jimmytavino

Right On Andyman,,,,, one should be very much at ease during a skydive, and very comfortable with the FEEL of deployment, very familiar with the geography of the area surrounding the DZ,,,(comes in handy when you're the last tandem out the door,,, on an exit that has 6 or 7 different "groups".) and confident in all aspects of the skydive,,,, from gearing up..... to daisy chaining your lines upon landing..... Only then,,, may you,, and should you, add to the mix,,,,,,, the weight, the components, the responsibility and the complexity that goes along with videography ,,,at the level necessary to justify the effort.... There ARE now TWO basic types of Video,,,,,if you will.....the "Pro" stuff,,video for pay,,,,, such as tandem vid... Aff Vid.,, 4-way vid.,,, etc.... and then there is the pleasant growth of jumpers who simply want a video log of their own personal jumps...(freeflyers, freestyle teams, surfer/video teams, etc.) If your interest can be met with smaller, lighter, camera gear, such as the side mounts, the PC series etc.. then , the weight factor, the bulk factor, indeed the entanglement factor, can be kept to a reasonable level..... The top mounts, the dual camera set ups, the bulkier helmet rigs.... all these DO require, greater care, greater caution, and maybe a bit more experience......but like all things in our sport.....go slow and easy,,, learn and then learn some more,,,, and watch out for yourselves and your pals............jimmytee....... when people ask me "Wow,,,, How Much does that camera helmet weigh!???" I usually say,,,, "in freefall it's weightless!!!!!!,,,,,, but at opening it's 4 G's..!!!..

I had 1770 jumps when I first got a SONY Hi-8 video camera in late 1994...I've owned 4 other camcorders since then... I have done 920 jumps since starting , and probably shot video on 875 of those....(Now I run a VX-1000 side by side with a TRV-20,, with an EOS rebel 2000 (very lightweight) on the front...) I enjoy being in a skydive,,, (still prefer RW formation skydiving.) and wearing cameras,,,,, but now 'cause of my wings I can dock much later than I used to ...( with gear I have an exit weight of around 235 lbs.!!!) Sometimes,, if I'm in the base, I will set up the helmet with the TRV-20 facing backwards..... and the vx-1000 facing forwards,,, and catch some interesting footage,,,,,,,When coupled with footage that is shot from OUTSIDE the formation,,, It makes for some neat editing options.......teamwork??....why not???

Sure.....still married...21 yrs. now, to a real sweetie, too. Started skydivin' in '72 at age 19... had like 1200 jumps when I met,,Nancy,, in 1980.... she has No, zero, none, not a single, skydive..hahaha.... she's not interested,,But she likes my jumpin' friends, goes to the occassional DZ party and most importantly,, she doesn't mind if I jump...and has always been great about it.....Our daughter who just turned 19 made a skydive 3 weeks ago with a longtime friend and TM buddy of mine.... another TM and I flew with them and MIKE X videoed.... While Nancy did not come out to the DZ ... she very much enjoyed the video and hearing how excited our daughter. was........ Divorce???????? unlikely... We each have to much love and respect for one another.....and who know's,,, maybe someday we WILL skydive together....

In over 30 years of jumpin' I have never gone too crazy with stickers on my vehicles.... But each one DOES (and always has had) the USPA member sticker on it... that's all. plastering your vehicle with labels, stickers, logos etc.....I'll leave that for the newbies, and the one jump wonders, who make a tandem,,, and then leech off the experience for the rest of their lives.....hahaha......but the member sticker has always been , my subtle announcement of my passion.... jimmeetee

I seem to remember this event, as a case where the camera flyer entered the plane, with his rig and camera equipment,,, and yet somehow managed to climb to altitude without ever actually donning the gear.... He was apparently seated up near the cockpit,, and so was one of the last to exit,,,,,,,, no one "downstream" of him, in the cabin, noticed... and he exited with the rig still sittin' in the plane..... makes you shake your head,,,, and wonder...... yet as this sport demonstrates to us on a regular basis,,,,anything is possible.....Gear check????? I would say SO!!!.... at least a couple of times on the way to altitude....For me.... my favorite skydive is the one that I am looking forward to making,,,,,,,,,,NEXT.....

