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dgskydive

What makes you a freeflyer?

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Mind set.

I'd have to say I know several freefyers that fly on their belly. I call them Cameramen.

I've watched some extremely talented and creative camera men that fly very freely all over the place. They come up with some very dynamic video.

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i agree with hookitt. Who was it that said free flying came out of just wanting to free your mind to fly how you wanted in any way without limits? I can't remember but anyway that about sums it up for me. I don't think you can give something like that a textbook definition, it's more a way.
Damn that sounds like some fortune cookie material right there.


"Skydiving is a door"
Happythoughts

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Sucks for you!



Hey!!! :P When I can fly on my belly at the national competition level, and then win - Then I'll worry about flying on my head or ass - I just wanna get good at one thing rather than be a jack-of-all-trades and master of none!
=========Shaun ==========


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I did not participate in your poll either. But I would have to agree with some of the previous posts that a "Freeflyer" would be considered someone who is able to fly in a controlled manner any which way they can meaning incorporating all three body positions (head down, sit, stand).B|
Would you consider some one who jumps out and stays on their belly the whole dive a RW skydiver?
Just because someone knows how to fly that particular way doesn't necessarily consider them a stereotype...
From my experience I have found a "freeflyer" to be someone who spends most of his time flying on his head or in a sit fly orientation and isn't worried about pulling points...


G

"The edge ... there is no honest way to explain it because the only people who know where it is are those that have gone over"

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I'd say you're a freeflyer, but in these cases you aren't necessarily more "free" than the rw'er. All I'm trying to say. It's 1 position vs multiple positions



Ive never seen an RW guy do a flip or cartwheel in his/her routine, but I have seen plenty of freeflyers do them while staying in a sit the whole dive.

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Thats pretty impressive to be able to do that and be a good RW flyer in only 215 jumps.



I just said I can get in those positions without a problem - I didn't say I could do anything else! I thought I would be a freeflyer, and I worked at it for a quite a while - Now I just do RW
=========Shaun ==========


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Ive never seen an RW guy do a flip or cartwheel in his/her routine, but I have seen plenty of freeflyers do them while staying in a sit the whole dive.



I'm getting the impression that you feel that freeflying is a more advanced and challening branch of skydiving. Do you really believe that Freeflying is more challening than shooting competitive RW? If so, I think you are being a little closed minded--
=========Shaun ==========


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I did not participate in your poll either. But I would have to agree with some of the previous posts that a "Freeflyer" would be considered someone who is able to fly in a controlled manner any which way they can meaning incorporating all three body positions (head down, sit, stand).B|



I cant say I agree that you should limit it to control in three positions ( a very valuable lesson learned in the tunnel). Wouldn't you have to include back and belly flying in there if it truly is "free" flying?

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Ive never seen an RW guy do a flip or cartwheel in his/her routine, but I have seen plenty of freeflyers do them while staying in a sit the whole dive.



I'm getting the impression that you feel that freeflying is a more advanced and challening branch of skydiving. Do you really believe that Freeflying is more challening than shooting competitive RW? If so, I think you are being a little closed minded--



NO! RW is just as hard. I was not saying anything like that. I just happen to love freeflying.

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So if I stay in a sit the entire dive on jump number 1 and stay on my head the entire dive on jump number 2, I am not a freeflier?

It not what you do on any one jump. To me it's if you can do all of them. Doesn't have to be all on the same jump. If you can fly in and control yourself in any position then IMO you are a freeflyer. All else are working toward that goal. Myself included.

Dom


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Maybe everyone should be Freestylist until the can go head down (then they are truly free).



Whats with this "really and truely free" junk??
Free of what? Free of being NOT head down? :S
What does that mean??

If you regularly attempt non-traditional positions, you are
freeflying, therefore you are a freeflyer.
Just like when I started skydiving I became a skydiver.
I wasnt a GOOD one, of course. Still not a good one!
I'm a skydiver though, cuz I skydive.

I dont have to be proficient in all diciplines of skydiving to call myself a skydiver.
You dont have to be proficient in all the positions of freeflying to call yourself a freeflyer.

We are NEVER truely free in this life B|

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Would you consider some one who jumps out and stays on their belly the whole dive a RW skydiver?

I would only consider that an RW jump. If the people can't fly in any other postions then they are belly flyers.
What we are talking about is, are you really a freeflyer if you can't fly head down.

