jimmytavino

looking more closely at the original picture, I wonder if it's just a 'cheapo' ( flat circular) which has spent some time on a riggers table,,,, having it's gore fabric cut out,,,for drive slots and turning slots,,, (Might even have the suspension lines gutted, for reduced bulk. I seem to recall that "550" line consisted of an outer sheath, which housed maybe 8 to 10 strands of smaller diameter nylon which was very strong and durable,, BUT it added to pack volume...) and then having "stabilizers" added, below the skirt line hems, maybe even utilizing the material that was taken from above... just a guess..... I can't really say I see center lines, going up to the apex, and all the suspension lines seem to go , only to the skirt..... for sure it's before MY time.....!!!

UT -15.???? (russian, i think ) jmy

3 dz's to choose from. One is 72 miles west of me... ( an hour and 15 minutes) another is 72 miles east/southeast of me (an hour and a half) ( slower speed limits) and a 3rd is about 40 miles west of me... ( don't go there much though ) jmy

In our area there are a lot of suburban houses which are now the homes of families who started in the city,, many many First generation Americans of various European Places.. . All are represented , from Polish, to Ukranian, from Italian, to Irish, from many places near and far.. Upon moving to the suburbs and having houses with attached garages, and " two car" no less,, and not wanting to ' mess up' the new house, lots of streets feature,, ( or at least 10 to 15 years ago featured,) secondary living rooms.. which homeowners would set up, in the garage...

pretty fast.... over 160 i guess... no suiter , I fall real well with sitters and head downers... even with a suit, i can get going pretty well. first two pics by me. second two pics are frame grabs form brian g's video..

well sure ,,, get the best you can find,, that should be the goal of anyone looking for such equipment....my earlier post was based on a perception of "anything goes" when it comes to 'military purchases".. a rather...narrow viewpoint, I will admit... I guess though,, that i fully understand the term "price isn't really an issue"... but I do believe that you have to justify your expenditures... anyway.. i'm having good luck with a Sony HC3 top mount..... so far so good,,,, not sure if it's still available as it has been "discontinued" around here... mini dv , lanc port, accepts lenses, decent still feature ( using memory stick ) good luck skydive safely jmy A 3914 d12122

the best HDV camera on the market, is any one which is bought with the hard EARNED money of the vidiot who has saved,, ( for probably a loooong time ) to afford that item... and not ANY camera that's paid for with Military tax dolllars ( ours, yours, theirs, or anyones)... so since price really 'isn't an issue'.... Why not, just be like most military expenditures.... and buy a whole bunch of cameras and try them ALL out.. then keep the best... toss the rest , but at least let us poor civilians know what you find out....... signed a tax paying fool.... whose beliefs and values seem to be represented,,,by No One,,, in the military , defense dept. , or Govt. for that matter.... rant over.... carry on... jmy

" i'm to the point that i ask not to jump with outside video" "will jump with a fellow TI" reply to first statement..... I can appreciate a no lurker rule, but unless you have personal problems with video people, there's NOTHIN' wrong with a cameraperson joining the skydive... On a number of jumps I have found myself being asked to assume the role of 'safety monitor' as well as video man. I was on a jump once , where the main container somehow opened shortly after the drogue was thrown.... the TM was Unaware.. the student oblivious... But I was in the only place which had a great VIEW of the situation... as the lines stows started coming undone and the bag began bouncing further and further over the TM's back,,,,, i swooped in close to them, @ around 9 grand,,, and started pointing at them, with my left hand and simulating a deployment move with my right hand,,, and the TM got the message, and pulled the d release handle.

Good thing he was wearing his Para-Boots !!! and BELL Helmet jmy A 3914 D12122

yes. i have a tr81 and a tr 500 both are for Hi 8 tapes. both work and both have s video out as well as regular av jacks. I think i have the charger/direct connect parts. so you can run it from an outlet. i also have a Hi 8 rewinder to spare the wear and tear on the camcorder unit, and so you can shuttle your tapes to different points, before putting them in the camcorder... Don't think i'd sell them . but i'll loan/rent them.... or else one of them..... i'll look today, to locate everything... lemme know if you find something, elsewhere i probably can ship within a couple of days jmy

wow..... there's a thin line between 'creative videography' and 'chaotic videography'

