prana185

Hey Virgin, I waited until I had 250 before getting a camera. I just haven't thought to update the profile on here. Thanks for the concern (seriously) Dave, I know, I know.. I'm working on a small island off the coast of Australia (not very cool - it's all for oil, and it's rather barren and boring), and there's no phone service. Internet is slower than dialup, so these message boards are the best I can do until I get home. I will call when I get there. I just thought I'd spend some of my time in here to see if anyone else had that problem.

Hey guys, I'm very new to camera flying (sorry), and had some extra money to spend (double sorry), so I ordered a Tonfly 2X+ with an anti-twist link to hook up to a Sony CX580V. I love the thing - it's more comfortable than my non-camera helmet, even if I have no idea what I'm doing/filming. However, there is a noticeable vibration in the anti-twist link. First, the post that fits in the camera bottom was too small. I fixed this with some epoxy for the time-being. Also, I think maybe the holes drilled in the side of the link that the retractable pin snaps into are a little too big for the retractable pin, meaning you can wiggle the whole camera/mount once it's snapped into place. Has anyone else had this problem? Like I said, I love this helmet, but if all my video is going to be shaky, then it's kinda defeating the purpose (Is this karma for spending more than getting a gopro?) Another question - any folks with other sony cameras: do you have more than one "hole" for the mounting post in the bottom of your camera? This one has the screw receiver and one hole, so I just wanted to check. Thanks for your help, including clever fixes if you've dealt with this before.

Excellent, thanks people! Order is in.

Hey everyone, I'm looking to buy a Tonfly 2X Plus to fit a newish CX580. Never flown a camera helmet, but this is what I want to do, so go ahead and make fun of me for shelling out instead of buying a gopro, then answer my question, okay? On Tonfly's site (http://www.tonflyusa.com/2x.php) they talk about an anti-twist link vs. an anti-twist base. I'm unsure which is the appropriate purchase? From the tiny photos, it looks like the link would accept screws for the camera, and the base is a taller mount or something... Anyway, sorry for the stupid questions, but any help would be appreciated. I gotta start somewhere.

I was driving from San Francisco to Denver, and Decided to take a break on the second day of driving to get some jumps in. I called the number from their website to make sure that they were jumping on Thursdays. Even though I called at 9:30PM (expecting a recording to tell me what the weekly schedule was), but the DZO answered and asked me what I was up to. When I told him my situation, he then asked if I knew how to get there. I thought he was just helping me out with directions, but when I told him that I had directions already, he told me "well, come on out tonight, and sleep in the packing area. Thick carpet, nice weather." That totally floored me. I mean, he has no idea who I am other than that I claim to have a B-license, and he's telling me that he'll leave the hangar open for me to drop by? Phenomenal. When I arrived the next morning (I was calling from my hotel room already...) the friendliness didn't stop. The DZO's wife (I think?) came up for the gear check formalities for a jumper new to a DZ, and then hunted me down later to ask if I wanted a jumping buddy. When she found out I was going to be sitflying, she admitted that it wasn't her thing, but that the DZO might want to come along. Does friendliness like this happen everywhere? It was great. Anyway, I wanted to get those things out there. The DZ was nice, the King Air was super fast (and pretty damn new). They just resurfaced part of the large tarmac, which is only bad because if you land on it, beer. The views of the salt lake and surrounding mountains is awesome (even for a Colorado skydiver who gets to see the Rockies/Front Range from the plane. The packing carpet definitely was thick and clean. They also have these carpeted "cots" for lack of a better word. Plywood sheets up on 4x4 legs... for sleeping? Or maybe to extend the packing area. Wind was a bit funky, but the DZO was extremely knowledgeable about the local wind patterns/cloud formations, and what to expect. I felt safe, even as a first time jumper with low numbers in a new area (and I'm not a cocky guy). Thanks for a great day, and for making the drive back to CO so much more enjoyable!

I work in a different state than I live, so this time around I thought I'd take my rig along and actually enjoy my weekends for once. So It's jump #51 for me, at a DZ I've never been to before. Thought I was being safe, asked everyone around what the landing conditons are like, where is your aerial map, anemometer, etc. One guy told me that the whole field was flat and very very muddy/wet (I guess it used to be a rice paddy?), but "there's a little spot right over there that's a little bit higher than the rest, and usually stays dry." So of course I go for it, because I don't want to slip and get my new rig (and as-of-yet clean ego) all muddy. I pull high and do a controlability check. The winds are blowing around 16-18, but I've taken that into account in my slow landing pattern. While focusing on trying to land in one perfect spot in a gigantic field, my canopy starts to shake and bounce at about 70 feet. "Ah, it's just a little gust. What I wasn't realizing was that nobody else was attempting to land in this spot because of the obvious: the burble of the hangar. The lower I got, the worse the turbulence got. At about 8 feet the canopy just died and I dropped short of that "perfect" dry spot. Skidding through the mud and getting everything nicely re-colored. Upon closer inspection, the dry spot was just as muddy. I got tunnel vision over something stupid, and luckily only paid for it with mud and embarrassment. I won't let that happen again.Quote