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The Dolphin represents a totally new approach to rig design. Our secret is simplicity. By reducing the "bells & whistles" offered on many rigs, we are able to focus on other features like quality, function, safety and comfort; standard features on every Dolphin. Our streamlined production process gives Altico the lowest average deliver time in the industry. By reducing the cosmetic options, we are able to build most of your rig's components before you even call. So stop wondering when your rig will be built. At Altico, we've already started. -
The "Odyssey" will touch you where no other rig can with its new "cut-in" backpad (the lateral straps exit the backpad closer to the center of the main container, instead of at the corners). This feature of the Javelin "Odyssey" allows for the lateral strap to contour around the lower back, keeping the container snug against the jumper. The jumper and Javelin "Odyssey" move as one. High-speed free flyer, competitive formation skydiver, or weekend warrior, the Javelin "Odyssey" stays snugly in place. -
Westminster man who smashed window trying to parachute off hotel has landed an acquittal. Harry Caylor found a thrill to match jumping off downtown buildings -- in a first-floor courtroom of Denver District Court on Wednesday. A four-woman, two-man jury had just acquitted the 31-year-old Westminster man of reckless endangerment. "I'm about to have an aneurysm," Caylor joked, noting that the feeling was similar to what he goes through in as a BASE jumper. "Racing pulse. Pounding heart. Sweaty palms," Caylor said before hugging his friends and lawyer. Prosecutors had charged Caylor in a botched Oct. 2 parachute jump that ended with his smashing through a window on the 21st floor of Embassy Suites. They contended that glass fragments would have rained down upon a hotel concierge on 19th Street if she had not stopped to pick up a pen beneath a canopy. But Caylor's lawyer Gage Fellows argued that it was just an accident and that the concierge, or doorkeeper, was not in harm's way. Fellows also emphasized the precautions Caylor took before jumping. He also pointed out that there is no law in Denver against BASE jumping, which stands for Building, Antenna, Span and Earth. Those arguments proved persuasive, said jury forewoman Larissa Hernandez-Ottinger. "We felt he took a lot of precautions," she said. "He planned this out carefully. "Something did go wrong, which is bad. But because of all the precautions he took, no one was injured." Juror Cecilia Sambrano said she agreed that the concierge did not appear to have been in danger. And several jurors said they believe the city ought to have a law against BASE jumping off public buildings. But since no such law exists, they saw their verdict as a separate issue. Hernandez-Ottinger said the jury might have convicted Caylor if he had been charged with trespass. Prosecutors did not file that charge, in part, because a door leading to the roof had been left unlocked, said Lynn Kimbrough, a spokeswoman for the Denver district attorney's office. "I'm still sorry I did it, and I'm definitely guilty of breaking their glass," said Caylor, adding he had offered to reimburse the hotel. But he was elated with the verdict. "We're going to name a cliff in Moab, Utah, after Judge Doris Burd," the trial judge, he said. "And we'll name a cliff for every one of the jurors."
