DSE

*waiting for DSE to see this* I'm taking it as a compliment. Tonto used it often, and it dates back at least as early as the 1950's... Then again, President Grant thought the "only good Indian is a dead Indian..." Whatchu tryin' to say, Fish?

Don't know who you spoke with at Perris, but a good chunk of the READ ME was written by two of the *most* experienced camera flyers at Perris.... Then every camera flyer I know is "just plain stupid." Cuz every one of us has done it. The difference is that at 200 (or fewer) jumps, you don't have the skills to react to "just plain stupid" as someone who has spent most of their time getting the more basic "just plain stupid" experiences out of their way. There is a huge difference between a person with 1000 jumps taking it to the basement and a person with 200 jumps taking it to the basement. Experience saves lives more often than luck. 10 bucks says when you have 1000 jumps you'll look back on this thread and realize how cavalier and misguided you are. If you're still jumping, that is...

there was a recent article on the history of wingsuits in Parachutist... I think that's the one being referred to here... i think it was by Taya though I should double check. That's the one I was referring to. I didn't recall who wrote it, just that it seemed to be missing a huge component of the history that I'd been given by Chuck, Robi, and Jussi at one time, as well as some of the stories around the bonfire about this guy or that one.

That omission had me laughing hard when I woke up so coffee wasn't necessary....Wide awake and filled with a chuckle.

Keep doing your homework. Entanglements are the least of a longer and more dangerous list of concerns. What exactly have you learned as you've been doing your "homework?" It's not meant as a criticizing question. I'm sincerly curious about what constitutes "doing homework" when it comes to flying camera?

3. Is so grossly negligent in his conduct or acts as to imminently imperil his fellow skydivers or aircraft or persons or property on the ground, or wantonly disregards the safety of himself or other persons I would submit that an instructor could be guilty of wantonly disregarding the safety of a student or newer skydiver by selling them a highly loaded elliptical. Potentially difficult to demonstrate, which is why I placed the caveat of the student being harmed. "Student" could/should probably be replaced with "low-experience" skydiver.

Seen it more than once. Here's an interesting debate; If a rated instructor sells a canopy that by general concensus is not appropriate for a student and said student harms him/herself under that canopy...Should a 1-6b investigation of the selling instructor take place?

Chuck, is that the purple one Voodew sent out? Did you jump it with the tail attachment? I never got to jump it with the tail zipped in.

Interesting...this thread. There was a recent history published that didn't make mention of any of these "back then" suits from Robi, Jii, Chuck Priest... It's fun digging into the past and seeing some of these old suits, and having some discussions with some of the early pioneers of the discipline. Scott Bland sure has some fun stories.

Grayghost uses Apple, which means support for the mpeg family is a hair above non-existent. FWIW, I have the T2i, 40d, 7d, and 5dII. Even tho the difference in weight is neglgible, I'll take the 40 or the 7 on rare occasion. T2i is for tandem video. T2i has marginal video as does the 5d (I don't have the Magic Lantern installed on my 5D). The 7d is the current best of the video lot, IMO. T2i isn't bad at all either. This video was shot with T2i and although jelloing was a small issue, editing did away with most of those problems. It's AVC gang...it'll always be weak due to the compression. But...if you can cope with the compression hassles (and most should be able to), then you're gold.

Call Sony customer service, I assume... I don't work for Sony. I just put stuff in their box.

I don't think there is an "average cost." It depends on how the graphic is put on the canopy. there are heat transfers, there are sewn transfers, there are blends. One of my two logo canopies is F111 sewn to the bottom of the canopy. Very expensive, doubled the cost of the canopy. It's also a lot more volume to pack up and it flares/flies differently than non-logo'd versions of same canopy. The middle section of the canopy is 5 layers thick due to black backing. The other canopy is a heat Xfer and is only one color. Not as expensive, much faster to get, and no significant difference in pack volume nor weight. [edited to add pic] In this photo, you can see the four colors on the bottom skin; black is underlaid to keep it black. White on topskin is to let light through to bottom skin so colors/design is visible. Size is a 190, packs as previously said (a 230) and it's heavy. Made for demos, it's not something I'd want to pack all day every day.

