m1keymike

I am looking at starting to fly camera in the near future. I have a canon 30d and am not sure what lens to buy. I intend to film both tandem and possiblt CRW so if possible would like a lens suitable for both. Any help/advice would be really useful.

everything really, i wanna get into videoing tandems, but for the moment i plan to just put a camera on my head and go explore.

just bought a sony pc 110, want to buy a wide angle lens but not sure what to get? any help would be apprieciated.

looking to try a selection of canopies and work out which i like best before i buy. thinking katana 120, mamba 117 or 124, crossfire 119, what else is in this performance range worth giving a go?

im currently jumping a faqtor 135 in a next container. lovely kit, and canopy but i want to make a few changes, the risers are standard, so i want to get some longer ones, the slider always rides up even when collapsed and gets in the way of the rears and the dive loops. what are peoples suggestions? how much should i lengthen my risers by? and what can i do about the slider, im not too keen on attatching it to my jumpsuit or kit. cheers 'if you cant hook it, burn it'

dude, there are many ways tho learn to swoop, but by far the best is to get some decent coaching from someone QUALIFIED. i havent had the chance to get on a canopy piloting course as time and money have got in the way. i was fortunate to send four years living, working and teaching on a dropzone with some very good canopy pilots who spent alot of time with me, time watching me and gave me some very good advice. having these guys around me everyday helped me enormously and im very fortunate to have had this luck. im no hot shot, and i intend to get some coaching this year also. keep your head down out there!

as alot have people have said, different canopies vary very differently. not only does the design of the canopy affect the turn and the altitude lost but many other faqtors also. wingloading, air density, temperature, aggresivness of the turn. these faqtors affect the way your canopy flies, but its also ok saying that my canopy loses 500ft in a 180 aggresive turn then thinking that you can go ahead and swoop, not trying to preach, just be careful and learn everything you can about your canopy, how it turns on the risers, how it turns on the toggles, how it turns in half or deep brakes, and how it responds to toggle input for recovery. good luck and blue skies 'if u cant hook it, burn it!!!!'

ive decided that base is not for me. i climbed again and once again i couldnt jump, up untill that point i was fine then something once again said no! alot of people told me that base teaches you alot about yourself and it has. maybe in a few years things may be different, who knows?

ive recently gone to make my first base jump. on both occasions i have climbed to 450ft on a local antenna with my mentor ready to take the leap into the unknown. on both occasions i have been fine with the climb and the preparation but as soon as i get on the edge something changes. i am unsure as to what it is holding me back but something is not letting me take the 'step over the edge'. i dont know if its the darkness, the altitude or just me not having the bottle? has anyone else experienced this? how did you overcome this? cheers

whats the best turn to do? i currently do 180's and have nice consistant landings, just wondering what people think about different turns, pros and cons etc.

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just wondering what people use? ive seen people using neptunes but also heard bad repots, and ive seen people using digital altimeter watches. what do people use? and how do they find accuracy etc?

we all know that swooping is something done by more experienced jumpers. but what about the guys not on xbraced canopies with thousands of jumps? what would peoples views be on having say a junior and intermediate level, just as with ff and fs? there would obviously have to be restrictions eg. wing loading limits, jump numbers and currency levels, but it would be a way for lower experienced guys and girls to get into competition swooping and expand their skills at the same time. what do people think? there is alot of safety aspects to consider but surely these could be monitored strictly. cheers 'live today die tommorow'

hi guys, just curious as to peoples views and preferences regarding slider down or slider off jumps. what do people prefer? and also pro's and con's of both. cheers

hi, my progression was fast for my experience level. i was jumping a sabre 150 at 60 jumps, wing loading about 1.3. i worked on a dropzone and was taken under the wing of one of the uk's best canopy pilots. by 150 jumps i was doing 90's and on a fandango 135. by workin on a dropzone full time, i was lucky to have a wealth of experience on tap, and also ive seen some very sobering and eye opening accidents. by 300 jumps i was doing 180's and have always treated it with respect and under strict coaching and overwatch. i have also tried other canopies aswell, stilletos, springos etc. i am now on a canopy i feel comfortable with a faqtor 135 loaded at 1.5 and i have no desire to change it for a long long time. i wont tell you that your going to fast but, will advise you to be careful! talk to swoopers who know what they are doing, preferably instructors.watch them, video them and study what they do. read articles online and in magazines and dont just pay lip service to it. theres alot of people who will give you advice and some will be talkin shit, be careful and enjoy.