musings of a newbie

[keithbar 1]

a few things come to mind after this weekend. do most people put on their booties and zip your legs while standing out side the aircraft or after boarding? and you have to sit on a straddle bench side saddle while in the plane right? does anyone else have trouble with the seatbelts while doing this? when you unzip the legs under canopy do you keep your legs straight and wide like your flying the suit? and to anyone that has the magnets to keep the leg wing up while your walking do you try to use the magnets while under canopy or do you just let the leg wing fly behind you?

i have on occasion been accused of pulling low . My response. Naw I wasn't low I'm just such a big guy I look closer than I really am .

[SuperGirl 0]

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do most people

dunno if I'm like "most people", but here's what I do

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put on their booties and zip your legs while standing out side the aircraft or after boarding?

depends. on cold weather days like right now, I'll zip the booties all the way when I put on my gear.
on a really hot summer day... wait until I'm on the plane.

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and you have to sit on a straddle bench side saddle while in the plane right?

sit sideways on the bench. that legwing really won't let you straddle the bench. We're the last ones out of the plane, so it doesn't matter to those exiting before us, they can straddle the bench as usual.

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when you unzip the legs under canopy do you keep your legs straight and wide like your flying the suit?

I guess here it will vary with body type and whatever feels easier and more comfortable to you... I usually bend my knees a bit as I reach to grab that pull-up tab and then straighten the leg as I pull it up to unzip. (if this makes any sense)

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and to anyone that has the magnets to keep the leg wing up while your walking do you try to use the magnets while under canopy or do you just let the leg wing fly behind you?

depends how low you are after deployment, how much canopy traffic you have to deal with, if you're too far and you need to start hanging in rears right away to make it back etc.
If all looks good and I have time to spare, I'll pick the legwing up and stow it. Otherwise I've landed with it trailing behind me, or even not unzipped at all (on one of the jumps I made 2 weekends ago... it felt so cold that I *wanted* it on

[Costyn 1]

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a few things come to mind after this weekend. do most people put on their booties and zip your legs while standing out side the aircraft or after boarding?

Out of politeness to other skydivers I always do them up before I get on the plane. putting them when you walk into the plane and before you are seated stops boarding right there while everyone waits for you to be finished, and putting them on at altitude is rude too cause you have to stick your butt in someones face while you bend down to your booties.

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and you have to sit on a straddle bench side saddle while in the plane right? does anyone else have trouble with the seatbelts while doing this?

I haven't flown any planes with straddle seats, but I hear people put their legs to one side.

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when you unzip the legs under canopy do you keep your legs straight and wide like your flying the suit?

Bend them, reach down to the zip and unzip. I don't make the wing any wider by spreading my legs. Does that help?

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and to anyone that has the magnets to keep the leg wing up while your walking do you try to use the magnets while under canopy or do you just let the leg wing fly behind you?

Depends on how much time I have and how much wind there is. If there's very little wind and I have to run out the landing, I'll stow them under canopy, otherwise you might step into your booty while running and rip it wide open (just ask Mccordia

Costyn van Dongen - http://www.flylikebrick.com/ - World Wide Wingsuit News

[DSE 5]

My legs/booties are virtually always done up before getting on the aircraft. My normal aircraft is a King Air with straddle seats. It's hard doing legs up in the front of the plane, it's sorta rude to be sticking your butt in the pilot's face or in front of a tandem (as Costyn points out), and sometimes it's just darn hard in a tight space.
My wingsuit doesn't have magnets. My Blade was retro-fitted for magnets, and I wish I had not put them on. They pick up dirt/filings from the ground and damage the fabric.
I'll usually do up my leg wing so it's not going to be getting in my way during landing, and also to reduce drag for those really bad-ass swoops (that I don't do) that are in 6-8" grass in our landing area. I don't like the tail in the dry grass. YMMV.

[mnskydiver688 0]

Because of the ladder used to get in the Otter I usually jump out of and the fact that an S-6 has a long narrow leg wing I am forced to zip up one leg on the ground and one after I get on the plane. I am not sure where the rudeness comments comes from. Just board quicker than everyone else, quick zip the other leg in the area by the door and then go up to the front. Butts in no ones faces and not holding anyone up. When I was jumping a Firebird the leg wing wasn't as restrictive so I would zip it before I boarded. As far as what I do under canopy I like to undo the wing and button it up. That way If I need to run out a landing I can, but I only do what altitude and traffic allows.

