Jumpnfun2

OK, So like a pencil eraser. I have thought about shimming the battery up so that there is less movement on deployment. I have cleaned the contacts with a Q-tip and rubbing alcohol. Camera and battery. It has also been suggested to me that the aftermarket batteries aren't being seen well by the camera as to charge. Not sure about that.(?) BS, Sue

I do not have an RSL hooked up. Should life go to hell, I would really like to get rid of that helmet, should it be snagged in any way, and the main canopy. Then I'll deploy my reserve. I do not wish to have an RSL do it's job when I really don't want it to. Don't get me wrong. They have saved countless lives and have a great purpose in this sport. This is just my personal choice, and for my own reasons. I do have a nice Cyp2. Love that thing. I have had 2 reserve rides to date. No RSL on either one. No Cyp either. I had some bad dreams and went shopping. 1st was a high speed spinner, 2nd was a total with a camera. Old digital 8. Rather painfull, but a good rigger rules. Faster really is better. I think the only reason for an AAD is should you be 'unavailable at pull time'...Be that due to whatever situation has come into play. As for the harness being snug? OK, once again, my personal thing. I'm a girl, and we are rather flexible. I can do 145+ in freefall, or suck it up and fall with the slowest. Being flexible has it's advantages. I don't need to loosen the chest strap for anything. My camera suit was made for someone a bit larger than I am. I can put a big sweatshirt and weights under it, or I can tuck it back behind the main lift web and just fly. One of my favorite video and still things to do is to crank some really hard turns, look up, and shoot vid and stills. You get the ground, sky, ground, (giggle) etc. I actually replaced the wings. The original ones were winglets. (?) Not sure on that spelling. That was what caused my total. I had to back out of a Kingair and pulled the pud off of my rig. I have since gone to a throw out. No need to discuss this... The new wings are really large. I made sure I could reach everything I needed to should I not be able to release them. I can float with the TM that weighs 150 lbs and a 90lb girl, or I can fall with the TM that goes 250 and that BIG student that can't get out of the door of the Cessna. I have 4 kids. They have all jumped, and one is a licensed jumper. I try to stack the odds in my favor on every jump. I have no need to push certain things. I can do my job very well without doing so. Just MY opinion... BS, Sue

Unless the camera body shorted the battery and partially killed the cell. Hey, Thanks to everyone for the advice, and sorry it took me so long to reply. There are some things I forgot to meantion in my 1st post. I actually have loaned out the camera to others. No issues on the ground. I loaded the "good" aftermarket battery in last fall and used it all winter. Like 400 plus shots with flash. All good. Inside, outside in the dark. The Canon battery, not so much. Damn thing died within a few shots. The issue seems to be right after deployment and or landing. I don't know if it's the jarring invloved or something else. Needless to say that when this happens under canopy I'm stuck. After I land I can at least unmount the camera, pull the battery, put it back in, and I then have a full charge. I've cleaned the contacts inside of the camera, etc. I've had the camera body checked out, clean bill of health. Now, I was also jumping a Protec at that time. There was a good deal of flexing with the still mount going on. The video was mounted on top in a D-box, and the still was out front. The balance was not great to say the least, but it worked. The top of the still would actually show on and off in the video in freefall. I have since gotten a very nice new Flat Top Pro for Christmas. I have yet to jump it as I had hernia surgery in May. No jumping for me until at least August. Dammit. Anyway... Thanks once again for any and all advice. I need to have this fixed before I go back up and take pics of a student for pay. Sue E.

I am having a problem getting decent batteries for my XT. The Canon ones I have bought (2) have both failed within 10-20 shots. In the air, on the ground, it does not seem to matter. They won't re-charge, etc. At $70 plus shipping. When I contacted Canon I was told I must have not adhered to the recommendations in the instructions. No refund. The batteries were new when shipped. Whatever. The after market stuff is hit and miss. I have 2 that work wonderful most of the time. Other times they stop working in freefall for whatever reason. Bonus though, I only paid about $5 with shipping. I have also had the after market ones work great until landing. Then I had no response at all from the camera until I pull the battery and reload it into the camera. At that point I have a 'full' charge.? The others are good at times, other times, not so much. At this point I have like 6 batteries, and I label them as to their reliability. All I'm looking for is something that I can rely on every time. That tandem student is paying for those shots, and I want to deliver them. Every time. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Sue E

Film tandem deployment Make sure they have a good canopy Roll back belly to earth Deploy Canopy check Traffic check Locate dz and riser turn towards dz Test fire still camera Video on standby Stow slider Release brakes Smile because I had fun Fly Video back on Have fun under canopy Film the nice view for the student's video Land I leave my swoop cords on as they are under my gloves, which I wear summer and winter. I also leave the wings attached as I don't want anything flapping around, and I can reach everything with them still attached. I also leave the still on because you never know what you just might see. I leave the booties on because they have never caused an issue, so why mess with them?

