neiliss

So which one does it for you? I am sticking with my trusty PC for now (just got Flight Sim X and it rocks) but will definitely take a closer look at the PS3 and Wii. Cheers Neil

0:1:0 Damn weather !

Try Seether, they rock! Clicky to vid with seether music Cheers Neil

Doesn't ever get that cold in Sunny Queensland. We can skydive all year round. Cheers Neil

Get free stuff on the net rather like avast, adaware, spybot etc. and then use the 150 bucks on important stuff like skydiving equipment, jumps or beer. Cheers Neil

My first jump was a tandem in Swakopmund, Namibia in 2002 with Simon. What an awesome experience. Cheers Neil

Just to add, I have nearly 400 jumps including camera, rw and free-fly and consider this a pretty advanced suit with many new added performance dynamics that need to get used to. I am also very conservative however and with almost 10 jumps on the suit now I have not yet tried the leg wing insert with no timeline on when I might put it on. I find that it takes alot more concentration to fly the suit properly and with stability which I am not nearly ready to do on its own. I feel as if I am just starting to explore the suit and nowhere near reaching the limit required before adding in the wing. I would think that there should be minimum recommended jump numbers of at least 200 jumps and maybe even a bit of instruction for this type of suit. It is definitely something new and as such I would think that treating it as another potential way to get into trouble is essential especially for new skydivers who have not done alot of tracking. It can also potentially add complication during opening such as being more unstable and then there are the booties to contend with and the wing if it is in place. Of course there are many who might say that this is just another suit which adds nothing really new and anyone can use it but this is just my opinion. The suit is however great fun to use and for me it really feels more like flying until I graduate one day to a proper Wing-suit . Blue Skies Neil

Hi Arai, I got my Bird-man impact tracking suit last week and had a few jumps on it. Having no expereince with any other suits or with a proper wingsuit I cant say how it compares but I must say that I really enjoy the suit and it feels alot more like flying than just falling to me. I am sure that the PF suit is much the same and I am also looking at progressing from this to a proper wingsuit someday the same as you which I think is a great way to get into winguit flying for the more novice flyer. Cheers Neil

I spent the past week flying my new Impact suit. I am very inexperienced this being the first tracking type of suit that I have flown so I am not able to say how it compares to anything else. However I have really enjoyed using the suit. The pants and jacket are really comfortable and fit really well. In the air they are so comfortable and they seem to fly very well for my experience. I have no negative expereince with the suit itself. I have not yet used the leg wing attachment which I will use once I am more comfortable (I am very conservative) with the suit as I am still a bit jerky with the legs having never used booties. My negatives though are the leg wing even though I have not used it yet it seems to be very difficult to get on and off with the current system especially once your rig is on. My overall impression is that this could be a really great suit for someone looking to progress to a proper wingsuit but it does not have the complications that a low currency or jump number flyer has to deal with. You legs and arms are free all of the time and deployment is normal. I did a tracking dive with a guy at my DZ who is really good and he kept up with me okay but told me afterwards that I needed to adjust my arm angle to get the maximum benefit from the suit so I guess I could track much further. Hope this gives some insight guys, I am supremely happy with my purchase and look forward to every jump with the suit, hopefully I will put more jumps next week and then progress to the leg wing. Cheers Neil

Bird-man emailed me today to say that my new Impact Tracking suit has been shipped and on its way to me today in Australia. I hope that it will arrive and clear customs in time for me to use it next weekend. I will post my impressions as soon as I can to the forum, however being a total newbie and having no experience with proper wingsuits I am really not sure what to expect. Blue Skies, Soft Openings, Safe Landings Neil

That is a little bit worrying especially since this is not really a "WingSuit" and therefore does not carry the same requirements from the jumper in terms of numbers etc. It would be a pity to buy the suit and then not fly with the leg wing in place because of this. I have also not seen alot of info on dz.com about this suit, anyone had experience with it for skydiving particularly. Cheers Neil

The guys at bird-man do not seem to have any requirements for the suit in terms of jump numbers, ability etc. What do you think should be the minimum requirements for this suit? Cheers Neil Blue Skies Neil

