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Found 523 results

  1. Skydive Airkix is proud to announce that the UK members of the BIRDMAN Factory Team – Top Gun (www.BirdManTopGun.com), will be permanently based at Skydive Airkix in Peterborough, with immediate affect. In line with Skydive Airkix’s commitment to bringing world renowned coaching and instruction to the UK, Top Gun members, Macca, Duncan, Steve and Dave will be available for first flight courses, coaching and load organising – for beginners, right up to already advanced wingsuit pilots. The team have a fleet of demo suits for instructional use or rental and whether you’re a solo flyer looking to join a flock, or a team looking for some coaching, you’ll find everything you need at our dedicated wingsuit facilities based at Skydive Airkix.Macca from the team comments, “As the team is spread across Europe, we have spent a long time floating around. It’s great to finally have a place to call home, especially one that offers £15 lift tickets and up to 15K of altitude! The team are really looking forward to making Skydive Airkix the number one choice for wingsuiters in the UK and offering skydivers quality wingsuit coaching and instruction” In addition to regular wingsuit activity, Skydive Airkix will also be holding dedicated wingsuit weekends this year, along with instructional evening seminars. The current requirements for wingsuit jumping in the UK are 500 jumps, or 250 in the last 18 months - at CCI’s discretion. There are also certain gear requirements, but if you’re interested in getting your flock on, get in touch to organise your flight: [email protected]
  2. Action sports camera helmets are more than just protective gear that hold a camera, they're tools of the sports trade and action videographer. Just any old helmet can be used to hold a camera, and many videographers do exactly that. For those that are a bit more serious about their action photography, a helmet designed specifically as a camera mount system is needed. Tonfly is the newest player in the camera helmet manufacturing world. Hailing from Slovakia, this small manufacturer may be new, but they've researched the needs of the typical action sports videographer very well and offer a wide lineup of products. The staff at Tonfly are predominantly from Italy, and the design of the helmet is Italian. In this review, we'll look at a Tonfly Converter (CC1), which I purchased specifically for the purpose of wingsuiting. The Tonfly Converter is brilliant in its design, given how the camera mounts to the helmet, and we'll examine those features in a bit. First we'll dig into the very important features like the fit, design, and safety functions. The helmet fits well. It's quite thin, and one of the lightest helmets in its class. It's also very sturdy in spite of the thinness of the helmet. The helmet slips on easily, and is snug all the way around for an average head-type. I have a ponytail, and this helmet doesn't lend itself well to my hair being tied up inside the helmet without the helmet being too tight. People with shorter hair won't have this problem, of course, and Tonfly do offer various sizes. The Tonfly Camera Converter helmet is one of the most innovative designs available to action-POV camera operators today. Light-weight, strong, form-fitting, and comfortable, this helmet offers the most peripheral eye-space of any helmet in its class. Another favored aspect of this helmet that is easily overlooked, is how far back the side of the helmet is cut. The sides of the helmet allow for much greater side-to-side vision than most camera helmets do, and this is particularly an important feature when flying camera for tandems when others may be joining in. Freeflyers will enjoy the wide peripheral view as well. Ski goggles will fit well in this wide-view cut, as the sides of the helmet won't interfere with the larger goggle sizes. Built in pockets can hold audible altimeters for the skydiving videographer. The audible pockets come pre-cut for the typical sized audibles. A small bit of gaffers tape will hold the audible altimeter in place until the foam lining is replaced with the audible device in the pocket. The Tonfly Converter comes with the audible pocket already cut to fit most popular audibles. (Photo) A cutaway system is critical for many action sports, particularly for skydivers. This allows the helmet to be immediately removed/cut free from the body in the event of an accident that involves some sort of entanglement. The Tonfly cutaway system is a bit different than most as it has the cutaway handle facing upwards, which feels very natural and ergonomically placed. Unlike other cutaway systems that use looped nylon to release the latch, the Tonfly system uses a metal button that is drilled out. On initial inspection, this was a concern, but the truth is that the cutaway system works and feels no different from any other cutaway system. The metal containment system may even last longer. The Tonfly cutaway system is unique in placement and method, but works identically to any other cutaway system. (Photo 1, Photo 2) What makes this helmet truly unique is the way in which the camera mounts are inserted. Entirely flush with the helmet, the receiver side of the mount is installed so that if there is no camera mounted, the helmet can be completely flat (Tonfly provides small inserts that stick out approximately .25, but are smooth and pose no snag hazard). With the camera box mounted to the side of the helmet, the camera box is flush to the helmet and poses no snag hazard. I ran a bit of Spectra line over the edge of the helmet and there was no sticking/locking point of the line due to this very tight connection. The mate point for a still camera is identical, however the top of the helmet isn't as wide as a Canon Rebel XTi, so it is possible, although not likely, that a line could snag in the area where the top plate isn't as wide as the camera body. Another aspect of the Converter Camera mount is the ability to rotate the camera box in small degrees to compensate for head position when freeflying, doing tandem camera, or RW work. Each of the base ring (male ring) has a series of small holes drilled to fit a pin in the insert link (female receiver side), that is spring-loaded. The spring is very tight, there should be no worry that the pin will release on its own. Note the spring-loaded pin in the female/helmet side of the connection, and note the three drilled holes in the male insert. These holes allow for user-positioning of the camcorder or still camera mount. (Photo 1 , Photo 2) The pin isn't entirely responsible for holding the base ring. there is a rotational cuff that holds tight when the male ring is inserted in the female receiver plate, and it requires a full 90 degree turn of the male ring to remove the camera box or stills mount from the system, assuring that even in the event of a pin/spring failure, the box or still mount would not separate from the helmet. The pin is released by pulling back on a small nylon loop found at the back of each of the camera mount plates. Tonfly has responded to another potential snag point problem with remarkable simplicity. Many camera helmets have a possible snag point in the ladder/clip attachment at the chincup. This leads some videographers to cut the ladder strap short, which is no big deal, other than it sometimes affects the ease of attachment on some helmets. Tonfly have addressed this challenge by opening up the chincup, allowing for any excess from the ladder strap to be concealed inside the chincup. Any excess from the ladder strap fits neatly inside the chincup. (Photo) The Flaws:The helmet isn't entirely perfect and some changes could be made on the part of Tonfly, or perhaps by users themselves. For example, some of the options Tonfly offers could be more readily identified as "important." For instance, most buyers should want the Carbon Look finish or at the very least, ask for a lacquer coat. From the model I received, it became immediately apparent that the finish will scratch quite easily, and all I was doing was mounting a Schumacher removable ringsight bracket. Drilling a hole for the HypEye Mini cable further demonstrated this. Mounting the Schumacher articulating arm, I realized just how easy it is to scratch the flat finish. (Photo) Another aspect of the helmet that users will want to be mindful of; until the helmet is worn in, a small amount of silicon lubricant will help with the mating of the insert ring to the receiver plate. On my helmet, I found that the pin release loop is a touch small for my large fingers. Using a pencil or pen inserted to the loop helped me get a better grip on it. I'm sure once the spring is more worn in, it won't be quite so difficult. Small challenges aside, the Tonfly helmet is very well designed for skydiving and other action sports, offering a width of view and light weight that is very impressive. With prices ranging from around $500.00 USD to as high as $750.00 with all options, these helmets are investments rather than frivolous purchases. Until the dollar rises again, it'll be a while before they're competitive with helmets manufactured in the USA in terms of cost. Congratulations to Tonfly for a very well designed, well-built helmet. This is one camera helmet model that any POV sports photographer should consider when choosing a helmet mounted camera system. Check out the YouTube stream that shows how the Tonfly Camera Converter works.Built for: Skydivers Ski photographers Kayaking Rock Climbing Chase bicycles Mountain cyclists BASE Jumping Paragliding Ground launching Other hands-free sport photographer Rock on! -douglas spotted eagle For more reviews, video, audio, streaming and surround training visit VASST Tonfy CC1 website Write your own review of a TonFly helmet
  3. Fredericksburg, Va., Jan. 11 -- Things are looking up for the skydiving industry. According to the U.S. Parachute Association (USPA), America's premier skydiving association, 2007 made history as the year skydiving took a dramatic turn upward as one of the most popular adrenaline sports in the nation. USPA reports that 2007 was one of the safest on record with 18 skydiver fatalities -- out of over 2.5 million jumps. That number surpasses a 1962 record for skydiving's fewest accidents. Considering that in the early 1960s, USPA was only about 10% of its current size with 3,353 members and the aggregate number of jumps was considerably less than today's 2 million+ jumps, this record stands out even more as a testament to years of strict safety standards, training policies and programs. "This has been a group effort," said Ed Scott, Executive Director of USPA. "USPA policies have been applied by every skydiver in the nation, as well as coaches, instructors, safety/training advisors, drop zone owners, riggers, pilots, manufacturers and gear distributors. We should all take pride in the strides we have made in skydiving safety the past half century." And the good news doesn't end there. Significantly more people are taking up the sport. USPA membership soared in 2007, with a significant number of new skydivers joining its ranks. USPA ended 2007 with more members (31,264) than the previous year for the first time since 2002. The total number of new members in 2007 was 4,900, reversing a five-year downward trend; it's also the highest number of new members since 2003. The skydiving industry also saw an unprecedented upturn in the number of skydiving licenses issued by USPA; more than at any point in the last four years. USPA's 2007 Skydiving Review with additional stats/demographics will be released in early spring. USPA is dedicated to the promotion of safe skydiving nationwide, establishing strict safety standards, training policies and programs at 200+ affiliated skydiving schools/centers. The Federal Aviation Administration recognizes and supports USPA's successful leadership role in the self- regulation of skydiving. USPA hosts the National Skydiving Championships, the sport''s largest and most exciting annual competition, October 18-25, 2008 (Skydive Arizona). Information: 1-800-371-USPA, http://www.USPA.org. Source: U.S. Parachute Association Discuss it here!
