DSE

Got the shipping notice today...so should have cam tomorrow. Won't have the opp to jump it til Friday, but will report ASAP. I've been assigned to write about it for a magazine anyway, so taking lotsa notes.

gotcha. Nope, I don't think you're harsh; words are far less harsh than the reality if things turn to crap in the jump. However, your wording had me thinking you were under the impression that Jarrett was the OP or defending the OP.

I agree with every point in your post except the ending comment.... Jarrett isn't the one arguing a point here. Why attack him?

The Norman Kent "Aerial Camera: What You NEED to Know" DVD set is now shipping, they're out there now. Hopefully this reduces my PM's about it.

got stats to back that statement up? I suppose it's *possible* given that there are more KA in the air than any other small turbine aircraft (they're still in production after 40 years). But I'd find it hard to accept that it's "had more crashes/deaths in skydiving" than any other. There are so few DZ's with them by comparison to other a/c.

my bigger worry with front float is hitting the wing. Seen it happen twice, and it's quite expensive. We've chatted about front float from a King here, and most folks share a similar concern.

I'd submit that his courage has nothing to do with miles. If I ever find myself going down in an aircraft that has a ripped off tail, broken back and neck with a heavy payload flopping about in the cabin, I'd sure want Sparky to be there with me. Because he's already been there, done that, not very long ago. I'm sorry your experience has been different, Steve. I can understand the frustration you might be feeling as well; nothing sucks like DZ politics, especially when women or children are involved. Seems like you two would be best served with a long distance over-beer chat.

I dunno. Maybe he had one too many beers. Maybe he was tired. Maybe....who knows. But he's a respectable guy that has contributed a lot, so whether I agree with him or not, I'm going to respect him. Having nearly been killed, and later learning why...he taught me a lot. He's put his life directly on the line for a lot of people. More than once. So I'll offer respect no matter what. I think the entitlement generation (from whence I come) has forgotten that small tidbit about respecting others (regardless of their age).

I understand it's easy to piss on Sparky's comments simply because he's retired and has lots of years in the sport. I went to Perris specifically to meet him because I know some of what he's achieved in our sport. Far, far, FAR more than some of the people you're praising. Yeah, he's a white-haired old fart, one that keeps picking up very young ladies at Perris. He's all class. He may not always be right, but he's got great class. Check out what he's been into, you might find it in yourself to show a little respect. Many people have remained alive in this sport as a result of his work. More recently, he helped me in obtaining something I badly needed, for which I'll always be in debt. Screw em', Sparky. I'll buy a few beers for you before I'd talk to any of these clowns. Having met you and one other praised person in this thread...you've got class (and style).

that's sorta my guess too, but not sure how that leaves enough room for him to hold on. The guy that saw part of it said that he was cutting the wind, so that would suggest that he's got his frontal area to the aircraft, no? Side rant; it really chaps my ass when someone starts a conversation with "how many jumps do you have?" I still suck but I fly OK for my number of jumps. At the same time, there are a few skydivers I've met with triple my jumps that can't fly for sh**. Went on my first noodle dive last night (just like a hoop dive) and because I was the oldest, I was last guy out. Everyone but one guy had at least my jump numbers, most had twice my jump numbers. I made it to the hoop, several between the first and last exit didn't. That made me smile at least a little. BTW, if you've never jumped a KA, you learn real fast about stacking the door. So if you're the last guy out, that means your ass stays planted until at least half the load is gone. Video

It's a cultural thing, but it has several meanings. "As five-fingered humans, we are all the same" Four colors of humanity Four seasons Birth, adolescence, adulthood, death Four directions Male, female, earth, sky The four-colored hand has been my logo in all my music releases, film projects, and live performances, so it's somewhat recognized in certain circles. My hope is to inspire the youth when they see this. Cultural pride means a lot to the kids. The hand is from my daughter's hand, painted by my son. The canopy is a 190. It's mostly for demos and special jumps, but I've now jumped it a dozen times, and want to jump it more.

