mjasantos

Hi everyone! Here is my opinion: What would those people say if the GK, spending the same money they spent from the US Taxes, would had shown a poor instead of an awesome performance? I think this kind of comments that some misinformed people have done on the US Army Team, just reveals their biased behavior towards the military… As a military myself, now retired, I may say that we have the same attitude back here in Portugal from some individuals… the reason to worry should be not showing any good results while spending the citizens tax contributions... If I would be a US citizen, I would be worried (although that is a minor matter regarding the US as a whole) if the US Army Team could not perform at high level… but you are fortunate, because the Golden Knights, even not winning at all times, have always shown to those who have noticed their career, that they have always performed at very high level… The decision of placing the effort on the 4-way FS, at least as I know, taken and headed by John Hoover, GK Team Captain, has now proved to be a successful one and with a lot of strategic meaning: he saw there was an opportunity to regain the leading from the other US world-class top teams, as Arizona Airspeed, and GK went for it, at full power, and definitely with a lot of sacrifices of each of their team members. They achieved something, that specially now, looked an impossible mission: to become the new 4-way FS US Champions! So, those throwing stones on their success, should be pleased because actually they have demonstrated how good they can be maximizing their results for their budget... the issue here shouldn't be if their budget comes from the citizens income taxes… My applause to the Golden Knights, both for their performance and for the way they managed to keep a “low and quiet profile” while performing at their best! Their bright attitude, has helped them to put the pressure on the other rivals (as Arizona Airspeed Vertical and DeLand Majik)… I must say that I’m an Airspeed fan and supporter, and will continue to be, but I must say either that, apart from their condition as military on duty, the GK have the same winning spirit and the very same discipline (of course with slight differences, derived from the fact that they are a different team) which characterizes teams as Arizona Airspeed that represented US in the past… Blue Skies to them all! ----------------------------- Mario Santos Portugal

Hi everyone! Following the "sad news" for our sport, posted at http://www.fai.org/news_archives/fai/000127.asp#000127 about this subject, here is the transcription of my posting of today Sep 3, 2002, at 12:37 PM GMT, at the ipc-info-l@fai.org, the Parachuting IPC Info List: ------------------------------------------------------------ Hello all, I'm using this List, just to give my personal opinion on this matter. I'm doing it here, as at http://www.fai.org/general/lists.asp under "Parachuting Lists" for this one, it says: "It can also be used as a discussion forum on the subject." So here it goes my comment on this subject: The goal of having parachuting admitted as an Olympic Sport by 2008, for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad in 2008 in Beijing, was again frustrated... this, although all the attempts aiming at it and that even have introduced some structural changes, mainly in its competition regulations side, the majority of them of very low popularity for competitors all around the World (as the reduction of the number of rounds, exit altitude or, for example, of the working time in Formation Skydiving). As for any other sport, parachuting or skydiving won't get more people practising it just because it is an Olympic Sport. People deciding to practise some kind of sport don't have their decision pending from the fact that it is or it isn't an Olympic Sport. People practise a sport, because they can, they want and they like it... Even the visibility of a sport for the media will not come exclusively from the fact that a sport is an Olympic one. For all those who have been closely following this already long process, it looks like that the initiative of turning parachuting an Olympic Sport, has a lot more supporters within those leading Parachuting related organizations than among competitors and all the others practising it... this is because the idea it stands so far, is the one of making parachuting an Olympic Sport at any cost... Being extreme and radical, this may be a risky option, that might end calling parachuting to something different from what parachuting is now, derived from the so many changes that would be required in order to have parachuting fulfilling the Olympics criteria... with this result of not having Parachuting admitted in 2008 Olympics, the conclusion will have to be that some more radical changes in the sport are required, as those proposed weren't enough... where will these changes end? Why this for the parachuting? Many other sports are and have been admitted as Olympic Sports without having to change their competition rules. Look, for example, at the football: the matches still have 90 minutes, divided in two 45 minutes halves... why should 4-way Formation Skydiving change from 35" working time down to 15 or 20"? Just due to the financial argument? I don't believe this a valid one anymore... Because of the argument that people on the ground cannot see skydivers exiting the aircraft? There is already, since a while, air-to-air video, with the option of live transmission both for large screens on the ground or on TV, as it already happened with EuroSport coverage in Turkey WAG. Using other Olympic sports as reference, all of us have the notion that the biggest part of the football spectators watch the matches through television and not at the stadiums... being live, the level of excitement for those watching is quite similar, regardless the way they are watching it, or where from (all around the world, being live)... the same for golf, now admitted: you will never have 1 million people following golf players through the 18 holes golf course, but you might have that million watching through TV... why not applying the same philosophy to parachuting? The divulgation effort, more than having parachuting recognized as an Olympic Sport, has to be done at all the opportunities where that is possible, which is at the skydiving events, all around the world... usually, what makes it attractive or not for the media, is a matter and a consequence of the way on how those events are organized... most of the times without even thinking about the media... usually, when events organization consider the media, the event becomes advertised and turns on a success... on the opposite side, without having media playing their role as well, the events become just known from those participating there, without attracting any other people or visitors... My final question is: "Will it be worthy to keep insisting in the change of the parachuting/skydiving physiognomy, loved by all of those who practise it as it is, just because of the ephemeral goal of having parachuting as an Olympic Sport?" The way it looks like now, the answer should be NO! Best Regards and Blue Skies! Mário Santos ------------------------------------------------------------ Blue Skies... if possible! ----------------------------- Mario Santos Portugal

