pr3d4t0r

@CoolBeans - Thanks.  Another windy day at Bay Area Skydiving, during last year's Bigger Better Boogie, July.  Blue skies!

Speed skydiver here.  I've tried both.  Stuck to the Bonehead Dynamic for comfort, larger field of visibility, and easier to customize (I use two ColorAltis, master and backup, plus often we add SENA radios).  The G4 is too heavy.  I ended up with two Dynamics:  one for flying, one for the tunnel.

The impact rating was a lower consideration for my needs.  I seldom fly with other people, and a ground impact is more likely to damage other body parts than my head first, lower probability of a concussion.  The padding in the Boneheads (I had two Black Mambas and an AERO before) provided enough protection when I had a fast forward landing, especially around the chin.  The helmet was trashed but I had no injuries.  Just ensure it's thick and snug.

The Dynamic looks cooler than the Cookie G4, but that's a personal preference...

My $0,02 -- blue skies!

1 hour ago, sansevan said:

Peronne !

http://www.parachute-peronne.fr/

At Aérodrome de Péronne Saint-Quentin

4000m, will be open the 08 Aug (if weather is ok, of course), Cesna supervan, 28 euro the plane ticket, 10 for rig renting, 6 for pack ticket

They have rental rig from 170 to 260. Beware french regulations regarding main canopy size if you come with your rig : https://www.ffp.asso.fr/tailledevoile/

put your naked weight in kilo, your jumps number and discover the minimum main canopy size. you could get 11% less if DZO accept it (flight 1 courses by example). Some people, including the DZO, speak english. If your profile is accurate, 3000 jumps and 170 canopy is ok

1h30 drive from paris. Easy highway drive

There is a facebook page where you may ask for more info

Thanks, sansevan!

I wasn't aware of the French regulations, looking them up (should be fine).  I'll bring my own gear.  My profile is accurate and the flight calculator puts me square in the green.

Thanks and have a successful week!

Hi!

I'm looking for busy DZs within a ~2 hour drive from Paris, offering jumps at altitude >= 13,000 ft / 4,000 on 08.Aug.2019.  Planning 4 to 8 dives, if the DZ is busy enough.  Do you have any recommendations?

Thanks in advance and blue skies!

E

ORGANIZERS:

Ian Durrel:
Ian has over 3,000 skydives and has been in the sport almost 8 years now. With hundreds of hours as a tunnel instructor this "Captain of Mayhem" is sure to organize some next level skydives! His jumps will cover all ranges of flying from freeflying to angle jumps. Ian has been on the west coast for a few years now so this shredder is no stranger to the California lyfestyle. His favorite food rhymes with LUCY and says he doesn't like wiener flavored popsicles!

Becky Jose:
Becky has been in the sport almost 20 years with over 3,000 skydives and has been apart of 3 world records! She's got time in the tunnel but "has more time in Ian's mom" She will be organizing fun jumps extreme so whatever fits your flavor from beginner belly to advanced freefly! Her Home DZ is all the way out in North Dakota at Skydive Fargo so she's practically a Canadian, dontchya know!? Her Favorite food is free food..... and cheesecake (ask for cheesecake criteria list) She's one classy B!t$h so come shred the skys with this BA chica!

Mad John:
Mad John has been in the sport 39 years! With almost 13,000 skydives he is known for his awesome belly formation skydives and being an outright legend in our sport! He's been apart of 6 world records and doesn't plan on stopping there. His favorite food is.....well, anything paired with red wine Over those 39 years he's managed to make some pretty awesome friends including the MUFF BROTHERS, Freak brothers, Cunning linguists (ask him about them if your up for the challenge) Team Cypress, Team Advil, freefowl, and JOS. He will be around all weekend organizing anything from beginner to advanced belly jumps! So come "get down" with this legend of legends!

Chris Geiler:
Chris has over 4700 skydives, 2600 of those are in a wingsuit! He has been in the sport for 9 years and has all sorts of medals including, 2016 World Champion, 2017 World Cup Champion, 2018 World Championship silver medalist, 2 time U.S National Champion! He is a current "Next Level" Instructor and Squirrel Coach examiner as well! Chris will be organizing fun formations for all suit sizes and putting together some more challenging dive flows for highly experienced pilots. His home DZ is Lodi and he loves any food of the SPICY variety. Come get your wings flappin with this rad flyer!

