Time to have fun in the “berg” again!

Last year’s Smoking Dragon Boogie was a huge success and this year promises to be even better. Our friends from “Durbs” by the sea are joining us in presenting again this year and it will be great to catch up again.

This amazing Boogie will be on in full swing from the 16^th to the 19^th of June at the Amphitheatre Backpackers Lodge and the setting is nothing short of breathtaking. Having an eagle’s view of the Drakensberg Amphitheatre while under canopy, what more can one ask for?

Last year, the festival entry fee was R600.00. So, we did a bit of a negotiation this year by waiving our Ferry fee. Last year the event organizers had to cover this for our two planes and our fuel truck, so we planned a bit and managed to land us a deal that will enable (only skydivers) staying at backpackers free entry!

We will understandably, still have to cover our Ferry cost so we have to charge a registration fee of R350.00. Still a few bucks to part with, but this is way better than R600.00, right? Slot Rates will be R300.00 on the Angels.

There will be ample opportunity to experience hot air balloon jumps, big ways, small ways and whatever else you can think of.

Guys, we will be sending out the registration forms and we need you to indicate some jumping preferences and experience levels. This will enable us to plan properly and make your  experience even more special.

Besides skydiving, there will be numerous bands performing and if you are planning to have some quiet time, the ongoing parties may have a slight effect on that! For more info on the venue, visit https://www.facebook.com/smokingdragonfestivals/

Come out and play.

You owe it to yourself!

The Smoking Dragon Boogie promises to be another zinger, but too much of a good thing is... well... better, so we're inviting FS jumpers to join us for a day of 8-way challenges.

Beyond basics, this day is aimed at those of you who are enjoying decent 4-way but looking for another level to challenge yourself with.  The jumps will be designed for the specific group, to push your limits through a day of fun, interesting skydives, pretty pictures and altitude with friends.

You do not need to be an expert but should be proficient at 4-way (as a guideline, if you've entered 4-way intermediate or 4-way open at Nationals you're probably at the sweet spot to enjoy this).

This is definitely not a licence requirements opportunity.  This will be low-key and relaxed (its a boogie, after all), but will push your technical skills, team work and communication and add that little missing something to your Ampitheatre photos: Formations!

1 day, 4 jumps, slots are limited.  The SSA will cover coach slots.

Please contact the FS Committee if you're interested.

Finally, an achievable wingsuit challenge for the weekend warrior.

Wingsuit Flying was the newbie of SA Nationals this year.  Last year, it was introduced as an FAI event very close to SA Nationals and RSC kindly agreed to include it in the event on short notice, but given the newness, it didn’t get much publicity outside of the Wingsuiting community.  This year, the SSA Wingsuiting committee were ready and rearing to go, preparing early and garnering competitor support to ensure a successful and organised event. 

So what is it all about?  What do the wingsuit flyers compete on?

The discipline has two very different components to its competition, so independent, in fact, that their World Cup and World Championship years even differ.

Acrobatics

This can be likened to Artistic Events (Freefly and Freestyle) in that teams perform sequences of compulsory manoeuvres and their own free routines, to be judged on sequence repetitions achieved (compulsory rounds), technical execution and camera/ presentation (both round types).

The judging has some very subjective elements mixed into it, although a little less than the AE events, so it will be interesting to see the development of the discipline and whether it faces the same controversies and frustrations we have been seeing in the Artistic Events over the years.

Performance

Objective and clean, wingsuit pilots compete to achieve maximum performance from their suits in three tasks: speed, time and distance.  It can be likened to Canopy Piloting, except for one important rule:  Canopy pilots may select a canopy for each task.  Wingsuit pilots must complete all tasks with the same suit, eliminating the possibility of using a specialised suit for each task.  Each round is made up of three flights: one for each task.  There is only an overall winner: The pilot who can – in one suit –maximise lift, maximise glide, and minimise drag, from the same suit, as and when required.

All pilots wear GPS units (currently FlySights), whose data is downloaded into an application that calculates distance, time and speed and determines the winner.  The simplicity, objectivity and efficiency of it all make it an appealing competition to enter or to follow.

How about it?  Why not give it a whirl?  Give the SSA Wingsuit Committee a shout for assistance in getting started – either in the discipline itself or in the competitive side.