Hi Auryn, Formation Skydiving, as Airspeed coaches taught me, is all about this, regardless it is a 2-way, 3-way, 4-way, 8-way, 10-way, 100-way or any other big way: "Fly the shortest path (line) - if you have 2 meters to go from here to there, your center of gravity should follow that line, regardless you have to turn or not while doing that movement; why fly 5 meters if you can do it in 2 meters? So, aim at your target or next slot and fly there; don't fly to the right, left, top or bottom of that point (remember that FS also has 3 dimensions, as you can go higher or lower...)"; "Just use the speed you can control - if you are not yet capable of stopping your move instantly or almost, but instead you use (for example) 10 horizontal meters and 5 vertical (relative to the formation or target where you are aiming to dock), that means you are using excess of speed for your skills; so, on the next try, use a little bit less speed, and if you are yet not able to dock exactly where you would like to, but instead you used just 2 meters to stop, that means this last speed is becoming adjusted to the speed you can stop; the moment you feel you can stop where and when you wish to, that means that you've found the speed you can control; with training, the speed you can control will increase. To avoid collisions, while you are in this process of speed controlling, when aiming at a target of formation, fly straight there, but do it gradually, so if you need you can stop before and still have some space to fly forward and below (because when approaching a formation from long distance, you shouldn't do it from below); it's a kind of steps approach, while getting close both horizontally and vertically; in 4-way is a little different: we are very close from each other, but the same principles apply: flying the shortest path (except for some super-positioned movements) and always adjusting levels (without thinking about it - should be a second nature process, otherwise you'll forget your dive)"; "Applying the previous concepts, is doing the following cycle, at the speed you can control, but observing each of these steps in a religious way: you can not omit any of them; the top teams and the world-class skydivers in FS do it, except they do it at a high speed, because they can control that speed... it's a continuing learning process. The steps are: MOVE - STOP - LOOK AT GRIPS (if you have grips on your left side and right side, establish a grip plan, reaching first for the left or right and then for the remaining grip, but always looking as you can not look at the same time for your left and your right...) - GRIP - LOOK (at the person who will give the key for the next point or transition and be prepared to go to the next point; by looking at that person, he/she will know you are ready to the next point; so when you look think forward on the sequence and don't think about what you may have done right or less right - there is no wrong as we should think positive and not negative; if it's your key, before you key you have the additional task to ensure yourself that everybody is ready to fly to the next point) - MOVE (on the Key)..." Don't crucify yourself on the negative aspects (things you were not able to do); instead, reinforce your positives and practice more those you feel still require a lot or at least some work, while keeping the good work with those you do well. You have less than 200 jumps, so that it's normal... be humble, because one of the biggest lesson I had from on Airspeed coach (besides all these) was after a skydive where the exit turned a little bit (during a skills camp at Eloy), we were trying to find a reason on each of us (except on the Airspeed coach that had jumped with us, who was and still is a World Champion): he's just said - forget! I'll have to improve the way I present to the relative wind... this is a lesson, meaning that even with 15000 jumps you'll do things in less adequate way, but that it's the beautiful, otherwise, we would reach perfection and sport would loose interest. Hope have helped! Blue Skies! ----------------------------- Mario Santos Portugal

