OzzieDave

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAVITgDEpe8 Been done with a delta wing from 33,000 ft. The shortest distance across the channel is 33km and as far as i know Shin Ito has the distance record of 28.7km, not sure of altitude. So, if you can get the clearance to go high enough and have the skills it's just a question of resources and permissions/planning...

[did the whole journalism degree and daily news thing for a bit before moving on] big NO on that, while in this instance you can surely see value in it as it would appear Bill made a slip of the tongue but in the bigger picture allowing people to censor their quotes post fact drastically changes the meaning and has large ethical implications! Bottom line if you are going to speak to a journalist know what you are going to say, ideally have some training. If you are a dz you should have a series of ready to go statements for any event written in lay terms with a glossary of terms explaining any jargon attached and manage the press. Single point of contact to speak at a pre-determined time...

yeh more like 304/316, 306/319 etc with the 304/316 holding the same main but the 316 holding one size bigger reserve, ditto with the 306/319...so on and so forth

Use one of those gloves/hand mounts I direct mounted a AS100 but have currently got a custom bracket of my design being made (waiting to receive a few of them) to support a FDRX3000. Will update once I've used it a bit.

I really like my FTP Narrow set up and the helmets come used for cheap quite often. The metal bracket was a one off project but makes up for the useless sony box.

Seconded! It's not that anyone has to say any brand is good or bad just that to participate in a forum you have to have a point otherwise you're the virtual equivalent of the crazy cat lady https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2Xg7QUXiDA

I have done a few without the moon, a few more with the moon. NO moon means you don't have the shadow thing going on which is a plus. Landing off would blow but I've found as long as you have stayed in a dark a/c for 20min and no fools with bright lights your eyes adjust fairly well. Add in a decent lighting system on the PLA and I liked no moon jumps in some ways better than full moon jumps. YMMV.

