WatchYourStep 0 #1 July 17, 2006 This weekend I went to the Redemption Boogie. The main reason was to try out the wingsuit and I'm glad I did! It was a great time. Joan (Joni) Garvey was my instructor and she gave me a good rundown of what to expect and what to do if the unexpected happened. After our FFC for the wingsuit she suited me up in a Prodigy suit. Dang these things are hot, it reminded me of the vinyl suits we use to wear in wrestling to make weight. 1st jump was ok. The exit went well although the flight was a little rough. I did some potato chipping, but as the flight progressed it went better. My wave off was sub-par. (88 mph avg fall rate) 2nd jump was an attempted 4 way flock. Needless to say I didn't see anyone the entire time, but one gentleman said he was fairly close for around 20 seconds of the flight and then turned away because I was going a little too far from the DZ for his comfort. Wave off was better. (84 mph avg fall rate) 3rd jump was an attempted 7 way flock. I ended up not seeing anyone after the exit until deployment time. They were way off so I waved and deployed. The flight was starting to feel a little more stable. (84 mph avg fall rate) 4th jump. By this jump I was starting to feel when I had the wings in a better position. Turns were better and no chipping on the jump. It was a blast. (78 mph avg fall rate) 5th jump. 4 way flock. This was a great time. I saw the group out of the plane. I started to turn back towards the DZ so I went a little low. I didn't see anyone and then Nathaniel from Hinkley (SP?) drop below me looked up and then took off. IT WAS AWESOME! (78 mph avg fall rate) Thanks Joni and everyone else who jumped with me. Great time. Edited to change FJC to FFC "You start off your skydiving career with a bag full of luck and an empty bag of experience. The trick is to fill the bag of experience up before your bag of luck runs out." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The111 1 #2 July 17, 2006 Congratulations... please take this with a grain of salt but if you jump with 3 people on your 2nd jump and never see any of them, doubling that number for your next jump is not really a great idea. Consider focusing on solos and 2-ways until you are able to fly more stable and be more aware of the others in the sky. This is not freeflying, so "corking" is not an issue, but closing speeds in wingsuits can be VERY high and if there are a bunch of people in the sky unaware of each other, it's only a matter of time before two of them head for the same piece of sky. www.WingsuitPhotos.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WatchYourStep 0 #3 July 17, 2006 Thanks. The other jumpers were experienced and Joni (my instructor) was on the dives. I ended up low and that is why I didn't see them. Thanks again for the feedback, it was awesome and I can't wait to do it again. "You start off your skydiving career with a bag full of luck and an empty bag of experience. The trick is to fill the bag of experience up before your bag of luck runs out." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gus 1 #4 July 17, 2006 Welcome to the flock Jeremy Got to agree with Matt though, any jump where you lose sight of the rest of the group is just plain dangerous, wingsuit jumps included. Be safe out there! GusOutpatientsOnline.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dragon2 2 #5 July 17, 2006 Ditto on the bigger ways, please be careful with jumps like that. I once had a real close-up view of Hans' (Gadget's) Triathlon, because his group followed us out "try to stay with us" they ended up below us (as expected) but not BEHIND us! Hans slipped right underneath me and I didn't see him there (didn't EXPECT him there at all) until he let go of his pilot chute "Whaaat?!?" I veered off in a hurry so he went past me. Phew. Way too close for comfort. Just be careful, is all! ciel bleu, Saskia Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
