A modest proposal

[kallend 1,623]

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John,

I've read through this thread again and I like the simplicity of your idea.

Like Jarno, I'd like to see it added into our software to and see what it does with various formations. The interface shouldn't need too much tweaking, we only need to add some code to do the calculations. Yes, you can do it with a ruler and some tracing paper, but I think if we want more people to play with it, we should have something where you can click around and have it come up with a number.

So yea, those are my thoughts.

Cheers,

Costyn.

Thanks, Costyn. I agree that most people would want it computerized (I started with tracing paper to work through it, now I've been doing it in Excel (the concept is very simple).

At the recommendation of some who don't seem to want their names published, I'm adding an optional 1st step which will allow a formation to be uniformly distorted (say, stretched by 10% along the line of flight or uniformly skewed by a few degrees) and evaluate the position of the skydivers relative to that.

I'm not sure that we should be doing that, but if people want it, the method can handle it.

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[LouDiamond 1]

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John,

I've read through this thread again and I like the simplicity of your idea.

Like Jarno, I'd like to see it added into our software to and see what it does with various formations. The interface shouldn't need too much tweaking, we only need to add some code to do the calculations. Yes, you can do it with a ruler and some tracing paper, but I think if we want more people to play with it, we should have something where you can click around and have it come up with a number.

So yea, those are my thoughts.

Cheers,

Costyn.

Costyn,
one thing that has not been answered clearly about this software with which you are involved with that I'd like some clarification on. This software is it going to be made available for free to the community or is it being developed and later sold to the community as an aid in judging formations?

"It's just skydiving..additional drama is not required"
Some people dream about flying, I live my dream
SKYMONKEY PUBLISHING

[mccordia 73]

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Costyn,
one thing that has not been answered clearly about this software with which you are involved with that I'd like some clarification on. This software is it going to be made available for free to the community or is it being developed and later sold to the community as an aid in judging formations?

Its 100% our intent to make the basic application available to everyone, without any cost, in terms of the judging/planning/debriefing application, even if it never makes it as a true judging thing, just having it as a possitive and easy thing to use for everyone during briefing/debriefing of big and small dives would already be awesome.
As thats where the tool really shines right now.

We started out trying to make a quick and easy, on screen, debriefing application, to allow organizers quick turnaround times when doing small formation and bigway events. Giving direct feedback on slots, positions, relative distances etc.

Some more advanced options such as a timeline (for multiple points, seperation), a distance tool (allowing real world measurements, or approxisations) and dock/snap functions are only 3 of about a hundred things we want to try and incorperate.

There is (of course) some cost (and A LOT of unpayd time) involved in making it, but we hope to sort that out by trying to get an advertisment/banner or something similar into the software (where playing even is already more than we expect).

As you may know from your book "wingsuits in motion", trying to make a profit in the skydiving industry (especialy such a minor sub-dicipline as wingsuit flying) is useless. If that your intent (making money), doing a full weekend of tandemvideo or similar is probably already more lucrative.
These things are made, trying to just do something enjoyable which helps everyone.
See it as a continuation of the free articles, instructional videos, and other stuff available for free on our website.
Only this time, coming from a much bigger group.

So to make it clear, sales or profit are both NOT our intent, and regardless of its small and big formations, no END USER (thats all of you) should have to pay a penny for use of the briefing/debriefing application.

But this being our baby, I also hope people have a bit of an understanding we want to show it when WE think its ready for a first public (full) presentation.
You also dont release 25 pages with words and images missing from your next book or DVD.
Next month, we hope to show everyone a lot of things beyond the concept version (which we are showing at the FAI, as part of a presentation ment to show not just ours, but also briefly show all other methods available, postives and negatives).

And whatever judging we do arrive at, we can incorperate ALL methods that are deemed succesfull into the software, to make judging/checking easy for ANYONE. Regardless of it being an official or avg. joe on the dropzone.

That aside, the judging METHODS (PLURAL!) being developed by multiple people which we hope to incorperate, are a SEPERATE thing from the software. The software is just a quick and easy way, for every idiot on the DZ (thats you, me and everyone) to use during debriefs, especially on bigger groups.

JC
FlyLikeBrick
I'm an Athlete?

[yuri_base 1]

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Analysis of the Elsinore 68-way:

The formation is skewed, with a skew angle on average of 2.5 degrees. The formation is also stretched slightly along line of flight (by 6%) giving the formation as a whole a distortion strain of 7%.

If the formation is evaluated against its design, the maximum position error of any jumper is 48.5% of the inter-jumper spacing and the average is 24.9%

If the jumpers are evaluated against the formation's actual overall (slightly skewed and stretched) shape the maximum position error drops to around 30% of the interjumper spacing.

And they call me a measurbator... Sheesh!

Android+Wear/iOS/Windows apps:
L/D Vario, Smart Altimeter, Rockdrop Pro, Wingsuit FAP
iOS only: L/D Magic
Windows only: WS Studio

[DSE 3]

As well as having it in the computer for coming up with numbers, it makes it easy to send off a project file, still image, etc to the web or other delivery mechanism for peer and perhaps judicial review.

[kallend 1,623]

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As well as having it in the computer for coming up with numbers, it makes it easy to send off a project file, still image, etc to the web or other delivery mechanism for peer and perhaps judicial review.

Well, I only thought of it 5 days ago. I've got through the ruler and tracing paper stage and now I'm up to implementing it in Excel. I do have a day job, you know.

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.