DSE

If it's squirrelly and inconsistent in a regular skydive, it'll be just as squirrelly and inconsistent in a wingsuit skydive. IMO, get it to a rigger or better...to PD so that the lineset might be checked, in addition to other potential causes. It might be as simple as the length of the control lines being unequal. Either way, you won't be able to control it any better with your arms restricted during openings, nor should you be basing the purchase of a wingsuit on how well you can control a canopy that isn't behaving correctly, IMO.

I guess I consider breathing in through my nose as sucking. And I suck at the harp. But I slept in a Holiday Inn last night.

Probably not new to some of you, but found a trick that worked this weekend. I had a wingsuit student that was scared spitless, but was determined. He sucked in a breath on exit and didn't exhale until he deployed. His body tension was obvious, even though he flew straight and reasonably well. During the debrief and subsequent corrective action, we focused on breathing and relaxation. Same thing on the next jump, no breathing. Third jump, I saw the pilot had a pack of Listerine strips. I took one out just before we exited, showed it to my student and told him "this is a breathing strip, it'll assure you breathe in flight." He put it in his mouth and away we went. He breathed, he was relaxed and smooth in flight, and improved 200%. Each jump after that, he asked for a "breathing strip" and his improvement leaped. By his 10th coached jump, he was ready to relax on his own, he just needed to find the mental mechanism that switched on his breathing. He later told me that he doesn't breathe in RW skydives. Yes, we did all the "smile in freefall," "relax your jaw," etc and even had handsignals worked out to remind him. Nothing seemed to work, and it's been an issue for 200 skydives. Bottom line, a silly breath mint strip fixed his problem or seems to have. He left the USA for home today with 25WS jumps under his belt and what he was most grateful for was that he'd finally breathed in freefall.

I'm not PIA, but having spoken at two symposiums, had a booth at one, and attended three... It's well worth the time and cost. Although the show is imbalanced in favor of military vs sport parachuting, most of the sport folks are there with new gear, ready to answer questions about the gear, and in many cases quite happy to talk shop at length. Plus you'll see many industry "heavies" walking around. The sessions are well worth the effort and expense, IMO, and catching the new BOD will be very valuable, especially if we see any major changes in the lineup. The "How-to" sessions are awesome. Last year the sessions on "Wingsuits On the Dropzone; What DZO's NEED to Know" was jam-packed as was the session on "Maximizing Video Profits On the DZ". These ain't your CEO's PowerPoints; they're filled with video, handouts, discussion, and solid information on the subjects. I'll have a presentation on what's new, what's coming, and how to harness the power of new media on your DZ, in addition to a session related to the wingsuiting world and wingsuit safety.

Can't play as well as him, but I do fair on the didjeridu... (which is also sucking and blowing).

But, but, but...practicality isn't as much fun as arguing theory. Fly a wingsuit. You'll quickly learn the best ways to get out of twists (turning the twist on itself while kicking). Theory is wonderful and the stuff bonfires n' beer are made for, yet applying an effort will often prove the theory wrong. One guy had written quite a few words on what to do in a water-wingsuit landing. People believed it for years. Until someone actually took the time to enter the water in a wingsuit, and we discovered that following his written theory (he'd never been in the water in a suit) would have likely killed the otherwise safe wingsuiter.

It's a very well-done tool, thought out nicely. Copyright and patents weren't thought out well, it seems. I for one, wouldn't want to go up against a huge electronics and software company.

Due to VFR concerns and air traffic, we've made some small changes in how wingsuit patterns and exit order are managed. Wingsuit patterns to the east of the DZ are no longer permitted. Manifest has a wingsuit pattern briefing that will be given to you when you check in for jumptix/manifest. Additionally, you must now notify Manifest and the pilot that you are wingsuiting. Flock is building fast here, warm weather expected for much of the winter. C'mon down and get some airtime!

Vertical Skills Camp/Event being held at Skydive Elsinore on November 19, 2010. C'mon out and fly, get qualified for the January event. Skydive Elsinore

You're forgetting wingsuit time, and yes...it applies. There is one AFFI that got his rating with just over 300 jumps at the time, who started wingsuiting (prior to the new BSR) at 65 jumps.