  4. Introduced last February at the 2007 PIA Symposium in Reno, the NeoXs Audible Altimeter is finally available! The new Parasport audible has been designed to be inserted directly in the inner pouch of a helmet without requiring any option. The small size and the reduced thickness of the aluminium case of this instrument allows a perfect fit in almost every helmet, full face or open face. The wide size LCD is protected by a polycarbonate screen thick enough to avoid damages to the display. The NeoXs offers up to 7 distinct alarms with different powerful audible signals: 3 alarms for freefall warning altitudes 3 alarms for canopy warning altitudes 1 countdown timerThe freefall warnings are set with 100 feet (25 meters) increments. The canopy warnings are set with 10 feet (5 meters) increments. The loud alarms can be adjusted to be clear in any condition. Freefall alarms and canopy alarms have different volume settings too. The NeoXs is easily programmable on the ground or while climbing to altitude. Even easier to switch among the 4 customizable preset user profiles, storing warning altitudes for different uses (formation skydiving, freefly, tandem, AFF, and so on). By using its intuitive user interface and the ergonomic Navigation Switch you can easily control all the functions of the NeoXs. The NeoXs is currently available in 3 different colors: Lava Red, Aluminium Grey, and Night Black. For any further information or documentation do not hesitate to contact us. Features Microprocessor based audible altimeter Wide size LCD Intuitive user interface Ergonomic Navigation Switch Aluminium case Real time altitude indicator Up to three separate freefall altitude warnings Freefall warning altitude set with 100 feet (25 meters) increments Freefall altitude warnings go off only at freefall speed Up to three separate low speed altitude warnings Low speed altitude warning set with 10 feet (5 meters) increments Powerful audible signals, distinct and easily recognizable Countdown timer Up to 4 customizable user profiles Self-calibration (manual reset allowed) self-test, no power-on, ultra-low consumption Easily programmable on the ground or while climbing to altitude Batteries: 1 x CR2450 Size 39 x 55 x 12 mm Available in Lava Red, Aluminium Grey, Night Black
  5. So, Saturday was my day to celebrate 68 years on the planet by checking off a very much delayed personal experience on my list: a tandem free-fall skydive! It began with checking www.skydivenm.net to view a number of their tandem jump videos. They looked like what I expected so I picked up the phone and scheduled a date some three weeks in the future. This Saturday, "jump morning" began with a short drive from Albuquerque to Sky Dive New Mexico's hangar at Belen's Alexander Airport up on the East mesa. Shortly after I arrive, I am in a 45 minute, very professional and meticulous ground training by Tandem Master, Rich Greenwood. This is followed by a period of waiting until it is my turn to go up. I pass this time very pleasurably watching others go through their suit-up and check-out, their pre-jump practice, get into the plane, go up, float down, and then watching over their shoulder as they review the videos of their jumps and receive their "First Jump" certificates. All the while, there is a group of six to eight individuals in the hangar meticulously repacking parachutes for next jumps. I'm beginning to get that meticulous is a good thing in skydiving. Then…it's my turn! Kelly Wilson, my Tandem Master jump partner, hand picks a professional jumpsuit for me to put on. Kelly has been doing tandem jumps for a bunch of years and the folks he's taken up before me today have all been giggling and beaming afterward and saying it's totally awesome and that I'll do just fine and love it. Kelly meticulously straps me into my jump harness, which is like a full parachute harness except for two important features: four really heavy-duty clips on the back…and …no parachute. Kelly wears the parachute. And just before we exit the plane, he will attach me super snuggly to his front with those four clips and tighten everything with final web strap adjustments. Kelly puts me through three complete practice cycles of exit, free-fall, rip-cord pull, and landing firmly reinforcing Rich's earlier training. Then Kelly, Ron, Jason and I all head for the awaiting Cessna. Ron Weagly is our videographer (I want a DVD record to remind myself and prove to my kids and grandkids I really did jump out of a perfectly good airplane), and Jason Korrel is our commercially rated pilot. Kelly and I do an exaggerated John Wayne walk for Ron's video. John Wayne walk - remember I'm old enough to have seen the movies. We tuck ourselves into the cockpit and Don starts and revs the engine and we begin our rollout to the runway. After a somewhat noisy, twenty-minute, breathtakingly beautiful climb over the spectacular East mesa with the Rio Puerco River reflecting in the sunlight, we are 11,000 feet above the Belen Airport and the skydive landing zone. It's time for me to put on my goggles and jump headgear. Then in the not-any-too-big-for-four cockpit, I get on my knees facing forward so Kelly can hook me up and check everything out (meticulously). Next, Ron pops open the over-size right door letting a wave of really cool thin air to blast in. Ron steps out and hangs on to the wing strut with one hand and starts videoing Kelly and me as we begin "exiting the plane." I grasp a strap inside the open cabin door and slide my right foot from under my butt out into the wind and onto the large metal step. I follow that carefully with my left foot. A brief glance at the ground. A smile to the camera. Kelly reminds me to hook my thumbs under my harness shoulder straps and then says, "One. Two. ARCH!!!" and we "exit the plane" into a clear, cool, bright-blue New Mexico sky. I pull my head back and my feet up into as much arch as I can as Kelly deploys the drogue chute which will help stabilize and ever so slightly prolong our free-fall. Tap-tap on my shoulder and I unhook my thumbs and extend my arms and hands out in the free-fall "flying" position and check the altimeter strapped on my left wrist. Free falling from 11,000 feet down to 6,000 feet is totally unlike anything I have ever imagined or experienced! It is almost indescribable. Afterwards I will remember it as like flying without a plane, just body-wise, like in a really great flying dream. Kelly gently rotates our position to face into the sun. Ron floats down right in front of us and gives me a thumbs up which I return with a wave and as much of a smile as I can muster into 120 MPH free-fall wind in my face. Earlier, I've seen the other videos and I want to be sure to smile and wave into Ron's camera so the kids will think that Dad's cool. Heck … so Dad will think that Dad is cool! Too soon, it seems, the helmet beeper goes off in my right ear signaling we are falling through 6,000 feet. Kelly gives me a reminder tap on the shoulder and I reach down for the orange plastic ripcord handle on my right hip. Got it! Quick easy pull! Onethousandone, onethousandtwo, onethousandthree, and the canopy deploys with surprising gentleness --and everything goes mystically silent. I can stop looking into the camera and look around and see the entire Middle Rio Grand Valley and East mesa dangling beneath my feet. There just really aren't enough exclamation points to do this view and experience justice. The silence of hot air ballooning might come close, but we are 5,000 feet up, ever-so-gently falling, there is no burner noise, and we can steer! Ron, the videographer, has continued his free-fall so he can beat us down and set up to video our landing. Kelly asks how I'm doing. I say I'm doing great, but I don't tell him I'm darned near crying because of the sheer beauty, the silence, the majesty of it all. He pulls down on the left riser and we pirouette counterclockwise - then the right riser into a clockwise pirouette - pure magic and beauty. I see Ron's canopy way below us now, lining up his landing. The e. e. Cummings poetry quote, "The world is mud-luscious and puddle-wonderful," comes to mind. I look at my wrist altimeter and we are at 2,000 feet. At 1,500 feet Kelly says the folks on the ground in the landing zone can hear me if I holler loud - so I begin hollering and waving for the next couple of minutes just because it feels so good. Then we are at 800 feet and Kelly is heading us up into the wind, I pull my feet up for a butt-slide landing and the next thing I know -- I find myself comfortably seated on the ground in the landing zone -- Kelly has released the clips -- Ron is holding out his a hand to help me stand up, all the while videoing my very wide grin and asking me, "So, how was that for you?" It was great, stupendous, indescribable. Again, not enough exclamation points! He records some more banter and a high five exchange with Kelly, and we get into the Skydive New Mexico van for the 3-minute ride back to the hanger. Ron provides a quick preview of my video, and, hey! I look pretty good! (A little secret: smiling broadly, sticking your tongue out and waving at the camera in free fall looks way more cool than you can imagine.) Kelly and Rich and a couple of other skydivers congratulate me and then Kelly is handing me my very own personalized "Tandem First Jump Certificate." Then it seems like it's all over too soon. We walk back to our car for the short drive back to Albuquerque and dinner and home. A wonderful mirage-like memory and vision of what I've just experienced keeps playing over and over in my head: Ron pops the door open, I look down on the mesa and the Rio Grande Valley, Kelly leans me out into our free-fall, we stabilize, Ron floats in front of us with his camera, I pull the rip-cord, we float ever-so-serenely down to a gentle butt-plop landing and I feel myself grinning like a goose (geese do grin, don't they?). For days later I notice I can still easily replay these wonderful scenes in my mind and, I am still grinning like a goose. And that's how I did my first free-fall skydive. Life is good! Some day if you want to discover what your goose grin feels like, you can begin by going to www.skydivenm.net, checking out the neat tandem videos, and hooking up with Rich and Kelly at the Belen Airport … and you'll do just fine and love it! Post script: The mailman just delivered Ron Weagly's DVD of my jump and I slapped it into my PC for viewing as quickly as I could. All I can say is (1) he made me look sooooo very good, and (2) I'm thinking about going again. Copyright Tom Miles, 2007 Albuquerque, NM
  6. Back in 1936, snow skiing was a sport that only a few dedicated individuals pursued. The primitive conditions practically guaranteed that anyone foolish enough to ski would eventually be injured. On the snowy slopes of a Vermont mountain, just that happened to Charles Minot "Minnie" Dole when his ankle snapped in a fall. His friends went for help, but eventually had to toboggan him off the slope themselves, using a piece of sheet metal roofing material as an improvised rescue sled. The ankle fracture was so bad that Dole was told he would probably never ski again. A few months later, one of Dole's friends who had helped him down the mountain was killed in a ski racing accident. Dole was not only determined to recover and ski again; he was also determined to do something about making skiing safer. He co-founded the National Ski Patrol in 1938, modeling it after some of the informal ski patrols at local ski areas and grafting on some of techniques used by Swiss ski instructors and mountain guides. After World War II, skiing boomed in popularity, equipment and services improved, and the National Ski Patrol is now the largest winter safety organization in the world. To this day the NSP serves an invaluable function in preventing or responding to skiing accidents with special training and equipment. Skiing and skydiving have many parallels. They evolved over roughly the same time frame, and advanced rapidly after World War II. During the sixties and seventies national organizations formed, services improved, training became professionalized, and equipment evolved rapidly. Similar sports enjoyed similar progress. Swimmers and surfers have trained, well equipped lifeguards. Climbers have mountain rescue specialists and spelunkers have cave rescue organizations. But for some reason skydiving has never evolved an organization dedicated to preventing accidents, responding to them where and when they happen, and evaluating them to learn how to make the sport safer. Considering the frequency of skydiving injuries, there is an obvious need for trained response. All outdoor sports share some commonalities. Each takes place in an unusual environment, with specific environmental hazards. Each has specialized equipment and skill sets. Each has an undeniable element of risk, yet those risks are not mysterious and can be mitigated through proper preparation. Skydiving can learn from other forms of outdoor recreation and develop a national training program to prepare drop zone staff and volunteers in accident prevention, preparation, and response. Such an organization, modeled after the National Ski Patrol, may be just around the corner. This December Skydive Arizona will host a training course that will also serve as an opportunity to examine what is needed to bring this sort of organization to your drop zone. At the core of the program will be a Wilderness First Responder course from a nationally accredited organization. The WFR was chosen over standard EMT training because of a heavier emphasis on trauma, and on managing it without access to immediate ambulance response, since many DZs are a long ways from the nearest ambulance. In addition to the WFR, the course will include modules on skydiving specific problems such as aircraft and fuel safety, removing skydiving equipment from injured jumpers, recovering cut-away equipment, problems involving tree, water, and power line landings, and incident investigation. Relationships with the local emergency medical system and with the FAA will be reviewed. Recognizing and mitigating hazards will also be discussed, as will incident reporting and the possibilities offered by building up a national database of accidents. The course, scheduled for December 1 - 10, 2007 is open to any interested skydivers, regardless of their experience in the sport. Slots are limited and must be reserved well in advance. The course cost is $600, which includes instruction, materials, and training aids. Graduates will receive WFR certification from the Wilderness Medicine Institute of the National Outdoor Leadership School. For registration details, go to www.airdropassist.org/wfr.htm The course cost does not include lodging or food. Participants will be engaged in classroom activities all ten days, and actual skydiving is not on the agenda. If you bring your rig, plan on jumping before or after the course. Camping is free. Inexpensive team rooms or bunks are available on the drop zone. There are several hotels nearby. For lodging and travel information, go to www.skydiveaz.com. For other questions, contact Bryan Burke at: [email protected].
