pilotdave

http://www.tamron.com/news/35mm/1024_pma08.asp Wonder how it'll work or what it will cost. Slightly smaller and lighter than the canon 10-22... basically the same size. 3.5mm shorter, same diameter, half ounce lighter, little more focal length range. Hopefully cheaper? Dave

I would hope most people check to see if they get a "0" on the screen before moving on. I don't normally watch my cypres count down, but I always check that it's actually working. You don't need to be a computer engineer to know that anything other than "0" is bad. But I think this service bulletin teaches a really important lesson. If the cypres seems to shut itself off, that doesn't mean it's in a safe state. Maybe the reserve should get pulled immediately in that case to make sure nobody jumps it... Dave

Those are not actual photographs. Most are bunches of satellite photos put together (no astronauts have been able to see an entire hemisphere since the apollo program, right?). The lights on the ground aren't nearly that visible... they have been captured by sensitive light sensors on satellites and digitally enhanced, then pieced together to show much larger areas of the planet. It's scientific artwork. Dave

Avweb is free. BTW, they did a podcast recently with Ed Scott from USPA about the growth of skydiving and the relatively safe year we had last year. Dave

Only thing I've seen about Mambas that I don't like is that the visor seems very easy to scratch. Saw a couple that were basically cloudy from being so scratched up, and over a short time too. But of course it can be replaced. I've had my Z1 for about 6 or 7 years and 1000 jumps and haven't had any problems with it. I'm on about my 3rd or 4th visor... although one was only replaced because it cracked in airline luggage. I personally find it a little better looking than the mamba too, but I don't really care about that. They all look like crap after 1000 jumps.

Shipping was exactly what killed the deal for me. $40 for a tiny lens... Luckily I ended up finding a used one in the US. Bought it for the same price as new, but shipping was cheap. Works great. Dave

I already did that! I just don't have any reserve rides yet, so my helmet is empty. Dave

We operate under FAR part 91 in the US, which doesn't require operators to follow engine manufacturer's TBO recommendations. Part 135 or 121 operators do need to follow TBO requirements. I doubt 1500 hours is a life limit, but rather a time before overhaul... engine just gets taken apart, cleaned, inspected, and rebuilt. Not as intense as a factory remanufacture... Dave

It's pretty interesting... last week I was reading a photography forum where people were trying to decide between the 40D and 5D. Now the discussion is between the 40D and 450D. Seems crazy that someone could be in the market for either the 450D or 5D... But the consensus is that the 2 mp bump is mostly just to make it sound better to consumers that think megapixels are important. Dave

I'd say you implied it... "OK, back to the plane, then. Does this help?" But thank goodness they're not! Still haven't figured out what is is though. Dave

I was at Deland two mondays ago... I think they put up 19 porter loads or something. That's impressive for a monday, but not so impressive compared to the 20+ skyvan loads they put up that same day. Dave

I still can't figure it out. The interior and exterior shots are the same plane? I feel like I'm going crazy when I compare them... Dave

To me, that's why we should have a BSR. Let the smart people come up with a minimum experience level, then make even the dumb tandem instructors follow it. Why should anybody be in the air with a tandem with equipment they haven't even learned to use yet? "If you don't scare me, you can come again." And what if you do scare him? Wait a week and then try again? What if you do worse than scare him? What if you do perfect for the first 3 and then scare him? I don't know that a rating is required, but I think when it comes to shooting video for tandems, there should be some minimums "set in stone," not just rules from manufacturers that aren't enforced or the most basic recommendations from USPA. A TM that allows someone with 60 jumps to shoot video should face repercussions. Dave

I think one small reason for it is PD's demo program. It's just so easy to get a PD canopy in your hands. I tried to demo a Pilot a long time ago... filled out the demo order form and never heard a thing back. With PD, I did the same thing and had a Spectre a week later maybe? But it definitely is regional... a lot based on what instructors recommend that their students buy when they get their first rigs and on what other people are jumping. Around here, you're more likely to see a Hurricane or Vortex2 container than a Stiletto or Mirage. Even among PD canopies, some types are more or less common in certain areas. Dave

I just filed a complaint with the BBB against Sony the other day. They denied my $125 rebate for Vegas because they lost the UPC barcode label I sent with the rebate form. They also claimed not to have received my receipt, but the guy was able to find it while I was on the phone. I offered to send them the rest of the box, the CD, or any other proof of purchase, but they refused to process my rebate without the UPC label. Wonder how many other barcodes they have "lost," hoping that copies weren't made. Vegas is ok though...

