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lippy

Small-format Camera distraction

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Saw this guy at the DZ on the weekend. I'd never seen him before, but I'm relatively recently returning to this dropzone after a layoff so I don't know all of the faces just yet.

He looked to me like a low-timer, but I didn't have a chance to talk to him. He was sitting beside the door of the Otter doing a hop-n-pop. After we passed 1500' and everybody got seat belts off and got the door opened, this guy starts messing with the GO-PRO on his helmet.

The pilot turns on the red light (normally a signal to open the door but in this case it was already open) and dude is playing with his camera and doesn't notice. A few people started trying to get his attention without success. The green light came on and the shouts got a little louder. Dude finally looked up from his helmet, saw the green light was on, slapped on his helmet and jumped out. No checking of handles, no checking the spot, no nothing.

I was planning on finding the guy on the ground and having a friendly chat with him about the dangers of being distracted up until the second that you leave the plane and if video of a hop-n-pop was worth it, but I couldn't find him.
I got nuthin

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Typical thing i see in the plane...A LOT!

As everyone is getting ready to exit. People are screwing up planned exit positions, missing gearchecks, distracting people. And in some case, jumping out late/delaying group exits. And often panicing even, to ask around if the red light is blincking.
And in the end, usually for footage thats not worth looking at, ending up on YouTube without any noticable editing.

They are more busy shooting what they will look at later, than they are EXPERIENCING the skydive with their friends.
And often at experience levels, where the experience (or lack there-off) is the one thing they should focus on..

Im a fan of the unit being used properly by a select few to catch some fun angles of skydives, basejumps etc. But for the other 98% of the (low experience) users.

PLEASE learn to skydive first...and dont ad a camera to the mix untill you're at a few hundred jumps or preferably even more..
JC
FlyLikeBrick
I'm an Athlete?

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i have been compiling a list of small-format camera "oopsies" incidents, and near-misses. I'd hoped to have it published by now. The stories are coming in reasonably fast. I'm betting that for every story that comes in, there are three that don't.

FWIW, I'd like to avoid picking on GoPro, simply because there is the Contour and myriad other AVC/small-format cameras.

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Damn...aside from skydiving, photography (on the ground) is a huge passion of mine and would love merging the two some day...but in no way, at all, in the slightest! am I ready to jump with a camera...sometimes I feel like Im the only 'new guy' that has a good head on their shoulders and knows that jumping with these little cameras with low jump #'s is a bad idea...yes, I have a GoPro...do I use it for skydiving?? Hell fuckin no!!! I kinda sorda wish there was a BSR (in America) for jumping a camera

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i have been compiling a list of small-format camera "oopsies" incidents, and near-misses..



I for one am looking forward to this list. Everyone seems to think that the dangers are all gone due to the small size cameras that are now available.

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Everyone seems to think that the dangers are all gone due to the small size cameras that are now available.



Well it's true didn't you get the memo? USPA is going to mandate one for all coach jumps in this up comming meeting.
you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

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