base935

This is even more boring than the average dz.com post. The thing that is annoying about you, and "lurkers" that have 87 skydives, isn't the fact that you want to jump. Its the demonstration of laziness that even when you live on the internet, and spend all workday on dz.com, -the fact that you post "I want to BASE jump!", but haven't even done the little bit of looking to see that there is not only the World's Best Internet BASE jumper's article at the top, but many, many other "I want to jump, now what?" posts that would require a simple search. And the total lack of respect for your own healthy body that you are willing to put it in harm's way, with minimal experience, when history and experienced jumpers tell you just the opposite, and you will get HURT OR KILLED. (And mess up someone's object too) Ummm, 2000-3000' objects that you can use your "real rig"? Sure, come on over, but we'll have to take your slider off your "real rig" for that jump. How lazy can you be? Or bored and lazy... Gravity Research Institute

I have some Vertigo WLOs on my slider up rig, and not only are they great for a potential lineover clearing, but they make slider-up to slider-down a breeze. I've also been using masking tape on the control lines only for slider up, wrapped sticky out, and its worked great. Additionally, I've been using tape instead of a dacron/rubber band around the tailgate lines for slider down, and began testing a second, single wrap of tape around the control lines also, since you can get up there with tape, and can't really control them with the rubber band idea. Seems like a good idea, its been working well since. As far as masking tape and hot/humid/extended packs- A dropzone that I worked at was hot and humid, and also still put vids on VHS. When I was out there, we used the long/thin VCR tape labels instead. It was paper, advertised for the dropzone on urban jumps, wasn't going to hang up and and spin you into the ground like damp masking tape could... Gravity Research Institute

Well, imagine that the Sabre was designed in 1990ish, and the Sabre2 was designed in 2000ish. Maybe they figured out some things about ram-air canopies since then. They are totally different, and the two sharing the name is very misleading, except for marketing power. My first new canopy was a Sabre2, after jumping a Sabre. I remember I pulled on the toggle up high, playing with the new canopy, and it spun me into induced line twists. The Sabre2 is an excellent canopy if you are stuck on PD... Gravity Research Institute

Who has specs on the Rebel XT replacement? Gravity Research Institute

I think the funny thing is that the FAA would have no jurisdiction if it was tethered. You wouldn't even need a FAA licensed balloon pilot in the basket. If you were to winch it up and down with a 486' rope, you could do it in front of the FAA FSDO, and they could only watch and try to create something to get butthurt about. Who has an extra rope and a balloon? I'll slam jumps all day long outside the WFFC next year... America, land of the free??? Gravity Research Institute

Ummm. So, a skydiver who doesn't BASE jump, didn't tell the FAA, but instead went out of their way to tell an onsite FAA inspector, that someone is going to jump a non-TSO'd rig early in the morning, from a balloon, without a TSO'd reserve and TSO'd harness assemby packed by an FAA rigger within 120 days. They weren't on the load, everyone INVOLVED was good with it, but still felt a strong sense of victory when the "plan" was foiled. Take my FAA parachute D card. Oh, the only person that is able to get screwed is the balloon pilot, who makes a living flying. You really got me, Mr. Do-Gooder. Aren't we ONLY talking about a FAA enforcement of a Commercial Rated balloon pilot? Seems silly enough to post here, after all... Glad that they stopped the suicidal skydiver from trying something so silly. And if that guy that shows up at my DZ, I'll remind him and all visiting skydivers of FAR 105.17 ... Which is worse- a snitch or a hippocrite? I will accept no further arguements, my decision is final. Gravity Research Institute

I can't believe that the ZP Composite topskin on the Blackjack/Ace hasn't been mentioned yet... Gravity Research Institute

Snitches to the FAA make me sick. We have plenty of them here at home too. Jealousy is a powerful emotion. Have a great skydive, skydivers! Gravity Research Institute

Is this an issue only because we want to make it one? If anything happens to TF, will it be because a couple guys from the newspaper said a couple things in the back page of a paper that few people read? Don't stand on the rail, don't bring cranes to the bridge, and be nice to the cops and locals. Cool. Done. Next... Can we all just jump now? Gravity Research Institute

Can we PLEASE take care of this within our community, and not involve the FAA to decide? Otherwise, the next rainstorm you belly fly through will require the reserve to be tested and repacked. Gravity Research Institute

Anyone have one yet? Are they available in the US yet? What is the price difference going to be versus the PDR? Gravity Research Institute

Has anyone else figured out that when you have a 90 left, and pop the right toggle to yank on it, the left one is still in a brake setting? Kind of like when you pop the left toggle to full flight and turn right? Seriously, you had 4 seconds... Gravity Research Institute

