Skwrl

Why is it Simon's responsibility to do this? I'm not sure if phone companies in Europe provide "Yellow Pages" (I'm not even sure if they do in the US any more), so I hope this analogy will translate, but I think of a list like this as like "Yellow Pages" for accountants. Simon is not attempting to qualify or screen instructors, just like the "accountants" section of the yellow pages isn't a list of "pre-screened and qualified" accountants - it's just a list of people who hold themselves out as accountants or bookkeepers. Some of them are Certified Public Accountants, just like some of the people on his list will no doubt be instructors qualified by one school or another. Others will not be CPAs. Might they be good anyway? Sure. Just like you can get a crappy CPA from the list. Once we moved away from the idea of there being a USPA wingsuit instructor rating, the battle was lost - independent instructors will exist. Pretending they don't, or pretending the only place one can get instruction is from a school, is doing potential wingsuiters a dis-service. Another analogy - I can get a USPA coach rating from "Skydive University". I can also get one from an independent coach instructor. I hear good things about Skydive University instructors. So I might go to one if I wanted to get a coach rating. But not if it's unduly inconvenient. So I can look in Parachutist and find others... Now, there's no USPA certification for wing suit coaches, I realize... But, as I mentioned, we lost that battle a long, long time ago. Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

It actually was what was said, but not by you, Jarno. From earlier in the thread: "Rented suits have demonstrated themselves to be a problem regardless of any "waiver/agreement. . . . If you want to rent suits, great. I can see how it can be a good thing ON LOCATION. How do you know that this potential FFC student should be in a Prodigy or Impact vs an Intro or Tbird when they're on the Internet? How do you know they're seeking coaching?" My response to that is that Simon is no different than the manufacturer who receives an order and fills it without jumping with the customer. By my point was that, to my knowledge, there is no requirement that before I order a PF product, I MUST be trained by a PF instructor. Would it be a good idea for me to be trained? Sure - no argument. Would I prefer to go to a manufacturer-recommended instructor over someone without such accreditation? Personally, I probably would. But there may be people who can't get easy access to a PF coach or - for whatever reason - don't want to. Why would you tell them that they can't look at another iist. It's a simple fact that independent instructors exist. So, to keep with that logic, wingsuitnews.com is not independent then, right? I thought it was. I am baffled. More to the point, what difference does it make who hosts it, so long as it is being run in an impartial way? Since Simon's business is "rent suits" and he's trying to respond to his customers' request to find coaches, where's the incentive to provide incomplete information? I'm sure that he could also provide a link to the PF website as well... Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

I'm curious about something. When someone places an order for a large (or even not large) with PF, TS, or anyone else for that matter, how does the manufacturer know that the wingsuiter is ready? There aren't on site evaluations of people who place orders, to my knowledge. Why does Simon need to be on site, then? Sure, there may be a "have you ever heard of this guy who ordered a [insert very large suit name here]?", but absent that, how does the manufacturer know? I'm guessing they don't, really. So how would Simon be any different? He's basically just a distribution channel for a suit manufacturer... Why is WW being treated differently than PF or TS? Basically, what's being said is that a guy who buys suits and then leases them out is being held to a higher standard than the people selling the suits themselves. That... doesn't make sense from an ethical or legal standpoint, unless I'm missing something. [Full disclosure: the sum total of my "affiliation" with Simon is that I bought a Wicked Wingsuit T shirt from him at Skydive Chicago for $20. It's because I look good in red. He also let me surf the internet from his trailer once. I downloaded lots of goat porn. It was legal in the country where it was made...] On the independence thing, I don't know what his deal is with Tony, but Simon is a shrewd business guy, as is Tony. I suspect they have some sort of agreement whereby WW is not dabbling with other suits in exchange for getting a discount on the suits he buys (in addition to whatever discount he gets for buying in bulk). I'd bet that - when the agreement comes up to be renewed - if Robi gave him a better deal on suits, he'd switch (or at least consider it). In the meanwhile, if you're going to act as an exclusive dealer for a party, you're going to promote that party's products, no? Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

Now this thread has gone full retard. Anybody who even remotely knows Simon knows that he has a profit motive for everything he does.

Jarno, I'm not arguing that people shouldn't get good training. That would be, in a word, retarded. Wingsuit safety is a hugely important issue to me, which was why I got involved in the discussion with USPA about the wingsuit instructor rating in the first place. My point is that right now, there's no requirement that anyone be involved in a school or a manufacturer's program. So as a result, there are lots of independents. Some are good. Some suck and churn out dangerous students. But since all it technically takes to call oneself a wingsuit instructor is, I dunno, being an "experienced wingsuiter" and having access to a Kinkos to get business cards made, there's no quality control across the board. But this is my point: you can't just wish the problem away. If there's a sucky independent out there, you don't really solve the problem by trying to prevent the publication of a list of names that includes him. Sucky Wingsuit Instructor X will still find students, whether or not his name is on the internet. If anything, Simon's list creates the possibility (admittedly, in the future) of feedback - the same feedback that you might not get if you just rely on word of mouth. I applaud the effort - so long as it's non-denominational as he's been saying. It's more of a fundamental problem with how we all decided to set up our community - people didn't want rules telling them who could be a wingsuit instructor. Cool. But the consequence of that is we have tons of different approaches blooming. Some are good; some not so much. Making the list available to folks simply reflects the reality of how a lot of folks in out of the way places get trained - whether or not we like that reality. Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