Midnight Run,,,,,Robert DeNiro A Bronx Tale......Robert DeNiro Moby Dick....( the original).. Gregory Peck. The Sting..... Redford/Newman The Color of Money Cruise/Newman The Gypsy Moths.... Burt Lancaster/Gene Hackman Pulp Fiction.........of course!!!... The Wizard of OZ.......cue up Pink Floyds' Dark Side of the Moon,,,, and start it when the MGM Lion Roars,,,,,,,,,,, don't forget the Popcorn!!!

72 miles. half of it is highway, half of it is State Roads, Only ONE traffic light the ENTIRE trip..... It goes by pretty quick on the way out to the DZ but slower on the return trip.....WELL worth the drive!!!!!

Our Club has 7 or 8 qualified videographers on staff A few of them got together and produced a club leader, which is very fast paced, includes a variety of footage,, and leads into the students' skydive with a scrolling "and now for your skydive".. Each video person edits and mixes their own tapes, and we deliver to the student within 30 minutes or so, of landing,,, Letting videos, pileup by shooting 3 or 4 and THEN trying to make up the finished product,,, has never really worked, for me... You get sloppy, or impatient, OR yourstudent, who has been on the ground now for an hour or two,,, gets impatient.. Our blanks, which the club mass produces and hands to the camera person,, (nice because we each don't have to run around buying blank VHS tapes every week),, alllow just over 12 minutes of footage, plus the 4 minute leader.... I run 2 cameras, one standard focal length and maybe just a little zoom, and one with a .42 wide angle....I IMMEDIATEY start the tape with,,,, what else???? the exit, off the close up camera.... I get right to the business of the jump,,, with some rockin' music.....THEN,,, I backstep to begin the chronological story, with a few seconds of the training,, the gearing up. quick shots of the Club sign and photos and labels and people and everything from posters to groups of regulars dirt diving, and even family members and friends of the student...If you use a clip board, or chalk board for maifest, be sure to grab a shot of THAT, with the students name on it....Thenall the rest,,, including the skydive from the semi-wide angle lens... (be sure to zoom it just enough eliminate the "Vignette Factor".. I also try NOT to be static during the skydive. If the TM likes to do 360s ( and why,,,,, I don't know , then I use that time to run UP to the drogue, and then I do a nice swoop move back to the student..... try NOT to just sit in front of the pair...If you do not have excellent communication with your TM's then establish it.. We have head nods and hand signals for things like "Get the students head,,,, UP.".. and for "we are LONG" and for "we are WAYYYYYY long""".MY finished tapes are about 10 to 12 minutes plus the leader, and we try to get them done ASAP after the student lands.... Oh if haven't already thought about it,,, Get a snapshot printer deck,, Olympus makes 'em Canon and Sony too.... theyrun around 3oo bucks, and will take any paused digital frame, and create a 4 x 5 snapshot, in about a minute or so. I usually grab a frame immediately on landing,,, and make the snapshot, then get packin' then make the vid....The snapshot of the student in freefall can literally be handed to them,,, befor they have gotten out of their jumpsuit,,, and its a nice surprise....Be careful be creative, have fun... jimmeetee "Do or Do Not,, there is no Try" Jedei Master Yoda

You tell'em skyvixen!!!!! Excellent creativity by all who sent their toe drag,(or is that drag and drop) shots at the VERY BRINK of the Niagara Falls...well done.... Now how about a shot of a freeflyer docking on the space shuttle, as it motors into orbit. THERE'S your Hybrid of the Year..........