Saw a pic today that a photographer had taken. I was impressed with the angle, and couldn't figure out how he'd done it. I asked him, and he told me it was "difficult to get from a King" (except he'd shot it from our KA). He explained it was a head down exit, although he wasn't flying head down. He wouldn't elaborate, saying I didn't have enough jumps to understand it. OK...whatever. Can anyone help me figure this one out? It appears that rather than dropping straight back beneath the tail, he's standing in front of the door, looking in, except that he's definitely not there, I can't imagine the TM allowing that. Moreover, when the tandem exits, he's at level with the tandem, but out toward the wing. One of the other camera flyers said that he had a foot actually in the door, rather than down on the lower step we've got on our KA. If any of this makes sense, and you can provide some answers, it would be appreciated. I loved the angle, and would like to figure this one out. No, I don't have a copy of the pic.

Perhaps this belongs in Gear/Rigging... Performance Designs built this new canopy for me, it's a Silhouette, but not really. Due to the artwork, they had to mask the back of the art cuts, and so on the bottom, the canopy is three layers thick. It doesn't pack up any larger, not so you'd notice anyway. What's really interesting is that it doesn't fly like my other Silhouettes. Perhaps since the bottom of the canopy is 2/3 ZP instead of F111, dunno. It's MUCH faster, has a lot more flare power, and makes me want to get another one. It also looks pretty sweet from the ground. With the sun shining through the white topskin, the colors of the logo are bright. Huge thank you to Kolla, Kim, Sandy, and the gang, I'm amazed at how great it looks, how quickly they put it together, and how wonderfully it flies.

Curious to know who is doing what... If you're using NLE, what don't you like? What do you like? If you're using analog/switcher, what don't you like? What do you like? Overall I'm interested in how your workflow goes after a tandem, coach, or competition practice jump (or fun jump with video).

this isn't just a skydiving question...it's an "every industry" question. You have something everyone wants; the ability to visually preserve memories with a creative flair. Just like some people think it's OK to use copyrighted music in their video, create compilation discs for their friends, etc., there will always be people that expect you to give away your talent and use your equipment without them paying for it. One guy at my DZ saw a huge blowup of a shot I took, he asked what it cost. Thinking he meant "how much did it cost to print that" I responded with "$225.00." He replies with "OK, so for 245.00, you could do that for me?" Sorry, the cost of the slot and print don't quite cover it. He was pissed. So yeah, if you want to be paid at a rate that allows you to recover gear costs in a reasonable amount of time, that at least recognizes your skills in the air (or on the ground), and gives you at least enough afterwards to buy a cold drink...yes. you're a jerk. There is always someone there with lesser quality gear with lesser quality skill that will do the shot for less. As far as tandems getting their own video man who has very few jumps? If the TM is willing to accept the risks of jumping with them, I don't think there is much you can do. In the US, it's legal. Maybe not right, but legal.

yes, in the sense that he can take excrement and arrange it in a way that people that dont educate themselves will buy it, sure. . Glad to know we both agree that most of what comes out of Bush's mouth is shit.

http://www.vladiball.org/ Though I do not particularly like the guy who makes these, and consider it to be a half-baked design from an engineering standpoint, I have bought many products made by people with whom I would not personally associate, and the market is small enough that it does not really justify the cost of developing a mature product. Personally, I have stuck to "Sunkist dives," where one flies relative to a spherical navel orange over farm country (eccentric oranges track like a bastard). Blue skies, Winsor I completely missed your point. ~you don't like Vladimir Milosavljevic (certainly your prerogative, I've never communicated with him, just bought a ball. ~You feel like it's poorly engineered (design/build/sell your own?) ~"the cost of a 'mature' product? A "Mature" product doesn't have a "cost." the product becomes mature after it's been on the market for a while, flaws are identified, and the product has been redesigned to improve the product and/or repair the flaws. Vladiball hasn't been around long enough to be "mature." In my industry, mature means it's no longer needed due to greater/newer technology that replaces current tech. Maybe you could come up with a new technology. ~You'd rather dive with an orange that could EASILY cause significant damage on impact as opposed to purchasing a tested, functioning product for 50.00? Vladiball might not be the best engineering at any price, yet from my perspective, I appreciate that someone has designed and offers a toy that we can safely play with in the air, that allows for easy adjustment of fall rate, that is safe for people on the ground in the event one of us screws up and drops it. Haven't seen it happen yet, but it surely can (and will). At the end of the day, I don't care if Vladimir Milosavljevic is a prince or a prick, I just appreciate his toy design and the fun it affords me.

