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Hi Michael, Thank you for the great idea! This would add alot of detail to the project. It offers a more detailed explaination of why there would be a change in vertical velocity. The pictures would make it more visually understandable too. Sounds Like I may have to do more jumps to get the pics right. Damn the bad luck...LOL. 8-) Thanks again for the idea! Stuart & Robert

Hi Darkwing, It's a fun project for me because I "have to jump" several times to complete it. It's a dirty job, but someone has to do it! What we are looking to show with this project is the different positions cause a speed differential. We are not trying to say the differential from belly to sit will always be 41.4 mph etc. We are just trying to show that there is and increase in speed from belly to sit, and from sit to head down. The pro-track graphs are just to 'spice it up' a bit with some real data to show we actually did the experiment (jumps). Thank you for pointing out that there will be inconsistencies in our readings. It would have been extremely frustrating to try to come up with an exact number (speed differential) between the positions. Too many variables. (especially with the way I sit fly! LOL). Thanks again! Stuart & Robert

Hi Gary, Thank you very much for the helpful article! That is exactly what we need. I found it interesting that you had to go thru so much for the 'dampening' to get accurate readings. I had no idea it was such a complicated issue. You certainly had alot of creative solutions and put tremendous time into finding solutions. We are hoping to find two more articles long these lines that we can use as references to complete the research portion of the project. Thanks again for your help! Stuart & Robert

Congratulations on making the decision to skydive and following thru on it! You have a great attitude and determination that will get you far. One suggestion, if you are going to practice PLFs (which is a great idea!) you may want to consider padding your 'landing area'. This is the one GOOD use for the mattress from the fold-out-couch. Take the mattress out and put it on the floor to 'land' on. Another possible pad would be blankets/comforters. You can really hurt yourself if you are doing PLFs over and over without much padding. I'd hate to see you too sore to jump next weekend! Take care and remember to smile for the cameras! Stuart

Hello, my name is Stuart. I am already a licensed skydiver (C, SL-I, IAD-I). I am trying to help my step-son (13 y.o.) with a science fair project. He loves watching skydivers and wants to do a skydiving related project. We are comparing freefall vertical speed as it is influenced by body position. I am going to do 2 jumps belly to earth, 2 sitting, and 2 head down. These will be recorded on my Pro-Track and printed out. What we need to find right now is at least 3 articles pertaining to freefall speed in the different positions. I have been searching all over the net, but not finding anything. Please help this aspiring future skydiver! Thank you for any help you can give us! Stuart and Robert.

Hello again, I have a PC1000 I am putting into a Sidewinder helmet (with a built-in box) originally built for a PC7. The box is too large for the new camera. Not huge, but not tight enough to hold the camera in place in freefall. I will also have to make an adapter block because the old mount screw was in the forward corner and the new one is more centered. Any advise on how to do this would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. Stuart

What is the part number for the .6 sony lens? I can't seem to find it on Sony's site. Will it accept a filter? I would like to put a clear one on it just to protect it. Another stupid question; what kind of tape do you use for the outside of the lens? The heat out here is a killer! Good old duct tape melts in a hurry. Thanks again for the answers! Stuart

Thanks to everyone for replying. I have a ton to learn about jumping with a video camera. Mostly how to use it. You know, the technical stuff like "how to turn it on" etc. Does anyone have suggestions for settings to get me started? Thanks again for the help! Stuart

Hello Guys and Gals, I recently bought a PC1000 and would like to start shooting video on my jumps. I bought the camera used and it came with a Tokina .45X AF Digital Wide Angle Lens with Macro. Is anyone familiar with this lens and is it suitable for skydiving? I've read on here that ia .45 would only be good for close in work, but I'm planning to use it while I am doing RW anyway. Not looking for that killer perfect money making video, just recording what happened during the daily funnel. I will be using a Sidewinder helmet and probably a Hypeye. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks for your time. Stuart.

That's a great idea. I didn't know they were making the Sidewinder anymore. I love the helmet and would hate to have to replace it. Thank you for the idea! Stuart

I'm just getting started with video. I have a Sidewinder helmet originally set up for a PC7. I need to get a camera for it. The PC1000 fit snugly but at $1000+ (if you can find one!) it's a bit too expensive for starting out. Is there another camera that isn't too expensive and will fit this helmet? Or, should I get something entirely different? My concerns are safety, convenience, picture quality, and cost. A friend recently bought a Sanyo that uses a card instead of tape but it doesn't look like I can put a different lens on it. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I'm starting to get frustrated with all the different options out there since I don't have any experience of my own to guide me. I don't want to buy junk and have to replace it right away. Thanks for your help! Stuart

***A good place to start is Pointer's Parachute Manual, Vol. I & II. Thank you Sparky! I'll try to find these. Stuart

***A canopy deployment does not consist of just a single factor. It is a dynamic event and involves many actions happening very quickly. Changing one will affect the outcome of the others. Don’t try to over simplify it. It must be analyzed in its entirety. This is exactly what I would like to learn. Where can I find information on all the events involved in deployment? I would like to have a much better understanding of the events and their cause/effect relationship. I know there are MANY variables involved and finding out about them has proven difficult so far. Is there any resources out there such as books, websites, etc.? Thank you for your help. Stuart.

But just from reading your post I would guess that a 150 anything is too small for you to be on. Admittedly, the 150 was too small for me. I was jumping alot at the time and thought I could handle it. I didn't have any problems with it, but I can see where it was a bit much for me. I would like to stay with the 170 for a while and learn to fly it to it's potential. I really like how it flies! I'm going to get the older 170 relined so I will have two rigs with the same canopies in them like I did with the Sabre 190s. I still jump a 190 when I first get to a new dropzone or it's been a while since I last jumped. Then I jump the 170. I stand up my landings and land where I set out to land. I did ask my old instructor about jumping the 170 and he OK'd it before I started on it. I haven't had any trouble flying or landing the canopies, just surviving the openings. I would like to learn as much as possible about opening sequence and what affects it. Thank you for any input you can give me. Stuart

I will not jump those two canopies again until they are relined (I have a few canopies). I'm stupid, but not suicidal. The Stiletto 170 I'm jumping now is a newer one. It has less than 200 jumps on it and my rigger is checking the lines on it just to be sure. The older Stiletto 170 and 150 are going back to PD to be relined. Thank you for the input, Bob. Stuart