pilotdave

Really not very complete. I looked at the sikorsky aircraft section and they don't have anything beyond 1937. Dave

Distraction is the issue. There are probably hundreds of posts on it. The same 200 jump recommendation would apply if the camera was the size of a postage stamp. Dave

It may not have the highest possible resolution, but it's a fine lens. What are you filming that requires the highest possible quality? It's tiny and much higher quality than a royal/waycool/cookie/etc. You won't likely notice any degradation. Dave

The grammar and lack of punctuation make it sound like it was written by a Nigerian. Maybe start it with "My wealthy client is interested..." Dave

I went with the Vapor because it's an inch wider and I wanted my cameras side by side. It does not come "ready to jump" or close to it. Obviously it's meant to be customized by each user, but it took a lot of work for me to get the top plate cut and sanded smooth. Installing the cutaway seemed more difficult than it needed to be, and I managed to break my first helmet in the process (wasn't manufactured quite right). Customer service was good... they sent out a replacement helmet. But since it's been all together, I haven't needed to do anything else to it. I find that the foam padding expands at altitude... at first I almost needed help shoving it onto my head. If I put it on early and had a long jump run, I'd really be in some pain by the time I climbed out. But after almost a year, I think the foam has compressed a little and it's not a problem anymore. If you make it down to CPI this winter, I'll let you take a close look at it. I've never used an FTP, so I can't really compare them. Dave

Just something to remember about auto ISO - if you use flash, it sets the ISO to 400. You might want something different than that, depending on the lighting. With the 580 flash, there's a white card that pulls out of the flash. I haven't bought any fancy flash diffusers... I just point the flash straight up and use the card to bounce the flash. It loses a lot of power so range is limited, but makes much more pleasant lighting than just pointing the flash at the subject. Dave

I've also only shot one wedding... for a skydiver of course. Wasn't a skydiving wedding though. They were well aware I had never done a wedding before... I made sure they really really wanted me. You can get a lot of advice from internet forums like Fred Miranda's wedding photography forum. People post lots of sample shots and equipment advice. I used 2 cameras and 3 lenses... Tamrom 17-50 2.8, Canon 70-300, and Canon 10-22 (which makes people look terrible, so don't use it too much!). I bought the 17-50 specifically for the wedding. I also used a Canon 580 II flash. It was an outdoor wedding with somewhat difficult light, a back yard surrounded by tall trees. For the ceremony, I needed flash and ended up putting the camera on manual mode and crossed my fingers. I wouldn't recommend trying too many new things you haven't gotten a lot of practice with before. Keep it simple. Don't worry too much about getting in the way. At my brother's wedding earlier this year, the photographer stood right in front of them during the ceremony. All I could see was his back the entire time. The guests may not have liked it, but they sure like their wedding pictures! Also, how's your editing? None of the beautiful wedding pictures you'll come across looked that way straight out of the camera. Adobe Lightroom makes it easy. Or at least easier. Getting the white balance correct to make a white dress look white is a biggie. In my case one of the groomsmen was wearing gray pants and all the rest were wearing black. But in their album, everyone matches! Magic!

My first time at a DZ a couple years ago, I asked what the pattern was. "Don't hit anybody" was the official answer. Not even the tandem instructors could land in the same direction. I jumped there a lot that year... made me appreciate my home DZ that much more.

Just 2 jumps for me... A demo into a high school football game on thanksgiving and a tandem video yesterday. My view of the demo: http://www.skydivingstills.com/Skydiving/2010/Thanksgiving-Demo-Jump/14804729_ci8d4#1104465723_sfpa6-A-LB Spectator view: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxsJoC3vvbc Dave

My DZ did almost half as many A-license check dives this year as Category A jumps. Insane retention rate like nothing I've ever seen. About 77% of Category A students made a B jump, and close to half made it to Category H. And we still have a couple students trying to finish before it gets too cold. I think we have almost as many new A-licensees this year as we had jumpers last year... well almost. So based on one data point, you're completely wrong! Seriously though, you're right that when you take a low profit margin business and cut the profit down to nothing, you're really taking a chance at getting bitten. But some of the numbers in this thread are a bit more scary than they might be in real life... we brought in more per coupon than lodi does on a regular tandem. Dave