Uhh...does he need to? A-you're sitting in a movie theatre B-It smells like popcorn C-It's called a "Film" D-He's known as a filmmaker, not a news reporter Or perhaps you'd rather him take the tack of Discovery Channel crime shows; "The events you are about to see are true. Certain dramatizations have been added." Damn. On discovery, I actually witnessed Scot Peterson dumping his wife into the ocean. Moore could say "The events you are about to see actually happened, no one was paid to say anything you'll hear them say. Certain scenes have been rearranged to generate a cohesive story but these words were all said, spoken about the relevant subject, by the people whose mouths you see moving when your ears hear their words. This film is 100% truth, just truth taken out of context because I'm an artist." In the meanwhile, CNN is reporting on Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, and the new fall fabrics.

So what? He's an ARTIST! He owes nothing more to the truth than Shakespeare or any other artist. Do you believe in winged babies? Mermaids? That Icarus actually flew with wax wings? Do you believe in Batman or the Silver Surfer? That old ladies can pick up pianos and carry them down the street? These are all fantasies built upon some format of the truth. Moore doesn't go that far, but at the end of the day, he's an artist that provokes thought and discussion. That's exactly what art is intended to do. Like it or not, there is a serious healthcare problem in the USA today, and it's only getting worse. His film may very likely be the linchpin that brings serious discussion to the table on this issue that affects ALL of us. Pretty clear neither of you have made a film nor attempted to write a factual story. Just TRY to make a film or story that relies *entirely* on film/video clips containing uncontrolled/unscripted dialog. It's very difficult. Moore removes some context from time to time, so what? It's called "Artistic license." Hollywood does it all the time, but no one comments on it (Unless it's a 5 minute freefall in "Point Break" or "Get Smart").

I'm sure the FAA has something to say about it, not sure, however. We do this quite regularly and have had FAA personnel around when we've done it. My understanding is that due to how the Vladiball works, it's legal. But that doesn't mean the FAA wouldn't say something about it, somewhere. The Vladiball is a *helluva* lot more safe than a tennis ball filled with BB's.

He's an artist. Artists make social statements. He doesn't make anything up, he takes what is there and puts it together in a manner that suits his own viewpoint. No different than Fallout Boy making a song about depression or falling in love. The difference is, because Moore's work includes the leaders of our country, leaders that some of the US stupidly trusts, Moore is castigated for bringing their stupidity, greed, dishonorable behaviors to light. "We have OB GYNs that can't practice their love for, their love, their love for women!" Hollywood couldn't script this kind of stupidity. Moore doesn't write this shit, he digs it up. He finds it. He uses it with a contextual bed that may not be 100%, but he doesn't lie, doesn't cheat. He presents it from his perspective only. From one side of the argument, Bush is a sweet guy who is defending Americans. From the other side of the discussion, Bush is a slimeball lining his pockets with profits from the war that he started for no good reason. Somewhere in the middle lies a more accurate viewpoint, but IMO, both statements are still 100% true. Moore just happens to pick one side of view. He's not the news. He's not a historian. He's a filmmaker and a damn good one. He gives away a LOT of his profits to others. He's still a fat, loudmouth, cynic, but he's also got a lot of truth and an intent to bring government behavior to the fore. I have a tremendous respect for his work, just not him as a person. "Sicko" is a very important social film, IMO. If you don't have health insurance, you'll quickly understand why after seeing this movie.

Here's your vid Sorry it took a couple days to upload. Since part of the thread is about safety, notice that everyone stays at similar altitude when passing the ball back and forth, and no one is flying for the ball; it's aimed at specific person. Vladiball flies very smoothly, IMO.

If it's greying out (are they blocky grey sections, or whole screen?) it would usually indicate a worn head and/or alignment problems. It'll cost you a lot more to repair than the camera is worth. You'll do better (most likely) selling it as parts on Ebay and picking up a newer old camera, or buying a new one. If they're blocky sections vs entire screen, it might just be a particle on the head that interrupts the encode/video stream. A good cleaning *might* fix it, but I doubt it.

Well....if the Marine thought he was in danger... http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/06/18/national/main2944148.shtml Popular BASE area, was shut down til the authorities caught/shot the bear that killed an 11 year old boy last week. About 30 mins from our home. The parents of the boy blame the Park Service for their son/grandson for being mauled to death.

Scarface: "Every day above ground is a good day." "I always tell the truth, even when I lie."