Karen Bodin and Jeff Bodin:
These 2 awesome organizers come as a next level duo! Jeff has almost 2,000 skydives and Karen is not far behind with over 1,200. They have both been a part of world records and have plenty of tunnel time so they are ready to shred it up with all of you at the Boogie! They will be organizing bigger way skydives for the intermediate to advanced flyers. These 2 love birds got married in the sky so they are used to bringing AND drawing a crowd in our giant playground! Bring your Big Boy (or Big Way) pants, and come get organized

WHAT WE EATIN?

Well, I'm glad you asked! This years party we will be catering sushi for our Saturday night dinner! 2 of our very own Japanese tandem instructors are also very talented and well trained sushi chefs. They will be providing some of the freshest fish around with a variety of rolls and nigiri cuts AND even a veggie option for all you non meat eaters! We've got Salmon, Tuna, Crab, Shrimp on the menu.Surely you don't want to miss out on this feast of the year! Be sure to register your food option on the registration form and bring your chopsticks!

MUSIC:

Thrown-Out Bones
Whether it be improvising songs, crowd-surfing, or pulling audience members on stage to sing along, Thrown-Out Bones is constantly pushing the boundaries of what it means to perform. Their classic style flirts with a seductive and gritty tone driven by powerhouse leading lady Liliana Urbain all from throne of her drum kit.

Come for a mix of rocking originals and your favorites from Queen to Johnny Cash to Green Day and stay for the opportunity to have your very own song written about you on the fly. Oh, and beer! Beer is always a big plus.

AIRCRAFT:

Aircraft 1
We will have our SUPER awesome caravan running 18 min Turns all weekend

as well as....

***Updated 6.22.19***
Aircraft 2
Blackhawk Caravan (18 seat)!!!
Due to a resent and substantial price increase we have decided not use the Twin Otter for this boogie.
Thanks to our friends up north and a shout out to Keri Bell and company!!! We will be flying their Blackhawk Caravan AND enjoying 12 to 14 min turns (72 Slots an hour)

RAFFLES AND TENTS JOINING US!

We've got some special giveaways this year for our raffle prizes! Including a ride in an acrobatic aircraft, discounted gear, and some awesome swag to keep you falling in style!

We've got all sorts of awesome sponsors for the event and here is the list is as follows for now....,

BirdMonkey Rigging
Aerodyne
Pete Maverick - Fallrush
Freefall Data Systems
Sky Stoked
SAFEISH Clothing
Die Epic
MarS m2 AAD Ukraine
George Gallegos
Kiss Helmet
Vertical Suits
PD Factory Team
Cookie Helmets
CAOS Suits Ireland
Anthony TJ Landgren
Mad Johnhn
Firebird Skydiving
Merit aka Sigma
Tapped Apple Cider
Augusto Bartelle (Colorful Jerseys)
Skydive Wings
Vigil AAD

Update:  we found these DZs so far -- very friendly and accommodating:

• Skydive Utah
• Skydive Orange Skies, CO
• Paracaidismo Celaya, Celaya Gto MX

One of these should work out -- thanks!

I jumped and used the tunnel there, last year when I was training for the USPA National Speed Skydiving Championship, and plan to return to Krutitcy this year around July.  Great facilities, great staff, the rental gear is in great shape, etc.  They also have some bungalows, and the nearby town is big enough to not lack any of the basics.  The drive from Moscow sucks a little, but the skydiving experience more than makes up for any other shortcomings.  Cheers to Yuri, Nataliya, and Nastya (with the gear/apparell store) -- everyone made me feel super-welcome :* <3

Hi!

We're looking for a DZ that meets these criteria:

• 3,000' MSL or higher
• Welcomes up jumpers
• Has a Supervan or similar aircraft capable of taking loads to 12,000' AGL
• Open 17-19 May or 21-23 May, 2019
• Preferably somewhere in US west or Pacific northwest (not a hard requirement; nice to have)

We need a place to train before the ISSA World Series meet 3 at Skydive Saulgau, DE -- they have a 3,500' AMSL elevation.

Thanks in advance and I look forward to your recommendations!

pr3d4t0r

16 hours ago, cjwilt said:

Have you checked around for some high quality velcro? You could have a rigger help with changing it out with something better. My 2 cents.

