EppyNephrine

Yup, they are pretty neck and neck. So go with the cheaper one. The next step is going to be the more important decision though. Depending on which crossbraced canopy you want to end up on, you'll need to put more thought into the katana vs crossfire. The katana is more similar to a velo and thus will set you up for a better transition to a velo. Same goes for crossfire/JVX.

Canopy is my favorite part of skydiving! CRW is damn fun! Nothing like seeing canopies on all four sides of you connected together. Even a small 4-diamond is super rewarding. My most memorable CRW jump is building a 4 stack and having the guy on top pass beers all the way down to the bottom Swooping is another cup of tea in itself. Diving at the ground going really fast is a hell of a rush. There's some cool videos out there on CRW and swooping. I saw a video of a guy swooping through a hotel pool and landing on a beach that was insane, but also a little stupid. And another crazy video mix of swoops, crew (at low altitudes on HP canopies ), and XRW. Check out youtube, lots of good stuff on there. People are doing crazy things with parachutes these days.

If you're getting a tattoo of a swooper on yourself, that must mean that you've dedicated a good portion of your life to swooping. So why don't you just get someone to get a shot of you swooping and use that? Unless you're not a good swooper and just getting a tattoo of one because you think it's cool...

So what you're saying is that Mr. Chris Schindler has a list of safety information?

HAHAHAHAHA! What a sad, lonely, and angry cunt. I wonder if while she's lying on her death bed, reflecting back on a lifetime of failed self-righteous crusades, she'll realize that no victories come when motivated by anger and spite. Life is wasted when spent dwelling on the things you cannot change.

I think you're a little misinformed. The folks who started Icarus Spain also helped develop the original Icarus project 20 years ago. They split off a few years ago due to differences. Both companies' owners have been there from the start.

Absolutely. A business owner of any kind has the final say about what is and what is not permitted at his business. But to make a USPA rule that doesn't even give a DZ the choice is not right. I view DZs in the same manner as states. If a US state wants to legalize suicide, good for them. If suicide bothers you, then move to another state that better suits your interests.

I think you must have skipped over my post before the one you quoted where I state that HP landing areas should be sectioned off. Also, I fully agree that a person doesn't have the right to do something that may endanger you. However, if that person is engaging in an activity that does not jeopardize your well being, they have the right to do as they wish imo.

Kidding me, right? Take my GF for example. I don't want her to skydive because I don't want to see her get hurt, but if she desired to, then I would not say anything because she's an adult capable of making her own decisions. I don't want to see anyone get hurt. But it's not my right to police what grown, mentally capable adults want to do. It's not your right either.

Wow, talk about irony. You don't like the way you feel after seeing an ambulance ride, so you want to take someone else's right away to protect your own feelings. That's selfish... There are things that many of us don't like, but we can't just get rid of them because of the way a small group feels. We either need to learn to tolerate the things we don't like or simply remove our self from said thing. Don't like cigarettes? Don't smoke them. Yes, I agree that swooping can be dangerous. However, we can set rules in place to separate swoop areas from regular landing areas to help ensure safety. And if a swooper hurts himself, then it's on him. That's the beauty of freedoms. Now, if you want to talk about selfish, take a look at this video: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10201059735712428 I'm a swooper, so shit like this makes me very upset. People like you see jackasses like this and then start a campaign to shut things down.

He was sponsored by Icarus Spain, not NZ Aerosports. So the 'Fuck Yeah!' is irrelevant to this.

Crossfires are a hell of a lot more eliptical than saffires, and thusly way more fun to fly in the sky. Openings (including heading) are great as long as you don't 'over think' the packjob. However, given the highly-eliptical shape of a Xfire, when they start to mal, goddamn do they start to mal... A lot of folks suggest 100 jumps per .1 WL. ie 100 jumps 1.1, 200 jumps 1.2, 300 jumps 1.3, etc. And at 400 jumps, you seem to fit the model. Yes, the xfire is more performance. But it lacks the stupid long recovery arc that is associated with most Xbraced canopies and the Katana. I would compare it more to a Samurai or Stiletto. I don't know your specific canopy flight abilities, but I would say that a pilot around your jump numbers who is heads up and on top of his game would have no issue with that canopy.

