pilotdave

Holy crap... you just jumped right in with that purchase! I've been shooting stills for over 2 years and building my collection of toys slowly. Just got a new camera and just mounted it to my camera helmet a few minutes ago. Now of course I need a new camera helmet because mine's not good enough, new software to deal with the HUGE files, a new hard drive, more fast memory cards, preferably a new computer (not happening any time soon), new quick releases, a tripod for ground use, etc, etc, etc. Nice thing is that I really haven't bought anything that I later thought was a mistake. Just need to win the lottery so I can get the rest of the things I need... Dave

I completely disagree there. I've jumped a Manta 288, Icarus 330 tandem (solo), and a Classic 218 (acc canopy). Size is not what gives an accuracy canopy it's ability to sink. It's all about the design of the canopy. Acc canopies fly nothing like other big canopies... at least not in brakes. Sinking an accuracy canopy is a really weird sensation... very uncomfortable to me. Especially uncomfortable when I missed the tuffet and sank it right into the ground. My tailbone still hurts from that accident last summer. A normal canopy can be flared from half brakes. An accuracy canopy cannot. That was my mistake. I should have let go of my toggles and let it surge forward and PLF (probably on the tuffet too). Instead, when I realized I was short of the tuffet and in brakes, I finished my flare. That did the exact opposite of what I wanted to do. The canopy didn't stall... but it just sank faster and slammed me into the ground. It happened so fast I thought I was fine and then suddenly I was on the ground in pain. Dave

Ya know I was watching silence of the lambs not too long ago and made a huge discovery. That guy is Monk's boss, the Captain! I would have never noticed that, but I heard it in his voice when he yelled. Who knew? Dave

No, it's not common. Just saying you get the best service in person and it goes down hill as your method of communication gets less and less personal. I was just visiting deland for a day. My friend wanted to stop by UPT to ask a question about some damage on his rig. My rig happened to be in the car, so I brought it in to show the problem I had. Little did I know that they considered my 3-year-old rig to be under warranty and they fixed it at no charge. And gave us a great demonstration of how to identify dangerous webbing damage. Dave

3 very cold jumps on sunday. -8 F at 9000 feet. I figured I might come out and make a hop n' pop or two, but noooo, I end up shooting video with an open face camera helmet in subzero temperatures. It was fun though! Dave

Is it too late to ask for a rebuild of my 2004 Vector3?

It's always so much fun to hear the rest of the story.

Our DZ uses skywriter. I've only manifested a few times so I can't say I'm an expert, but skywriter seems to work great for us. We're a little dropzone that uses skywriter to get some big-DZ features... online access to our jump logs, a big LCD screen to show upcoming loads (who is on them, time, etc) and current weather, etc. Lemme know if you have any specific questions about it... I can ask our expert. Dave

I typically use Tv at about 1/800th, ISO 400. For sunset loads or cloudy days when I'm not so sure about the light, I often use Av mode. When jumping with a flash, I use manual mode. If you've been using sports mode for a while, look at your exif data for good and bad pictures and see what settings the camera chose. Figure out what went right and what went wrong. Then you'll start to get a better idea of what settings you might want to change. The nice thing about sports mode is that it biases for a faster shutter speed, but doesn't lock you into any particular settings. It can adjust as the light changes. That can be a disadvantage too. But it works great most of the time. Dave

what's the delta? A very small camera recently introduced by sony. Just kidding. He was giving the differences in dimensions between the two cameras. Dave

Memory sticks are another. I don't know if they have advantages, but I'd prefer SD cards... Dave

Ahhh. Well that explains it. You sure you have the model number right? Maybe it's a Rebel X2? Dave

According to his profile, he loads a 175 at 1.2. That would make his exit weight 210. He'd load a 135 at 1.56. To me the answer is definitely no. A semi-elliptical 170 would be more appropriate. But that's just me. Dave

Williston just closed a few years ago. The University of Florida's skydiving club was based there until "politics" drove them to Palatka. They had a collegiate boogie there every year for a while (which is at Palatka now). Great little DZ. Dave

Should be identical. Take some test shots on both cameras and i think you'll see they have the same field of view. Dave

I don't remember exactly but before the course I was figuring about $800. But I think it must be below average because my DZ gave us free gear rentals and I don't think most of my passengers even made me cover their slot. Video of my first 2 jumps was at no cost as well. My medical was about $50-75 or so. Don't remember exactly. I just remember that the medical examiner I chose was much cheaper than most... maybe half of the average price. Quick and easy exam too. Dave

Will there be a tuffet, or a sport accuracy target? Dave

USPA's decision to kick them out was one of the great moments in recent skydiving history. Turned out to be a big mistake, of course. Heard from a BOD member very soon after the lawsuit was filed that USPA was fucked. I don't know who made the decision, but good for them for having some balls. Dave

I understood the point but still twisted it to add my editorial.

My advice is to stay off the front risers until you're not just a n00b that gets a little lost at times. Seriously. When did swooping become a newbie sport? Dave

I guess it's going to take some will power on your part to let them know you'll wait until you meet the requirements set by both the USPA and the manufacturer of the tandem gear your dropzone uses. You don't meet either of them yet. It's hard to say no when the DZO and tandem instructor are saying yes. Do you realize that a tandem examiner could pull THEIR ratings for letting you jump with them? Dave

That sucks. It took me 10 years of jumping to subscribe and they shut down a few months later. Maybe they'll sell to someone that wants to keep it going... Dave

Remind me to print out this thread and bring it with me if I ever come to the UK. Hmmm... sounds right to me. Dave

I'm trying to be civil but... SERIOUSLY? You came on here to ask a question you already knew the answer to. At least the answer you'd get. Why ask? I know you've read other downsizing threads since you titled this one "ANOTHER downsizing thread." Did you think you'd get different advice than the last guy with 200 jumps that wanted to skip a couple steps in his downsizing progression and start jumping a ridiculously small elliptical canopy? You know the answer, so go do what you want to do. Dave

So yeah I'd say you're ready to move up to a bigger canopy. Oh, you wanted to downsize? Come on... you had to ask? If you want to downsize even though you are obviously not ready, go for it. If your own DZ won't stop you, nobody on here will. Have you considered changing canopies without downsizing? It's crazy, I know. But sorry, you can't be a badass without downsizing. Dave