jimmytavino

right on AggieDave !!!!... I like the wisdom with which you speak..

....

.... In ANY way?????? .... man this one offends me in EVERY way... ...I'd ask ,, " where does the line form"??? except that I'm afraid it would be a MILE long!!!!

interesting....Only the drill bit seems to be spinning clockwise (from the point of view of the rover.)...when it starts up...... And if so... then shouldn't the rover be spinning counterclockwise ( i. e. opposite) when the rock resists?????... I think that NASA "faked " it... hahahaha

.......... SONY... the one and "OHNY" !!!!!

Interesting concept and sure it CAN be effective given all the best conditions...although the work load for the Tandem master is surely increased.... In no way,,, however, would I want to see the camera mounted anywhere ON the students themselves..... Too distracting,,,, too unlikely to result in acceptable freefall footage,,,, and far Far to likely a serious liability exposure for the dropzone and it's staff....... Since I work part time as a freefalll cameraperson,,, I think tandems should continue to be threesomes...... Plus... I have always held the opinion that the camera person absolutely serves as a "monitor/lifeguard".... on EVERY tandem they film,,, and can be something of a help to the TM in the event of a spin,,, or a drougue/bridle hangup,,, or any another equipment problem.. A number of times,, i have moved in on a tandem that has done more 360's than they would like... and planted a hand on the TM's leg to stop a spin.... Another time,,, the Tandem was in drougue fall at 10,000 feet,, when the container somehow opened, and the main bag got out...... The 3 ring holding the drougue bridle was still connected,, ,,, and the bag was bouncing around and lines were unstowing... The TM AND the student were UNaware of the situation,, until I swooped them,,,, pointed repeatedly at the TM... with my left hand and Simulated a pull with my right hand,,,,rather agressively....He got the message,,, pulled around 8 grand,, ( the main had not YET gotten out of the d-bag ) and got an acceptable opening,,,, save some bigtime linetwists... No camera man on the dive,,, and they likely ride that mess to 5,500,,, UNLESS the locking stows of the main bag come undone first...... I'm all for creative use of cameras, but lets supply the necessary personnel to do it safely...

roger that.... my bad...no offense intended we WANT you in the here and now....that's the whole idea....

... ________________________________________________ It's NOT complex..... it's simple....In this sport you either mellow out and go easy,,,, therefore lasting a long long time.... Or you Flash and Sparkle, and blow through levels of competency so fast,,, that you absorb NOTHING..... and then you are gone,,, and you are some dude who people refer to by saying,,,,"don't do what this person did"..... take your pick....Play carefully,, and you can play for many many years..and become a guiding star in the sky. Play recklessly and take chances,,, and you are on the road to the longevity of a shooting star.... flash... and GONE..... This isn't hopscotch we're playing here,, friends... It's serious business,,, subtley disquised as the "most fun you ever had"....... yet with the proper attitde and approach... We CAN have fun for years and years and years...

We live in a world and ON a planet where injustice, miscommunication, poverty, social difficulties, and tough situations, bombard us on a frequent basis...So much here can be so much Better.. While many can find happiness in spite of this,, the world can be a pretty grim place from time to time Happy is the athlete who can develop and perfect equipment and techniques to allow for the occasional " Fleeting Disassociation " figuratively and literally from that world... The next time you are climbing to altitude, relaxing and anticipating, grinning and smiling, taking in the sights and the sounds and the vibes of the others on board, you may smile to yourself as you recall this question...from yurbai ... Why Do People Skydive??? (since I hit 50 this year,,, I have now been A 100 % skydiver ....for 62 % of my Life!!!!! ) Why mess with a good thing???) ....Oh .... I started as a college kid, took a static line course, and landed 10 yards from the target on my first jump ( which was also my first airplane ride! ) I also had a lot of fun and mostly positive accomplishments for a nice long stretch when I began,,, and so was comfortable and well immersed in the sport before I had to endure a harrowing landing,,, or an equipment problem, or any other setback or injury..That helped... Nowadays jumping is the way I enjoy my free time, the way i get some excersize and some fresh air, the way I meet new and interesting People and the way I stay connected to many many fun and wonderful friends of mine,,, and of course .... often we will all get together and share a sunset skydive at the end of a fine day....