Hi Herv, One of the topics (Choosing Slots, How do you assign slots on a new team?) at the 4way.org forums might be helpful to answer your question: http://4way.org/cgi-bin/board/ikonboard.cgi?s=3d5d007f2f08ffff;act=ST;f=3;t=39. You can read as well the following Jack Jefferies's article: "Understanding your slot". This article has been published at my web site (http://www.mariosantos.com/docs/understanding_your_slot.htm) and has also been posted at dropzone.com last June 8 (http://www.dropzone.com/features/UnderstandingYourSlot.shtml). You'll be able to find out more info on this subject at our 4-way team's (Matrix FS - Portugal) web page (http://www.mariosantos.com/uk_us/matrix.htm), as well as at our continuity plan web page (http://www.mariosantos.com/uk_us/continuity.htm). Hope it helps! Blue Skies! ----------------------------- Mario Santos Portugal

Hi Erno, Here it goes... a collection of 16 pics sequence of the RWS TruLok... and 2 pics of the RWS Riser Housing detail. Hope it helps! Blue Skies! ----------------------------- Mario Santos Portugal

Hi JFC3, I have trulok toggles on my Micron. As you've seen those, there's no need to explain how they work. The main advantage is they are velcro free, so their durability is longer than those with velcro. They also easy and fast to prepare for the next jump. The way you use this toggles to steer your canopy is the same as you would use another pair of toggles... the main difference is just the way you fit/attach the toggle itself to the riser. Mine work fine and I'm happy with them. If I had to order another Micron, I would order trulok toggles again. Besides this option, I've order as well the riser housings... One of my teammates, who also has a Micron with riser housings, had to cut away after a badly twisted spinning canopy, and he was impressed on how easy and "almost soft" it was to pull his cutaway pad... so it's worthy as well... Blue Skies! ----------------------------- Mario Santos Portugal

Hi JFC3, If you'd like, you can visit http://www.mariosantos.com/uk_us/micron.htm at my web site... there you'll find 20 pics of my very recent Vector 3 Micron V306. Hope it helps! Blue Skies! ----------------------------- Mario Santos Portugal

Hi Rdutch! Myself have one of those Sony and it works great! The complete Manual for the Sony DCR PC5 is here: http://www.henrys.com/manuals/sony/DCR-PC5(en).pdf You'll need Acrobat Reader to read it... if you don't have it, you can get it at: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html Hope it helps and that you can find which is the problem. Blue Skies! ----------------------------- Mario Santos Portugal

Hi lippy, This was a 4-way competition and Team DeLand Majik is from DeLand (Florida - USA). You can visit their web site at http://www.delandmajik.com/ At Omniskore web site you'll be able to read the comments of Tim Wagner to this Russian Meet (http://www.omniskore.com/comp/2002/Russia/index.htm). As well, at the russian official web site (english version) for the competition (http://www.malevskycup.ru/index_eng.shtml) you may find photos of the participating teams at http://www.malevskycup.ru/teams_eng.shtml. Blue Skies! ----------------------------- Mario Santos Portugal

