Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: notesfiles - hp 1.2 08/01/83; site hp-pcd.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!qantel!hplabs!hp-pcd!kas From: kas@hp-pcd.UUCP (kas) Newsgroups: net.rec.skydive Subject: Re: Skinny Jumpsuits Message-ID: <41800048@hpcvlo.UUCP> Date: Tue, 5-Nov-85 20:09:00 EST Article-I.D.: hpcvlo.41800048 Posted: Tue Nov 5 20:09:00 1985 Date-Received: Mon, 11-Nov-85 05:24:49 EST References: <1651@trwrba.UUCP> Organization: Hewlett-Packard - Corvallis, OR Lines: 44 Nf-ID: #R:trwrba:-165100:hpcvlo:41800048:000:2765 Nf-From: hpcvlo!kas Nov 5 17:09:00 1985 About a year ago I bought a new SFR Flitesuit because I had the opposite problem -- I chronically went low and had to "Hug the Ball" to get back up. I was just getting used to my new suit when along came two skygods with their brand-new skinny suits. They were hardup to try them out, so they invited anybody and everybody, including me, on their load. I eagerly accepted their invitation, but when they saw my Flitesuit they puked on it and said I would have to find a skinnier suit if I wanted to jump with them. Since I didn't have my old suit with me that day, I had to hunt around the DZ until I found someone about my size with an old wingless suit. I put it on and up we went, after extensive dirt dives, of course. We launched a four-way base off the plane very smoothly, but as soon as we dropped grips to transition to the next point, down I went. I got to watch everyone else's belly buttons for 10,000 feet. I "hugged the ball" till it squeaked, but nothing I tried got me back up. So, the moral is, skinny suits are not necessarily Gods' gift to skydivers. It really depends on your own body dimensions and those of your fellow jump- ers. Use a suit that you are comfortable with, and matches you well with those you commonly jump with. I, for one, will stick to my Flitesuit for- evermore, no matter what the skygods say. I don't pay good skydiving bucks to watch everything with a worms-eye view. You are right about one thing though -- reaching out with a winged suit will invariably cause you to backslide. This forces you to fly to your slot with great precision, and take grips only when you get there. I don't mind it though, because it has forced me to tidy up some of my sloppy flying habits. The nice thing about my Flitesuit is that I can always "fold my wings" if I need to fall faster, but they're there for me when I need to slow down. Once you go low with a tight suit, you're probably down for good. It is commonly assumed that a faster fall rate will give you "crisper" control. This is probably true. But think about this: Joe Skygod is wearing his skinny suit so he'll fall faster and have "more control". I am wearing my Flitesuit, and am still able to fall at the same rate as Joe. So how much difference can there be between our degree of "control"? Not much, I'll bet, as long as we're falling at the same speed. About the only difference is that Joe can reach for me without severe effects, but I can't reach for him. Oh well, to each his own... * / \ |---/---\---| Ken Scofield C-9355 | Gone | Hewlett-Packard PCD | Jumpin' | Corvallis, OR |-----------| {ucbvax!hplabs, harpo, ogcvax}!hp-pcd!kas