Re; any last minute don't do this///////.... well maybe..... I don't know about a Canon Mini Dv...... Canon is Super for 35 mm SLR ( canon eos 2000 ) ... still cameras,, and now is good with their new digital stills,,,( 10 D and Eos digital ) but frankly I dunno about their video cams...... I am a Sony video camera owner,,, I have 3 mini dv units right now,,, they are durable and rugged and work very well in freefall,,, ( If you eventually think that you will use the camera while skydiving.).. but I can't vouch for the Canon video... A buddy of mine was using one,, the pic.. was OK....during ground shots,,,,. but the freefall footage seemed to have a lot of "tape flutter" during playback..... ( maybe not a problem for your movie project...). but again i am a sony man.... good luck..... jmy

..amazing....

... what sort of gross payload weight can that bird handle???? I'm thinking,,, smalll,,, real small video camera For sure... you could get some interesting shots.... BUT NOT nearly as NICE,,,, as you could get from a radio controlled.... Helicopter!!!!!.. The model aircraft keep getting stronger and the cameras keep gettin lighter......so it's only a matter of time... I have seen such a set-up while watching television. It was being used on an outdoor movie set....very controllable not a real lot of propwash..and in the right hands,,, a great recording device... Can you imagine such a video/helo set up..... Hovering at about 100 feet or so,,off to the side of a landing area , shooting wideangle shots of canopies flying by and landing????? hahahaha..and airplanes taxiing by,,, beneath it... The operator could turn and bank and hover,,, Just switch on the video camera and make sure you have plenty of battery and tape....( I crack myself up....

And it had a good soundratck too! I enjoy movies that are based in real life experiences, and tend to cheer on the underdogs. roger that...add Hoosiers..... to that list

.... it looks like this...... hahahaha .... at least.. it was sunny!!

Static Line ... AFF... Tandem Progression ... each has it's value and place in a student training program... Maybe a deciding factor should be the type of AIRCRAFT available to you at the DZ where you choose to start jumping.....If you have access to large planes,,,and if exit altitude is normally 13,500 or more,, then AFF and Tandem make sense... Quick comfortable ( as long as the plane isn't "packed with people" ) rides to altitude, plenty of room in the door,, for you and your instructors,,, 60 seconds or more in freefall,, and 3 to 4 thousand feet of canopy time..will give you the comfort, and time to make the most of your dives, and accomplish more of your targeted learning objectives.. On the other hand if the dz uses a cessna,, AND if they still offer S/L... it may be best to go that route.. The ride to exit alt. (3200 feet ) is quicker,,( i. e. less time to stress about it) you are the only one on the step at exit... as opposed to trying to squeeze main side and reserve side instructors out there with you,,, and you will have a chance to get comfortable with your gear, and with canopy flight, ahead of having to perform multiple duties, while in freefall.... Also the ride to altitude in a cessna for a tandem or aff will usually only allow you 10,500 feet or so,,,,, in which case you still pay the big bucks,, but IMHO.. get shorted 3 to 4 thousand feet.... So ask around. It would be interesting to see how many tandem and AFF students, who did their # 1 jump from a cessna,,, followed through and made more jumps,,,, as compared to those who flew in a turbine,, with 10 to 20 other happy skydivers,,, those who got to watch multiple groups exit ahead of them,,those who were led to a large door without a STEP,,,( can you say poised exit?)to deal with ,, and who did a freefall of 10,000 feet or more....If you have access to big planes,, go big...but If your dz of choice only has a cessna or two ,,,, then maybe S/L will make more sense.... There is nothing wrong with becoming comfortable and proficient at climbing out and exiting solo ,,, at 3 grand or so.....thats the ONLY way it was done many years ago... Then ,, as you progess and you DO get more and more altitude,, the comfort cushion simply increases. Regardless of your choice,, rely on your instructors and learn as much as you can about technigues, safety and gear..... have fun!!! jmy edit for spelling.