DSE

CSC will have some fun events around that time. Toronto is gorgeous. Mile-high has a good wingsuit crew. So does Jumptown. That time of year, most any DZ not too far south will be great.

Only when looks count.

What is this "proof"? Considering the background and history of some of the BOD members (current and former), inflated jump numbers really isn't that big of a deal. ^^^ This, and the likely-to-intensify mud-slinging to get one BOD member off the board and get another person on, orchestrated from within the system. Sad that there are those so desperate to get on the board would start the season with this sort of smear campaign, so that they can get elected in the fall. I kinda thought we were above this sort of behavior.

Nice initial review. One thing that is incredibly important about the Curv... It's the most comfortable rig I've ever worn. The way it hugs my shoulders when I'm backflying really helps. And of course, it's got a really sweet/unique look and style. When I'm overseas or in Canada, people frequently come up wanting to check it out.

This is on the 2$ Elsinore stick, running from my MacBook Pro running Windows 7 over Bootcamp.

Just did a file Xfer of 600Mb over USB 2, it took 13 seconds, so perceived time vs reality, you're correct. :) There is an auto copy command for production assistant that we took out, simply because the USB port assignments change frequently in some hardware systems.

The 3-10 seconds you'd save by doing this is fraught with any number of potential problems. -as you mention, no archive. -USB is a shared resource, so corrupt files are entirely possible (and probable) -Drives that are fast enough to render to are not readily available and not cost-effective. "Cheap" fits most DZ budgets. -You couldn't effectively render to a number of USB drives at once. It's a good paper plan for sure. Just not very practical. This will change over time, of course. We're very near the end of physical media anyway, particularly as available speeds in remote areas become faster.

Disc is significantly slower, as it's a burn to media, this is usually as lengthy a wait as render. Thumbdrive is a file xfer, so there is only the render time. Thumbdrives can be lightning fast, if you use USB2 ports and compatible thumbs. Uploads are significantly slower, unless you have an uncluttered web connection (I've yet to see a DZ that does, but I'm sure it's out there).

No application can beat Vegas at this task. Vegas is the only application that can render multiple videos at once, and only app that can render while editing while ingesting. Depending on the system, my "show off" stage presentation of Vegas at tradeshows, is to have 14 instances running at once, all in varying degrees of resolution, frame rates, source media format etc. It is ugly, but the only automatable system out there. Years ago, I invented "Broadcast Assistant" for ABC Nightline television show, and not long after that became Production Assistant. With some deep input from Chris Warnock/Parachutist here on DZ.com, it became Production Assistant 2.0, the standard for automating ingest, auto-edit, and template-based production for skydiving videos. It's now been copied by a coupla companies, but...the format, system is indisputably the best. I no longer have any interest/partnership in the Production Assistant plugin tool for Vegas, so happy to answer questions without having a vested value in it.

A tremendous promo for the APF!

Unfortunately, you'd be incorrect in that thought. There are PLENTY of WS "instructors" that truly don't care, and recently I had one arguing with me that he was "endangering the student's safety by asking him to jump something larger than the 2.1:1 elliptical he was jumping, because he's not familiar with the bigger canopy." Seriously. We've recently seen a fatality of a man in a suit he shouldn't have been wearing. The suit didn't kill him, the "instructors allowance" didn't kill him; there are several links in those chains of error. But...having instructors following a standardized process (like the most-excellent Dutch, BPA, new CSPA, Australia programs) will help increase the safety mesh for new entrants into a discipline. FWIW, I don't care if you have 15,000 freefly, belly, or CRW jumps. If this is your first flight, you'll be treated like a 200 jump wonder.

I don't know if any of the incidents Grimmie has seen are the same incidents I've witnessed at two DZ's, but: -At one DZ, smart-ass guy decides to swoop the firetruck. Apparently he didn't realize it was a fatal and thought he was being funny. Startled emergency workers and made a bad situation worse, much worse. -Another DZ, emergency workers were in the area near the runway and the aircraft blew dirt and debris over the bleeding (alive) tib/fib next to the runway. -Another incident, a student was fixated on the emergency vehicles below, and landed downwind, breaking a wrist. -Twice, I've seen the medevac have to wait to land while canopies were landing.

