airdrew20012001

On some medium wind days I have been wanting to start (very slowly) experimenting with downwinders. I have done a few out of neccesity in the past and never had a problem. I have close to 400 jumps, over 100 on a stilletto loaded to 1.35. I usually do either a 180 or 270 on lower wind days and have that pretty dialed in. Drewfus McDoofus

On some medium wind days I have been wanting to start (very slowly) experimenting with downwinders. I have done a few out of neccesity in the past and never had a problem. I have close to 400 jumps, over 100 on a stilletto loaded to 1.35. I usually do either a 180 or 270 on lower wind days and have that pretty dialed in. Drewfus McDoofus

Similiar question to that one found in the stilletto post. Does anyone know how high is too high to load an Alpha? Drewfus McDoofus

Similiar question to that one found in the stilletto post. Does anyone know how high is too high to load an Alpha? Drewfus McDoofus

For my 2 cents: I recently ate shit under a heavily loaded Alpha 104. No I didn't get hurt and no I wasn't doing a hook turn. The reason I say all that is that I hit my head but sustained no damage to my TRV17 I think mostly due to the D-Box. If you think you cannot afford the money for a D-box or an X-jacket ask yourself if you can afford to replace your video camera ir fix it. As for the ring site, I know a lot of freeflyers who go without. The reason I use one is that I shoot tandems so I cannot afford to miss the shot, I am, after all, getting paid in part to make sure the two camera's are centered on the subject. Hope that helps. Drewfus McDoofus

We could move the thing to Skydance, would people prefer that? Drewfus McDoofus

Email me at [email protected] if you can be in Lodi next weekend. I will bring my camera's and we can try and set a California record formation. Look forward to seeing as many of you as we can get together! Drewfus McDoofus

I can't really say either way, it really depends on the skydiver. If you are willing to ask for, accept, and learn from the advice of others there is no reason it should be that bad. It also depends on how experienced you are and how much you have already been able to learn. If you are the type who thinks he or she knows or can figure it all out, then your entire skydiving career, as long or short as it may be, will be fraught with peril. I did stuff slowely, asked a lot of "dumb" questions, and listened as much as I jumped. Don't forget to ask the tandem master what they think. A lot of them double as videoflyers are have jumped camera in the past. They have also spent a fair amount of time with video flyers and do really watch what they do. Different tandem master have different comfort levels as well. Always ask someone you haven't jumped with what's cool and what's not. Also let them know if you are planning to leave their field of vision (orbits) and discuss opening altitude and placement of you. If you leave the ego at home with the lense cap you should be fine, otherwise you are a danger to all you jump around regardless of what you are doing. The worse thing about doing tandems is that you are also impacting the unsuspecting passenger who won't know if you are being safe or not and certainly will be unable to react to any fuck up you make during the skydive. I assume you will be fine, you cared enough to write the post. Drewfus McDoofus

Cat in the Hat Comes Back Where the Sidewalk Ends Hustler (monthly - ok...I just look at the pictures) The Comics that come with Bazooka Gum Drewfus McDoofus

No they shouldn't. I get the uncotrollable urge to smooch in the plane sometimes. When I do, I don't like to move around a lot. I usually go for the person on my right, homophobes are unsafe, makes me get up and move around. Drewfus McDoofus

Resistance is futile. Cheap but futile. Borg McCool Drewfus McDoofus

Ok, I get the cheezy low budget award of the day: A really cheap-o mixer board the only really controls whether the audio comes from the camera output or the cd player plugged in below. It is all real time editing (ie mix the video in as the audio is playing with the camera in your lap) with camera effects, mostly slow motion. If you want to get fancy you put a part of the video and music down, hit pause on the recording VCR and cd at the same time then unpause again when you get the camera running at the spot you want. Oddly enough, once you get good at it you can make some pretty happy tandem video and the passengers seem to dig it. LIttle more rough, not as seemless as the computer cna do but what you gonna do. Drewfus McDoofus

I have heard that that would work. I have always used a drill because I am too damn poor to buy a dremmell tool. One thing to watch out for when dealing with the d-bos, the top plate on the bnatrack, or anything else that is carbon fibre: carbon fibre conducts electricity. Whenever you cut it/drill it/whatever make sure that you cover the hole edges with nail polish so the little loose fibres don't end up in your camera shorting things out. I have never met anyone that this has happened too but you don't want to be the first. Drewfus McDoofus

None, I skydive with feinds. If I forget I usually remember about the time they have me backed into a corner with a potatoe fork. Drewfus McDoofus

I wanna get a job where I can goof off posting to DZ.com all damn day. You all need a lawyer? I can also do windows, vacuum (aka the "happy dance"), cook herbed pork chops, and assist with ranting and raving (a special talent not taught in law school). Not to mention all my video skills (not!). Lemme know, i can submit a resume. Sure it's scribbled in blue mascera (don't ask) on a coctail napkin. "I have a D license, doesn't that mean i can do ANYTHING?" Drewfus McDoofus

One of the other camera flyers where I work part time had a side mount PC 9. He moved it to top mount but that had nothing to do with riser strikes. He never had any problems and he had a batrack side mount set up like you are talking about. I personally do the top mount thing because you cannot side mount a trv 17 and I couldn't shell out the money for the pc style. But that's me. I think if you side mount with a d-box you should be in good shape. I had a freeflying friend who also mirrored the comment about tilting your head during the opening sequence. The concern I would have there would be if you had a thwaker opening what sort of extra stress would having your head at an angle put on your neck. Just a thought. Drewfus McDoofus

I go, generally, with the old axeom that one new thing at a time is best. If you went through student training using an analougue one then may as well stick with what you know for the time being and not introduce new things into the equation until you are super comfortable. I would stick with analogue until you are more comfy and REALLY current. You don't want to be in the air when you realize you have a high speed function are fighting the canopy then realize you can't make heads or tails out of the lightly familiar digitude. Just a thought Drewfus McDoofus

anybody ever monkey with F-stop during freefly stuff? How did the photo's turn out? Drewfus McDoofus

You should title that "not work safe". I just opened the picture of the snowman in S&M garb in court in the jail. Luckily no one saw it. Phew, I guess I need to read more carefully. Could've started a riot. Drewfus McDoofus

My roomate had the same problem and got over it after a few jumps. I recommend: 1) Video. 2) Relax. 3) Never give up, if you stick with it you will be mightily rewarded. Drewfus McDoofus

I was once at a DZ where they swapped a guys hot ass cross braced canopy for an appropriately sized boring 7-cell without telling him. The video the next day was funny as hell. Drewfus McDoofus

Must be nice to be living high on the hog off your S1 sales comissions. Us po folk (to poor to afford an "R") gots to packs our own. Drewfus McDoofus

20.6 Drewfus McDoofus

The Rebel EOS G is usually available for about 250 with a 35 80 lens. Drewfus McDoofus

Depending on how you mount the cameras there is no reason that you cannot use an SLR camera for freeflying. ONe of the camera men where I work uses a batrack with a pc9 and a Rebel 2000 for freeflying no problems. Our boss has been struggling with the skydance camera so I also recommend you steer clear of that one until the bugs are worked out. She has shot some really nice pictures and had some problems with not getting as many pictures as she wants. If you use an optik with a top mounted SLR and a side mounted PC you can do more with the SLR as far as artistic stuff. Can devide if F-stop or shutter rate is more important depending on what you are trying to do. Plus it gives the flexibility of manual or auto focus, both of which have their pluses. Drewfus McDoofus