Zlew

John Rocks! He was one of the DZ kids at the drop zone I jumped at in college. His dad is one of those characters in life that if you haven't met him...you are missing out. Very cool to see him go from the grade school kid goofing around the DZ every weekend to such an accomplished jumper. I got a kick out of the swoop alarms going off while coming down under 50 year old round reserve. :)

I have Vector stowless bags on both of my rigs (Vector/Katana and Javeline/Velo). For me it is really just about one thing- it lowers the chances of having line twist before line stretch significantly. For me, this equates to lower probability of spinning line twist cutaways. With the vector bags, and the "Free stow" bag I had before it, I would say that 99% of my openings start on heading with no twists. Getting to line stretch feels a little different (smoother...you don't feel the vibrations as the bands undstow), and I like that it seems much cleaner when packing without having so much line exposed in the bottom of the container. To be honest, beyond that I don't notice much difference. Some say they notice the openings start much faster, but I can't say I notice that. I don't notice any change in how hard/soft the openings are. Packing is a little bit faster, but not enough to make an argument for spending the money on the bag. I love mine, and always put them on my rigs when I can, but my main reason is simply to lower the likelihood that I'll have linetwist before line stretch

for shooting tandems? depending on the camera, you can use the popup flash. Note, it may lower your battery life and slow down your burst rate. The next step up would be a flash with a sync cable. Things can get a little more tricky with weight, setup, securing etc. but it's not that uncommon. This could be a "Dumb" flash, or something with ettl capabilities. I have seen some guys run 430 or 580 speedlights mounted flat with a sync cord. The results are pretty sweet. With flash, research your sync speed and set it as high as you can. many will max out at 1/250th, and some will default to as slow as 1/50th or 1/60th. For frefall I like the higher. shutter speeds when possible.

http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-6500_7-57592831/jvc-fixes-up-its-adixxion-pov-cam/ clicky

I have been very happy with mine (EPM1). The quality, IMO is as good or better than my XS with the kit lens. All the pics in this album (should be public) were taken with the mirrorless. The chopper pics at the end of the album were with the kit lens, everything else with the f1.7 20MM prime. https://www.facebook.com/zlewis/media_set?set=a.10151410318554220.1073741826.622434219&type=3 The more I shoot with it and get it dialed in, the more happy I am with it.

I had a friend who hit a grasshopper that was sucked up by thermals. She hit it in freefall, and said it felt like someone threw a baseball at her face from 5 feet away.

Last weekend we had quite a few caravan training jumps, and due to your inspiration I was doing my standard exit all day. Most of them worked out just fine. We had an A exit that I was worried about because they don't "roll out" much, and Tail is so low and far back in the door. Ready, set, go, and the exit frame was perfect...couldn't have asked for better. next load, repeat of the same jump and I think I was just a hair late. Two seconds of surfing the burble "I got it... I got it....nope, I don't have it!" I didn't take out the team but I did get an up close shoe inspection of my inside center. I'll see if I can post the vids soon. Good times!

Things are a little different in the paragliding world. They usually do that type of acro over water on purpose (and usually have support for it). They even have classes you can take where you induce all sorts of malfunctions, and on one flight you actually dump the rescue and land in the water. The wings are bigger, and even when they collapse usually are pretty low speed compared to what we are used to with skydiving wings. Also, they never cutaway (well, the majority do not) and they use round rescues (reserves) that don't really care if there is another canopy out or not and add even more drag. Not sure their culture is into the cutaway on the helmets just yet. Since they usually do not chop their mains, it isn't quite as urgent as it is with skydiving snags. I don't think it would be a bad idea for them to have cutaways on their camera helmets at all...but the circumstances are a little different there than in skydiving.

One other thing I have noticed- Many people who fly light to mid wing loadings spend the majority of their time at full flight. People who fly at higher wing loadings spend more time in the middle of their speed range (brakes and or rears). I fly in brakes a lot. If I am in the middle of the pattern or traffic, I can choose to let it fly and beat everyone down, or slow things down and let the lighter loaded canopies land before me. It may sound unusual, but being comfortable flying slowly makes flying a "faster" wing much less daunting. The fast canopies, in my experience, all will fly like pretty big wings if you slow them down. Last weekend I opened on level with a tandem from another airplane. I put on the brakes and let them land before me without any issue. They fly well when you don't have the pedal to the metal too :)

An infinity loop or the snag? Scary for sure...risky for sure...but also kinda awesome! I think everyone who likes canopy flight and had that first time where they looked at the horizon over the tail of their canopy has thought about how cool it would be to actually go over the top. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kr13xRIPfvk

at 500, most likely the biggest thing that may impact flare (and a few other things....) will be the lines. If the lines are in good shape and good trim there won't be much difference between 10 jumps and 500 jumps.

The packers at my DZ will tell you (and honestly tell you) they will be happy to pack for you for just the standard fee ($6/per here). I believe that is true. However, those are some hard working SOB's! I always tip at least a buck or two per pack job. If they do something awesome (And they usually do...) I try to go a little further. Bringing them some food/drinks is usually appreciated also. Let them know you appreciate their hard work. A good packer will take good care of you. Our packers are freaking amazing. When we are doing back to backs, triples, quads... they keep up and keep us rolling. They will always go above and beyond to help keep us in the air and not worrying about our gear being packed. They take great care of me, and I try to take great care of them in return. That shit is hard work! And them doing a good job will mean the difference in you making that load or not. Don't short change your packers. :)

+1 things will be different for sure. Your wing will be flying faster, and also stall or stop flying at a higher true airspeed. The increased arispeed does not make up for , or wash out the difference in how the speed/timing of the flare happen. Hot/high will mean faster fwd and down speeds on landing, and higher speeds at when your canopy throws in the towel and calls it quits.

