BigBUG 0 #1 March 7, 2006 Any help and suggestions greatly appreciated! I got an invitation to be a vidiot for a novice skysurfer and form a skysurfing team. We made four or five jumps together and I found out that this is damn hard job :) His fall rate changing dramatically and I could not keep up the level with him. He is a novice, but had no problems with standing on the board or making a transitions, but I have a lot. So, my questions: - what kind of suit could you reccomend? I've tried my regular freefly suit, it is OK when the guy standing or sitting on a board, but I gould not "cork" fast enough on my back when he transits to his belly and tried some horizontal loops and transitions. I've also tried my winged suit with booties, but I could not sit or stand-up in this. I am thinkin' about winged jacket... - any recommendations about training process itself? We found some info about skysurfer's training routines, but nothing useful about filming a skysurfer! - any safety issues? We understood the general safety measures, but there always are something that comes only with the experience. Thanks for your help! :) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Brains 2 #2 March 7, 2006 Hey Bug, Two years ago i was in the exact same situation as you. Here is what i learned, and let me tell you that my teammate switched vidiots after one year with me, and then they medaled. I was having the same problem with transitions. I could go slow or fast but not react and match speeds as fast as the skysurfer could. I got a camera jacket. My first one was from flitesuit mainly because i had a %off certificate from them and i used it for the jacket. I learned that the wings would help me slow down rapidly to match the changing fallrates of the skysurfer. I would either wear shorts or freefly pants with the jacket, i learned to fly both. I don't know what kind of plane you are exiting, but i learned to keep my wings folded on exit and drive toward them with my legs to keep from getting too much separation. You don't have to play catch up as much that way. Dangers? yes, they have a 5 foot board strapped to their feet that is uaually spinning around, and yes, it hurts when it hits you in freefall. You will become more comfortable with your teammate after more practice. At first stay a little farther away just in case. The board also puts off a little different burble than a typical freeflyer does. The skysurfer also has cutaway cables around his/her ankles and board. I have seen a vidiot get burbled and catch the cutaway cable (only one foot) and put the surfer into a nasty spin. That video is on this site somewhere by Douva. Feel free to ask me any other questions via pm. SBS on this site is/was also a skysurf videographer. HERE is/was our team website. the video on the site is not my footage, it was from a good videographer. Never look down on someone, unless they are going down on you. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skydiveoc 0 #3 March 7, 2006 think about going to the tunnel and practicing big blasts of fast tp slow fall rate. That is, learn to hover slow, then drop down gull winged then blast back up. You'll also need to know how to tranition from belly to head cleanly as novice skysurfers are the hardest of all to film and can drop out of the sky quickly. Be carefull. They also have a tendency to go low as there are stability concerns. josh Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cj1150gs 0 #4 March 8, 2006 The problem with novices is that they are mighty fast when standing up because they are using small boards. So when they go from sit/belly/unstable to standing, they seam to disappear down the drain, and when they fall off standing they rocket up! It's funny, though I have arranged a strategy with my surfer (we are both novices). He warns me with a headshake that he is ready to manouver and I transit from sit to belly (or the opposite) just before he starts the manouver. It seems to be working... if he is somehow stable. When he is not I just stay out of the way and pray for him Carlos Martins Portugal www.cj.smugmug.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BigBUG 0 #5 March 9, 2006 Thaks guys, you really helped a lot. One more question - what are you do when you want to go down real faster when the guy stands up on the board? You transit to sit or to head-down? My headdown is far from perfect :( and transit to sit is more slow. What usually happens is when he gained a little more speed, I collaps my wings. He getting faster, I keeping my sight on him and I ended in some kind of "track" position - half HD - half belly. It gives me needed fallrate, but I gain also horizontal speed and need to fly over his head (I know that not right ) or around him. This does not feel good and video is bullsh1t. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cj1150gs 0 #6 March 9, 2006 Can't help much there as I have the same problem. (I don't fly headdown). But I've learnt that if I can antecipate the surfer just a fraction of a second, I can transit from belly to sit fast enough to keep up with him on the intermediate board. Ideally, I'll learn to fly faster positions like headdown, and he will advance to a full size (slower) board. Carlos Martins Portugal www.cj.smugmug.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
davelepka 4 #7 March 9, 2006 As far as keeping with the changes, you'll be hard pressed to stay with a skysurfer on a random jump. The video you see from competitions is practiced routines, and the camera man knows what the next move is, and is makign adjustments berfore the move happens. Unless you have a routine, you will be 1/2 step behind the skysurfer. You would have to change fall rates faster than the skysurfer to stay with them. If the guy goes from a side spin to up on top of the board, you know to slow down when you see him getting up on the board, you would have to react, and slow down faster then he could to not be a touch low and playing catch up. With a giant board to throw around, you'd be hard pressed to react too much faster than he can change. It will improve with practice, but unless you can read his mind, you'll never be able to stay ahead of his changes. Once you have a routine down, it's a breeze, just go with dive flow. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SBS 0 #8 March 10, 2006 I like to use a freefly suit with wings. I will write more later...for now, I am still at work and really want to go home. _____________ I'm not conceited...I'm just realistic about my awesomeness... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BigBUG 0 #9 March 13, 2006 2 SBS Are you still there? You really working overtime!!! OK, I'm serious. Thanks guys, you've helped a lot. We need to think all this over a plan our training properly. BTW, is there a skysurfer's forum or something? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
heltzer 0 #10 March 17, 2006 I swear I saw you jumping with an umbrella! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
4dbill 0 #11 September 16, 2009 This this out. It's from 1992! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWJZHKnkFLM I used nylon camera suit with wings. It gave me lots of range. If you don't weigh enough, wear weights! Always dirtdive with surfers so you can anticipate their moves. Do not get too close during an aggressive move. 4DBill Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