Dom


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Ive never seen an RW guy do a flip or cartwheel in his/her routine, but I have seen plenty of freeflyers do them while staying in a sit the whole dive

That is part of a Style set. 360,360,front loop,back loop. That has been a competion for years and years

Dom


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Whats with this "really and truely free" junk??
Free of what? Free of being NOT head down?
What does that mean??

When "freeflying first started to get big. There where already sit flyers and people that could stand, Once people started going head down then the term Freeflyer started coming in to play. Free meaning you can fly in any position

Dom


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Ive never seen an RW guy do a flip or cartwheel in his/her routine, but I have seen plenty of freeflyers do them while staying in a sit the whole dive.



Have you seen Deland Majik? Watch one of their training days. Backflips before the side buddy block, and doing an upside down, inside out zig-zag marquis.

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You've indirectly confirmed my point. I've received training from members of both of these teams. Never were they concerned about teaching me how to fly a particular position. They were more in tune with their ability to control themselves aerodynamically. In my mind, these fantastic freeflyers mentioned have a mindset that doesn't restrict them to an attitude(in flying terms); however, simply relative wind. It should be a similar mindset on flying that should be understood first - that before attempting to get radical up there.

Know why to do something before knowing what to do.

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Being relatively new to the sport, my views may conflict with others...

I consider myself a freeflyer. I cannot fly headdown yet. I haven't worked on it because I want to be really good in a sitfly first. I can sit, I can stand, that's pretty much it. I don't want to just be able to sit, stand, and fly on my head. I want to be able to move myself anywhere I want in the sky, in any position. I don't think someone is allmighty because he/she can fly on their head. Many people can fly on their head, can stand, can sit... but cannot do much of anything from those positions. Do you consider them more freeflyers than people who have spent lots of time on one vertical aspect, and are able to move freely in that position?

I myself am not great. I cannot get where I want to be. I can do simple things like control fallrate, turn.. but freeflying is what I spend my time in the sky working on and I do consider myself a freeflyer... .maybe not a good one, but a freeflyer nonetheless:)

angela.



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In response to your quote...

I would still consider someone a freeflyer regardless whether they can fly on their head or not...

I would just consider them a limited freeflyer or still learning...

There are a lot of dives that freeflyers stay on their head the whole time...
Those are my favorite...With quite a few transitions on the way down...

G

"The edge ... there is no honest way to explain it because the only people who know where it is are those that have gone over"

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I don't think that just because you can hold a position (sit, stand, etc.) you are a freeflyer. I can do any of those things (though none exceedingly well :$), but until it becomes 2nd nature and until I have spent a good chunk of time doing primarily freefly jumps, I won't consider myself a freeflyer.

Until then, I am a skydiver who freeflies occasionally and loves every minute of it.

Shane

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I just don't understand that mindset.

You're a freeflyer. Because you want to fly on more than one axis. You're a freeflyer. Because your neck doesn't get stiff in freefall. You're a freeflyer. Because you understand the concept of manipulating relative wind in other ways than just with your front-side.

Help me out here people. Where is this coming from?

You are a freeflyer the moment that you DECIDE to be. HELLO!!!!! Anyone listening. :o

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FreeFlyer = Being able to hold a sit or head down position and intentionally docking another skydiver in freefall.

Until then = FreeFlailer:ph34r:

The funny thing is the AFF students I have gratuated in the last few years have all gone straight to what they call FreeFlying.
But whats really funny is sometimes after seeing them do a couple hundred FF jumps and then getting to do a FreeFly jump with them, I have found that they cant even hold a head down and mostly just start with a head down on the beginning of the jump and cork, then just go into a sit for the rest of the skydive......
What they need to get better is coaching from a FreeFlyer to become one.....
With being in the sport long before it was called FreeFlying, it was just called having alot of fun and going REALLY F**KING FAST:ph34r:


Just my .02
www.WestCoastWingsuits.com
www.PrecisionSkydiving.com

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Gotta chime in on this one.

Seriously. Who gives a freeflyin' crap? Go jump! On your belly, on your head, on your feet.

There was once a time when a 'freeflyer' was a painted toenail, baggy suit wearin', "Don't care if I die, I'm out first", bleary eyed renegade. And a 'bellyflyer' was an old redneck legmount big parachute wearin' MF'er.

Can't we all just skydive?

(To answer the honest question of the original poster - Honey, if you wanna be a freeflyer, you're a freeflyer!) :)
edited: Seriously, since when has 'mastery' been a prerequisite for a 'label'?

Action expresses priority. - Mahatma Ghandi

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