Saw the backfly vid a week or so ago and tried my first real backfly this weekend after watching it. Very helpful video and I recommend it if you want to learn this new skill. Go to www.skydiveu.com and all the info is on their website. Cheers Neil

I have flown a Hornet 170 for over 2 years now and I really love the canopy. I often get really hard openings though. I find that I must do the following things no matter what or else its going to whack me (this weekend was a case in point). 1. The slider must be quartered properly (not sure of the correct term for this) in other words it must be as open as possible and not crumpled up in any way. 2. I must roll the nose fairly tightly. I was shown to roll each of the 4 outer into the middle nice and tight. Anyway not the best explanation but if I do this then I get a nice snivel with a positive but not a harsh opening nearly every time. I have been really whipped by this canopy in the past and must be very careful when packing it. Hope you get it right because it is a cool canopy to fly (imho). Cheers Neil

This is what I was expecting to happen but it doesn't. The manual is the same as the one that we have and the watch does not seem to be in barometer mode. I will pass on this info though and tell him to give it a try again and see what happens. Thanks for the help. Cheers Neil

Hi Lee, we have tried this numerous times as per the manual but it stops at around 1700ft and then just say "Def" which we assume is for default and when you look it is at some altitude like 4600ft or whatever which is possibly our actual altitude. I think that it is taking a baromteric pressure reading ASL and using that to calculate tha actual altitude above sea level. We cannot ever get it to go down to zero which is what we want of course. Regards Neil

Hi all, a friend of mine just purchased a Suunto Observer. He cannot seem to set it to 0ft or AGL. It is always in MSL mode it seems. As we jump at around 4100 feet above sea level this poses a problem. We looked at another jumper who has a Vector and he can set his to 0ft with no issues. Does anyone have any experience with this watch and how to set it to 0ft. Blue Skies Neil

This is my favourite DZ so far. The staff and DZO Mark are awesome and the views over the North Coast of Kwazulu Natal are simply stunning. I would recommend this DZ to anyone for Tandem, AFF, Coaching or just awesome 2/3/4 ways over the Indian Ocean. The weather is warm all year round. This place simply rocks. The only downside for me is that I have to travel to Durban from Joburg to visit them as often as I can. I am already planning my next visit. Neil Isserow B2394

It has to be my last skydive, and hopefully the next one will be even better. Regards Neil

How about Portugal. I hear the weather there is quite good and the DZ is cool too. I nearly got a trip to Portugal in March, but it was taken away from me (another story tho'). Check out their website, looks cool to me. http://www.skydive-portugal.com/ Wish I could go too. Neil Blue Skies Neil

Blue Man Group rocks. I saw them in Vegas in 2000. The CD is a regular in my car CD shuttle. Ciao Neil

I inherited asthma from my mother and have had it since I was about 2 years old. I suffered alot for years and was kept out of alot of other sports because of it. I took my asthma spray up with me on my first couple of jumps, mainly for psychological reasons I think, but then one day decided not too. I have no hassles on the plane, or in freefall and under canopy, however I do think that if I land out of the DZ I might be a little stressed having to walk all the way back without it. I am particularly concerned in cold seasons as that is when I suffer the most. I have also yet to jump in winter so I might take my inhaler up with me then. I would go with a pocket on my jumpsuit and carry my inhaler with me if I felt the need. No reason to be without it until you feel ready. Cheers Neil

I have just started learning to pack this weekend. I am hoping to jump my own pack job next weekend or so. I have a packer who I am really satisfied with, however I like to move around to different dropzones, and he is only at one of them most of the time. This becomes restrictive as he is the only person who I will let pack my rig. Hence the need to learn to pack. I started yesterday and I must admit it is really hard. I treat my packer really good, make sure he always has a drink and something to eat. My philosophy is a happy packer results in softer openings. He also happens to be a good friend of mine so that doesn't hurt. Blue Skies Neil

Cool, I have the exact same rig. Blue Skies Neil

High: Putting together a presentation for my CEO for a new business division for our company. Low: Having him leave saying only "I'll have to think about it" and knowing what that means High: Having my house fully paid for Low: May be losing my job, and might have no money to skydive Blue Skies Neil