didone

I've been jumping the Samsung SC-HMX10C lately. I love it. The quality is good, nice bright colors, 720p with decent optics and sensor. 8 gigs SD memory onboard + SD slot for another 8 gigs, plenty of recording time. 2 button operation (on / record). Minus: the autofocus is on by default. Not a problem on a sunny day but must be turned off every time if it is a little foggy or on a sunset jump. Nice plus: the diameter for the lens is the same as my old Sony PC-105 ;)

the Days Inn in Perris is ok. Don't expect too much but it's quite and very conveniently located just outside of the airpor. I've been there 2 or 3 times, including a few weeks ago for the unConventional boogie.

Thanks again for organizing this, it's a great way of paying a tribute to the memory of our friends Tommy and Cliff Diego

I second that. This weekend I had a close call (well, not *that* close but too close for my safety standards). The wind was constantly changing and the landing pattern was totally screwed up, nevertheless everybody - and I take my part of the blame - insisted to land in the hot spot in front of the packing area. The result was potentially dangerous. My takeway: when the conditions are not ok, landing in the student area is a sign of maturity, not of lack of proficiency in flying the canopy.

Hollister Mayhem Perris Memorial Day Davis American Boogie Perris US Nationals (not competing, hence turned it into a boogie) Byron Boogie

wowow thanks for the pics. Ouch, that's me ... after the third wheel of carnage

nice and ... good job guys at the nationals!

Beth, have you ever been pied for your 100th? We can take care of it in Byron eventually ... I still remember the grin in your face when I got it for my 200th ...

I'm in - see you there guys Ciao, Diego

Ravenna is a good place to jump in Italy www.pullout.it. They have a CASA and every jump is @15k. I was there last April, the weather was so-so and we did several loads on the CASA with only 12 people on each load - the quickest and most comfortable ride to altitude ever! It is also close to the Adriatic coast, which is very nice on summertime. 'hope this helps, Diego

Sometimes I experienced some issues in particular at exit. Long story short, I came to the conclusion that it was due to the thermal shock (it was winter) experienced by the battery. I am not an engineer, but I was told that the sudden change in temperature was creating a drop in the power provided to the camera. I switched from a 9v to a 12v battery, and kept it protected inside the elmet, and it was ok. 'Hope this helps. Diego

it surely does after 100, I swear

To answer your point, I have been testing this setup for 6 months now, with an AV 3x0 video recorder and a Sony bullet cam (21CWS-HRX EXVIEW HAD CCD). To cut it short, I made some great videos but for sure it requires patience and a bit of twicking. The problem is well known, hard drives will fail above 10k, because of the low air pressure. I tried several solutions and I came up with replacing the standard hard drive with a solid state IDE flashdrive. 1 Gb = approx 1 hour of video. I am not using it anymore, too bulky to carry around in freefall. Moving to a different setup. But if you are serious about bullet cam / Mpeg4 recording drop me a PM. Cheers, Diego

try Ravenna, www.pullout.it If you can rent a car it's a matter of two ours going south on the 'romea' higway, along the adriatic coast. By train it will take around 3 hours (you'll have to change in Ferrara). You can check the train timetables at www.trenitalia.com. Call the dropzone in advance, I'm sure they'll be happy to arrange a pick-up at the railway station. 'hope this helps, Diego

I have 85 jumps and I wanted to improve my RW basic skills. I went to Perris and I did one hour (4 blocks of 15 minutes each, two blocks per day in a weekend), all of them with a coach from the PPP team. Here is in a nutshell my experience: - the tunnel rocks! All in all a great experience: for me it was a quantum leap. - the coach was great. IMO well worth the money. Strongly recommended. - 30 min in one day is ok. 60 min in two days is also ok, but don't underestimate the fatigue: keep a couple of hours separation between each 15 min block, or you'll dearch and start flying like a crap - should I go back again (well, I think I will soon), I would bring with me a full face helmet. 'hope this helps