Olympus TG Tracker Review The short version: Super tough body easy to use menus and buttons with clear sounds when the record button is pushed Replaceable, easily accessible, battery and memory card and no extra cases Flip out view finder Super smooth optically stabilised footage Footage soft and lacking dynamic range but 'truer' colour tones Cost £279 US$349 You can read the full camera specifications here The long version: This review was completed with the goal of evaluating the functionality of the Olympus TG Tracker action camera in the skydiving environment. Image quality will be discussed briefly but ultimately you can watch the attached vidoes (below) and decide for yourself. Form factor: The box contains all the bits you need including an adapter that allows the TG Tracker to be mounted on a GoPro mount and a hand mount for carrying the camera. The unit itself easily has the toughest feeling body/construction of any action camera I have used/seen (it is crush proof to 100kg (220lb), water proof to 10m (33ft) and freeze proof to -10c (14f)). The lens protector is removable and easy to clean. The viewfinder on the side flips out and the buttons/switches were easy to operate blind while the camera was mounted on a helmet, on my head, even when wearing winter gloves. The record button has a very audible beep when pressed that is much easier to hear over the aircraft noise than either GoPro or Sony. The TG Tracker use replaceable batteries and uses a microsd card that a housed behind a door on the back of the camera. Finally the camera has a standard tripod screw mount so it can be mounted to a removable camera bracket (flatlock, zkullz etc) or screwed directly to your helmet. Set up and jumps: I had the camera for 2 weeks and filmed 2 tandems, 1 AFF jump, 4 rounds of the BPA Speed 8 National Championships and several wingsuit coaching jumps. For the tandems, Speed 8 and AFF jumps the camera was directly mounted on a Flat Top Narrow (thumb screw with no removable bracket). For the wingsuit jumps the camera was mounted on a custom L bracket screwed to to the sideplate of a Cookie G3 fitted with a cutaway. After the first couple of jumps I left the camera set up on underwater mode (172 degree field of view) underexposed 1/3 1080 and 60fps. I did not use the camera in 4k as I do not have a 4k monitor and none of the additional features were tested (GPS etc). For most jumps a GoPro session 4 was used as a back up and I have used the video in the below comparison. Menus: The menus were simple to navigate and written in plain English, not really much else to say which I think is a good thing. In use: I found the camera very easy to use with the simple menu design, large buttons and clear sounds when the record button was pushed. The recessed on off switch made in unlikely that it would be accidentally bumped. Battery life was ok (claimed 90 minutes), I was getting about 35 minutes of footage in cold conditions before battery was at half life but as the camera has replaceable batteries I do not see this as much of an issue (buy a second battery if you are worried). The addition of a flip out screen made life easy, especially for ground interviews. Battery and card replacement was simple enough and didn't require removing the camera from the helmet or a case. Video and sound quality: First thing that has be said is the stabilisation is incredible for such a small camera at this price point. From here, in my opinion, things are hit and miss though you can watch the video and decide for yourself. I found it to have a more balanced and true colour tone throughout, even if slightly on the cool side. Footage could have been sharper and more contrast/dynamic range would be welcome. Moving from dark to light spaces reminded me of GoPro 1 and 2 with one or two seconds required for the sensor to adjust. Subjects 3-10 feet and centered were sharpest with this dropping off as subjects moved off center or out of this range. The standard field of view is 204 degrees (equivalent to ~14mm on a 35mm sensor, ~9mm on an APSC sensor) which can be useful for POV filming. For outside video I found the underwater settings more useful at 172 degrees. The control over video settings was nice with the ability to chose from several white balance options and manually control the exposure. The sound quality was not great, unless the subject spoke clearly and was directly in-front of the camera sound dropped off sharply but the camera was less effected by wind noise than other action cameras. Photo Quality: The camera takes 8mp images at intervals as quick and 0.5 seconds. The image quality of the stills was disappointing with the images being very soft. Extras: Olympus has extended warranty available and a lost and found service where you can register your camera and if it is found/reported they will organise the return of it. The camera films with an aspect ratio of 4:3 so would pair well with M43 stills cameras including olympus's own M43 mirrorless DSLRs. Conclusion: I have mixed feelings toward the camera. It was super easy to use, the viewfinder was a great addition and the footage was extremely smooth but the video quality often lacked in sharpness and dynamic range. Ultimately with this camera you have to make a choice between smooth footage and sharp footage but at this price point there was always going to be some compromise. (It is worth noting it is over £200 cheaper than the Sony FDR-X3000 and £90 cheaper than the Garmin Ultra 30 which are the only other optically stablised action cameras currently on the market). Attached media: Side by side video (rendered in 720p): Speed 8 video Olympus Photos (wingsuit jump side mounted on G3 Screenshots (taken from a 1080p render) Camera helmet set ups The camera was lent to me for a two week test period by Olympus UK. I haven't been paid or gained in anyway from doing this review; I was asked by a friend what I thought of it and in-turn asked to demo one and was very surprised when Olympus UK sent me one. There is a blogpost with all images and videos here:http://www.overdoseindustries.com/single-post/2016/10/11/Olympus-TG-Tracker-Review

You could try Tim Porter, often in Europe and the lives in the UK

yeh I'd agree with that. Precision turned 5 minutes after you gave an input. PD opened in a stall. Both landed well and did what they were designed to do. One has a continuos line set, the other doesn't and one connects with L bars one doesn't; pro's and cons to both. Know what's in the upper half of your container

A non destructive G3 cutaway solution (no holes, no damage, completely reversible) that completely removes the tensioned line that runs around the back of the head allowing the helmet to come off wit ~2kg of static force http://www.overdoseindustries.com/ad

Perhaps I understand it wrong but i have been using no sew finger traps for a few years for a few things with no issues. The way I figure it a standard 42pt bar tack with 8lb thread will take ~336lb to brake whereas a NSF would take the strength of the line to fail (in my case 750lb HMA). Easy to undo and re-set my brakes and I don't need any tools other than a fid

A few years back I did Dallas to Arizona and then across to Florida between October and Feb. Was a pretty awesome trip. I'd probably do it a bit differently and start in either Florida or California now and go across the country once (don't drive across Texas more than once, just don't ). Skydive Arizona and Skydive Dallas are still my favourite two DZ's on on the planet for fun jumping. The staff and general atmosphere of both places was great and I still try and make it to one or the other every other year.

