I've been tinkering with the Chicagoland Skydiving Center network in preparation for the 2014 Independence Boogie. This is generally a large event, and this year is no exception: The vast majority of the people on the network are guests on wifi. CSC can be broken down into three domains: The…
I just noticed something odd. Head to the PD Velocity page. Follow the Velocity Flight Characteristics link. You'll see some wing loading recommendations: Size does matter: … [a Velocity] can be loaded as lightly as 1.0 pounds per square foot … So what size is best for you? … as long as…
My 2014 skydiving season is off to a great start: I made jumps on both Saturday and Sunday! This puts me way ahead of last year, when the weather was so poor we didn't have a two-day weekend until July. I made a video to celebrate the occasion: Still nothing…
Free Fall Suits sells made-to-order jumpsuits, wingsuits, camera jackets, etc. -- everything a skydiver might want. Note that I said "sells", not "makes". TL;DR I ordered and paid for a freefly suit and camera jacket from Chris Kotscha at Freefall Suits on September 21, 2013. My five delivery dates…
It's the last weekend of the season and I'm still experimenting with different canopies. This time, it's a Katana 150 I'm borrowing from a friend. Airspeed Returning to a Katana after the demo Crossfire 2, I find that I adore the increased airspeed. I can fly faster on this Katana…
It's important that you plan your flight around the winds; you want to get out in a certain area so that you can deploy your parachute in a certain area. But, well... as a skydiver, you often don't have control over that. You get to trust the people giving the…