jimmytavino

wow 400 posts, about this event.... maybe I'd better put it on my schedule... and ATTEND.....

i reluctantly removed the hand strap from my HC-3.... BUT rather than cutting it , way back at the point where it hits the casing,,, I DID leave about 1/2 an inch of webbing remaining... This will allow for the Re-Attachment of the hand strap... by simply stitching it, back onto the small tab... Cut it right at the casing,,,, and there's little chance of a re-connect. it can be re stitched , even by hand.... and then that connection can be undone, with a little time and a seam ripper...... for the rare times when the camcorder is used for video projects, other than skydiving.. jmy

great grandma flew as a late diver on a 16 Way???????

maybe those exit door latches rattled,,, during flight and the bungee, keeps inward tension on them so they aren't noisy.... Remember....... Old things rattle and Old things are noisy...

hmmm i guess you're right... it's all about perspective... and perhaps the cameraperson WAS agressive as well...The fisheye lens also gives that appearance of closeness... ( i viewed the footage again....) while it sure SEEMED to me, like the cameraperson was the target...... he could have also contributed to the near miss...,,, or as you put it, " successful fly-by"......could well be, that all of that was choreographed and they were cool, as it transpired... i may had been misled by the earlier part of the video where most of the canopy flight seemed random... NOW what would be a justifiable, explanation, for WHY two canopies tried to "get close" to one another... especially at such a high rate of closure speed....?? and especially THAT close....hmmm could be for the very purpose of getting that sort of footage..... maybe. only at first glance it looked like trouble to me... never heard of " face to face Crew "....

well it sounds like the "politcally correct" version, of the reason ( excuse) they gave you.. Instead of admitting,, we're too busy to waste time having an instructor spend 20 minutes with your friend, to assure that the novice would be safe,, they sort of just shoved you aside... Maybe not worth the staffs' time for an "up-jumper" who might buy one or only two lift tickets.... Could be that they were busy with Their OWN students , to offer any courtesy to a visitor... and i suppose it's their right.... Was it a busy day, with tandems and AFF??? was this a DZ with a BIG plane or a small plane...? One plane or two...? I fear they just didn't wanna be bothered with any sort of briefing, or re-training. Whose gear was to be used??? your friends'??? or the DZ's???? sad..... but it's their DZ, and whoever owns the toys, makes the rules... (just my guess on the matter ... and.... i DO hope i am wrong ) sorry it wasn't a slow day , so that you both could have jumped.... There's nothing more discouraging to a newbie,, than to plan a visit to a new DZ, carry along logbooks, proficiency cards, gear, and a smile,,, and then get shut out for any reason.... Weather??/ we can deal with, but uncaring and /or insensitve staff, can hurt a DZ in subtle ways, that many a dzo never realizes... .... as for One handed????? well if your friend was trained to "peel and pull the cutaway pad, and then look reach peel and pull the silver".......then she would be just fine,,, since the first move on the gear from the dz you visited, would have initiated a cutaway AND a reserve container opening....and the silver ripcord pull would have been redundant. NOW however,,,,, If trained on an S O S system and switching to gear that requires a separate move to activate the reserve,,,,, THEN i can certainly see the potential for a problem... IF the gear has no RSL and if the S O S trained student,,,, only does the ONE move.....and does NOT pull silver... But that's not the case here... as described by the O P . anyway.. good luck, I hope your friend is closing in on her A License Qualifications... skydive safely jmy A 3914 USPA # 9452 4 stack 930

