VideoFly

Freefalling without a parachute is kind of like body surfing on the ocean and swimming underwater in extremely thin water. You then couple that freedom of movement with being out in space or way up high like a bird. Being under a parachute is kind of like flying a dive-bomber and a sail-plane with a lot more freedom. Also, dealing with fear and nerves builds confidence until you become respectfully invincible, but always aware of the potential dangers inherent to skydiving. The sport is many things to many different people, with different needs, desires, experiences, and motivations. For me, skydiving is a beautiful way to relieve stress and accept new challenges. It is also a great way to meet new people and make friends. All-in-all, it is a wonderful experience!

I almost hit a giant bug once while I was under canopy. I don't know what it was doing at a thousand feet, but it wooshed right by me. I think it was a big locust or something. Since I am not sure what it was, I guess it was a UFO.

I upsized from a 120 at over a 2.1 wing loading to a 150 when I turned 50. I enjoy flying more now.

With an exit weight of about 225, my 170 Sabre opened briskly and beautifully every time. When I switched to a 150 Sabre, it opened quickly and perfectly on every jump. It never whacked me, but the opening took about 300 feet, which was great for opening at about 2,000 feet. When I switched to a 135 Sabre, I had several openings that whacked me to the side and then kaboom, whacked me the other way. I actually thought I broke my neck on one opening, but after a toe and finger check under it, I could tell that I was sore, but not broken. I got rid of that canopy after that jump. Wing loading may have made a difference on my Sabre openings. I rolled both sides of the nose in toward the center and made sure to quarter the slider. In general, my packing needed to be more orderly than is required for my elliptical canopies. All-in-all, I think the Sabre is a great canopy.

I recently filmed a tandem exit with an instructor that I never worked with before. As he pulled the drogue from the pocket, he went onto his back and held onto the drogue while he attempted to get stable. While he held the drogue, the bridle wrapped completely around both of the student’s legs and as they turned over, the bridle wrapped again around the TI’s and the student’s bodies. At that point I flew in toward the two to assess the situation and waited for a request for assistance, which did not come. I was ready to pull my hook knife if needed, but I waited just to the side in front of the pair. I stayed to the side, but maintained eye contact to avoid a possible trapdoor if a reserve came out. The pair went head down and wrap by wrap; the drogue bridle became untangled. As the TI checked his rig for entanglements, I gave him a thumbs up that he was clear and he gave one back. The rest of the jump went well. When we landed, we debriefed and he told me that he was glad that I didn’t come in to help because he was ready to go to his reserve. On the student’s video, I faded to a still after the exit and back into the jump after the bridle wrap was clear. That part of the video did not need to go any farther than it did, which was from me to the TI, so he could view it on his own and reflect upon the situation. I guess it has a lot to do with communication and familiarity between the TI and camera flyer. In this case, the TI wasn’t quite sure what he had going on and not knowing him; I needed to wait to see how he reacted. At that time, we had plenty of altitude to deal with the situation, although if he signaled for assistance, I would have considered being there. However, if I tried to help after his request, I would have flown in low and to the side to avoid being in the way of a deployment of either canopy.

Thank you! I am humbled and honored to receive this recognition. As always, I am proud to be a part of our community and share advice and suggestions for the pursuit of safe skydiving and the art of photography. Blue skies and happy holidays!

1- Drop the rig 2- Pick it up 3- Pay your packer Merry Christmas!

Should I wait until I have 200 jumps like the USPA recommends? Why ask if you don't want to hear the answer? In this sport I understand that most advice is good but the extremity of the sport sometimes brings overprotective advice. And thats no fun. Have fun

Please make sure you are highly proficient at RW jumping and are sure that you have handled floating outside a plane during rough rides, RW problems, canopy problems, close-call canopy openings near other canopies, reserve rides, and off landings in bad weather into tight places before you are too confident. Also, read the sticky above this post, search the forums, and talk with other videographers with more experience about flying with a camera. Flying video can be accomplished by many jumpers when everything goes according to plan, however, with the added distraction of cameras and unexpected occurrences on the ground, in the plane, and in the air, to say the least, things can get very interesting, very fast. On the other hand, there are a lot of very experienced camera flyers around who may have started flying cameras before they should have. For us, we have learned many valuable lessons on the job. We are the ones who typically advise others to wait. While we have managed through some potentially dangerous moments, we have also realized the value of preparation. Also, we are probably the least likely skydivers to want to see others learn those lessons the hard way. With whatever you decide, be careful and be safe.

