YISkyDive

DSE, I was looking at my CX100 and I am worried if I flip onto my back the camera LCD screen would open. I see the snap you have in place - What are your thoughts about a set up such as the on your posted and regular back flying during videos? Many Thanks, David.

Contac Roy at Rigs and Things. He has a Cam Eye item that works through the AV in/out port. Im not sure any more about it than that but it would be worth the phone call.

Could you please post 2 more? Side and front views. Thank you all for your replies

That’s what I was worried about- the vibrations on the side mount for sit flying / head down. I really like the FF3 idea; I have been thinking about a new helmet but with the way the exchange rate sucks it’s an expensive move. Through a search I read about TonFly potentially having a side mount option - can anybody confirm this and / or show a pic? Thanks again everybody for your input. Trevor - I look forward to seeing your helmet.

Hello All, I am highly considering the the Sony CX7. Would the cool Kats with CX7s show me how you have them mounted? Does anybody have the CX7 side mounted or all top mounted? Currently I fly the older style Rawa and a Pentax *ist DL w. 15mm Sigma; so I would like to side mount it if possible. Thanks! - Kramar

What did you do? Send it back down? Also, what am I looking for when I check the stabilizers? Thank you Dave and breadhead, Kramar

PD did the lines; nothing else changed. Sounds like my reactions are not the norm. Same risers, d-bag-pilot chute, and container.

I have 400 jumps on a stock 2003 Velo 111. I sent it out for the HMA 500s and just put 8 jumps on it. It seems to have higher front riser pressure; lighter rear riser pressure but it seems that the rears have a higher stall point. I have better lift in brakes then I used to and forward speed is also increased (maybe partially why the front riser pressure is up) Also, the dive seems to recover quicker and not generate as much speed. I used to do a 360 from ~750 now I am doing it from 600 and still a little higher than I would like. I do not feel like I am generating the same amount of speed through the recovery as I did with the old line set. Although, I must admit the flare power on toggles is phenomenal. My turn consists of double fronts from full flight into a carved 180 with the second 180 snapped around to generate a harder dive. Does anybody have any comments or suggests on the type of turn the Velo performs best with in this trim? I am loading my velo at 2.3. Kind Regards, -Kramar

I have 300 jumps on a XF2 @ 1.6 and and another 300 or so on a XF2 @ 1.8. I liked them very much for canopies to learn the basics of swooping on. I also jumped a Xfire at 2.1 and I did not like it at all. Its flair was way to short and it was ground hungry as a beast, and nil' wind landings were not the best. I would not recommend taking it that high, personally. Cross bracing has many benefits at that loading.

I use it for swooping. Its a good tool to remind you of your approch points to your turn. On a velo, or something small looking at your alti to the last second may make the diffrence between high, good or low. I hear the increase in beeps and after the flat line, 2 seconds later, time to do a 360. Its all around a nice way of having constant altitude awarness under canopy. I like it.

I have never jumped a Cobalt, but I have the Nitro/Nitron (the Hiper USA version). Its a rock solid canopy and I used it as a transition @ a 1.5 WL to a Xf2. This was as 150 Nitro to a 149 Xf2. I also jumped it highly loaded at 2.1:1 as one of a few transition canopies to a Velo. Again, worked very well at the WL. I would explain the canopy as the most forgiving in the same size higher performance category class. So, in other words, if you don't want to be under an xf2 135 (for good reason), the Nitro offers enough forgiveness to justify the smaller size. It digs well, is rock solid through turbulence, high winds, carves well, and opens good at the 1.4 / 1.5 WL. I liked it; it flared REALLY well, and it shut down to almost 0 ground speed at both sizes. Front riser pressure is stupid light and its openings on the 150 were good. The 120 (@ 2.1:1 [above manuf. recommendation...]) really sucked in the opening department, but its the price I paid to get some smaller canopy time. Also I’m a shitty packer. However, the 120 got long swoops for being non-cross braced at the size and WL. I really enjoyed putting a good number of jumps on it, and I liked it more than a 112 crossfire 2. Feel free to PM me, and make sure you ask your local canopy pilots for advice and if you should downsize. I demo-ed the 150 through Rigs and Things, Roy will take care of you if you call him. Good day to you, Dave

I installed 3vix to get codec. See if that will help you. also make sure you are usng the windows gui 3 or what ever in the selection. hope that helps, dave

Very nice video! For those with VISTA here is a good article to get VLC to work.. it worked for me on the suggested setting. http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vista/using-vlc-player-under-vista/ dave

Thanks, will do. tonto- Im talking about wing area. good day to you guys

Is the Velo measured the same was as Icarus products? Would a Velo120 be comparable to a Xf2119? Thanks, Dave

All right dude. 3 months ago you sent a PM to me asking about XF2s , what should I do this what should I do that.. so on and so forth. I told you what I knew and my experience from my last 500 jumps.. what did you do? You didn’t listen to my advice. You went 2 or 3 sizes smaller. Smart. Over the last few months you've been asking people what should I do? How can I get better? What’s this what’s that. WHY ASK IF YOU WON'T LISTEN? My rule on downsizing is simple; if you have to ask "Can I?", "Should I", or "Will I be ok"... then you are NOT ready to fly that canopy. To learn about a canopy before you jump it is one of the best things in the world, but if you don’t have confidence, understanding of life saving tools, and some other damn good skills just forget about it. Are you PRO rated on your XF2? Have you landed out in a spot that made you crap your pants? Can you hit the pro gates 9/10 times? I thought so.. My point? Listen to people that try to help you dude. You know nothing man. I know nothing. But some people that have spoken CLEARLY do know something but you show your ass to them like its ok. I think its not fair when people try to help you and you get upset that they don’t give you the answer you want to hear. Just don’t ask then.