  7. 14R1400. Sound like something out of a Swartzenegger movie? Its not exactly extraterrestrial, but as Simulators go, this one comes pretty close. Montreal businessman and investor, Alain Guerin, has embarked on a groundbreaking wind tunnel simulation project in Canada, involving a 1400-horsepower, energy efficient recirculing tunnel. 14R1400 is 14 ft in diameter, the first cylindrical flight chamber with four 350-horsepower fans. The foundation for Skyventures' $6 million green wind tunnel, a below-ground 100 ft long plenum installation is to begin in September, followed by erecting the 70ft tall frame. The project is set for an April 2008 completion date. 56-year-old investor, Alain Guerin owns several businesses as well as an accounting firm and lectured as a professor at the University of Quebec. Unlike most Chartered Accountants, Alain has a penchant for adrenalin-based sports. In the infancy of his skydiving career he found hitches getting through his certification which lead to revolutionary ideas. Alain says: "I needed a way to hone my skills in a safe, stress-free environment and every answer I found pointed to Skyventure." The design is like 'freefall virtual reality', offering skills honing for skydivers on all levels of experience. Unlike previous designs, the wall-to-wall airflow reduces the danger of falling off the column of air. Alain and his partner, Pierre Beaudoin have selected three locations in the greater Montreal are which will eventually be narrowed down. Skyventure Montreal will be constructed near a fully equipped shopping mall complex with movie theatres, restaurants etc. "Our mission is to provide the Quebec market with the most advanced, efficient, safe, reliable, powerful and realistic skydiving simulator in the world. More specifically, to become the most sought after, fun, exhilarating experience for the local population, the tourism industry, corporate groups and skydiving enthusiasts." adds Guerin.
  8. Iran's first skydiving centre also open to fairer gender PAAviation recently opened the world's first Muslim skydiving school in Tehran. In accordance with Islamic regulations, a team of female instructors have also been employed to facilitate local women's' enjoyment of the thrill of skydiving. Iran has one of the youngest populations of any country in the world. (Tehran's population clocks 14 million alone) and being Iran's only skydive centre the demand will be significant. The political and historical significance of this event extends to the center's exclusive use of a brand new Britten-Norman Islander aircraft, the first western - made plane supplied to Iran since the Islamic revolution. PA Aviation provides British and European instructors with full international certification to ensure their students are trained in a safe and highly professional manner. Sky-dives are pre-booked. A private villa with pool has been allocated as accommodation for jumpers and transport will be provided. Jumps typically take place from an altitude of 10000feet with freefalls of 300kph. A professional skydive cameraman is available to shoot the jumps, upon request. The drop zone can be viewed at the following address: http://www.aii-co.com/en/azadi.asp The centre is approved by the Iranian sports federation, Iranian Civil Aviation Organisation, Iranian women's institute and the Iranian ministry of culture.
  9. SERVICE BULLETIN #26 - ISSUE DATE: April 18, 2007 SUBJECT: Quasar II, P/N115100, Quasar II Trainer P/N115102, Military Quasar II P/N 115103. Quasar II Reserve pilot chute launch under conditions with main canopy still in main container. IDENTIFICATION: All Quasar II harness/container systems. Including both Quasar IIs with ‘Flinger/PRO’ (Positive Reserve Opening) assembly installed as original installation or modification, and those without. STATUS: Mandatory removal of ‘Flinger’/PRO assembly and replacement of inner sub-flap with pilot chute Base Plate and pilot chute before next jump. BACKGROUND: Recent on-the-ground activations of several Quasar II reserve containers with the main canopy still in the container, showed slow or impeded pilot chute activation. There have been no reports of in-air incidents. Repeated tests with the main tray open and riser covers off (simulating an open main to reserve cutaway), resulted in clean reserve pilot chute deployments clearing the reserve container. Further testing revealed the steel ‘Flinger’/PRO assembly may take a set beyond the designed acceptable range, restricting movement of the side flaps and reserve pilot chute. SERVICE BULLETIN: As a precautionary measure, Strong Enterprises requests that all Quasar II systems be returned to Strong Enterprises for modification, that includes: Removal of the steel ‘Flinger’/PRO assembly. Top sub-flap replacement (improved with a Base Plate.) Pilot chute replacement.STRONG ENTERPRISES 11236 SATELLITE BLVD ORLANDO, FL 32837 Tel 407 859 9317 Fax 407 850 6978 [email protected] www.strongparachutes.com Download the Service Bulletin (PDF)
  10. This letter dated February 27, 2007 from Sun Path Products, Inc. addresses the issue of Reserve Static Line Removal on the Javelin/Javelin Odyssey. Download the Letter from SunPath. Reserve Static Line (RSL) and the Javelin/Javelin Odyssey Reference: This letter supersedes SPP letter regarding removal of the reserve static line (RSL) dated 16 May 2005. 1. Is the RSL a part of the TSO’ed components of the system? YES 2. Can any or all of the RSL components (RSL lanyard, hook Velcro on reserve riser, guide rings on pin flap and main riser RSL ring) be removed from a Javelin/Javelin Odyssey without voiding the TSO? YES, however the FAA determines this to be an "alteration". This means that only a master parachute rigger can perform this action. (Ref. AC105-2c) Once the master rigger removes the requested RSL components, the alteration must be noted on both the packing data card and the master parachute riggers log book. 3. Does removal of the RSL void the TSO? YES, this only applies if someone OTHER than an FAA master parachute rigger or foreign equivalent removes any RSL components, or the removal of the components is not logged on the packing data card. 4. Who can pack a reserve in a Javelin/Javelin Odyssey without a RSL? As long as a master parachute rigger has indicated the removal of the components, (i.e. lanyard, rings, Velcro) on the packing data card, any senior or master rigger or foreign equivalent can repack the reserve. 5. Who can pack a main in a Javelin/Javelin Odyssey without a RSL? As long as a master parachute rigger has indicated the removal of the components, (i.e. lanyard, rings, Velcro) on the packing data card, any senior or master rigger or foreign equivalent, anyone under the direct supervision of the afore mentioned or the person making the next jump can repack the main. 5. If I am a senior rigger and I get a Javelin/Javelin Odyssey to repack that has any or all RSL components removed, what do I do? The senior rigger will need to check the packing data card to see if the appropriate entries have been made. If yes, then the rig is "legal" to be packed by a senior rigger. If not, the rig will need to be taken to a master rigger who can approve the alteration and note the removal of the components. The master riggers data card/log book notation is only certifying the alteration. 6. Who is authorized to remove the RSL and when? Only a Master parachute rigger or foreign equivalent can permanently remove the RSL components thus altering the TSO’ed system. The user can "disengage" the RSL lanyard by disconnecting the snap shackle, if in an emergency situation or to avoid a possible emergency situation ONLY. The owner/jumper (unless a master rigger) is not authorized to permanently remove the RSL lanyard. Sun Path Products, Inc. position on the removal of the RSL components remains unchanged. "Permanent removal of this part is highly discouraged and NOT recommended". However we do acknowledge situations that the user may wish to have the RSL components removed from the system or not have the system installed with the components at all. Therefore this guidance should serve as reference for fielded systems as well as new assemblies. Systems manufactured after Feb 2007, come with the RSL/Collins lanyard as standard items. This incorporates the Marine eye reserve ripcord, Curved Reserve Pin with lanyard and the RSL/Collins lanyard. The Skyhook can be added by the manufacturer as an option by adding the Red Skyhook lanyard to the RSL/Collins lanyard and corresponding skyhook on the reserve bridle. An alteration to the RSL/Collins lanyard on the post Feb. 2007 rigs will require a terminal pin reserve ripcord which must be replaced with factory TSO’ed components only. *** (reference Pg 6. of the Javelin/Javelin Odyssey Owners Manual Rev. 2 Issue 01 March 2007) Download the Letter from SunPath Dave Singer Engineer Sun Path Products, Inc. Derek Thomas President Sun Path Products, Inc. Sun Path Products, Inc. * 4439 Skydive Lane * Zephyrhills, FL33542 Phone 813-782-9242 * FAX 813-788-3057 * www.sunpath.com
  11. About 2500' feet above the floor of the Grand Canyon. Tied in with 5/8 rope, bits of aluminum and steel cable holding five cameramen in place on sheets of ice/soggy snow, we're shooting the Performance Design Factory Team (PDFT) as they become the first terrain swoopers in the world flying inside the Grand Canyon. The Factory Team are the most experienced and talented athletes in the skydiving world, having won world event competitions as a team and as individual athletes. Our task was to shoot in places no camera has ever accessed, and this project was a techno-marvel at every twist and turn in the several miles of dirt road (and sometimes virtually no road) it took to arrive at shooting locations. Unable to physically scout the area, Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) systems were used in conjunction with specific areas that were discovered, chosen, and mapped out using Google Earth Plus by the Factory Team members. None of the five jumpers had ever been in this remote area far from the beaten path of tourists. Satellite phones were used for general and emergency communications, as there is no cellular coverage (or power of any kind) on the site. Base camp was established at the Cameron Trading Post on the Navajo (Dine) reservation in north central Arizona with a 2.5 hour drive to each shoot location. The nearest airport is Tuba City, AZ to the north, and further to the south in Flagstaff, AZ. The video aircraft based themselves out of the Tuba City airport. The shoot is in a remote area, miles from the nearest power outlet or electronics store, temperatures are hovering just below freezing at noon, and zero/single digits in the early morning and late afternoon. We needed cameras that would be capable of moving 120mph and manage fast exposure changes from bright sunlit sky and clouds to the dark recesses of the Grand Canyon, that could manage the cold and wind. No stunt nor camera setup could be rehearsed, as helicopter time is exceedingly expensive for this no/low-budget project. The stunts the skydivers performed were dangerous enough on level and familiar ground. Flying wings of nylon and string at speeds approaching 100 mph while skimming the rocky soil for distances of up to 150 feet, then at ground level, executing a nearly upside down barrel roll only a couple of feet from the edge of the Grand Canyon would be considered an extreme act of athleticism. Place cameramen with shoulder cams directly beneath them that need to avoid the canopy pilots, and the canopy pilots need to avoid the cameramen; even the slightest strike could easily kill the canopy pilot and toss the tethered camera operator over the edge. Due to the budget, location, availability of crew, and the speed that setups had to happen, we chose to use HDV camcorders on this shoot. The Factory Team was already prepped up for the HDV format, as they currently all fly Sony HVR-A1U camcorders on their camera helmets. Each member of the team flies a camcorder to shoot POV, while team photographer JC Colclasure flies over, under, and around the team to capture an overall perspective from the air. All aerial camcorders are fitted with Raynox HD wide angle lenses, while the helmets are fitted with CamEye and Brent's Sights camera indicators and sight rings. Four Sony HVR Z1U, three HVR V1U, and eight HVR A1U camcorders were used on the shoot, plus two Canon XLH1 camcorders used for long shots using a variety of lens lengths. The lighter camcorders were critical, as they needed to be quickly rappelled into the canyon strapped to our backs, quickly set up on canyon ledges when positioned by helicopter, and able to be flown on lightweight jibs over the canyon. Dave Major aka "Clem", a Hollywood stunt coordinator and stuntman managed the harnessing and safety tie-downs; Jack