My solo CX100 helmet just arrived yesterday morning.

There is a LOT of it out there, the VASST "Adrenalize" library was made specifically for skydiving and active-sport operations. Glad to know the vids help someone here n' there.

If I can do it, so can you.

you'll likely not recover any of the data on the foot lost. Radio Shack sometimes has splicing blocks and splice tape. For DV, you'll use a butt splice, not a diagonal splice. Keep in mind, it's digital. Analog doesn't stripe data like digital does, so digital loss is much more catastrophic. Now...get rid of that ancient tape cam and join the modern era.

A-Adobe CS is far from the "basic standard." Avid and FCP are the basic standards. Period. Everything else is a wanna-be. B-None of the Adobe products can be automated. C-The learning curve is significantly higher with Premiere and it's tools than Edius, Speed Edit, or Vegas, all of which are much more suited for fast-turnaround of video. This is why Edius and Vegas are the "basic standard" in the news industry for posted broadcast. If you're editing video for yourself and turnaround for tandem or team isn't important, and you're making a feature or docco where time is only as valuable as you feel you're worth, Creative Suite is a terrific toolset. At 5 times the street price of Vegas, Edius, or SpeedEdit.

as big a fan I am of the Sony cams for video and film, and of what they've got coming for certain restricted applicatoins...I can't see the value in the Sony Alpha series cams. I haven't worked with the latest models at all, and they do have a new product team. However, even just last years models felt very cheap to me. Canon T2i fits right into your budget, and it's a known quantity in the skydiving realm

as in "New Berlin" Spotted Cow? You left it and expected no one to drink it? Please leave the keys in your car when you come to the DZ. No one will steal it, I promise.

Article schmarticle. Having worked with all levels of machines at virtually every price point in the past few months...AMD's are just simply great. Having the latest/greatest is silly for all but the most monster tandem operation doing 100+ vids a day, IMO. Cheapest on the list ain't the best either, obviously. Choosing a median AMD or Intel quad, sexta, or octa-core CPU is gonna make about anyone happy for an average or above average workflow. Anyone here need to render more than 4 vids at once while ingesting and editing?

Clarification: The Phoenix-Fly standard is the standard for Phoenix-Fly. Others seem to respect it. Audacious? Perhaps in your world, but it's not your neck on the line when someone dies. We're not giving manufacturer support to someone with only 20 jumps or foregoing industry-standard gear checks that finish in fatalities. Keep that nose raised if makes it easier for you to look down on those of us that strive to do better than "OK (aka 'perhaps maybe average')" and will never meet your standard.

Forgive me for skipping the novel. If you're suggesting a 182 bit the OP, I understand. No step on an Otter and the pilot levels out and cuts, so Elsinore will be easy.

When you get to Elsinore, ask me or one of the other instructors. We'll be happy to show you. It'll be a 3 minute conversation, and hop n' pops from an Otter are very easy. How many plane parts have you made contact with on exit?

there are a lot of zeroes in that story.. maybe 100million dollars for a 10 year trip? Maybe it's the first step towards Insanity that Stewart put into motion over the weekend.

I've turned away a couple students in the past coupla years, one just last week, because he already knew everything there was to know about wingsuiting before he'd ever put one on. He's chatted with Matt G and Dean P, he's met Jeb Corliss and Luigi in person, he knew which suit he wanted to wear for an FFC and which suits he wouldn't wear. He'd seen everything on YouTube, Vimeo, and other websites. He knew it ALL. Thanks to online video. Sometimes online video is more a hassle for an instructor than anything else. It's hard to teach someone who thinks what they saw on YouTube was the "right way" vs what the instructor believes is best for them.

I think you and Justin should show up and fly it. BTW, I sure enjoy having your distance trophy up on my shelf...

November 14, 2010. Bring your best game. First prize is an altimeter from L&B, second prize a certificate from Phoenix-Fly. Exit from 10k, open container by 3k. Judges on the ground make the call. No registration fee, just show up for the distance loads, and have fun. The following week is the Vertical Skills Camp, which will also be an opportunity to audition for the Vertical Skills Challenge being held in January 2011.