OG-Tahiti

Thanks for all the nice feedback guys! We did some helicopter tandem jumps over Bora Bora and I used my T2i with a 2.8 15mm canon fisheye for stills and the GPHD3 in 1080p60fps for video. Both turned out very nicely. I still need to figure out the best setting for shooting in such amazing light conditions ^^ The album should be public: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.521725627896680.1073741866.201763469892899&type=1 My first jump shooting stills with the T2i, beer!!! ^^ "Common sense is not so common" - Voltaire Dudeist Skydiver #9

If you back it with the stuff that matters such as vaccines and nutrient packs how can you point the finger and blame him for trying to raise money for such causes? What are you doing besides sitting on your thumb? "Common sense is not so common" - Voltaire Dudeist Skydiver #9

You mean the bloody right riser, since it's the side that had the toggle premature release? Good job on the save, it's hard to react fast enough to correct such spins and thanks for sharing the video. "Common sense is not so common" - Voltaire Dudeist Skydiver #9

Thanks for the pics, just what I was thinking of doing on my 2.5X! Have a plate for DSLR and one for action cams. "Common sense is not so common" - Voltaire Dudeist Skydiver #9

Thanks for the reply Spot, this is exactly the kind of feedback we need. Regarding the 3D I was only thinking of using the housing to have both GoPros in it, not the actual 3D shooting :) Regarding the Sony AS 15, it looks like the mounting options are not that great, but that can be changed with the new Cookie mount for a side mount and as you said it mostly has the same problems as the others. I just saw that chutingstar has a 37mm ring adapter for the ReplayXD. Would that make it the better option if you put some good HD glass on it? What GP3Black issues are you talking about? I had quite a few when I first got it, but since the last couple firmware updates it is smooth sailing. So it looks like it is becoming more and more of an option to go for action cameras to shoot tandems in a decent enough quality for the customers. Which is mostly web use of their pictures and youtube uploads of their videos. Oh and I think I'll just side mount an iPhone on the right and an Android on the left to look like mickey mouse and call it quits Again thanks to you guys for the feedback and opinions. "Common sense is not so common" - Voltaire Dudeist Skydiver #9

Of course this topic needs some pictures!! Check out the jumps from yesterday, and be sure to check older albums too as it was pretty cloudy yesterday ;) https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.516852665050643.1073741863.201763469892899&type=1 Hope the link works for everyone! "Common sense is not so common" - Voltaire Dudeist Skydiver #9

Hello everyone, I am from Tahiti and we have a small tandem operation that started a few months ago. And yes, we do tandem jumps in Bora Bora, so tell your non skydiving honeymooners friends Right now our two tandem instructors use a pair of GoPro2 mounted on gloves. They are under specific french regulations and can pretty much do what they want, so the hand mounted cams was no issue to them. For now we can not have someone doing video on every tandem jump but are working towards being able to offer this service. Some of use here will need to get equipped for that. The classic option is T2i for stills and a CX110 for video. At least that's what I saw at all of the few DZs I visited. But we think we should shift to a pair of action cameras. I think that we can all agree that unless you shoot with proper $$$ HD glass on your CX110 it is not that much better than what you can get with a GoPro3 Black, and if you shoot in the 2.7k mode you can do some serious post prod and video stabilization, or shoot in 120fps for some badass slowmos. I just feel like the GoPro3 Black has taken an edge on the cookie cutter CX110. If you use your CX110 to the max then yeah maybe not, but I know we wont for tandem video use. The GoPro in 2 pictures/second is also very decent for pictures, but by no means can match a T2i with somewhat decent glass. So it would be a compromise to "downgrade" to an action cam for the stills. But what I am wondering is if this downgrade is still well within the quality people expect when they pay for stills of their jumps. Right now they seem pretty happy with the bad handheld shots from beatup GoPro2s so we can only do better :) I do not have much experience on the other action cameras, but from what I read and heard it would be between the GoPro3 Black and the Sony Action Cam, but seeing how Trunks trashes the action cam for skydiving I would tend to stick with the GoPro. By the way, Trunks makes some very valid points, you should checkout the article. So, should we go the double GoPro3 option? We could use a 3D mount on the front on any simple helmet with a cutaway system (no ifs about it in france, makes it easy. Camera = cutaway + no rsl or you do not jump it.) Or go T2i for still with a GoPro3 for video mounted right under it, using something like the new Ton Fly 2.5x video helmet with a flat top the shape of the T2i, I want one of those :) http://www.tonflyusa.com/1x.php Thanks for any input and blue skies!! "Common sense is not so common" - Voltaire Dudeist Skydiver #9

