bdrake529

I'm pretty happy with my Opteka 0.3x 37mm HD converter. Unfortunately, I lost the lens cap for it. I contacted Opteka and they informed me they do not sell the cap by itself. I am actually planning to buy a second Opteka lens (same one), but that will still leave me with 2 lenses but only 1 cap (and I'm not buying a 3rd one just to get 2 caps). Anyone have any ideas of where I could get a lens cap to fit? Are wide-angle conversion lenses standard enough sizes that I could use a replacement lens cap from a different manufacturer? Thanks, Brian Drake

This is an excellent point, and I'd like to hear a thorough answer from anyone on the pro-WSI rating side. I'm a bit puzzled by the impetus for the call for USPA to regulate wingsuiting on the level of AFF and tandems. From the brief scanning of this thread I've done, it seems that "safety" is the driving motivation. But how many deaths/injuries can be attributed to manufacturer-rated instructors "not following the rules"? Perhaps 2 that I'm aware of (and even that's debatable). Are there more? Each year's USPA fatality report shows multiple swooping deaths, most from people operating far below the USPA/manufacturer recommended experience for the maneuver, canopy choice, and/or wing loading. Is there a real probability that a USPA CPI rating system will be mandated any time soon? If USPA hasn't "regulated" canopy piloting instruction (which has a much worse safety record) yet, what makes us think they'll really bring the hammer down on wingsuiting first? With that in mind, is the posted proposal really "in front of the train, running at the same speed than to be hit by it", or is it actually fueling a train that would run out of steam on its own before long? Brian Drake

They don't?....ooops. Brian Drake

I don't have any usable footage from this weekend. But I have another question: When I set my HC5 to infinite focus with the Opteka on, it's very blurry. The only way to keep it clear is to set to auto-focus (or some setting less than infinity). I've been using infinity focus for all my shooting so far (no lense, or Raynox 0.3) and that's worked great. I'm very hesitant to use auto-focus for skydiving. Is this problem (blurry when set to infinity) inherent to extreme fish-eyes or is this a problem specific to the Opteka? Thanks, Brian Brian Drake

Tried to do this, but found that there must be some adhesive or something holding it together as even with the stitches picked, the darn thing wouldn't come apart and I didn't want to tear it or cut it. I guess I'll have to have a rigger make me one, like Ed suggested. Brian Drake

Bingo. Brian Drake

The Phoenix-Fly PDF on using the leg pouch (BASE pouch) has the following line: "Thread the bridle through the inside of the shrivel flap" Easy enough on a BASE bridle, as it's just bridle and pins and you can "thread" from either side. Not so simple on a skydiving bridle. On one side is the PC which has the bridle bar-tacked on (plus there's the kill line), so removing the PC is not a simple (non-rigger) task. From the other end of the bridle, there's the d-bag. The d-bag is removable, but at the base of the d-bag is a "stopper", a perpendicular piece of reinforced material that is far too wide and inflexible to thread through the shrivel flap. So am I missing something? The PDF says "thread the bridle", it doesn't say "have your rigger cut apart your bridle, thread it through the shrivel flap, and re-stitch everything", but that's the only solution that makes sense (that, or cutting the shrivel flap open, then restitching around the bridle). How have other people here dealt with this issue (using the shrivel flap on their skydiving rigs)? Thanks, Brian Brian Drake

Yeah, at a few hundred feet above the ground, I don't think I'll be aiming for 2/3 of a pull... Brian Drake

The "hard" pull was with the lacing that came from the factory. After re-lacing myself, I found that a "down and out, then up", motion worked better than the "out and up" motion I tried first. Brian Drake

I thought the purpose of buying an HC5 (or HC1 or 3) was because we want to turn the image stabilization off, something the HC5 and earlier models allow for since it's electronic (vs. the optical stabilization of the HC 7 and 9). I turn steady shot off and use infinite focus. I've been happy with this setup so far. Brian Drake

Anyone have any tips for packing/storing/transporting this suit? I'm specifically referring to the mylar in the legs. Is there an "approved" way to fold it so it doesn't break the mylar? Brian Drake