Usually sleeping on my gear bag...or stalking the dog. You would think that she would get it through her head that he now weighs 105lbs and can take her out. She has hated him from day one, and he loves her.(?) You would think that she just might understand that a doberman could just think of her as a snack..oh no, not Sadie. She smacks the shit out of Cooper, and he just takes it and keeps wagging his tail. Now, don't try to come in my house without permission I love that dog. Right now she's tormenting the poor dog who is sleeping on the couch. Damn nocturnal beast. Sue

Goodbye my friend. I will miss you forever. You really were the very best. Here is a link to the memory page with a video of Bruce's life story. http://www.lifestorynet.com/memories/31175/ BS, Sue

These are my faves....my husband as TM and my son on his 1st jump.... I ran 2nd video and stills because I wanted to Sue E

Hey, This is the wife here:)~ Going out with the kids was great. I think dad was a bit nervous, but he did fine. Ok I was nervous too. Those were my kids! They may look big, but at exit I could have sworn they were about 2 months old and should have been ANYWHERE but getting out of that plane! Mark actually forgot to say that when the 3rd oldest child jumped he not only was the TM, but I was one of the vidiots. I got some great stills. I actually ran 2nd vid on that one just to get some really cool shots. Our DZO ran 1st vid. As for going out strapped to Mark, I don't know. We've always talked about the fact that we have 4 kids, and should something go wrong who would be left to take care of them? When we are in the same plane, should there be an aircraft emergency one of us just might get out of that plane and be OK. Being tied together in FF doesn't leave you with many options should shit go terribly wrong. Mark is a great TM, which is why I trust him with the kids. I just think it isn't a great idea to have both parents risk that much at one time. The pics are of our last kid that jumped with Mark as the TM. Jake rocked. Damn kid is a natural. He blew through the S/L FF student program and has about 5-6 jumps yet until his A. I put Jake out on several S/L and FF jumps. It was really hard to forget to be a mom the 1st time when that door opened. I did so because I'm his mom and I want him safe, but as his JM also I'm going to do my job and make sure of that. "Get your ass out of my airplane and DO what I taught you to do!" Nice way to talk to your kid, but Jake just grinned at me and did what I had taught him. Damn fine young man. He did have to repeat a jump, and only one during his entire student progression. Oops, mom failed the boy. You do actually have to pull the handle on a PRCP. Go figure? He does fall like the entire brick house, but what ya gonna do? I did tell the kid to arch, and being a good kid he listened...at 225lbs. of football player lineman's muscle. Falls like a stone. I have to put rocks in my pockets just to keep up to speed with that child. He's getting better though. We've been working on fall rate with the boy and he's getting there. It's great having not only your husband in the sport, but one of your kids too. Handy young man. We taught him to pack when he was 11 years old. That boy can make a 5 minute call with the best openings I've ever had. Packs a great tandem too. Did I meantion it's great having your family there with you in this sport?! Sue E

1 TRV-350 digital 8 1 TRV-11 still in use 1 Canon EOS RebelX 35mm no longer in use 1 CanonXT..love this camera. Still in use. Sue E.

This is my home DZ and I wouldn't jump anywhere else. Premier is great. We are growing, and that rocks! Our DZO, Bill, is awesome, as is the girl, Amy, that runs manifest. Our pilots rock. This is just a great place to skydive. New gear that is well maintained, a great vibe, etc. We have inside showers, a great place to camp within 1/4 of a mile, inside padded packing, awesome video (dvd) and still editing equipment. We are not far from Lake Michigan, and the view is amazing from altitude. There are also a ton of local lakes and woods. In the fall the color tour from altitude is worth just riding the plane up and down. Skydiving is a bonus. Bill and Amy run a great DZ. Everyone is always welcome no matter where they have jumped before or their level of experience. Sue Elenbaas

Make sure you keep it outside in the current conditions. Gaffers tape around the lens attachment points does help, a d-box, and use cat crap. I haven't had an issue at all since I started using it. I can even go through some (cough) fog and have no problems. I use it on my still camera also. I did take the wide angle off and coated the original lens with the cat crap too. Michigan has some high humidity issues also. In the spring and fall there is a rather large temperature change when you exit at altitude which can cause condensation issues too. Just my 2 cents. BS, Sue

These are my favorite ones prolly because they are of my youngest son on his 1st jump, and my husband as the TM. My good friend and DZO is running 1st vid & stills. He had a 20D at the time and I was still using 35mm. I have some much better shots since I bought my XT, but none that I like as much as these. BS, Sue