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A Jackson County judge on Thursday approved a $27.5 million settlement for families of the pilot and five sky divers killed in a Grain Valley plane crash. Engine manufacturer Teledyne Continental Motors of Mobile, Ala., is to divide the money equally among the six families. The company admitted no fault in the settlement. Circuit Judge J.D. Williamson approved the settlement after hearing from members of four families. Lawyers said it will become final soon after members of the other two families testify. The checks are to be paid by May 11. Lawyers said the $27.5 million was among the nation's largest pretrial settlements in the crash of a small plane. Plaintiff attorney Gary C. Robb said a separate contractual agreement with the company, involving engine overhaul manuals, was more important to his clients than the money. Teledyne pledged to revise the manuals. "From the beginning our clients wanted to remedy the engine problem," Robb said. "They have succeeded." The company denies any engine problem. Robb, who represented the four families at the Thursday hearing, said the March 21, 1998, crash happened because badly designed oil transfer tubes failed and starved the engine of oil. Smoke and flames billowed from the Cessna engine as the pilot tried to land at Grain Valley Airport. The plane clipped a tree, cart-wheeled to the ground and burst into flames. All aboard died. Robb said his review of the company records found 14 other cases of engine failure caused by such oil tube failures. The records only go back to the mid-1980s, though the company made engines with the faulty tubes from 1945 to 1995, Robb said. The engines went into small planes made by many different companies, Robb said. "Who knows how many other engine failures and deaths resulted because of this," Robb said after the hearing. Robert W. Cotter, attorney for the company, disagreed with Robb. He said the oil tubes did not cause engine failures. He admitted no liability. Separate from the legal settlement, the four families received letters from Cotter Thursday. In them, the company pledged to change its printed and Web site overhaul manuals to tell mechanics and owners to inspect the oil transfer tubes. Cotter said he would not comment on letters that were separate from the settlement. Robb said the pledge is part of a legally binding contract. Members of the four families said they never would have agreed to the settlement without the letters. Judi Rudder of Oskaloosa, Kan., widow of sky diver Marion Rudder, said the families quickly agreed on two things - a required warning and an even split of any settlement. "Our whole mission on this was to keep people safe," she said. "We knew together we could make a bigger difference, and we wanted to be fair." Brad Buckley of Independence, the son of sky diver Kenney Buckley, said he lost a father and did not want others to lose loved ones. Other members of the Greater Kansas City Skydiving Club who died were Eric Rueff, John Schuman and Julie Douglass. The pilot, David Snyder, also died in the crash. The Snyder and Douglass families are to appear at later hearings to finalize the settlement. Belinda Schuman of Lawrence, widow of John Schuman, said the families want to make it clear that a plane crash - not a skydiving accident - killed their loved ones. Her husband loved skydiving and had made 2,300 jumps, she said. "We got married on the anniversary day of his first jump; he said he'd always remember that date." Another defendant, Jewell Aircraft Inc. of Holly Springs, Miss., settled the case previously for $1 million, which also was equally divided among the six families. The company, which admitted no wrongdoing, did an engine overhaul on the Cessna 10 years ago. Robb said he probably would drop the case against several other defendants that include Whuffo III, the owner of the plane; Freeflight Aviation Inc., an aircraft maintenance company; and White Industries, a company that sold the engine. His investigation, Robb said, also answered the key question of why the sky divers did not jump out of the plane. When the pilot first radioed at 3,000 feet that he heard an engine noise, he called off the jump and started to land, Robb said, but by the time the engine burst into flames it was too low for anyone to jump. Judi Rudder said the question of why no one jumped had troubled her. "They just didn't know it was going to be that bad," she said. "They thought they could get down safely."
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ALEDO - For 20 students in Stacie Ragle's fourth-grade class at Stuard Elementary School, helicopter pilot Dana Bowman's visit Friday was an exciting learning experience. For one student, 10-year-old Kylie Houx, the visit was a chance to prepare for the fact that on May 8 her feet will be amputated. Bowman, a former Army Golden Knights parachutist who lost parts of his legs in a skydiving accident seven years ago, flew to the school in a Bell 206 Jetranger III to show Kylie and her classmates that losing an extremity does not necessarily mean losing ability. "It's not about disabilities. It's about abilities," the retired Army sergeant said.Kylie was born with a medical condition that retards bone growth in her lower legs. As she grows, her feet lean inward, causing her to walk increasingly on her instep. The problem becomes more severe over time, and although