BirdWoman

OK fine. Not to mention your arms would get way tired. I know how tired they were after the first one you did with the girls Is Pene going to play too? "I don't know where it is that I'm going, but wherever it is there I'll be!" --quoted by me

Hell, I'd even fly video if Simon did the scrambles on his head. I don't think there are any rules against it as long as the proper formations and grips are completed... "I don't know where it is that I'm going, but wherever it is there I'll be!" --quoted by me

I also believe that the dinner to be served by Team Jager (as in the drink...Jager Bombs) is home-made enchilladas. I hope that our local Houston jumpers will help support Dave, as he has given so much to our dropzone over the years. Definately going to be a good time. "I don't know where it is that I'm going, but wherever it is there I'll be!" --quoted by me

I have over 1200 jumps on my two prototypes, and about 25 on a new wing with the ZPX material. These are 81 wings with a loading of 1.76-2.0, based on how much lead I am wearing on any particular jump. Yes, I am a swooper and I know how to fly. All I can say is, if anybody is flying the Sensei and you are stalling it while transitioning from rears to toggles, your technique is the problem and not the parachute. I have landed my wings entirely on the rears at all wing loadings and have not had it stall on me. A teammate of mine, who normally flies a Velo 84, has been flying one of my 81s and has not had a problem with it "stalling" on transition either. Now, on another note, you should not have to roll the nose on your sensei. Pack it like a Velocity, deep cup and quarter the slider so it has a big pocket, and it shouldn't be a problem. Be very careful if you roll the nose on it... "I don't know where it is that I'm going, but wherever it is there I'll be!" --quoted by me

I don't think my 10-22 has IS on it. I bought it new last year...it's the EF-S. I did go to best buy and looked at the two cameras. The XSi does have a remote port on it. Hopefully more people will ding in here soon and let me know their findings/opinions on the two. Otherwise I'll save some money and get the XS. "I don't know where it is that I'm going, but wherever it is there I'll be!" --quoted by me

Yeah it does. I have been shooting with the 10-22 on my XT for over a year now and that was a big concern...how does that lens do with the new "IS" feature. I also noticed on the XSi that the "remote is 'optional'? "I don't know where it is that I'm going, but wherever it is there I'll be!" --quoted by me

Before my good old Canon rebelXT craps out I am looking at replacing it with either the XS or XSi. I have heard that the XSi has a lot of features that wouldn't really apply to what we are using it for. I could really care less about the 10.1 or 12.0 megapixel. There is only 0.6oz weight difference between the two and the overall dimensions are close enough to the same. I'm looking for feedback from others who are using one of these cameras to help me make my decision. Thanks! "I don't know where it is that I'm going, but wherever it is there I'll be!" --quoted by me

Just to note on the openings: I have been flying two of Brian's prototype 81's for over 1100 jumps now. I am loading anywhere from 1.73 to 2.00 (depending on how much weight I have on), all while flying full video and stills. I do not find the openings hard or snappy at all, in fact they are quite plesant. I don't know if the openings you experienced are due to the new material or the build; I am hoping to get ahold of a demo soon so I can give better info on the aerodyne version. "I don't know where it is that I'm going, but wherever it is there I'll be!" --quoted by me

"I don't know where it is that I'm going, but wherever it is there I'll be!" --quoted by me

So what's the deal with the Lang? Did Stinky buy up a bunch, or are we SOL for the boogie?? "I don't know where it is that I'm going, but wherever it is there I'll be!" --quoted by me

Aw shit! Al-Q's coming back to town. Are you gonna start bugging me to borrow my S3 so you can go terrorize something? Who know's maybe I'll even go for a flight or two! -Stacey "I don't know where it is that I'm going, but wherever it is there I'll be!" --quoted by me

Can anybody here recommend a good tattoo shop in Houston, preferrably up on the north side? I am up in Tomball so somewhere in the area would be nice. I have heard good things of Ink Injection in Spring. If there aren't any decent shops up here, then where should I go? Thanks in advance! "I don't know where it is that I'm going, but wherever it is there I'll be!" --quoted by me

Lance Bates at Skydive Houston just got back from Florida a couple weeks ago. He was at UPT getting trained on doing the Skyhook mods. You can call the dropzone at 936-931-1600 to get in touch with him. "I don't know where it is that I'm going, but wherever it is there I'll be!" --quoted by me

Yeah, that's what Trunk was saying. Does anybody know if any current mounting box will work for it? "I don't know where it is that I'm going, but wherever it is there I'll be!" --quoted by me

Is it possible to side mount a HD cam, like a sony HC3 or similar? All of the ones I have seen are top mount... Since my PC 9 took a dive I am trying to decide what camera I want to go with now. I am on the fencepost of sticking with a PC9 (which I am set up for), or making the transition to a sony HC3. I am flying a Bonehead Optik, with my still on top and video on the side. The problem I am starting to see is that all of the mounts are for top mount. Any suggestions? "I don't know where it is that I'm going, but wherever it is there I'll be!" --quoted by me

Damn. That's what I was affraid of. I'm just wondering what would have caused the initial problem in the first place. My old PC100 never did anything like this... "I don't know where it is that I'm going, but wherever it is there I'll be!" --quoted by me

