mstlaurent

Not another DB Cooper thread!!! Mods, you HAVE to delete all this before it gets out of control!

Great article! Very good analysis.

No comment You would recommend someone with 32 jumps, still learning the basics to jump with his booties flapping around? Not me. Nothing wrong. He has 32 jumps and I didn't know what experience he had in the tunnel. I think he better spend his money on a jump.

That's a valid point! Seriously all booties are not created equal and I have to admit that I'm not sure how much the feeling will change between the different brands/models.

The booties give you a lot more power. If you don't know what your legs are doing or if you don't know what to do with your legs, you will have to work hard in the tunnel. But as you saw it's not that bad after all. In freefall, based on your experience I would say put your booties correctly, go for it and have fun!

I assume your have a good and stable position. If not don't add new things now. You understand what the booties do? What's your experience in the tunnel? You jumped your suit without putting the booties? This is not a good idea. Either you put them or you jump with an other suit. If you have little experience in the tunnel and little experience in freefall, the tunnel is not the best place to try your new suit. Try it in freefall with the booties on. You will not feel that much difference and you will get used to it quickly.

I usually don't pull below 3500'. Most people don't see any problem to pull at 3000' or 2500'. This is a good thing to think about. It depends on the risk level you're willing to accept and on your capacity do deal with a life threatening emergency. Every person is different. Set your own limit and stick to it. What will you do if you're asked to pull lower than your self-imposed limit? Once in a while I see a fatality that could have been avoided just by pulling 500' or 1000' higher...

I have no idea. Everytime I freefall at Mach 1.2 I'm stable. Bad skydiver I guess.

Wow... I didn't think they could do something more boring to watch than a space shuttle launch. Is there any interesting images somewhere?

So many people jump with the provided gopro mount and often without a cutaway... They can't all be wrong! [/sarcasm]

I like my CX150 because it supports SD memory cards (and also Sony cards). It works well for filming tandems. No problems with OIS. I would have to check if it's enabled or not. As all Sony HD camcorders the performance in low light is average but it's never been a problem.

Is there a reason why the instructor turns by pulling only one A line instead of pulling the front riser?

This experiment is not valid unless you are in a wind tunnel. We could be surprised about the results.

You'll probably get more money with the empty beer bottles you have in your garage. I have a Beta VCR that I could trade, if you pay shipping. ;-)

I got the same problem. Those batteries seem to discharge before their expiry date (EP = Expiry Date). I will check the PD/ED next time. I know this thread is old but it may still help. :-)

:-) Sometimes I take the first picture with the head of the passenger cut-off. I show the picture on the camera and say something like 'oh, I hope it will be better in freefall'.

Yes, very good point. Thanks!

I totally agree that the student is the star and the videographer should not try to put the spot on him. There are some jokes you can make off camera, some that you can make on camera and some that you can't make at all. You have to choose which jokes you place on camera. For example, when the student tells you that he received the certificate for his birthday, you can ask him if he was happy or not. They always laugh and it is fun to hear them saying how they felt when they received their certificate.

Hi, I used my current set of jokes too many time and I need some new ideas! I found some good ones from this thread but many are for TIs only. http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1090480 What questions do you ask to your student during the interview? (particularly for those who don't like to speak in front of the camera). What are your most succesful jokes? Thanks in advance! Martin

Too bad he didn't have a camera. That's an excellent tool for coaching. Personally I would suggest a jump with a good videographer over a jump with an AFF-I without camera. Once you have yourself flying on tape, you can look at it again and again with a coach, an AFF-I or even post it here. Good luck! Martin

Thanks all for your good answers! It clears up all my interrogations and it is a good summary of all available options. I think I will not spend money... for now. ;-)

Hi, I currently have a EF-S 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 IS lens on my Rebel XSi. It is nice but I would prefer if it would be a little bit wider. I use it for tandems. I would like to know if the EF 28mm f/2.8 would be an upgrade. I have read many posts and several people recommend this lens but I am wondering if the FOV is as large as on the 18-55mm. I don't want to have a smaller FOV only to have a small increase in picture quality. I know that some other lenses are a lot better and have a wider FOV but I am looking for a lens that weight about the same as the 18-55 (190g). The 28mm weight 185g and the 24mm f2.8 270g. Thanks! Martin

:-) I don't want to have this thought neither! I know that a new unit is probably safer. I don't want to buy the cheapest AAD I could find, I want the best value. That's why I was asking about the differences about the Cypres, Cypres-2 and Vigil. I want to know if the Cypres is still a good AAD and how much less it is worth than the new model.

It's true but you don't have to send it unless it detects a problem and gives you a warning. The Cypres can also gives you such a warning. Overall, the maintenance should be lower with the Vigil. I might be wrong, I'm still a newbie. ;-)

Oh yeah, I've already checked out cypres-2.com. Lots of useful information but I still wonder if a Vigil is cheaper and what the price difference should be between a Cypres, Cypres-2 and Vigil. Thanks! Martin