Yes. didn't realy key into the time frame of your visit until a second reading of your post. dec and january....??? Yikes!!!! well, let's just say it's not warm and sunny !!! at that time... N falls,,, with ice formations, is very nice though..and for sure the crowds are smaller... The city of Niagara Falls, Canada has a fun, busy and active downtown area.. On a bit of a hill , heading downhill to see the Horseshoe Falls, which is most impressive and is the Canadian Falls. The streets are full of shops and stores, food places and theaters. Many hotels have been built and now in the past ten years or so, Casinos are part of the fun..... Might not even be necessary to enter the US....The American falls is to the south, and is separated by Goat island...( the first pic. posted earlier is the american the second one , is canada...) Now if it was summer time here,,,, then it's different,,,, you'd have to visit the dropzone...here in New York so yes. keep me posted. jmy

zoomy is right!!!!! looks more like a high altitude demolition derby i have heard of "geeking the camera" but that was too much...Plus it looked like earlier in the footage, that same yellow canopy clipped someone else.... where is the video,,,, from AFTER the landing.. where the camerperson punches the yellow canopy pilot right in the nose???? Well,,, at least they had lots of altitude for performing cutaways!!! "hey ,,, you have a FUN idea???,,, for some things we can do Up In the Air??" "fine have at it,,,I'll stay on the GROUND,, and watch, thank you very much" jmy

Toronto is a world class city..... lots of good things,,, Restaurants, stores, THEATER,,,, many many theaters,, and some great first rate shows......saw the Lion King and Mama Mia, there..... Lots of world tour Musicians, play there... CN Tower and the Home of the Blue Jays. A.L. Major League Baseball..... They Play in the SkyDome..... NICE people... in years past, our club,,, in western NY has had many many a visitor from Canada,,, many who have become regulars at the DZ.... .. Nice people , Eh????? ... We can SEE Toronto even from just 1000 feet AGL,, whenever the weather is clear... Lake Ontario separates us. The drive around the western edge of the Lake takes a couple of hours, ,, But as the bird flies, we are less than 50 miles south of that city... Night jumps , are fantastic at our club... The broad expanse of the Lake lays beneath us, as a dark void, while the lights and shoreline across the way, glisten like a million little stars..... Be sure to have your passport handy, as you cross between Canada and the USA, over one of 3 bridges... They have recently become VERY fussy about visitors, having the proper identification.... there are many dz's with an hour or an hour and a half of Toronto... attached,,,, Niagara Falls,,,, one is from the ground, ( note the sightseeing ship, "the maid of the mist",,, waaaay up near the Falls, and almsot hidden by the mist...) That ship is BIG and carries over 100 visitors at a time.... The other shot was taken from the open door of the C 180,, while climbing to altitude, at Frontier Skydivers, in western NY... Last pic (frame grab,,, by B Germain) shows jimmytavino and Nancy B. in freefall with Lake Ontario, behind us... Pretty Cool EH??????? hahaha safe travels Squeak..... jimmytavino

Nikon is a fine choice... but the D70 doesn't have a port for a wired remote..... the D 70 S does, and i bet the 200 and 300 also have a port to accept the plug - in shutter switch. check with laszloimage. he posts here from time to time and has tongue switches and adapters which are compatible with Nikon... p.s. that Nikon D300. is ALOT of camera... and a sweet one, too... if i may ask...... how is it that you have such equipment "at your disposal" ??? very fortunate... have you used the camera(s) extensively ON the Ground??? it helps greatly, to be familiar with all the features and settings,, before taking it out the door of an aircraft. have fun... be safe

Damn..... talk about having mixed emotions.... good deployment...completion of a nice freefall. and then... click....and away goes what truly amounts to an extension of our very bodies..... the video cam. and helmet..... and then that helpless and frustrating feeling, as it falls out of sight...I feel for you... I had my wonderful Trv-20 disconnect from from my helmet at opening,,, about 4 years ago....( sunset load, sunday night) stayed the night at the DZ in order to look for it the next morning... ( i vowed i would NOT leave it to rot away, alone and unloved) hunted in a nearby woods, for about 2 hours,,,, and finally did find it... all smashed up.... any chance your homeowners insurance might cover such damage???? i hope so. attached is a pic. of me,,, with the aforementioned Sony camcorder....a day or so later... jmy

19... i was a college kid. it was 1972 it was my first time ever IN an airplane... i had 250 take-offs, before i ever Landed , in a plane...