Has anyone actually flown a modded XF2 and would it make sense on a WL of 1.55:1 and 1.75:1? Thanks

I’m not sure what your asking exactly- but it depends on the size of the canopy as well as loading. A light(er) loaded Xf2 does "auto recover." My 149 loaded at 1.57:1 did not maintain a long dive. Just kind recovered at the end. But it did loose a fair amount of altitude during the turn. My other xf2, a 139, loaded at 1.7 flew much more like one expects. The 139 maintained dive and speed better. I would start a 270 usually 100 or so more feet higher then the 149. The 139 also kept the speed on through the swoop a lot better. Very solid canopy. On toggles, both are flown with braked turns for low turn landings. Both loose way more altitude then my Diablo loaded at 1.3. I have landed both canopies out in tight spots, but you will not toggle whip it in. Nether canopy has any sort of over steer. Harness on each canopy is do-able, more so on the 139 then the 149. The 139 loves 270s finished with slow harness input because it just keeps the recovery arc going. The 149 will pop out of the dive even with harness. I just can't get the 149 to keep diving. The 149 tends to like a little bit of toggle input on landing. It goes further then if it recovers naturally. I do not land on rears so I cannot tell you how they react low to the ground on rears. Rear riser turns up high are fun on each canopy. Nothing special really. Long spots are very do-able, the 139 has gotten me back from spots a 150 specter didn’t even have a chance. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask. I have never jumped an XF1. I did about 225 jumps on each canopy this season.

which canopy do you like more? VX or NEOs? Is the neos in the Xbraced category, or is more of a Katana class canopy.

Some freestlye pics from the last two weeks.

Shot with an IST DL on a Sigma8mm and a Sigma 70-300. Thanks Marti!

I like the IST

Today I had the fun opportunity to take up an IST DL for two loads. What I found was very impressive. The camera itself is smaller and lighter then a 300D. It has about the same pixel resolution and is an all black body versus the common silver on 300Ds. I took the camera up for two loads- on a crossfire2 139. Openings with the camera where actually fairly comfortable compared to by 300d. On the one opening I had a very fast opening but did not feel a horrible shock in my neck. On the second I had diving line twists but I had no issues with the camera and lines interacting. The autofocus system with the kit lens scared me because it a 3 point autofocus system versus I believe 11 on my 300d. The pictures came out really well though and non of them where misfocused. In the sixty seconds of freefall I clicked off about 25 to 30 freefall shots. Write speed and lock up did not seem to be an issue. I don’t commonly use burst shots though. The quality of the pictures actually seemed to be better then my 300D. The colors of the image where better and it seemed to be a great price range alternative. Things I didn’t like- On the left side where the remote plugs in- the door is a plastic swing door. It is asking to get snapped off. The next problem with the camera in my opinion is the use of a double A batteries. Also a stereo bite switch did not work- it only worked with the mono. This made the AF system work on continual focus but had no major side affects that I could see, other then a battery life hindrance. Finally the SD card kills me. With a PCIMCA card reader for my Compact Flash card, and the built in laptop card reader for the SD- I had a 2 to 1 per second megabyte advantage with the CF card. Given a new price of 370ish I say this is a great camera for all those people that "need" to go digital but don’t want to drop a loot for a 350D. Its performance is very great and I would have no problem flying one as a regular work camera. The other advantage to pentax is its "cheep glass" Sigma15s can be had at a great price used and new. This is by no means a professional photographers camera as in the end if you want a 5D style camera- Pentax is not in that league so your glass would be wasted- but it is a camera for the weekend warriors, people to play around with, and full time video staff that need a digital camera for tandems. Id buy one tomorrow if I had a buyer for my 300D.

Thanks for the reponses everyone. I'll mess with manual settings- but I dont fly a flash-- I use a rawa and have not really set it up. Glass is on the list to get. And from the sounds of it a "filter" of some sort (except polorized) isnt the way to go. thanks for the help- I'll play with my 300D some more this week on some jumps. -Dave.

I was cruzing fencecheck.com and found some intresting skydiving pictures- and I was wondering if color-wise, I could recreate the same/ similar blues as the photographer that posted the followingimages. Im using a 300D with 18-55 lens http://www.fencecheck.com/forums/index.php/topic,3242.0.html Thanks for the help-