Maybe that's his working canopy and he doesn't want to sacrifice openings by going smaller. There's a huge difference in openings from mid 80's to sub 75's :/

Unless you can chew your beer, it's not a food. And if you can chew your beer, well... that's some beer that I don't want any part of.

So far, every food that someone has listed sounds good with bacon. Except beer. But that isn't a food.

I know that the cut of the laterals on the harness makes a large difference (see this post: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=3359904). However, as far as brands go, I would be interested to hear people's opinion as well. Unfortunately, the population of folks with worthy opinions is a narrow one, as this is a question for someone with at least 4-5k jumps, at least a hundred jumps on each type of container they describing, as well as a bias-free opinion (which is rare in this game).

^^This. Hard jump numbers are the evil tools that internet-skygods on a self-righteous mission use to make themselves feel more deserving of their time in the sport. What it really boils down to is your 'knack' for flying canopies and how often & consistently you are jumping. These are variables that only your instructors and S&TA have a first hand glimpse of, so I would talk to them instead of taking advice off the internet to heart. Now, don't get me wrong, multiple opinions are always better than one, but you have no idea who's talking out of their ass, what their experience is, and what their motive is when dealing with people on an internet forum. If you're looking to buy a 170 and you have talked it over with your instructors that are familiar with you, then go for it. You can always keep it in your closet while renting a 190 for the next 20-30 jumps. Also, do you weight 170 with or without gear? ~1.1 isn't that much more drastic than 1.0, despite what many people on here will tell you. One large variable to consider is the altitude density of the dropzone you jump at. Are you at sea level with dense, moist air? Or a higher-altitude dropzone with a dry climate? **Edit to add** I wish I would have continued reading posts before making one. If what Goonies said is true, then it sounds like you're seeking one or two folk's approval to reassure yourself about the decision you have already made despite what folks around your DZ have told you. You're lucky as hell to have a DZ with a wide variety of equipment to demo prior to making a purchase. If this is the case, disregard my above post and stick to a 190.

Haha holy fuck, if that's him I'm probably going to have a brain hemorrhage from laughter.

Two: Canopy swerved in front of me on final with no indication There, fixed that one for you to be more relevant to the sport. If you have to dodge something on final approach under that velo, I wish you the best of luck.

I would first off like to shake his hand and thank him for risking his life to defend my quality of life. With that being said, one of the rights that he defended was that of a free capitalist economy, and the DZ's right to mitigate conflict between patrons on her premises. Do I necessarily agree that asking him to cover up the tattoo is the ethical thing to do? No. But is it her right to be able to? Yes. Also, in the article when he states "After beating around the bush for a few minutes entertaining me..." paints the picture of a skydive punk trying to verbally exacerbate the situation for amusement. Without knowing how the conversation went exactly, I'd be willing to bet that a different choice of words could have led to a completely different outcome. Remember, there's always two sides to a story. Before you go sending hateful messages to the DZO, keep in mind that the story may be completely different from what the soldier painted. Otherwise, you're no better than Fox news.

LOLOLOL. That is all.

Cessna 206 Soloy Turbine Pac, as mentioned above, heh. Especially if you're planning on a DZ somewhere decently above sea level.

Fuck OSX, fuck Android, hello open-source ubuntu: http://z4cellforums.webs.com/apps/forums/topics/show/8716249-samsung-galaxy-s3-with-ubuntu-12-04?next= Oh, and did I mention that the CIA wants to know EVERYTHING about you? http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/20/cia-gus-hunt-big-data_n_2917842.html With a custom OS and tweaked firewall, those eavesdropping sons of bitches are now deaf. Also, fuck Apple and their hidden agreement clauses that allow them to mine your information. EDUCATE yourself about how the government is listening in on your life so can you PROTECT your FREEDOM OF PRIVACY!

Not even close.

I enjoyed working for Bill in Lodi...