velvetjo

You bring up a good point - I've gotten into the habit of "mocking up" a helmet build from the start. After getting all of the hardware in one place, I try to assemble as much as possible without actually drilling or cutting (cameras on quick releases, lens on video camera, etc.). Then liberal use of gaffers tape fixes each component into place where I think it might work. This is an easy way to check for balance, snag points, fit of multiple cameras, items intruding into the field of view of each camera, interference of connectors, card/battery replacement hassles, etc. It's saved me a bunch of rework. Lance

I'm with you on the Duanesburg case: Duanesburg held itself out to the public as a place where aspiring skydivers could, for a fee, receive instruction and participate in a dive. As such, the paying passengers on board the skydiving flight at issue were entitled to have a properly-certificated pilot operate the aircraft. That's exactly what I was getting at - they're "holding out" as a business for hire. That thread is a pretty nice summary of the situation too, thanks for the read. I guess my only point is that despite the FAA's best efforts, there are still some limited circumstances where a private pilot can fly jumpers - it's the notion of compensation that turns it into a de facto commercial pilot requirement, especially now that they're interpreting flight time as compensation. Good thing I just spent some more time at the airport today working on my commercial ticket, eh? Lance

I don't know what happened at Z-Hills, so can't comment there. I do agree that there will be more scrutiny on anyone at a high profile DZ though. numbers alone almost guarantee that. OTOH, the FAR's are the FAR's, and from what I see they don't exclude a Private Pilot from flying jumpers legally in the right circumstances. Just looking to make that distinction, nothing else. BTW, the FAA does regard flight hours as compensation at times, so beware timebuilders! Lance

Looks like you're might be mixing in some of the rules for "incidental business travel" here. It's not the same animal as simply flying jumpers. For example, if I owned a grass strip and a 182, my wife (a private pilot checked out in 182's) could drop me and my buddies there all day long as far as the FAA is concerned, so long as we're not charging them for it. The shades of gray start when people begin "splitting costs" for operating the aircraft. The way I read the FAR's, we could even split costs among *everyone* in the plane and be legal. That's just a bunch of friends goofing off with an airplane, which is far from "holding out" as a business or even incidental business travel. Would I split costs since it looks to be legal? Probably not, since getting reliable FSDO opinions on this type of thing does not seem to be a very productive venture, and there's always some clown around to call the FAA. That said, I'd like to know the specifics if you're seeing something different in the FAR's. Lance

Anyone else find it ironic that Headcamguy.com used an outside still as the feature shot for an entire site dedicated to POV cameras? Lance

Doug, just today I had a "sense of arrival" as I entered an "outdoor room". Makes you want some of what they're smoking, no? Mark, please ask permission to use photos in your project and then credit them appropriately. You'd be surprised how much better of a response it elicits. Also, I agree with Doug that you're stretching this analogy pretty far...but what do I know, I'm just an engineer. Lance

You'll clearly need this to complete the assignment. Throw a 1253 in there; it looks about right. Lance

Interesting, never noticed this much with either my RW suit or camera suit. I guess I must compensate somehow without realizing it. I can generally stay up with most lightweights if I try, but mostly nowadays it's "go fast or go home" if I'm fun jumping. Lance

Thanks for the reply. Posted this about 6 years ago, so I've been all set for a while. A bit surprised by your post too, looks like you've been using the Search function... In the meantime, I've been flying a double-layer Bodysport suit for RW with booties, swoop cords, and a little bit of wing. Works okay, but I'm still at the fast end for a lot of RW groups when flying relaxed. The biggest thing that helps me slow down is really getting my chest concave to de-arch. Tunnel time is a great way to hone this skill. Good luck with your Tony Suit! Lance

Interesting to see what you guys are saying about the Contour HD mounts. One of our video flyers got one last season as an experiment, then lost it in freefall within a weekend or two due to mount issues. I think he's got that solved now with a homegrown mount (and another new Contour), but it sounds like an expensive trend. After flying it with the reinforced mount, he seemed pretty happy with the overall video quality. Lance

Piss Up a Rope by Ween Always reminds me of how much better things are now... Lance

Anybody know when the Verizon version of Nexus One is supposed to hit the market? Curious to see if they will have the same troubles. Lance

+1 Schluter is good stuff! Lance

Here are a few shots I found entertaining, taken during this season & last. Great idea for a contest, thanks DSE! Lance

Got a GPS from buydig.com last year, no complaints. Best price I could find, fast shipping, and no hassles. I'd go back to them again. Lance