Guthrie, a DZO (Drop Zone Operator) and safety officer oversaw all safety aspects of the shoot, managing the cameramen on the rim of the canyon and the cameramen flying in the Cessna 185 aircraft and helicopter. Each on the shoot was required to wear a harness at all times, and be secured from at least one point for each shoot position. Cameramen Matt Wimmer, Joey Allred, Dave Major, Jack Guthrie, and boom operator Benjamin Bressler are all accomplished skydivers, some with great BASE (Building, Antenna, Span, Earth) jumping skill, which was of great benefit when consistently 2000 feet from the ground. The Performance Designs Factory Team all wear Skysystems or Wes Rich camera helmets, Bonehead ShuVue (foot camera mount), and belly cams to capture a variety of air-to-air angles. Shannon Pilcher, Ian Bobo, Jonathan Tagle, Jay Moledzki, and JC Colclasure are all not only world record canopy pilots; they're all very accomplished aerial camera operators, and have flown for a wide variety of television broadcasts as aerial camera persons. We used lightweight tripods with Bogen 516 and 526 heads were used on a variety of sticks, but at all times, the kit was kept exceptionally light. The tripods were used for the long ground-to-air shots, as the lenses were fully extended, and needed to be kept tight on high speed objects, virtually invisible to the naked eye. Upon reaching a preset altitude of approximately 3000' AGL (Above Ground Level) the pilots would pop skydiver smoke, allowing them to be more easily seen and tracked. We also used the Gorillapod camera grippers/mounts, wrapped around rocks, scrub, and lighting poles to capture unique angles without being seen on in the frame of other camcorders. Audio Technica wireless and microphones were used mounted to KTek Graphite boom poles. We chose the wireless system as both receiver and transmitter were battery operated, and the KTek Graphite pole was chosen for past performance in exceptionally cold environments such as the Sundance Film Festival and various snowboarding competitions. Aluminum boom poles become loose, and are exceptionally cold to hang on to for any length of time. Gear planning easily became the greatest apparent hurdle. Being as remote as we were, batteries were critical for lighting, sound equipment, camcorders, wireless systems, radios, and satellite phones. For this reason, we choose to carrry four LitePanels and lightweight stands, we planned on weighting the stands with stones slung in canvas bags. Water could not be carried to the cliff ledges for reasons of weight and safety. Stones were also chosen to weight down the jib assembly used over the edge of the cliff. RedRock Micro MicroFocus' with 18" whips were used for tripod mounts on both dolly and tripod setups, adding in speed of focus during pans. We also needed to be assured of on-site monitoring, and Adobe/Serious Magic DV Rack HD served the purpose quite well. Cameras above or on the rim in sunlit areas were fitted with 4X4 polarizing filters for shooting against the sky, into the sun, and for intensifying colors against the sunlit canyon walls, causing the parachutes to brightly stand out. Other challenges were picking up great field audio. Everything in the canyon echoes and rolls, and distances ranging from over a mile to mere feet made levels a challenge to control without using automatic level controlling. We didn't want to allow auto control, as the noise of the helicopter constantly triggered auto-level controls boosting noise as the heli flew farther and closer to our microphones. We used Audio Technica 4073 mics for rim-edge placement, hanging microphones off the rim into the middle of the canyon to capture the crack of opening parachutes and the sound of rushing cloth during wingsuit jumps and canopy deployments. We also wanted to capture the very distinctive sound of swooping canopies at high speed, both at near and far distances. For the near distances (less than five feet), we used Audio Technica 4053 hyper cardiods to block as much helicopter noise as possible. Camera operators are staged at three points in the canyon. Covering the landing area, in-canyon flight and terrain stunts required helicopter placement, as the bottom of the canyon and mid-points in the canyon could not be rappelled or fast roped, and while we could have BASE jumped into the bottom of the canyon, extraction still required heli time. At many points, the cameraman had to free-step from the helicopter to small rock areas, due to the helicopter not being able to set down in small spaces. This added to the importance of highly portable camera kits. The overall scale of the canyon is not to be underestimated. For this project, we all underestimated the scope of distance, and even though we had our longest lenses in place, shooting 2000 feet even on a rock-mounted and weighted tripod could become an exercise in hunt and peck to locate the skydivers when they were 5000 feet in the air moving at exceptionally high speed. There were occasions where we were separated by as much as 8,000 feet between the exit point and landing areas. We set each camera to capture a specific range of action, given the speed at which we had to capture the moving canopy pilots. The canopy pilots gave very accurate space limits within which they'd be flying, but no aerial stunt or precision flight could be predicted to specific marks due to winds. However, once near the ground, the canopy pilots flew their wings within millimeters of mark points. Cameras set to capture at full extension, super wide, tracking, and fixed closeups were designated prior to the jump/stunt. This makes for a wide selection of camera angles for the multicam edit, offering anywhere between 6 and 14 camera angles per stunt. VASST infinitiCAM in Sony Vegas 7 software was used for cutting dailies to get a glimpse of what we had in the can each night. Ultimately, we brought home more than 100 hours of footage between all of the camcorders on the shoot, in four locations over 6 days. Logging was managed with the Sony Media Manager for Vegas, allowing us to mark all dailies, access similar scenes, search by logged keywords, and create stunt folders. On site storage for dailies was captured to Western Digital "MyBook" 500GB external drives, connected to a laptop via 1394 connection. Only key scenes were captured for immediate review at various angles, to save time on the ground. Mornings started before sunlight, and the shoots ran straight into night, squeezing the last moments out of the golden hour, to create as many romance shots as possible. During one late afternoon stunt, the winds at 4000' AGL were significantly different than winds measured at ground level, and winds generated by the cooler air in the canyon. The canopy pilots were significantly blown off course by rogue winds, causing them to not only miss their pre-assigned marks, but put them at risk of not being able to generate enough drive to fly over and subsequently into, the Grand Canyon area. This added risk cost us a few camera angles since only two of the canopy pilots entered into the sight picture and frame boundaries. These sorts of challenges are common when working with unpredictable high speed sports, and camera operators need to be prepared to improvise if anything is to be captured at all. At the end of this segment of a much larger project, everyone was exhausted from the long hikes carrying gear, shooting in very cold conditions, and the long hours. As skydivers often say, "we had fun and no one died." That sums up the project quite nicely; we had a great time under adverse conditions, captured some incredible footage (have *you* ever seen a parachute fly upside down at ground level?), and put to bed the second segment of one of the most exciting chapters in this forthcoming feature-length project. For me personally, the greatest part of the entire experience is hanging out with my heroes in the skydiving world, learning new canopy techniques, and the opportunity to join my videocraft with my passion for skydiving. From my viewpoint as a videographer that skydives, , these two weeks have been similar to hanging out with Spielberg, Cameron, Coppola, or other great director. Except these guys fly. The great achievement wasn't just that we succeeded in capturing a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but that we pulled it off using small format gear, easily carried and packed from point to point in short periods of time, trying to pace the flights and lighting .Thanks to the light weight and maneuverability of the small-format camcorders, livin' on the edge may be dangerous, but missing the shot was never a worry. All photos in this article shot by Justin Carmody, Performance Designs photographer using Canon 5D and a bag of lenses. Screen captures from Sony Vegas 7. Additional video camera assistance and aircraft piloting from David Major, Michelle Knutsen, Jack Guthrie, Debbie Zimmerman, Mannie Frances, and Ryan Crissman.
  12. Para-Gear is interested in photographic submissions that you may have for the 2007 - 2008 Para-Gear Catalog #72. We have taken the time to briefly describe the format and certain criteria that we look for, in order to help you to see if you have something worth submitting. We have included examples of previous catalog covers for your reference. http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/gallery/imageFolio.cgi?direct=Article_Photos/Para_Gear_Covers Over the years Para-Gear has used photos from all of skydiving's disciplines. We do not have a preference as far as what type of skydiving photo it is, rather we look for something that either is eye-catching or pleasing to the eye. In light of the digital age, we are also able to use photos that in one way or another may be less than perfect and enhance them, removing blemishes, flipping images, altering colors, etc. The following are preferences. However what we prefer and what we get, or choose, are not always the same. If however we came down to a choice between two photos of equal quality, we would opt for the one that met more of our preferences. We typically prefer that the photo be brighter. In the past we have used sunset photos and even a night jump photo, although by and large most of the photos are daytime. We like the subject of the image to have contrast with the background. Subjects that are wearing brighter more colorful clothing usually stand out more. We prefer to have the people in the photo wearing equipment since that is what we sell. Headgear, goggles, jumpsuits, altimeters, audible altimeters, and gloves are all good. We also prefer to see skydivers wearing head and foot protection. We do not print any BASE jumping nor any Tandem photographs. No submissions of these will be accepted. We are not interested an any photos of individual or groups of skydivers standing on the ground Our basic criteria is as follows:Vertical Format. The front and back covers of the catalog are both in a vertical format. We can use a horizontal (landscape) shot, as opposed to a vertical (portrait), and then crop it as long as the image lies within a vertical cropping. Photo Quality. The front and back cover shots will be printed as 8 ½ x 11 in 300 dpi format. Any film that can hold its quality up to this size and print dpi is fine. Digital format or slide film is preferred. In the event of a final cover choice, we prefer to be sent the original digital image or slide for getting the best quality out of the image. Back Cover Photo. The back cover photo is no different from the front except in one respect. We need to have room on the left side of the image for the thumb index. In the past we have taken images and been able to horizontally flip them thereby creating this room. Originality. Anything that is original, eye-catching, or makes someone take more notice of the catalog covers is something we look for. It could be a photo from a unique camera position or angle, a scenic skydive, shots under canopy, landings, etc. We look for photos that have not been previously published and most likely would not accept them if they have, as we want a photo that no one else has seen yet. We also do not want any photos that are chosen as the front or back covers to be used for other non Para-Gear advertising for a period of one year. Para-Gear offers $500.00 each for both the front and back covers we choose. Our current deadline for catalog cover submissions is March 31st 2007 . Sending sample pictures by e-mail to [email protected], or by mail to the address below are both fine. If you are sending sample digital pictures please note that they do not need to be in a very large format. If we like the sample picture we will then ask you to send the higher quality original. We will return any mailed in photos or slides after we are done with them. Please feel free to contact me directly with any questions.
