nacmacfeegle

Thanks for the info John some stuff that supports Omar's tips is here....with pictures and all! http://www.zct.co.uk/skydivemag/pages/articles/aug00/headupflying.htm http://www.zct.co.uk/skydivemag/pages/articles/aug00/headup2.htm http://www.zct.co.uk/skydivemag/pages/articles/aug00/headup3.htm http://www.zct.co.uk/skydivemag/pages/articles/aug00/headup4.htm http://www.zct.co.uk/skydivemag/pages/articles/aug00/headup5.htm also try searching this site for other stuff, its a veritable goldmine. Cya again somewhere, sometime, maybe... -------------------- He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me. Thomas Jefferson

Okay, I'm pretty much on the fence as concerns gun laws, prohibitions and controls.....But here's my take on this anyways. Looking at weapons controls in isolation is not the way forward. We need to consider the punishment regimes in place as well. However look at these stats... Gun related murders per 100,000 population USA - 4.08 Canada (1999) - 0.54 England/Wales - 0.12 Scotland (1999) - 0.12 Japan (1998) - 0.04 Sunday Times So based on the above, I am about 40 times more likely to murdered in the US, than at home in Scotland. But these stats in isolation are pretty meaningless. As Malachi suggests, punishment is not a deterrent. Criminals are not afraid of doing the time. Its not that we need better gun control laws, we need better policing, and sufficient funds and resources to support them, thus limiting the power of the gangs. We need more effort to prevent kids getting sucked into the gang/violence/criminal culture in the first place. We need to give the people from 'deprived' areas a better chance so they can make a choice between a life of crime,and a worthwhile contribution to the community, we need to respect their situation and do something about it, as opposed to boxing people into ghettoes. As opposed to producing reactive legislation, we need to more proactive and avoid the crime in the first place. For what its worth I have lived in both the west midlands of England and also Texas, not to mention some other scary places too. Give me Houston over Birmingham anyday. -------------------- He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me. Thomas Jefferson

Going in skydiving is not a good idea, its bad for teh sport, and would add to the whuffoe you wanna do that stuff.... Burning to death, hey try this, place the palm of your hand on a hotplate. The palm of your hand represents 1% of your surface area, multiply the pain by 100....see what I mean? Being hit by a schoolbus.....those kids on board will spend the rest of their lives in therapy... Being eaten by a croc....eeweee, what about your loved ones trying to identify the parts? Freezing to death is supposed to be quite pleasant, read Touching The Void, where a guy nearly dies like this on Acongcagua after falling down a mountain into a crevasse, and surviving, then crawling out on two broken legs......... Other...drowning in a vat of beer? Its gotta be quietly in your sleep, but hell, I'm not ready to die yet... -------------------- He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me. Thomas Jefferson

"got through static line in 10 jumps. " Thats a short progression! In the old days S/L was about 27 jumps minimum! 2x no working s/l 3x prcps 1x clear and pull 3x 5 second delays 3x 10 second delays 3x15 second delays etc, etc, etc.... Even most accelerated freefall training has 8 levels, plus consolidations..... -------------------- He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me. Thomas Jefferson

"All I'd have to do is attach some sort of weathervane to keep it pointed into the wind." Okay, you are going to giggle at the imagery, but I've seen a setup to measure true airspeed which was mounted on top of a gath........ Back in 98 I met a french guy who was experimenting with wingsuits (not Patrick) He had a small anemometer mounted on a gimbal with a weather vane / dart attached as a tail to keep the thing into wind. On one of the propellers, there was a small magnet(?) on the gimbal frame was a sensor. This was hooked up to a Mini disc type recorder, the sensor/magnet combo made a beep for every revoltion of the 'propeller', the higher the tone heard the faster the air speed....It sounded relatively straight forward to calibrate, as there is all sorts of software available to analyse the 'sound of the speed'. As I said earlier, the whole contraption was mounted on top of the helmet, and it would give a permanent record. I would guess it would be relatively simple to mod an existing anemometer for such a purpose. But you may not have to mount it on your head... -------------------- He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me. Thomas Jefferson