I know our guy that set us up with Groupon talked to a massage therapist that has used Groupon. Her business about broke even on each coupon sold. But they had a slow period and a bunch of employees sitting around. It kept them employed. It's a marketing and business tool. It's not going to make or break a business, but it can be used effectively. I've heard about one DZ (mentioned by the original poster) that sold so many coupons through groupon that they had to fly their plane super light on weekdays, shutting down to pack between every load, just to try to accomodate all the business. I don't understand it. I can't see how they aren't losing their shirts on that deal. But I bet their full time staff loved the extra business. Groupon isn't necessarily good or bad. It's a tool. Not that a comparison has been made, but it's nothing like skyride. You don't have to sign a horrible deal with the devil to try to compete against other DZs that have signed up. If the numbers they give you don't work, don't do it. Dave

The thing about Groupon is there are no surprises. You can choose the maximum coupons that can be sold and the minimum it takes for the deal to happen at all. You set the expiration date too. You know ahead of time how much money you'll get for each coupon sold. They basically pay up front after the deal. The money is in your pocket whether or not the customers show up. It's not going to work for every DZ. You have to do the math and decide if it's a good deal for your DZ. I wouldn't consider it in the middle of our busy season when we're already running near max capacity. It wouldn't make sense. But run a deal when you're itching for business, and it's another story. My DZ did it to keep the Otter flying for the fun jumpers late in the season. I believe 100% of coupons were redeemed, which was a surprise. We turned our slowest month into our busiest tandem month in our history. We didn't make a killing, but the plane flew every weekend that month, 8am to sunset. The numbers depend on the area and are somewhat negotiable. I can tell you my DZ didn't give away $99 tandems, and we didn't split the profit 50/50 either. Dave

The groupon people are very familiar with tandem operations since they have been selling many many coupons for them. They make an exception to their normal discount for skydiving coupons, since they know profit margins are already very low. Dave

I wouldn't. I borrow. And change how my jumpsuit is put on (velcro cuffs rolled inward), and add another hook knife, wear a different helmet, switch to a muflap altimeter, etc. I have a retractable PC for my triathlon, but I've never tried it. No way I'd be able to stay with my friends' lightnings. And the risers and toggles aren't really appropriate for CRW either. Maybe if I had a friend with a hybrid tri at similar loading we could give it a shot but I don't. If I come across a good deal on a lightining 126, I'd probably take it. Even though it would sit around more than my wingsuit. Dave

More great advice. I'm not saying I've never done it, but I have been "talked to" by a real live CRW expert about that kinda thing. It's not smart. Bumping end cells is one thing, CRW is another. When you're going to be putting your feet in someone's lines, there's a lot to think about and using appropirate equipment, from canopy to socks, is important. Doesn't matter if it's a 2-way or a 100-way. Stop giving bad advice. Dave

I thought it kind of sucked. I much prefer the original show. Maybe future episodes will be better but I thought most of it was pretty boring, much more scripted, not funny, and well, slow. The british version always has me laughing. The only thing I laughed at in this one was the guy yelling "FUCK!" every time he shifted the yellow lamborghini. It was pretty much exactly what I expected. Dave

I'm no CRW expert, but my limited experience has been that everyone's really gotta be jumping the same model of canopy at the same loading. I mean I've docked on a Spectre with my Sabre2, but that's not "real" CRW. Even when everyone's jumping a Lightning at about the same loading, there's a lot of variation in speed and glide angle until everyone's dialed in. I own a hybrid triathlon 120, but definitely couldnt use it to jump with a bunch of lightnings. Borrowed a lightning 126 and found it to be hard enough... needed a set of links on the rear risers for a steeper trim and still needed to hold front risers to not be too floaty. I also pretty much hate jumping it regularly. Opens much more firmly than my Sabre2 and the flare kinda sucks (well, I am just not used to a 7-cell landing). Dave