surgeries and medical devices have given her some relief, the best option clearly is replacing her feet with prostheses, said her father, Frank Houx, a 45-year-old car salesman. Bowman, who lives in Weatherford, was injured Feb. 6, 1994, as he practiced with fellow Golden Knights parachutist Jose Aguillon over Yuma, Ariz. The two collided at a combined speed of about 300 miles per hour while rehearsing a maneuver in free fall. An automatic device opened Bowman's parachute when they collided. Aguillon was killed. Bowman's left leg was amputated below the knee, his right leg above the knee. Since the accident, he has jumped with the Golden Knights, has earned a bachelor's degree in aeronautics from the University of North Dakota, and has become a certified helicopter instructor. He also skis, on snow and water, and scuba dives. Through the Dana Bowman Limb Bank Foundation, a nonprofit organization he heads, Bowman makes speaking appearances nationwide. He distributes information about himself and his foundation through a Web page, www.danabowman.com. Bowman told the students that he overcame the mental and physical pain of his injuries and loss and lives a full life. He uses modern prostheses of steel and titanium. His brain has allowed him to pick himself up and to do anything he wants, he said. "I've still got my mind, right?" he told the students. Turning to Kylie, he encouraged her about the pending surgery. "You are going to be able to do whatever you want to do," he said. After the talk, Kylie and her parents went up for a few minutes in the helicopter. Kylie, small, blond and shy, said she learned much from Bowman's speech but didn't quite feel like talking much about the day. During the helicopter ride, she talked away, her father said. "She was just rattling away on the headsets." Joanie Houx, 47, said the visit helped her daughter. "Kids get scared about this," she said. "When they see something like this, it makes everybody more comfortable." For more info go to Dana's web site
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Jim Slaton is widely recognized as one of the most accomplished canopy pilots in the world. Dropzone.com spoke to him and asked him about his involvement in the newly formed Para-Performance Pro Tour. We also wanted to know more about the Evolution Canopy Control School and used the opportunity to ask him about his thoughts on the wing loading and how small he thinks canopies will shrink. Here's what he told us and some more. Tell us about your involvement in the Para-Performance Pro Tour? I am the Para-Performance Pro Tour event director. Who are the drivers behind this new initiative and how did it all come together? Tell us a bit about the history. After several years of observation, it was clear that the evolution of the high performance canopy pilot was out growing our available competition circuit. I listened to what the competitor wanted and required. Almost every Pro competitor motivated me to build a tour in one-way or the other. What are the goals of the Para-Performance Pro Tour? What would you like to see happen in the next year, two years? The goals of the Para-Pro Tour are simple: "Provide intense, challenging swooping competitions in the safest manner possible for the evolution of high performance canopy flight". We have set goals and we plan to see them through. For example, none of the competitions or judging on the tour will be open for interpretation. Canopy pilots on tour will be ranked and competition records will be recorded. What do you consider to be the biggest challenges and obstacles on the road to success? What is success in the context of the tour? Three words: Participation, Education & Motivation Tell me a bit about the Evolution Canopy Control School. Elsinore Evolution offers professional canopy instruction tailored for today's modern skydiver. The school offers beginner, intermediate & advanced coaching. The school is the next step in the evolution of controlled canopy flight. Who's involved? How did you guys come on the idea? Elsinore Evolution is made up of Icarus Canopies factory team (Luigi Cani, J.C. Colclasure, Clint Clawson, Jim Slaton, Wyat Drews). The idea of creating a canopy control school is not new. In fact, professional skydivers have been onto the idea since the early 1990s and probably before. With the rising popularity of high performance parachutes and it's extreme canopy competitions, it's a good time to offer a structured alternative to learning the old fashion way. Any takers? Do you find that people are interested in formal canopy flight training? We have had a lot of students taking advantage of this program. Most of the students are learning the basics and several others are preparing for their first canopy competition. Who and how are you teaching? Who are you targeting - experienced swoopers who want to become great or will you take me too? The Flight training program starts with basic aerodynamics and then moves on to design parameters, flight environment, psychological approach, flight training & high performance flight training. The student starts the course based on his or her experience, learning objectives, and goals, etc. The school offers training for all levels of canopy pilots. How did you get into high performance canopy competitions? I started competing in competitions through a canopy manufacture. Parachute testing and just fooling around with my