Bill_K

Sweet! Post lots of pictures!

The Triathlon is a terrific canopy for wingsuiting. I'm pretty happy with my Spectre's for WS'ing.

Jeremy, can you PM it to me again? I can't find it. =| Thx bro, BK

A Flysight with audio feedback gives you instant information about how your body position affects the flight performance. Thanks, I just got one at Christmas time, but prior to this weekend kept forgetting to bring my helmet home with me so that I could get it mounted up. I plan to play with that while using the techniques that Lurch so kindly provided to me via a PM. Hopefully with the two I'll be able to improve dramatically.

Hey guys, I'd like to ask other S-Bird owners out there what little tips and tricks you use to get the best performance out of your suits? My goal is to get another ~30 seconds out of it. I'm talking solo max performance flights. I have other suits for flocking and playing around in. I want to get out, go hard and get 3+ minutes. I'm just wondering what little things you guys have found to add a second here or there? Thanks, BK

Sure you can, they are called Harness inputs and I assure you can can fly your self through the opening using them and small leg and/or arm inputs just like you do when your not in a WS. I have landed an R Bird more than a once with unzipping anything. Don't have an R Bird, but I've landed several other designs without unzipping. Heck when I get spun up my arm wings act as GREAT sails for stopping and correcting the spin... I've got two sport cutaways now, and NEITHER were in a WS. In fact I've never been at a point where I felt like I needed to... I will say though that when I started WS'ing that I had my rigs mod'd to include dynamic corners, longer bridles and larger PC's. Take care! Be safe out there!

Sure you can, they are called Harness inputs and I assure you can can fly your self through the opening using them and small leg and/or arm inputs just like you do when your not in a WS.

I'm more interested in what they are doing to edit 30 plus camera's worth of footage into the video's they are making. I must say though that GoPro is very innovative or at least the people using them are... pretty cool stuff going on in that clip right there!

I shot this one at Fitz back in March of this year. It's been in Parachutist twice this year. Well not this exact one. This is IMO a better version of the ones that made the mag. It's been edited a little, but I took the shot and am quite happy with it. Link here. Was to big to upload and I'm to lazy tonight to make it smaller.

Good that shows that your starting to learn some good skydiving judgement.

You/we don't need anymore details. At 50-60 jumps you don't even know the right questions to ask yet, let alone what you do or don't know in this sport. I was working with a newer jumper just this past weekend who has OVER 200 jumps, but was doing his first solo wing suit jump. I was watching his exit to provide coaching to him later. When he came over for a gear check and to talk about it one last time he had his GoPro on facing backwards. I kindly asked him to remove it, reminding him that he'll have many future chances to wear it, but why add another distraction to an already new and stressful situation. He took it off and it's a good thing as if he'd had it on during that first exit, the camera would have probably hit the tail. I saw him later in the day doing another WS jump and this time the camera was no where to be found. Good kid and I can't wait to get my WS out and go flying with him. That is the kind of attitude that will take him a long ways in this sport. Please read these two threads if you don't believe me. I think you would do good to take a careful look at that statement about people learning faster than others. The incident threads are full of those that learned faster than others and are well... no longer with us or best case just got broken up badly. Thread One Thread Two Take care, BK

There have been rumors on other boards on and off about them developing their own Foveon 'type' of sensor and maybe moving to it, but as with many rumors, it's hard to know what is true and what is not. As I don't understand how the video part of it plays into it, I don't really know what it would take to move toward that type of a sensor. I do know that in reading up on the two different types of sensors that Foveon type stuff looks very, very promising and cool. I'm sure you understand it far better than I do tho!

Early reports on the price's are putting it in the $6800 range... you planning to pick one up? Where do you see the 5D line going? I was hoping that they might switch out sensors to the Foveon type sensors with this upgrade... but alas they just threw more horse power at it. Quite successfully from the looks of the specs though!