Yes..... up to a dozen different club members flew either a 5 cell stratostar or a 7 cell cloud, behind boats mostly. back in the late 70's... A cessna club from the western NY area... the squares were getting established in jumping and we had them,,, so might as well launch them..... and if the launch went well.. it worked out ok.. we stayed over water mostly, DID have a 3 ring release and were using boat Pilots,, who had some experience with towing water skiers and with awareness on the water...In some cases the boat captain owned it,, and was a jumper... We were able to launch from a beach in some cases, when we were on one of the "finger lakes"... or as was the case when launching over lake Ontario.. One of the guys had a yard which .. was a nice lawn,, flat and soft, which ran toward the water and then dropped Off... literally 25 or 30 feet to the water surface, below... it was a perfect aircraft carrier type launch... The boat was wellll out into the water. each side/chord, of the canopy was held by a pair of launchers the taller one, towards the nose of the canopy....The parasailor would hold some brakes an prepare to run , then throttle UP, everybody start moving,,,,, and generally the canopy would inflate and lift!!!! just about the time we'd run outta lawn!!! It took a good sized boat with some people in it, to keep the back end from getting lifted up, by the canopy..... it was always edgy at best... anyway i remember doing it 3 times myself, twice at one place and once at another..on that last flight.... I did get into a sliding sort of trajectory as the boat was making a turn,,,,, and could sense the horizon coming UP on me,,, I tried to counter with toggle input... but it became real evident, real fast that i was gonna get wet...and so i tucked my knees up into my chest, layed back in the harness and spanked the water with the back side of my right thigh!!!i was wearing cut off jeans... .. people on shore later told me that they could SEE me hit the water,,, and then about 2 or 3 seconds later,,, they HEARD... the loudest slap.. you could imagine!!!! hahahaha the boat had stopped. i was fine,, we always wore a ski vest under the rig, and insisted that all parasailors knew how to swim, and had already made a few conventional water jumps.....The next day the purple bruise was the size of a football!!!!!! hahahah Unbelievably,,,,, we managed not have ANY serious problems or injuries during those times of adventures!! despite some real good attempts!!!!! just the usual bumps and bruises, aches and pains... maybe Luck, maybe decent plannng and rigging, maybe the right boat, maybe Luck Only one other time did i personally witness a jumper in a harness, being tethered to a TRUCK!!! this huge 4 wheeler..... (The plan was Not to drive the truck, but let it serve like a big anchor.. ..i dunno.. " I wasn't in Charge" ..) with maybe 150 feet of line.... on a damn fine windy day No jumping The rest of the usual cast of idiots then assisted in getting the canopy inflated,,, and then ( the poor bastard) Fred,,, was ON His Own It started out ok... he could stay relatively square, could work toggles, and get some results.... but he started sliding left and right,, and kinda was conteracting everything that was happening with semi- wild toggle inputs.... man... it scared the hell outta me.... and poor "Fred" is up there going " get me down !!!!!..... Three or four of us got on the rope,, near the truck, and started moving towards the canopy,, puilling the tether towards the ground.... it took some work, but in 20 or 30 seconds we had him on the ground,, man he was shaking!!!! hahahaha.. They say "flying is the second greatest thing, Landing is the first"...for sure that guy was the poster boy for that saying... it seems one or two others may have braved it, later on that day. but not me... be careful jmy

initial instincts say... probably not a good idea but as a creative cameraman, i think, "could be done, as long as the two tandems aren't trying to dock on each other..." A tandem pair with people docking on them, filling the space between the first and second tandem pair, could make for a safe and interesting snapshot... i. e. a loop , or a line with tandems as 'bookends'... or a ( big) star, with tandems across from one another...providing all participants are of the appropriate caliber and credentials... The key of course is to keep the drogue bridles far away from each other AND from solo jumpers....( the idea of flying to and grabbing a drogue bridle is foolhardy and overly bold... though i don't doubt that it's been done...) I have almost eaten a drogue or two shortly after exit, but that was on me, not the TM... (a bit too aggressive, in getting a close up view)... i think i could probably fly up and accross to, and touch a drogue,,,,, but would never do so..... as a side note.... At times when we have been short on available camerapersons, I often thought about one video person doing TWO tandems.... simultaneously !!!!... you'd need to have the right airplane, ( big),, full altitude, a good sized door, Staff who can work together, AND a plan.... but i think if the tandems get out close, and the camerman has good range then he/she should be able to get the exit and early freefall of tandem 1 and then move and move quickly to get to tandem 2 for some freefall footage and their opening.... and certainly can be on the ground to shoot both landings.. sensible??? silly?.... again, I only propose it when the need for video , exceeds the numbers on hand to do the video...and when students want to 'jump with their friends' on the same load...and have their own video.... jmy

excellent.. we can witness here, the evolution of tandem video cameramen... DSE you've achieved what has long been dreamed of..... While shooting tandem and aff video for years, and creating souvenir tapes of which i was proud, The thought has always been, How can we get better, how can we fine tune, how can we stay efficient during editing, in order to deliver what is essentially an 'ad' for our DZ....I learned many years ago that sharing between one another, and teaching each other how to best utilize the features of our equipment, certain techniques allows for the growth and improvement of all... Early on we made VHS tapes with music , video and audio using Radio-Shack $29.95 mixer with all sorts of cables running out of it

