tsalnukt

I'm working on my riggers ticket in florida and I need to take the tests. Does any one know of a place that I can take the written in south florida? and is there a dpre in florida that I can do the practical with? Thanks for your help.

Do you really let people out on a seperate jump-run at 9000 and 12000????? Why would anyone want to get out 1500 lower than normal j/r? unless that's as hi as you go. OK..manifest tells the pilot there's a premature so the plane has to fly around, waste gas, and wait for that canopy to get out of the way before letting everyone else out. Seems very inefficient to me. What happens when manifest doesn't see the premature or doesn't get a chance to call up? That's a lot of people flying around at diffrent altitudes.

I'll figure out how to upload it and let you know.

Unfortunately there are so many of the 200 jump wonders that want to start making money in the sport and they think that strapping a camera on their head is an "easy" way to make money and "practice" their flying that they learned in the tunnel, instead of learning to be "professional video people" where the end product means a whole lot more than just a paycheck. Over the past years, I think, the overall quality of videos has gone down so that the newbies don't know what a good video should be. If the standard of videos has gone down then why shouldn't a DZO use Handi-cams rather than pay for an outside video person that is only gonna produce a product that is barely better than a handi-cam.

I'vve been at this for a little while and I'll be the first to admit that I was TERRIBLE when I started. I understand that EVERYONE has to start somewhere. The "crappy" video people that I was referring to arre the ones that "claim" to be professionals and "claim" to have hundereds if not thousands of video jumps. They are the ones that think think they are "king shit on terd island" and their videos are the "greatest. They are the ones that "get it done" and don't really care about the product that is being sold or the peple they are selling it to. They are the ones that care more about getting making sure they are getting paid then they are about making s first time student happy. They are the ones that see dollar signs instead of students. I don't think that talking about crappy video people is that far off topic considering we are talking about having a sub-par handicam video or a sub-par outside video. The latter should be better and a lot of times, these days, they are not. "Preparing" Video cameras is a bit more "off topic" than "bashing" crappy video people.

Straddle benches will help "haul the meat", or students as we like to call them, from one end of the plane to the other, with very little effort. You should be paying attention to detail regardless of how rushed you are and if I ever get yelled at for moving slow because I'm doing gear checks just makes me go slower. IMO...It's better to take an extra 20 seconds and do everything right than to rush forget/miss something and waste more time later.

How do you figure ti's worth 200 bucks??? The studenta are already paying 200+ for the skydive and it's hard enough to get them to pay the 100 bucks for the video. I would say that by keeping it cheaper, more people will buy, more people will see it when they get home and show their friends, more people will come and pay 200+ for a tandem. It's one of the best forms of advertising....that along with the students talking about how great a time they had is what sells most of the tandems. Most of the time people are overextending themselves (or momand dad's credit card) just to jump out of a plane. If you make the video so far out of reach then you won't sell them. If you sell it well and offer it to them so that they "really can't pass it up" then of course they are gonna buy it. I think it's better to be jupming all day at 50 bucks a jump then wait around all day for that 100 dollar jump. Ok....we have more expenses then TM and AFF instructors but, if you put out a killer product at an affordable price you'll make plenty of money to pay for linesets pack jobs video gear(if the DZ doesn't already provide) and fun jumps. I just don't see how a tandem video can really be worth that much.

Do you think the US will go the way of Australia and nearly eliminate outside video or do you think that "we" can start to police ourselves and get the shitty video people to improve themselves????