"land in the water beneath the falls" Yahoo. I'd love to see that...We climb to altitude within view of the NIAGARA FALLS and that image is as awesome as I need. The falls dump into a serious, and swirling cauldron at the base, then just downstream is a world class whirlpool, and the Niagara River normally has 3 to 5 foot waves, crashing everywhere, as it rolls "downhill" to Lake Ontario.... A dozen of our Club Members enjoyed the "Jetboat Ride on The Niagara River" a year ago or so. It was super. The boats are equipped to carry 30 or so passengers, who are properly warned that "you WILL get soaked to the skin"........ and YOU DO. .. (be sure to bring a change of clothes).. the ride starts downstrream of the falls, and the boats plow their way upstream to the base of the falls. the rapids are big time, the ride is a blast,, but you come to understand that the toe skim,, could be your last,, cause while gettin there can be fun,,, the rescue boats, might never find you... but let us know when an attempt is planned, so we can be onsite with the cell phone pre programmed for 911 !!!! Go for It!!!! or maybe..........even better, let someone ELSE go for it" jt Frontier Skydivers Club For a great view of the Falls from above check out Paul Gath's Photo, at our web site,, www.frontierskydivers.com

Most everything has been just great my entire life....especially the 60% of my time on this planet which I have spent as a jumper...49 yrs. old 30 yrs. jumpin'..... But I DO wish I had made the investment and effort to earn a commercial pilot's license..back in my early 20's., before the Wife and Children.... It could have only enhanced my jumping career, and would have allowed me another way to give back to the sport.....Of course it could have also tied my ass to a cessna 182 left seat,,, and allowed me many fewer chances to be jumpin...... so in retrospect ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,"NEVER MIND" Roseanne Rosanna Danna.....

I ordered a brand new canopy many years ago. It was an RW Challenger 240 made at the time by New England Parachute Co. It was a 1000 dollar main, which was on sale for 33% off.... so I Ordered it.. couldn't decide on colors, so I went with R.O.Y.G.B.I.V...... I am as Hetero as they get... (fuggetaboutit,) At that time (1990) I still had no clue that the rainbow had begun to be a banner of sorts, for the Gay Community... Never even thought about it......til years later...but still liked jumpin' a true rainbow pattern...Oh yeah the ribs between the cells were all black... any way I flat packed that canopy on the red end cell for 700 jumps or so,,, got it relined, then flat packed it on the violet end cell for another 500 or so,,, then retired it, with much gratitude, that I NEVER had to cut it away..... Then I got a 2nd hand Spectre 210 with purple , white, and PINK!!!!!!!can Ya' believe it Pink??!! Hey maybe I'm NOT as Hetero as I thought!!!!!!!hahaha... (well at least my wife thinks I'm sufficiently Hetero !!! that's what counts...).

I have been using the Sony VX-1000 for about 4 years.. I have it side by side with a DCR-TRV20. It's big but not that bad,, the 2000 has the flip out viewfinder, and maybe some newer features... Color and image have always been real good...Plus I love the built in handle on the camera, makes it real easy (and safer) to handle the helmet while on the ground and in the plane.....good luck ...jimmytavino

# 1 Idea...Borrow the down payment from the "businessman who offered 1.5 mil.",,,(just kiddin') Remember, though Income property which generates positive cash flow may cost you at tax time.. # 2 Idea. Here's the Real Deal. Buy the place for 540 G,,, find the businessman,,, sell it to him for 1.4 mil...(think how much He'll save....) use the profit to buy a Twin Otter...

