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AfricanKid

new camera helmet

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I dig the way people bash everyone else here on DZ.com, I don't post too often but many times I like to grab a beer and sit back and read the angry mob threads.

I don't think a newbie putting on a camera helmet will kill them at all. Hell throw one on an AFF student, the only likely outcome is that they'll forget to start/stop recording and have awful footage that is not worth keeping. I personally waited until I had over 200 jumps. Not that it would have mattered much. My first tape or two of footage really sucked.

So Afrikan Kid, I bought a Rawa helmet. It was a great investment. I still use it and it's done me good through about hundreds of skydives and a couple dozen base jumps. It's not going to kill you. But at 80 jumps you probably don't have the flying skill to get anything good. Your footage will be mostly blue sky, shakiness, blurs, and other crap for a long time. You will have to change the way you fly for it. At 80 jumps it's really just not worth it yet. Don't forget all the additional costs like wide angles lenses, tapes, the better battery that won't die after one day of use. You will most likely pay more than you want. Wait until you have around 200 jumps or so, save up now, and get something NICE when you're ready to take it seriously.
108 way head down world record!!!
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Want to know one thing that could happen? They'll forget about basics like where not to be on a skydive, altitude awareness, tracking and clearing airspace.

I'm not making this shit up, I'm telling you why fatialities and injuries occur.
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You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

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I dig the way people bash everyone else here on DZ.com, I don't post too often but many times I like to grab a beer and sit back and read the angry mob threads.

I don't think a newbie putting on a camera helmet will kill them at all. Hell throw one on an AFF student, the only likely outcome is that they'll forget to start/stop recording and have awful footage that is not worth keeping. I personally waited until I had over 200 jumps. Not that it would have mattered much. My first tape or two of footage really sucked.

So Afrikan Kid, I bought a Rawa helmet. It was a great investment. I still use it and it's done me good through about hundreds of skydives and a couple dozen base jumps. It's not going to kill you. But at 80 jumps you probably don't have the flying skill to get anything good. Your footage will be mostly blue sky, shakiness, blurs, and other crap for a long time. You will have to change the way you fly for it. At 80 jumps it's really just not worth it yet. Don't forget all the additional costs like wide angles lenses, tapes, the better battery that won't die after one day of use. You will most likely pay more than you want. Wait until you have around 200 jumps or so, save up now, and get something NICE when you're ready to take it seriously.



~I don't think the thread bashes Afrikankid. Sure, there are some "don't do this" posts, but at the same time, it can be argued that flying camera is the most dangerous skydive out there, and if it goes bad, it's usually pretty bad. Suggesting an AFF student put on a camera helmet is irresponsible.
Billvon's post stuck at the top of this page sums it up nicely; it's very easy to get caught up in shooting and find yourself low. It's easy to have line twists that are compounded due to the higher nature of the camera on the helmet. It's very difficult to cut away an entangled helmet. Riser slap is more likely with a side mount, which can instigate line twists. Flying a camera causes focus of the skydive to move from one thing to another. All/any of the above are tough enough for an experienced jumper starting out with camera, let alone a newbie.
I agree; sometimes the posts are acerbic when they may not need to be. No one wants to hear about a newbie skydiver getting hurt or worse because they moved forward too fast in their progression. Which is why I recommend he start flying with just the helmet, nothing else. that's what I did, and it did help me get used to the helmet's impact on how I fly.

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I couldn't agree more with the above sentiments. I learnt to skydive in SA and later became a cameraman and JM in Cape Town and I can vouch that the CIs in Cape Town would not sign you off to jump a camera for all the above reasons with such low jump numbers (read inexperience). I was only allowed to start jumping camera at more or less 200 jumps but it really depends on your skills and the confidence your CI has in you. Personally I wouldn't allow anyone who is not really current to even think of flying camera. It changes the whole dynamics of a dive.

I wouldn't want people on this forum to think SA has gung ho skydivers with little or no safety rules in place. The rules work very well and are policed seriously unlike some other countries where they are poorly policed.

Richard
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Everything that happens to you in life is your teacher. The secret is to learn to sit at the feet of your life and be taught.

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Of course I would never REALLY put a camera on an AFF student like that. I'm just saying that if somebody did, I doubt it would result in death. It would probably result in bad footage and poor videography. Same thing if a kid with 80 jumps put one on.

Doesn't matter anyway. He's got 80 jumps and looking around now. By the sound of his enthusiasm he'll bust out probably 50 jumps in the next month. By the time he orders a helmet, gets it, orders a camera, gets it, and assembles all of it, he'll probably be over 150.

Tell you what, if we read in the incidents forum sometime in the near future that afrikankid went in because he had a video helmet, I'll buy you a jump :D (Sort of like bounce bingo eh?)

108 way head down world record!!!
http://www.simonbones.com
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Tell you what, if we read in the incidents forum sometime in the near future that afrikankid went in because he had a video helmet, I'll buy you a jump :D (Sort of like bounce bingo eh?)



No thanks. Been there, done that, bought the guilt.

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Doesn't matter anyway. He's got 80 jumps and looking around now. By the sound of his enthusiasm he'll bust out probably 50 jumps in the next month. By the time he orders a helmet, gets it, orders a camera, gets it, and assembles all of it, he'll probably be over 150.



Not trying to stir up a hornets nest or anything, just stating the facts.

Unfortunately, this is South Africa, 99% of DZ's are weekends only. The only one that operates 7 days a week is a 182 operation and caters largely to tandems.

All turbine aircraft operate out of either Johannesburg or Pretoria, which operate weekends only. Sport jumpers here that manage 100 in their first year, i would consider doing well. 200 in your first year takes a lot of money, and some serious dedicaton.

There are however some very talented skydivers here, in particular videographers who have attended world meets and worked as cameramen on dz's around the world, the information he seeks is there on a local level, he just has to ask.

Advertisio Rodriguez / Sky

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Hi peej...
sorry but have to correct u...
skydive cape town also opperates 7 days a week.. ok they only have cessnas but still...
and for the 50 jumps in the next month it is not happening... (do u think im the president.. not even he could afford it...) and im only starting my last year of school next week... but thanx for being so optemistic... i have spoken to lots of ppl here.
this innocent little post of what manufacurers make helmets with quick release systems sure did cause qiute the stirr... anyway just want to thank all the ppl for the input..
and to the guy who is buying jumps... for my sake i hope u dont have to do that!!! hehe

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Hi peej...
sorry but have to correct u...
skydive cape town also opperates 7 days a week.. ok they only have cessnas but still...



No you don't have to correct me, when i said "The only one that operates 7 days a week is a 182 operation and caters largely to tandems" i was talking about SDCT. Maybe they have a 206 there though as well, all i have ever jumped there is a 182.

Do you jump there? If so there are people with a wealth of knowledge about skydiving with cameras. Speak to Julian Boulle, Driaan Louw or Tim OT when he is in the country. Good luck.

Advertisio Rodriguez / Sky

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