive will get it going faster and it's higher lift will keep it swooping longer.

That would be another very good surprise. I get very long swoops with it too (for a wl of 1.3, of course). I may have had some opening issues with the canopy before the h-mod, but I have always loved its flight performance. If the Vengeance can match or even pass it then it would be just perfect
I would buy a used Cobalt or Competition C135 but these are very difficult to find. I would never buy a new one again as it won't have resale value (the canopy is unknown here in Brazil).

Thanks a lot for the feedback, I really appreciate
Safe skies!

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You indicated that you are currently happy with the opening, flight, and landing of your cobalt. What is your motivation for replacing your canopy? What are your long term goals (regarding cp) and how does this fit into your plan of action?

You're right, it was just opportunity. It seemed like a good deal specially because dollar exchange rates are favorable.
I was not thinking about downsizing now but I know I would in the future as I really enjoy HP landings. Future plans are to jump a lot as I'm having the opportunity to start as a camera flyer. Don’t get me wrong, I’m very comfortable with my canopy and would not jump a smaller one if I felt I could not do it safely.

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Why? Just since it is not being made does not meen that PD does not stand behind the canopy still.

Sure PhreeZone, it just helped me re-evaluate the deal. Of course, being discontinued will not make it a bad canopy now. In fact, I'm still curious to hear from people who have tried both.
BTW, I really like the original Sabre. I think most beginners skip the chance of getting one for their first gear thus saving a lot of money to jump.
BS

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http://www.performancedesigns.com/docs/Veng_Flight.PDF

Thanks, I have already read that but I was looking for opinions from people who had the opportunity to fly both canopy models. The fact that it is a discontinued product has a considerable impact in my decision now.
Blue skies

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PD no longer sells the Vengence. They will, however, maintain it.

Blues,
Ian

Thanks, I didn't know that! This changes everything.
Safe skies!

I currently fly a Cobalt 150 (H-mod) and found a good deal on a Vengeance 135. I have never jumped one so I did a search and found divergent opinions. I would like to hear from people who have jumped both how do they compare (specially flight and landings). I read that Vengeance is prone to weird openings, fly bigger, etc. In fact, I had the impression that PD is no longer advertising it (there's apparently no link at their web page).
I really like my Cobalt's flight, get great landings with it (180º carves) and have consistent soft openings (after the H-mod).
As I'm in Brazil demos are not a common option so I'm afraid to buy it, get disappointed and get stuck with it.
Safe skies,

Ronaldo

It's a good canopy. Test jump it, if possible. Have someone to check the lines, if too worn then it is probably out of trim which makes it prone to hard openings. If it is a good deal, you can have a rigger to install an H-mod later. It will improve performance a little bit, make the openings consistently soft and maybe add some resale value.
Good luck!

yes, its for jumping. I was considering the weight issue too. I'm a big fan of smaller and lighter set ups.
I did a search through the old posts and was with the impression that the 20d was superior to the 300/350d (and maybe 400d?).
1 vote for the 400d - lighter and smaller
Thanks!

If you could buy a used 20d (very good condition) for the price of a new 400d, which one would you choose? Both are camera bodies only.

Try this:
http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=3088751;search_string=packing%20video;#3088751

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Since you seem set on ignoring all the advice here

Where did you get that impression? That was not my attitude, please read my previous post.

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Taking photos is an art, I suggest you treat it as such and you'll be a better camera flyer for it.

You’re absolutely right, photography is a form of art and it can’t be done randomly by a machine.

By reading all these replies I realized that I was talking with camera flyers that are really proud of their work. It is really nice to see things that way, thank you.

The idea was not really to take shortcuts in the learning process, but to reduce the amount of things you have to deal in free fall which IMO increases safety. I think even the most experience camera flyers would benefit from any kind of equipment that simplifies the job.
Thank you all for the input. I’ll keep building up my flying skills with just a video camera (I have a very small and light weight set up) until the jumpmaster feels I’m able to start shooting stills.
Blue skies and have a great week!

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That's not realistic or pratical use of the equipment.

Are you sure? I'm pretty sure I saw someone using some kind of automatic shutter and taking good pictures this way.

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Sounds like you should start by flying video first and learn how to multi task while flying and keeping the subject in frame, so when it comes time for you to add stills you can already fly and center your shots while using a blow or bite switch, or thumb trigger to fire the still camera. Also when you do go to buy your equipment you find that by trying to go cheap will yield cheap and unprofessional results, yet there are cheapo cameras good enough to pass off to the tandem mill factory produced jumper.

I understand your point but I don't see why I can't take sequential pictures and get occasional good shots during this learning phase. During this time I would not be charging anything and probably paying my own ticket.
It would be like using training wheels before learning to ride a bicycle
Thanks for the tips

Hi folks,
I’m pretty sure this was covered somehow in previous posts but I was not able to find exactly what I need. I’m looking for a basic still set up to start shooting AFF and Tandems. The most important feature for me would be the ability to take stills continuously and automatically without the use of a bite switch (just press a button before exit and it starts shooting about 1fps or less). As I’ll be starting I would like to simplify things and concentrate on flying and keeping the subject in frame. Could you please recommend a set up to do this job? I’m not looking for extremely professional and expensive stuff, but good quality stills that can please the general public.
Thanks

Ronaldo

That's the best way to look like a pro on video
Just kidding, this guy can pack a brand new ZP with the same neatness and control. BTW, the canopy belongs to the guy who was filming. He was learning to pack at that time and made the video to practice at home.

Hi,
Just wanted to share with you a video made by a friend of mine in our DZ showing one of our packers (and friend) packing a PD Sabre in a slow step by step procedure. Although the explanation is in Portuguese the video itself is self-explaining.
There's always someone asking about packing tips so I hope it gives some help to the beginners during this learning phase.
Safe skies!

Ronaldo
http://www.skydivingmovies.com/ver2/pafiledb.php?action=file&id=5272&string=luciano

You must have an account and be logged in to download the video

Thanks!!

Yes, you can remove the handle and sew it to another PC. It is usually an easy task if you have a sewing machine (even a domestic one), seam ripper and nylon thread. If you don't have the skills and tools to perform the job, ask a rigger to do it. Even if you have basic sewing skills I'd suggest you show the final job to your rigger.