scottswoops

A great friend, a great husband, a great father, a great flyer... and most importantly, a GREAT man!!! My friend, your time came way too soon! You will be missed more than words will ever be able to express! Fly free my brother! "Try not! Do, or do not.... there is no try." --Yoda

Happy Birthday Kim!! Glad to hear you're doing well!! All of us here at Skydive Arizona are wishing you the best!! Scott "Try not! Do, or do not.... there is no try." --Yoda

I put about 1000 jumps on my PC-100 before I had any glitches. I always had it in a Bonehead Clamshell. "Try not! Do, or do not.... there is no try." --Yoda

I feel dumber now! "Try not! Do, or do not.... there is no try." --Yoda

I would recomend taking your time and being patient. Give people time to show their true colors. The DZ is generally speaking, a small tight knit community. The last thing you want to do is prematurely begin a relationship, have it go badly, and then have to deal with that person every weekend for the rest of eternity. I'm not trying to sound pessimistic, but I've seen the drama unfold TOO many times. Have fun, but be cautious!! "Try not! Do, or do not.... there is no try." --Yoda

Diablopilot, you might want to check out aopa.org/funds or look into SallieMae financing. I hear ya on the financing issue! I'm going through it myself "Try not! Do, or do not.... there is no try." --Yoda

What the hell is a LR3???????????????? "Try not! Do, or do not.... there is no try." --Yoda

Try "Suburban Train" by Dj Tiesto. Also, "Mistral" by GTR is bad ass! Some artists you may want to run a few searches on; Chicane, D:Fuse, Carl Cox, Ferry Corsten, George Acosta, John "00" Fleming, Lab 4 (sick intense!"), Lost Tribe, LTJ Bukem, Matt Darey, Nick Warren, Sasha, Digweed, Paul Van Dyke, Thrill seekers, and that's just a few. If you want some more, drop me a line;) Good Luck! "Try not! Do, or do not.... there is no try." --Yoda

I had an erection once while flying the plane. I didn't mean to, but the gentle hum of turbines can promote daydreaming. By daydreaming, I mean having vivid fantasies of Jennifer Gardener kicking my ass (Alias style)and demanding that I perform action to her that are illegal in several states. "Try not! Do, or do not.... there is no try." --Yoda

You could always pretend like you're trying to light your shoe on fire That would be good entertainment "Try not! Do, or do not.... there is no try." --Yoda

Trance!! Granted, it's not for everybody....but it works with almost everything "Try not! Do, or do not.... there is no try." --Yoda

Or you could just ask me to burn you a new copy "Try not! Do, or do not.... there is no try." --Yoda

Glad I could help "Try not! Do, or do not.... there is no try." --Yoda

I have to agree with the no wide angle/no tripod advice. In addition, I would hold the camera away from you, as if you were firing a pistol. I find that I get a really steady shot that way. Point the camera in the right direction and you should be fine, a little practice and you'll have it dialed in. Whenever I try you use the viewfinder, my shots are a little unsteady and I always screw things up with the zoom. I also find that I like the inside of the carve as opposed to the outside. I adds an illusion of speed (canopy goes from being far away to being right over you and then far away again, if that makes any sense). Keep yourself low so you don't get decapitated! Keeping the camera at 3/4 arms length will also increase situational awareness. People tend to get fixated on the camera guy/girl and the last thing you need is a camera permanently embedded in your skull. Good luck! "Try not! Do, or do not.... there is no try." --Yoda

Seriously, who uses toilet paper anymore?!?!?!?!? "Try not! Do, or do not.... there is no try." --Yoda

If you go more than once, is that person still a stranger?? If I sit on my hand for long enough, it too becomes the "stranger." "Try not! Do, or do not.... there is no try." --Yoda

Actually, the 1000 does allow for a surround sound Mic. It slides into the top where an external light source would attach. No standard audio jack though. I don't know if that helps, but good luck! "Try not! Do, or do not.... there is no try." --Yoda

That's not exactly true. You don't NEED a sight at this point. As a matter of fact, with your experience level, i would discourage it. What you should be focusing on right now, is your skydiving. I'm not saying don't jump a camera, but take things slow. Adding a sight will in-advertantly add workload, which you don't need. My suggestion, get yourself a .5 or .6 to help steady out your shot a little and maybe get a little more in frame. In addition, make sure your helmet fits properly and that it's snag points are at an absolute minimum (a cutaway system is always nice:), wear a hook knife, and hold off on the extra crap for a little while (i.e. status indicator, sight, still camera etc..) Once you start adding these, you have new checklists you'll be focusing on. You've heard of camera guys running out to the plane without their rig?? That's why! They were focused on the other checklists. Anyhew, A wide angle lens is no big deal. It's not really a safety issue unles you're getting too close to something that you shouldn't be. If you're flying conservatively, I'd say throw it on. I use one, most of the professionals I know in the sport use one too. Good Luck "Try not! Do, or do not.... there is no try." --Yoda

Hey Stacy, Most of the advice Im reading for you seems good. Especially the canopy control course! As for the PD 150 and your hesitation to move to ZP......hmmm...... I think you might want to look at other options. The term "higher performance" isn't something you should be afraid of. Think of it as, "better performance." Things have changed over the past several years. Some would even go as far to say the sport has evolved. Although the newer canopies have the POTENTIAL to slam you into the ground, it is no longer an inherent flight characteristic (generally speaking of course). Most of the newer canopies actually offer LIFT, which is something you want. I'm guessing that your PD 150 might have had something to do with your problematic landings. It's an element of the equation you have the ability to change right out of the gate. I would find a qualified coach that you trust and talk to him/her. Explain your concerns, ask questions, and ask if they feel your best choice is the PD-150. I'm anticipating the answer will be no to the 150. A few canopies you may want to consider would be PDs Silhouett, Sabre2, or maybe the Spectre. You might want to think about contacting Performance Designs and speaking to the Demo department. They have an awsome program and everybody there is very helpful. With some decent coaching and a decent canopy, I think you'll see some radical improvement in your landings. Good Luck! "Try not! Do, or do not.... there is no try." --Yoda

Try taping or using a rubber band to prevent the focus ring from moving. If it moves at all, it will reset some of your preset options. If you want to take it a step further, use a tandem rubber band to prevent moisture and dust from getting between your lens and camera. Good luck! "Try not! Do, or do not.... there is no try." --Yoda

The only con I might be able to think of, is on the topic of safety. I would hesitate on straping anything to your fingers. I've seen fingers ripped off and had close calls myself due to jewelry getting caught on the aircraft. Beware my friend! "Try not! Do, or do not.... there is no try." --Yoda

I have to agree with the PC-1000 recomendation. It's an awsome camera with 3-CMOS technology. I would try to find one quick, as Sony has discontinued the model (I don't know why) and prices have dropped. I believe you should be able to find one for around 700 or 800 USD. Good Luck!

Uhh......you said suck and blow.....that was cool!

Quote[reClue your buddy in, the DZO is pushing it with what he'll allow. He's being very liberal, and your buddy should be thankful for that, and try not to let his ego spiral him into the ground. ply] As for Daves response, I think he's dead on with his statement. This simple fact that he wants to load a canopy at 1.7 with 200ish jumps, demonstrates lack of experience, wisdom, and general intelligence. Anybody heard of the process of natural selection? "Try not! Do, or do not.... there is no try." --Yoda

I say screw it! Get a Velo 79!! What could possibly go wrong?????? "Try not! Do, or do not.... there is no try." --Yoda