swoopdaddio

Anyone been jumping an SD card recording camcorder such as any of Sanyo's Xacti series? Is it generally skydiver friendly? Can it take a wide angle lense? I just want it for coaching, so not too fussed about super high quality, cheers for any help. 25 years & still lovin' it.

Since my name has been mentioned thought I'd join the discussion. It seems that I have been mis-heard, possibly misunderstood but definatley mis-quoted. My comments before the jump in question were about airlocked canopies in general, I don't think they are the complete answer to turbulence, this doesn't mean that I think they are more prone to it either. No matter what canopy you jump, the best way to handle turbulence is to avoid it. Understand where & when turbulence is likely to happen & don't go there. A bit of wake turbulence from another canopy up high is normally not a problem & can be quite educational. The turbulence that gives us problems is the stuff near the ground because we've got less time to recover from it. The examples of turbulence I have on video show it happening just prior to flare time, which is hardly surprising since this is similar height to your average dropzone obstacles, trees, hangars & other buildings. If you suspect turbulence & it's unavoidable fly through it in full drive, get into a plf (feet & knees together) & be prepared to flare with a bit more speed & force than normal should you get "dropped" by the dirty air. One more thing, how do you do a flat turn without any brake input? Let's be careful out there !!!! CL 25 years & still lovin' it.

Right on !!! Start with the smallest amount of rotation, get it dialled & increase gently. When you wanna go for the bigger turns practice up high, measure the altitude loss with an accurate alti such as a neptune add 100 ft & ease it down to the perfect height over plenty of jumps. ALWAYS BE READY to find out "ooops that was too low" & train yourself to be able to deal with it. Ultimately the aim should be to find out how high we can turn from rather than how low we can get away with. 25 years & still lovin' it.

Something to consider if you're up sizing, increased front riser pressure. There is a noticable difference between a Velo 90 to a Velo 96 so I would imagine going up to a Velo 103 would create more pressure, get to the gym if you're considering it. Authors qualifications........p.b. in distance 370ft 25 years & still lovin' it.