1st training day in Longmont

We started early today up at 5:30  getting dressed and met at the airport at about 06:30. First load at 7 after a quick warm up.

I got my new canopy from PD at about 6:50 and 7:12 it was ready to jump mounted on risers and good to go.. First jump was just a jump to get used to the new altitude (5000 ft). it was ok but but great the 2 next jumps was also ok but getting used to the new setup and the location.. the 2 last jumps was quit different don’t know how i got the canopy to fly THAT slow on the 4th jump but that was no anything to write more about. The last jump was pretty good and saved the day.  unfortunately the clouds closed up un us just before midday so we haven’t been doing much this afternoon.

Tomorrow we start at 6:20 hope the weather is getting a little better.

USA again! I am on my way

So this time the US trip goes to Mile high in Colorado for 60 jumps in 5 days, with coaching of Jay Moldesky from the PD team. the 6th i am flying to LAX where Mette and Benny is picking me up after that the trip is Lake Elsinore in California where we is going to try and set a new world record in Wingsuit formation.

the 14th we are headed for Las Vegas where we are going to spend a few days on the strip just playing tourists…

Right now i am sitting in the BA lounge in London Heathrow waiting for the plane to Denver.

BA.com is so kind to sponsor my tickets again this year so its no problem travelling business class for free.

 

BA lounge In Copenhagen

BA Lounge London ;o)

And last a picture of Canada from 10.000 km

Canopy Piloting course with Scott Roberts.

Last week I was attending a Canopy course with Scott Roberts from Team Fastrax. Scott just got married in Iceland with Kolla and choose to hold he’s honeymoon vacation here in Aars teaching Danish skydivers how to swoop.

The skill level of the jumpers have been from 150 jumps to 3000 jumps but Scott have managed to keep everybody including him self busy all day. The jumpers that really have moved there skill level is Morten leth, Mads Jensen, Kim Larsen.Seeing what they were doing before the course and how they land now is a big improvement. Morten and Kim is now making a 270 turn and Mads is getting a really good 90 with lots of speed and a sweet flare.

Webber, Basse, Claus and me have all been changing setups initiating turns and and getting lots of speed in our canopies. I was only harness turning before and now i have changed to front riser then harness and my speed is so much better now.  My only problem is just to get the gate right due to the new setup and getting used to the new recovery arch and the sight picture that now is a lot lower than it used to be.

I like the way Scott teaches he sees it all but only points out the important stuff but still remembers what you also did wrong and that’s in my opinion a good skill. There is always something new to learn and Scott is for sure having both the  skill level and the competition experience to give us a lot of hints and good tips for competing. 

Skt. Hans Display: Fire, skydiving and free jumps this is not getting any better.

Tuesday we made another display this time in front of 500 people or more.  A RW site was arranging the local Skt. Hans fire with parachute and gymnastic display.

 

The display was also a raffle  the landing area was divided into squares with numbers so the spectators could buy tickets and where ever we landed the lucky spectators would win a cash money price.

We let off 2 jumpers with slow canopies in 3500 ft while they were flying down, Basse and me climbed to 8000 ft and made a hop’n pop.  After that we flew formation and made a nice spiral down over the landing area.

And just to show how PERFECT the Comp Velocity opens  look at this opening.

Perfect opening on a Comp velo 90

 

in 3000 ft Basse went on brakes and I went in for my setup and made a very nice 450 turn and a 90 carve into the landing area and the comments from the spectators was priceless. Lots of nice comments and applause.

Bo Landing

After me Basse was ready to land and he also made a nice turn but didn’t calculate with the slight downwind and only stopped ½ a meter in front of the crowd so the canopy landed among the spectators.. I guess he owns beer for that one.

Basse Landing

After we all landed we all packed the canopies and answered all the questions from the exited spectators. Especially 4 of the spectators was happy they all won 1000 Dkr. As usual there was a beer and some goodies for us after the display. Just after we landed the gymnastic display went on and of cause the bonfire was lid after the last display. Its just so much more fun to make a demo in this perfect conditions, and ending the day with a cold beer and a big fire.. Over and out……. :0)

Display jumping in Randers “RUN for Life” arranged by The Danish Cancer association.

We just made a display jump in the middle  of Randers city today. We were supposed to be 5 jumpers but because of the high wind, the 2 jumpers in Para foil choose to stay on the ground. The wind was 16 knots gusting 22. There was no obstacles in the landing direction so there was  no turbulence.

The landing area is the green area with the little white dot.

There was a lot of people and a orchestra playing in the background. The jump it self went pretty good I jumped first and after opening i flew a little together with Kim ”Turbo” Jensen i broke off first and was also the first to land. Marianne was the last to land and got a big applause from the audience.

Here is my landing recorded on a mobile phone..

Lots of AFF jumping and Tandems ;-)

The last  few weeks i have been jumping a lot of  Tandems and AFF to date i have 34 AFF jumps since i got my License and this weekend i graduated my first 2 students at level 1 to 7.

Sine Lysdahl

         

       

 

Jannie Houmann

They both did really well but i don’t know why they both got so surprised flying alone on level 4 that they forgot to do there 90 degree turns. but one thing is for sure they were very good at smiling, so i let them pass the level…  There have also been some students that wasn't that skilled tumbling on the back and generally just not being this nice. But the good training in Perris with Peter and Kim was very good so i can handle almost everything now .

I brought home a GoPro cam from Perris. This is a great invention a small camera in 5 mega pixel that comes standard with a 54 degree wide angle lens. I am using it for tandem stills and it is making some incredible good pictures.

Here is a link to my Facebook tandem album

GoPro tandem pictures

 

My new canopy: Comp Velo from PD

My Sponsor deal with Performance designs finally went through and i just received my brand new Comp Velocity 90 sq’ft. it is more than a year ago since i send the sponsorship application i got a positive answer from Kolla right away but it took a year to get the canopy. Actually i am glad it took so long or else i would be flying a velocity now and not the comp velo..

The Canopy is a very positive step up from the regular velo the openings so far is very nice and predictable even without using the  snappers that connect the slider to the canopy.

The speed on ½ brakes is like a normally velo but when you releases the toggles you can hear that the speed is accelerating and feel the steep trim on the canopy. Its flying and feels like a velocity except from its very ground hungry in the turns.

So far i have been setting my turns up for a 270 as i did before and its working pretty good it defenently feels like there is a lot of extra  speed coming out of the turn. The really big difference is the rear risers power. you need much less input to make the canopy recover and you can ride the rears much longer than on the regular velo. I am going to try some 450 turns next time. but it is for sure a big step up from the Velo and it have been worth the wait..

The picture is from the second jump i made on the canopy a  hop n pop from 6000 ft a GREAT jump

Do i look like i like that canopy??????

 

And look Albert from PD also like the picture and made it Picture of the month on PD web page