yeah really, who needs googles when backflying in Tahiti :) lol "Common sense is not so common" - Voltaire Dudeist Skydiver #9

Love the video!! Great flying, straight as an arrow :) "Common sense is not so common" - Voltaire Dudeist Skydiver #9

This should be interesting :) "Common sense is not so common" - Voltaire Dudeist Skydiver #9

Learned so much over the week end, thanks again to the 2 of you and all the staff at Elsinore!!!! FLY A WINGSUIT! "Common sense is not so common" - Voltaire Dudeist Skydiver #9

Everyone mentions vertical speeds, and it looks like flocks are mostly in the 60-80 mph range, from what I experienced. But how about forward speed? I felt better and more precise when the flock had more forward speed for sure as all the inputs had more effect. My 2 centimes "Common sense is not so common" - Voltaire Dudeist Skydiver #9

Of course Jeb, well put. Fear is one thing, realizing you need more skills to live those dreams is just being smart I think ^^ "Common sense is not so common" - Voltaire Dudeist Skydiver #9

Well take my case for instance Started skydiving about a year ago, got some wingsuit flights and could go on a base camp. Reasonably in a year if I really kept at wingsuiting and base jumping I could be doing a wingsuit base jump. That's in 2 years after my AFF 1. I really don't think this would have been possible 5 or 6 years ago, but what do I know I had no clue about all this at the time Most of the crazy wingsuit proxy flying videos on the internet are about 3 year old I guess, and that's what got me into the sport in the first place. YouTube > Skydive > Wingsuit > Base > Proxy That was my plan from the start. Now that I am actually at the 3rd step things will go very differently for me. I have my reasons to take my time now and take it slow into BASE if ever. But I am not so sure most that had the same initial train of thought (YouTube > ... > Proxy) will end up at the same place I am now... Edit: btw as far as I know Jokke hasn't been skydiving for 10 years or base jumping for any longer. He picked up skydiving and in something like 2 years had some wingsuit jumps under his belt and some regular base as well. So he got to proxy flying in a 3-4 year period after his AFF, again as far as I've been told... "Common sense is not so common" - Voltaire Dudeist Skydiver #9

Ahh the youtube effect... When friends hear that I started wingsuiting I invariably get the "oh you are flying next to mountains? How do you land those things?" and my favorite, "Oh I've seen people do that on youtube, I want to do it next summer!" I love seeing Jokke's video but am affraid of the crowd it can and will bring to base jumping. We will see in a couple years the impact of all those base camps popping everywhere and I seriously doubt it will be pretty "Common sense is not so common" - Voltaire Dudeist Skydiver #9

http://www.tahiti-skydive.com/images/phocagallery/archives/archives_annees_60/thumbs/phoca_thumb_l_Malaussena_en_action_avec_son_aile.jpg from the 60s! "Common sense is not so common" - Voltaire Dudeist Skydiver #9

Actually it's more different shapes than sizes. You can find some V3-M that will fit rather small canopies, 110ish off the top of my head. V3-M are longer and thinner for the same canopy sizes. So if you have a rather long torse, a V3-M might be more comfortable for the boc reach than a Micron for the same canopy sizes. Besides that they are the exact same containers. "Common sense is not so common" - Voltaire Dudeist Skydiver #9