Not a bad idea. I still jump CX150's and they are doing just fine. Next season I may upgrade to something like a cx730 and a gopro/drift , but this season the 150's are still going strong.

Thanks for the info! It sounds like your biggest issue is just getting current. If you don't own gear and are renting...and are trying to get current again I think your choice is a good one. Get current on an appropriately loaded wing and get confident in your skills before downsizing. If you are a year out of currency, you probably won't have much choice in what you fly when you get back in. I bet you will find once you get current and jump more regularly that getting past a student wing loading might no tbe a big deal. Until then, stay safe and trust your instinct.

He is building his own canopies, and maybe that comment is based on that. unless there is a physical or medical issue, I would be a little concerned if someone really didn't feel safe at a .7 loading. there may be a few exceptions to that, but that is usually in the mid to low range for students. maybe they just like bigger wings, but if they feel they need to go to a lower loading for safety....i'd love to hear the story/reasoning. most of my student training was at about .78. some of it closer to .9 . even with just a few jumps that seemed conservative. as an instructor, that .8 range was usually the guideline for gear selection for students.

more specifically answering the question of why higher loadings when not primarily a swooper- Few things- fwd airpeed pressurization/rigidity of the wing responsiveness and general way the wings fly. probably the top reason ability to still fly slow as needed (I fly camera so needing to land last is common) My two wingloadings are about 1.65 and about 1.8

i just checked. the 280 and 320 have OIS, which usually means a no go for skydiving. I think the 420 and 730 have BOSS (which is good for jumping).

I think there are some threads about these cameras out there. As I remember the 220 is similar to the 190. It will work but doesn't have threads for a wide angle (Trunk has a demo on how to add them yourself). The BOSS cameras seem to be doing really well also, but cost a little more. I can't remember specifically about the 280 or 320...but want to say they may have OIS.

This is one of those questions that might not have a right answer. There are so many variables. How well do you fly...how well do you understand your wings...what are you looking for out of your canopy etc. None of which can really be answered via the net. I started on elliptical around 200 jumps. I think today most would recommend a few more than that. One thing to consider at low jump numbers and going to a Katana. I assume many may disagree, but going to something like a stiletto you are just changing your planform, but going to a Katana you are going a few steps further. Not sure if this makes any sense, but something like a stiletto is like a Sabre+, and a Katana is more like a Velo- . It is more than just the elliptical shape of the wing. I've never jumped a wing that is more responsive on front risers or dives as readily as my Katana (more than my velo). PD says the Katana is slightly less responsive on toggles than a Stiletto, but going from years on the same size stiletto to the same sized Katana...I can't tell a difference in the turn rate or response on toggles. The steep trim, light front riser pressure, and long recovery arc, IMO, make it more than just a "switch to elliptical". Any of those flight characteristics add some risk and will take time to get used to. Be sure you are ready for it if you go that way. *edit arch-arc

Do whatever works for you, and it is awesome that you are trying new and different things! I was thinking about you and your exits a few weeks ago when we had a full training day out of the caravan. You inspired me to try to do my standard "otter" exit as much as possible from the Caravan. Many turned out better than I thought they would...and I still ended up trailing a few. My team launched an F out of the Caravan, and I was going to mention to you on here that that exit had almost the whole team outside of the plane and very far to my left (on climbout). It made the standard "back" otter exit easy. You are doing really well, esp with the Caravan.

You know, I have thought about that for some exits....but never tried it. Some exits dont "roll out" very far (like an A), and it seems like doing almost a front float style big jump to the left exit would be possible. I'm a little nervous about that exit though, as some exits roll out really far as they keep momentum from the Inside Center who can be leaving from pretty far inside the plane. (E's and B's for example)It seems like the risk of ending up right in the middle of them or in their burble might be high. Seems like if you were late, it be double jeopardy. I'd love to see some footage, and love to hear how it works out for you

Update- I did find a setting that allows you to use the manual focus in the traditional skydiving method of taping the focus ring. I have been jumping it with this setup for the past month or so, and it is working very well. I can check if someone needs it, but I believe it is something along the lines of "auto return-off". the setting keeps the camera from returning focus to infinity when power is cycled. This also seems to fix the problem with video auto focus being dog slow. I shot one jump with fixed focus video this weekend, and it turned out well. I'm using it for accent/extra footage, due to the lack of an indicator it wouldn't be good for primary camera (IMO). So far it has not let me down, and I still don't see a reason to put the DSLR back on my setup. The cameras are still on the market, and now down below 300 bucks.

I haven't jumped either of these specifically, but I jump a mirrorless 4/3rds camera now, and can't see a reason to strap my DSLR back on my head . I assume these would be in the same boat, or even better with the APSC sensor.

I really like the looks of the 1000. Can get it with just the kit lens for 320 bucks.... mirror-less form factor with APS-C sensor. 8 frames a second and 20 megapixel? Sounds worth a shot.