VideoFly

Six feet...for those who refuse to jump and land with the plane.

After losing a shoe in freefall, immediately kick the other one off. That way, someone on the ground will at least find a pair.

Steel roller skates and a skate key; a quarter for 2 pieces of pizza and a soda; 65 cent cigarette machines; penny Bazooka gum; playing jacks, spinning tops, hop scotch, and skelley with bottle tops filled with tar; steel cans of soda; really cool Cracker Jack prizes; black and white TV; airliners with propellers; and no warning labels on products.

Take the helmet off before you drill the holes!

I started off at a small DZ with a group of great people. We did a lot of RW and taught some students and did some tandems. At night we celebrated the accomplishments of the day. As years went on, tandem and video volume grew, old timers retired, and the RW and celebrations slowed down. Later on, the DZO got a new plane and hanger and the tandem business flourished. Workers would come and go each week and many had no names to be remembered. I became a worker and for a part time job, business was good. But it was work; not the fun and camaraderie we once had. I had a skydiving injury that ended my work status. Nobody cared and I was immediately replaced. I guess that’s the way things are at many DZ’s. I understand the business concept in running a DZ, but times have certainly changed. Now I do an occasional jump and to tell you the truth, I don’t miss the frenzy. In fact, I watch workers scurry from job to job with both admiration and concern. If you’re looking for warm and fuzzies, you’ll probably need to search around, but it seems that the skydiving business grows best with a somewhat impersonal perspective. In my full-time job, as a business manager and large team leader, I know that this does not need to be the case. But in my limited skydiving experience, it is just the way it is. Take it or leave it; you are expendable.

1-Frap Hat 1-Oxygn A3 2-Headhunter Voodoo (One broken from an accident) 1-Protec (Don’t use it anymore) 1-Old Renegade (Good for a planter) I gave my old Bell away. It made me look like Kazoo from the Flintstones, which was fine before everyone started wearing cameras.

That is exactly correct. When I train new camera flyers, I stress that if you miss the exit, then follow the TI with your camera, allow them to set the drogue, and then leave and drop down in front of them while never having them leave the camera's view. It looks great on film and is not only safe, but fully acceptable to tandem students.

Hi Mike, The situation you described is scary. I have filmed a TI and student drogue entanglement and taken a couple of drogues in the face and one on the arm, but I regard the drogue bridle as somewhat like a high tension power line or angry cobra and have avoided it at all costs.

My oldest son did a tandem and decided that one time was enough. I filmed my daughter on two tandems and she would like to jump again. My youngest son has about 800 skydives and he is a vidiot now. Filming his AFF was a blast, but turning 25 points on a complicated two way is really cool. I recently filmed him on a solo (not including me) for a school project, however, we kind of got our signals mixed. I dropped a little low in front of him to get a nice shot from below. He thought I was sinking so he brought his arms and legs in to speed up. I wondered why he was falling so fast and I tightened up to get below him again. Trying to help me, he put his arms behind him and his legs on his butt. I couldn’t believe he was going so fast so once again I dropped below him to keep him in frame from below. Thinking he really needed to help me, he went into a sit and I sped up and stayed right with him. After we landed he told me that he couldn’t believe that I was able to stay right in front of him in a sit while I was on my belly with camera wings on. We had a good laugh when we realized that we both thought each other couldn’t slow down so we each kept speeding up to help each other. It was a real father and son moment. By the way, he got an “A” on his project.

My third grandchild is due to be here in three weeks. It really is nice. I love jumping with my son and who knows, mayde I'll jump with the grandchildren one day.

While matching pilot chute handles look nice, I always get them in a color, which contrasts with my rig. That way it is easy for me and others to see if it is too far in or out of the pocket before I jump. Whatever you do, you might want to have a rigger do the work so you don't accidentally create a safety hazard.

+1

My Vector III tuck tab is broken in that way.

That was beautiful! Oh my gosh; flying with P-38's. That's the stuff that made me start skydiving... Truly incredible.

S.O.P. for me when I shoot commercial skydiving video: 1- Film freefall. 2- Back up to clear subject’s airspace. 3- Flip on back and film opening. 4- Flip over, further clear subject’s airspace, and deploy. 5- Scan for canopy flight clearance, collapse slider, un-stow brakes, and do a controllability check. 6- TURN CAMERA OFF AS I NEED TO KEEP MY HEAD ON A SWIVEL AT ALL TIMES DURING CANOPY FLIGHT. 7- Perform a predetermined and predictable landing pattern and land safely. 8- Turn camera back on and film subject landing. Give me a break. I hope this post isn’t intended as a jab at qualified and highly experienced camera flyers. We are all about awareness and safety. We survive by awareness and safety. We are often the last out of the plane, thus making us the small faster canopies amongst larger and slower canopies in the landing pattern. If your post is directed at the few hotshots out there who arrogantly fly how and where they want, with little to no regard for their own safety and the safety of others; who also happen to be wearing cameras…then GO FOR IT. I think the results may be interesting. I’m sorry if I sound defensive, but I too am concerned about canopy collisions and as of late, am scared of the extremely limited, albeit reckless skydiving subculture.

