VideoFly

I have personally had great experiences with Tony, Bev, Michigan, Flite Suit, Symbiosis, and Merlin Suits. They were all well made, held up well, and functioned well. When making your choice, a lot depends upon what fit, materials, and options best serve your purposes.

Oh, I didn't realize you wanted it for skydiving.

My preference is the narrow with a video on top and a still in the front. I love the balance and it is what I am used to. Of course, some day I might want to throw more on top and if that happens, I’ll just buy another helmet. I looked at a Vapor last week and it looked great, although I have a couple of Headhunter Voodoos that I prefer to fly with. To each his own.

Knowing you Wade, I think you might want to try latex.

I keep one on my chest and one on my wrist with a wrist mount from Paragear. I like the wrist mount because it’s out of my way when working with cameras and it allows me to take my gloves off and put them on without removing the altimeter.

I’ve seen Larry do amazing things while flying several different aircraft in difficult and questionable times. Where other pilots might not have brought the plane down successfully, Larry kept us all safe. He has incredible flying skills and maintains a keen awareness of all airplane and atmospheric behaviors. I am always confident and proud when I fly with him.

I think a lot depends on the type of canopy, wing loading, the experience of the jumper and his/her judgement. If you lack the experience and good judgement, follow a mentor. For me, the trees tell me when the wind is unsafe. Learn to listen to the trees if there are any on your DZ.

I’ve jumped from the left front seat of an R44. The climb to 4,500 feet was fairly quick. The door opening with the door removed is a bit tight and you probably don’t want too much weight hanging out on the skid for too long. The dive out was good, but try to make sure your gear doesn’t get hung up on anything.

I'm using the 28mm canon lens from my 35mm rebel on my XTi. It works fine.

I've jumped with Flat stanley a few times. He's fun to jump with, but not much of a tracker.

Advances in medical technology make the world a better place. Also, people should care about each other’s health. Fortunately, important people throughout the public sector, including teachers, police officers, firefighters, and others, pursue their careers oftentimes more for altruistic than financial reasons. Why is this not true in the medical profession? Yes, I believe life-saving medical technologies should be available to all people, especially children. As far as the excessive cost of such care, it is the medical profession that’s broken.

Like Amazon and Airtwardo said, it’s difficult to imagine a time when hitting someone/anyone is necessary or okay. Hitting reduces levels of humanity. Peace

I’ve filmed my oldest son and daughter on tandem jumps. That was really great. I also remember when my youngest son at eight-years-old started packing. Now, years later, I love to jump with him even though he shows me up on RW jumps.

Good luck!

I've got some big heavy boxes of OLD military gear. I'm not sure what it all is and I'm sure nobody would want to jump it, but I can't get myself to throw it away... so it sits in storage.

I’ve had two Cypres units. One had to go to Germany on its second four-year check. I’m glad they fixed it. My other has never had a problem and it is eight years old. Also, I’ve seen cypres’ work when needed. My car electronics is starting to go bad at ten years. My TV’s, computers, and other electronic devices typically have electronics problems within ten years. Why would I expect an AAD not to have problems in ten to twenty years? I like the four-year checks for piece of mind and maintenance if necessary. As far as the price goes, the extra buck or so per jump is no big deal. Furthermore, my son recently started jumping and I bought him a Cypres II. Moreover, I’m sure they all work fine, but at this time, I’ll stay with Cypres.

Wear eye protection when using an electric wire wheel. Brake bars on chain saws are a good thing. Gloves are good for high speed rappelling. A winter project trike in the living room may not fit out the door in the spring. The slide blows back on a semi-auto pistol. Gasoline lights well, but the vapors explode. Not all women with large bellies are pregnant. Teachers do have eyes on the backs of their head. Unbreakable plastic ketchup bottles do break. Marmots will go into your sleeping bag for food.

I've never used a box. I like to be able to shoot ground and plane video with the camera off my head and I need it to be accessible. I use a one-inch strap with a clip for extra protection.

There's nothing I cant do in my 50's that I could do before. In fact, the 50's are better. Enjoy!

I’m almost done removing all of the carpet in my house. The filth and dust underneath the carpet is disgusting and cannot be healthy. Also, pets and carpet don’t mix. If you want cushion comfort, throw rugs work well and are easy to clean. If you must have carpet, it pays to invest in a good carpet-cleaning machine and vacuum and clean them often.

I prefer my still camera to be mounted upside-down. It affords me more visibility when looking up. Rather than seeing the camera-base platform, the top of the camera is more streamlined and less bulky. Therefore, my visual frame is much larger. As Bill stated, I simply rotated the mount 180 degrees. The only problem I have ever had with this method of camera mounting is the collection of water droplets inside the exposure window on top when falling through wet weather. However, clear packing tape over the window and area around it solved that problem.

Dave is right. If finances are a problem, watch the classifieds and get a couple of used suits. Use the right tool for the job.

Self-stick foam door weather strip works well. It compresses a lot, so you need it a little thicker than you eventually want it to be. Also, it doesn’t hold up real well with a lot of use over a long period of time, but it is cheap by the roll and easy to replace. I’ve had it under my camera for hundreds of jumps. I’ve also used the fuzzy side of Velcro tape, but I prefer weather strip.

Sorry, I tried to simplify for a layman, although freefalling without a parachute probably feels a lot like freefalling with one except the ride is a little longer. It’s the landing that would be much different.

I was wondering about your cutaway. Is it possible that you didn’t fully pull your cutaway cables clear, but instead, pulled the pillow just far enough to release only one riser? Also, did you have an RSL or Skyhook connected? You did an outstanding job of working things out. You don't have to skydive to prove things to others. Do what feels best for you. Take it slow, your feelings will probably change over time.