9 out of the 10 points gap between Majik and Vertical happened on rounds 9 and 10... and from this 9 points, 6 were due to busts: Round 9: a 21 brought to a 19; Round 10: a 25 brought to a 21. I'm pointing this out because during the first 8 rounds, the competition between both teams was balanced, with both alternating on the lead and... suddenly a 1 point gap rose to a 10 point in 2 rounds... is this normal? Does anybody know if those busts (that really occurred but are not very common on them), associated to a lower performance than usual on Airspeed side, are related to which factor(s)? Blue Skies! ----------------------------- Mario Santos Portugal

Right! Simply put, AFF is a method (way) of learning / teaching on how to skydive (free fall). Being so, can be used on both the civilian and military schools, without any problem. HALO (abbreviation for "High Altitude Low Opening") is an operational (military) infiltration method, when jumping from altitudes (usually above 25,000 ft up to 35,000 ft) where's mandatory the requirement of breathing supplementary Oxygen (to avoid hypoxia effects) with the adequate O2 equipment (O2 mask type MBU 12-P or similar, AirOx regulator, high pressure - 1800/200 psi - O2 bottles, on board O2 console, etc.), using main canopies type MT1-X or similar (370 sq ft), while carrying weapons and military equipment on a rucksack (weighting up to 120 Lbs), and most of the times following a free fall container with drug chute containing additional equipment for the operation (aka Canadian Tube - weighting about 250 Lbs), generally at night... to be able to jump in a HALO mission, you definitely need to know how to skydive and that could have been learnt in so many different ways, as the military teaching of skydiving all around the world varies a lot: can start with static line, follow to progressive increasing delays in freefall, or start with a tandem jump, followed by AFF method, or even have ground instruction, with wind tunnel instruction, then going up and skydive 1st time from 13,500 ft assisted by 1 instructor instead 2, or AFF but using just one instructor only all the way out, or even (as in the Military Free Fall Course in the UK) have ground instruction and go up on the 1st jump as 13,500 ft with one instructor, but where the student jumps solo (with the instructor being close and docking on him only if he isn't able to gain stability)... this last I saw working, and throughout 50 jumps I haven't seen any major problem (this was back in 1989)... there a lot of different teaching methods on how to skydive... AFF is one, probably the most used, known and effective on our days... but HALO is a very different thing as I explained... There's another method of operational infiltration aka as HAHO (High Altitude High Opening)... jumping also from altitudes where additional O2 breathing is required, but deploying main from 5 up to 10 seconds after the exit... with the same or similar equipments mentioned for the HALO... Hope have helped. Blue Skies! ----------------------------- Mario Santos Portugal

Results after 9 rounds at: http://www.malevskycup.ru/results_eng.shtml ... and tidbits (Omniskore) at: http://www.omniskore.com/comp/2002/Russia/index.htm Really impressive! Blue Skies! ----------------------------- Mario Santos Portugal

Hi, I think they haven't gone because French Nationals are from August 3-8! Blue Skies! ----------------------------- Mario Santos Portugal

Hi, It's true! 300-Way World Record attempt will be held at Skydive Arizona, Eloy, instead of Maceio, Brazil, from December 7-15, 2002. Check out the reasons for the change and for other updates (as well as participants list) at the 300-Way web site: [url] http://www.300-way.com/ Obviously the general public will be allowed to watch (there's no reason for the opposite), but I'm sure the place will be crowded (at least 300 for jumping)! Blue Skies! ----------------------------- Mario Santos Portugal

Hi, Just to let the forum know that FAI has ratified the following Class G (Parachuting) record: ==================================================================== Claim number 7405: Sub-class G-2 (Group jumps) Competition / Team records General Category Type of record : G-2-C : Formation Skydiving, longest sequence (4-Way) Course/location : Coupe de France de Vol Relatif 2002 (Pujaut, France) Performance : 42 formations Team : France Maubeuge NPC (France) Parachutists : Davide MOY, Erwan POULIQUEN, Marin FERRE, Julien LOSANTOS, Laurent PECHBERTY Date: 07.07.2002 Previous record : 39 formations (23.09.99 - Arizona Airspeed Team, USA) ==================================================================== This is the B-F-L-A-N (Stairstep Diamond-Open Accordian-Adder-Unipod-Crank) jump (Round 8 of the mentioned competition), done from a Pilatus Porter. Blue Skies! ----------------------------- Mario Santos Portugal

