jimmytavino

...aerodynamics. forward drive. steerability.

.... Five questions.. First of all ... any idea what the body weight of the student might be?? ( no offense to the woman in question),,, I'd guess ANYthing over about 150 pounds AND under a 26 foot round,,,, and you'd better not be trying to stand it up... Two... just what size WAS that reserve?? 22 foot 24 foot 26 foot??? Three..... WHY ?????? is ANYplace still using round reserves????? especially on student gear !!!!... sheesh.. in this day and age of suitable ram air canopies,, both mains and reserves.. it seems to me that it would further complicate an emergency situation,,, if the jumper is under a sloooow,, and not real responsive canopy.. Plus if the student does something interesting... like trying to FLARE that canopy..... ( yikes) that would NOT be good. this dz should step up a few DECADES... in terms of it's selection of gear.... Four... was the student "backing up" at the time of landing...??... and was it an "off field" landing?? FIVE...... why isn't it a uspa dz.... ???

.... I get a little nervous when people are trying to aspire to "the minimum requirements"... Common sense and good adherance to safety concerns should dictate that a camera flyer have Much more than just the abilty to "buy a camera"... I'd think that AFF is one area of freefall camerawork that requires,, maximum "know how" and experience... that means at least 400 flatfly skydives ( IMHO ) and maybe as many as 100 camera jumps... While tandems can 'present the unexpected' from time to time,,, if you are working tandems with some capable and well experienced T Masters, a certain rythym gets established,, a certain 'script ' if you will and that lessens the likelihood of any surprises..... AND if there are surprises it becomes more readily noticable...AND you have the TM to assist in correcting the situation, or at least mitigating the safety concerns.. NOW go on an AFF dive and often all bets are off.... that student can do any number of things from exiting incorrectly,, to deploying when it's not expected.... to taking the jumpmasters for a wild and exciting ride.... Despite the best jumpmasters out there.. ANYthing can happen.... and so (again IMHO) only seasoned and well practiced camera people should be accompanying AFF groups, especially levels 1 and 2.... Mistime the exit or have a student leave early or late and things can get interesting... TOUCH or BUMP an AFF group on exit,,, and you're in trouble.... stay too far away and your video is less effective as a learning/critique tool, stay to close.. and you could be greeted with a facefull of pilot chute.... Not sure exactly what these various organizations might have to say about it.. but these organizations are NOT going out the door and into freefall with us... Best to err on the side of overcautious.. If you have to ask... maybe the answer would be,,,, "more experience than you currently have".. go slow,, go easy... Be sure that your flying skills are solid,, then acquire some experience with the camera either on fun jumps or on carefully controlled tandem jumps.... But for sure on most early level AFF dives,, while you may be looking at the student,, you can Bet your ass.. that the student won't be looking at you, at least NOT to point of being aware of where YOU are... the whole dive.... Perhaps your experience level is sufficient skymak. but with few details listed in your profile, I'd suggest asking about the MAXimum experience levels,, rather than the minimum good luck skydive safely jmy

I skydive with cameras in order to create and build a video library of as many of my jumps as possible... Tandems AFF and other student dives,, ( coached dives etc ) become a bit of the same old same old... but I like to pitch in and help our club when there are lots of students....though that can get to be a bit like "work ". However alll the fun jumps,,, formation skydives and one and ones which I do... are always best appreciated if I have footage of them.. My minds eye does the real job of experiencing and absorbing the jump.. and generally It gets burned into my brains' hard drive in such a way that i can easily recall some vivid visuals of jumps made years and even decades ago...

.. Hmmm law enforcement.... Gravity is The Law.... are you going to be a Texas Ranger???

What a Majestic Animal.. .. the grotesque photo is insulting and does not do Justice to this Shark.... Over some fishing derby???? How Ironic that it was disqualified... That should say something to to all those "sportsmen" who entered.... The natural world of this Planet is varied and Amazing,,, all except for the Human Animal , which is confusing , bewildering and often disrespectful of the very environment in which it lives. "what were they thinking"?