Hey! My dzo's rig is a S107! Both of them actually. G4 container on both also. This is some really nice gear. Both are also Cyp. equipped. I've been jumping a Batwing116 for years, which is in my 2nd rig now, with a Q2 container and a MR135R. My main rig is a S120 in a Javelin TJN with a PD126R and Cyp2. I get pretty geeked about jumping that S107. It's FUN. It also makes me want to go out and spend alot of money on new gear. Dammit I need a ton of cash soon if I want to do that! As for the broken thing, I've been there twice now. It's not worth it in any way. It hurts like hell, and you can't jump for that season, and if you do the ACL thing like I did, a bit longer than that. It's just not worth it. That shit REALLY hurts. The recovery time and the physical therapy is not cool. It HURTS. It takes forever too until you can use that leg again in a normal way. Sitting JM, flying video, etc... Be safe, and jump again the next day. Taking certain risks may seem OK at the time, but that shit can bite you in the ass. Hard. I've learned not to be stupid. I've learned to not only respect mother earth, but my limitations as to my abilities at that point in my career in this sport. I push those limitations to learn, but not beyond what is safe for my experience. Tomorrow is another day. I may be up to pushing that further then. Just not today. Did I meantion that my dzo rocks:)~? BS, Sue

No. I'm not a TM, I'm a Tandem vidiot. No. Quoting the words of one of the guys that taught me to skydive, is a TM, a S/L I, an amazing rigger, etc....etc.. "This is NOT a F%@#$* RW jump!! " Being cool, getting a cool shot, at the expense of that student's safety, and the TM's safety, is just not cool. I've had several experiences where the TM decided that it would be OK for someone else to come out with us. Very not cool. I've been hit twice now in FF by some idiot trying to get in the shot, not paying attention to where I was, etc. The only people that should be on a tandem with video are the student, the TM, and the vidiot. That vidiot should in no way compromise the airspace of that student. A cool shot is not worth a life. If the vidiot has a problem keeping in proximity to the tandem on exit, and I mean safe proximity, that person needs a whole lot more jumps before they try doing video on a tandem again. Above or below is just not allowed for any reason. Ever. Just my 2 cents worth. BS, Sue E.

Hey, Check out the thread about the XT. It has some interesting stuff about which setup to use. BS, Sue

Hey! I'm looking into a new helmet, and I'm not sure at this point if I'm going to go with all top mount, or a side mount with the still on top. From what I've gathered, all top mount is the better choice. One of the video guys at our dz has been side mount for about 12 years, and his neck is gone. The weight balance is to much to the side on opening. At this point he can't take the weight of a still for any reason. It's sad, because he's amazingly good at what he does. Thanks for the advice! BS, Sue

Hey, Re-thinking my activities? Not going to happen I not only love skydiving, but running video and stills. There is no way I'm going to give either one of those up. You can live your life in a cage, safely, and watch the rest of humanity enjoy life. Or, you can throw caution to the wind and LIVE life. We only get just so much time here, and then our time is done. I'm going to enjoy every last second of it, and do what I love. I'm re-thinking my helmet in a big way, and where I have everything mounted. I jumped without my still this past weekend as the student was rather clear about just wanting video. What a difference. That digital still hanging out front makes the entire balance of the helmet so much different. I hardly noticed that I had anything on my head at all without it. Thanks for the advice! BS, Sue E

Hey, My DZ charges $70 for just video, $70 for just stills, and $90 for both. They provide all of the editing equip., and the CD's/DVD's. I provide my own tapes for my video camera and my own flash card for the still, although there have been times I've borrowed my DZO's flash card when doing back to back loads. He's even done the editing for me so that I could keep filming. I get paid $25 for just stills or just video, and $40 for both. Most students have no issue spending another $20 to buy the entire package. A lot of times they will just buy the video before they jump, but I put the stills on the computer and run it as a slide show as I edit the video. That works almost everytime. That extra $20 is no big deal just after they took their 1st jump. My DZO is also a camera flyer, and is a really nice guy. I can also jump his personal gear whenever I need to at no charge if I get in a jam, and he's packed for me also at no charge when we are busy. Did I meantion he's just an all around nice guy?:)~ He's my rigger too. I can't imagine flying camera where I had to pay a monthly fee for doing THEM a service, or having to provide my own editing equip. I'm helping the DZ by doing video, and they help me out in return by paying me to skydive. Seems to work out all the way around My 2 cents worth, BS, Sue E.

