icevideot

I see this as a naive thing to ask. Let's say Joe is on "Team Buffalo Snot" sponsored by "Buffalo Snot Lube, Inc" And say their sponsorship consisted of Jumpsuits, Packing Tent, and registration and jumps only at events. Just to throw out a number let's say $10,000. They don't directly compete with any other vendor at the event but we can all use a good lube, right? Now if the tent won't be advertising their product, their advertising bang for buck just took a nosedive. If future sponsorship is already in question do you think it would be wise for Joe to throw the company name into the line of fire for such a stink storm? I wouldn't in their case. "... this ain't a Nerf world."

I want to agree with the others who said: Immediately open my main I know the reserve opens faster and hopefully I am paying attention to the likelihood of an aad fire resulting in 2 open canopies as my main is inflating. The point is, we have all opened our mains far more often than we have gone straight to the reserve. It would burn precious time to deviate from my normal routine and time is the most precious thing you possess in that moment. I would not consider the video guy at all. I have videoed my share of 4-way and I can tell you, I see the ground beyond my team. If you burn it anywhere near that low I seriously doubt I will be with you. I will however be videoing as I spiral down to watch where this all goes. "... this ain't a Nerf world."

And showing them your tunnel flying on video can only help your case. . "... this ain't a Nerf world."

I am confused here. You are quick to condemn the mods for honestly describing their practices that I don't see as inherently unsafe since the gear in question is only used by them and I am confident they take care of. I could respect your view of this if you hadn't openly stated in a post you started that you are angry you weren't allowed on a sunset load after 7pm because you had 2 beers before 1pm. Are you serious? I would expect our dzo to suspend a jumper trying anything like that. I am assuming you are an instructor based on your statements in the post about the drinking since you haven't seen fit to fill in your profile. If I stand up the landing in the grass where would this rock you speak of come from to get in the cable housing? I also don't happen to have an RSL on either rig. Neither AAD is controlled from under the reserve flap either for that matter. Your knee jerk response that seems rather sharp to me, is based on several assumptions that wouldn't prove applicable in my case. I can't say for sure about their gear but I trust their judgement. I hope you don't think I am angry with you, I am just amazed at how quick several posters on here are to condemn others and yours was the most recent post when I finally responded.

Wait a second.......1985 was 24 years ago? Ouch! Seriously though, gear checks are a great idea for you. That being said, not everyone on the plane should be assuming it is okay to start fooling around with your gear without asking. On AFF and coaching jumps, gear checks on my student's gear is part of the job. I still don't do them without informing the jumper first. After I do the gear check, I would not take kindly to seeing anyone else screwing with it either. If they see something suspicious they should tell me and I will definitely check it out at that point. If you are still not licensed you should have this discussion with your instructors. If you are licensed then you should update your profile. One of the struggles for new female jumpers is too many people wanting to "help" them along. I have seen too many that are trying to learn 20 different ways to pack at once because everyone wants to share their way. Pin checks can be a similar phenomenon. Choose the one near you that you trust the most and then, as politely as they will respond to, tell the others that it has been taken care of. You should also be protecting your handles in the aircraft and be mindful of anyone bumping or jostling against your gear in the plane. I have replaced stiffeners on 2 rigs that I am quite confident I did not break. I am selective who I have open my flaps. Jumpers are free to offer pin checks and I am free to decline or accept as I see fit. Jumpers are also free to not jump with me or even board the plane with me if they choose. I have also spent many jumps sitting in front of a tandem student and have out of necessity learned to feel my pins to assure they are properly seated. I would only distract a tandem master from his routine if I believed I needed the help. Having seen a jumper being encouraged to be part of an 18 way that only had 32 jumps, I am not at all convinced being on a 35 way qualifies one to handle my gear. I do trust them to understand theirs however and will happily check or fix anything they ask, as well as point out anything I have doubts about. "... this ain't a Nerf world."

Which one? My response to the others is both but you definitely sail under charmed stars so just try to keep the others entertained Bolas! Oh, and don't let popsjumper take too many naps and miss the boogie this time "... this ain't a Nerf world."

I love this dropzone!! Unfortunately, Nadia has already commited us to a weekend in the mountains with some other excellent friends. I will be happy to see them but I will miss you all terribly. Have fun and be safe. "... this ain't a Nerf world."

I looked at the video again full screen and at :32 you can clearly see the reserve or reserve lines at least draped over the tail and the jumper falls past. He is lucky the reserve came off the tail at all. So is the pilot for that matter. It would be hard to see on a small screen between video quality and white reserve and white tail. I think he did a great job dealing with the aftermath even pulling in the reserve after deploying the main it looked like. "... this ain't a Nerf world."

I am not sure what is wrong with you but I like to have a turbine within a 20 minute call of anywhere I might have a lunch hour. A big state like GA is blessed with a few options now, The Farm being my fav so far with Monroe working it's way up there for me. Now to have a couple of good options along the coast and we could be getting somewhere. Funny though, the others I have heard from or met from the Ranch seem so cool and anti-drama... I still want to visit there sometime.