My sony PC9 decided to have an issue on Sunday. After opening it zoomed all the way in all on its own...twice. It is fully enclosed in a skysystems XJacket box and there is nothing in the box that could hit the zoom slide. The slide is even taped down so that if something were to hit it, it wouldn't move. So another vidiot said that he had the same problem with one of his other cameras. He "fixed" the problem by taking the zoom slide OFF. Now my camera is all jacked up becasue it is stuck in full zoom in and no matter what I do, I can't get it to move. I did manage to get it to zoom back out a little, but then it zoomed in all on its own. It's stuck! Has anybody else encountered this on a PC series? Am I fucked, is it worth trying to find somebody to fix it, or should I just start looking at a new camera now? "I don't know where it is that I'm going, but wherever it is there I'll be!" --quoted by me

I can help you out with that question. I have over 600 jumps between two sensei prototypes, both of which are very close to the final design. I have also flown the final design a handful of times, and having flown Bri's parachutes for 1700 jumps (between the jedi, samurai and the sensei) I consider myself to have knowledge in this area. The sensei is a 7-cell x-brace parachute that is meant to swoop. As with all fully eliptical parachutes, the more speed you have on final the better it flares. It seems to have a longer recovery arc than the samurai but is more responsive and powerful on the rears due to the "fat tail" design. In slow flight the characteristics are similar and one can achieve insanely slow vertical speeds in full brakes with only some "musshiness" in the wing. (keep in mind it is NOT airlocked so there will be more of this mushiness in slow flight) The sensei is more responsive with input than the samurai due to the narrower wing and angle of attack. In turbulence it handles nicely, as most x-brace wings do. It isn't bullet proof to collapsing like the samurai (again, no airlocks) but is quick to respond in the event of a collapse. Openings are SWEET!!! I am loading my 81 at 1.74 with full camera gear and I have not had it slam me in over 600 jumps. Big boy x-brace rules apply when deploying as it will search for air during inflation (but all x-brace canopies do). It does not, however, search as much as a velo. I have made a handful of jumps wearing 20 lbs. of lead with a wingloading of 2.0 and there wan't any noticable difference in opening characteristics...still soft and smooth. I have let a few other swoopers fly it and this was their review. One jumper, who flies a couple of chaos 21's, fell in love with it after two jumps...better openings and more powerful on the rears and flare. The other jumper flies a JVX and said the sensei had better openings and was more responsive in the harness. I hope this helps answer questions about how it flies, handles, etc. "I don't know where it is that I'm going, but wherever it is there I'll be!" --quoted by me

Depends on the size and shape of your head. I have a small, narrow head and anything other than the demoras won't fit me right. Likewise, if you have a big head, what I use won't work for you. There are so many different styles that there is no simple answer. You just gotta try them all on and see what you like best. "I don't know where it is that I'm going, but wherever it is there I'll be!" --quoted by me

Thanks for offering all of your advice to us over the past year as well. I know that I can always count on you for help, advice, etc. Here's to hoping that 2009 can be better for all of us...and a safe one at that! "I don't know where it is that I'm going, but wherever it is there I'll be!" --quoted by me

That's what I was looking for. I am getting a flash primarily for ground stuff (sunset pond swooping) and also for the occasional cloudy day or late day jump with no sun. What do you think about the 500 speedlite series ? Like the 530 or 580 (or whatever they are)?) "I don't know where it is that I'm going, but wherever it is there I'll be!" --quoted by me

Does anybody, or has anybody, experimented jumping with a ring flash? I have heard that you can't do it for mounting reasons, but if your helmet allowed for it, is it doable? I am in the market for a flash and would like to get a ring, but don't know how feasible it is. Thoughts? "I don't know where it is that I'm going, but wherever it is there I'll be!" --quoted by me

This book will help. You can find it at just about any major bookstore or camera shop, like Wolf Photo. http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Canon-EOS-Digital-Rebel-Digital-Field-Guide/Charlotte-K-Lowrie/e/9780764588136/?itm=16 Can someone make a clicky for me? "I don't know where it is that I'm going, but wherever it is there I'll be!" --quoted by me

It's your call. I personally am jumping 2 81 xbrace (both are Brian Germain's sensei...and no, its not available to the public yet) and haven't had any problems. I have over 500 jumps between the two of them and haven't had any problems. Keep in mind that xbrace rules apply. I found that, looking straight ahead at the horizon after I pitch, allows me to relax in the harness and let it do its thing without tearing my neck up. Just make sure you get into a good habit of pulling higher to allow yourself extra time, because when things happen under ANY sub-100, it happens fast. Just my $.02 "I don't know where it is that I'm going, but wherever it is there I'll be!" --quoted by me

This happened several years ago during the Hayman fires south of Denver. I was there the day that it happened, and since it was high cloud cover that day we could see it from the ground. We couldn't tell how close it was until he got down, shaking and cussing, and then showed the video. It is amazing if seen in frame-by-frame because it shows just how close it was...any closer and he'd be dead. I don't know where he's been the last few years but heard he's around somewhere. And for the record, he fell between the left wing and horizontal stabilizer of a slury bomber right at deployment altitude. He was freeflying and when he rolled over to his belly to pitch, that's when he encountered the plane. After falling past it he rolled onto his back to see what it was and the plane is flying away from him. Again this is an old video (summer 2002). The bomber was working on a smaller fire up by Estes Park and was on its way to JeffCo airport to reload. Still quite amazing to see. "I don't know where it is that I'm going, but wherever it is there I'll be!" --quoted by me