I don't really agree there. I mean, it would be true if you really got more detail with more megapixels, but the difference between the XT and XTi (2 mp) isn't noticeable other than in the increased file size. It might make a difference if using a really really top quality lens and had perfect focus... but I think (at least in the case of my pictures) I'm more limited by the sharpness of the lens rather than the megapixels of the camera. For the amount I crop, even when printed at 13x19, I can't see pixels. I can see softness in the edges. More megapixels doesn't help that, unless you're printing on billboards. I'm more interested in high ISO performance, better autofocus, more accurate metering, more dynamic range, etc. They could stay with 10 mp for all I'd care, but that's not good for marketing. The 40D is definitely a better camera, even with 2 less megapixels. There's no question there... canon purposely leaves off features on the lower end models so that people buy the higher end ones. Dave

I don't see any features that make me really want to upgrade from the XTi. Some nice changes, but it'll really come down to whether or not there's a real difference in picture quality. Upgrading would mean selling all my memory cards... and then if I ever wanted to upgrade to a 40D I'd need new memory cards again (unless the 40D's replacement uses SD too). If the picture quality isn't noticeably better, the extra file size of the pictures just means fewer pictures per card (like 400D vs 350D). Doesn't seem like an upgrade when you get it. I'd hope the 450D does better at ISO 800 and 1600 than the 400D... Dave

Prices are on the application: http://www.uspa.org/publications/form.pdf/GMInitialApp0208.pdf Basically... 182 DZ: $200 Bigger DZ: $400 Edit: Not to change the subject, but the application says: Guess we know that doesn't hold much water, huh? Dave

Which manufacturers require that? The UPT requirements are posted above... A tandem rating is not required as long as the video guy has 500 RW jumps. Dave

Sport mode does a good job. If you don't like something about it after a while, you will probably know what setting you want to change. Why not just look through both cameras to see where they match up? Dave

I dunno... I kinda like her results. Informing skydivers about skyride. She's produced great results at that. It might be true that she helped skyride's lawsuit, but I still don't think that's why they want to get rid of her. I don't think anybody at USPA saw that lawsuit coming, definitely not before they kicked skyride out. USPA, in general, put themselves in a bad position and had to pay for it. Still glad they did though! For just a little while, the USPA did the right thing. After the USPA got sued, did jan do anything that deserves an impeachment? Guess we'll have to wait and see... Dave

Yeah, that's scary. But at least they are throwing an error at startup (but then unfortunately pretending to be shut off). The real difference to me is how the companies handle the issues. Dave

Windows Movie Maker lets you choose the file size you want the rendered video to be (in wmv format). Just drag it onto the timeline and Save Movie File. Dave

We don't know why they want to get rid of her yet, but my guess is that it has little to do with the skyride lawsuit that was settled. I'm guessing it has a lot more to do with what she did after the settlement. She really pissed them off. Seen her avatar picture? I'm guessing they told her to shut up and she didn't. They were probably afraid that she might open the door to another lawsuit from skyride, so they best end their association with her. I don't know her, but the more crap she pulled, the more I began to like her. It would suck to see her go, but if she does, I hope she stops holding back on the skyride issue and the USPA GM program. I bet she has a few more things to say. Dave

Connecticut Parachutists, Inc. is the only DZ in the area (all of new england) that's open year round. You can start jumping on saturday. Where in CT? We're neighbors (it's a small state