Professor

I was thinking stuff even smaller than that, like 4 or 6 ways to start, to allow people to do more flying. Sort of the same idea as 4 way belly is a lot more flying ( and learning) than 40 way RW. Spread out the experienced people, so the lower timers can get coaching, and then start pulling the groups together to make bigger and bigger stuff as the weekend goes on. I do see your point about letting less experienced people chase a formation, though. Ted Like a giddy school girl.

Meow. Thought better of it, huh? Ted Like a giddy school girl.

Smallish sequential stuff, leading up to bigger ways for the people with the skill and desire, skill camp style. 3D formations as skills and familiarity increase. Ted Like a giddy school girl.

The users manuals for the specific suits, and your FFC instructor, should cover that. I think the idea behind this FAQ isn't to provide a comprehensive database of every possible question, but to give people an alternative to starting another "I want to try a WS, what should I do" thread. In case you're still curious, most manufacturers have manuals on their websites. Ted Like a giddy school girl.

How long did it take you to get your suit? Ted Like a giddy school girl.

I believe Performance Variable (of Germany) use the inflated area of the canopy, to measure their canopies. A demon 110 demo I had a while ago was noticably bigger than my stiletto 120. Ted Like a giddy school girl.

I think overall airspeed depends on suit type and flying style as much as anything else. But I see what you're saying. Ted Like a giddy school girl.

Huh? Seems different both in terms of speed and burble in a WS vs. freefall, to me. Could you clarify? Ted Like a giddy school girl.

Really, really high voltage wires will arc into ungrounded stuff near them, but it has to be a huge amount of power. Ted Like a giddy school girl.

Jenn. Ted Like a giddy school girl.

Some pics from the weekend. Ted Like a giddy school girl.

Great Boogie, great plane, and a great time. The Arco was rocking, and we had some good flocks going. Thanks to everyone at SSM, especially the staff and Paul and Jen. Ted Like a giddy school girl.

Mud flap grips? You aren't worried about the hanger sliding down and knocking loose a handle? Ted Like a giddy school girl.

Yeah, it's definitely tight, which makes it hard to pack. Once the container gets a few jumps on it, it will loosen up, and then it can come out moving around in the plane, due in part to how far the distance is between the handle and the PC. The handle is only secured by the tuck tab, and that can slide out. Then you've got a whole bunch of handle dangling around back there, which is not easy to restow. I much prefer the designs used by everybody else. Ted Like a giddy school girl.

Lack of security. The only thing holding that thing in is the tuck tab. That makes it a bitch to pack, and once it's in there, it can fall out if you bump it. And once it's out, it's a chore to get back in, and it's a huge snag hazard. Look at the design of the freefly handles on every other rig out there. They're sew onto the top of the pc completely, instead of just being attached with a piece of binding tape. The wings design actually has more distance between the PC and the handle than a standard hackey, so it can really get out there and flap around. Ted Like a giddy school girl.

pic here. Ted Like a giddy school girl.

Yeah, the wings freefly handle is atrocious. They really need to redesign that thing. I got rid of mine as fast as I could. As for the breaks, I don't have the same risers you do, appearantly, but my jav has elastic to stow the break lines in. All I do is pinch the sides of the risers in, and that separates the elastic and the webbing, then slide in the break line. Ted Like a giddy school girl.

I've heard that theory before, and I think the explanation goes something like this: The larger, flatter gliding suits gain much of their performance from additional forward speed, such that they're actually flying faster than the smaller suits in terms of overall speed, ie, a suit gliding at 1:1 with speeds of 50mph down and 50mph forward has an overall airspeed of 71 mph, where a suit gliding at 3:1 with speeds of 35 down and 105 forward has an overall speed of 111 mph. Think of the difference in wind noise in a V1 vs. a Classic. The V1 is falling slower, but it's going far faster overall. So it's easier for a smaller to reach a 'flying' speed, then for a larger suit. Something else: stall speed is not just a function of wing loading. Wing design plays in as well, and the longer, thinner airfoil of a larger suit may cause it to have a higher stall speed than a smaller suit. Basically, the performance envelope of a smaller suit is at slower overall speeds, so it starts flying faster. Ted Like a giddy school girl.

The U206 is pretty slow too. I've had no problem in 100+ WS jumps from one. Ted Like a giddy school girl.

We had him in an SFly down in Waller last October. He was planning to jump, but the weather didn't cooperate. I think the FAS Prodigy Perry has would fit him (and Josh), or maybe Chuck will send us this big Phi he has. Ted Like a giddy school girl.

Done. I look forward to experiencing some new suits.

OK, I'd like to demo any of the new BM suits. Hook me up, US rep. Ask Trae, he's the one who wants to haul ass. I know that by yourself, it's fun as hell, more fun and more visceral than slow fall or good glide, at least IMHO. Ted Like a giddy school girl.

Let's be real, that's just about impossible. I only know of 2 manufacturers (Jii Wings and Fly You Body) which give demos to non-instructors. How is he supposed to get a Vampire, S3S, Phantom, Firebird, and Phi and fly them all? He can't, so he has to go on people's word. And the word is, for most people, that the V1 is the fastest suit they've flown. I know that's true for me, also. I've never flown anything that will outrun a Vampire. And Trae, to answer one of your earlier questions: Yes, you will be slowing down for flocks. If you're a big guy, being fast will get old fast. Ted Like a giddy school girl.

Should not be a problem. We'll have prodigies to fit you, and either a Classic or a GTi, a V1, if you'd like to try one, and probably a GS1. So you should be OK. Ted Like a giddy school girl.

Yes, true. As the only skydiver anywhere, ever to be under the influence of drugs, I'm sure I would be quickly spotted and dealt with Ted Like a giddy school girl.