With a regular turnover of videographers at our DZ, due to military transfers, people moving, disillusionment with flying a camera, and people moving on, it has been a constant challenge to keep training videographers. Even with that, on any given day, usually one or several videographers don’t make it to work because they have other weekend plans. This time of year, with work slowing down, we do have days where there are more camera flyers than work. That is part of the deal. For me, I am trying to slow down a bit as I move through my 50’s and work full time anyway. Therefore, I don’t mind giving work to others. Right now, while we have five camera flyers, I expect that in the near future, we will lose several to military transfers. The bottom line is that at our DZ you need to prove you are well qualified to be able to shoot video. With that said, the rotation of work occurs on a first come basis, with those with lots of energy and extra gear being able to do back-to-back loads. If you have other concerns, speak with your DZO, manager, and/or manifest personnel.

I’ve worn an Oxygn for years on RW jumps, but since I do mostly video flying, I am more used to an open face. Now, on most RW jumps, I wear a frap hat and goggles, however, I recently did an RW belly jump with some freeflyers and wore my oxygen. On the first donut, one of the freeflyers kicked my face shield open and I had to rip it off and toss it so the sharp edges didn’t cut my face while flapping in the wind. On the negative side, I find that I have difficulty understanding others on the plane if they are wearing full face helmets because I am hard of hearing and usually read lips. Also, because I am more used to an open face, I find that my Oxygn obscures my lower peripheral vision at flare time. All in all, closed face helmets are great. They are warmer and quieter. For me, I’ll stick with my frap hat unless I anticipate carnage on a zoo dive.

That's some great advice fom Tigra. There are many delicious dishes to make with brown rice. As Tigra said, keep t a little crunchy and enjoy the meal.

It probably won’t work. You can try longer cooking in a crock pot, but that might not come out the way you want it. Brown rice is just a nuttier less starchy grain. It’s kind of like trying to jump with a squash instead of a pineapple. It’s just not the same. Also, I prefer Alaskan salmon over fish caught or farmed in other areas. It’s probably got something to do with the water. Maybe Penelope knows why. You might want to check with: American Rice, Inc. 10700 North Freeway #800 Houston, TX 77037 Phone: 281-272-8800 www.amrice.com They might know where to find Arborio in your area.

Brown rice is not going to be as delicate, fluffy, and creamy as Arborio because being less milled, it retains bran and germ. Also expect brown rice to require more liquid and more cooking time than Arborio or other white shorter grain rice. You might want to sauté the brown rice in butter and then add vegetable stock for about 20 minutes and then add the whine and some white rice and more vegetable stock as you raise the heat and stir. If you can’t find Arborio rice, you might be able to find Carnaroli, Vialone Nano, or sushi rice, which may work well for Risotto. Generally, you will want short grain, starchy, rice and lots of vegetable stock to keep your Risotto creamy. Moreover, if you make Risotto with brown rice, it probably won’t be as creamy as with shorter more starchy rice.

It would be worse if you drained the account for a gift for yourself. Take your licks for being a hopelss romantic.

High-top Reebok basketball shoes with a flat bottom work well for me.

C206 had a wire harness drop down within dashboard on takeoff with the yoke pulled back. After climbing, the yoke was stuck full back putting the plane into a stall. The pilot told us to hold on. We dropped our heads between our legs and sat tight while we turned between trees. The pilot was able to bring the plane down onto another runway with some big-time bouncing. All were fine, thanks to the pilot’s extraordinary flying abilities. King Air at 13,000 with frozen throttle in full position. The pilot tried to drop altitude to give lines a chance to thaw, but they did not. All jumpers exited at high speed and pilot brought the plane down and landed successfully. King Air, left engine out. We all left the plane except for a TI and student who were too low to jump. The pilot performed a beautiful landing with one engine. Hats off to great pilots who stay calm and cool during rough situations and protect passengers from danger.

I have over 800 jumps on my last suit with plastic clips and they never broke. However, the cloth eventually began blowing out during jumps.

Did you have it set to center point focus or full field focus? Which do you find to be faster?

A camera on one hand and a guy who can't fly well on the other and probably a first-time student strapped below. What can possibly go wrong? I'm glad I'm not his student! The TI needs to think more about his responsibility.

I use a Canon 28mm on a Canon XTi. The 28mm matches shots pretty closely with my video, which I use without a wide angle lens.

I like using a Canon 28mm.

I don’t use a wide angle on my video and use a 28mm on my still camera.

I’ve seen it behind, stuck on top of, in front of, stuck in a cell, and even wrapped around lines in front of my canopy. It’s a good idea to take a peek to see what’s going on and if everything is okay.

A few last additions… Do listen to words of wisdom from those with experience. Do always see yourself as a student with lots more to learn. Do fly like a hummingbird with lightning-fast reflexes. Don’t get sucked down low or place yourself or others in danger to get a shot. Don’t get careless. Don’t be rude to others. Flying video is a great experience for camera flyers and others. We are too cool!