Hi, Next check is due by 2002, 8 years after its DOM (+/- 3 months). Have a look at: http://www.pia.com/SSK/cypres/english_maintenance.pdf Blue Skies! ----------------------------- Mario Santos Portugal

Hi Arlo, Nice humorous posting! I wasn't able yet to find the draw for that competition where "Perris Maubeuge NPC" did the 42 points jumps, the new WR after FAI approval, but I 've noticed that on every round of that competition, except for round 4, "Perris Maubeuge NPC" has had the highest scores... on round 4, they have scored a 12 (don't know the reasons... may be some busts, brainlock, glitch, who knows?), far behind from "Maubeuge Lapalisse Est" scoring a 16 and from "Maubeuge Lapalisse Ouest" scoring a 15 (see http://www.ffp.asso.fr/competitions/02PUJAUTVR.htm). I agree with your opinion "that a fast round is dependent upon a fast draw. The REAL comparision would be to have Majik, Vertical, Maubeuge, GK Gold, XL, and the Norgies do the same round". Although they scored an AWESOME 42, on the entire competition they still have shown some lack of consistence... posting a 12, no matter for which reason, isn't definitelly common on a world-class top team! My main critic to the French Team is that they just show-up making something public when they perform better the same thing others performed in the past in different conditions, or in this case where they performed a WR. This might be a good strategy for them (hiding themselves from outside evaluation), but is a completely different approach from the one used by the US top teams, who have been contributing with their share of expertise to make FS improve in 2-3 years more than it did in 10 years (notice that averages being posted now for a 10 round competition, are becoming consistently between 22 and 23). At the end of this month, AS Vertical, Perris Maubeuge and most likely Majik (I'm not sure about them), will beat against each other at Russia on a Shamrock meeting... and most likely, we'll have a real test at the next World Cup at Ampuriabrava (Spain)... then we will see if the French will prove that they are really the best of the World, as they have been trying to show with their "marketing campaign"! Blue Skies! P.S. - Btw, I liked that conclusion about having prettier colored canopies, making them better canopy pilots... ----------------------------- Mario Santos Portugal

Hi Drenaline! You don't need to be so "dry" on your words... that will just stress yourself and is completely consuming your "fair-play"... There's no need for cold water (I'm cool enough...) and I'm relaxed! You took me wrong... I did not offend to you or to anybody else! No worries about your english... I wasn't aware of that... any way, mine isn't that good either! After all, your english is not that bad... I didn't say "we all have different opinions", but you've got it between the lines and that's correct! I really wanted to pass that message! What I did was to detail a little bit (usually I like to explain my reasons... I do it a lot... just have a look at my other posts, on different subjects) my post on this subject... and to give my humble opinion (and remarks) on both the French and the US top world skydiving teams! Instead of reacting as you did (telling me to cool down), you could have read my post twice... or thrice... until its end... and you would have found it differently than you found it after your first reading! Don't consider this as an advice... I'm just sharing a thought: when we read a message more than once, we find it differently every new time we read it... I didn't show any disrespect by yours or others opinions (didn't even contested it or used some kind of rude language as the one we see sometimes in these forums)... I've just presented another point of view... and compared French with the US on that matter... But you have been rude on your reply: the attitudes are kept with those who take them, not with those they are addressed to! If you notice well, I didn't even say that US top teams are better than the French: I've just said they have a different philosophy and those reasons (if you read them well) I presented to justify my opinion, are not subjective... actually, they are facts uncontestable! What I have said is that, on formation skydiving matters, I prefer the American school than the French one. Please remember Sangiro rules in the forum: avoid rudeness, spend some time before you storm in, be nice and think before you post (this last one I practice a lot: usually when I post is my 3rd or 4th version...). I've just expressed my opinion on a reply to a post where you've shown yours... didn't contested it! I wouldn't tell you to respect my opinion, but at least, accept it! But I don't compel you to accept it, although you should! Accepting a different opinion, doesn't mean to agree with it: just means to accept it, as I did to yours. By doing that, quite often we find ourselves listening to each other in a way that we can build or start building our own opinion with more solid arguments than those we would have if we just listen to ourselves! I have even addressed you a question... but you didn't reply (probably you didn't read my post until the end)... I remember that question: "... don't tell me that you don't find nice, beautiful and smooth the way Airspeed Vertical skydive on their videos...? By the way: are there any videos of the French team, that we can buy to also learn from them? I ask this, because I don't know any! No hard feelings! Blue Skies! ----------------------------- Mario Santos Portugal