I was a recent victim of a snagged rig which caught on the side of a casa there were 6 of us pregripped ready to launch a 4way star with 2 hangers , for a hybrid dive... the rig which caught,, was not mine, but was on the guy next to me, who also had a right hand grip on my left legstrap.... i was also double gripped at both arms, with jumpers who were to be in the flat flying 4 way round.. ( the hangers were to be hanging from legstraps, not cheststraps.) anyway,, when we went,,, the one guy didn't... his legstrap snagged but then cleared and the entire base got racked....... in the ensuing flushed exit... my right arm got really torqued,, and the shoulder dislocated.... Long story short,,, since my arm was flailing around above my head, and since I could NOT bring my hand down,,,, anywhere NEAR my main P C Handle, I stayed cool throughout the feefall and pulled my reserve with my left hand (after waving off) just as i was getting to 3 grand...I had a painful but controllable reserve ride and landed in the main landing area,,, but the shoulder needed emergency room treatment and had to be reset.... I was "wishboned" like a thanksgiving day turkey,,,,, and you can be sure it will be a looong damn time before i take up "gorilla grips" in the door of ANY aircraft again.... Upon returning to the dz shortly thereafter we looked at the plane to see 2 chunks of hardware, one on each side of the door, apparently used for "static line retrieval"... hmmmmm... 2 things..... 1. such projections Need to be covered, taped, or otherwise neutralized and 2. we should have turned the 6 way piece,,, 90 degrees in the door.. and exited it the skinny way, instead of the wide way... but more importantly we should have LOOKED and we would have seen the snag point...... I wonder why NO One else had,,,,, waaaay before we got to that skydive....

"oh no" !!! damn... So sad to hear this news One tough Cookie!!!! that's for sure.. heal quickly, heal fully Amy if i could lend her my ankle,, i would........ jimmy in rochester.

well done...tough situation.. what was the exit altitude???? if instabilty on exit was a factor, why pull so quickly??? wouldn't it be better to get squared away in the air first,,, and then pull ? Deploying ONE second out the door, ( especially on a high speed jumprun ) is like a batter who decides he's gonna swing before the pitch is even thrown. skydive softly skydive often skydive with friends

sorry squeak... do you really think that WE would ever let HER go??????.... she IS the BEST,,,, deep blue eyes!! Great personality, a FINE FINE skydiver, and a "rocket scientist" with the US Air Force,,, ( a Captain, as well )..... and yes very very photogenic!!!. Everyone here Loves her..... especially ME!!!

....here are a couple more.. skydive softly skydive often skydive with friends

.... No offense to you or your Dad.... But... what kind of Father would NOT risk it ALL!!!!, to make his child happy..... He's a helicopter pilot?? He has the "keys" to the aircraft?? AND....... He says NO to your request....... THAT'S COOOOLD ..... Might have to snub the poor guy,,, come next fathers Day.. hahahaha...

Al Quada and those who ascribe to their radical policies, and over the edge tactics ARE terrorists, since they have publicly admitted to their "devotion to the cause"..... Yes they were supported by the taliban in some parts of the world especially Afganistan..... .... However.... for the "Bush Boys",, ( i e the current administration) to rally around that Term,,, and to label the insurgents in Irag as "terrorists" is simply part of the "scare tactics" which not only got us into the quagmire over there,,, but also got G W re-elected... The Insurgents,,,,, while carrying on "terrorist type attacks",,, are really nothing more than "nationalists" who resent the current Occupation of their country by U.S and coalition forces.... I do NOt understand why the american public is so willing to accept the concept that " the insurgents are terrorists".... as though they are absolutley and without a doubt,, affiliated with Bin laden et al... Religious fanaticism has been a part or this planets' history since about the time that 'religion' was created.... Think "crusades" think "holy wars",,,, soo many fights have been fought over contrasting religious philosophies..... Rather than take the position that the US is out, "speading democracy" ( a rather "ethnocentric and arrogant attitude" ) why can't our president look at the situation from the point of view of Our "enemies"........ which is.... A huge world power comes from across the world, to send equipment manpower, supplies and extreme firepower to an area of the world , about which we understand little,,,, We behave as a destructive and conquering force,,,, blow up infrastructure like it is inconsequential,, kill civilians as well as "opposing soldiers",,, and then simply move along to "declare" that democracy will be the next order of business, in a place which cleary does not share our "forward thinking ways"...... Helll democracy is only 229 years Old... Who is to say that it is the right way for societies to live? ..... Look at our own country... We are in a mess.... we can't care for our own,,, we spend money which we don't have, we barge all over the planet like some self appointed "hallway monitor" and step all over cultural and historic populations as though they "requested our help".... Please..... sounds like imperialism at work.... sounds like the Big Kid on the block, throwing around his weight in a totally selfish way.... Terrorists??..... I dunno,, maybe,,, but I think these poor bastards who have Nothing to lose,,, are simply trying to defend their homeland,,,, ( which has been in existence for thousands!!!! of years) from the war mongering USA.... who should learn how to stay the hell out of everyone elses' business..... as for "terrorist threat" ? The whole concept sounds like some madison Ave ad agencies attempt to sugar coat the entire mess in which we find ourselves... some semi acceptable rationalization for our aggressive and ( to my way of thinking ) unacceptable behavior world wide... ok... flame away !!