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    Adventure Volunteerism

    Imagine throwing a weekend supply of backpacking gear out of an airplane, then jumping out after it and hiking around the desert for a couple of days. That's what the nine students in Airdrop Assist's Basic Boot Camp did in December, at Skydive Arizona. Why did they do this? It was to train for future remote-area humanitarian expeditions with volunteer organizations like Remote Area Medical and its "RAM Airborne" team. The Volunteer Training CourseOf course, this is not all they did. The desert airdrop and hike was preceded by two and a half days of training activities, in the classroom and in airplanes. There were prerequisites too, in order to ensure a basic incoming skill level, including: a USPA-B or equivalent license, a 150 jump minimum, basic first aid certification, navigation skills, outdoor living, and more. Instructors covered old, sometimes forgotten, skills plus new ones; including: spotting, landing accurately and softly under a low-loaded wing, packing round parachutes, and preparing cargo bales for airdrops. In the short 4 ½ day period, students covered a lot of ground, during 12-hour days, and wanting more. The first course of this type was held in March 2006, where another nine students got to experience the thrill of pushing out cargo, jumping into remote sites, and testing their hop and pop skills. The revised syllabus maintained the core content of cargo bale handling but included a more physically challenging aspect, including a 12-mile hike with full backpacks, a 1,300 foot climb against the clock, and outdoor living for the duration of the course. Courses are planned to be held at least twice per year, roughly in March and December. The dates may vary, with the next one scheduled from March 9-13, 2007, and all events are posted at www.airdropassist.org/schedule.htm Humanitarian Aid - At HomeAirdrop Assist is a newly-formed nonprofit school, aimed at meeting the gap between volunteers and the rigors of remote-area volunteerism, among other things. Given the fact that the majority of Americans are overweight, a person's ambitions may not meet the standards imposed by a harsh environment; some people have it, others need to work toward it. This school is here to bridge that gap. The potential volunteer is someone who savors the outdoors, accessible only by airdrop in some places, and who is willing to endure hardship while providing humanitarian aid to those in need. It is a privilege to be in the position to provide care for another person, and an adventure when you add skydiving. Airdrop Assist seeks to train volunteers who can provide a wide variety of humanitarian aid; this aid begins at home, with local volunteerism. In addition to remote-area aid, local drop zone care is another area of concern. Work is being done to create a higher standard of safety on the home front. As part of this, the well-established "Wilderness First Responder" training program is being proposed for this fall, at Skydive Arizona, geared towards skydiving-related injuries. In coordination with members of drop zone operations, such as Skydive Carolina and Skydive Arizona, we are seeking ways in which to establish training and certification programs, along with practical protocols and procedures, which proactively deal with emergency care during skydiving activities, through a network of volunteers. In addition to the Wilderness First Responder training at Skydive Arizona, Skydive Carolina has been actively developing procedures and protocols, for medically and non-medically trained members of their drop zone, to use in the event of an emergency. The goal is to develop a globally acceptable program, which can be adapted to the distinct needs of differing drop zone operations and skydiving events. Both of these programs are under development and are seeking ways to increase support and to research ways in which to make the training, protocols and procedures effective at drop zones worldwide. More Information and More Ways to JoinVolunteerism with Airdrop Assist and Remote Area Medical, a.k.a. RAM, are not limited to airdrop activities in foreign countries. RAM holds medical clinics year round, focused around Knoxville, TN. For more information on this and other clinics held by RAM, go to www.ramusa.org Airdrop Assist also offers many other opportunities to get involved. Being a new nonprofit organization, all skills are needed, in order to make the school a success. This is an exciting time in skydiving and enthusiastic, creative volunteers are in high demand - in the air, on the ground, and over the internet. Also, for anyone who has an old skydiving rig, or other gear, an easy way to get value out of it is to donate it! Let Airdrop Assist find a way to put your gear to use, towards a humanitarian purpose. For more information, contact Airdrop Assist at [email protected] or visit our website at www.airdropassist.org. Students: Marc Bucaro Kyle Ewing Anne Helliwell Raistlin Majere Paul Maresca Matt Oakleaf Victoria Smith Jaap Suter Alex Volk Instructors: Bryan Burke Karen Hawes Larry Richardson Rene Steinhauer Volunteers: Stuart Pearson Gabe Restine
  14. admin

    The Transfer of Ownership

    Most of us have no idea what amazing feats we are capable of. However, when we face life's challenges we are able to achieve personal breakthroughs that can result in permanent change. Leaving the perceived security of an aircraft in flight and leaping into the clear blue, arriving safely back on mother earth, creates a perfect opportunity for such an experience. A first jump tandem student can shatter self-doubt, conquer long-held personal fears, and can sometimes be launched into a journey of self-discovery. I have had the honor of being the trusted host of many such experiences as a tandem instructor: a mother who nearly died during childbirth living her life to the fullest while her baby girl looks on; a close family member conquering a fear of heights she had allowed to control her since childhood; a young man with a crippling disease busting through the limits imposed on him by social stereotypes; and many who are completing yet another item on their "list of 100 things to do" in their lives. Each one of them are real people who not only achieved a significant personal transformation, but taught me a little about myself as well. Some of you may be smiling and nodding your head in agreement; for those of you who aren't familiar with this experience, I hope this article will result in significant personal rewards for you as well. The journey toward what I call "the transfer of ownership" starts at the introduction. I ask my students why they want to make a skydive - nearly every student will eventually tell me something that I can use to make their experience more personal, and sometimes one of the most significant experiences of their life. At that time, from the student's viewpoint, the lion's share of "ownership" of this skydiving experience belongs to me. After all, I am the one teaching them how to be my partner in the air for those few short minutes, emphasizing the simple things they can do to help make our skydive as safe as possible, and calmly addressing the inevitable flurry of questions that come from the doubt surrounding any first-time experience. Eventually, my students trust me with their life - although it may go unsaid, they all know that is ultimately true. Sometimes a student can be "high maintenance." Kay (not her real name) is my best example. The wife of a local doctor and mother of a young daughter, Kay was introduced to me by her husband. As our conversation progressed, she found out that I am a part-time skydiving instructor, and I asked her to join me for a tandem jump. Her body language was unlike any I had ever seen; she began to withdraw from the outside in - something serious was going on in her heart and mind that I thought would surely keep her on the ground. Shortly afterwards the torrent of questions began . . . she researched the risks of skydiving on her own by reading internet content including dropzone.com incident forum posts, USPA fatality reports, and soaking in every over-hyped reality TV segment involving a skydiving incident. Between personal conversations, phone calls, and emails she must have asked me over a hundred questions - some of them very difficult to answer. I could have easily become frustrated, but the reality of the situation was that I really wanted Kay to make a skydive; I would answer every single question if it meant there was still a chance she would jump. To keep me sane, I repeatedly imagined seeing the joy on her face after landing. After all, that was the place both of us were working so hard to reach, and it motivated me to keep answering all of Kay's questions. The day came for our jump, and our pre-jump training and ride to altitude was filled with increasing fear on her part, eventually manifesting itself in physical shaking after I hooked her harness to mine. Despite her obviously being incredibly scared, she never once stopped moving forward toward the door. I asked her if she was ready, and she nodded her head. Exit and free fall were uneventful, and after the canopy opened cooperatively at 4500 feet, her demeanor was surprisingly calm. I could tell she did not like heights by the way she kept leaning her head back, but she continued to respond to all of my gentle instructions. After a smooth seated landing I unhooked her harness and she began to sob loudly, which I realized was an emotional release of years of pent up fear of flying and high places. After she calmed down a bit and I pulled her to her feet, there in front of me was the real life expression of joy that I had imagined to keep me focused through months of questions. At that point came the transfer of ownership - I directed her attention to the blue sky above, and explained to her that this entire experience happened because she chose to rise to the challenge of an opportunity to conquer her fear. She had indeed trusted me with her life, but more importantly she had trusted herself to do something she knew would be one of her most fearful yet critically important experiences. This was not about me at all - it was all about her. Now that I had painted that clear picture for her, full ownership of the experience was hers alone. I found out later in a letter from Kay that her first husband had been killed in an aviation accident nearly fifteen years before, and since then she had been deathly afraid of flying. Somehow she recognized skydiving as an opportunity to confront and conquer that fear, and knew that she could trust me to be means to that end. The letter, too personal to include verbatim here, is one of the greatest personal rewards I have received in 22 years of skydiving. You see, even though you the instructor are the one with the ratings, the high degree of skill, the confidence in the process, and literally in charge of every student skydive, in the end it is all about the student. Through their trust in you they briefly place their lives in your hands because most of them know that although skydiving is a calculated risk, on the other side of that risk lies some sort of unseen benefit that can empower them in ways they never imagined. Now before you lies the choice of arriving for work at the drop zone to haul human cargo for hire, or to arrive in expectation of whose life you might be able to change, along with the possibility that yours might change a bit in the process. There are many more souls out there like Kay, for whom the breakthrough of a lifetime is just one leap of faith away from becoming reality. John Hawke is an active duty U.S. Army Sergeant Major and part-time Tandem and AFF Instructor at Raeford Parachute Center in North Carolina.
  15. Product Service Bulletin Issue date: 2 December 2006 Bulletin number: SB AMM021206/1 Subject: Mandatory cutter replacement in Mirage rigs Argus Cutter PN# ARG001CUT manufactured for Aviacom SA by Nobel Energetics. Background:As part of our evaluation program, the Argus was installed in an RTS M7 Mirage and made 46 jumps. When opening the reserve container the loop was frayed around the area it was going through the cutter. The plastic insert was damaged at some point during closing. Further investigation showed that the damage was due to the typical set-up of the cutter on top of the concave pilot chute cap modification that the Mirage has since May 2005. This damage only occurred with the Mirage After consulting Mirage Systems we decided to replace the cutters in all Mirage rigs with a modified insertless cutter that has meanwhile been intensively tested and does not cause any damage whatsoever. Service bulletin:The "old" cutter with the plastic insert must be returned to Aviacom SA for replacement. The new cutter will be shipped as soon as we have received the old one. The new cutter is easily identified by the safety seal on the body. The date of manufacturing is November 2006 or later. Any senior or master rigger or foreign equivalent can unscrew the cutter and replace the old cutter with the modified one. The connector must be locked hand tight in order to ensure the water resistance. Compliance date:Before the next jump, but no later than June 30th 2007. CommentsIn order not to create confusion, all Argus cutters manufactured before November 2006 and not sporting a safety seal on the body must be mandatory replaced before June 30th, 2007. The cutters will be replaced free of charge. You can download the full service bulletin: http://dbc.landingpage.be/475/SBAMM021206_1.pdf For a video clip of the new cutter check: http://www.argus-aad.com/media/Downloads/MVI_0552.avi Dropzone.com Editors Note: Please note that while the official subject of this service bulleting is "Mandatory cutter replacement in Mirage rigs" that in fact "all Argus cutters manufactured before November 2006 and not sporting a safety seal on the body must be mandatory replaced" as mentioned in the comments in the full bulletin. The subject as at very least confusing. Please download the entire Service Bulleting from the link above and read this forum post for a response from Mirage Syatems.
  16. The uninsured Relative Workshop will commence trading under the new name of the Uninsured United Parachute Technologies, LLC from 1 October 2006. This change will allow Bill Booth to gather his many existing companies under one name, and will allow the company to implement a new business model more inline with modern day business practices, which in turn will fulfill our future needs for growth and diversity. This change will not affect our day to day business with our customers, apart from a change in website address and email addresses which will be advised at a later date.
