bigdad510

WAGS, Just posted on your youtube. I'll tell you, for as many times as I watch the side-spin videos, having a more "recent" video is even more reassuring that the technique works for getting out of them. Thanks for the post! Brad

So I read everyones posts, some very strong opinions here. I'm in favor of 2 hours of tunnel replacing 2 hour of freefall, ONLY if that person is signed off as a Level 2 belly flyer in the tunnel according to the IBA system that tunnels like SkyVenture Colorado use. I have to disagree with some of the more experienced jumpers here. If you follow the IBA system for a level two belly flyer, the time it takes to achieve the skills can sometimes be equal as real skydives. As a Level 2 tunnel instructor, I can't tell you how many times I've personally seen skydivers with thousand of jumps that get into a tunnel, and can't stay off the walls and be in control, let alone try to do 2-ways or 4-ways. A lot of these same flyers are AFFI's. I'll agree that there are aspects of the tunnel that CANNOT duplicate REAL jumps. That's why I wouldn't agree with just a "random" two hours tunnel = 2 hours freefall. However, let me tell you about my own personal experience. Started with about 275 skydives and about 3 hours of freefall. Thought I was a descent jumper. So start going to the tunnel-first two hours was spent learning how to fly more efficiently and in A LOT more control since I only had 12 feet to stay within. Had to break a lot of bad habits from freefall but eventually improved. So, now the bad habits are broken, spent another two hours doing individual skills and working thru the IBA level 2 belly skills.WOW, talk about an improvement of being in control. Someone mentioned that it is easier flying in a tunnel than in freefall. I disagree if you have specific objectives. My skills went thru the roof by training to specific objectives and I think people should take part in IBA in order to understand how regiment the progression is and it's value. If you just say that tunnel time=freefall time, I don't think they equal each other. For me, the skills I learned in the 2 hours in the tunnel would have taken me 500 jumps to learn. Please listen to what I'm typing. IBA Belly 2 has specific criteria that have a huge benefit for all jumpers to include jumpers who want to earn AFFI. With the structure I'm for it, without the structure I'm against it. I have recently jumped with some AFFI's that got theirs the "real way" and I think they could use some tunnel time! As far as the canopy stuff is concerned, that's a whole other topic. I believe there is a huge gap in training from AFF to D License. I know plenty of people who are AFFI's, record holders (both FS and VFS) that can't fly a canopy, spot an aircraft and teach basic skills. I see a lot of bashing tunnel instructors because they don't have the canopy skills. I agree they need canopy skills, but how much canopy training is really "required" after your "A License". Not enough in my opinion. So if tunnel instructors have a "C" license, and 4 hours of freefall and are a least a Level 2 IBA Belly flyer in the tunnel, I don't think they are missing out on too much to count just 2 hours of tunnel for freefall. Last time I looked at the stats, it's not the "A-C" license people that are killing themselves and others under canopy, most of them have more freefall time and higher ratings that are doing the damage out there. DISCLAIMER*** Since we live in a PC world, my disclaimer is there is exceptions to everythingI typed and there are boneheads everywhere that don't fit the "mold". Brad

The picture you have attached is exactly what I've been looking for! Brad

IS that a mount from the gopro eyeofmine.com? Brad

Registered tonight for 4way RW, I don't have a team, coming with two others "JTVAL", anay pickup teams available? Brad

I jumped the cx350 today. I shut off all the "extra" features for jumping with it, i.e smile rec, face rec, ois, and shot sd to the internal memory. For everyday skydiving videos it s good. I'd say it's better than the cx100's. I didn't notice anything that would stand out to say not to jump one. I jumped it at 13,000 MSL. I know the manual says it will have issues above 16,000 MSL. If I can get a jump in tomorrow at out max altitude, I'll let you know (our max is 17,500 msl, 11,000 agl) Brad

I love this quote! Everything we jump is made by man. It's only a matter of time before the "safer" option is next on the heat block. No one, and nothing is immune. To each their own. I must be really bored because I've read about 2k post on the argus ban. Just happy I own a rig that's not on the ban. I can say that, you know why? It's a free country! I find it amuzing how heated people get based on a "mine is better that yours" mentality. Gotta love being human! Brad

I got me a argus for dirt cheap for my Wings container. One mans trash is another mans treasure. Gotta love the free market!!! Brad