i've always read parachutist and SKYDIVING cover to cover and have enjoyed alll the great photos published in them... many stick in our minds for one reason or another... was really guessing in the earlier post , but i do seem to remember pic's of S Brown ( never met him, never knew him) in which he wore a red jumpsuit maybe a photo of an exit or as a floater, holding on with one hand... thanks for the correct answers Howard. j tavino

coolidge late 70's sam brown ....or not....... jmy

the difference????? simple... " God doesn't Pack !!!......

yes and yes it was the early 80's.... both kids arrived during the AM hours of the early morning. it was less hectic, and very peaceful in the labor/delivery areas both times... I stayed mostly near the head of the bed,, working a cool damp washcloth, along Nancy's forehead... The Doctor... same guy both times,,, was very calm and in charge,,,and i swear...it was so exciting!!!! when he proclaimed " GIRL !!!"... immediately upon our daughters' arrival... We absolutely did not want to know the sex of either child.... ( though i think that technology was available then....) and were happily surprised, each time... Girl first then Boy second time... when our son was born,,, ( '85) my wifes sister also delivered a child...( her first) on the same day, same hospital, in the same delivery room, with the same doctor....... we had a son and 5 hours later, we had a neice...hahahaha The ladies had to share a room with someone,,, after the births , anyway..., so they roomed together...hahahaha It's valuable for a father to be in attendance at the birth of his children...It is the first joyous step of many, as the child grows up... Long gone are the days of Dads pacing the waiting room floor,,,,,, waiting.... ( though my brother in Law and i did pass some of the early hours playing his pocket chess game, in the snack area...) i lost... NOW ,,,, do NOT get me started on whether the womans MOTHER,,,, or Mother-In-law,,,, belongs in the delivery room.....to THAT i say NO.... Staff, the Doctor, the Mom and the Dad... period!!!...also......no VIDEO if you please....that can all happen once the baby is all wrapped up and snuggly, and clean, and warm and powdered, and soft.......... delivery room video is a blatant invasion of a most intimate and spectacular moment... best kept forever, only in our minds' eye.....

exactly!!!!! we are not jumping OUT a door,,,, we are jumping INTO a door.... the door of freefall..........and it's a wonderful place to be...

well i don't much care to bash ANYone... BUT i DO like the idea of the petrified " Ground Bound " out there, staying the hell AWAY from the dropzone... makes it easier for myself and my friends to get on a load... j t

since the HC-5e is small enough,,, there should be room for the still camera on Top... that might be better than mounting the still to the front... just like a pilot,,,, a cameraman needs to always think Weight AND balance... i believe the F T P should have enough room for both, ... as for quick releases.... IF you think you need one they can be of help for easily removing the camcorder from the helmet,,, in order to shoot ground shots, or in -plane footage... i use manfrotto Q R's.. I know I know they are heavy BUt they are very very solid.... and position the cameras in the same spot, every time... stay safe. have fun... jmy

true enough Baseball IS very boring to watch.... But if you are AT the ballpark,,,, and sitting in box seats,,,, better be careful and pay close attention... I have seen more than one poor soul, get nailed, by a foul ball line drive.... and as bad at that is to SEE,,, it's alot worse to HEAR... ouch !! but as for Boring spectator sports,,, what about Soccer ????........lots of running around,,, but not much scoring... there's more action in the stands,,,,, than on the field jmy

