DougH

I would avoid older reserves, Swift or Swift+, Micro Ravens, etc. They don't fly as well as better designed reserves like the PD-R, Smart, etc. One accident one a reserve landing and any money saved will evaporate. Avoid no longer supported AAD's, for example the Argus. There is a good chance it can't be packed into your rig. On mains avoid older F111 mains unless the jump numbers are low, it was stored in a closet properly, and your wingloading is going to be low. Honestly unless money is super tight try to get a newer 9 cell ZP main like a Pilot, Sabre2, or a Safire 2. Also check with other jumpers and riggers before you pull the trigger on anything. Everyone seems to think that their old outdated gear is worth its weight in gold. "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

Is it opened or sealed? "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

Likes them better? I like them a lot. I have rides on 175-110 smarts, they all opened great, flew great, flared great. They are modern and on par with PDR. I don't have a PDR in my rigs, they happen to be Smarts. I think you will find it isn't that most people don't have a preference with more modern reserves, they have a more narrow experience with a certain type because it was popular. If you want a real strong opinion about a reserve ask a Dual Hawk tandem instructor about the Master 425!!! "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

Either way your time line and your description of the situation is a bit off since it wasn't like there was a DZO and a upfront disclosure during a face to face. He grew up as a jumper inside the club. There certainly was awareness of who he was, and his past conviction, but it isn't like there was a job interview in the normal sense. Club member had to make their own decisions about his past and how they felt about it as they went. "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

Why would you have the passenger bring their own GoPro? Even at cook your own fondu restaurants you don't bring your own food to cook, even though you are doing part of the work. The DZ supplies the glove and the camera, then you have consistency with the setup from student to student. Have them pay what the market will support, compared to the guy up the road doing outside video at 120 bucks a pop this will look like the biggest bargain in the world. Heh! Regarding the 15 different exit angles, big fucking deal, they do that very well without a camera. You had 15 with a one cinematographer, I had 500+ with only 1 or 2. If you show them how to hold the harness so the camera films the exit they will hold on for dear life because they won't want to miss the shot. Almost none of these students let go of the harness before prompting, because there was a carrot, and a stick. They held on because they knew the camera was already aimed, they didn't let go because they didn't want to mess up their shot. I have a higher ratio of students performing better with video, both when it was on their hand, and now that it is on mine. It gives them something to focus on other than just being totally overwhelmed. "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

Where are you getting all of this from, are these hypothetical? It is a club, there is no DZO. He started AFF there, showed up with an ankle monitor at the time. Fast forward multiple jumps and multiple years, he has an employment relationship with the club that sours. "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

Normiss, you can probably Netflix the Lifetime movie about him. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0141779/ Can't say that about many of the excon's you may or may not be working with! "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

On my mothers side she is one of five, with twelve grandchildren. About 10 years ago my grandfather rented multiple cabins near crab tree falls VA for the entire family to stay for two weeks. I sure am glad he did that. We spent holidays at his house as a big group so being together wasn't new, but this time dedicated to just vacationing and not the holiday rush, is one of my favorite memories of my times with him. "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

A7RII is 40+ megapixels, the growth in this technology is mind blowing. "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

It might matter to most people's bank accounts. Feel free to start another poll that is of interest to yourself if you don;t like ths one That is all relative. What is more impressive. 75 self paid for the ramen eating packet who has pitched a tent in the ghetto, or 400 self paid for the trust fund baby. Neither of them have an impact on my back account! "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

How long is your jump run?! Hooking up 4k before exit?! ;) ;) More can't hurt I guess. I verbalize the connections to the student while connecting them. Lowers connect, right upper, left upper, then tighten lowers with or without student assistance. A full harness, connector, and handle check rounds it out. And if I have down time I might touch them one more time while waiting for the pair in front to exit. Not that a check from the other TI is a bad idea, we just haven't found it necessary. "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