I'm just curious as to what everyone's opinion is for the two air force teams to enter into the Collegiate Nationals in December, knowing how well they did in this Nationals. Just some food for thught. The air force team cadets maintain one of the highest GPA's at the Academy. They spend most of their time in the jump program teaching 900 other cadets how to leave an airplane, by themselves, 5 times from a moving airplane. They give up every Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, and every spring break to train. While at the Academy, they take on anywhere from 18-28 credits a semester while living in a room smaller than the team rooms at Nationals. They give up so many freedoms that most college kids take for granted. Oh by the way, besides the 20+ credits they are taking, they still have inspections, marching and other military training to conduct on top of that. Now don't get me wrong, a lot of peolpe think they are spoiled and get too many privledges, especially in skydiving. That maybe so. But not many colleges in the US that I'm aware of, do they deploy 6-18months later to defend their country and possibly make the ultimate sacrifice. I wish I would have studied my ass off and made the grades to get into a program that they are into. Not sure how many peolpe know this. Tha Academy gets about 11000 applications a year and accepts about 1100 of them. So out of the 4400 student cadets that ar going to college, only 50 of them are on the Wings of Blue parachute team, and only 20 of those 50 are in 4way and freeflying. From the time they finish AFF they have about 18 months total to "train" together. The "train" is about 20-50 jumps for tghe entire 18 months, and not all at one time. Alot of you have good arguements for being opposed for the AF teams to compete at the intermediate catagory, and I understand your fustrations. Howver if you could see the amount of dedication these kids put in to getting to where they are, and the amount of personal time and money they put into it that big Air Force doesn't cover, it might change your opinion a little. Most of they kids on both Air Force teams have less than 400 jumps. But the time and dedication they put into it is what makes them the way they are. If you have any doubt as to the determination these kids have, talked to people who got to watch them land their 290 square foot classic accuracy canopies in between trees and trailer parks at the dropzone, from winds that left their exit point 1.5-2 miles from the dropzone. Very impressive to the point most other competitiors comented they woud never jump in those conditions with those canopies. There is a level of professinalism from these cadets that only comes from the environment in which they are growing up in. Could they compete in the Advanced. Sure they could, but they are not advance skydivers with B and C licenses. But they are very dedicated with the experience that they do have, and I think thats good enough. My two cents..... Air Force Eminenece Videographer PS, I had 6 video busts...by no means am I even remotely close to being a descent vidiot! Brad

Did static line in Army in 94, jump status in 82nd, and while there learned to skydive with the 82 Freefall Club. Who would have guessed that years later in the Air Force, they wold pay me too do it...that is...when I get a chance to jump. Brad

JT, I think I have "version" of lightroom for you when I get back. If not, I thnk Adobe is still doing 60 day trial on it. I agree, it's a great organizer andwith the plugins, exports are pretty easy. Glad to hear we're jumping again! Brad

I sold my Sonic, but I really liked it. I had a Sony HC5 and a Digital Rebel XT mounted on the top. It was very stable and light. I don't like mounted stills in the front due to weight, but both on top balanced very well. Brad

I just got back from deployment a week ago. The second day I'm back in the US, I head out to the dz and jump with an old friend and a new one who had never been to the dropzone. The very frsit jump ( i know it's just a three way) we turned 9 points. Made me feel good for nto being in the air for four months. "Bad" four way", never have those, always learning and that's what's inportant. "good" four way - learning a ton and increasing my ability jumping with MP8 team members. Brad

Your profile says 15 jumps...can you honestly judge anything yet? Not bashing you just making a statement. At times you may think rw s boring, that's the time you try different jumps. You ever jump on a 4-way when two of the people ar ona 4-way team? That can really get your blood bumping, and it foces you to learn and raise your skills. I have tried sit-flying, I still don't have it down, it's onl been about 4 jumps. I can honeslty tell you, like stated above, if you cannot fly on your belly, you're going to get yourself in big trouble trying anything else. Because not matter what venture you pick, you usua;y end up on your belly at pull-time. Good luck and jump with some really experieced jumpers before you judge, oh, and do night jumps! Brad

That's an interesting question, even in the military. When I was in the Army, there wasn't anything more dangerous then Airborne Infantry, so nobody cared what we did and everything we did, no matter how stupid, was covered. now I'm in the Air Force, and they have a little twist on the rules (not sure how they get away with it, since it's the same insurance, you have to have a high risk activity briefing documented in order for incidents to be covered. Luckily you can have an "annual" briefing, instead of "instances". It's still pretty stupid in my opinion. I'm not sure if the other branches are the same, I would be interested in hearing about them. Brad

Glad I saw this, was going to order a bite in a couple of days, how long does the bite switch last and the same for the tongue? Brad

90% mental 10% physical...a lot of jumpers will know where that comes from. It's very very true. A lot of credit goes to your instructor, but most of hte credit goes to you. People give up when there are huge hurddles in the way. You came back with determination (the mental) and your body (10%) let it happen. Great job! Brad