instead of 'higher places' you might say,,, "loftier goals"... jmy

I agree,,, NOT to screw around, trying to yank on the bridle..... Manually grabbing the bridle, and pulling it until the pin releases, and opens the main container, does not necessarily assure that the pilot chute will have enough "snatch force' to extract the bag and help the main to open cleanly,,, NOW what happens , is you have a main bag dancing around,,, you've just burned maybe 1000 feet.. and you're still effectively in freefall...especially if the PC isn't inflating.. P C in tow ? >>>>>... if it upsets your stability,,, i.e. puts you on your side,, or gets you into a turn or spin,,,,, I WOULD take the time to get squared away in the air,,, get falling belly to earth, and then pull the reserve handle.....Of course.... we cannot waste time gaining stability, and that technique may be simple for an experienced jumper and not so simple for a novice....still , if you pull the pin,,, that just adds Tangle-ability to the scenario.... ...... I towed a PC years ago while using a bellyband deployed P C ... the pin pulled, the bag DID get out, and I was head low, and feet low, and spinning.....a twisted bellyband, effectively tied the apex lines of the canopy to my hip.... I didn't cut away,, (the rig had R-3 releases,, ) but instead, got flat and fought to get belly to earth,,, I then FELT the main D bag hit me on the back of my thighs,,,, and so right then, punched my reserve Blast handle, and my 26 foot lopo blasted open ,, cleanly... quite the mess, and a mistake, which i never made again.... and this was in the time BEFORE collapsible pilot chutes.... p.s. got my reserve about 900 feet... landed it in the pea gravel... with my main suspension lines,,, all over the place, my main d bag pulled in, and stuffed between my legs ( the canopy, a French Papillon, never got outta the bag....) and my main risers still attached,,, high speed mal = high speed response... proper attention to gear and gear checks,,, reduce the likelihood of a high speed mal... let's be careful out there...and deploy at the upper range of pull altitudes, and not the lower range... jmy

thanks for the link most of it comes down to the perspective one takes... learning to see things,,, from MANY perspectives, prepares us to be reasonable beings... too many people regardless of race or heritage spend their entire lives,,, looking at certain "sensitive topics",, the exact same way... even becoming MORE staunch about their position, whenever sensible arguments to accepting an alternate way of thinking are presented.... the key just might be to open up our collective minds, and view such patterns of behavior, from many angles... and intelligently strive for what is best, for the most... when i first saw Rev Wright... I thought 2 things... 1. man this guy Is a PREACHER...!! complete with the the bombastication part,,, down pat!!!. 2. damn. this man's words,,,, (outrageous as they may seem).....are a scarring indictment against the ENTIRE Politico-Economic establishment, into which the U S A has deteriorated ,,,, to the detriment of the very individuals whom it is supposed to represent.... ... I thought... "Wright ON " !!!... what else does this guy have to say??? Do not miss the message, because the messenger was so distracting... We should be careful not to cast Sen Obama in a poor light,,, simply because they shared sunday mornings in a church setting,,,, at some point in their lives...if we were all subject to scrutiny , based on our various associates,,,, many a skydiver would not fare so well..... sometimes we should be made to hear ,, that which we dare not hear... j

the hell with bush the hell with mcclain the hell with clinton AND obama..... cumplidor for President!!!!! 2008 i like the way you think..... as for 9 eleven... i thought early on,,, that the administration DID have an inkling that something was going on,, and about to happen!!!!! but made the 'executive decision' to look the other way.... IN ORDER to have a reason to tear off and hit Afghanistan,,,and then ultimately Iraq... they expected a category 1 "event" and got a category 15 Catastrophe!!!...how sad.. and not unlike the Katrina debacle,,, except that these wars are still beating the hell out of this country, it's soldiers, it's army, it's morale and it's reputation..... at least in New Orleans,, Mother Nature has done her dirty deed, and moved on... whereas in the middle east... "Father Deciderer" keep on slogging along,,, only long enough to slink away and leave the mess in ANY one else's hands some leader... quite the mess...welcome to the 21st century..... jt

.....I've always been very able , to identify the bullshitters!!! I do have pretty accurate instincts about people...which helps... also, my folks taught us all to be well-mannered and THAT goes a long way in life . I got a B S degree ( no.. NOT bullshit) in anthropology when i was in college,,, I "minored" in skydiving.... and while i never entered employment in the field of Anthro. it did prepare me for a life of dealing with people... on a business, casual and personal basis...I learned patience and tolerance and to start out with respect for others,,, until THEY do something to negate that respect... all good tools for life. jmy