noob question Camera Wings

[shibu 1]

What are the wings on the camera jackets used for?
I assume they make it easier to sitfly & take video but how come nobody else uses them other than camera men? How come they aren't used by Freeflyers, etc.

[Remster 30]

They make it possible for camera flyers to get more vertical on formations, in their burble, and still stay up there.

They also give them a lot more range so they can come down, below, and above the subjects more easily.

Sit flyers used to have wings, but it made their suits very single application.

Remster

[kawisixer01 0]

Tandem vid flyers use the wings to vary fall rate ( think 100 pound customer on one load going on to a 200 pounder on the next load) and also to make you more head high which allows you to have more range out of your neck and the head high makes the camera angle better to catch the customers face instead of looking at the top of their head. To kinda get under the tandem pair and look up a little. Personally it allows me to quickly vary my fall rate to start above them post exit and catch a good view of them above the ground "hanging" from the drogue, collapse and quickly get down level, drop under and get them from below a bit for some good face time, the pop back up a bit and orbit quick, drop back down and get level again for a few seconds and catch the deployment nice and clear where I then go to my knees or sit to get the entire deployment until they are nearly out of sight and I need to flip over and pull.

[billvon 3,111]

>What are the wings on the camera jackets used for?

To control their fallrates, to be able to fly in a formation's burble and to give them more "power" on exits to get where they want to be.

>how come nobody else uses them other than camera men? How come they aren't used by Freeflyers, etc.

They don't use camera wings because you can't take grips with them. Some freeflyers do use smaller versions of them. Some bigway people use modified wings; they use jumpsuits that look like regular jumpsuits but have "swoop cords" built into them. When you extend your arms all the way out the cords tighten and expand the fabric (usually flexible, like lycra) outwards to catch more air.