CCDs are charge coupled devices, simply put they are the electronic equivalent of a piece of unexposed film, they convert light into electronic picture elements (pixels) that comprise an image. Digital zoom is a waste of time in terms of resolution and is provided for tourists to use. Most digital zooms can be disabled on cameras, but you don't need to worry about that as you will most likely have your cam cranked out as wide as it will go when beginning to fly camera. A single CCD camera is really all you need when you are starting out. In the past there was a huge difference between 1 and 3 CCD cameras, nowadays I would say the difference is marginal, and the images are difficult to tell apart for the untrained eye. In terms of resolution, just about any minidv cam will give you excellent results, although as discussed here, sony make very good cams and there are good reasons they are so popular. At the end of the day, I would advise you to get a simple sony PC series cam (note mini dv), any model would probably serve you well. Its very easy to think that buying an expensive setup will get you great pictures, it won't. What will get you stunning shots is YOU visualising the shot and having the imagination, skill, and confidence to fly your camera into a position to achieve that shot. Leave the stills off until you have mastered flying a small video camera, the moving footage will give a much more immediate feedback on your results, rather than waiting for film to be developed, or digital stills to be transferred to a viewer. Happy snapping..

Vichy, best boogie in Europe. You have to go once, there's only one jump plane available, but its a an AN72 jet. Swedish Herc boogie rocks also, but not the same atmosphere as Vichy. -------------------- He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me. Thomas Jefferson

2 1/2 years out due to femur injury and complications (it didn't heal). I guess I never lost the urge to jump, and playing with video editing kept my interest up. As long as the gear is stored in a cool, dry, dark place (next to your wallet?) she should be okay, but make sure she is absolutely dry before you stash her. Better still is to unpack both the main and the reserve, and the PC, then bundle all the shit into a cardboard box, then seal it all up. Aha, but I have a better suggestion, sell the steenkin' Xbox, and use the loot to get current again. I don't have the time or the inclination to make proper use of it, its served its purpose by keeping me out of Houston bars, so its more than paid for itself. I was joshing with you about that sabre, I can't see me needing it till spring time, which is still a couple of months away here..... -------------------- He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me. Thomas Jefferson

"I was also wondering if there are any good websites out there that specifically deal with gear setups for the skydiving commmunity?" For unbiased (usually) opinions on camera flying setups etc, you have already found it! Its here, just ask, and someone will chip in with advice. -------------------- He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me. Thomas Jefferson

"I'm a whuffo again.. haven't jumped since July 2002 " Yeah, tighten up Slackie! You had better get your sorry ass back into the air or I will be forced to recall my sabre...Like all the other ladies in my life, she expects to be jumped a little more regularly than that. -------------------- He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me. Thomas Jefferson

Gus, give Chris Thomas a call, his number should be somewhere in the BPA mag, under Thomas Sports Equipment. Seeing as he designs and manufactures these things, he's probably the most qualified to advise you of solutions and causes to your current heartache. It will be handy if you had the serial number of your Superfly handy when you call him up. Any rigger should be able to modify your risers, as you don't say what type they are (velcro, vs non velcro) I am assuming they are non velcro ones. The mod described by others as 'fitting elastic hoods' is a really minor mod, and well worth it. I would shy away from fitting press studs, poking holes in your risers to accommodate them is likely to give you the willies......if you see what I mean, not to mention the danger of trapping a brake line in a flexed/poorly fitted snap fastener. -------------------- He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me. Thomas Jefferson

"Batteries = 2 yrs from date of installation. I think they have a 3 yr shelf-life. " So, why don't gera stores keep the batteries separately and only install them when the cypres is assembled into the rig? This would surely avoid some of this pain.... -------------------- He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me. Thomas Jefferson

One of the Mike Mcgowan videos has a really funny sequence of some dude balking on S/L, its well worth it..... -------------------- He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me. Thomas Jefferson

Ah yes, but the sign on the door says posting should be made with maturity in mind, which is where I fell down..... Oh, and don't forget to leave the seat DOWN!..... -------------------- He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me. Thomas Jefferson