"I'd rather take an Otter... fall for 25 seconds and find myself at 10,500 feet than take a cessna ......... climb for 25 minutes, and find myself at 10,500 feet" .... jimmytee "Hey can I get a dub of that??""" .....everyone who was EVER on a skydive which was videoed "Do or Do Not. There is no Try".. Jedei Master Yoda

As I recall most all the early Sony Tr series 8mm and Hi-8 camera will accept a wide angle lens, providing the thread sizes are compatible. Be prepared to buy adapter rings if needed, to enable a lens to mate to the camera... also, be advised that your focusing can be affected, if you zoom the camera while it is wearing a wide angle lens...i.e. a wide angle lens, when zoomed to telephoto, can get fuzzy... "Never even had ONE lesson " Ferris Bueller

I guess it means that I would be a solo jumper under a tandem main

NWS01 .........I can imagine ALOT of things...... "never even had ONE lesson" Ferris Beuller

Right on freeflir 29,,,,, I spelled it right on the first post, but not on the second.....hahaha, see I do need the dictionary....... I may have still been flustered by the original link.........

I vote FOR tan lines, they accentuate the positive.. or it is positives!!!??

Roger that diverdriver, I see from the timing of our posts that we are on the same page... If I had know how to spell definitley,,,, without having to look for my dictionary, I might have gotten my post in just before your's hahaha

Since no one has answered your question yet, I will say, "Yes. Yes she WOULD get extra altitude"!! Most definitely,,, As some drop zones they would give her the PLANE!!!!!!!!!!

Wow, I know some camera people have been elevated to Saintly status,,, and probably well deserved, but FIFTY pounds is funny, and 800 foot snivels I can live with, but 1000 footers is almost extreme,,, but thanks for the smile,,When people, especially non jumpers, see my helmet set-up,(with a Sony VX-1000, side by side with a Sony DCR-TRV7, and a Canon Rebel 2000 35mm on the front) they sometimes ask me, "Is THAT heavy???" I say, "In freefall,,, its weightless,,,, but at opening it's 4 G's" !!!.. jimmyt

My first jump was also my first time in an airplane. I remember how neat everything looked, once we got up in the air a bit... I do recall the rush of air and noise upon exit,,,, and the silence and peace which followed seconds later (static line).. But the most vivid memory was landing literally, ten feet from the old silk canopy which had been spread out on the ground as a target...I stood there thinking,, "Hot Damn, that was FUN!!!") In 4 days, I will enjoy the 30th anniversary of that important date, in my life.......Sept.16, 1972.....wow....I'm working on putting the personel together to do a night 12 way next weekend, in celebration.....yahoo.

Good suggestion Some jumpers have many many jumps under their belts without really understanding that there are alternatives to either full flight (toggles all the way UP) or to flared flight (toggles nearly all the way Down)....Simultaneous Toggles Depression, keeps you sqaure to your line of flight, allows you to "sink" the canopy with minimum loss of available landing area forward of where you are. i.e. if you are set up for your upwind final,,, and the winds get light,,, you must be sure not to overrun your landing area. Many poeple do just that and if it means landing in the scrub, or in the corn instead of on the grass landing zone,,, well that's survivable,,,,, but when overrunning your landing zone, puts you into buildings, or parking areas or heavy trees, or a parked aircraft,,, then bleeding off some altitude prior to landing should have been the right move..... .OF COURSE!!!!, you need to develop the feel for this technique while at a higher altitude, and you MUST understand that any "sinking" while under canopy must be concluded with SOME altitude to spare... You should time it so that a return to full flight, or nearly full flight, can be accomplished high enough to establish some speed with which to flare..... Half brakes, or 3/4 brakes is a good alternative to a hard toggle turn or spiral, at a point in your descent when such moves can be costly.(plus in a deep brakes mode,,, you will not be changing your heading and you will still have a good view of your upcoming landing area....) When you go to brakes,,,, you may initially get some float, until your canopy settles,,,, so be aware if the landing area is crowded. not to intrude into anothers landing pattern..(by relatively "backing Up " into them).Check with your instructor, and watch and speak with any accuracy enthusiast ( if you can find one). Be sure that when you come up out of brakes, you have allowed enough time and altitude, for the initial canopy surge and pendulum effect, which you should anticipate, as your canopy resumes flight. then using this speed, smoothly transition it, to lift, as you flare....