Fall0ut

Yesterday I got my Havok Carve, only 4 weeks and 2 days (including shipment) after I ordered it. Can't complain.

That's like asking "Which car is better, BMW or Audi?" Just get out there and and get a test drive... in your case test fly

I voted Funk but would chose the Havok Carve over it, as well as the Intrudair Barracuda. Funk is still a great suit though.

Don't know if anybody posted this link from current issue of "Parachutist" already.. covers quite a bit http://parachutistonline.com/feature/game-changers

Bullshit. This is only required if you have a permanent residence in Germany. As for visiting jumpers, it is no problem at all with foreign licences. If you need to get the German DFV licence, it depends on your currency. But it's usually a quick and painless process. Theoretical test about German airspace rules and that's about it. Check out these DZs running over the winter: http://www.fsc-schwaben.de/ (Porter, check the website before driving out there) http://www.paranodon.de/ (206 & Caravan, check their Facebook if they are running) http://www.lsg-burgheim.de/ (small 182) Largest fulltime DZ is closed Nov-March, but this is my favorite if you want to jump a lot: http://www.skydive-nuggets.de If you got further questions, feel free to PM me

I recently got the chance to demo both suits for one day. I liked the Carve better: Transitions belly/back went effortless and smoother, it felt a bit more precise. The Funk is a great suit as well, but I don't like the Innie-Outie System at all compared to the classic "over the shoulder zipper". It is a bit more work to zip the rig in and one zipper got stuck and took a little bite of my T-shirt when I put the rig off after the jump. But no problems with sucked-in handles, that was good. On the other side I liked the velcro fastened leg zipper extension and the neoprene flex rubber on the heels the Funk comes with. The pull was easy and smooth on both suits, no problems here. One little thing: The Funk felt more sweaty on a hot summer day than the Carve (Parapak)

Today I have seen one in real life and was surprised that is has NO chinstrap and is only secured by a kill-line tensioned by the two levers on the front! It was not the right size for me to try it on.. hope to get my hands on one larger the next days. But I am not sure how secure a helmet without any strap under the chin can be locked onto the head properly without making chin movement painful.

I always wonder why no company has already come up with the idea to offer a skydiving helmet that offers actual impact protection with polystyrene-liner so that it can be used for base jumping as well. Paragliding helmets prove that the shell does not have to be extremely bulky to protect your head

Square1 launched their new helmet, the KISS and it looks like a nice Cookie G3/Bonehead Aero competitor.. a bit pricey though. http://www.square1.com/manufacturers/square1/p520.asp#Kiss Has anyone already put one on their heads and can post some review and pictures?

Little video related to this topic: Funk vs. Havok http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vxnlm_YClIw But I guess in this case "it's not the arrow, it's the indian!" PS: Demoed the new "Barracuda" from Intrudair recently. Awesome suit in this category as well, rock solid on its back and effortless transitions. Might be worth taking into consideration as another option.

That would be interesting.. maybe you will come to Germany next summer for this

Raven: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Raven/552532891508247 But I also recommend to start with a smaller tracking suit first. It's no fun having the suit fly you instead of the other way around. This article is worth a read: http://www.valleybasegear.com/blog/category/base-gear

Check out the attached picture. This guy experiences a two-out after deploying his main leading to a biplane with a twisted reserve. (broken reserve loop like the video title suggests?) Now the general rule is "do not cut away a biplane" because things could seriously entangle. On the other hand, the twisted reserve might behave funny and lead to different problems if it suddenly "untwists" .. maybe even a downplane? This guy got lucky in this situation, no entanglement on cutaway. How would you react? Cut away or ride that crap down? Video: http://youtu.be/t_JsVQ5eFSE

Square1 announced their new KISS helmet last winter: http://www.square1.com/manufacturers/square1/p1144.asp Maybe it's worth a wait. However, there are still no pictures or further informations about the release, and it's summer for quite a while already. Hope this does not turn into "vaporware" like the C6 Air..

Well but you should be fair... Matt clearly states at the beginning of the video: "They're prototypes, they barely fit them"

Not every company who runs factories in Far East countries is exploiting its workers or using child labor. If you don't have proof, it might be better to keep your mouth shut

Marl is the place to be! Fast Caravan and occasionally Twin Otter, nice people and great facilities.

I've got a Shark2 (it's available but still not on their website) but only 4 jumps on it so far, so still dialing it in. It's my first "big" suit after putting a lot of jumps on Phantoms, so I can't really compare flight characteristics to other big suits. It flies fast and agile (a bit twitchy for me big suit newbie), pull is very easy and pressurization is rock solid. Build quality is very good.

If your jump number 160 until now is accurate you should better think about suits the size of a PF Phantom3 or Shadow to start with - after you completed 200 freefall jumps and a FJC with a decent instructor.

Just seen this on a friend's Facebook wall: http://youtu.be/R1END2GkERM What do you think?

I got a regular PC and bridle in my Mirage rig and fly a P2 at the moment. No problems at all so far. Recently I discovered this article in which the author Matt from Squirrel has some valid points against using a longer bridle even in big suits: http://base-book.com/bridle-length

Yeah! I'm so happy to hear that! I just hope that some guys don't get Bill pissed again with being/acting stupid .. that's possible in small suits as well

I'm glad I don't have to worry about my physical condition.. I've been racing triathlon comps for the last 13 years, with the training including countless tough hours in the pool and doing BWEs, pullups&stuff

Thanks @irishrigger ! Would belly coaching in the tunnel be a big help as well? @riggerrob: Will do, being a Static Line Instructor (10 day course plus 2day test) is mandatory for a TI rating in Germany

Thanks guys for your honest opinions! I agree with you that my wingsuit jumps are more or less worthless for tandems, at least for the freefall part. That's why I decided that my focus now should be entirely on TI prep to catch up and to be ready. I will not start risking my and the students' lives being unable to get us down safely. My canopy skills are quite solid I think, I can reliably land within a 5meter/15foot circle on all my jumps under various canopies and conditions. But the thing is - how do I know that I'm "ready" in terms of freefall experience if hitting the required jump number doesn't mean enough. I won't know for sure until I sign up for the TI course and start jumping with someone strapped to me, isn't that right? Or could you give me some pointers, what I should be able to achieve during my belly jumps? A certain number of points during 4ways? Catching up to people after a longer delay? Flying in mantis and turning entirely with my legs? And how about some belly tunnel drills?