It's been a while since anyone's posted pictures of their new V3 (zing!), so rather than tack on to some long, forgotten thread... The fit is very snug, and at first, I was worried I wouldn't be able to wear it (since my right foot does not yet fully bend towards my shin - dorsi flexion). But I put my feet in first, zipped up the legs, and then was able to get my arms in (I usually don a suit the opposite order). The snug fit will probably be just perfect, as the material will stretch slightly and I'll have the right amount of tension. The construction and design of this suit is top notch. I can't wait to fly it (tomorrow, Insh'Allah)! You'll see from the pic, I'm as hardcore a PF supporter as anyone (got my PF color scheme shoes, wingsuit, BASE rig, camera helmet, sunglasses...). The wait WAS worth it. I'm a little confused by the cutaway system. I had a flash of deja-vu when I explained to my coworker the purpose of the cutaway system, then proceeded to demonstrate it with.... unsuccessful results (deja-vu because I never could get the Tony-Suit velcro down the arm system on my first-gen SM1 to work, and I embarrassed myself several times in similar, failed demonstrations). Not only was the cable a tough pull, but even with the cable out, my arms still couldn't reach up since the thumb loops don't come off with the cutaway. I was expecting a system like the Pro-Fly, where the thumb loop comes undone when the cable is pulled. Perhaps I can mod the loop myself to achieve this. I've never worried about arm cutaways before, but now that I'm taking this to the BASE environment, I'm a little overly cautious and this system doesn't completely convince me, yet. Anyway, I'll hopefully have some footage of it in flight (and maybe some GPS tracks) to share on Monday. Peace all, Brian Brian Drake

For the public record, I have nothing personal against Phoenix-Fly. I have 2 of their wingsuits, their tracking suit, and some day, before I have grandchildren, I hope to be the proud owner of the Fly the Line 2 DVD (pony Jarno, pony). The innovation of their suit designs, the quality of their construction, the sheer insanity and awe-inspiring nature of their proxy flying footage: I have a crush on Phoenix-Fly. I don't have a crush on their order fulfillment times. I also don't have a crush on their inability to keep their customers informed of their order status (Jarno is helping change this though, Pony to him!). And I especially don't have a crush on euphemistic labeling of wait times. So yeah, I've griped a bit on this forum. That's what this forum is for. Griping, whining, joking, bitching, name-calling, pony porn, etc... Jarno and I have already had make-up cyber-pony sex, so I think we're cool now (I'm a generous lover). But I want everyone else to know I bear no ill-will towards PF. I'm actually very understanding of the considerations that have kept their order fulfillment times in limbo. I'm not as understanding of their lack of communication in this regard (or in some cases, misleading information). So yeah, I bitched a bit. But now that I'm happy (my V3 just arrived), I'll shut up. Brian Drake

Dude, chill out. My entire post was written tongue in cheek. It's a freakin DVD, not a wingsuit I need for a BASE trip that cost me thousands of dollars and hours of logistical planning. I can wait. I was just teasing you. Every Phoenix-Fly product I've had/seen IS worth wait. That wasn't a purely sarcastic line. Brian Drake

That's the problem with us impatient Americans. To us, "a bit late" is a few hours/days. Evidently, in the more enlightened European countries, "a bit late" equals 2 months. Phoenix-Fly: Human Flight Innovations It's worth the wait. Brian Drake

Do some (any) people know when us poor slobs in the US will finally get our pre-ordered copies? Brian Drake

Just got mine. Attached is a quick comparison screenshot between the Opteka 0.3 and the Raynox 3032 on my HC5. The Opteka is noticeably wider. Good. It does appear to have some vignetting as the footage is blurry at the edges. This was a quick-n-dirty test in my office, and I left auto-focus on, so maybe that's a factor. I bought the Opteka because the Raynox is not wide enough for a camera on an arm from the back of my helmet, facing down my body/wingsuit as seen in shots in "Fly the Line 2" (or so I'm told, my DVD copy is still MIA). With the Raynox, you mainly just see my rig filling most of the screen. I think the Opteka will be wide enough, and I can probably be satisfied with just cropping the blurry material. Will jump this weekend and report further findings. Brian Drake

I'd imagine Olav would have to get some cut of this action as he already owns the trademark to half of that phrase. Brian Drake

Eike, Dave Sanders, Glen, and Cate Brian Drake

Video Posted mainly for the benefit of the participants, but maybe someone here will also enjoy it. Brian Drake

Weight may be a "gravity engine" due to wingloading, but let's not forget drag. Those with more, uh... streamlined... torsos, have an advantage. If you can't see your toes, neither can the wind. Brian Drake

Here's the video Brian Drake

Ok, I did search, but couldn't find exactly the answer I'm looking for. I have a Sony HC5 and I'm using the Raynox 0.3x HD wide angle converter. This setup works for just about everything I need except for when I mount the camera on a RAM mount off the back of my helmet facing backwards. Then the view is not wide enough. What's a wider lens available for the HC5 that's also HD? It seems that anything wider than 0.3x is SD. How much resolution do you lose by going to an SD lens? Are there other 0.3x HD lenses that are wider than the Raynox? I looked at Spot's lens comparison test but I couldn't see an immediate answer in that chart (untrained eyes on my part). Thanks in advance. Brian Brian Drake

Charlie, when are you going to be in Switzerland (from when to when)? I had to use Parallels running Win XP to configure my Wintec. There may be some unix based solutions out there, but I'm really rusty on investigating those. This may be a good place to start: http://hexten.net/wiki/index.php/Wintec_GPS Brian Drake

Still waiting for the GPS data... Brian Drake