flipper 0 #1 March 25, 2003 I did the training ...I got the suit...I did the jump Ive wanted to do the birdman thing for a while now...and have eventually done it....man it is the best thing ever....nothing can describe it.... the suit I used was the GTi version...which leads me to a couple of questions.... is there a big difference between the classic and the GTi...? I can see that the skyflyer is visibly bigger in the wing department...Ive ordered a GTi ...but am now wondering if i should have ordered the skyflyer...what do you all think... my seconed jump from 9.5K to opening at 6.5K....for the 3 thousand feet of freefal i got 37 seconds in the air and a fallrate of 55 mph....is this good / poor / crap ????? Ive got around 1350 jumps..mostly freefly..80%...tandems 20% .and use a sabre 150 for this type of jump....openings have been good.. any body got any tips on improving time in the air...please let me know..? man I love this stuff ! Flipper Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TomAiello 26 #2 March 25, 2003 I only have a few (around 10) GTi jumps, so take this with a grain of salt.Quote...is there a big difference between the classic and the GTi...?I think there is. The GTi seems to fly far better than my Classic II. I'd say that it's more than halfway from my Classic to my Skyflyer.Quote...but am now wondering if i should have ordered the skyflyer...I think you made the right choice. The Skyflyer is fairly difficult to handle at first, and I think that makes it a poor choice for a first suit. When I started jumping mine (with around 150 jumps on my Classic II), I found it difficult to stay stable.Quote...is this good / poor / crap ?????Dude, it's all good. I wouldn't get too fixated on numbers. Just have fun playing in the sky--that's what it's all about anyway.In terms of evaluating your performances, I'd recommend looking at distance of forward travel, rather than hang time. You can get lots of hang time with a big ole camera suit--but you can really fly (forward) with a wingsuit.Quoteany body got any tips on improving time in the air...Focus on having fun. That's the only real way to improve the time you spend in the air.Quoteman I love this stuff !Me too! It's awesome!Congratulations on your first flights!-- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TB99 0 #3 March 25, 2003 Quote is there a big difference between the classic and the GTi...? Bigger wing, and actually the profile is different as well! Hopefully my GTi will be in today I can't wait! Skyflyer is like flying on a ball at first (so I've heard from a few people) and it's twitchy, you're better off with the GTi, like you did until you can really nail everything in that suit! There are lots of tips on this board if you search ... Keep your body de-arched, shoulders rolled forward with a nice curve in the spine, everything from your elbow to fingers should be nice and relaxed, for best performance, chin tucked into your chest. Oh, most important of all, ENJOY THE RIDE! Congrats on your newfound fun! I've completely stopped freeflying since I found this ... it's all I do now, it's fun solo or in flocks! Oh, and like Tom said, forward drive is pretty key to flyin this suit ... forward speed provides lift anyways Trailer 11/12 was the best. Thanks for the memories ... you guys rocked! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flipper 0 #4 March 25, 2003 Dudes.....thanks for the tips...i just wish that it was the weekend so I could be doing it all again.... think freeflying will be left behind ....but I still gotta do the tandem thing...it pays the rent yeah i agree on my 1st jump i really seemed to be scooting across the landscape....with the second jump being more of a hanging on up there type thing.. its so refreshing to find something so good .... flipper Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
blair700 0 #5 March 25, 2003 Yo Flipper, I too flew the coop for the first time in my GTI this weekend. And as you said, bye bye freefly, but I have to do video, cause it pays for the wingsuit jumps!!! Nothing out of a plane even compares, I managed 4 this weekend and my last one gave me 72 seconds of freefall in about 7000'. However I did not feel my horizontal speed was very great, I only made it halfway back on the first 3 jumps from 2 miles past. I know I need major work on body position, what a humbling experience. The last one I just carved a huge sweeping turn over the dz and out over the lake, UNBELIEVEBLE!!!!!!! How about the way the plane just hangs there after you exit, and the quiet calm of the sky. I can't wait till Friday!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Congrats dude! Blair Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flipper 0 #6 March 25, 2003 right there with you on the quietness and the plane just staying there....one of my mates stayed in the plane to watch me go....i could see him just sitting there in the door laughing his head off....until he realized that he had gone way to deep..... flipper Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andy2003 0 #7 March 25, 2003 Also done my first jump at the weekend getting 59mph and 100 seconds from 15K. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ManBird 0 #8 March 26, 2003 I dumped all other forms of skydiving after my first flight, and have done only two "disconnected" jumps since. GTi will hold you over for a good one hundred jumps. You definitely want to start on no more than a GTi. Backing up another post on here, I have more fun going for distance than fall rate. It's really cool to slow down and get everything really quiet, but nothing beats getting horizontal mileage, even if it's at the expense of fall rate."¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flipper 0 #9 March 26, 2003 so frewster....when you ordering one...? Gti or classic...? I can see AG selling alot of these things now that theres gonna be a nice little flock of us scooting about the place... Flipper Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mjkoziel 0 #10 March 26, 2003 I flew a crossbow a few times. I flew a skyflyer just recently, and found my experience to be contradictory. First jump was very stable, not problems, did a 2way and I was shocked that people say they have problems keeping it stable. Second Jump was a solo and I was trying to go faster. Really played with my body position a lot. As a direct result of that, I found myself on my back (don't really know what happened there, any thoughts welcome) Upon recovery, I must have been tense or something(scared), because that was when I had a hard time keeping the suit stable. Either way, I flew a huge circuit around skydiveaz, and it was fun. Later, Matt Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SkymonkeyONE 4 #11 March 28, 2003 The skyflyer can and certainly will get away from you if you are letting it fly you. You REALLY need to have confidence in your flying ability in that suit. I can tell you from first-hand experience that the SF-3 is far easier to fly while at the same time having far greater "pop" and acrobatic capabilities. As an instructor, I would sometimes have first-flight students "pop" up on me when I was in my skyflyer. I would have to speed up to get the lift I needed to get back up, then hit the brakes and back up to them in order to give signals. It was actually easier for me to instruct when I was flying in my GTi. That has now changed, as there is NO way you can outpop me when I am in my SF-3. Chuck Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
