skyblu3

Poor Michael Fournier!

Hey, I made this same jump 6 or 7 years ago in Slovakia. Also from a Blanik. It's one of my most memorable.

Here's two intense ones: http://youtu.be/uwDdTvUncwM and http://youtu.be/77jlfNP0gm8 sorry first link was wrong now it's fixed

made clicky:

Could'nt you use something like this: http://theconceptvillage.com/gpstracker.html It's seems like a cheap and easy solution. The unit texts you gps coordinates which you can enter into any gps software and find the location.

How much do you buy your mini dv tapes for. I found a good deal at the link below. Pack of 5 Sony tapes for 19.00euro or $26.50. Pretty sweet!! http://theconceptvillage.com/camcorders.html Scroll to the bottom of the page.

Was in Tuscany with my wife and kids and stopped by Arezzo to make a skydive. Website boldly states that the drop zone is open 7 days a week. Went there on a Tuesday in May 2009 and nobody was around. Not a single jumper. Talked to someone after about an hour of hanging around and he said it's impossible to make a jump since no jumpers show up during the week. I had emailed them the week before and they said it would be no problem just show up and jump. Was very disappointed, as I was totally let down. Drop zone seemed nice. They had a Porter and a Caravan, nice grassy area with an above ground pool and small play area for kids.

Has anyone seen or tried this? http://www.theconceptvillage.com/cameramini.html It's very small, may be fun to mess around with. Wonder if it would work for fun jumps and stuff. It's dirt cheap too.

Unpack it. I too have taken time off and I have seen stuff with gear that has been left packed. First off, remove the pilot chute from BOC pouch. This will relieve wear on the spandex. Also remove all rubber bands from the d-bag. With time these rot and depending on what kind of grommets you have can even cause a sort of chemical reaction with the hardware leaving a gooey residue.

Ok, excuse my ignorance. I cant work out the mount from the pictures. There's headlamp type strap that threads through the helmet. There also seems to be some kind of bar that the camera attaches to. What's the configuration? Do you need the strap if using the stick on mounts? Also can the camera be removed from the mounts for jumps without the camera?

But it's the same exact job. How much of an increase is it? Isn't there anyone at your DZ that will do it for the same price? Your argument holds no ground. I am not a rigger so I wouldn't like to see prices go up either but I do run a business and know a bit about supply and demand. For example, if you were to order a custom container for yourself you may be qouted x amount. Order that same gear for your entire 8-way team and I am sure it will cost you considerably less. You can argue,"but it's the same container", unfortunately its the way things go. Prices will go up unless the 6 month cycle will generate more business from repairs, etc.. Riggers calculate their turnover from cash in on repacks. If their annual number of repacks is going to be lower then turnover is going to drop and prices are going to go up. Some riggers may leave their price the same but find other ways of subsidising. Charging more for repairs could be one way. Riggers please take no offence, it's just my theoretical opinion.

I can't figure out the mounting that comes with this camera. Is this suitable for skydiving? What are the stick on mounts? Would I need to cut slits in my helmet to pass the straps through? I was thinking of putting this on the top of an Aviator helmet?

>>would hard openings significantly shorten the canopy's life? Not just your canopies life. I had a Monarch 155 and put 100 jumps on it. In 100 jumps I was able to destroy a set of risers, bruise the crap out of myself, not to mention the unseen wear and tear on your harness. THis canopy opens very briskly. Make sure you roll the shit out of the nose. Do small, very tight rolls, about 8 times around. Don't worry about symmetry. I used to find that if I could slow it down the openings were more likely to be on heading. Also, get large size rubber bands for your d-bag and double wrap them. The last thing you want is the slightest hint of line dump. Finally, make sure you slow down before deploying. If you are tracking from a formation stop your track and get as big as possible before releasing your pilot chute. Every little counts with this beast of a canopy.

How will you mount it? The mount that comes with it looks like a real snag hazard. Would it be possible to mount it onto a BH universal topmount or something similar and have it flush with no snag points?

I owned a Monarch 155 mfd in '98. If there was a design change it was useless because the canopy opened brutally hard and usually throwing you in a diving spin. I used to take real care when packing and really concentrate on body position on deployment. Of the 100 jumps I put on that canopy I had about 3 decent openings. I tried everything to slow the openings and eventually developed a technique which allowed bearable openings but still hard and uncomfortable. Never did control the spin. Also, the canopy almost always had end cell closure. If you jump more than 1 day a week this canopy is not for you. It will take you a week at least to recover.