Sucks to hear this Dave but thanks for the heads up. Also remember to do something to close the viewfinder if not using a box. I forgot once and mine is just a little wobbly now. Someone else's video shows it briefly flip open and closed twice on the jump but it held on like a champ and still works. I guess Sony deserves some credit that it didn't rip off at sitflying speeds. "... this ain't a Nerf world."

I am glad it worked out for you. That is a frightening prospect. It has always been my understanding that this 300 foot benchmark was to have a fully deployed and flying canopy in 300 feet. If this were the way it happened I would want to know why it took 344' to launch my reserve from the container. Having witnessed a low reserve pilot chute launch, I doubt this happened at 354 feet without the witnesses noticing. Once the closing loop is cut, the pc should launch almost instantly and a container popping open and trailing a thick white bridle will get your attention. I am happy the op was close enough to the ground to not find out what was going to develop shortly after this. I find the explaination to mean that it is not suited for any rig I intend to have a swoop worthy canopy in. (even though I doubt I reach 78mph vertical) "... this ain't a Nerf world."

I am still curious how long it has been. If you are in the middle of a deal with someone and you are going to be out of contact for a while, you could always let them know. I think until we know the timeframe, it is equally premature to tear into the op for airing this. It actually shows how easy it is to make assumptions. Just my .02 as I don't know either party. "... this ain't a Nerf world."

Plus 1 on this. I find the zoom to be very usefull for the ground and landing footage. For my sport jumps, I can do without it. "... this ain't a Nerf world."

There is a difference in not wanting it inspected and not wanting to pay the shipping costs back and forth from another continent. I expect my reserve to be inspected every time it is packed. As far as the required factory inspection, if the other manufacturers don't have the same requirement how can it be truly necessary? I jump PD reserves because they are excellent products and the company is comitted to both research and safety. I would still jump a rig fitted with a TSO'd reserve from another manufacturer however. I just may be hesitant to overload them as quickly as I would a PD. You have falsely jumped to a conclusion that I want to avoid an inspection. That is not true. I just want to know if this is a veritable "hidden cost" for someone in Australia if they bought a pd reserve that is getting close to filling all the squares. It does seem arrogant to think our regulations automatically apply to other countries that are capable of making their own decisions. It just seems better to ask. Shalom and soft landings.

Thanks for the advice. I joined skysurfer and posted the question but haven't had any responses yet. "... this ain't a Nerf world."

I was wondering if someone could tell me if Australians have to send their PD reserves back for inspection when all the packing blocks are checked off like we do here in the States. I would prefer to hear from an active rigger in Australia if possible. Thanks. "... this ain't a Nerf world."

The posts above do a pretty good job expressing the same feelings I have wishing you a speedy recovery. It is amazing how quickly things can change from uneventful to catastrophic with only a minor action or inaction. I hope it doesn't keep you down long my friend. I would also like to say you have no idea how much you have helped me over the years. Often it has been through info you freely put out there that helped guide my decisions. Other times it was by a quick response to an email or pm with a question. Thanks for being you and +1 on following up on the therapy. It really does help control future issues. "... this ain't a Nerf world."

I would only add that you also lose the in camera fades such as overlap and wipe and there doesn't seem to be any provision for a remote. On the plus side, I sport jumped mine last week in horrible, overcast lighting and the color saturation and contrast were amazing!(Meaning that skintones and reds and yellows weren't completely lost) I also had it set on infinity and it managed to show both the subject and the small water drops in focus with the Raynox lens. All of this was over the "crappy composite" cable to an older HD TV. (Not sure if it is plasma or LCD) I can't wait to move to 'puter editing so I can use it for work! "... this ain't a Nerf world."

Thanks for posting these. I will be able to make a more informed decision now. This confirms that my choice of the Raynox 3032 was a good choice for working jumps. As for something wider for inside video, I think the Opteka is quite a bit sharper around the edges than the Royal. Thankfully, it would be less annoying when the distortion is over clouds or blue sky. I don't think I could stand it for ground footage. What do you like best? "... this ain't a Nerf world."

Nadia and I are here for day 4 out of 9 for us. We can't wait for more of our friends to show up! "... this ain't a Nerf world."

No blasting from me. I respect your views on this the same way I respect people who prefer to listen to music on vinyl instead of from a file on their computer. Some folks I know still don't like fuel injected engines and prefer the carbs they learned with. It is not uncommon for a group of first timers to come out accompanied by someone who jumped in the past. It is always great to have someone I have zero chance of remembering approach me to thank me for the awesome video I did several months or years earlier. I am sure some people watch them a few times and forget them but there are others that will never stop bringing it out from time to time to stir up those initial emotions. I know watching my first jump still stirs feelings in me that time tends to smooth away. A man once told me "You can never do anything again. You can only do something similar." I don't think video is necessary for a first jump but I think more will wish they had it than any who may wish they had not. Our opinions just happen to differ. Blue skies, Robin "... this ain't a Nerf world."

Only one week to go now!

Or one way to sell a hell of a lot fewer videos. Agreed, not to mention you can never do another "First Skydive" so if you miss it you can never get it back. "... this ain't a Nerf world."

If anyone wants higher res copies of these that make the differences more apparent, just send me your email address and reference this thread. "... this ain't a Nerf world."

Maybe the link will work now? "... this ain't a Nerf world."