friends. What do you see as your greatest achievement in skydiving? That's a hard question. I guess I have enjoyed providing an additional opportunity for the skydiving community. I've enjoyed organizing canopy competitions for my friends and fellow skydivers. Besides swooping, what's your favorite skydiving discipline? I would have to say freeflying. I was part of the "Orbit Punks" freefly team and operated a freefly school before dedicating all my time to canopy swooping. What's your favorite canopy and wing load combination? ICARUS EXTREME CANOPIES. I enjoy flying at several different wing loadings. I can't tell you what my favorite wing loading is but I will say I feel the most efficient at around 2.3..... or is it 2.6? With your team mate Luis Cani flying a 46 sq Ft canopy and talking about trying something smaller, how small do you think we could go? Luigi & me spend a lot of time experimenting with wing loadings and airfoil types. I have seen Luigi load himself up with weights and fly the VX46 at over a 4.7 wing loading! However, Luigi is one of the best canopy pilots in the world and has one of the best testing grounds as well. There comes a point with aerodynamics that you start sacrificing one type of performance for another. When you reach a high enough wing loading for your airfoil type, you begin sacrificing lift for speed. The smaller the wing and the higher the wing loading, the more airspeed you need to create lift. All pilots need lift for a safe and productive landing. This is why parachutes flown at very high wing loadings don't always out swoop their competition and don't always land pretty. Overloaded canopies are not always efficient and are very tricky to land. However, just because they are not efficient doesn't mean they can't be landed safely. Technological advancements in canopy designs have open new doors for pilots flying at higher wing loadings with smaller wings. Future designs will make this opportunity even more epic! I feel Luigi Cani could successfully land an Icarus Extreme down to 28 sq feet! This is a bold statement, but I know he can and probably will. Keep in mind Luigi makes over 1000 jumps each year and trains daily in high performance canopy landings. He has some of the best aerodynamic engineers in the world behind him and is backed with the support of some of the biggest canopy manufactures in the business. What would you consider to be low, high, medium and extreme wing loading? Low 1.2-Med 1.6- High 1.9........Extreme loading are 2.0 and above What advice would you give someone just starting with swooping who plans to become good at it? Take advice, choose wisely who you listen to, train hard, stay current, be patient, make a plan, stick to the plan, explore all aspects of your current canopy before you move on, practice high speed approaches and new maneuvers over water, wear a helmet, don't panic, think ahead, make a smooth approach, make smooth inputs to the canopy, pay attention to what your canopy is doing, don't force it & BREATH! Thinking about the high number of people hurting and killing themselves under perfectly good canopies, what do you think is the most common mistake that can prevent a lot of these accidents from happening? A pilot needs to understand some basic aerodynamics. The pilot needs to know why canopies act the way they do when they do. If you understand the performance envelope of your canopy and it's limitations, you can better understand what to ask of it or what not to ask of it. To make things worse, the wind is never constant, turbulence is always waiting, density altitude is changing and the pilot has to deal with this all at the same time during his final approach. As a wise man once said, "Never initiate a turn you won't be able to complete before you hit the ground" About Jim Slaton Age: 30 Hometown: Amarillo, TX Home Drop Zone: Skydive Elsinore, Ca Year of First jump: 1990 Championships: 2000 Pro Blade World Freefall Champion, Para-Performance Games 3rd place-accuracy record holder-Distance record holder (321 feet!), PSST Caribbean Challenge 3rd place, 2000 Summer Jam Canopy Challenge Champion, Pro Blade Houston 4th place, ect Total Jumps: 3000 or so How many cutaways do you have? 20 (I'm not sure if this is a good thing or not) What gear do you jump? Icarus Canopies, Precision reserves, Infinity rigs, Cypress (waterproof housing) Pro Track/Pro Dytter, Jump Shack custom pilot chutes, Firefly jumpsuits, Bonehead helmets, Gatorz eyewear What canopies do you own or fly? Icarus Extreme VX 60,65,69,70,84 How did you become interested in skydiving? Through the military Who have been your skydiving role models? J.C. Colclasure, Rob Harris, and that older guy that always jumped with his dog at Quincy! What do you like most about this sport? Skydiving allows us the opportunity to explore the limits of human flight. What do you like least about this sport? Politics If you had to quit skydiving tomorrow, what would you want to do instead? Become an astronaut Tell us something most people don't know about you. I spent 10 years on active duty in the Army Airborne Ranger Regiment. In addition, I lived in Germany and spent four years as a parachute test jumper for a European company. Anything else people should know about Jim Slaton? I think I have said enough already, Peace!!!! -
