BRSkydive

I've got the LANC disease with my PC-3 (don't ask!) as well. I've had the camera apart and can't see the physical problem;could be a problem with either a solder point or internal jack contacts. I need to send it in to get it fixed (I've got warranty service on the damn thing anyway! - maybe I'll hurry and get that done now that I'm thinking about it...) Fact is, the plug is getting bumped and causing damage to the jack over time. Maybe Sony will make a skydiver-proof camera someday

As with any answer to such a question as "when to start"...it depends. I myself could not imagine having enough presence of mind at 125 jumps to add 'yet another thing to think about' during a skydive. I'm sure you're going to do whatever you want regardless of what anyone tells you, so just remember to keep it simple. You'll easily become overwhelmed if you add too many factors into the equation at one time. If you're hard on equipment, you may want to look at cheaper cameras. But in the long run, you'll end up getting the quality gear you we're looking at in the first place. Just ask some camera flyers that have been around for awhile and I'm sure you'll quickly find that Sony is the choice for the majority. I personally have a Sony PC-3 mounted on the side of a Hawkeye. I am happy with it, but would rather have a top mounted camera (if it wasn't for the climbout hassles of jumping from a Cessna).

If you have a chance...check out Sonic Foundry's Vegas Video. The best part is not having to render edits before reviewing your work. Of course you need to render the final product, but the big time savings is when you are changing your mind during the creation process. It's a spendy program at $400, but their cheaper product Video Factory might be worth looking at as well for $100. I agree that Adobe Premiere would be the tool of choice for most serious non-linear editors, but when it comes to learning the product, Vegas Video seemed to be a quicker way to go for me.