Hey Arvel, It's actually just over 900 jumps now, hit that this weekend:)~ As for the openings, that was mostly my bad. After filming the opening basically in a sit, I would roll over and not wait to slow down before deploying. Oops. My 2nd rig has a Batwing-116 as the main. That thing has such nice openings for flying camera. To bad you'll never get home from a long spot if the tandem took to long to climb out though. Ground hungry little beast. My husbands old Diablo was the same way. That thing took forever to open, but it didn't hurt my neck. He's now jumping a S135 so I can't borrow his Diablo anymore. Does it take a bit to get used to using a side mount? Do you have to aim differently? I haven't used my ring site in forever. It's just there to have a place to mount the Cameye light. The other camera flyers at my dz have only ever used one type or the other, so asking them doesn't help. Thank you so much for the advice! BS, Sue E.

Nope. I've just wrecked my neck. The 10D is too heavy. Amen. I jump the XT with a TRV11, and my neck can't take much more. I'm a TM vidiot, and am still using my old trusty Protec. Hard openings hurt so bad. The weight is way to far forward. I jump a S120, and every once in a while it lets me know who's in charge. The XT is mounted up front, the TRV11 on top. It does a great job though. It's not fancy, but it does it's job rather well. My dzo jumps a 20D, and I've used it once. That was enough. Lately I've been having a hard time lifting my head up far enough in FF to make sure the tandem is centered in frame. I can do it, but it really hurts. (I've got a couple of herniated disks) From what I've been told a side mount with the still on top will help this in a big way. Any opinions? That, and we use a C-182 at my dz. My d-box keeps my video camera safe if I bump it on exit or the door drops on my head. Is there anything out there like that for the still if you top mount it? I've been looking and so far haven't seen anything. I go all the way out on the strut and turn towards the plane for the climbout shot. That door comes down rather often to smack the top of my skull. I don't wish to have my XT up there exposed to that. BS, Sue

Always. Always has. Always will. "Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound..... ....I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see.... ...was Grace that taught my heart.....and Grace will lead me home" There are many amazing lines in this song. All will make you stop and think. All will hopefully lead you Home. I skydive because I believe God wants me to enjoy every last second He has given me on this earth. Living in a cage and watching life is not an option!! Enjoy the time you have. LIVE your life, let your faith lead you home when the time comes. I try to live that every day, and teach my children the same. Enjoy your time here. You only get one go around. Have fun!! Skydive! BS, Sue

Amen. As for the "safety" shit....he's been lucky as hell. He let's 'spinner' jump all damn day. He let's an 80 jump tike be a JM, 80 jump tike who can't get herself to the plane with all her stuff on correctly, take care of ONE student....let alone 3. He.....freaks out at his only qualified and decent staff...just to run them off instead of paying them for doing their job. He let's spinner pack reserves....my 12 year old (at the time) stopped this 'rigger' from putting up a student rig where the RSL had been mis-routed..BY THE RIGGER. We found 4 rigs that day in the same condition. All hooked back up after the reserve repack by that same rigger. Same "rigger" couldn't figure out how to hook the main back up properly....Makes ya think. A lot. Between that and getting treated like utter shit all the time, we are so happy we went north. Premier Rocks:)~ Decent gear, good treatment from the DZO, (OK, the DZO is pretty cool), the 'manifest girl'.....ya know, the real person that runs the place... is rather cool herself. We get thanked for doing a good job instead of getting screamed at for it. I think I like it up north in God's country:)~ BS,Sue

Hey Tony dude Shall we now discuss the nice boss man's response to the loyalty of the very last of the qualified and beyond loyal staff?? Prolly not a good idea. I'm SO glad yer bolting with a few others to greener pastures. So glad. No one should have to deal with not only the abuse, but the risk of having their personal gear confiscated to pay a dzo's bills! Very not good Karma. What goes around really does come around again. Be that good or bad. BS, Sue

Yes, it gets busy turning onto final approach: talking to the student, checking flags, watching out for other canopies, judging glide angle, planning my approach, etc. but I still prefer to hold my camera over the student's left shoulder to turn it on - reaching over with my right hand. Then I keep my left hand loose until 300 feet, at which point I grab the left steering toggle, but still keep my hand "loose" so I can hold the camera at a near "normal" angle. *** This post as far as a bad situation, goes right back to the recent incident reports. Keep your hand "loose" on landing? Dammit, all injuries and fatalities are upon LANDING. As an instructor, your job is to get that student home safe. That is your responsibility. Getting the camera shot should not even enter your mind at that point. Making an extra buck on a tandem jump, (shooting your OWN video from a handcam), shouldn't even be part of the skydive!! Tandems can be risky enough to start with. Don't add in shit you don't need to. Tony, put the student 1st, always. My job is to get my student home safe. My 2nd job is to get them the video that they paid for.