Don't we all at least agree that there is a lot of improvement that we can find with current pilot chutes? And PCs are a current weak link to a relatively solid modern setup? Gravity Research Institute

Have you seen any others like it? Has it worked well enough that a very light stiffener would be practical/reasonable/efficient/a general good idea? If this is just another good idea that is a bad idea in practice, thats all good. But it might have saved some lives recently.? Gravity Research Institute

Ummmm, have your PDs ever opened well? Sabres, Stilettos, Katanas, Vengences, Velocities, etc? If you want good openings, PD isn't the answer. And get over the idea that PD is the only company that is making good canopies... You should ask some of the camera flyers at your dz. They can tell you all about hard/soft openings, and my guess is that you'll trust their opinion more than someone on the internet... Gravity Research Institute

I can't imagine that PC technology is at a standstill just because it has reached the top of today's technology and ideas. A pilot chute is perhaps the simplest and most critical aspect of the entire operation. If the pilot chute is oscillating because it is a piece of crap, then your badass canopy with your 2 hour Building packjob is pretty much compromised. I don't believe that a pilot chute just needs to open at pitch time, pop pins or velcro, get to line stretch, and then it is done. It needs to be a ultra-stable, ultra-reliable, non-oscillating, and pull in the desired direction. (UP!) Kind of makes you think of a miniature water round or Army round. The canopy when it is coming off your back isn't a canopy. It is a bunch of nylon folded and pressed together, and the direction and force of the pilot chute pulling on the center of the topskin is a EXTREMELY critical time in both the lives of you and your canopy. Simply, if it isn't pulling straight up, your canopy is going to be influenced in that direction. I am not a rigger, manufacturer, or any of that stuff. I just love to jump and watch videos if there is any light. But a significant percentage of the off headings that I have watched are due to the packjob coming out perfectly straight and on heading- but pointing straight at the wall. The pilot chute comes out wobbling, pulls the packjob out as expected, twisting and oscillating, and the packjob gets turned around at the mercy of a PC that is pulling anywhere but straight. Pilot chutes can be improved. They have been lately, but I used to have a 32" PC that I use for slider up that gave me 180s most every time. And when you watch the videos, it shouldn't surprise you. It looks like a propeller behind me, and the canopy with a nice packjob just goes where it is pulled. In this case, anywhere but straight. Replaced with one that doesn't suck, I have great, solid openings. Now the question is how to make PCs that are a little more than a disc of mesh and ZP. If need be... And Ray, I would be really interested in learning your opinion of how many off headings are the result of PC oscillation. And this isn't just limited to oscillations- why do jumpers still accept that PCs just don't inflate sometimes, or hesitations are just part of the game? Gravity Research Institute

Ummmm, just for the record- Toxic pilot chutes are not made to look like tandem drogues. The mesh and ZP are the same dimensions... Gravity Research Institute

Why haven't pilot chutes evolved since they began as a circle of mesh and a circle of fabric? Does anyone disagree that pilot chutes/oscillations are a primary cause of off-headings? Then why aren't pie-shaped, round-style PCs making an entry into the market? Besides being rounds, I don't think anyone would want to jump a round into the ID bridge if it had suspension lines as long as the radius of the fabric! Then why would PCs have to be so primitive and potentially trouble causing? Lets advance pilot chute technology next, unless someone has a better place to continue... Gravity Research Institute

Again, is PD the only one pulling the "everything costs more, so the prices have to go up" card, or are all the other canopy manufacturers whining too? And, good thing PD is sending all of their sewing and production to Honduras, otherwise we would have heard about this long ago! And, there are a lot of excellent designs that aren't made by PD... ----------------------------------- Gravity Research Institute

Where is personal responsibility in all of this? Can't a potentially unqualified buy a used PD canopy from the dz.com classifieds and get the best price, bypassing all the dealers that are going to question and try to get him/her into the right canopy? Have any other manufacturers marked up their prices, other than PD? Are any other manufacturers, who are citing higher labor costs, moved large amount of canopy productions into Honduras and other South American countries? Gravity Research Institute

One of many... Gravity Research Institute

How many jump oppertunities in people's backyards are lost because of wasting time arguing on dz.com? Gravity Research Institute

The one that is at Colorado Skysports is over 2,100 sqft. Gravity Research Institute

This is ZP... www.gravitypimps.com/IMG_4034.jpg www.coloradoskysports.com Gravity Research Institute

Thanks for deleting my post. It makes me ashamed to admit to being a skydiver when I see skydivers snitching on other skydivers. Gravity Research Institute