DSE, I'm on the same page with you & Billvon, sorry if my wording sounded different in the first post. The thought was that in comparison to something like a DOT approved motorcycle helmet, camera helmets just aren't as effective. OTOH, anything that helps spread force over more area during an impact is better than nothing. Both methods have advantages & disadvantages. Too bad we can't choose what happens during the chaos of an aircraft accident...that would certainly simplify the decision process. All part of the risk, I suppose. Lance

Wow! Point taken - there are trade-offs in everything. Lance

To briefly interject in this episode of the urinary Olympics , most "camera helmets" should probably be renamed "camera holders" due to the lack of head protection afforded. If anything, a full video/still setup strapped to your head is a liability in a crash. This is due to the significant amount of weight causing additional potential for whiplash-type injuries. To avoid the need to don helmets, one of our riggers sewed quick-release straps to allow easy attachment to the chest strap for takeoffs (and the occasional landing). The straps are then stowed in a jumpsuit pocket once we reach emergency exit altitude. This is a compromise solution, but at least the travel range is very limited in case the thing becomes a projectile. Lance

Crater, nothing against the concept of FSS's, if that's what works for you. Just be aware that changing other variables (like the lens) may make the switch less of a factor in the overall system. The information above is a good point that shouldn't be ignored. The lens is an integral part of the camera system, and a USM AF lens like the Canon 10-22mm can make a difference. Simply dismissing lenses from the conversation doesn't make them any less of a factor. My personal experience: a tongue switch with a stereo plug (not constant focusing) on a Rebel XTi with a Canon 10-22mm lens (AF + AI Servo mode) is plenty fast enough to take very sharp images in burst or single mode. Combine that with less battery drain due to no constant focusing, and it's a solution that works fine for my purposes. What's optimum for a still camera switch? Not sure, since each of us likely has different "best" parameters to work toward. Can you give us any hard data from your setup that shows specific and measurable differences? That would help me understand where your version of "best" is, and might redefine mine. Thanks, Lance

Appreciate the advice on the drives, that sounds like a good plan, Chris. DSE, I'm "rolling my own" PC, but do plan to put ESET on it since it won't be an edit-only station. Will definitely disable that during editing though! Lance

DSE, As above, appreciate the advice on Production assistant vs. Ultimate S. Looks like Ultimate S would be cool for end-of-the-year videos, commemorative jumps, etc. where I could take more time for a custom edit. Sorry to hear that the injuries are more complicated - that sucks. Haven't managed to wreck myself jumping (yet), but can definitely relate from some old whitewater injuries. Take your time and listen to the docs and PT's, it's worth it in the long run. Hang in there, Lance

Chris, I was thinking of very similar mods to what you mention for the Hot Rod. Do you think that a mid-sized drive for boot/OS with a larger drive for raw capture and another mid-sized drive for rendering output sounds reasonable? It seems like the third drive could be smaller, since there isn't too much point in keeping the rendered version of the DVD. I'll probably keep a decent video card in the setup for gaming on cloudy/windy days at the DZ, but that's another issue entirely... Good deal on the Production Assistant vs. Ultimate S advice - that's all new territory for me. I'll probably hold off on Ultimate S for now, but it looks like a nice tool to pick up eventually. Appreciate the price feedback too. Nice work to you as well on the VASST video! I just got it yesterday, and it's chocked full of good info. Thanks, Lance

I'm working on setting up a fast-turnaround editing station for tandem video based on a PC similar to ArsTechnica's Hot Rod. So I went searching for software and found this deal on Vegas Pro 9, Production Assistant, Training, and Cinescore. $649 after the rebate looks pretty good - anybody seen anything comparable? Also, there appears to be some overlap in features between Production Assistant and VASST Ultimate S Pro 4.1. Is it worth having both of these add-ons for streamlined workflow? Any preference for one over the other? On a side note, here's an interesting keyboard for Vegas. Stumbled across it and thought you all might be interested in knowing it's out there. Looking for feedback from folks who have actually used these applications.

Got about 300 hours in little airplanes, and love it. Single-pilot IFR and tailwheel time have been good challenges over the last few years to keep it interesting. Probably going to get my commercial within the next year if there's time. Glad to see there are more than a few pilots here. Lance

Rumor has it they're working on balloon jumps for the MAX Boogie at Skydive Delmarva in June. Nothing firm yet, but keep an eye on the webpage for details. Should be a good time even if the balloon doesn't happen. See ya there, Lance