Indeed I have — I spoke with Birdmonkey Rigging after I posted this.  They’ll make me a custom “forearm” mount for FlySight (I need one of those too) and we’ll explore these options for the altimeter when me meet today at the DZ:

• Velcro replacement
• Build a custom wrist mount, using an old LB wrist mount as organ donor
• Build a custom glove, using the altimeter holder from an old LB wrist mount as organ donor

Thanks for your suggestion — that might have the highest benefit with the lowest effort invested.

Blue skies and have a great weekend!

pr3d

Have a look at Icaro helmets -- they have a whole family of helmets for paragliding, some very nice stuff.

https://www.icaro2000.com/products/helmets/All-helmets/All-helmets.htm

Max Hurd, UK speed skydiving champion, uses an Icaro helmet for our discipline -- the judges allow it, the helmet is beautiful though, in his own words, a bit "hard to fly".  Here's the paragliding helmet he uses for skydiving:

https://eugeneciurana.com/fotki/i.php?/upload/2019/04/09/20190409114750-e4af8805-xl.jpg

If you want an "impact rated helmet for skydiving" wait for the Cookie G4 - it's a full face helmet and it has the same impact rating as the paragliding helmets you find in Europe.  I don't recommend the Tonfly TFX because they misrepresent a modular helmet as a full face helmet.  For a helmet to be classified as "full face" the whole body of the helmet must be molded together.  Modular helmets (e.g. a helmet with a hinge for lifting the chin bar + face shield in one motion) are considered less safe because they can open on impact.

There exists a "gold standard" helmet testing organization, the Snell Memorial Foundation, whose mission is to test helmets for safety across multiple sports.  No skydiving helmet has ever been submitted/passed their test.  The full face vs modular (e.g. where the Cookie and the TFX impact rated helmets stand) analogous helmets would be in motorsports categories -- and no modular helmet ever passed their safety tests for a chin impact.  That's why I'm of the opinion that, given what we know about full face vs modular helmets and impacts from other domains, the Cookie G4 will be a better choice.

I've suggested in other threads that Cookie and Tonfly submit their helmets to Snell for certification.  If either got a Snell rating I would buy it as soon as it's issued.

Disclaimer:  I own neither Cookie nor Tonfly helmets, nor am I involved with the Snell Memorial Foundation, nor am I connected with any of the above in any meaningful way.  I fly Bonehead AEROs with heavy electronics enhancements and I'm a certified motorcycle riding safety instructor -- and yes, everything I said in this post other than the Icaro info and links is pure opinion.

Blue skies!

pr3d4t0r

Hi!

I'm looking for a good quality Ares II wrist mount.  LB wrist mounts last me about 60 speed jumps before the Velcro loses its grip and the straps are too frayed to hold it.  At one point I had to "catch" the altimeter in free fall by closing my fist when it came lose during my slowdown to deployment altitude because the strap opened.

Photo of frayed LB straps, 60 jumps on the rattier one, 52 on the better looking one, both have lost Velcro grip.

https://eugeneciurana.com/fotki/i.php?/upload/2019/04/11/20190411063347-957e7909-la.jpg

Comparison:  Alti-2 original wrist strap with 8 years of jumping and many track/high speed skydives:

https://eugeneciurana.com/fotki/_data/i/upload/2019/04/11/20190411063345-754b88d5-la.jpg

Someone mentioned to me at Skydive Algarve that there might be a third-party, "glove" mount for the Ares II -- I can't find such thing.  Please share your recommendations.

Thanks in advance and blue skies!

pr3d4t0r

4 hours ago, Bicyclejim said:

A worthy book:  John Derosalia  Mental Training for Skydiving and Life.  Copies are available on Amazon.  He worked with several teams in the late 90's.  I have no idea what he's doing now.  I met him at a competition.  He's a really nice guy and I could see how he would be good to work with.  He still has a website: skymindschool.com.  

Hi Bicyclejim!

I have his book, not sure if he works with remote new clients.  Looking him up again (I got the book and did my initial research on him on Hurd's recommendation from his video).  Thanks!

Also engaging others.  I'll make a decision by tomorrow.  Need to get over a cold and get busy.