Comments on Twitter was that winds shifted. "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

Rubber bands are a pain in the ass versus keepers when it comes to adjusting tandem harnesses, or instructor harnesses on a tandem rig. They catch webbing and make adjustment more of a pain versus keepers that slide and aren't grabby. "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

Instead of the battery switch why don't you make the device bigger, constantly on with a rechargeable battery, and people can charge it and put it on a Dbag inside a pocket. I am preordered for an Ioata which has its own transmit frequency, but the cell network sounds way better. I would rather not have something on the front riser, even if it is durable, flexible and lower profile! "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

Not super surprising given the US trade embargo, but way cool! "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

No real argument from me. At the time it was a real money maker for the DZO who wasn't making as many student jumps as past years. The instructor got an extra 5 bucks to geek the camera and grab an arm and move it into position. The dzo charged near instructor handicam prices, but it was an edited product. The students that came back said they loved the product because they were able to film parts of the experience that they wanted, instead of an instructor that is trying to film as efficiently as possible. "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

The same arguments against this can be used against the roller coaster ride casual tandem itself. It distracts the students... they are distracted and under trained despite the instructors best efforts. They are students and students can't fly camera... yes because they are treated like students and not passengers at every dropzone. They could snag a handle with the camera... they do that already with their grabby hands. It distract them on exit... you mean like the flips and shit kids that try to sit fly or flip on exit. The main reason for not doing it, after being stuck using this method for two full seasons, is that the video isn't consistent. It waste the editors time because it isn't a consistent clipping of videos. The instructor also has to wrestle with students who have the cameras aiming in the completely wrong direction. Half the time it is an awesome product, and have the time you wouldn't even want to put your competitors name on the video. "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

I sent a message to my friend on bookFace, but no idea if he is even registered on here. "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

Foolish? This is a DZO gold mine, just think about it. If they can convince a 380 jump wonder that the rules aren't important, they can also convince that same jumper to push sunset, and jump when the winds are shitty. They get to fight off pressure to raise pay too. On top of that if the DZO is the evaluator then they get free instructor jumps while the guy or gal works off the cost of the "course". "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

Maybe I am being my typical dick self, but I don't know why it even matters. I paid for all of my jumps before getting my tandem rating. Now I put sweat, and recently a broken ankle into my work jumps, and that helps pay for fun jumps. 5,000 jumps paid for by a person that is really well to do, or 5,000 jumps that a mix of jumps with students, and fun jumps. They are both 5,000 jumps! They are both important to the person whose log book is keeping track of them. :) "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

What happens when US cell companies drop 3g service? "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

The xfire is probably worth 200-300 less than the sabre 2 based on demand. But what is a few bucks amongst friends. Just do an even swap. "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

Thanks for the input so far, it is great. DSE is half right, this is the keep me entertained while I heal. But if I had good interest I would consider getting a dz brat to take them when I am back chucking drouges next season.. When you say E-mount are you referring to the new mirrorless bodies? I was looking at the new sony too lighten the load on my camera helmet but I do I limited outside video. But this could tip the scale slightly.. "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

Decided to catch my foot and blow my ankle up on a tandem landing 5 weeks ago. Now I have hardware and the rest of the season off. Still non weight bearing but I was thinking about taking landing photos to fight the bordem. Can you please recommend lenses that would work well for the application? The camera is a older RebeI XSi. Thanks! "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

Have you been drinking a leg of beer and posting? Shouldn't do that solo. Thank you for the wrong input lol! Amyr, why are you trying to be clandestine? Part of the hurdle of being an instructor is having a dropzone that wants you on board. Before I invested the $$$ I would want to know that my home DZ has the need so I can use the rating. Granted you can travel, but unless you intend on doing this fulltime it helps if your regular dz is going to give you jumps. Just do the course, you will get stronger and more efficient each jump. You may convince yourself that you can't hack it when the reality is that your course director can get you up to speed. "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P