First reserve ride, 63 jumps Javelin J4 (3 jumps) Super Raven II (only packed once) Spectre 190 (Demo gear--who knows how many jumps) I started skydiving at 18. I stopped jumping at age 22 when my dad died. His discomforting words about the sport became real to me, and I needed some time to think. After 3 years, I decided to come back to the sport. I learned that the most important things in life make you feel good. And for me the horizontal tango, big barrels, and skydiving share the gold medal, and I knew I needed a sky bath. However, I made a deal with myself, and my dad, that I wouldn't jump until I had my own gear. The only problem was I did not know what size main I wanted to get, so I am still on the demo program. I did buy my javelin, Super Raven II, and cypress 2 months ago. The sky was a watered down blue otter pop color. It was Wednesday. The landing area was muddy from the rain from the night before, so I decided to try the spectre 210. I stood up my previous two landings with it, so I figured I could stay dry and clean on my touch down. 3500 feet, look, wave, reach, pull. The spectre opened nice and soft, but it started turning when it opened. Broken lines danced behind the unstable turning spectre. I checked my altitude. Grabbed my handles, Took a deep breath, "Here we go". The cutaway was the first time I ever felt like I was actually falling during a skydive (what a cool feeling). I waited about 1 second and yanked my silver. The next 2 seconds where the longest ones of my life. By the time I looked up, there she was. I never seen her before, but damn was she beautiful. All white like a virgin bride spread out on top of me. My Super Raven II opened on heading. She was a little hard to turn. She moved a little slow (just like I wanted her to), but she flared real good. I did not even get muddy. I trust my Super Raven II. I am jumping again this week. I'm glad Precision Aerodynamics did their Homework. Take a good look at what you demo.
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I have had my Oxygen A3 for about a year and a half. I normally only wear it on larger RW dives and high risk dives like tubes and cats. While I prefer open air, I must say I really like the fit and feel of this helmet. I have never had the visor come open in freefall. In fact, the seal is so good it is difficult to close. Wind noise is almost non existent but I have to really pay attention to hear the exit count. While I have never had any trouble hearing my Pro Track audible, I must say I am nervous about it being on the outside of my helmet. They are a touch expensive to leave out in the open air like that but it fits so perfectly in it's port, there isn't much wind noise around it. Overall, I am very pleased with this helmet. I just wish I could take it off under canopy for the increased hearing that allows. I really love it on those cold days though. Now if I could only find some gloves this agreeable! Blue skies.
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I tried line twists in my cobalt 85 (load for 2) for bad position (purposed) of the my body in the openning. They were three twists. Good experience. To canopy it rotated slow and it let me to undo the twists without cutting. Until today I always had to do cut when line twists in elipticals load more than 1.4. More points in favor of the cobalt.
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I had a Sabre 190 loaded at 1.05/1.1 as my first canopy after the "student" one. I put on it about 110 jumps and now I'm moving down to the "150 class". I'm both very pleased and very annoyed by it. It flies VERY well, and even with such a low loading with pilot chute and slider collapsed it gives me quite a nice swoop. It is also VERY forgiving and easy to recover from nasty situations. I still haven't understood why on this and bigger sizes Sabres PD install 4 command lines instead of two (with stowing loops only on the external ones). That gave me few problems of loose command lines (thing that's never nice) while packing. I ended up having the loops installed also onto the internal command lines by a rigger. I've had a very bad opening about every two or three. No matter what I did, tens of rolls everywere or no rolls, spend 1 hour and a half packing it,use the tighest rubber bands ever, it used to hit me. The only things tha helped (a lot, actually) was installing a pilot chute the dimension of a tissue (no more hop-n-pop from then on...) and, best of all, PSYCHO packing it. At the end of the day, it has been a very good parachute for that phase of my "skidiving learning process". It forced me to learn packing, an be aware and try to understand exactly what was going on during the opening sequence (awareness that a lot of experienced jumpers still don't have) and flying and landing it has always been great fun. However, I wouldn't suggest it for wing loads a lot higher than that: nowaday on the market there are a lot of more modern and efficient canipies, made with the experience made with million of jumps on parachutes like the sabre. Blue Skies Alvi
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After AFF, I tried a Specter (sp) 230 and was not at all impressed. (probbably had alot to do with my skill level). After that I was presented with a golden oppertunity to purchase a used rig with a Silhouette 190. My firts try was a kick butt stand up landing, and I could not get over the soft on heading opening. I am a true believer and the folks at PD can boast till the cows come home. I love it!!!!