Just b/c your TM made you feel safe doesn't mean that he was. Maybe that was his first paid tandem and he was really good at fooling you? If done well with good video people then a lot of my students were glad to have a video person right in front of them and flying around and holding their hand. and smiling at them. it made them more comfortabl. Have you ever flown in front of an AFF student that is deep in concentration and smiled at them??? same same

Sorry...I hope you didn't miss the point of my little rant b/c I used the wrong word. People still don't follow the RULES and that is a major contributor to crappy video people colliding with tandem pairs,

Yeah...outside video peolple have screwed up and caused fatalities...so has crappy tandem masters w/o video at all. If video flyers aren't good enough or smart enough or have enough skill to be able to do their job safely, then they have no business being out there with tandems. In the manufacturers manual their are guidelines for people to ba able to jump with tandems...unfortunately a lot of time these rules aren't followed and people get hurt. sometimes they are with the same results. EDUCATION and training and a willingnes to learn and fly within their limitations will keep all parties safer. It's when the EGO gets bigger than the SKILL, that's where accidents start from. There's no excuse for a video person to cause a fatality on a tandem or on any skydive. Stop letting the crappy video guys shoot video until they can prove competency and safety.

here, here. Lack of education and dicipline amongst the younger generstion of jumpers needs to be addressed.

No implications...Just curiosity as to how people do things and why? There are a lot of places that kick the tandems out at lowere altitudes and take the fun-jumpers up higher. I wonder if they think the cons as well as the pros. I started this b/c I got into a heated discussion about the pro's and cons and putting the tandem out first at a lowere altitude, and the safety issues that go along with a/c emergencies at diffrent altitudes never even crossed his mind. He was only thinkng about money, time saved on back-to-backs, how many more tandems he thinks he can jump in one day, etc. I just wanted to see what others think and why. Maybe one day we won't have to make decisions on whether or not we'll get sued.

Did any one ever talk about the possibles problems that could happen if there was an a/c emergency with the tandems by the door??? What kind of plane do you have?

Not exactly what I was talking about. Some of the "witty" things that I say on the videos and some of the diffrent shots I stole or got the idea from someone else's videos. Thats how I try to make a better product. If I see something or hear something that is better than what I'm dong, and works really well...I use it. Then i might change it or improve it or put my "spin" on it. Thats' what I'm talking about. The music thing has long been debated and will for ever. I have pretty good ties to the "music industry and am fortunate enough to know people from a lot of the bands who's music I use and they are more than happy to let me use it (royalty free) and really could care less. they think it's kind of cool that their tunes get's used for tandem vids. Major lable touring bands. ...like you said that's another topic

plagerism is the greatest form of flattery. It's also the drive to come up with new ideas. The new wannabees should be watching and studying and trying to figure new stuff out. The 200 jump wonders that got a camera and think that they can fly video also don't know enough about relative work and flying with other people. Unfortunately that's what happening with this sport. Newbies get some skill and stop learning. They spend tons of money on the tunnel and get good at flying in the fish tank but when it comes to flying in the real world, with real people...they suck. I think it's a lack of education from the very beginning that is being lost in recent years....But that a whole 'nother discussion

Same here. We have a IMO very high quality and experienced video staff. If someone comes along that sucks they usually rise to our standards or they don't fly video for us any more. We don't give people the choice...Outside video or nothing. In a pefect world, both would be best. What I was refering to is when someone goes to a handicam DZ and then goes to an outside video DZ. They are way more impressed with the outside video (that they get form our video flyers) than they are with their handicam video. A lot of them even like that there is some else out there flying around with them. And yeah, I was watching tandem vids on "poo-tube" and I'm shocked at the products people are paying for. We Have taken a step back from what was being produced 5 years ago. I think it's the factory...get 'em jumped and get 'em out, mentality has really hurt the people that worked so hard to get "freefall videography" to the level that it was. They are just tandems and they don't know the difference but skydivers do. Why can't people take a little pride in what they do and try to deliver the best product possible. That's what's gonna get people to come back and bring more friends and put more money in our pockets. Handicam has it's place where and when it's NEEDED not just b/c it's easier to put a glove on a TM.

