bigdad510

My first three rigs were used rigs, none of which I paid over 800 bucks for. None of them had an AAD, and they were all F111 canopies. This would be a great rig for a new jumper. I did what someone mentioned. Made no more than 30-50 jumps on the "old" stuff, sold it for the same amount and moved on. It's great for leaning, and canopy progression. IMHO- learning on the F111 taught me things I may not have picked up right away jumping ZP. Sell it on ebay, there are plenty of new jumpers that will "jump" (sorry couldn't resist) at the opportunity to buy this rig. I would start the bidding at 300, and I bet you get at least 600 for it. I did, every single time. Just do the new jumpers a favor, and explain everything about the rig and canopies. Four rigs later, I finally spent 2500 for really good gear. It was worth the wait. Brad

here's a tip, if you're doing AFF and Tandems for the money, you're in the wrong business of making money. our instructors rarely get tips. it's like anything else, tip if you want, but it's not expected. tips are generaly given to someone when they feel you have gone above and beyond, not "just because". It's what ruins the sport - money that is. Brad

Reading the manufacturer recommendations on your canopy might help you out a little. Before I started jumping my 135 Heatwave, I read up on packing it from a lot of different people. Glad I did, cuz I used to roll the nose a lot on my last two canopies. With this on, It would probably put me in a world of hurt if I roll it at all. This canopy just gets the nose pushed all the way back with the tail wrapped tight. Open within 300-500 feet, nice and soft. I had a rigger pack it (he has over 18000 pack jobs) and forget to tell him certain things about my canopy. It almost ripped my head off. After that, told him the deal, and everything is smooth, just as if I packed it. Wingload, container, even more so pack job make a world of difference. Even more so than any of those is your body position. You can read a lot of threads on here from people that will agree, BODY POSITION is a lot of it. Blue Skies man! Brad

My very first night jump, I weighed 135 pounds, and had about 180-200 pounds of gear strapped to me with a lovel reserve I would never have time to use on my chest.. It was dark, no moon, and the exit altitude was 800 feet, plus or minus 150 feet. I'd have a direct pass to hell if I didn't say I was scared. It was a combat equipment jump out of a 141 Starlifter with about 100 plus other jumpers, jumping rounds. That was back in 1994. I can tell you that the jump for me proved a lot of things. One big thing that it did, was increase my confidence in my ability to do things that are not normal. Sky diving is not exactly a normal act, but it’s something we have learned to overcome to make it a “normal act”. Doing night skydives should increase you confidence, without making you cocky, about skydiving. Doing a night skydive for me, made me more situational aware of what I was doing, what I needed to do, and made me more safety conscious (which I always should be) than normal. They are kicks in the ass that I need every now and then to not get complacent. Should it be required for a D license? As far as the ability to do other things, I can see the point of many people here that it’s unnecessary to do a lot of things. One thing we do have to remember that as you progress thru the sport, and get higher ratings, higher licenses, other jumps will more than likely come to you for advice on different aspects of the sport. How can you hold the highest license, and not experience skydiving at night, so that you can explain that type of jump to other jumpers. Some people get their B license and show up for their first night jump. Who do they look to for advice, people with higher qualifications than themselves. I’m not saying that it’s right, but the USPA does have it as a requirement, and since they do, you can’t say you’re fully qualified to receive that license if you choose not to meet the standard that is outlined before you. Maybe a solution is having letter codes like drivers license’s. You drive a car,, good, you get “C” code. Know how to drive a motorcycle; you get an “M” code. Are “D” licensed skydivers that is qualified to jump at night you get a “DN” code. You should never lower standards in order to achieve a goal. It reduces the effect the rating actually has. All I keep reading about is we should have more training on gear, on canopy control, different skills in the air, everything about we need more training, we need more training, we need more training. Then you have people that want to remove requirements to get the highest license in the sport. Doesn’t make much sense to me. We want the FAA to stay out of out business, but we want to give them more reasons to be in our business. We already know that there is too much pencil whipping of records out there to get ratings. USPA doesn’t need to remove this one. Maybe the answer is there’s another level that is higher. Or the requirements to be certain instructors are placed at maybe a “C” license with additional documentation. Why not get rid of being able to land within a certain distance of your target landing area, who needs that anyway. No, we do need these standards to demonstrate competence at all levels. It’s about being having as much knowledge as you can in order to make you a better skydiver. If you’ve never jumped at night. You’re missing out on a lot of things you can learn about yourself, your equipment, and the skydive. I’d rather make 90% of my jumps at night just because of the challenge and the adrenaline that goes thru me. It’s a choice, and everyone out there has the choice to do it to meet the requirements. It’s your choice to do it to get you “D”, or stay with a “C”. Because you choose not to do it, don’t take away from the people who DO choose to go that extra step to achieve something higher. My second skydive night jump was a three-way, and we turned three points. That was an awesome feeling for three jumpers that had less than 200 jumps. And, everyone on the load had a stand up landing, and by the way. It wasn’t that easy to see the dropzone and about 10 cars lighting up the landing area from 14000 feet. Don’t knock it until you try it! Brad