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. . . . . hahahahah and Mine is TODAY !!!!! june 15 1953..... so I go into dz dot com this morning and the FIRST thing that catches my eye is This B'Day thread........ ... I get younger and younger every year......

. . . I second this excellent idea of pcalandra's It's all in the marketing.... Inside AND outside video correctly edited and blended can REALLY result in a first rate experience and video for the student. The instant reactions which can be "caught" by the handcam as soon as the main opens, coupled with the NECESSARY outside shots of canopy flight and especially Landing.... ( How can Handcam landing footage compare with a video person's "on the spot" perspective???? ) Your staff needs to work this out together,,, and NOT create an "either / or" situation... Of course places that use a cessna will likely just send up 2 students... 2 T masters,,,two Handcams and that's that.... What kind of aircraft are you using vphoto???????????? .... good luck

. . . Number 1 static line, out of a 'borrowed' C 182 . then the next 4 static lines were from a Cessna 210 !!! retractable landing gear !! which the pilot would unfold during jump run. !! hahaha He would stand on the right brake so the wheel would lock,,,,, ( except for the one time when He and the jumpmaster thought it would be "amusing" to let me roll off the front of the damn tire... !!!! hahaha Yeah real funny...)... my 3rd jump ever,,, I held on real well to the strut,, dangling in front of the wheel with my static line blowing around behind me !!! I turned my head to look at my JM ,, and HE was kneeling there..and Just like the pilot was laughing!! like crazy..... So i did a "chin-up" reached back and found the tire with my left foot... and completed my exit..... I was waaay long!!!.. We jumped the C 210 ( about the size of a 206 ) for about a year then got a 182.. So I mostly learned on 182's.... and C 180s ( at one time there were 5 cessna DZs near me,, each less than and hour and a half away....) I began to learn how to do RW out of a De Havilland Beaver, back in the 70's...

A sweetheart, a hard worker, a great student and Now.... a N Y State certified secondary education Teacher... !!! Our dear daughter Allison Graduated 3 weeks ago from College.... and then.... Last weds. after 2 interviews and a 45 minute lesson in front of a real LIVE class, a few days later,,,, was offered ( and Accepted ) a full time Teaching Position as a 7th Grade History Teacher..... !!!! Yipppeeeee... for this coming September !!!

likely he will walk.... he's Weird,,,, with a Capital W.... but as the late Johnnie Cochran has stated,, "The color of Justice in this country is not black or white... it is Green. !! ( $$$$ ) .... sad....

soooooo. THAT is why we didn't see you at the DZ on sunday...... !!!

that's what i was thinking.... ..If you mean the pieces sewn inside the canopy to serve as a stop for the slider grommets when pulling UP against the canopy during packing... Could a line have double wrapped one of those 'chips' ? maybe... It might have held on just long enough for this visual....and then cleared....?? I second the suggestion by GravityGirl.. that's what it lookes like to me... Can anyone verify where those stops.. might be.... in the design of this canopy????