bdrake529

Blah blah blah.... glad I could give you a reason to geek out, but that's all over my head and beyond my interest Short answer, my friend doesn't know what he's talking about and now I've got to deny a $1500 charge on my credit card. "B&H? Never heard of them..." Brian Drake

Well, that's why I posted here instead of dropping $1500. When someone I just met speaks with an authoritative tone about a subject I have very little knowledge about, I'm not going to call them a liar to their face. Of course I'm not going to just blindly take their word for it either. So I checked here and since I know you know what you're talking about, Spot, I take it that either enthusiasm led to some embellishment, or my new friend was also speaking from some ignorance. And though I appreciate the Ford analogies for us dumb folk, I'm not so simple-minded to think that since Panasonic makes the GH1 and the chip for the Red, they must be the same. I should have clarified in my post. He was claiming it was the SAME chip made by Panasonic for both. Are you saying I can't outswoop a Velo with my Navigator? They're both made by PD. Brian Drake

Was told about the GH1 this past weekend by a guy who's got a lot of experience with professional photography/broadcast video and he claimed that it is the dream-come-true, an HD video camera that takes 12mp stills (or a 12mp still cam with HD video, depending on your perspective). I don't know squat about stills, and not much about what makes a quality video cam, so looking through the specs online, I can only take his word for it. He said, from personal experience, that the video is the quality of the RED camera, since Panasonic also makes the chip for that camera, so it's high-end video and high-end stills all in one unit. It's $1500, but that's bound to come down eventually and if it performs as he claimed, that seems like a reasonable price. Anyone have any first-hand experience with this? Any comments on the specs? Any counter-arguments to the "the all-in-one solution has arrived" claim? Brian Drake

Sure. Brian Drake

Toss the grid. Admit that undocked formations cannot be judged objectively with current technology/flying ability and still be consistently "good looking". Have USPA (and later, FAI) train and license a group of judges. It's important that these judges not be participants in any record being evaluated (obviously), so they may or may not be wingsuiters. Any record claim must submit video of formation to the judging panel (minimum of 3 judges). Majority of judges must vote to confirm successful completion based on their subjective evaluation of how the formation achieved the goals submitted prior to the jump. This approach embraces the reality that undocked formations can only be judged subjectively. Jarno's hypothetical mess, the picture Matt posted, the Chicago 28-way that wasn't submitted, the recent Russian submission, etc... all demonstrate that the grid allows for formations to be technically successful, yet visually unsatisfying. This also allows the flexibility of event-specific criteria. 3D formations, for example (judged perhaps from multiple camera angles). Brian Drake

Collapsing your leg wing is not "deploying from full flight". Full flight deployment means you fly, you throw your PC, you keep flying, SMACK! A lot of the more experienced BASE wingsuiters don't collapse both arm wings (as you see with Lutz), even for the PC throw. And yes, it's BASE specific. You should be pulling high enough in a skydive that how you pull is a matter of preference. Brian Drake

Well there goes the "German air is weird" theory. Were these tests in AZ from the Skyvan, Otter, or what? Still, I did 3 test jumps and didn't have a problem. It may be the equipment involved. But I'd still like to get some more iPhone tests before concluding that Jarno's tests are conclusive. I've got 2 volunteers so far, would be happy for as many as possible. Thanks in advance, Brian Brian Drake

Call me crazy, but I trust that Klaus is slightly more tech savvy than that. That he encountered problems upon repeated testing is cause for investigation. That I didn't encounter these problems is cause for me to be happy, not to dismiss Klaus' report. Brian Drake

Calling all US wingsuiters with iPhones. Jarno graciously tested the iPhone 3Gs for jump logging and wasn't pleased with the results. But he's European, and we all know how much their opinion counts.... (I kid Jarno, I kid) Seriously though, there may be something..uh...different about Europe (other than an aversion to using deodorant). Klaus (Vidiot, maker of Paralog) reported to me that in tests, he could not maintain a Bluetooth connection between a PDA and a BT GPS receiver upon exiting the plane. BT connection was there in plane, lost on exit, and wasn't resumed until under canopy. His best theory was that there was some sort of interference with the aircraft that disrupted the Bluetooth link. But in my tests, I had no problem with this. Bluetooth connection was not disrupted and I maintained a BT link for the entire jump. I'm not very technically minded, so I don't know why Klaus and I had different results. A very superficial theory (shot-in-the-dark guess actually) is that something is different about aircraft in Germany/Europe than in the States. I mean, they use different wall plugs so perhaps something's different about their EMFs too... Regardless of whether this guess has any merit, I would like to test the iPhone 3Gs again, here in the good 'ol US of A to either confirm Jarno's results, or add further circumstantial evidence that some things work differently 'cross the pond. Any volunteers? I would just need you to download this free GPS tracker, Vela GPS Lite, set the track record to 1s, and make a jump. Then email the resulting GPX file to me (whole process is handled in the Vela GPS software). If you can help, PM me or post here. I'll contact you and help if you've never jumped GPS before as there are specific considerations, even when jumping "tested" GPS loggers like the Foretrex and Wintec. Thanks, Brian Brian Drake