It seems like every schmuck with a video camera thinks that they can shoot a tandem video but usually all you get is the top of the passengers head with an occasioal face shot...only b/c they are holding on to them. I wonder sometimes if the DZO's actually ever see the products that are being put out by their staff. I really think the art of filming a tandem has been lost. Too many "wanna-bees" doing mediaocre work and the standard of videos has dropped. Now throw in the handi-cam, a less than mediaocre product, and now $$$ comes before a decent product that a student can take home and show people to get people to come back. Sure...they don't know the difference. It's them jumping out of an airplane, but talk to some of the ones that have gotten a handicam video on their first jump and then get outside video on their second jump and even they will tell you that the handicam sucks and they wish they could have gotten a "real"video the first time. And YES...somethiing needs to be done about all these dopes flailing all over the sky thinking that they are shooting a good video. they making it hard for us that take a little pride in the products that we put out.

Besides the obvious $$ advantage, what do people think? IMO Nothing beats a good outside vdeo. There are a lot more shots that you can't get with handicam and I think that the tandems have a better experience when they get to see someone flying out there with them. OTOH with a handicam vid you get all the canopy stuff. Tandem vids are a primary form of advertising for most DZ's. Shouldn't they use a better video when it is possible? (i.e. bigger plane mare staff) What does everyone else think?

Does anyone think that it really saves anytime on loads, (besides if the TM's are doing back to backs) The theory, as it was explained to me...By lightening up the plane it will climb quicker the rest of the way to altitude thus more loads in one day and we can get more students jumped. Has anyone found this to be true or is it another crazy idea that DZO's sometimes think of to try an do more tandems?

Yes....not my first day on the playground...... Couple of years ago we had an engine out (twin otter) at about 9000', Just when you are getting ready to hook-up passengers and the pilot said "get out". Everything went nice and smooth and everyone got out orderly and without any chaos. It was perfect timing to get my pax strapped on and briefed as we are sliding closer to the door. (we use straddle benches which does make a world of difference) Over the years I have been at place where the DZO thinks they're saving time by putting out the tandems at 10.500 and taking the fun jumpers the rest of the way up. I got to thinking what if there were a bunch of tandems on the floor by the door and we had an engine out at 6000'? Granted it's not a horrible situation with one good engine still but what if the pilot really wanted the people out. I think that it would take longer to "evacuate the plane than it would if the fun jumpers were by the door. Sometimes time is critical. By the same token...What if there was an a/c emergency at an altitude where you wouldn't get out with a tandem but the fun jumpers could. Now the fun jumpers have to climb over and around the tandems and now you have a huge shift in CG. Not exactly what the pilot would want in an already hectic situation.

Just curious. What are people's view on putting the tandem out at a lower altitude and then taking the fun jumpers all the way to the top? After the "connect or not connect" thread, I was thinking about what if there is an a/c emergency and people had to get out? If funjumpers are closer to the door with their gear on they can just get out and in that time the tandems have time to quickly tighten and brief and go. I don't think that I would want to be a funjumper waitng for the tandems to try and open the door and sort everything out. Just curious....what's the concencus?????

IT TAKES LONGER TO UNHOOK AND PUT ON A SEATBELT THAN IT DOES TO HOOK-UP. First....I have the lowers on put not tight at 2000'. If there is a problem...I can have the top hooks on and lowers tightened by the time everyone else gets their shit together and gets out of the plane. I have had to do it and I have done it. If a crash is inevitable (at an altitude lower than you would exit) you aren't going to have time to unhook and put a seatbelt on. Things are happening too fast....I have seen it and have talked to people that have been in the situation. GIVE ME A GOOD REASON TO BE HOOKED UP BEFORE YOU ARE READY TO EXIT. Just b/c BPA says its ok doesn't mean anything.

I have a bunch a videos of TM's trying to figure out what the neptune says in freefall and a couple of them only realized it was time to pull b/c I tracked away and dumped. I have used both and have had problems reading the digital. sun shines on it or in your eyes. It's not that easy to just glance at it and know where you are. personal prefrence for sure, but not recommended for a lowtime jumper as a first alti.

Analog is the way to go at first. It's easier to read. when you look at your watch, you know what time it is just by looking at where the hands are. Get an audible for your helmet.