  17. admin

    Flying for Food

    I majored in Business Management with a minor in Spanish and dreamed of working for an environmentally and culturally sensitive corporation like Coke. My life was on track, and thinking back, I imagine I'd have been quite successful. But I fell for a girl who lured me off course. I was wrapped around her finger and didn't know at the time that she would entirely derail my dreams and change the course of my life. She made me an addict, and today I'm selling the same stuff that became my addiction, and I'm perpetually unemployed between jobs. She took me skydiving and now I fly camera for a living. It's a job I hadn't imagined, much less considered, but I like it! In this article, I'll try to give you an idea of what goes into bidding, planning, and filming for a production, and some of the things that can happen along the way. Bidding:The first call from production is normally from a researcher who's never jumped. He or she explains the aerial sequence, or some version of it, and then asks what I'd charge to do the job. Most of the time I can tell that what I'm being told is probably far from what's actually needed. But the researcher doesn't need an earful from me about how little he or she knows about the sport. Her job is to get numbers as quickly as possible, and my job is to give her something that she can take to her boss, some rough numbers, ideas, and a few of my own questions to pass along. All things going well, her boss will call. The basic bid for a skydiving project includes the location, aircraft, pilots, and skydivers, simple enough if the project requires a couple of jumpers in freefall over the local DZ. Most of the time, however, projects call for something more. A skydiving sequence for a commercial or movie might call for two hidden rig jumpers grappling for a briefcase over downtown Los Angeles. Suddenly the project requires riggers, custom equipment, ground crew, ground transportation, landowner permission for some parking lot or rooftop, FAA paperwork and permits, police to keep the landing area clear, ground to air communication, sometimes green screen and studio facilities, and especially in the USA, endless and often impossible insurance issues. When the producers call me with a story to tell. They need me to see the logistics behind the story and to bid accordingly. Sometimes I'll deliver a bid in an hour, sometimes it will take days to complete. The most valuable tool at this point is my rolodex. SAG:When I bid a SAG job, my terms include that I will be treated as a performer, just like the rest of the skydivers on the project. When a producer balks, my argument is simple. I ask them when they last hired someone to perform a stunt off-camera. Camera people sometimes hang off cliffs or race along in cars following the action, but they don't actually perform the stunt, nor do they need the kind of training that goes into flying a camera. Picture this: A stunt driver flips a car over a river. The shot requires a chase vehicle with mounted cameras to follow behind and make the same jump. Imagine telling the second stunt driver he's not on-camera, so he doesn't get a SAG contract. There are plenty more arguments like this, but they don't always work. A producer might stick to the off-camera argument and that's that, we reach an impasse. As much as I want the work, I don't bend on this issue. Sometimes I'll get a call from a producer who just wants to know if I'd consider working without a SAG contract, and I'll know that they've reached the same impasse with one of my competitors. That's the only time I'll give in...just kidding! Skydiving isn't a stunt:After my rant about SAG, now I say skydiving isn't a stunt, but bear with me. Skydiving is a sport, much like surfing or skiing and skydivers are practicing it on all different levels and making thousands of jumps to better their skills. There are skydiving stunts, no doubt, just like surfing stunts, but skydiving itself isn't a stunt. In productions, when there are surfing stunts, producers seek out surfers. When there's skydiving in a production, they call in stuntmen. Bummer for those who train! So I've been campaigning pretty hard to promote trained flyers. I was advised early in my career to keep things "in the family" by some of the stuntmen I met along the way, but I saw things differently and ultimately "broke the code" as it were, to bring in trained jumpers who I knew from the competitive circuit. Some say I "shot myself in the foot", and its true to some degree. Why would a Hollywood stuntman recommend a camera flyer who works with outsiders? So I miss out on some work, but overall my reel is strong, mostly because the performers I film are terrific flyers. Communication:Storyboards, often called "boards", are a series of drawings, much like the frames of a comic book, that help us to visualize what the writer or director is hoping to see onscreen. After all, we're making a moving picture. I know more about skydiving stunts than my clients, but they know more about storytelling than me. Often, a non-jumper will have some gem of an idea that I'd never considered. So I try to listen carefully before projecting too much of myself into the creative process, and my reel is better for it. When I'm clear about what the director wants, I'll plan skydives that show each storyboard frame in a way that will transition smoothly from one shot to the next, and some skydives just to film "plates". Skydiving plates are aerial scenes without skydivers that are combined with action that's filmed in front of a "green screen". The Green Screen:If an actor is featured in the aerial sequence, we'll film him in front of a green screen where we try to match the light and wind as close as possible to the real action. When we do it right, I can claim the shot as my own. When we do it wrong (picture Elvis surfing), I'll blame production for screwing it up. The green screen is both my friend and enemy. As a friend, it puts Lucie Lu into the action, and gives the impression that I'd filmed impossible things. As the enemy, it entirely replaces me. Insurers and lawyers, curse them all, sometimes drive the simplest of aerial stunts into the studio to be faked. And some directors feel that they can make skydiving look real, or better than real, in studio, with fans wires and green screens. Fortunately, the fake stuff just doesn't look all that good, so I'm not out of a job yet. The Helmet:I jump a modified 35mm motion picture camera with a video assist camera that lets the director see what I've filmed after each jump, and stills. My helmet weighs about 20 pounds. On some jobs, depending on the cameras I carry, the helmet can weigh up to 30 pounds. It's like jumping a bowling ball strapped to the top of my head. People ask how I handle the weight, what sort of workouts I do to build my neck and shoulders. The answer is, not all that much. I'm relatively fit and have done a few shrugs with dumbbells, and I swim to stay loose, but nothing extraordinary. There are a lot of camera flyers who are far stronger than me, but suffer neck and back problems from jumping even light cameras. Maybe it's genetics. My father is 73 and has never seriously hurt his back. Considering some of the disgusting deployments I've endured over the years, I can only guess that I have him to thank for my longevity in this business. Now I've been to the chiropractor a couple of times and its like "OK Joe, take a deeeep breath….. gooood, now let it out slowly and just relaaaax…. I'll just take a running start from the other side of the office and slam into your spine, and then twist your head around so that you can take a good look at your own ass." So I swim. It seems to keep me straight. Before production:At least a few days before a job, someone from the team will entirely take over coordinating. I'll have some input, but my attention is best focused on what the director wants and how to get it. I think over the boards, configure my helmet, choreograph and dirt dive with the team, set exposures, check my gear, and so-on. I don't multi-task well enough to worry about other details at the same time and I'm not concerned with being credited as a coordinator. Ultimately, I'm in this business to fly camera. Production Day:A lot of things have come together to get this far. Depending on the size and complexity of the project, anywhere from ten to fifty people or more will converge on set. It's refreshing to finally get out there to film, and by far, production is my favorite part of the job. It's also time to step up and deliver on a variety of levels. The pressure to perform reminds me of what if felt like to compete. Competition experience is probably my biggest asset as a camera flyer. Training to compete taught me a lot about flying the camera aggressively, and competing taught me about teamwork and about staying loose under pressure. The Team:I rely heavily on the team around me. And my work is only as good as the team's work, Cliché, perhaps, but true. Flying with Rob Harris in skysurf competitions, I had my part on the team, and even part of the score. Mostly, though, my work supported Rob's performance, and I found myself cheering for him in flight. When Rob had a good round, I had a good round. When he won, I won. Whenever possible, I fly with skydivers who've trained to compete on some level, and who perform well under pressure. On the ride to altitude, we're generally pretty quite, breathing and visualizing, eyes closed sometimes, rehearsing the dive. And it works. In the air, we're more fluid and relaxed, communicating but not over thinking, just doing what we'd planned. A rigger who can keep a cool head under pressure is also a great asset on any production. On hidden rig projects, for example, almost everything is riding on the rigger's work. Hidden rigs look spectacular when they work, but the slightest flaw can cause the rig to be exposed or even to blow the wardrobe clear apart. So I find myself cheering for the riggers as much as for the performers in front of me. And when it all comes together, we're golden. Harder than it looks:"Easy" shots on the boards can be deceptively hard because storyboards invariably call for moves we haven't practiced or even tried. I've seen talented skydivers entirely caught off guard by some simple change in a move that causes them to flail around like a first jump student. Try back layouts while "drinking" a soda, or "talking" on a cell phone, or maybe straddling another jumper without tumbling, or flying feet to earth while swinging a baseball bat. The list goes on and often includes hiding rigs or parts of rigs, or grappling while holding props, all the sort of things one rarely trains to do. On most jobs, we don't have the chance to practice new things before filming, so we'll just take our best guess and go for it. The challenge for me is to predict fall rates and how much slide there will be. I can react as things move and chase the action around the sky, but my shot is a lot better when I'm able to fly proactively. Things I don't like: Assumptions: "Well, I assumed you'd have a black rig here for me, so I didn't bother to bring one", or, "I thought they were taking that frame off the boards. That's why I didn't bring the prop", or "Nobody called me about it, so I just assumed you wanted the cables to be built like this". Screwing up: More than once, I jumped with the lens cap still on, jumped without a load of film, forgot my battery, forgot to turn the camera on, left my leg straps loose, forgot to latch on the helmet, set the focus for under a foot, exposed the same film twice, got onto the wrong plane, pulled too low, brain-locked in freefall, forgot to clip on my wings, walked to the plane without a rig, exited over the wrong place….. There but by the grace of god go I. Grandstanding: The last thing I want to hear on set is some skydiver making a big announcement for everyone to hear, like "You might get some idiot to do it, but you'll never tape over that handle as long as I'm wearing the rig", or "If you want to see a helicopter crash, sure, hook that line to the skid". Of course we have to set and enforce our own parameters for safety, but it isn't us against them. With a bit of diplomacy, we can explain our limits without embarrassing our clients. Jerk Producers: It's rare, but it happens. Producer: "The director needs you to pass close to the cliff like on your reel." Me: "If the winds calm, great, but right now they're blowing at 20+ miles per hour." Producer: "Look, nothing personal, pal, but I've been in this business longer than you think. I hope you understand I didn't come all the way out here to pay for excuses." Me: "Ok, let me talk with the guys" A few minutes later…."OK, we figured it out. We'll fly 100 meters from the wall. If the wind calms, we'll fly closer. And, we'll hang onto the exposed film until all payments for this job are received, nothing personal." I suppose there are reasons to become jaded over the years in this business, but it isn't worth the negative energy. Most productions are great, and some are epic! And most producers are good people, and good at what they do. Things I don't like (part 2): Crash landing in an airplane Hitting power lines in a helicopter Landing on thin ice Seeing another jumper get hurt Landing in a yard with guard dogs Being lost at night under canopy Opening too far offshore Hard openings Extra heavy cameras Whining (oops) What I like: Flying camera to tell a story Visiting cool dropzones Meeting great people Traveling Having family time between jobs Planning unusual projects Working through the physics of how objects fly Getting the shot Working with talented skydivers Dropping big things like cars Bragging about my cool job Being called a "Bald Headed Action Figure" by my kids Back in college, If someone said I'd fly camera for a living one day, I wouldn't have even known what they meant. And when I think back on the series of events that led me here, so much fell into place in ways I could never recreate. It makes me wonder where I'll be 20 years from now. I should thank the girl who lured me away from suits and polished shoes, maybe bring her something nice when I go home tonight. ~ Joe Joe's Photo Galleries on Dropzone.com Skydive.com - Joe's new project Skydive.tv - Joe's web site
  18. As reported earlier our former owners eliminated the parachute business from their holdings. The factory in Durban, South Africa, was sold to the Zodiac group together with the military product catalogue. Aerodyne is happy to announce that we have organized new owners for Aerodyne Research and the line of Aerodyne sports products. We are pleased to welcome Vidar Antonsen and Ole Petter Hjelle (Ole Petter is the team captain of the Norwegian national FS4 team Arcteryx) as members of the Aerodyne team. Both are from Norway and active skydivers themselves. Although, they will not be involved with the daily management, we view this as a positive development for the company to have their support and assist Aerodyne Research to become an even stronger player in the parachute industry. President Edward "Bushman" Anderson reports: "Right now we are setting up a new manufacturing facility in the Durban area, in South Africa. The facility will be located in a brand new air-conditioned building and we are installing state of the art machinery. We are also very fortunate to be able to retain many key staff members. Our current Technical Director Dominic Hayhurst will be the Managing Director of Aerodyne Research Manufacturing. At the same time we have teamed up with Aero Tech in Florida for the production of the Icon harness-container system. Aero Tech is a very professional operation headed by Terry Pike who has more than 30 years experience in the industry. Thiago Muradas, who is a co-designer of the Icon and has been involved with production and R&D; from the start, will supervise training and production." Aerodyne expects that the changes in production can be implemented smoothly and swiftly but has taken measures to ensure steady supply to its distribution partners. Arnold Collenteur, director of European sales, explains: ". In addition to main canopies and Smart reserves, we now stock Icon container systems. These Icons come with a harness finished to the custom measurements provided with the order. This way our distributors are able sell complete systems to our customers this summer, and deliver in a matter of weeks. Aerodyne is one of the few sport parachute manufacturers that can supply complete systems to our customer's specific needs."
