Jan Davis

[Pammi 0]

I just read the article about what happened. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends.
Pam

[webracer 0]

I am pretty new to the sport (this is my second season), and don't know many well knowns (other than what I read), but still really feel a part of the family. Let me tell you that I really feel it in my gut when we have any fatality in the sport. I sure wish it would never happen. I wish Jan's family and personal friends my best. I am sure Jan now has no freefall time limit.

[Zennie 0]

DAMMIT! My condolences to her family & friends.
This is the second fatality in a row related to camera equipment snags. From just doing some quick reading here & on usenet, it sounds like she did everything she could, including dump the helmet. What could have prevented these two fatalities? No snags to begin with.
This leads me to wonder whether its time for some of the camera helmet manufacturers to step up and design some "no-snag" camera helmets. Before, ya'll flame me, I'm not saying these are the helmet manufacturer's fault. Sometimes things just reach a point where maybe it's time to step back and re-evaluate the way things are being done. Kind of like when things moved from the ROL to BOC to offer better bridle protection.
This problem has been known for a long time and these two incidents IMHO underscores the need to re-examine camera helmet design to prevent future problems. The best thing we can do from these two tragedies is learn from them and try to prevent future losses. It's the best respect that we can pay their memories.
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Blue Skies!
Zennie

[Iflyme 0]

Jan's death is a terrible loss... I just feel awful... I went out before the tandem and video today from the c-182 this afternoon... I don't know what else to say here... a terrible loss for the skydiving community

[Zennie 0]

Quote

I went out before the tandem and video today from the c-182 this afternoon

Oh man, I'm sorry. For once I'm at a loss for words.
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Blue Skies!
Zennie

[Iflyme 0]

Quote

... I went out before the tandem and video today from the c-182 this afternoon

Sorry - that was a bit misleading, now that I've seen your post, Z. I went out before a tandem at my DZ here in Victoria - and my friend Al, the camera flyer, was jumping with the plexiglass "box" off his camera now (to reduce drag), so there is a bit more stuff exposed, increasing the risk of a snag... it just feels too weird - knowing what happened at Lodi. Sorry again for making it sound like I was on THAT load...
Frank

[froggie 0]

thoughts and prayers to the family of jan...

[Albatross 0]

This was the conversation this morning at the Bombshelter. I don't know what to say we all hoped that it was just a bad recount of the one back east. All my love and prayers to Jan's family.
Blue Skys and Safe Landings
Albatross

[Pammi 0]

Zennie, I have to agree with what you are saying. I have always had the dream of being a camera flyer in the future, but I have to say, that after seeing how many accidents occur because of snags on camera helmets, I'm a little leary of it now. I saw an incident on the Quincy 99 video that was similar..the gentleman had snag on the back of his camera helmet and finally managed to get his helmet off his head and the canopy came out just in time (with his camera still hanging from it). Very frightening. I'd like to think there's SOMETHING that can be done to reduce the risk of these things happening. :(
Pam

[Zennie 0]

The closest thing I've seen to what I'm talking about is Sky System's Sidewinder. Nice rounded edges and nothing for lines to catch on. Plus it's full face so there's no ring sight to snag on either (my guess is you could mark a bullseye on the visor if you needed one). Pretty nice design actually. Problem for me is that my camcorder won't fit in the housing.
Everything else I've seen either just has mounts for the cameras themselves or has housings, but they aren't contoured.
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Blue Skies!
Zennie

[skybytch 259]

Oh nooo....
Jan Devil was one of the few people whose posts I bothered to read on wreck.skydiving. What a bummer first thing on a Monday.
Deepest condolences to both her family and her large circle of skydiving family.
Blue skies forever Jan
pull and flare,
lisa

[lummy 4]

Just wanted to share this. I got it from a friend who knew her
"Jan Davis however was one very cool soul.
Had both hips replaced and a metal bar instead of a femur. She had just
found out that the bar needed to be replaced and had planned to get it done
after the season was over.
When she had the original replacements done she had to learn to walk again.
Two years later she made her first skydive. Did 600 jumps in her first year."
One VERY awesome lady.

[Deleted 0]

Jan touched the lives of a lot of people. I've never known anyone to go in until now and I only knew her over rec.skydiving. The internet is bringing a lot more of us together with even getting to jump with each other and she had a huge amount of friends at her home DZ and Nationally.
Very Sad
black skies
ramon

[Aviatrr 0]

I've read all the articles and posts here and on rec.skydiving, and still have a hard time believing it.. Just last month, at the rec.skydiving boogie, Jan was talking about the potential for snags on a camera helmet.. Then the fatality in NC happened, and she became even more worried about it.. I hear that several of the camera flyers - Jan included - were talking about this very thing that morning at the DZ..
It's a terrible tragedy, and something that everybody needs to think about.. I have seen a lot of very low timers jumping video - up until recently, I never thought anything of it.. In fact, I was considering getting a camera for my own personal use.. At the rec.skydiving boogie, Jan and I talked about camera flying quite a bit.. She discouraged(to put it nicely) me from doing it until I had at least 500 jumps.. Well, I think I'll take that advice..
Fly free, Jan..
Mike