yuri_base

HUD does not need to be complex, it can be just a semitransparent mirror or two mirrors reflecting the smartwatch's screen which is mounted on the helmet out of the way. There are cheap products ($3-10) for smartphones that do the same: [inline HUD1.jpg] [inline HUD2.jpg] For a smartwatch with 1.4" screen, the whole thing can be quite compact. Android+Wear/iOS/Windows apps: L/D Vario, Smart Altimeter, Rockdrop Pro, Wingsuit FAP iOS only: L/D Magic Windows only: WS Studio

I use the 99 cents grippy gloves from Home Depot. They're thin, so maybe not enough for real winter, but enough for the temperatures when your hands get pain from cold. Can't find exact model, but similar to this: https://www.homedepot.com/p/2XL-Black-NiteGrip-6001-2XL/302952136 They provide excellent grip and precise feel-through. Imho, Neumann's are way overhyped. Way overpriced ($45 LOL); not warm for real winter, either; weak, tear easily; not enough precision feel to make things like collapsing slider easy. I recommend to everyone when needing peripheral gear, to look elsewhere, not skydiving shops. Gloves, helmets, goggles, even altimeters - there are excellent alternatives available that work well and are not outrageously priced. Android+Wear/iOS/Windows apps: L/D Vario, Smart Altimeter, Rockdrop Pro, Wingsuit FAP iOS only: L/D Magic Windows only: WS Studio

Buyer beware: Garmin Fenix 3 does not update altitude in freefall fast enough, some skydivers reported that it stops updating after exiting the aircraft and resumes only after opening, some see 1000ft delay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KacXA8OJ4fo This is a perfect illustration of my point that hardware is "game over", meaning that it doesn't make sense anymore to make specialized hardware to measure altitude - "generic", affordable hardware (like Moto 360 Sport, $50) already exists (and will only get better with time) with excellent barometric sensors, the game is software. It's software that can make an expensive hardware a piece of junk; or can make an inexpensive hardware shine. And with Android/Wear, anyone can start writing their own altimeter app. Let's Make Altimeters Great Again! Android+Wear/iOS/Windows apps: L/D Vario, Smart Altimeter, Rockdrop Pro, Wingsuit FAP iOS only: L/D Magic Windows only: WS Studio

Here's the diagram I promised. I didn't find the pressure distribution around a cone, but by analogy with the pressure distribution on the bottom surface of an airfoil - [inline AirfoilPressureDistribution.gif] - pressure is nearly perpendicular to the surface of the cocoon, so it tries to compress the cocoon, not to "skin" it. Fresh ZP is happy to unwrap itself as it's so slippery and springy, but used ZP's friction can keep the cocoon closed for an extra fraction of a second and cause the slider to slide down the lines as it encounters no resistance from the wind - it's inside the "cabin" of the cocoon. With wingsuit, due to sagging, the air mostly hits the bottom of the cocoon which is a smooth surface and it's just happy to stay closed and trailing behind. [inline MechanismOfCocoonHesitation.jpg] Anyway, I feel I said everything I wanted to say, tested the ground 5 years after first sharing this (after about 4 years of testing it), and it's still infertile. Oh well, not the first time, not the last. I'll revisit the topic in a few years to see if it's a good time to plant the seed. Bye bye now! Android+Wear/iOS/Windows apps: L/D Vario, Smart Altimeter, Rockdrop Pro, Wingsuit FAP iOS only: L/D Magic Windows only: WS Studio

>>> BASE pack jobs. (Neither of which, of course, having "slow comfortable deployment" as a goal.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bg8O5-6fDz0 This is a tracking jump pulling from full flight, and since I'm heavy (260lbs out the door), the speed is "superterminal" for sure, perhaps, ~140-150mph? Not a problem for Exposed Slider method. The opening is not "falling into pillows", but is not hard either. Yes, I've got an offheading 90 degrees, but taking into account that I rarely jump my tracksuit (almost 100% - wingsuit), it's not too shabby. **Insults removed** Try it in 2-3 jumps moving the mouth of the cocoon down 1 inch at a time. When the logic of presenting the slider to relative wind as #1 stage in the openings sequence (after D-bag opens) becomes obvious and tried, stand in the middle of the hangar and loudly proclaim: "Guys, I just had my FIRST properly staged opening! Beeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrr!!!" Android+Wear/iOS/Windows apps: L/D Vario, Smart Altimeter, Rockdrop Pro, Wingsuit FAP iOS only: L/D Magic Windows only: WS Studio