I'm with you on this one. I sometimes forget that we all are nor computer savvy, and we all don't comprehend how information is passed along. If you work for any company that uses a computer, you can bet that your personal information is on some type of "database" otherwise you wouldn't be receiving a paycheck. Granted, there are exceptions to everything. Your personal information is probably "out there" on more unsecured hard drives" then what Matt is proposing. I'll admit I understand the concept because I'm a self taught computer geek that likes to look at the big picture. Sure, nothing in the world is 100% secure. If that was the case, there would be a lot of people out of business, to include law enforcement agencies. People are worried about putting their info out there on the web or on a database. Yet how many of you every single night of your life, ensure that all your personal information in your home is secure, your windows and doors are locked, you have an alarm installed that is actually worth something and oh, you actually arm the damn thing? How many of you make sure that when you leave your car, that you don't have any information, or anything of value laying out in plane site. How many people in their homes have secure-to-secure phone lines with encryption to prevent "big brother" from listening into your conversation. How many of you have "bug detecting devices that you use every time you got o work, leave your home, get out of your car? I can go on and on and I'm sure the percentage is very very small. If you've every used a phone book in your life, or on-line access in your life, you've already used what Matt is proposing. Sure there are concerns, if you don't have any, you wouldn't be human. We take a bigger risk jumping out of the plane than we do with worrying about the database and security. Matt, one of the things I would like to see from DZ's is the ability to see their service dates on aircraft and equipment. Most people may not care, but I care about knowing that the AAD in the gear I'm renting (I have my own gear, sometimes rent at other dz's) has it's service when it's suppose to. Yeah someone will say check the card. How about I whipped one out for you that says it's brand new. So maybe a feature that allows DZ's to enter their service dates that cannot be manipulated. Another thing I would like to see on DZ websites is what kind of gear do they have. When I get back from this deployment I'm on, if I'm in the neighborhood of a DZ, that isn't my home DZ, it would be cool to see what size rigs and canopies they have for me to make my transition into before jumping my 135 after a few months break. I like the authentication for all DZ's. I agree with what is already posted. When I get to a DZ, I want to jump, not fill out paperwork. I fill it out with a smile on my face because I understand the necessity. But to be able to walk up, flash my ID, maybe even a "quick pass" type gadget, gear up and get on the plane would kick ass. With change always come those who resist change, even if it's for the good. Oh, hey one last thing. Ever bought a car? Ever seen how "un-secure" their system is, and they want every piece of information on you to buy one. Good concept, I like it, and if Big to small DZ’s cannot see the benefit, there’s a reason why they aren’t making more money. Sooner or later, they might figure it out. Brad

For a two-way with a hanger there isn't that much pressure. But for anything bigger with more hangers, we always take grips on the leg strap. It's usually more strap for the hangers to hold onto, making an easier and stronger grip. This is especially helpful if you plan to drop a knee and shred it like we do. The safety benefit is there isn't anything that the hanger can grab to cause any type of malfunction, either a handle or routing of a strap. It works well for us. Brad

Here's my two cents. I started jumping a camera at 100 jumps. Very early I know. My goal is to eventually shoot tandem, and I give it a shot every now and then (more then than now, I'm deployed). I probably made a couple of jumps in the camera position on rw jumps. Just trying to learn my position in the sky and what to do from exit till my feet touched the ground. Then I actually jumped the camera, no still. Flying with a camera does add more things to think about. Like above, I didn’t jump a ring site, and still don’t. I’m not comfortable with the extra snag point. I use a dot on my goggles, it’s arguably not the best option, but I say stick with what works for you. I only recently added stills, and I think adding the stills adds more pressure that trying to get the video. But I love still photography so I try harder with that aspect. I’ve only attempted shooting a handful of tandems. With all the disciplines you want to shoot, I recommend shooting some 2-way, 4-way and even a couple of BFR’s before trying tandem. Also, don’t know how well your flying is, approach it from different angle before shooting tandem An example is, imagine leaving late on a big tandem and having to catch up. Practice that by leaving late from the plane. It’s a whole new world being late, catching up, and still trying to keep “the shot”. You’ve probably read a lot about being able to fly before shooting. To me, it’s not about being able to fly RW, it’s being able to fly different aspects for different situations. I highly recommend being able to fly in a sit for when the situation calls for it. I think I fly very well, but I’m learning to sit-fly to compensate for my light ass, and the very heavy tandems. Body position and canopy is all preference. Everyone’s body and capabilities are different. Me head is at the horizon, and that works for me, all my stuff is top mounted. My canopy is considered “very aggressive” for camera flying, but I’m extremely comfortable with it, it opens very soft, yet very. I fly a 135 Heatwave. Most camera flyers wouldn’t touch it for that kind of work. But I don’t want to change what I’m comfortable with and it works for me. Good luck and Blue Skies. Be careful and go slow, I should have went slower. Brad