  19. Ground Launching is the newest and fastest growing sport in the swooping community! Foot launching parachutes is relatively easy but having the proper equipment and training will save you alot of time. After years of research and development Jim Slaton started the Ground Launching Center (GLC) and teamed up with NZ Aerosports in New Zealand to develop parachutes specifically for ground launching called the Daedalus GLX and GLS. Now Jim has teamed up with Mirage Systems to develop the Mirage Ground Launch system. The Mirage GLX is the top of the line fully loaded ground launch harness that is lightweight and reversible. The GLX comes in blue & black mini diamond material, adjustable harness, risers, multiple riser attachment points, quick link hardware, backpack system, extra pockets on outside of harness, extra padding on shoulders and the harness inverts to become backpack. The harness forms a seat and the risers can be conneted to the GLX's lower or upper attachment points. This gives pilots the option between flying in the hanging position like a skydiving harness or the siting position like a paragliding harness. The Mirage ground launch harness comes in two styles for all your launching needs. These models are kept on the shelf and typically shipped the same day. The retail price of the new Mirage GLX is $695.00 and available in small, medium, large and extra large. For more information contact Jim Slaton at [email protected] or check out http://www.canopypiloting.com/mirageGLX.htm
  20. In response to escalating costs in petroleum-based raw materials, as well as the impact of continual rising costs of other supplies and overhead expenses, Performance Designs, Inc. is implementing a price increase effective June 23, 2006. "We've experienced increases of more than 20% in some areas," said John LeBlanc, PD Vice President. "PD has absorbed these steadily rising costs for as long as possible, but it is time to make what has come to be an inevitable price increase on our products. Knowing that our dealers face many of the same cost pressures, we anticipate the same increases will be passed along to the skydivers." In a related move, PD is modifying its pricing policy to be wholesale-based rather than discount-based. "This means that while the suggested retail price will remain the same, wholesale prices will be increased on a canopy-by-canopy basis. We are pricing our canopies based on our costs - which our ERP software allows us to measure for each canopy - and using that to determine the wholesale price to our dealers," LeBlanc continued. "We expect PD dealers to begin quoting prices in fixed dollar amounts instead of a discount off of suggested retail, because that is how we are setting our prices to our dealers." Rob Wilson, PD Marketing Manager, added, "For a long time, skydivers have had to calculate the percentage discount, figure out what that means in terms of price, and then shop around for the 'best' price. We believe the market would benefit from a more straightforward approach to pricing - moving from bothersome calculations to simply: 'this is the price.'" "We understand the sensitivity to prices," he continued. "But there is another part of the purchase equation called value. We believe that skydivers know that canopies manufactured to international quality standards, that go through multiple levels of inspection throughout production, that are development-tested more than any other canopies in the world and that use the best materials money can buy results in a stronger, better performing and longer lasting canopy. "For skydivers seeking such quality, value far outweighs price considerations. That is what we will be focusing on in the coming months and years - quality has a price, and it is well worth it." "Part of our goal is to help the dealers take the focus off of price discounting and put it on helping the skydiver become a better skydiver. Making sure they are getting the right canopy for their skill level and their progression in the sport is a whole lot more important than shaving a few dollars off the price", said Wilson. "This simplified dollar-based approach to pricing is a step in the right direction." "The key thing is to call your PD dealer, use that conversation to make sure the canopy you want is right for you. And then get the purchase price", he said. Performance Designs, Inc. is the world's premier sport canopy manufacturer, setting the standard for innovative design, unmatched quality of materials and manufacturing excellence. PD's premise of "the dream of flight" is enjoyed by skydivers on 5 continents across all disciplines. PD products are preferred by skydiving professionals for their superior flight characteristics and performance capabilities. To learn more about PD products and services, or to find the PD dealer near you, visit PD's website at www.performancedesigns.com
  21. The Triax T-Stake is a revolutionary new packing multi-tool for both B.A.S.E. jumpers and skydivers. Designed by Triax Productions, the creators of the popular "Continuum" B.A.S.E. jumping DVD series, the Triax T-Stake is of use to anyone who packs their rig outdoors, and is trying to maximize the safety and heading performance of their canopy openings. A full explanation of the Triax T-Stake's features and a link to a short informational video clip can be found below in the article. The Triax T-Stake As the name implies, the "T-shaped" Triax T-Stake is a tool designed to make your B.A.S.E. and skydiving packing experience easier, faster, neater, and more organized by combining all of your tools into one. "We felt that this product could provide a 'missing link' in the jumping community," said Kenyon Salo, one of the B.A.S.E. jumpers that came up with the idea to design the tool earlier this year. "The Triax T-Stake was a lot of fun to design because we had full creative control from the bottom up, and being end users of the Triax T-Stake, we were able to base our design criteria on literally thousands of pack jobs worth of experience." Salo later added; "I really think that the world is a better place because of the Triax T-Stake. I know it's helped me become a better person!" Design Features: A specially designed "T-shaped" stake offering many different ways to secure your rig (or multiple rigs) while packing Light, durable and compact for easy use and mobility needs. Both 7mm (for most skydiving rigs) and 9mm (for most BASE jumping rigs) built-in wrench slots for your French (rapide) links for an easier time of changing slider configurations. A classic bottle opener for that cold beer (or soda?) after a long day of jumping. Bridge Day 2005 Triax Productions officially unveiled the Triax T-Stake in October at Bridge Day 2005 in Fayetteville, West Virginia, one of the few legal B.A.S.E. jumping events held in the United States each year. Overall, the Triax T-Stake was found to be a huge success at Bridge Day. Jumpers were seen using it all over the packing areas properly staking their leg straps, three rings or risers to securely anchor their rig for supreme line tension, at the same time providing adequate line separation while packing. During the event, the bottle opener function of the Triax T-Stake was put to the test with an estimated one thousand beers opened in a two-night period. Additionally, the crafty Bridge Day 2005 B.A.S.E. jumpers discovered yet another use for the Triax T-Stake-shot-gunning beers. Bridge Day Video FestThe pressure was on at this year's Bridge Day Video Fest for Triax Productions to defend their first place win in 2004. Although their entry did not win them a prize, as a way to introduce a little humor into a night of some serious B.A.S.E. movies, Triax Productions debuted their "T-Stake Infomercial," (directed and edited by Chris Pope). The entry went over as an audience favorite and has since become a cult hit. Popular demand has dictated that Triax Productions make their "T-Stake infomercial" available online, and it can now be viewed on the company's web page, http://www.triaxproductions.com/ [The infomercial is in Windows Media format and takes about a minute to download for an average broadband connection] Triax Productions would like to offer hearty congratulations for the winners at this year's Video Fest! The Triax T-Stake and Skydiving Although designed primarily for B.A.S.E., skydivers have also taken a liking to the Triax T-Stake. Not all skydivers have the luxury of being able to pack indoors all of the time, and for some, particularly on the boogie or swooping circuit, it's a rarity. The Triax T-Stake works equally well for skydiving rigs as it does for B.A.S.E. rigs, making the whole process of getting on with your pack job faster and cleaner, instead of scrounging around for a weight. Where to see the Triax T-Stake If you weren't lucky enough to be at Bridge Day this year, and want to get more information on purchasing a product, the Triax T-Stake, along with the company's DVD releases and apparel such as T-shirts, hoodies, and chick-tees have been made available for purchase at the Triax Productions web site. About Triax Productions Triax Productions was founded in 2002 and is made up of Colorado B.A.S.E. jumpers/skydivers Damian Doucette, Chris Pope, and Kenyon Salo. They offer stock footage and complete package action/adventure videography services on their website, counting aerial stunts and camera operation among their many talents. Triax Productions has also been producing some of the world's best B.A.S.E. jumping DVD/videos on the market, including their popular "Continuum" and "Continuum II: Tales From the Edge" DVDs, as well as the Bridge Day event videos for both 2004 and 2005. The Triax crew has just released the 2005 Bridge Day DVD and is currently in production of "Continuum III," tentatively slated for release in September/October of 2006. Plans for the Bridge Day 2006 event DVD are also in the works. FFI/contact: http://www.triaxproductions.com/
  22. Prompted also by the sale of the Durban based factory, Aerodyne Research Corporation in Tampa, Florida, has decided to move forward and find new investors for its expanding sport parachute business. "The previous owners were operating at a distance and could not provide us with the support we need to channel the growth of our sales", reports President Edward "Bushman" Anderson. "We have found a positive group of investors who are actually interested in developing Aerodyne Research into a stronger and more cohesive unit with a concentrated focus on sport parachute products." Anderson sees this change of ownership as an opportunity to put together a new and modern manufacturing facility, which will not have a mix of military and sport products. This means both engineering and production can focus on common goals and objectives. "It will allow us to concentrate our efforts and become one of the bigger players in the sport market", predicts Anderson. Aerodyne's sales so far this year have been above projected forecasts and the company attributes this to the ability of providing stock canopies at a lower price than custom, as well as to the carefully maintained stock levels. Over the summer the company will run a pilot program to sell stock Icon harness-container systems. These will have fully articulated (hip and chest rings) harnesses, which will be custom finished for the customer's body size. Anderson: "We believe we are one of the few manufacturers capable of doing this due to the unique geometry of the Icon harness. It is also important to recognize that the Icon comes standard with all popular features, so there is no need to order additional options. These stock Icons will have everything from stainless steel hardware to spacer foam back pads." For the most part it is business as usual. Aerodyne anticipates strong sales of stock over the summer again, as experienced in past seasons, and this will give the possibility of ramping up the new facility so as to address custom orders later in the year. It would seem that in the summer, when the weather is good, people want their gear as soon as possible and only "now" will do for them… We believe that our typical Pilot, Smart & Icon combination from one source and with a single order from stock, will present customers and distributors with the best alternative when choosing their new equipment this summer.