Fair enough. Hope you can make it Randy. Brian Drake

Yuri, Something I've never understood, but perhaps you can explain, is how is energy maintained with decreasing fall rates? I'm talking about sustained flight, not just flares. Gravity is our engine, right? By the design of the wings, and the angle of our bodies, we're re-directing downward energy (generated by falling) into forward movement. The faster we fall, the faster we can go forward, correct? Isn't this why heavy guys, with the same surface area and at the same glide ratio, will fly faster forward (but also eat up altitude)? So as the lift (or whatever it is) generated by our suits begins to significantly slow down our fallrate, what keeps us going forward? Isn't there a point where the decrease in our fallrate results in such a significant decrease in energy that we can no longer go forward with enough velocity to generate lift (stall)? Is there a theoretical limit to fallrate where sufficient forward speed can longer be maintained? Sorry if I'm not expressing this question well enough. Edited to add: I guess what I'm trying to say is that if I my terminal velocity was 15.6mph so that when I jump from a cliff, I only accelerate up that point, would I really go 70mph forward? How? Where did that energy come from? I suppose my question is revealing an admittedly ignorant misunderstanding of this issue. A factor of 70mph/15.6mph doesn't really indicate a terminal velocity of 15.6, but of some number in between, correct? A lil' help for us math challenged folk? Brian Drake

Congratulations Matt! Just placed my order. Brian Drake

A small contingent of wingsuiters from Southern California will be heading to Lodi to join the team up there for a final training weekend before the Elsinore Bigway. We'll be specifically working on record spacing. If you're qualified/registered for the Bigway, please join us. Lodi has the lift capacity so the more the merrier. Post here if you can make it. Blue skies, Brian Brian Drake

Congratulations JT. That was a great segment. Stunning imagery. Good interviews. I thought it portrayed the sport in a positive and respectful light. Brian Drake

$0.40 isn't a huge investment... Did you see the camera helmet of my rider? If anyone was going to be doing damage, it was her. Plus, as little protection as my Tonfly provides, it's better than nothing (and houses my audibles, for which I do not have goggle mounts). Brian Drake

Short answer: Too lazy to swap out my setup for that jump (which didn't need video) Longer answer: Did you see my 3D BASE video? (requires red/blue glasses) Brian Drake

Great news Spot. I'm hoping you'll be in the air with us, but just having you there in person will be great. Besides, who else can I get to stitch me up when I inevitably hurt myself again during the event?... Brian Drake

Are those screen grabs from the CX100 or from your still? Brian Drake

Thanks for the pics Ann. Inside video (gotta be logged in to facebook) Brian Drake

Mid-Late October. You can pre-order one from pointofviewcameras.com Brian Drake

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpGLuzB-UP4 Congrats on the BASE race Neil. Though "fastest American" isn't something I'd be bragging about to the ladies... Curious why the footage is in 4:3. I realize the HeroHD has several record resolutions. But why no demo shots in 16:9 (of your footage, I've seen the other 16:9 samples)? Brian Drake

This is an honest question Ed (I know sarcasm can be the rule here): How will someone know if they're ready for a bigger suit? From Matt's post, he had at least 125 wingsuit jumps (the count from his Phantom) before his S-Bird. Currently, the Phoenix-Fly website recommends 50 wingsuit flights minimum for V3 and 75 minimum for the Stealth. I haven't seen jump requirement numbers like that for Tony Suits. So by those recommendations for a "large wing" suit, Matt was in the clear. Other PF material recommends confidence in barrel rolls, backflying, backfly exits, "maxing out", and flocking as other pre-requisites for "up sizing". Perhaps Matt you could post whether you met that criteria as well. Then he had 130 more wingsuit flights on his S-Bird. So a minimum of 255 wingsuit flights before his ordeal. I fully realize that jump number requirements are general recommendations and some people need MORE than the the MINIMUM. If someone has a healthy margin on the recommended jumps, and can perform the other criteria (barrel rolls, etc...), what other factor would you recommend in deciding they were "ready" for a "big" suit? Personal anecdote with the S-Bird: My first two jumps with one had me doing a cartwheel out the door. I was first out, so it wasn't a rushed exit and two in a row had me puzzled. My initial thought was that I was doing a weak hop out the door due to my bum ankle while also trying to duck to avoid the low tail on the Beech. But after talking to a friend who had a similar experience with the T-Bird, I wonder if the arm wing on the S-Bird (or any of the '-Birds) presents a unique problem. Due to the wing's cut, you're only in control (at least until you get used to it) of part of the wing. There's the "torso wing" part (arm wing "root") which isn't directly controlled by your arms and wingtip grippers (again, until you "figure it out"). So even though I was exiting with my wings collapsed, it's possible that the "torso wing" caught air and contributed to my instability. Was able to figure it out on the 3rd jump and didn't have a continued problem with my exits. But thought it might be worth mentioning in the context of Matt's ordeal since those "torso wings" sometimes feel like they have a mind of their own. Brian Drake

I'll let you figure it out. Brian Drake

Haven't checked eBay recently, but I got 2 HC5s (used) for about $230 each at the beginning of the year. SquareTrade offered 1-year warranties for both at around $30. Highly recommend the camera. Brian Drake

Excellent video Jarno. The canopy flybys were great, especially the last one. The guy exiting out the tailgate a little after 6:05 was bad ass. Good editing and music choice. Very fun to watch. What was the mal for your chop at the end? Or did you just need a reserve deploy shot?... Brian Drake