McDuck 0 #1 March 15, 2006 Out of (intense) curiousity, are there any ground launch classes or folks who operate out of North Carolina? After watching a few videos on the topic, I'm keen on giving it a try, but I'm not due back to California for a while.Kevin - Sonic Beef #5 - OrFun #28 "I never take myself too seriously, 'cuz everybody know fat birds don't fly." - FLC Online communities: proof that people never mature much past high school. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ZigZagMarquis 9 #2 March 15, 2006 QuoteOut of (intense) curiousity, are there any ground launch classes or folks who operate out of North Carolina? After watching a few videos on the topic, I'm keen on giving it a try, but I'm not due back to California for a while. If you're talking about getting a tow behind a moving vehicle... make sure you have one of your buds video it, I've seen lots of "crash and burn" footage of folks doing that... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
McDuck 0 #3 March 15, 2006 No, I'm actually referring to the Ground Launch school in San Diego, and whether or not anyone is doing the same thing in this area.Kevin - Sonic Beef #5 - OrFun #28 "I never take myself too seriously, 'cuz everybody know fat birds don't fly." - FLC Online communities: proof that people never mature much past high school. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ZigZagMarquis 9 #4 March 15, 2006 QuoteNo, I'm actually referring to the Ground Launch school in San Diego, and whether or not anyone is doing the same thing in this area. Okay, I'll bite... what's a Ground Launch if its not getting a tow on your canopy behind a vehicle... is it where you go out to a hillside somewhere with your skydiving rig and try to launch yourself under your main like you would with a paraglider??? *confused look* Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bob.dino 1 #5 March 15, 2006 Quotewhat's a Ground Launch ... is it where you go out to a hillside somewhere with your skydiving rig and try to launch yourself under your main like you would with a paraglider??? Pretty much. Lotsa pics here. I'm not sure how active this centre's gonna be, given that their two main instructors put themselves in hospital several weeks ago. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kritterchef 0 #6 March 24, 2006 Dude, not to say I am an expert, 40/50 gl's but here are the basics. Get yourself a worthless piece of shit, canopy and harness, lines black but in trim, and co ntainer with a leg throw out aka obsolete and cheap, the next is location, get to the coast and find an 60-80 foot dune that faces into the wind. Go out on a 5-10 mph day and learn to kite you parachute efficiently and consistently,once you can walk it around and keep it above your head usind brake lines rear riser and fronts to move it around the window, then and only then consider the launch, if it s at a dune or the beach you cant get hurt too bad, PM me if you need more help, but learn to kite your rig first, and dont use your skydiving rig, Be safe blue skies, Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
McDuck 0 #7 March 24, 2006 Thank you very much for the advice. It's good to know I shouldn't use my current gear for this. I was about to sell an old Griffin 150, but maybe I'll keep it and slap it in an older rig for this purpose. Thanks again for the advice. Kevin - Sonic Beef #5 - OrFun #28 "I never take myself too seriously, 'cuz everybody know fat birds don't fly." - FLC Online communities: proof that people never mature much past high school. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 2,990 #8 March 24, 2006 >Get yourself a worthless piece of shit, canopy and harness, lines black but > in trim . . . Agree with the shitty harness but not the shitty canopy. I tried to learn ground launch on a ragged-out 190 and it took a long time (and I'm amazed I didn't break something!) I'd recommend a largish 9-cell in decent shape. Doesn't have to be new, but don't use a Sabre 1 with 3500 jumps on it either. Also, many places have intro to paragliding courses where they teach kiting, reverse inflation etc. They can be very worthwhile. If you can kite a paraglider you can kite a skydivng canopy. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
grue 1 #9 March 24, 2006 Bill, can you think of any reason not to use my Fusion 210?cavete terrae. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 2,990 #10 March 24, 2006 >can you think of any reason not to use my Fusion 210? No, not if it's in decent shape. A large canopy with a flat glide is pretty ideal. I had good luck with a friend's Stiletto 170, but he didn't loan it to me very often. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
diablopilot 2 #11 March 25, 2006 Considering a large number of GL entusiests have broken them selves pretty good, profesional advice should be sought. Check out www.canopypiloting.com Also, don't do the ragged out canopy idea...pick something with some life left. Using your sport canopy however might be a bad idea as you'll be snagging it on all sorts of stuff, and exposing it to WAY more UV light than it normaly gets and UV kills nylon...---------------------------------------------- You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BrianSGermain 1 #12 March 25, 2006 I would contact the folks at Holister. There are many jumpers that routinely ground launch in the San Fran/Monterey Bay area, and many of them jump at Adventure Center. Talk with Adam or Maaco =Instructional Videos:www.AdventureWisdom.com Keynote Speaking:www.TranscendingFEAR.com Canopies and Courses:www.BIGAIRSPORTZ.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
McDuck 0 #13 March 25, 2006 Thank you for all the advice and admonitions. I'm taking all of this to heart and will be looking into it extensively before even kiting a suitable canopy. Thanks again for the straightforward advice on this.Kevin - Sonic Beef #5 - OrFun #28 "I never take myself too seriously, 'cuz everybody know fat birds don't fly." - FLC Online communities: proof that people never mature much past high school. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skydvrgy20 0 #14 March 25, 2006 Hey I am interested in ground launching and I was wonering where in North Carolina you are and if you hve found any good places to launch from? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
McDuck 0 #15 March 25, 2006 I am in the Fayetteville area, but I have yet to find any place to GL from. I'm supposed to visit Kittyhawk this summer, and I'll check out the dunes there with an eye for GL, but I'm guessing it will be a wash. However, they DO have hang gliding training out on the dunes, so you never know.Kevin - Sonic Beef #5 - OrFun #28 "I never take myself too seriously, 'cuz everybody know fat birds don't fly." - FLC Online communities: proof that people never mature much past high school. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