Blue skies!

pr3d

20 hours ago, TsunamiGilligan said:

Brian Germain should be able to help you out. His website is https://www.adventurewisdom.com/

 

Awesome - thanks, TsunamiGilligan!  Contacting Brian today.

Hello!

Looking for a referral - have you worked with a sports psychologist with experience in competitive skydiving and whom you'd recommend?  My skydiving mental game needs to improve at the same rate as the actual flying.  I'm super-lucky having a great flying coach, would love a recommendation of a good sports psychologist with whom you've worked.

Requirements:

• San Francisco Bay Area based if possible OR must support remote video/phone/audio coaching
• Actual experience coaching athletes in extreme sports - they don't all have to be skydivers; martial arts, motor sports, college/professional football, rock climbing, skiing - all welcome

Thanks in advance, looking forward to hearing from you.

Have a successful week and blue skies!

pr3d

 

 

Hi mathrick!

I'll look for more -- it went to Javelin heaven on 22.Dec.2018, when we took this photo.  My new CURV v2.0 rigs arrived and I flew/tested them last weekend.

J3 modifications:

• Removed the leg pilot chute pocket
• Tightened the BOC pocket
• Added a bridle flap to the bottom flap
• Replaced the pilot chute hacky with pilot chute with free fly handle
• Replaced the chest strap with a longer one
• Worked with my rigger to ensure that the reserve was as slim as possible
• Replaced originals with 23" Chutingstar risers (canopy modification, but it affected the rig by providing a tighter packing with those ugly red toggles pushing against the reserve)
• Riser covers were enhanced with three loops of masking tape before every jump (enough friction to prevent them from opening during a tumble, not enough force to prevent the main from deploying)
• Extra rubber bands complemented the elastic loops for the leg and chest straps -- no flappy drag

I think that covers everything.  The new CURV 2.0 configs were custom built (RI was super-helpful in nailing every detail).  The biggest changes were:

• Back to rig OEM risers - the Chutingstar 23" risers are too long to reach, and the red front toggles are a pain to pack
• Pull out pilot chute
• RSL + Mojo

Cheers!

pr3d4t0r

Hola.

Contact Bay Area Skydiving +1 925 634 7575 and check with the DZO Shaun and/or the S&TA Adam.  It's been allowed in the past for experienced divers.  Not sure about their current policy, though I suspect that jumper experience will weigh in the decision there and at other DZs.

Blue skies!

Hello!

Here's the ISSA World Series 2019 speed skydiving event calendar:

Alvor, PT - 5-7 Apr 2019, https://www.skydivealgarve.com/

Fano, IT - 10-12 May 2019, http://www.skydivefano.com/

Saulgau, DE - 30 May - 2 June 2019, http://www.skydive-saulgau.de/

Zwartberg, BE - 22-23 Jun 2019, http://www.pcv.be/

There are expected rule changes after the IPC Plenary Meeting at the end of January. No SMD has been approved for 2019.

More infos: http://www.speed-skydiving.com/index.php/home/issa-board-notice/298-speed-skydiving-season-2019

Blue skies!

Good job!

The fast change in air pressure causes the barometric inaccuracies. We’ve seen readings of 300+ mi/h on a barometric SMD that result in 230-250 mi/h on GPS. The higher the change in pressure, the greater the inaccuracy.

Try borrowing a FlySight from a friend. Ensure it’s active, then put it anywhere in your body (back of the helmet and gaffer tape works well — we used this for tracking competitions with Bionic Avionics’ blessing) and measure again.

Compare the results vs barometric, let us know.

For speed competitions, by the way, current rules state that you measure the mean vertical speed within a window. V = 0.5*(Vend+Vstart) for current purposes.

Cheers and let us know!

Hi!

Barometric speed measurement devices (SMDs) are very inaccurate in general. The current best practice is the use of GPS SMDs. There are formal proposals now to replace the ProTrack with FlySight for formal competitions.

Most barometric SMDs use a Bosch sensor and similar firmware. Whether you use a ProTrack, a ColoAlti/SonoAlti, or an Ares II you're getting the same readings, the same data across all of them. I expect the Alti-2 Atlas to have the same sensor.