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With just over a hundred jumps on my 190 (loaded at 1.14) I am amazed at how forgiving and stable this canopy is. Just can't quite get used to the 600 + ft. It takes to open. Looking forward to my 170 . Track far land soft.
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After more than a year of testing, the engineers at Sun Path Products Inc, are proud to release the Javelin "Odyssey" harness/container system. In keeping with the tried, tested, and proven reliability of the world-famous Javelin, the Javelin "Odyssey" takes comfort, strength, performance, and fashion, to a new level. The "Odyssey" will be tested under the FAA TSO category C 23 (d), meaning that it will be drop tested to weights in excess of 300 lbs. The new rig features longer riser covers, eliminating any exposure of the main or reserve risers, but not hindering the opening characteristics of the canopy. New "anti-twist" technology main risers, incorporating plastic riser tube inserts, are featured on this container. The tubes are of a composition that meets, or exceeds, the test conditions required by the FAA TSO. The advantage of plastic tubes is that they can be "crushed" in a car door/trunk, and continue to function. The new "Odyssey" will also feature the Oetiker clamps, which clamp the release and reserve housings in place, thus eliminating the need for hand tacks. The "Odyssey" will touch you where no other rig can with its new "cut-in" backpad (the lateral straps exit the backpad closer to the center of the main container, instead of at the corners). This feature of the Javelin "Odyssey" allows for the lateral strap to contour around the lower back, keeping the container snug against the jumper. The jumper and Javelin "Odyssey" move as one. High-speed free flyer, competitive formation skydiver, or weekend warrior, the Javelin "Odyssey" stays snugly in place. The Javelin "Odyssey" features a new quilted-look, extra comfortable backpad, affording unsurpassed luxury while sitting in the plane or waiting for your load. New legstrap geometry is currently under evaluation and will become available as soon as testing is complete. The Javelin "Odyssey" also features split leg straps as standard. By splitting the webbing, and making the leg strap wider, the weight of the suspended jumper is dispersed through a larger area, providing exceptional comfort under canopy. The Javelin "Odyssey" will be available in new "space-age" durable fashion fabrics, previously unavailable to the general public. These new fabrics have been tested for over a year, before officially debuting on the 2001 Javelin "Odyssey". These new "space-age" fabrics include a leather-look fabric, available in black, navy, green, and brown. The colorful "houndstooth", a checkerboard pattern, is available in a variety of colors. Also new to the market, is our "Diamondback" fabric, which is a ribbed parapack fabric, where the ribs are in the shape of diamonds. The "Diamondback" is available in six different colors. We will have a limited supply of a funky "hologram" plastic fabric, which will be available for the pop-top and midflaps. Promotional material, and fabric samples, will be available in the near future. The Javelin "Odyssey" offers exceptional safety, performance, comfort, and fashion, from a company that has proven itself an industry leader in skydiving harness and container manufacture over the last decade. The Javelin "Odyssey" will premier at the PIA Symposium, and will beavailable for order after January 27. The retail price of the Javelin "Odyssey" will be $1650 and include all of the above mentioned features. For more info, contact a Sun Path representative.
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Dare to be a little different...The HAVOK from Bonehead composites features a unique solution to the Flip-Up visor skydiving helmet. Instead of just the lens being able to open, we have designed a RW helmet that the WHOLE FACE flips open. Fabricated using BH's rock-solid composite fabricating techniques, this all carbon-fiber helmet is just what you are looking for.... and the rugged, hi-peripheral vision lexan lens stays closed until you tell it to open. The HAVOK also features the ability to put 1 or 2 audible altimeters on the outside of the helmet and not have to worry about them sailing off in freefall or during a hot 4-way. The HAVOK comes standard with BH's ingenious Thermal-Fit liner, chin-strap closure and also comes with a new anti-fog coated lens. -
Over the past 8 years I had been an avid Stiletto 120 pilot. After some 3000 jumps on elliptical canopies I was offered the Crossfire to try. The openings were the first characteristic that impressed me. Soft and on heading consistently. From Thanksgiving to Jan 31 I've put 175 jumps on my Crossfire 105 and have the same openings time after time. The canopy responds well to both toggle and riser input, with good a recovery arc. Tried a few long spots with it and sat on deep brakes and it glided back very well with no major signs of canopy instability. Surfing the crossfire is an easy task with good toggle range to shut it down when needed. Overall a very good canopy that will be hard to compete with on the 9-cell elliptical market.
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Having been exposed to the parachuting propaganda of airlocks and so forth, I decided to jump on the wagon and ordered a 120. I could sit here and write a thesis on this canopy but instead I'll give you the meat and potatoes in 6 jumps that I jumped the canopy... 4 times I had end cell closures, which made me think this canopy is just another stiletto with locks, the opening sequence is smooth and soft, its when the parachute inflates in the final opening stage that you have to do a 180 because you had a severe end cell. But once its flying, the ride is sweet and fast, the toggles are responsive and ready to rock on command, the minute you dump those front risers this thing becomes a speed demon !!! yeah, !!! The landings are fast and controlled, the brakes are responsive and the flare is phenomenal, overall, I think I made a good investment, I would however,, like to have ordered the 107.
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I've read all of the reviews claiming problems with the liners with much interest. I decided to buy a Z1 despite these reviews because I liked the features, and also because I've not heard of the Z1 openning in flight. I've only had my Z1 for about six months and put about 35 jumps on it. I have yet to see any problems starting to develop with the liner seperating. Some things I don't do. I don't rip the helmet off my head without loosening the elastic cuff. I also don't hang the helmet from my chest strap using the safety chin strap. I also don't crank down the chin strap since it is only there as a safety. I love the helmet. Nice and warm, deadens the sound very well. It protected me when the otter hit turbulence as I was falling away and smacked me square on the jaw.
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Fifty-three skydivers have leapt off the world's fourth tallest communications building, the broadcasting tower in Malaysia's capital, Kuala Lumpur. Hundreds of people watched the jumps off the observation deck of the 421m tower to celebrate Kuala Lumpur's City Day. It is the second time in recent weeks Malaysia has allowed skydivers to parachute off buildings - a sport that has proved controversial in other countries. Base-jumping - or parachuting from buildings, bridges and cliffs - is considered more dangerous than conventional skydiving from planes and at least 39 people have died since 1980. It runs foul of trespassing laws in most countries, where governments and property owners fear lawsuits if there is an accident, and many jumps are now carried out in secret. However, Malaysia has welcomed the sport, which some say could be promoted as a tourist attraction. On New Year's Eve, 15 jumpers leapt off Kuala Lumpur's Petronas Twin Towers, the world's tallest buildings. Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad expressed delight at the feat which was watched by 100,000 people. The company which set up the event hopes to stage an extreme jumping world championship in Malaysia in August. Freefall Those taking part in the latest leap included skydivers from America, Australia, Malaysia, Sweden, Canada, Britain, Iceland, Norway, New Zealand and Switzerland. Each parachutist was expected to make 10 jumps from the 300m mark on the tower during the six-hour event. The skydivers freefell for about three seconds before opening their parachutes. "It's a treat to be here," said British jumper Nikolas Hartshorne. "Malaysia has done something that America won't do." "Getting a building elsewhere is very hard," added American Avery Badenhop. "But here, people seem to realise we should be free. It's our life, it's our fate." Malaysian officials say they recognise the perils of base jumping and all 53 parachutists signed insurance waivers. Rozitah Idris, marketing manager for the broadcasting tower, said he believed the sport would help draw tourists to Malaysia.