Frank, That's good advice even if you're jumping your home DZ. New jumpers show up at DZ's all the time, and not all of them are safety aware. We tend to get too relaxed at our home dz's sometimes. Situational awareness is somethign we should practice at all time. But I'm just as guitly of letting my guard down. We always need constant reminders! Brad

If I'm shooting video, for takeoff, if there is an extra seat belt, I use it to secure my camera helmet with little or no slack in the belt. Everyone else should be belted in, so hopefully the helmet wouldn't hit someone in an accident. If I'm not shooting video, my helmet is on during take off, sometimes before I even board the plane. Brad

I honestly don't know about the assembly of them. It was on a review that I read. I assume as with anything, there is a possibility. Although I agree it shouldn''t happen, it's nice information to have and at least Canon released it. I haven't had that problem with their camera's though. Brad

I had the same problem and sometimes still do if I don't do one thing before I dive....RELAX! If you try too hard, it's sometimes counter productive. I intentionally went out last on a lot of fun BFR jumps to improve my diving. Best way to get better at something is to practice it. Relax before you start your dive, and you may not have to go head down. I'm a very light, slow falling jumper, so it takes some work for me to fall fast. Good luck! Great link by the way up top! Brad

Canon released information a while back saying that there is a good possibility that there will be dust on the sensor straight out of the box, and recommends you follow the cleaning guidelines in the Manual. Brad

I want to add something that wasn't mentioned. Depending on your past skydiving discipline, think about the slightly to greater burble you wings create. I made about 10 jumps on a wing jacket, and the tenth one caught me off guard because I had a lazy throw out. Follow the advice above about reaching, and when you thro, thro like you mean it, don't be lazy about it or the PC may hesitate and you may be reaching for handles like I was. Luckily I looked over my shoulder changing the burble enough to free the PC. Brad

I love Sony's HC series. My first one was a HC36 and all the other vidiots love the quality of it. Most of them agreed the video quality was better than their PC.. I had it side mounted, and ended up top mounting it with a Digital Rebel right next to it. Now I have a hc96 (wanted the LANC port) and it's awesome too. I believe the picture quality is better than the PC series and if you hunt on ebay, you can get a good deal on either one. Only difference is the HC36 doesn't have LANC. Hope that was a different opinion you were looking for. Brad

You can never get a straight answer on here can you. Honestly, it depends on your needs. Almost all of us at my DZ use a digital rebel of some sort. I just sold my Rebel to buy a Rebel XTI. It's amazing how just putting it on sports mode, turn the flash setting to off (it won't pop up not matter what the camera wants that way) and have at it. The only other adjustments you might want to make are adjustment for lighting conditions, light cloudy or sunny. Read your manual for that. I also recommend jumping on eBay and buying the 3 filters for it for about ten bucks. It has two purposes. It protects the lens from anything in the air, and depending on the filter, it compensated for UV, or bright conditions. That's how I shoot, and I get great pictures. No if you're going pro photography, there are a lot of people on here that will recommend some expensive stuff and it's worth it if you have the money. Good luck and blue skies. Brad

to combined a couple of threads-i don't jump a ring sight because I just don't like them. I started jumping camera at 100 jumps. Small turn-on and forget. I think that is ok for low numbers. I can say when I added still, with wires, cables, connectors and everything else that goes with it, it gets complicated. On&forget video, if you truly do that I believe is ok, but you have to make sure its ok with the people you're jumping with, and there always has to be a plan. When you strap on stills, you are definitely past the on and forget stage, and I agree, you need to be able to fly your slot. If you can't be where you want, you're mind forgets safety and goes for "the shot". Some people are instinctive, others are not. Just like a lot of things in skydiving, numbers of jumps, doesn't mean your have more experience. The people you jump with on a regular basis should be your voice of reason. They know how you fly, if you’re safe, if you can handle more. I have low jump numbers, but I believe that i have descent ability to shoot small formations. I don't have the experience to shoot tandems; I recognize this and will openly admit it. You have to listen to your peers and be honest with yourself and make the right call for safety, either others or your own. They are the ones you’re flying with, let them make the call or fly solo. Everyone wants to have a good safe skydive, to skydive another day. I agree, complaining in the air, makes a skydiver nervous, wait till you get on the ground. Brad