We conducted tests (25 jumps) comparing Ares II, ProTrack, ColorAlti, and FlySight, all worn by the pilot during the same speed skydiving jump. The barometric altimeters were all sensitive to wobbles and tumbles, erroneously reporting altitude spikes.

So - if you're looking for a good altimeter -- Alti-2 is the way to go. It'll be as accurate as anything else on the market at a similar or higher price point.

If you're looking for accurate speed measurements you'll be better off with a FlySight.

Cheers!

pr3d

carvai

6 & 7 April, Alvor Portugal. If you came from USA I suggest fly to Lisbon and rent a car. Two and half hours drive and cheap accomodantion and food.

Awesome - thank you! I’ll reach out to the DZ for details.

Blue skies!

pr3d4t0r

Hi, Everyone!

Can you please share information on the speed skydiving competitions upcoming in 2019? ISSA/speed-skydiving.com seems to be down. My team plans on attending as many as we can (worldwide). Other than the 2019 USPA National Skydiving Championships we know of no other confirmed dates/locations. The FAI schedule appears to be incomplete (or speed skydiving is rolled into some other event).

Thanks in advance and blue skies!

pr3d

Quote

Curious what the reason for this advice is, if you wouldn't mind elaborating...

What EnricoPalazzo said, up to a point. You want your rig to be as tight as possible. Anything that flaps or is otherwise out of place is a no-no; at best it'll slow the pilot down by bleeding kinetic energy, at worst it may lead to a premature deployment if the pilot tumbles with enough force.

If anyone is interested I'll post photos later of my 1994 Javelin J3 with all the modifications we made to it for speed skydiving competition. In a nutshell:

* New reserve pack and new main parachute, new lines -- tight packing
* Added: freefly bridle side flap
* Replaced: pilot chute, bridle, soft freefly handle (old - hacky)
* Replaced: longer chest strap
* Replaced: chest and leg strap elastic loops
* Extra careful reserve packing to ensure no reserve material is visible
* Modified: rerouted RSL and teflon cutaway to minimize exposure
* BEFORE EVERY JUMP: loop masking tape twice around the riser covers

Our riggers at Bay Area Skydiving made the modifications with Sun Path, NZ Sports, and PD engineering review; USPA competition judges OK'd them.

On ground tests against a rig with magnets, my old J3's riser covers were about as tight as in a new free fly rig (I think it was a Vector) with magnets. We could've used a dynamometer to measure the force required to open them, but rigger was happy. Tight as they were, one or the other would some times pop open at high speed (>= 325 km/h) during a wobble.

The masking tape over the riser covers and flaps is a must. It provides enough friction to stop them from opening without jeopardizing normal openings.

I haven't had a single incident of open riser covers on wobble or tumble since we incorporated the masking tape, around 40 jumps ago. Before that I had about one out of every 8 jumps. That's from a total of ~150 jumps since I began to learn how to speed skydive (and I wasted about 70 jumps doing all the wrong things!).

Even with magnets I will continue to tape the riser covers in the new rigs. No reason not to, it's now part of the pre-jump check list, and it offers a bit more peace of mind.

Blue skies!

pr3d

Hi Kristian_AUS!

Thanks for your detailed reply.

Quote

I'm not familiar with body position in Speed Skydiving, so this may not impact you. For regular jumps I'm happy with the Curv.

This is the body position; steeper now than when the photo was taken. After doing some math it looks like the optimal angle of attack is 85º with respect to the ground; right now I'm flying my J3 at around 70º - 75º, working on improving a few things:

https://eugeneciurana.com/fotki/_data/i/upload/2018/09/20/20180920145353-71a88329-xl.jpg

Air pressure is on my head, shoulders, and upper chest, the rest of my body is in the burble; air pressure anywhere else means I fly slower than I want. My current rig is a 1995 Javelin J3 with heavy free fly customization (free fly pull, bridle flap, new chest straps, masking tape over shoulder flaps before every speed jump, etc.) that our pals from Sun Path engineering and USPA vetted for competition since I couldn't get my hands on the new gear in time for USPA nationals.

The canopies for the CURVs will be a Safire 3 169 and a Sabre 2 170, both with PD 160 reserves. I spoke with Scott at RI this morning, chatting with my rigger later about next steps.

Your comments are very helpful, I'll bring them to the conversation with them later today.

Take care and blue skies!

pr3d