metallica

Hi, do you have a pic of your camera setup? I'm waiting delivery for my Optik and intend to mount a G10 on top. What do you use for triggering the shots? Thanks in advance Speed kills! So does everything else...

Does anyone know of DZs in Westren Australia that provides swoop coaching? Will be visiting down under in July and planning to work on my lame-ass swoops. Thanks! Speed kills! So does everything else...

Hornet used to be manufactured by PISA, but the company's now under Aerodyne Research. The Hornet equivalent now will be the Pilot. The other canopy will be Safire by Icarus. I've more than 200 jumps on a 170 Hornet at a 1:1.1 loading in my earlier days. I actually prefer the Hornet over the original Sabre, but that's just me. You'll find more reviews here http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/gear/review.cgi?ID=65 Speed kills! So does everything else...

4 years back I went for a boogie in Asia. The organisers insisted that all expired reserves have to be packed by their riggers. I had to be one of the lucky few. I paid US$25 and was referred to one of their 'riggers' who supposedly packs for the military. The chap packs for the military so he should be legit right? WRONG! One week later, a packer opened up my reserve in Brisbane and told me the bungee cord was knotted in the freebag. I had my associate email the organiser regarding the incident and got the following reply, "These riggers should know better than to do that!" I was absolutely pissed! These riggers were hired by the organiser and paid a measly wage of less than US$10 a day while the organisers pocket all the packing fees. For all you know, they'll push the blame to the riggers when things go wrong. I figured if the organisers realise they are liable, they should be more cautious in whom they are hiring. Speed kills! So does everything else...

Say a jumper sent his rig to a DZ for reserve pack job. The DZ assigns one of their riggers to do it. Something happens to the jumper due to lousy pack job. Whose liable to be sued? The DZ who who takes up the job or the rigger who was assigned the job? Speed kills! So does everything else...

Thanks for the tip, but my guys have demo-ed on their HW's before and 'suitability' is not the main issue here. I can have them switch to a more docile Hornet but will still have to settle the logo's issue. Speed kills! So does everything else...

A few of us folks have been invited to demo jump for a national event. The only request from the organisers are to conceal all manufacturer's logos. We have 2 guys jumping Heatwaves and we need to 'cover up' the logos on the bottomskin (white in color) of the canopies. How can we do this? Speed kills! So does everything else...

Aerodyne International ships soft links with their Smart reserves. They look mighty similar to Precision's Wrap-it-links Speed kills! So does everything else...

V'ed on the sides. Speed kills! So does everything else...

I've seen one being packed. The bridle sits on the molar free bag, just beneath the spring. With the free bag in the reserve tray, you basically stow the whole bridle, compress the spring and close the top and bottom flaps. The contoured nature of the free bag allows the bridle to set in, with the spring acting as a 'cap' to keep it in. I'll try to post a section of the packing manual which is available in PDF. Speed kills! So does everything else...

Even though I agree that Mirage has a strong spring, the free bag is held in place by 4 flaps. My question is, how does the presence of more flaps increase the possibility of complications? I've seen the Advance containers manufactured by Parafun where the reserve free bag simply sits in the reserve tray and is held by only top and bottom flaps. It's so simple that even a non-jumper can figure out how the system works: Pull the handle, top and bottom flaps fall away, spring jumps out dragging the free bag and reserve. Neat! http://www.parafun.com/advance2-en.php But again like you said, there are Racers... Speed kills! So does everything else...

I'm extremely picky and almost always use a packing mat. I also check the knots on my toggles, the links holding my d-bag to my main canopy, my 3-rings and reserve pin on every pack job. I stow my lines with 'obscene' neatness, and many of my pals thinks I'm over doing it! I will turn my d-bag back and forth, parallel to the lines, while stowing which keeps them really straight and neat. Most of my buddies have at least one cut-away. I've yet to go Plan B till date. Speed kills! So does everything else...

I've seen a jumper downsized from her Navigator 260 to Skymaster 200, Hornet 190, Hornet 170, Sabre 150 to her current Sabre 135, and she has less than 50 jumps. But that's because she weighs only 123lbs out the door and takes too much time floating in the air! I've seen her do soft landings most of the time and the S&TA cleared her. Speed kills! So does everything else...

You did not mention what brand of lens you are using. Canon or Sigma 17-35mm? With Canon L-lens, the focusing should be quite fast. Alternatively you can try pre-focusing. Set the lens on manual and focus on an object the same distance which you will be triggering the shutter when the swoopers approach. Set to a small aperture f/11 or smaller. If shooting on a bright sunny day, you can go up to f/16. This will ensure you get good depth of field. Check after each swoop and adjust accordingly as D60 allows preview for each shot. Sure you might hit and miss on the first few, but you should get decent pics on the subsequent ones. Speed kills! So does everything else...

Thanks mate, that's a wealth of information. Speed kills! So does everything else...