I agree. Low number jumpers like myself like getting formations together. Another PLAN (has to be discussed) is to key a signal where everyone breaks grips, stays together, the fall rates pick up, regrip and regroup. I know experienced skydivers don't so this, but it is an option and it does work. By the way: Greetings from the desert all! Still glad I can access from my deploymet. 3 months to go! Brad

I strapped on a camera to my head at 109 jumps, with a lot of looks from other people. I don't recommend it, unless experienced skydivers think you might have a chance without hurting anyone. I know I'm going to get flamed so let me offer some advice. If you stick to one thing say...RW, then get good at flying your slot like mentioned above. When you do strap a camera on, don't jump at first as if your going to video a skydive, just jump with it. Still do your RW but just capture video from within your skydive. Eventually you'll get comfortable with it on your head, to where you're thinking about flying, not shooting video. Always ask the people you jump with where they think your skill level is. Get their go ahead, and when you do, then think about shooting formations. But you should be able to fly the cameraman slot well before you think about shooting. Why? Because people will ask you to shoot their "100th jump" or their "2000th jump". You don't need the added pressure of "making sure I get it on tape" if you're not comfortable with flying the camera position. Like mentioned above, no matter when you do it, all the skydivers involved needs to be on the same page. Where you're going to be, what their intentions are, you're intentions, skill level. Try jumping with small formations first, two-ways no bigger than 4-ways. Jump the slot; learn the exits without landing on top of the formation out the door. You can get a lot of advice on here, and there is always the USPA "guidelines". But talk to you fellow jumpers and get their opinion. There are people I jump with that are comfortable with me shooting video over other that have a lot more #'s than me. It’s all on flying ability, the amount of "common sense" a vidiot has over other vidiots. I still have a lot to learn, but flying with the camera has honestly made my flying with or without a camera a lot better in a short amount of time. Brad

I use the HC36 and it is hte sme size as the 96. I made about 10 jumps with it side mounted. Never had a riser strike, but I did have concerns for one. I mounted the camera on top with a digital rebel still and it was a lot better, especially with weight distro. So you can put it on the side, but they are wide. Check out Sony's website and they only have one HC that they are selling now...that sucks. Brad

Damn those are expensive! Have you checked the Sony site? I bought mine from Sony for y HC36 for 40 bucks and it works great! Brad

I bought a sonic from skydanceheadgear.com and finally but my gear together. I have both my digital rebel and sony hc36 mounted on top. With them both there the weight ditro is perfect. I made a neoprene condom for my rebel and I'm in the process of making one for my video. I bought neoprene sheet (3x4 Feet) on-line for about 10 bucks. I literally scanned my camera on all sides, printed the scans, cut them out and made the neoprene from the cut paper. Worked out pretty good, it's 2mm neo so its not heavy and protects from bumps and changes in temp (stopping it from fog'in in the air). Sure it took some work, but I had time. Good luck! Brad

I bought a suit from them, I should say her. The owner, Jen is the oner/maker of them. I paid for rush order and it took mea little over two months to get mine. I think I stil have her cell phone number, I'll check around and get back to you. Anyway, after contacting my CC company for a refund and a whole bunch of threats, I got my suit. Honestly, the suit is made extrmely well, I got the comp suite. Is it worth the wait? It depends, I needed a suit and wasn't very patient, but for the quality and the price, I think it was worth it. Do a search for Zute Suit and you'll see my posts and the replies I got back. Brad

This is one of our veterans showing s steller landing - can happen to anyone Brad

I know that less than 100 jumps usually rules me out of 4-ways, i know this, i'm fine with it. You're jumping at the wrong DZ if you can't get int o a four way. We just had a jumper participate in an Star Crest recipient jump with 11 of us. So ow he has an award at just 30 jumps. We try to jump with new jumpers ll the time, without them, he skydiving community won't exist. Try another DZ or at least ask around your DZ to get involved in some 3/4 ways. Even ask to try the SCR here's the website. http://www.scr-awards.com/index.html Brad

Other Like someone mentioned, just at pull time because people do not track they way they are suppose to, or go alot lower than they said they were going to pull. Seen to many canopies close to m when there wasn't suppose to be anyone there. Brad