"If you use a hand still switch it is important to have a plug in between your helmet and where it goes into your jumpsuit. " Excellent advice. "It most likely has many more wires than two in its video connection." The ones here http://www.rfconcepts.co.uk/bullet_camera_systems.htm come with an RCA, or phono type connector, however what everyone is missing is the fact that the thing needs a power supply, so you will have to rig up a 12 v battery in addition to the power required for your cam, or deck (sony video walkman type gv d200 or its digital cousin if you can still get hold of them). A deck is preferable to a cam as its less likely to get damaged and is less bulky than a cam (and I already have a portable dv deck). If you need more connections for your breakaway system, you can by 'din' plugs and sockets (similar to s-video connectors) for about 1 1/2 bucks each, they come with up to 9 connectors, all you gotta do is wire them up. edit to add...For foot mount angles, and other unusual, imaginative shots, I think Jussi Laine takes a lot of beating..http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/gallery/imageFolio.cgi?direct=Featured_Photographers/Jussi_Laine -------------------- He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me. Thomas Jefferson

see also http://www.zct.co.uk/skydivemag/pages/articles/dec01/chicksrockdec.htm -------------------- He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me. Thomas Jefferson

I tried to PM you, but you don't want PMs.....http://www.dropzone.com/photography/articles/Filmingyourfirstfour-way.shtml Or go to the video forum, and at the top right corner there is a link to this and other articles.... No worries...... -------------------- He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me. Thomas Jefferson

Why don't you ask L&B, they used to make one, I'm sure, a couple of years back. -------------------- He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me. Thomas Jefferson

Gus, If you have a Cypres fire in the UK, chances are you won't have to ground yourself..... Me, I'd probably have a long hard think about what I'm doing, then sell the gear..... -------------------- He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me. Thomas Jefferson

"there just there because they are a back up, " 100% with you Kelly, its just that I know I don't check my alti as often as I should. I have bad habits but I'm not in denial about them... "just my $.02" Don't undersell yourself...

According to the books, he still has a bit of a fight with the Balrog, then escapes Moria and makes off to Rohan to pick up Shadowfax, then back to Helms Deep. It opens here today, I'm on sprog duty, but Susie is off to see it tonight. I'll catch it some time over the weekend...

He earns his living selling footage, and pictures. http://www.parashoot.nl/ you can ask him yourself... If you are filming something that may only happen once, with absolutely no chance of a 'take 2', eg a world record, you had better be wearing more than one camera. That pic is an extreme example though, I seriously doubt he uses that setup for tandem jobs... It looks like he has 2 dv cams, a 16mm film, a 35mm SLR and a medium format stills cam, along with a flash for infill. None of which are unusual on their own, its seeing them all together that blows your mind. -------------------- He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me. Thomas Jefferson

"don't you ever just look down" Hell no, I'm so scared I keep my eyes shut.... Och aye, but here in the UK we get to jump thru cloud.....In fact we have to, often!... Looking down doesn't help a whole lot.... Besides, when you have my fallrate, you spend a lot of time looking up. But yeah, point taken, I regularly use my god given stereoscopic depth determination devices (my peepers) all the time. I should have mentioned that....You are of course correct Kelly. But then again, if I lose my goggles, and my glasses in some aerial wrassling, I'm stuffed.... I suppose the real reason I use multiple audibles is because I already have them....Over the past 9 years or so, I have acquired 1 original style dytter, 3 timeouts, 2 protracks, and 1 prodytter. Some of these I have passed on to friends, some have been lost to riser strike, so currently I use a combination of 2 from 4, between my 2 camera helmets, and 2 fun jumping helmets. -------------------- He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me. Thomas Jefferson

Malachi, I would focus on making your existing setup as snag resistant as possible, which I'm sure you have done already. "But I think the greatest risk is from a lot of equipment, not one fully enclosed d-box mounted on the side" I mean, its not as if your setup resembles Henny's for example..(see attached). IMHO, as long as your d-box has been mounted firmly, and you have taped up as many snaggers as is physically possible, then you have gone a long way to ensure drama free camera flying. -------------------- He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me. Thomas Jefferson

Yay, more dropzone.com kid snaps.... Nice one, I think Sangiro should have a new forum...The Creche, for all us proud parents. I must go look out the rig/bairn snaps I took a while back. -------------------- He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me. Thomas Jefferson