Sky Canyon Wingsuiters

[PhreeZone 20]

I put one leg on while on the ground so I can climb the ladder and sit anywhere that is needed in the plane (including right seat). With straddle benches I face the inside of the plane. I don't bend over at all to put on the other bootie, instead I pull my knees way up to my chest and put the bootie over my shoe while having all the material inbetween my legs and then straighten out the leg. It might take a wiggle or two to align correctly on the foot but this way I can remain seated the whole time.

To get the leg wing off I pull both knees up and reach down and undo the snaps and pull the zippers up as I push down on the legs. Under canopy I pull the leg wing up and shove it all in the rear air deflector hole on my S3. I can swoop the canopy as much as I want and it does not trail too much that way.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[DSE 5]

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Just board quicker than everyone else, quick zip the other leg in the area by the door and then go up to the front.

Small aircraft, 3 waiting tandems, hot loads on weekend...Otters are easy.

[mnskydiver688 0]

Then what do you suggest for someone that is unable to enter aircraft with both legs zipped? For those of us without those spiffy new suits with ultra wide leg wings?

Sky Canyon Wingsuiters

[DSE 5]

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Then what do you suggest for someone that is unable to enter aircraft with both legs zipped? For those of us without those spiffy new suits with ultra wide leg wings?

Get a spiffy new suit.
I had a really hard time getting in the King w/my Blade, but then learned to single-step the ladder, and no more problems. I could never get the legs all the way done up in the aircraft anyway, not once the tandems started piling in.

[bodypilot1 0]

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Then what do you suggest for someone that is unable to enter aircraft with both legs zipped?

I've walked up ladders, steps and hopped in without assistance thousands of time ranging from S1 to S6 without any problems at all, and have never held up a load zipping a legwing up in the plane. To me, nothing is more annoying then someone moving excessivly in the plane to zip up your leg wings....

www.WestCoastWingsuits.com
www.PrecisionSkydiving.com

[mnskydiver688 0]

I guess I need an instruction manual then. Or my own personal plane. For me there is nothing more annoying than someone single stepping a ladder... So inefficient!

Sky Canyon Wingsuiters

[mccordia 74]

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I guess I need an instruction manual then. Or my own personal plane. For me there is nothing more annoying than someone single stepping a ladder... So inefficient!

Much more efficient than somebody kicking the mime-artists (woops..I ment RW people) in the back of the head during their funny routines, while trying to stand up and get your booties zipped up.

And thats ignoring the added shifting around the plane you have to do in your wingsuit, with the added risk of pulling out pilotchutes etc.

JC
FlyLikeBrick
I'm an Athlete?

[mnskydiver688 0]

Who said anything about shifting around when everyone is in there? I didn't realize this was such a "touchy" subject. The only complaint that I have heard from other jumpers regarding boarding the plane and the ride to altitude is that us birdmen don't always come in pairs. Throw's off the tandems rhythm I guess. Anyway since my method is obviously taboo, I will quietly bow out and go practice the "approved" boarding method...or not. Hmm sounds like something out of a porn, "boarding method".

EDIT To all posts of mine... My technique only applies to Otters! If we are talking about the porn reference, only Beavers!

Sky Canyon Wingsuiters

[mccordia 74]

Its not taboo, and depends for a large deal on how full the plane is (and what type of plane and how people are seated) and if there is enough between the last normal exit and first wingsuit exit to put the booties on.

Im mostly stuck in caravans and C206s', where there usually isnt a whole lot of room to navigate through the plane without punching someone in the nuts..

JC
FlyLikeBrick
I'm an Athlete?

[keithbar 1]

thanks for all the reply's guys .. and gals I've learned alot. also reply to the edit. I'm sure when bardstown ky. was open there were quite a few w/s jumps made from the ole green beaver. but getting out if that one just had to be a chore.

i have on occasion been accused of pulling low . My response. Naw I wasn't low I'm just such a big guy I look closer than I really am .