I'll post my experience as a newer jumper with the UPT stowless D-Bag. Have about 40 jumps on it and have nothing bad to say about it. For me it is easier/faster to pack, and makes for a much neater packjob. I can't say it really improved my openings as there was nothing wrong with them in the first place. I do think it will make for cleaner openings. I filmed a few of them and the only time the bag starts to wiggle from side to side is when it gets to the two locking stows. On a regular dbag it would start wiggling at the first stow... "Common sense is not so common" - Voltaire Dudeist Skydiver #9

I'd like to add my newbie two bits about wingsuit loading. When you demo a certain wingsuit you also need to take into account how it fits you... I did my FFC on a Phantom2 that was a bit tight on me, then switched to another Phantom2 at around 4 jumps that was a bit too big for me. Well they flew VERY differently, flet like flying a totally different suit. Hope it helps "Common sense is not so common" - Voltaire Dudeist Skydiver #9

Did about 4 jumps on a Merit 190 loaded at around 0.8 Openings are fast and brisky, pack it like a sabre 1. I would even psycho roll it to slow it down some more. Flew nice, good toggle response, but the flare is really deep in the stroke. Not my cup of tea, but if you get a killer deal on one it could be worth it. One plus is that it is half F111 and packs really easily and a bit smaller than other 190s "Common sense is not so common" - Voltaire Dudeist Skydiver #9

Thanks a lot for the fun times this week end. First flight and first competition the next day got my nerves bunched up on the way to altitude But as soon as I was out the door the fun of flying the P2 took over in a split second and all that was left was the pure joy of flight. I would really like to thank DSE for sharing that with me and getting me my wings Also I can't wait to see a flock with Jewbag as a base "Common sense is not so common" - Voltaire Dudeist Skydiver #9

+1 "Common sense is not so common" - Voltaire Dudeist Skydiver #9

I would pull higher for 2 main reasons that you should maybe consider: You will not always have a good spot, or you could be on a tracking dive and old habits kick in and you pull "low". Good luck making it back to the DZ. If you have a few problems in a row you will not have enough altitude to react. Problem with the handle that delays the pull, long sniveling opening followed by a tension knot when you release your brakes that throws you into a spin and you can start to be pretty low and haven't even cutaway yet. If all goes according to plan then of course there is no major concern about pulling at 2500ft. But we all know thats never the case "Common sense is not so common" - Voltaire Dudeist Skydiver #9

Will make it a very easy choice, it is recommended that you have 200+ jumps to wear a camera during a jump. So wearing one for your first tandem or AFF jump is not an option

Well I know we are talking about training here, but I am sure that regulations play a big role. I am sure lots of people would love to do 120 mph on the freeway, and some would probably manage it just fine, but guess what you are NOT allowed to. I would like to talk about the french system for canopy downsizing here. Some of you know that it is based on jump numbers and is conservative enough that it proved being effective since it's implementation in France. I don't have numbers to back it up but the french USPA equivalent is happy with it and DZ safety advisors only have good things to say about it, well those I talked to. Now I'll take myself as an example, I'm rather new to the sport, and have under 200 jumps. I learned in Elsinore and made 90% of my jumps there. I weight about 144 pounds and according to the french wing loading chart I have to be under a 170 MAX until 250+ jumps, then it's a 150 until 400, after that it's all on me I should know better by then. Well when I jump at my home DZ of Elsinore I see that all the friends that started around the same time I did and have about the same number of jumps, are all under much smaller and higher loaded canopies. I honestly don't think you see that many newer jumpers in the US with around 200 jumps at a wing load thats lower than 1:1 Looks like it works good here in France, and I am VERY happy under my 170, I make it back from long spots easily and I am far from using it to it's max, not much of a reason to downsize yet... Once I start feeling comfortable doing front riser dives on landing and using the whole range of controls on it, then yeah maybe a 150 will be more fun and just as safe. I am sorry but as my sig says, people will not always make the smart choice, even with the best training available. That's why sometimes regulations are one of the only solutions. "Common sense is not so common" - Voltaire Dudeist Skydiver #9