A card from Virginia is on its way.

Andy9o8 knows what he is talking about. Although my neck was broken and my left hand and arm didn't work, I stayed in a state of denial for a week before seeking medical attention. I even jumped two more times a week later and that night, there was a 2 in the morning trip to the ER. When I told this to my neurosurgeon, she told me that unlike a typical broken bone, it was common for people with severe neck injuries to not realize it. I know two other skydivers who had broken their necks jumping and didn't know it.

When I learned to jump, they taught me to cutaway a streamer. Sheesh! And I thought the 700-1100 foot openings my my Diablo were slow! *** I have certainly modified my low emergency exit procedures to know when to go directly to my reserve. I have also raised my hard deck for deployment to 3,500 feet, but typically deploy at 4,000 - 4,500 feet. I've gotten used to that streamer feeling and actually enjoy it. It's a smooth and seamless transition from horizontal to verticle body position.

I’ve got a lot of jumps on three Cobalts: a 120 and 2- 150’s. They have always opened slowly, which is why I like them for camera jumps. However, I’ve had an occasional whacker. It seems that they work well when packed in a specific way. I had one whacker on my newer 150, which broke through both sides of my camera helmet at the cheeks and broke my neck pretty badly. Now, with my hip bone and titanium neck, I jump my older Cobalt, which consistently gives me 1,500-1,800 foot openings. My son is jumping the Cobalt that whacked me and has never had a problem. As I said before, a specific packing method seems to work well with Cobalts. Once you have dialed that in – stick with it. Also, Cobalts have not been made for years, so there is a good chance yours might be used enough to need a line set. When you jump one until it's out of trim, it's hard to notice it's bad. But if you get one out of trim, it may be quite noticeable. Measure your line set and make sure it is within proper tolerance. An out of trim Cobalt might also whack you.

I am 6’ with a good sized belly and I have worn my son’s C17 Javelin. It works, but it is too small for me.

Along with some of the previous comments, I was talking about being able to consistently land a canopy in a safe manner,in a preplanned place, in the best of conditions as well as in bad conditions before downsizing and moving to HP platforms. For that to happen, physical, mental, and attitudinal conditioning and skills are necessary.

My son started packing when he was 8 and started jumping at 16. Now at 18, he has 700 jumps. We are both feeling the same concerns. When my son started packing, there was not as large a range of canopy sizes at the DZ. More specifically, there were not the small HP canopies we now see being used by some who can handle them and some who cannot. Additionally, years ago, it seemed that we were less tolerant of potentially dangerous behavior, or at least, dangerous behavior did not include as much rapid and difficult to control landings in the mix of conservative flyers in the landing pattern. I am all for personal freedom at the DZ and the right to advance to HP landings, but the seemingly increased number of potentially dangerous scenarios involving HP canopies sailing through patterns is alarming to my son and me. Furthermore, the cavalier attitude of some of the HP flyers and the resistant-to-protest attitude of more conservative jumpers appears to us to be making skydiving more hazardous than it needs to be. Subsequently, we are jumping less and more concerned about canopy collisions when we do jump. We have always had our heads on a swivel, but it is difficult to avoid someone oblivious to others in the pattern, shooting down from above. This is true, even when we preplan for their presence on the ride to altitude. The fact is that I have observed many people flying HP canopies without appropriate prerequisite skills. I have also experienced a large level of tolerance for their experimentation. Unfortunately, this scares me too.

I’ve been in two emergency exits on a King Air. On both of those we waited for the pilot to tell us to exit. I was in one aircraft emergency on a 206 at 300 feet and as instructed by the pilot we remained on the plane with little to no chance of getting a canopy out above tall trees. The pilot did an amazing job of getting us turned around and back onto blacktop with a very rough landing and no injuries. In all three cases, as previously planned, the pilots were charged with making the calls.

I learned to swoop on a Grand Cherokee. It was a good thing I had mud flaps. Great additions to the list. There must be more. I don’t know of any other product lines that share so many automotive names. What’s up with that? It may be that car manufacturers entice buyers with the promise of freedom, excitement, and adventure. On the other hand, skydivers live it.

Mitsubishi Nimbus