  23. admin

    Dropzone Unknown

    With all of the worldwide disasters happening, have you thought about joining in and helping out somehow? Skydiving skills, to reach people in isolated areas, are being used by Remote Area Medical, to bring in help where it is needed yet where it is inaccessible by conventional ground transportation. Remote Area Medical - RAM AirborneRemote Area Medical, RAM, has been providing humanitarian aid to people worldwide since 1985, with the airborne division currently on the rise and seeking skydivers. Founded by Stan Brock, from the show Wild Kingdom, RAM and its volunteers are “Pioneers of No-Cost Health Care” with well over 400 missions in the US and abroad. The first RAM Airborne mission was to Tennessee in 2005, proving that skydivers and cargo can be dropped into an unknown area, on top of a hill in the Appalachian Mountains. The next RAM Airborne mission is to Guyana in South America, to clear trees from existing grass runways; making them accessible once more by airplanes. From March 26 to April 9, RAM’s mission to Guyana will provide air-ambulance access to the people living in the nearby villages. This is a non-medical mission, but medical support is needed, in the event of an injury or medical emergency during the mission. An additional trail team is being recruited, not requiring skydiving skills, to re-clear a trail in the Amazon forest, connecting two villages to another airstrip which was repaired by a RAM team in 2004. This will be a physically demanding mission, to clear large trees and thick undergrowth, while living in a tent or hammock. Hiking through the Amazon forest is no walk through the park either, with machetes in hand and packs on your back; these are a few things to keep in mind, and a few things to savor, for those who want to come for the adventure. Skills Being Sought:Skydivers must have a B-license or better, with an average of 100 jumps as a minimum; good canopy control and a canopy wing loading of 1.3 or less are expected, because there’s no room for error, and no hospitals to go to if you biff your landing. As you may have guessed, no hook turns allowed. You bring in your own gear for camping, and you pay for your own airfare to and from Georgetown, Guyana – but it is tax-deductible, since it is for a humanitarian effort. It is the most direct way to give, by providing your skills directly where it is needed! RAM is also seeking people with medical skills, to handle any potential injuries that may happen, one per team at a minimum – more if possible – plus some basic medical supplies. The rest of the team is not required to be medically trained but everyone must be physically prepared – this is not your typical working-holiday trip overseas – it is hard work and it is worth it. Videographers are also being sought, to help document this first-time-ever event. Proof of skills will be necessary, to ensure one’s safety, and others’ as well; video cameras may also be provided, as details are confirmed. Videographers would be the first to land, then film the others as they land; the case-of-beer policy will be waived, mainly because there are no stores to go get any and no refrigeration either. If you or someone you know is interested – here are some things to begin doing: Work on hop and pop exits and accurate landings Gear up your camping supplies – for a two-week camping trip Get in shape – it’s a load of work and physically exhausting Join RAM as a volunteer – send an e-mail to karen @ karenhawes.com for further details, or go to http://www.karenhawes.com/ram/RAM-Mission-FAQ.htm RAM CampIf you want to work on the skills necessary for this type of skydiving mission, there will be a “RAM Camp” training program offered in mid-March at Skydive Arizona, prior to the Guyana mission from March 16 - 19, to hone or develop your skills in: Spotting, exiting and landing in unfamiliar areas Cargo-bail preparations and air drops Basic field-medical skills, stitching open-wounds, making traction splints Basic camping and navigation skills Other survival tips and tricks to know, plus pitfalls to avoid Prospective volunteers, who complete this course and display the necessary skill level required, will be selected over volunteers who do not. For more information about the RAM Camp, go to http://www.karenhawes.com/ram/RAM-Camp.htm This course will be taught by three RAM volunteers, with years of experience in the areas of skills being taught: Rene Steinhauer – Medical Aid in Remote Areas Bryan Burke – Cargo/Spotting/Airdrops and Navigation Karen Hawes – Travel Tips (for men and women) and Gadgets in the Wild RAM Camp InstructorsAll three trainers will cover their own areas of expertise, and survival skills training, based on actual in-field experience; with personal experiences ranging from domestic and international relief efforts, everyone has something to learn in this course. Here’s a brief background of each instructor: Rene Steinhauer RN, CFRN, EMT-P – Rene is a currently working as a flight nurse in Antarctica till February 2006. He has worked on humanitarian projects around the world and has also worked as a combat medic on the front lines in Iraq. He has trained civilian and military personnel in remote and combat medicine for years. He is also one of the founding members of RAM Airborne. Bryan Burke – Safety and Training Advisor at Skydive Arizona, with two decades in the sport and 3,200 jumps. Although he is known in the sport as the organizer of numerous boogies and competitions, he also has considerable experience with parachute testing, skydiving for the entertainment industry, and other applications that require precise airborne delivery. Most of his off-DZ time is spent kayaking, backpacking, or rafting in remote wilderness areas. Karen Hawes – A Systems Engineer at Lockheed Martin, with 500 jumps on 6 continents in 12 countries and at over 100 dropzones, she has been a RAM volunteer since 2004. She is the current RAM Airborne recruiter, with three missions to: Guyana (airstrip repair), Sumatra (tsunami relief), and Tennessee (first RAM airdrop mission). A fourth RAM mission to New Orleans is scheduled, for the second week in February 2006. She is also working on configuring solar power sources for hand-held electronic devices, to be used on remote-area missions. For More Information and to Sign-UpFor more information on the mission in March and the RAM Camp, go to: http://www.karenhawes.com/ram/RAM-Mission-FAQ.htm http://www.karenhawes.com/ram/RAM-Camp.htm Come One, Come All!If someone you know is interested, but not a skydiver, then now is the time to begin training and cap it off with one of the RAM Camps, to be ready for future missions. If you already have the skydiving skills, you can take advantage of this unique opportunity to add “Humanitarian” to your list of skills and world experiences.Find out more about RAM at www.ramusa.org and join the adventure!
  24. admin

    Avalore Freefly Courses

    When first learning to freefly the members of the Avalore Freefly School received a lot of 'coaching' from small freefly schools that offered little more than a good video of flailing attempts of headup flying. This gave them the idea of running a freefly school that provides a high level of customer service and support. They aim to help students with every aspect of their coaching trips from booking hotels to getting a reserve repack as well as supporting them after their coaching as much as possible. The school has spent a considerable amount of time improving their flying and coaching technique from the likes of Max Cohn, Chris Fiala and the UK Sports Council. They have developed numerous resources to help their students from written articles to training videos. As well as the normal coaching jump options the Avalore Freefly School (http://www.avalorefreefly.com) offers freefly courses aimed at beginner freeflyers as well as the more advanced freeflyer. The courses are for the individual wanting to learn to fly in a headup orientation or wanting to gain their BPA (British Parachute Association) FF1 qualification. Much like an AFF course, they are split up into levels to learn different skills. Courses usually last 4 days and consist of an average of 20 coached jumps, which can take you from having done no freeflying to having your FF1 qualification. The advantage of running courses is that as well as covering all the skills needed to fly in a headup orientation you also learn every other aspect of freeflying over the duration of the course. Everything is covered from exit orders, group separation and gear issues to planning successful safe freefly jumps with your friends. The courses include thorough briefs/debriefs, a copy of your coaching jumps on DVD and a comprehensive course manual covering everything you need to know. Your coach is always on hand after the course for continuous advice and support. The school has received excellent testimonials from their students all of which have returned or have booked to return in the near future. Some comments from their students are quoted below: Billy Gibbons, January 2006: "Contact was established quickly and maintained right through up until my visit, even with Louis taking time to offer hints and tips via e-mail for me to try at home and in the air which I found invaluable and which in my mind displayed excellent customer commitment." Kevin Dawes, November 2005: "During these jumps my coach quickly helped me overcome some of the bad habits I had obtained over the years. The detailed briefs he gave me before and after each jump helped improve my understanding a great deal. He also ensured that before we exited the plane I was in a relaxed state and was not rushing. This made all the difference and helped focus my mind." The Avalore Freefly School has locations in Ocana, Spain and also at the Black Knights Parachute Centre in UK. The head coach is Louis Harwood who is based in Spain and Rob McVey is the UK coach. All of the coaches have been trained as coaches by the UKCC. Coaches from the school Louis Harwood and Rob McVey train along with David Downham to form the Avalore Freefly team. They don't claim to be champions but enjoy competing and use it to improve their own skills and also their coaching. They believe you don't have to be a world champion to run a successful freefly school. They have worked hard to become good coaches and run the school the way they wanted to be coached when they first started. It goes to show that commitment and hard work does pay off! Feel free to contact the school to book your course or ask any questions you might have. You can also have a look at the website for more information. Louis Harwood Avalore Freefly http://www.avalorefreefly.com [email protected] (UK) 01212880618 (ES) +34662021951
  25. Tuesday 25th October 2005 - It was an untypical crisp October morning in Lahti, Finland when Visa Parviainen and the BirdMan Rocket Team attempted to make the first ever jet powered, birdman flight. The team set up camp in a small park in downtown Lahti, to prepare for the jump. The locals appeared to be not-at-all phased by the fact that some person was igniting a jet engine in their tranquil little park while they were walking their house pets. The launch platform selected for the day was provided by the famous Finnish Balloon Bros, who graciously offered their services for this historic event. Visa had designed a unique launch platform to hang outside the balloon to avoid 'cooking' the balloon occupants during the ascent to altitude from the exhaust gases of the jet engines. Once Visa had adorned his birdman suit and rig on the ground, it was time to test the rocket boots. Each jet engine provides around 16kgs of thrust, and is primed with a mix of butane and propane. Once ignited, the engines rely on a steady supply of kerosene (JetA1) fuel. This fuel burns at around the rate of 0.5 litres per minute, on full power, for each jet engine. The combined thrust of both power plants was calculated to be enough to sustain level human flight in a wing suit for an average weight skydiver. Once all the gear checks were made and rigorous safety procedures executed on the ground, it was time to inflate the hot air balloon for the ascent. The Balloon Bros provided a smooth and relaxing ride up to altitude over the beautiful vista of the humble town of Lahti in middle Finland. The Balloon ascended over the unpopulated areas around the lakes and forests of rural Lahti, visa primed and started the rockets prior to exit. After warming up the engines in the cold surrounding atmosphere, it was time to make the attempt. The high pitch whine of the jet engines sounded surreal in the calm stillness of the hot air balloon. Tensions were high that this attempt would be a successful one. It was time to go, as the fuel was rapidly running out, Visa gave the all clear sign (a quick grin) at around 2300m (7000ft) before 'edging' off the platform into the first rocket-powered-human-flight attempt. The exit was stable and on-heading, after attaining normal bird-man flight, Visa requested full power from the engines, which responded smoothly in horizontal acceleration. After checking the altimeter several times, it was apparent that there was no appreciable loss in altitude for this period of time. Visa next changed his angle of attack by redirected the thrust and changing his body position to attain vertical climb. This caused a loss in horizontal speed, and stalled (the body?). Recovering from the stall was made easy because of the agility of the human body to change flight profile easily. A few more attempts at this exercise yielded the same result. Pretty soon it became apparent that fuel consumption would soon terminate the level flight portion of the jump. Visa simply rode out the rest of the jump in level flight following the highway until the fuel ran out. Visa then continued in normal bird-man flight until deployment altitude. The deployment sequence was normal, and the landing was uneventful. The jump has proven empirically that level human flight is possible and sustainable using the combination of jet engines and a bird-man suit. The strength required to control level flight was relatively easy, and controlling the direction of flight feels surprisingly natural. The duration of flight is simply a factor of the consumption of fuel of the engine(s) powering the flight. Visa Parviainen has proven that with a little innovation, determination and courage it has been possible to realise the dream of uninhibited human flying.