I'll keep biting. I have rigs that can be modified. I have a sponsor who is willing to help with the master rigging required to mod a container/harness assembly. I'm willing to examine the suit to "test at my own risk" and if it doesn't appear to be a serious risk (outside of what wingsuiting/skydiving already are), then I'll put at least half a dozen comparative jumps on the system. Does this specific helmet already exist? Or is this something that needs to be fabricated? What specifically makes this prototype so dangerous for even a fairly experienced wingsuit pilot? What measurement tools are you requiring from Airtec? With multiple logging tools, GPS tools, and math wizards like Yuri, Jeff Donohue, and the folks at Alliant Techsystems (utah aerospace company with a lowspeed tunnel), I'm sure we can discover some answers. Not sure what more I can put out there for you beyond our private correspondence. I have the money, the time, the enthusiasm, the desire to gain more knowledge, the equipment needed... What more do you require?

I don't know that I'd go so far as to use the word "lie...." Maybe lack of knowledge of what was/is available makes some marketing claims easier to make, maybe hype, maybe an exceptional experience compared to limited access...dunno. And perhaps...it truly is the most amazing thing in the world and can climb, fly 4:1 GR... only a few test flights with baseline comparisons will tell the tale. I've offered to jump the suit and compare with the many other suits I have. I've offered to sign an NDA regarding suit construction. I've offered a few mins of tunnel access for aerodynamic testing. I'm not the best wingsuiter in the world but a constant vs singular skill is what's called for in testing. A bad pilot in an Intro, V3, or Stealth2 is still a bad pilot setting a baseline for personal performance characteristic.

Very inspiring to see that small piece of history, Robi. Between this suit and Chuck Priest's suit, there are some sweet bits of history still around. It's interesting that this suit is only 30 days after Chuck's first commercial suit. Can you tell us more about that time period? What was going on? Was it the "space-race" for wingsuits?

I can think of several that came here with a "mad skillz" attitude about recommendations (and regulations) that are either out of the sport due to body damage or death, and then there are those that are still in the sport wearing metal inside their skin. And I've only been in the sport for 5 years.... One of em' was just damaged the other day after being told to take it slower with the camera. If you're not understanding a lens ring...you might wonder what other "simple" things you might be missing that have greater repercussions than "installing" a lens on a camera?

Yes, sebum is the stuff on your nose and found behind your ears (and in hair). It's a natural loktite, and also acts as a pretty good lubricant to help remove the ring too, when/if that time comes. You'd be surprised at how many folks believe there is a BSR regarding cameras. 200 jumps is a USPA recommendation to BEGIN flying camera, and tandem manufacturers recommend/require 500 jumps (with a large number of them being camera jumps) before jumping with a camera. See SIM Section 2.1 for more info. Apologies, the C/E in me couldn't resist.

Hes probably refering to the BSRs about jumpers having > 200 jumps before jumping a camera. Out of curiousity, why do you prefer the metal adapter and how do you secure it? (locktite, gaffers tape) It's secured by the threads. I do use some sebum to create a natural "Loktight" but that's it. I prefer metal because it doesn't degrade in the sun and it's more secure. Some folks prefer that a lense be torn off by a riser strike, but I'd just as soon not have that happen. FWIW, there is no BSR regarding camera and jumping. That's one of the recommendations left to common sense.

The Opteka website references the 30mm to 37mm adapter ring you'll need. They're all over the web, and cheap. I'm a fan of the metal rings; some folks prefer plastic. I'm not clear on "SIM regs." Could you elaborate?

Mesquite. It's the *only* real DZ in that area. Nice people, good place. Not as much to do as Vegas, however.

Boris, I'm happy to fly your prototype in a few situations, and have access to a testing tunnel in Utah. You say you've nothing to prove, but I submit you do have something to prove if your wanting funding for your work while claiming it's the fastest/best/most aerodymic, etc. Everyone's work is worth something, no doubt. Monetizing an effort is somewhat required, IMO. But making the claim without evidence is just a claim, not fact. I'm happy to help discover if your claims are fact or fiction. If they're fact, they should be easy to monetize.

The other part of the issue then, is your body position on deployment....work on deploying in a stable, head level/straight position.

Darn Dave.... There you go showin' common sense. To the OP...this is where you get to drill another hole. The other option is to build up a little "ramp" from plastic or something, that will deflect the riser if it goes to your button. If your HypEye is a "snag point," what else might you have missed? See an experienced camera flyer on your DZ, I'm sure they can help you out.

Come jump at Skydive Utah and do something really stupid, twice. I've seen a couple groundings for attitude and action, and was grounded for a weekend once myself for dumping way too low on a photo jump (not tandem).

And VSkydiver is pretty much "normal" for Utah. Women here are beautiful. Maybe it's the high mountain air...dunno. Difference between Vskydiver and most Utah women...she stayed gorgeous after marriage.