Hi drenaline Please ask your instructor what does he mean by "having more style" in a Formation Skydiving event (Style is the name for a different parachuting event...)? Is it because they "dress better", or because of their "hair cuts"? You can have a "LOT of Style" and be as terrible as the worst Formation Skydiver... In 4-way FS Competition Teams, the goal is to achieve the maximum points in 35", regardless you have "style" or not. What you need in 4-Way is "effectiveness"! And if you look well at the videos, "that style" your instructor has mentioned comes from the way all those world-class top teams deal with the paramount cycle in FS: "Move-Stop-Grip"! Nobody knows if Airspeed Vertical, DeLand Majik, Golden Knights Gold ot others could do better than the French (those 42 points in tiem for the B-F-L-A-N). Probably they would... probably they wouldn't... it's just speculation (I'm sure these teams already did that draw and themselves know how to compare, but that is a kind of secret stuff). The French were lucky and good enough to have such draw and do those AWESOME 42 points, and so far they will be the new WR holders for a while! If you look carefully at the meets results where they did the 42, you'll find that at the end of seven rounds their average was "only" of 20, while GK, AS or Majik are having (for different and not easier draws) something between 22 and 23 (recently AS did 23 on a 10 round set - 22/23 Jun NSL Draw). The only way to know if French are better will be when all those top teams meet in competition, in the very same conditions, hopefully at the next Worl Cup in Ampuriabrava (Spain). Regarding Remster opinion that "... always enjoyed watching the French teams more the the Americain ones (GK and AS) .... their moves look much smoother..." it's just your opinion... actually they might being more effective scoring more, but smoothness is something you lose when you go faster... and we talk about skydives with 22-23 (may be 25 in a near future) averages, smothness will probably be the factor most affected... but you'll have always the cycle "Move-Stop-Grip". What top teams are doing and working on is to spend the less time they can in the stop, but definitely they'll always stop! If you see AS from the FSL Shamrock Showdown in mid-March to their last competition mid-June, you'll find that. They are still skydiving with cleaness, but faster on transitions, spending less time in the formations, so less time in the stops, but stopping. By the way, I prefer the american school of FS than the French one: first by their philosophy ("open book" - they show what they do, they don't hide everything as the french: just hide "secret stuff"); second because you can take them as a reference and work on continuity plans adjusted to your team (from the french you can not do it, because they don't show it); Third: they are much more available to coach than the french (skills camps, tunnel or simply by e-mail)... you may call it business, but that's the main reason Formation Skydiving is US is now as it it is: with a lot of Teams doing good skydiving, with good averages and, most important, with good team foundations, because they've learned it from those experienced teams who shared their experiences. In US there are already a lot of teams really competing with the best... in France, Maubeuge don't have rivals... this must be for somereason. And to finalize: don't tell me that you don't find nice, beautifull and smooth the way Airspeed Vertical skydive on their videos (Best of Airspeed and others from the latest competitions)? Blue Skies! ----------------------------- Mario Santos Portugal