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I have one jump on a stellar 140 reserve(I weigh 180 out the door) and it was just 15 jumps after flying a pd143 reserve (what all reserves should be compared to). The stellar flew about the same as the pd, which is a good thing. And it actually popped up a couple of feet on landing, kind of weird on a f-111 7-cell. Just one complaint, the color pattern was ugly :)
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The Altitron Digital Altimeter is an advanced instrument offering new functions, but has been designed for ease of use. Its backlighted, high contrast display has been specifically developed to be clearly readable in all lighting conditions, while the compact and ergonomic case allows the unit to be used on wrist, hand or inside the transparent arm pocket of your jumpsuit. Using a common type of battery, easy to find everywhere, the Altitron is able to store information about the last 300 jumps, as well as statistical information including the number of jumps and total freefall time. It also serves as a watch/calendar and ambient thermometer. Always ready to jump, its low power consumption stand-by mode allows months of operation before you need to change the battery. The Altitron can be configured to show altitude or speed while in freefall. When used as speedometer, the instrument will switch automatically to altimeter mode below a user selectable break off altitude. The Altitron is designed to be strong and well protected by a 2mm sturdy and thick anti-scratch and anti-shock methacrylate glass, offering no optical distortion. Units of measure, mode, date format, are all user configurable to adapt the unit to skydiver’s habit. -
The many standard features make the Eclipse the choice for today's skydiver. You can specifically tailor your Eclipse to your specific skydiving discipline. -
I am a retread (second time around and started jumping in 1971 and jumped early ram airs) and have 1800 jumps. I weight 190 # and have aprox 800 jumps on a Viper 120 and 72 on my Vengance. I ordered my Vengance last winter then we had a demo 120 at our DZ, and couple of us jumped it. We had snakey openings on the demo. From what we heard this was not typical. I recieved my Vengance mid summer and was only able to get 72 jumps on it. My canopy opens just like the Demo - SNAKEY. It is fine in the snivel but when the slider comes down you HAVE TO BE FLYING THE REAR RISERS! It has frequent end cell closures and it will really turn up. Talked to PD and they indicate there are some out there that are not quite right. After two cutaways in the last 6 jumps, enough was enough, so back it went to PD. Its been back to back to PD for 2 months and PD says they will make it right. Now the good points, once it is flying I love the canopy. It is a solid flying canopy. It takes bigger inputs than a Stiletto ar my Viper but it is predictible with long fast dives and swoops. My Pro Ditter often goes off in my ear as I turn the corner to land. When PD gets it fixed, It will be a very good canopy.
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The Skymeter altimeter is built using a highly reliable mechanism, with accurate readings to 16,500 feet (5.000 meters). New dial design for improved readability. Curved shape case for a comfortable fit on wrist or hand. Hand and wrist mount included.
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Information at the touch of a button! You can read the information about your jumps (exit altitude, opening altitude, average vertical speed, freefall time) as well as counting your jumps and accumulate your total freefall time over a certain period of time. And what about timing your jumps? Freestylers, Skysurfers, and Freeflyers can be now aware about the end of the routine time. FS teams can be aware if they have to rush for the last point (you can win a World Championship for just one point!). And what else?
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Used by tandem masters to assist in height management. Features: Adjustable "Wave Off" point between 5000ft.-12,000ft. (1599m-3600m), in 500ft. (150m) increments, alerted by bleeps for 5 seconds. Main deployment indication at 4500ft (1350m). Rapid bleeps until canopy opens. Descent rate less than 40ft/s (12m/s). Minimum decision height 3,000ft (910m), flat line tone until canopy opens.