Depends what you are trying to achieve.I use them for some companies in some circumstances in conjunction with a trackable link. I can see how many people scanned it, their device, which country and a few other stats. Not everyones uses them so include the link below or with the QR code. They are good for adding digital media to a print product

A 14ft tunnel uses up to 1000kw (http://aerodium.technology/en/models/models/recirculation/) and commercial energy in the UK looks to be worth 11.5p/kwh (http://www.businesselectricityprices.org.uk/). So if the tunnel ran for 85% of the open hours (8am – 10pm say) at an average of ~ 70% power daily running cost average out to be ~ £80/hr. Add 2 reception staff, ~5 instructors, couple of higher ups (managers/marketing/it staff), cost of marketing, insurance, taxes, building costs, maintenance etc etc I'd be guessing a UK tunnel probably has an operating expense of very roughly ~£300-£350/hr? Just a guess

those numbers are a piss take. Import a rig from the US, pay the tax and you'll still have money left over to buy jump tickets and when you sell it you'll basically lose nothing (you may want to enlist the help of an instructor you know when looking for second hand gear). In terms of altering a rig it really isn't worth it unless it is a forever rig, just be patient and the right rig will come up, have the money ready and buy it (know exactly what you want and what it is worth), too many people miss out on rigs ad decent prices because they try and screw the seller for a perceived bargain (I'm not saying pay over market value, just don't miss an awesome opportunity for $100). That said, if you did want to change the harness on a rig there are riggers in the UK more the capable of re-harnessing it for you and with the BPA rules and the nature of UK skydiving I doubt it would harm the value at all.

Yeah I'll second Skyswitches. Kris is super easy to work with and has gone out of his way to help myself and others and really affordable. Get an adapter from sony to canon (2.5m stereo jack) and then you will find it easier to get replacement switches in the field when one fails

right tool for the job? You don't put a 17 inch wheel on a car with 16 inch wheels so why do it here? Get a removable slider build to the correct dimensions if you really want to put one on a Storm 135

A quick look suggests it is just an updated version of the navajoh (PA-31 vs PA-34)? If so the Navajoh is used in a few countries already for skydiving and having done two jumps out of one I will never jump another. Super fast jump run with a ton of prop blast and tiny door (that from memory had to be closed for descent) with not that great of a climb rate. Probably ok if just lobbing tandems out otherwise, in my opinion, crap. No idea of the running costs but given it is a twin piston engine i'd imagine something like running 2 182's but only getting 6-8 jumpers instead of the 8-10 (wide body) you'd get in a 182, though I guess you're not insuring/registering and maintaining two airframes ...

right tool for the job. Not advocating downsizing or changing platforms to something that you are not ready for but consider your goals, current skills and landings and the next steps in your progression and choose the right canopy. You can wingsuit with a Katana but that isn't seen as a wise canopy selection. You can bust big turns on Sabres/Pilots/Saffires but that wasn't what they were designed for. 0.02c

yeh but he landed a 37.... Ernesto probably weighs less :P

Head down to your local hardware store and look in the fasteners and clips section, you'll get a set of steel clips for a couple of dollars, no need to spend a fortune on RSL shackles. If I remember I'll take a pic of the ones on my camera jacket when I go to work tomorrow.

Cool, thanks for the answers. Dave

what is that lanyard on the brake line and how does it work? Guessing it is a guide ring but I can't work out how it is helpful? Cheers Dave

Worked at the above mentioned DZ in Canada. All hosted online and post fact purchase of other media (i.e. just bought video and now want the stills as well) which was great for me pay cheque (sometimes people can't afford it all on the day or sometimes they see how cool the other product is and want it as well). The customer is sent an email with a login and they can down load it anytime they want. 2 dzs I have worked for in the last few years used DVDs (Australia) and the DZ I currently work for (UK) uses a USB thumb drive integrated into a branded business card size piece of plastic which is pretty cool. I feel the online hosting is by far the best way of content delivery for most countries but for some countries, like Australia, it isn't yet viable as a large part of the country still doesn't have cheap/high speed internet. My 0.02c