Hi, That information is correct! I've just contacted Tony Suits. Next, you'll find my question, their answer and my final reply. ------------------------------------------------------------ My question to them: Hi, Is it true that you have stopped making Airspeed booties model on your Pit Special FS jumpsuits? You still have those on order forms, but somebody in a skydiving forum was mentioning that you don’t do it anymore… ------------------------------------------------------------ Tony Suits answer: Hi Mario, Yes it is true we have discontinued the airspeed bootie due to many complaints from customers about the performance of the bootie. When we get new order forms printed that option will be removed. ------------------------------------------------------------ My final reply to them: Thanks for the info! I don’t complain about mine: I like them! JOKE: following those complaints, now I understand why Airspeed Vertical has lost for DeLand Majik at the FSL Shamrock Showdown… ;-) ------------------------------------------------------------ Blue Skies! ----------------------------- Mario Santos Portugal

Stan, No worries! Have a look at http://www.tonysuits.com/download/pitb.gif ------------------------------------------------------------ The main differences between those booties are (extracted from the back of the order form): "We now offer two more bootie designs that are popular with teams. We have the XL bootie as used by the U.K. national team, and the Airspeed bootie as used by the USA national teams. The XL bootie has shock cord inside a cuff that goes under the shoe and is adjustable. This bootie requires a shoe goo type of substance to stop wear on the stitches. (not included) The Airspeed bootie is almost the same, the difference is that under the toe of the shoe there is a piece of bootie leather to remove the need for shoe goo. We also use our 1" elastic instead of shock cord on the Airspeed bootie. Both these booties are designed to be easy on, easy off." ------------------------------------------------------------ This is the most I can tell you. Blue Skies! ----------------------------- Mario Santos Portugal

Stan, The photos are being delivered now (13 photos). My model is Mega Airspeed. Blue Skies! ----------------------------- Mario Santos Portugal

Stan, I've just put my jump suit on and took some detailed photos on the booties. Because of their size (640x480) and in order to maintain digital quality, I'm not going to post them here. Instead, I'll use your e-mail address to send them to. Hope you find those worthy. Blue Skies! ----------------------------- Mario Santos Portugal

Hi Staso, I've always used Tony Suits Pit Special model, since more than 10 years now, when I started with RW and I've already got 6 of those. When that model came into the market, my team used to have the Airspeed Model with boomerang Mega booties (no zip in it). I'm sure Tony Suits will answer to you... sometimes they take a while as they are a small staff and are out of the office for business reasons for a couple of days... the same happened to me, but they've always answered... I don't know which e-mail address you've tried, may be this will work: tonysuits@msn.com[email] Linda or Patty should be your contact there... sometimes, Tony also replies to our queries. The specifications you are requesting for, correspond to the very same Mega Airspeed model (which has a bootie with no leg zip, very thight and with short booties, which sometimes are difficult to take off while flying your canopy before landing... but you'll get able to do it after a couple of times) I've chose for myself. On my team, two of us are using Mega Airspeed model, because we had the same needs as those you mentioned: myself (OC) and my teammate Henrique (IC). The point is using a Pit Special but Mega XL kind, as he wanted a leg zip, not possible with Airspeed models. Look at the attachments (have cropped some photos of my team, so you can see my booties better). Blue Skies! ----------------------------- Mario Santos Portugal

Hi, FAI is going to evaluate it. Here's the transcription of the record claim received by FAI: ------------------------------------------------------------ FAI has received the following Class G (Parachuting) record claim : ==================================================================== Claim number 7405 : Sub-class G-2 (Group jumps) Competition / Team records General Category Type of record : G-2-C : Formation Skydiving, longest sequence (4-Way) Course/location : Coupe de France de Vol Relatif 2002 (Pujaut, France) Performance : 42 formations Team : France Maubeuge NPC (France) Parachutists : David MOY, Erwan POULIQUEN, Marin FERRE, Julien LOSANTOS, Laurent PECHBERTY Date : 07.07.2002 Current record : 39 formations (23.09.99 - Arizona Airspeed Team, USA) ==================================================================== The details shown above are provisional. When all the evidence required has been received and checked, the exact figures will be established and the record ratified (if appropriate). ------------------------------------------------------------ Blue Skies! ----------------------------- Mario Santos Portugal