....well it's an old one,, but I do like it A woman rushes into her home all excited and shouts out, " hey !! pack the bags, I won the lottery"!!! A mans voice replies,, " Great, should I pack for the mountains, or pack for the beach"? She yells back... " I don't Care !! just get the hell OUT!!!"

what a shame she's a train wreck.... Honestly, after the parent trap... where she was this adorable, talented actress.... everything else she has done hasn't impressed me... Sure the 'business' is tough, but the perks and advantages which come from that industry can certainly lead a person down the wrong path....if that person has a poor sense of priority how sad that for these starlets, their concept of 'social life', includes stepping in front of the very lights, which they claim are intruding into their personal lives.....and behaving in reckless and unsafe ways.... better that OUR kids are spared such trouble-filled temptations, and instead can grow up as 'normal', regular people.... I wouldn't want that lifestyle for all the $$$$ in the world... it consistantly seems to bring problems to the entire families of such entertainers/celebrities shape up Lindsay!!!!!! jmy

if there are still slots available put me On... jmy

... sounds like it could be useful for various ground shots... landings, take-offs, 360 degree panning...or exit shots, from inside the plane..... does the slo - mo capture still allow for telephoto zooming??? pry best, if tri-pod mounted......since I'd guess the slo mo would be ultra sensitive to to camera movements... anyway,,, something to try..... jmy

.. I had just turned 19...

like all Pixar movies, it's very detailed, and goes the extra mile regarding characters backgrounds and "point of view" camera movements... The chase scenes and action scenes are terrific, many of the "sets" seem to be like Photographic Backdrops , upon which the animation is superimposed....They are very elaborate and accurate... The rats are drawn to be somewhat lovable, and many of the "human" characters are appealing..... The opening sequence with the trigger happy Old Lady, cracked me up.... a good "popcorn matinee"...... jmy

Heeeey !!!! I was visiting a local DZ this past saturday and ran into a lady named ASA, who was ( coincidentaly) also making a second Tandem Jump!!!!!! hahaha.. I found her ( you ) to be very friendly and very tuned into the program, and as i recall, she had a real big smile on her face. When i noticed you, already in a jumpsuit, and with a calm and cool demeanor, I figured that you were a visiting fun jumper with a good bit of experience, and so was surprised to hear that you were making your jump # 2.... well done... Continued success, as you progress in this great sport...... jimmytavino skydive softly, skydive often, skydive with friends

netflix can be a good deal IF you watch and return the movies quickly... My post man takes them right from our mailbox, and leaves the new ones.. lots of categories and older movies. which is good if you remember titles...cause you can simply search for them on the site... Crash... It helps if you can see it more than once. Midnight Run... with Robt. DeNiro and Charles Grodin is a great movie especially the first time one sees it. The Worlds Fastest Indian, is superb for many reasons. Anthony Hopkins stars. The Straight Story with Richard Farnsworth... sort of an "amble along " kind of pace... but good viewing... I liked Oh Brother Where are Thou?, and Fargo... Seeing familiar actors or actresses in offbeat roles, amuses me. The classics... Moby Dick... excellent dialogue, interesting cast...Early Vintage TECHNICOLOR hollywood Film...good story. Mutiny on the Bounty, Swiss Family Robinson...Most of the Disney films are good entertainment, animated or non animated... Other favorites would be Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Indy Jones Saga(s), The Sting, Atlantic City with the always magnanimous Burt Lancaster !!!......ANYthing by Mel Brooks. for TV shows, the early SNL shows were very funny and creative, Check out the " Best Of" series... Cable TV and satellite service, are becoming more and more costly....and going OUT to a movie isn't like the olden days.... where a 10 spot would get tickets for 2 and popcorn and drinks, and enough left to put a few gallons of gas in the car... Not anymore. time spent peacefully at home and watching the movies of our choice, when we want to see them, if far more relaxing than chasing around to this theater or that theater. Your instincts about conserving $$$ and dedicating yourself to your law career, are admirable, AND smart. well done. Now...... "please take your seats, ladies and gentleman, as the show is about to begin "

jumping out of a CASA, a number of times jmy

wow.. I learned a long time ago.. "you shouldn't shoot the messenger,,,, because you don't like the message"... I'm no fan of Rosie... but Moore's work is social commentary at it's best. Not to say it's all fully accurate, he Does tend to slant things,,,( artistic privledge) But he IS thought provoking....and I DO believe that his intention to draw people to a discussion of what he sees, ( and many others also see) as inequities within our culture is a good thing.... I don't think he is in it for the box office returns....( he's more of a social crusader) though support of his films, is what allows for him to continue making new ones... I do intend to see Sicko when it hits the theaters... jmy