At my dz we tried for a couple of months...always had 7 and the 8th was somewhere in space. I'm deployed so I can't check my log book, but I thinkI got my first one around jump# 175. Instead of 8 we had 10 and I was the 10th one in, got my SCR & SCS in the same jump. Someone mentioned video of one. I have video of one, I'll be back in two weeks I'll send a link to it. The one I mentioned above I was flying video with it. I stayed in the camera spot until is was an 8-way, then I closed in on position 10. The 8-way held for about 15 seecond and the 10-way was for about 6 seconds. It was an awesome jump, now I want hte Night SCR. Brad

What’s amusing to me is looking back, I created all this. Not to sound conceded. Here I sit about 15k miles away in the big sand box, waiting to come back from my deployment this month, so I can fill that “void” in my life and get my ass back up in the air. Every now and then I do a search to see what floridadiver81 is up (no pun indented) too. Some interested threads and comments come from my brother. It’s interesting to read some threads from Sunshine, I’ve heard a little about you. Maybe on my travels once I get back, I’ll catch up with you and do some two way, ya know, to make him jealous. I always ask my wife thought if I can go and play with the other ladies, she doesn’t mind, she knows who I’m going home with. I’m going to jump into this thread that should have died a long time ago, but then again, it is the Bonfire. I’m sure Jason is eager to get back up in the sky, just like all of us that enjoy the sport. How many of you want to, or even have to, get on the first load of the day? I don’t come in Bonfire often, and I though it was brutal in the other forums discussing facts. It’s ruthless in here. Anyway… I’m not a shrink (sorry to all the shrinks, somebody has to do it), so I won’t debate life and what plays apart in our psyche or anything. But I do know what makes a person happy in life. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been doing it or it’s been around. Hell, my son is three weeks old and I’ve never seen him, but he sure does fill a void in my life, and I sure can’t wait till I’m home and can enjoy being with him. To each there own, and to hell with what anyone else thinks. It’s all relative if you want it to be, that’s why there are so many things to do in life. If you don’t feel the same way, your entitled, and if bashing someone who “feels” differently than you do helps you make it thru life, than I’m happy for you, it’s your choice. Jason, pay your bills, get to the DZ and learn how to pack. You don’t have to be a skydiver to pack, and you earn money that way. Also, learn all you can from others mistakes, just from watching. Try to get off AFF by the time I get back from deployment. Later all, blue skies! Brad

I agree with the above. Skydiving will always be there. The longer you wait to fly helos, the more experience you're losing because of time. I chose a different route in my life, and when i wanted to fly helos again, it was too late. Don't pass up the opportunity. Brad

Funny you mention being docked on. I was shooting an 8-way SCR attempt and found someone docking on me, had to point them in the right direction. I also know what you mean if they “go for one more”. I got my butt in trouble form the DZO for staying with the formation and pulling low. “That” will never happen again. Good advice from everyone. I appreciate it. Makes me feel better being a low number vidiot and knowing people with a lot more experience than me feel the same way. Thanks all, and keep’em coming. Brad

I agree, way to wide to be side mounted. I jumped the 36 (same size) side mounted "once" and that's all i took to convince me to top mount it. Brad

The Master Rigger at my DZ told me to get mine tacked, so I did, but I didn’t listen to him right away so only one slink is offset. It just makes me feel better knowing they are tacked, plus I got tired of tucking the tab every time I packed. I think one of the reasons he gave me for tacking them is so that the friction from the grommets on my slider don’t hit the slinks at the tab, wear it out and then break. Brad

Be prepared to get eh standard answer from everyone. Some of those being it's you choice. I use a Canon Digital Rebel XT. I like it and it takes great pictures. Would take even better pictures if I spent the money on descent lens other that the kit lens. I bought a refurbished one on eBay for 450 (including shipping) and it's awesome. Plus I like it because it's small and I have my video and still top mounted. At my DZ the camera of choice is any one of the Digital Rebels. I had jus the Digital Rebel (300D) to start. It takes good pictures but it doesn’t have the ability to adjust a bunch of different things like the XT or XTI. As far as which one of those to buy, my “opinion is for the extra money, it’s not worth buying the XTI. Brad

There's a post in the "General Skydiving" forum about tracking and stuff in a three way. There are some comments about everyone should track away in a three way to support maximum separation (if everyone tracks correctly). One comment was no one should ever pull in place. I agree with that for the skydivers. When shooting video for RW I usually pull in place as the vidiot. My questions are what do you all do and what do you think is best? To cut down on scenarios, I'll create one. You're shooting an 8-way all belly fliers. Break off is at 5k, everyone is pulling between 2.5-3.5. Obviously with any skydive, there is a plan for the group and the videoman, I’m curious as to everyone’s plan and what they are comfortable with. With this scenario, i usually pull in place about 500ft-1k higher than planned RW pull altitude. Brad