These are just weak excuses, once it's admitted that it's "officially" (from PD) OK to just "lay" the mouth on top of the grommets (there's no tension, no resistance there), or make them even barely visible through the hole, one might as well just "go big" and expose them fully. The way it's done in my photo actually keeps the bulk of the slider under some tension of the "neck", there's no tension whatsoever in the PD Horizon photo. It's fascinating to watch how resistance to any deviation from habits and dogmas works. "This is PD, this is OK, but not even an inch lower! Once even 1 millimeter of the shiny grommets becomes visible, bad things will happen catastrophically!" Hard to believe, but it proves to be true - very experienced jumpers with many thousands of jumps are scared to do 2-3 jumps with gradually lowering the cocoon. And it's not about "Soft and gentle", it's about priorities, it's about doing things right, it's about staging the opening properly. And to stage it properly, slider must be numero uno thing that is presented to the wind. Not the cocoon... slider. Period! The openings become more immediate, without wasting altitude to "Soft and gentle". How many times we've read in fatality reports, that "after cutaway, the reserve was activated but didn't have enough altitude to fully inflate"? (extra 100-200ft would make a huge difference.) That's because of wasting altitude to "falling into pillows", "Soft and gentle". We're not jellyfish, we don't need to fall into pillows, we can take an opening that starts immediately, but is not hard by any measure. Android+Wear/iOS/Windows apps: L/D Vario, Smart Altimeter, Rockdrop Pro, Wingsuit FAP iOS only: L/D Magic Windows only: WS Studio

>>> That looks similar to what PD recommends for packing the Horizon. They state to leave a small mouth open at the tip of the cocoon.

>>> Why dont you just email John LeBlanc and ask him what he thinks?

Haha, this is awesome, thanks! [inline ReserveWithExposedSlider.jpg] Android+Wear/iOS/Windows apps: L/D Vario, Smart Altimeter, Rockdrop Pro, Wingsuit FAP iOS only: L/D Magic Windows only: WS Studio

>>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVAoiLl2B6M

How does a non-collapsible PC keep the lines straight? Both a collapsible and non-collapsible PC will be fully inflated until the canopy is completely out of the bag. The lines in your video dident look any more 'all over the place' any more than a standard belly jump. Slowing down the video, the lines were most chaotic right after a stow released them, suggesting a semi-stowless bag would be of greater benefit to prevent that. Android+Wear/iOS/Windows apps: L/D Vario, Smart Altimeter, Rockdrop Pro, Wingsuit FAP iOS only: L/D Magic Windows only: WS Studio

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVJjN-O6EG0 I found an example at 120fps, but not sure if Youtube retains 120 or downconverts it to 60fps. Anyway, try setting 720p60 in Quality and 0.25 in Speed. If you view frame by frame, you'll see that the slider got a bit "confused" in the first moments probably because it was not quartered well, it took a few moments to quarter itself. Presenting more videos like this won't show anything new, the openings become 1:1, carbon copy of each other. Immediate and on heading. Boring, no variability. Those who crave the excitement of "panoramic linetwists" and cutaways, can always hide the slider under the cocoon. For wingsuiters, I recommend dropping all this collapsing PC BS and getting a non-collapsing PC. With big wingsuits (this is V-4 in the video, that's not very big) the burble is massive, even when pulling from full flight. The burble causes the lines go all over the place. Non-collapsible PC will keep the lines straight throughout the deployment. My "burden of proof" is officially furnished. It's now up to you, ma chickenz, to multiply and lay more eggs! Android+Wear/iOS/Windows apps: L/D Vario, Smart Altimeter, Rockdrop Pro, Wingsuit FAP iOS only: L/D Magic Windows only: WS Studio

I posted both before and after videos (they're small to fit under 1MB limit, but enough to show the gist). They are 30fps, can be examined frame by frame. Doing more fps won't produce more evidence, just more of fabric flapping in the wind. But everyone is welcome to, it won't be coming from me anymore! Android+Wear/iOS/Windows apps: L/D Vario, Smart Altimeter, Rockdrop Pro, Wingsuit FAP iOS only: L/D Magic Windows only: WS Studio

>>> Why do you recommend this method for WS jumps but not standard terminal jumps? If the cone hiding the slider from the wind is the issue, the cone is still wrapped around the slider on belly jumps too you know.