And, of course, there are other schools that provide certification and hold instructors to a standard as well, not just the ones you listed. But what Simon was talking about was a list of "independents". Rightly or wrongly, lots of people do first flight courses with folks who aren't certified by any of these "schools". At the moment, people find those instructors by word of mouth; Simon has put that on the Internet. I don't see the issue with that. You can make compelling arguments about why everyone who does a first flight course should do so with an instructor/coach that has been qualified or reviewed by somebody - whether it's PF, FYB, Flock U, or whomever else you want to hold out. But that's not required by the BSRs. So - at least in the US - there are going to be "independents" (people who aren't affiliated with a school or manufacturer) who will offer instructional services. If you're saying "independents shouldn't hold themselves out as instructors because no one has 'certified' (or whatever you want to call it) them", then that's a different issue... If that's the argument, I think of someone like Lurch - who I think is a really good instructor - that lacks a current certification. While he's no doubt certifiable (pun intended), there's no certification there... People will seek out Lurch or not based on his reputation, not based on his certification... As an aside, it would be great if the wingsuit community - or at least the wingsuit instructor community - could get together in a sort of "summit" or "convention" to share best practices. But that's the nature of the situation we have - a number of folks who are making a living (or at least some beer money) giving wingsuit instruction. They don't have a lot of incentive to share their programs, because that's their proprietary work product. I don't blame them. But the net result is a lot of competitive behavior in an area where we are all supposed to be safety focused... Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

I'm guessing it's no different than what currently exists: an unvalidated, non-regulated list of people who may or may not be experienced enough to teach someone else... which is currently shared by word of mouth instead of the internet. [Shrug.] What's the problem with putting it on line? Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

So, relative to my response, what's your point? I posted that I wasn't the coach/instructor/whatever the hell people call themselves these days ("Grand Poobah of Wingsuiting..."). I'm not going to defend whether that jump was wise or unwise since I wasn't the coach on it. I took that picture, it has my logo on it, and you're holding that up as an example of bad coaching. So, without further explanation, one could reasonably assume that I was the coach on it (or otherwise responsible for it). I wanted to clarify that this wasn't the case. Anyone who knows me will tell you that I'm happy to take responsibility for fucked up things that I cause. I have a lot less willingness to take responsibility for shit that I didn't cause. Call me crazy on that one, I know. I definitely don't like the splash effect created here, particularly when you went to the trouble of blanking out the instructor's image but not my logo. Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

Probably worth mentioning I wasn't the coach on that first one, since the pic has my logo in it. I haven't, as of yet, ever coached or instructed anyone, ever. I personally felt comfortable jumping in those conditions. Whether or not it was appropriate for a student wasn't my call; it was between the student and her coach. Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

For sure... but Butters was talking about a wingsuit coach rating. Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

Ummmm.... If you're saying that USPA doesn't recognize them, aren't ALL of them "non-existent"? Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

What suits have you flown in the past? Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

Here we go again... Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

I'm curious - are you being intentionally deceptive? The fatality you linked to wasn't coached on the jump in question by the person they are talking about in this thread. Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

Thou shalt not use my name in vain. (Puffies are never in vain...) Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

Don't know how intense it is, but I'm proud of a video I just made (it starts slow but gets better when they go on fire...) http://vimeo.com/27498985 And before someone says it, no it's not the first time it's been done, someone did it before better in Yugoslavia in 1993, blah blah blah... [Sorry, inside joke that will only make sense to the regular readers of the wingsuit forum, where nothing is ever cool enough just to be cool.] Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

I agree with this - the RRS mounts and plates are great! Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

+1. Well done, all. Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

Don't buy a wingsuit you haven't flown. Try out each of those models and then choose the one you like the most. Sales folks from all of the suit manufacturers will be happy to have you try their products. Don't rely on Internet advice - except this advice - to choose a brand because (particularly on dropzone.com) there are too many people with agendas or axes to grind. Good luck! Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

My only objection to the "one on top, one in the front" thing is that, for heavier cameras and big assed lenses, it puts the center of gravity further forward. If you end up with a bad opening, there's a greater possibility for whiplashy goodness. Then again, that's what I've been told, not personal experience. Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

@ Original poster - I'm also a "topmount all, no boxes" kind of guy, with a Wes Pro Vapor, for the reasons that Phil mentioned and more - keeping everything top mounted reduces the impact that the wind has on video (unless you're jumping head down, naturally). I had (as in, I don't use any more) a Tonfly CC1 with a DSLR top, video side mount (in a box), and found the video tended to be a little wibbly-wobbly in the wind. @ Phil - I found the cutaway that is commercially available for the Wes Pro Vapor less than ideal, so I took the cutaway system off the Tonfly and put it on the Wes Pro. Much nicer arrangement. Check it out next time we're both at Pepperell. Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

I think we've all been out done. http://www.gamellama.net/interesting/art/the-iraqi-born-arts-professor-has-a-digital-camera-implanted-in-his-head-in-the-name-of-the-art.html Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

You forgot to mention the inevitable riser slap/crack that would happen on the third jump with it. Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

Fantastic weekend at Jumptown - the Caribou is a Hell of a lot of fun to jump from. Friday, Saturday and Monday made for great jumping, and while Sunday was weathered out, we still got a couple in. When we got bored on Sunday, we put together the attached. (And to save everyone time, yes, my Photoshop skills suck, I know that already.) Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

That's the one, Matt. Probably confusing to some to have two suits named similarly, but I guess he liked the name. But given the attention span of skydivers is slightly less than that of the common goldfish, I could see why it wouldn't... Ooooh! Something shiny! Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork