velvetjo

There's good reason that most of us buy our street clothes off the rack - and some even manage to screw that up. Jumpsuits are custom clothing because fallrate is affected by fit. When's the last time you bought a custom-cut t-shirt? So with this custom garment comes a whole world of fashion opportunity and chances for individual expression. Check out houses that people design for themselves and you'll see the same thing. Some jumpsuits look great, and others...well, the Power Rangers have nothing on those folks. In the end, does it matter? Relax, and don't worry so much about fitting in with us clowns with bright yellow suits. You'll be happy we're easy to spot for the next few hundred jumps, believe me. Lance (aka "Big Bird")

Above the Poconos regularly takes 6 jumpers to 10,000' in their widebody 182 with wingtip extensions, STOL kit, and 300HP engine. It's not too tight, unless you're a big guy in "the hole" up next to the pilot. Early 182's (narrow body) do better on climb efficiency for 4 jumpers vs. stock widebody 182's with 4 jumpers. Mods can make a huge difference between individual aircraft though. As for really small aircraft, try jumping from a powered parachute sometime. They're a blast! Lance

Dale, you're right on with the cable release mechanics. Here's an example of one. Looks like it's not the best idea for my camera helmet... I wouldn't mind checking out your Rebel setup if you're at Ovid this weekend. I might be out there on Sunday. See ya soon, Lance

Fast, I'm kinda leaning that way - I agree that a used 35mm Rebel is a good solution. Just wondered if there was something out there I didn't know about cable releases. Too bad, since the N80 shoots pretty nice photos on the ground. I see an XT in my future at some point too. Both DZ's I jump at are using film right now anyhow, so going digital isn't a major factor yet. Sure would be a fun toy though!

I'm looking to add stills to my Optik, which currently has a Sony HC-40 side mounted in a d-Box. Being a cheap bastard, I'm looking at trying to use a Nikon N-80 that my wife already owns. Actually mounting the N-80 seems pretty simple, since the stroboframe & Goldmember seem like good options for top mount. Shutter release is another matter. There's no electronic shutter release available for this model, so I'm considering a manual cable shutter release for it. Have any of you old-school types used these? Can they be rigged as mouth switches, or would I have to route it down one of my sleeves? Also, if I mounted the N-80 with a Goldmember in an upright orientation, I'd have to bend the cable 180 degrees to get it back to the helmet and secured - this seems to have both snag implications and the minimum bend radius could be an issue. Any help would be great - I don't want to pursue this too far if it's a lost cause. Lance

Have you tried this patch? I'd also recommend trying a separate firewire card if the ports you're using are onboard. It took both of these to get my HC-40 up & running with XP and Premiere Elements. Good luck, since this can be a real pain in the ass to diagnose. Lance

The thing to keep in mind here is that you barely got the main out and deployed in an unstable position. The reason that your pull altitude is higher as a student is so that you have extra time to deal with malfunctions, not just open & land your main in the minimum amount of altitude. Consider how well (or not) your initial pull went as you think about how long your emergency procedures might take. Yes, you've experienced a low pull - do you really think it's a good idea to repeat? Stick with your instructor's guidance. You need to get very good at the basics before you even think about questioning student minimums. There's an old aviation saying that every FAR (Federal Aviation Regulation) has a stack of bodies to back it up. Learning from the experience of others sometimes requires humility. Lance

Beware of cotton in the winter. Once it's nice & sweaty, it loses any insulation value. Think heat in the airplane cabin followed by a chilly freefall and you'll get the idea. Over many years of winter whitewater kayaking, polypro has proven itself to me as a far superior alternative to cotton for insulation and moisture wicking. Just hope you're never in an aircraft fire with all of that polypro on... EMS makes some pretty nice polypro thermal underwear that's a good value compared to the pricey stuff (Patagonia, etc.). The midweight version works well for me. Whatever you get, make sure it's long enough to tuck the top into the bottoms pretty far, or you'll end up with a cold back. Another nice feature of the EMS sleeves is a thumbhole on each arm, which means covered wrists that can tuck under your gloves. Golf wind shirts are an inexpensive wind-blocker for the upper body, but not too bulky and they usually allow moisture to escape. Check out cold-wx motocross gloves too, they offer pretty good coverage, dexterity, & grip. I found some in a local cycle shop that have been great so far. A neck gaiter is also key. I use a polypro one that tucks into my jumpsuit on the bottom and my helmet up top. I got it from US Cavalry years ago for riding around in armored vehicles in the winter, and it's held up great. Ditto on the SmartWool socks, they're sweet. You might want to consider what you'll be landing in when picking out shoes. Running shoes typically don't do too well keeping you warm in slushy puddles. When it's near zero (F) on the ground and you're considering doing another jump, you're probably set for winter gear. If you're saying "Screw this!", you might want to rethink your winter gear choices. Winter jumping can be really nice with the right gear - the density altitude effects sure kick ass! Lance

There's an old saying: "To teach is to learn twice." I've learned a hell of a lot both before & since I got my coach rating. Much from people helping me toward the rating, but also from other instructors and the students I've taught too. I agree with everyone who's posted that it's a great rating for growing instructors. Ever heard of student teachers? Lance

Not true. HC-42 doesn't have USB or firewire (1394) on board the camera, as we found out when trying to do a transfer without the dock last weekend. Lance

I have an HC-40, and a buddy of mine has an HC-42. Differences I've seen from a practical perspective at the DZ: HC-40: - firewire port on camera - emulates widescreen HC-42: - a little fatter (not much) - firewire port on docking station - true widescreen / LCD is widescreen Check out the clickies above for more detailed specs (or do a web search). Both of us are happy with the cameras so far and jump them in Bonehead Optiks with d-boxes, which fit quite nicely. Lance

Peter, you've got way too much time on your hands! Nice video, fellas. Lance

Premiere Elements is cheap (

One of the DZ's I jump at teaches PLF's for x-wind, obstacles, and botched flare landings. It's a great tool for those situations. Done properly, it can absorb a fair amount of horizontal speed, too. Student wind limits help a lot here too. On the other hand, that DZ teaches a flared baseball slide technique for downwind landings. They do this for just the reasons you noted. Seems like you're better off trying to slide than any kind of roll for high horizontal speeds. The downside to a slide it that you have to protect your tailbone from vertical impact by flaring properly and tucking a foot under your butt. Lance

Yeah, GrooveSalad keeps me on life support at the office. That and a good pair of headphones help block the mindless drivel so I can actually get stuff done. Radio XY is pretty cool too, but their site just crashed last week. Looks like it might not be up for a while. Lance

Good deal - tried both focus & zoom stuff this weekend with much success. Thanks again, Deuce! Jaakko, I've found that my HC-40 will keep most settings (except fades) when turned off & back on again. Changing batteries is another story, make sure you check settings after any battery changes. Lance

What about an Optik or Optik Illusion with a D-box? Lance

Have you talked to a rigger about getting extra padding installed in the leg straps? A friend of mine did that a while back to his rig and it improved his comfort significantly without any other mods. Adding custom telescoping leg pads to address any areas which aren't padded already by the rig can be done too. Lance

Deuce, thanks for the tip. I'll try that on my Stealth 0.5 / HC-40 setup tomorrow. Do you ever zoom in on your Stealth? If so, how much? Lance

Nice!

Doug, the d-box is listed on this page about halfway down as a HC 20-40 Top Mount. No problem mounting it on the side - it's a little off-vertical because of the hinge at the top, but some extra padding on the right side at the bottom fixed that easily. The photos show both the empty box and the camera in the box. Lance

I cut my strap off too, like Steve mentioned. I did leave about 1/2" attached to the camera so that I can reattach the strap for handheld video. A safety pin works okay for this, but I'm thinking about putting a snap on instead. Most hobby stores have them, shouldn't be too hard. Don't forget to burn the ends of your cut with a flame if you try this - it'll unravel if you don't. No problems fitting the camera into the box with the strap stub hanging from it. It took me a while to decide to hack up my Optik and d-box too...but I got bored enough one rainy Saturday to give it a go. From what I've seen so far, camera gear needs some heavy customization in this sport. Be cautious & thoughtful, but don't be afraid to make something that will work for you. Lance

Saw a couple of your shows this week at Oshkosh - nice work! The pic in your avatar makes a lot more sense now. Those biplanes circling you with smoke are a neat effect too. That poor lady singing the national anthem sure got a workout one day...I think she sang "home of the brave" at least six times to synch with the flag landing! Lance

Check this out for winds aloft forecasts. Pick the station(s) nearest to you for the forecast winds. You might have to do a bit of interpolation if you fall right in between two (or more) stations. ADDS is another great site worth looking at for more aviation weather info. Lance

Check out this post about how I set up my HC-40. I've got about 50 jumps on this setup with no problems. It solves the Diamond lens and CamEyeII problems mentioned in another post. Good luck with it! Lance