See avatar, rear entry, BH Mantle. Probably be upgrading to something with more room on top soon though as I'd like to start adding flash and or LED lighting in the future. Both cameras on top, can do vertical or horizontal on the stills, 99% of what I shoot is horizontal, no cages of any kind. I've never lost a lens or damaged a camera yet. That said, I do have a back up for both cameras on the DZ with me most all the time should I need one. I use it for shooting Tandems, 4 Way and larger and even WS formations. For free flying, tracking dives, etc. I use a FF friendly simple helmet with a GoPro. Anything that I'm making $$ on gets the Mantle though. I went with top mount so as to keep the weight centered and to try and keep the wear and tear on my neck to a minimum. 500+ jumps with this setup and I'm still very happy with my choices so far. BK

Hey Chris, Lots of good responses here so far. These guys all know their stuff!! At only 11 video jumps I'm just about going to bet that if's not the IS mess'n with you that your just over thinking it and making yourself stiff. I.e. take a big deep breath, relax and go have fun. If your too rigid, it can induce shake. I agree with the other Chris on here though, just keep practicing, I'll bet that solves it's self pretty quickly. Blues, BK

I think Pilots are a great choice. They open great, fly great, land great, and they're not overpriced. Besides that, they're easy to sell when you decide you want something else. I can't see a bad side to that equation. Chris Thanks Chris. I have a demo coming.

Dave, I bow to your skygodness! You are the man. Never has there been such a helpful post!! I shall print and frame it so that all may bow and worship you! I would have responded earlier, but I am actually out skydiving and using those 120's just fine. I am still not super thrilled with the sink that I get at the end, but you super helpfulness above when printed and placed in my locker will inspire me to become a true super hero like yourself!! BK

Those canopies should land fine straight in, with no extra speed induced. If you can't do that, the last thing you need is a higher performance canopy. Predictable. Very helpful too...

Ok guys, before you jump me for not searching I did. Most all of the threads that I came up with are for canopy's that are several model years old. With all the development in canopy's over the past few years I'm curious to know what some good newer designs might be. I'm looking to load it between 1.8 and 2.0, needs to have reasonably soft on heading openings as the vast majority of jumps that I do are working camera jumps. I would like something in the 9 cell range and will be doing some wing suiting in it as well. Thoughts? I was looking at the Pilots, but am worried that I'd be over loading them. I have two spectre 120's right now, but have been having some issues that lead me to believe that I may be over loading them a tad. Our DZ has banned turns over 90's so I'm not able to build the speed that I used to with the spectres and it's very much changed the final stage flair characteristics for me at my wing loadings. Is it time to start looking at cross braced or other types of canopies? I also have a Heatwave 135 that I have no issues with, which is why I was thinking/leaning toward 9 cells. Thanks for taking time to read this and hopefully respond with helpful/respectful advice or ideas. BK

Ouch, surely that's just a spoof...?!?

What matters most, form or function? I started out with a Rawa, but as I got more jumps and a lot more serious about doing tandem videos I ended up with one of those 'flat' top type helmets because it really was the best platform for what I was trying to do. Disclaimer - Your experience may vary and I do know others that use Rawa or other similar type helmets very successfully for tandem work. I am just simply saying it was not best for me.

Thanks to all. I just got back from Costco with a T2i, 18-55 & 70-300.....now to figure out what all of the buttons do and what those lends numbers even mean! Go here and spend another $15 and you'll get a great start at understanding what all those du-dads do and mean.

Here is my current setup. Well mostly... the still camera in that picture was an XS, but I now have a T1i on there. Thinking about adding a flash setup of some sort to it now.

Before anybody bangs on me for not searching, I've tried several different variations both here on dizzy and on google in general. I currently fly a CX100. I'm in the process of building out a Free Fly / Wing suit helmet and am torn between taking the easy way out and getting a Go Pro or trying to find another CX100. Here is the main of my question, are there any newer models out that have a memory card slot in the side like the CX100 vs. the bottom like the CX150? Having to take my camera off after every jump would be a royal PIA! Thanks in advance!! -BK

I find that taping my iPhone to my helmet makes using the screen later a bit 'sticky'... Still very happy with my CX-100 BTW...