DSLR is essentially dead; large imager mirrorless are owning the world. I'm in the process of making the switch, and so far, loving it. The Sony lineup is incredible for size, and photo/video quality. Samsung's photo quality is very high (video leaves a lot to be desired). Other than the requisite mouth-switch modifications, losing the heavy weight and gaining the additional resolution for post-shoot crops/processing is a great thing.

Wendy, our community has been holding non-sanctioned events identical to what other countries have been hosting for years. I've been a Meet Director for several Performance Events (individual competitor, measuring Time Aloft, Distance flown, and Speed over three jumps. Three jumps=one round. Competition is typically 2-4 rounds or 6-12 jumps). This format is sanctioned by FAI/IPC. https://www.facebook.com/events/776523132414122/ These have been held at Skydive Elsinore and Skydive City over the past 5 years. -Acro; This event is wingsuit relative work with barrel rolls, flips, backflying. Think of horizontal freeflying (sort of). Controlled docks are the scoring metric. This format is sanctioned by FAI/IPC. To date, this event has only been held at Skydive Elsinore. -There is also a four-way competition of dynamic formations that has thus far, had two competitions. This format has not been accepted by FAI/IPC.

FIFY This is where the DZO's have some influence. I was trying to be politically neutral.

The rule of thumb for most wingsuit schools is "no ellipticals, no wingloading over 1.5:1 during coaching jumps/newer wingsuiters." Ellipticals with wingsuits are never a great idea. I watched Jonathan Tagle have chop after chop on his Velo with a wingsuit. But, some folks here are apparently a lot better than he was. Yes, if there is going to be a rule, might as well be "no elliptical for at least the first 25 WS jumps." From there, the choice to be foolish is theirs to make.

Very nicely done, Juan!

IMO its exactly this type of irrationality that is often involved in these views. OK, I'll bite. Explain why you are bulletproof from a premie? Premies have killed and maimed more than one person over the years, even on new, "freefly friendly" rigs. It *can* happen. If it's you and another regular skydiver, no skin off my nose. But if you harm a tandem in any way, it harms everyone.

Well said, Rob. I was 48, had money, great insurance, and a strong desire to get back into the air. It was one of the hardest things I ever did, and often still I wonder if I should have.

"Overestimating?" How does one overestimate "dead." It's happened before, and that's why it's so concerning. Agreed, rigs are better at backflying and premies. But experienced skydivers aren't tandems. Experienced skydivers know what to do when they see (and can potentially avoid) premies. Tandems cannot. Were it not for a promise to never post, I have two premie shots, both of which occurred to very big name, very experienced skydivers on team training jumps. Both are very scary, oneof them involved injuries great enough to keep someone else from jumping for a month or so.

It's truly not hard at all to do 4-5 way flocks from a 'van. Or, just be sure everyone knows the aircraft, and the pilot knows his stuff. Keep in mind, my DZ is a destination DZ, so aside from the core group that knows the skinny, there are always visitors that don't. We have to have policies for the weakest link, not the strongest.

^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ What Monkey said. Between an extremely wide variance in wingsuit size, wingsuit pilot capabilities, disagreements in standardized training for exits, there is another variable; pilot skill and awareness. I've been in Caravans where there is very little speed and a tremendous prop blast, been in 'vans where there is a lot of speed, and been in 'vans where the pilot is in a gradual descent with low speed and little propwash. Some pilots really hate raising the tail and others don't. If they're not wingsuit-savvy, one way to assure that a big suit and a fast pilot won't collide, and that's through a butt-on-floor/knees on floor exit.

You would never use an ND filter on the inside of the aircraft. The Hero camera is "pro enough" for use for tandem videos. It's not about the camera, it's about the operator.

A couple of folks here have asked for the Safety Day PPT's that I use; here are two somewhat current versions. Use/modify as you needed. Camera Safety Day PPT https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxhZWxju4_IlalY1Zl9fb3draTA/view?usp=sharing Wingsuit Safety Day PPT https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1x1AeugqtOUHYAUgxTHpr2sFQt2SMTM4GOrgL83u9drk/edit?usp=sharing

https://www.facebook.com/dspottedeagle/media_set?set=a.1159705546141.25459.1032868837&type=3 https://skyvideo.wordpress.com/2009/10/19/live-live-with-no-regrets-recovery-road-part-one/ 4000 skydives since that day. I struggle with cold, still have the rod in my pelvis (and the plate with broken screws). PT is the hard road back, but it's been well worth it (for me, YMMV)