What the other guy said. Regular canopy backing up... You're aimed north but flying backward (south). Pull down with your left hand and you'll turn west (counterclockwise when looking straight down at the ground past your feet). Canopy connected backwards... Your body is pointing north but the canopy is flying south. Pull down with your left hand and your body will turn toward the east (clockwise). I was just pointing out that they'll feel opposite, not the same as someone suggested. Dave

What you believe is not the gold standard for EPS.. Emergency procedures have been discussed so many times, we might forget that new jumpers haven't necessarily been exposed to anything outside of their first jump course. I don't want to repeat 100 other threads, but here's a quick summary for Pete's sake (ha!)... Emergency procedures are taught in two basic methods... one hand per handle or two hands per handle. Each method has advantages and disadvantages. Obviously Pete learned one hand per handle, which is probably a bit less common for students to learn (in my experience, although that's the method I was taught at my FJC). The main advantage is that the jumper is holding both handles before there's a sudden shift (after cutting away), so the jumper is less likely to have problems finding the reserve handle. The primary disadvantage (in my opinion) is that the jumper is less prepared to deal with a hard cutaway, and is possibly more likely to prematurely pull the reserve handle (before ensuring that the cutaway is complete). The advantage of the two hands per handle method is that the jumper has the strength and "focus" of both hands to perform each handle pull. The disadvantage is that the jumper has to move both hands to the reserve handle as everything shifts around during the cutaway, making it critical to watch the reserve handle throughout the cutaway. RSLs and AADs are also great backups. I learned one method before my first jump and the other method before my second jump. I much prefer two hands per handle, especially for students. That's the method my DZ teaches, and the method the woman in the pic is using... though probably not perfectly. But I'm still not sure why her instructor should be embarrased. And I'm assuming that when Pete talked about a partial cutaway being better than nothing, he meant down LOW. I'd agree that if a jumper has a partial cutaway and has no time to complete it (floating handle or something), pulling the reserve is the best bet. But, a partial cutaway is a NASTY NASTY malfunction, very likely to be much worse than whatever mal was being cut away. In most cases, a jumper would probably be much better off dumping the reserve into the original mal than dumping the reserve into a main hanging on by one riser. So the lesson is that completing a cutaway and making sure the cables are completely clear of the 3-rings is absolutely critical. I'm not sure Pete understood that point. Dave

Works the same way going backwards. Pull with your right hand, turn right. Pull with your left hand, turn left. They'll feel opposite. If you're being pushed backwards by a strong wind, pulling with your left hand will make you face to the left. If your canopy is connected backwards, pulling with your left hand will make you face to the right. Dave

It was safety day and she's an experienced skydiver. She can do whatever she wants. But why would an instructor be embarrased at a student messing up anyway? Should the instructor be afraid someone might think he's teaching it wrong? Most students do mess it up... at first.

I'm sure I'll get in trouble for posting such a beautiful picture, but here's one that gives the basic concept of how it's built. Dave

I "let" a new jumper practice packing with my rig. Ha, anything for a free pack job. Well I walked over right after she had brought the dbag over the rig and it was just kind of sitting there in a random orientation. I asked her how she knew which way to turn the bag to place it in the container. She didn't know. So I brought the bag back over the rig, thinking it was straightened out, and showed her how I place it. Somehow it got flipped through during that process. At least that's my best guess. I'm sure there was no step through when I put the rig down. Dave

Love my Epson R1800. The R1900 should be even better. I know the 2400 was better for B&W when I bought mine... not sure what the latest in that line is. Unfortunately I seem to have nearly killed it recently, printing on business card paper. Guessing I have a paper jam somewhere... but nothing I can see. Won't properly feed paper anymore. But for the last 4 years or so, it's worked basically flawlessly. I don't use it too often, but even after sitting for a while I've never had any issues with clogging. And the pigment inks don't fade. Dave

Well, I'll have to disagree 75%. Dave