DSE

There is also the dynamic of seeing how the prospectives interact with each other and the existing team members in addition to how they individually present. Can't see it's any different than putting together a great band...talent is only 1/3... Nice work Harry and PD! I wish Harry were shooting with a good camera tho.

Yes. Yourself. when you get out of compulsory (high school), who is responsible for getting you to college? You. Seek out qualified teachers to help you grow. I used a canopy coach to help improve my accuracy (thanks, Jack and Chris), I used another canopy coach to help me with my downsize and landing progressions. I took camera flight instruction from Mike Semanoff and Norman Kent, wingsuit instruction from Scott Campos, Scott Callantine, Justin Shorb. The list is long and never ending. USPA has a pretty good direction, just look at a license card and it'll help you know how to progress. Look to the canopy proficiency card to help you grow. Look at those you'd like to emulate, and ask how they got there. IMO, 500 jumps and the D license is where the "real" license to learn begins. Up to that point, it's mostly survival skills. After approx 500, you start to learn what you need to learn to become successful. The responsibility to learn (and choice) are mine/yours. Once you have your A license, the only obligation is that of safety.

It's not really rolling shutter like you see with fast framerates on a CMOS video camera. It's an offset shutter artifact. That said...Canon has said they'll have a firmware update "very soon" and they're showing some stunning video at CES from this camera shot by Jon Fordham. As far as panning...it's gonna be the same as any camera; fast shutter in high light with open aperture will give you a nice background blur. Originally, I was unimpressed with the video side of this camera, albeit very impressed with the photo side (it blows the 5D away). Now...seeing this vid at CES...I've sent Jon an email asking how much of it is post and how much is the camera. It *appears* to have motion smoothing applied, but it might just be the way the image stabilizer worked. For short vids of skydives...I might just change my opinion. One thing...this camera will NOT function well in high heat. Keep the camera out of the sun for any length of time. If you've never shot a full-frame sensor: 15mm is very wide on fullframe. 24mm fullframe is the same as what you'd see on an APSC cam such as a 50D or XTi with a 15mm. (I know you have a 5D, Brendan, but others reading this might not be aware of the sensor diff).

That would scare me as well. Never been to one. Some call Lodi a "no rules" DZ, but they do have a few firm, fast rules posted all over the DZ, and they're not negotiable. Bill is also very receptive to jumpers talking about safety issues. I guess my point is that Lodi is classified by many as a "no rules" place. I agree...I'd never jump at an "anything goes" place. Is the East is that much different than the West?

Do you feel that at most DZ's if you see a gross safety issue or impropriety, that any DZO or S&TA will listen to whatever you have to say as an experienced person?

A somewhat similar discussion without the added burden of an actual incident or it's resultant emotion.

Why would you want to? the optics are pretty poor for stills. For giggles, you might like em, for a website you might like them, but for anything printable, they'd not be useful.

Yes, it is. BTW, Raynox (via ZReiss) just dumped a BUNCH (several hundred) of these lenses on the market. I believe they're upgrading cosmetics. You should be able to find them very affordable. Check out Zreiss.com for more information.

The important thing is you were thinking about me. Uh, Skittles...I was thinking of you too. That worries me a little.

Its long done, but waiting for it to be posted.

Guys, let's please keep the topic to general discussion and not be on the attack (or defense) of any specific DZ or DZO? thank you The Management

I'm looking for a good photo of a tetrahedron; I have several of the tetrahedron in the background, but due to shallow DOF, they're all blurred... Anyone help me with a good image of a T?

Why are you so hung up on this? Maybe in the very early days this happened, but nowadays, i've not once witnessed a PFI / BMI aquire their rating without going through the proper training / tests. Zee, I'm all about all the suits. I have a Tony, I have two Birdman, and two Phoenix fly suits. One member of the Flock University org is on a manufacturers team. Five members aren't on any manufacturer's team.

Great suggestion, one minor (and technical) caveat. Rendering a timeline to DV first, before going to MPEG is always a bad idea. Without going too deeply... DV is 4:1:1 (NTSC) or 4:2:0 (PAL, but the 4:2:0 of PAL is different than the next point). MPEG for DVD is 4:2:0 color sample. If you render to DV, you're already tossing 75% of the information out the door, and if you have color correction, titles, generated media, stills, etc...they lose a LOT. Taking 4:1:1 or PAL 4:2:0 to MPEG 4:2:0 is an additional hit in color sample/picture quality. Avoid rendering to DV first whenever possible for best image quality. but if rendering to DV in Studio is the only thing that works...

which is exactly (I feel) is the goal of Flock University in this regard. Non-factory, not selling anything, not specifically associated with any manufacturer (although Tonysuits and Birdman did sponsor in part the small Flock University booklet sent out recently to dropzones). Similar to Skydive University... For wingsuiting, it's the wild, wild west out there right now. There are good sheriffs and bad sheriffs. There are those that ride into town to drink at the bar and citizens be damned, and there are those that are looking to build a new city worthy of being a destination for travelers. If we don't self-govern, then we'll have USPA regulating us, DZO's scared of us, and wingsuits will develop a bad rep worse than they already have. I'm still a newb compared to a lot of you, but already I can see the trend and the dividing line between adherence to BSR's and those that say "f**k it, they're not FAR's" and take out wingsuiters with far less than 200 jumps. Rating or not, I believe there should be some form of accountability. We've had two wingsuit - from - aircraft fatalities in just over a year. Both were well below the recommended jump numbers. Both were very young men. Neither of them should have been in a wingsuit at their experience levels, IMO. One died on his 118th skydive, the other on his 110th. One, no one has said "boo" about his instructor, the other, many wants to crucify. Curiously, the first guy had been prevented from wearing a wingsuit at his local DZ less than three weeks before he died. The second guy had been turned down by a WX instructor the day before he died. Both are tragic. I suggest we move past manufacturer ratings given over a case of beer and move to an industry-based rating (of course I have a semi-vested interest) that at least isn't motivated to sell the student something. if this means a Flock U rating, great. If it means a USPA rating, sign me up. I really don't care which way it goes but we need a way for DZ's and manufacturers to have at least some enforceable control over who is jumping what and when. Some folks consider it criminal to sell a 100 jump wonder a Velo loaded at 1.7 or that Katana loaded at 1.5...but the same person considers it OK to take a guy with 50, 100, 150 jumps on a wingsuit skydive. Recently at a Florida dropzone I met a woman who was so excited to tell me about her new Stealth she'd ordered. SO excited. I asked her what she'd been jumping up to this point. She had two jumps on a Prodigy. That's it. But she had a great PFI! BTW, Skittles, Millertime 24, I'm *really* proud of you guys.

If you're buddies with the right guy, you can get you WS-I over a cold beer and good jokes from at least one manufacturer. At the moment, IMO, there is little value in the BMI/PFI rating, and it needs to be stepped up with the super-fast growth of wingsuiting. dunno if it should involve USPA, but should definitely involve wingsuit manufacturers allowing or working with a third-party body to create the rating. Ratings, however, don't mean much if the instructor doesn't adhere to the BSRs.

No worries, everyone else forgets me too. But it's the first time YOU'VE forgotten me, so I'd like to hint that I like Sam Adams and Shiner Bock.

Scott's gonna need more than tippy toes to be as tall as you; you're the Jolly Steve Giant!

There already exists a canopy proficiency card. All 10 people here that have undergone the Proficiency card process, please raise your hands. I don't disagree with a camera rating, nor do I disagree with a Wingsuit Instructor rating. IMO, the Birdman Instructor program is a lame joke, and the Phoenixfly program is the punchline to the lame joke. There are at least half a dozen "instructors" from both camps that got their "I" rating over a beer or lunch (no exaggeration). TonySuit and a couple of other manufacturers don't have a rating. It's a good discussion to have, IMO. Again, in my opinion....A wingsuit instructor should at least -possess a D license -possess a Coach rating -have at least 250 wingsuit skydives -have demonstrated certain, definable skills on the ground and in the air. -have participated in at least two large (16 or larger) flocks -pass a written examination that covers recommended equipment, safe flying procedures/practices, flight patterns, navigation. There are other ideas/suggestions I'd have as well, but these are personal starter points. I've seen instructors take wingsuit students up in 60 knot (aloft) winds, seen em' take up students with no legstraps done up (my first jump was exactly that) and seen em' allow students with fully elliptical canopies. They weren't doing so out of defiance of safety recommendations, they simply didn't know what any of the above meant. There will be those that scream "I already give enough money to the USPA for my PRO, AFFI, TI, etc. Valid point, perhaps USPA should consider a "bundle" for rating renewals....or not. A rating won't prevent anything, but it does provide candidates/students a means by which their skills and enthusiasm may be measured.

I fear it's more and more about deception, anticipation, aggressive excitement, and the ease of access to gear, opportunity, and jumps, than it is about making a buck. The internet makes it really easy to buy gear you're not qualified to buy. It's also very easy to fake a log book entry when you arrive at a DZ without your log book. If you have an A Licence, it's pretty easy to fool anyone, isn't it?

The Sabre2 is an excellent canopy for intermediate to advanced skydivers; you might want to re-think the wingloading, as mentioned by a couple of others. Renting a 240, for example, might be a good start point for a jump or two, then try the 210. If you're really comfortable with a number of jumps on the 210, perhaps order the 190. However, if you're expecting to go uncurrent again... Be safe out there!

But, but, I needed to complete my BLT

It's more than just the rockets. It's the tunnels that are continually being dug/used beneath the barricade walls to smuggle in bombs and incendiary devices...The tunnels, the system there, and the extremely evident restraint the Israeli's exhibit towards the Palestinians is almost inconceivable. Spend 2-3 weeks near the Gaza...regardless of how liberal you might be, you'll understand. And wonder why the Israeli's simply haven't wiped the Palestinians off the map.

There isn't a Sony XH A1. There is a Sony HVR A1U, and a Canon XH A1. Canon XHA1 is similar to an FX1000, but damn...That's a LOT of camera snag right there....be very careful. I have one, have about a dozen jumps for commercial work, it has a nice 24p mode...Shoot at 1/48 or faster if shooting in 24p.

I've written a review for dropzone.com, just waiting for it to go live...