tips for new camera flyer

[barnett 0]

Have been doing a few (go easy on me please have less than 10 total) practise tandem vid jumps and, like everything to do with this sport, am suddenly realising how easy experienced flyers make things look...! I am having problems keeping the TM/student in frame, have been told to look up always but this seems to be easier said than done. I have been told a ring site will cure this but have also spoken to people who fly without one and point their chin in the right direction and get the money shot every time, comments please! Also, what are good altitudes to set dytter to beep at? And are camera wings essential? I know some who swear by them, and others who fly OK without them in a freefly suit (most of my jumps have been freefly and it seems natural to me to fly what I know).

[PhreeZone 16]

If most your jumps have been frefly and you reallywanty to get good video go do RW for 50 jumps and work on levels and other items that translate directly over. Tandem Videos are just another form of no contact RW withthe tandem, you need to be flying in your slot correctly at the right level and maintaining the right eye contact to get the shot. That sounds a lot like the types of things you only learn by doing RW

*600 freefly jumps and I had to learn all the same lessons.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[bmason81 0]

Get a ringsite, I had the same problem keeping tandems in frame and once I put a ringsight on my helmet it was a lot easier and you know for sure that it is in frame unless your sight is off

pull low, fly fast, PLF!

[Icon134 0]

I've only got 3 "practice" tandem jumps... but I'll second what b-mason said: Get a ring sight (you can fly without one but if Norman Kent flys with one then there's probably a good reason to have one...)

I do mostly RW videos... but knowing where the camera is generally pointing and flying my slot... is very useful for getting the shots.

Scott

Livin' on the Edge... sleeping with my rigger's wife...

[piisfish 137]

I'd say : stay away from tandems still... Learn to fly your camera first.

scissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM

[kwmontreal 0]

I am waiting (patiently I might add) for my new FF2. I also wanted to do some practice exits that would simulate the exit for our 206. Our vid guy hangs from the end of the strut with a toe on the edge of the step. Do I ever have a crapload more of respect for him and what he does!! To put it plainly ... I suck! I will however get better before I attempt an actual tandem video. I will " learn to crawl" before I walk or run.



Kent

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------JUMP SAFE!

[Fast 0]

I don't know if I agree with the generalization that a ring sight will help just cause. There are lots of added risk to them. When I started doing tandem video I was using one, but it made me uncomfortable wearing my helmet on freefly / non-outside video jumps. The difference though, is that I had already done competatve 4-way for a year before I started camera flying so I was able to be where I wanted 99% of the time.

Barnett: If you, like many new skydivers these days, jumped from newly minted A lic. right into freeflying and never learned how to fly on your belly well, you need to take a step back and learn some belly skills before you can expect to "get the money shot" and be safe doing it on tandems.

The more and more I think about it in the coming years we are going to run into a shortage of instructors and video guys because people aren't learning to belly fly.

As for your other questions. I set my Audible at 5500, 3000, decision altitude for tandem jumps. Most of the instructors where I jump pull right after my audible goes off. Just seems to work out that way.

As for camera wings, for me, I can shoot "ok" video without them and "really good" video with them. I like the range and I like to sit low on them and look up. You can't do nearly as easy if you don't wear wings. Take that as you will.

~D
Where troubles melt like lemon drops Away above the chimney tops That's where you'll find me.
Swooping is taking one last poke at the bear before escaping it's cave - davelepka

[barnett 0]

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***.

Good point, I have not spent a great deal of time doing rel. I guess the only real time spent belly flying as a freeflyer is a) tracking and b) going flat to pitch which helps the cause not. I have done enough rel to participate in 4 or 8 ways without too much fear of failure, however I seem to detect in these forums two things regarding tandems: 1. is safety, we now have potentially 3 lives at risk with a whole new range of things to go wrong and 2. with tandems we are selling our sport to the public so not fucking up is definately a plus!
I had a feeling that rel flying would pop up again, not such a bad thing i spose... The flyers I look up to the most can fly well in 3 dimensions regardless of being head up, down, on their back or belly. Now if only I owned a rel suit...

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[PhreeZone 16]

You can do casual RW just fine in that freefly suit. The people that shoot the best videos are the ones that can fly in all positions, including their bellies. Prior to this weekend I used my freefly suit for everything (except Birdman).

In reply to an earlier question about wings or not... Dress for success. If its a 110 lb girl and a 150 lb instructor you will probally need wings. If its looking like a football linebacker as the student and an equal TM, wing's might help if you are backflying it but belly, probally not. Choose a suit for each skydive, you need to work with the TM to make the skydive successful.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[piisfish 137]

in any case if you mount a ringsite, do it with nylon screws, and have an efficient cutaway on your helmet.

if you want to know why check THIS VIDEO

Stay safe. Play progressive.

scissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM

[steveorino 7]

Years ago I was told that but I could never get nylon screws to hold a ring site very steady. Any tips on how to do that?

steveOrino

[piisfish 137]

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Any tips on how to do that?

nope... I had metal screws, now I don't use the ringsight anymore and hardly fly video since the incident.

scissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM

[Icon134 0]

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Years ago I was told that but I could never get nylon screws to hold a ring site very steady. Any tips on how to do that?

I use nylon screws on my RAWA and don't have too much trouble with the sight moving. the mounting instructions I used did suggest filling the airspace between the ringsight mount and helmet with silicone before installation. Which might help with that.

I did have one screw break when I first mounted the sight but the second one went in without a hitch.

Livin' on the Edge... sleeping with my rigger's wife...

[MSG45 0]

I have had the same nylon screw for 4 yrs, 300+ jumps never had a problem with movment or breakage