Skwrl

Coooooool. I wonder if it can make me invisible when I botch the exit.... Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

Yep. I never said it was always a bad thing. The original poster asked why or how a lawyer would use this site. As I mentioned, #1 would probably be evaluation of the case that the client brings you (which may result in a "I don't think litigation is a good option for you" discussion). Like I said, I'm not a litigator, though. Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

I'm a lawyer and I use dropzone.com If I were a plaintiff's lawyer, and I was bringing a negligence suit against a dropzone (for example), I'd use dropzone.com for the following (probably roughly in this order): (1) It would educate me (a whuffo, presumably) about skydiving, so I would know what a reasonable skydiver, pilot or dropzone would do in a given situation. That would help me understand if, assuming all of the facts are what my client says they are, there's likely a viable negligence claim. (2) I might also be able to see alternate theories for my case, even if my planned approach won't work. From an incidents thread, I recall a bunch of people speculating on an fatality, saying, "XYZ must have happened....", except that a witness said XYZ didn't happen... But maybe, if I can impeach the credibility of the witness, I can plant the seed in the jury's mind that maybe XYZ DID happen! I don't need 100% proof, I just need to win by the preponderance of evidence, so maybe I'll use the approach of "throw everything I can at the jury and see what sticks". Thanks, speculators! (3) Remember that skydiving lawsuits aren't as common as, for instance, medical malpractice. Taking a skydiving case would require me (the whuffo plaintiff's lawyer) to find experts to advise me and to testify. Dropzone would help me validate who "experts" are... (If I got a resume from a guy with 500 jumps who wanted to work as a paid expert, I might think "Gosh, that's a lot! He must know what he's doing!", until I jumped on dropzone.com and saw people with 5,000...) (4) I might be able to identify witnesses that I didn't know about. Thanks for the "I was there and I saw..." posts - it shouldn't be too hard to subpeona you. (5) If the defendants or their employees get posting here, I might gather information I didn't already have. I might also be able to find contradictions in what they say in (for example) police reports as compared wiht on line statements. Credibility is very important in a lot of personal injury cases, and very few people write their posts on dropzone with an eye to seeing how they'd show up in litigation. Even 100% well meaning posts can generate inconsistencies. (6) The same is true for witnesses - "You said in the police report it was 2 or 3 seconds, in your dropzone posts it was more like 10 seconds..., understanding that it was under thirty seconds, is it fair to say you don't know precisely how long it was?" People write stuff that looks dumb in retrospect, because they are writing for other skydivers and not with litigation in mind. (7) I may learn about the dropzone's reputation for safety (or lack thereof). Although that isn't usually directly admissible, I might be able to find a way to get information about the dropzone's reputation in if the dropzone's lawyer "opens the door" by trying to argue it has a favorable reputation... So, no, there's not likely to be a smoking gun. But it can be incredibly useful. /Not a litigator. Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

Quite frankly, Spot does a better job at it than a lot of lawyers I know... But if it really is as simple as you say it is, yes, you'd likely get a settlement pretty quick. I'd bet a donut, though, that somwehere along the line the copyright was assigned or licensed... Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

It's not a comment about the current situation. In its broader meaning as a geographical term, Palestine can refer to an area that includes contemporary Israel and the Palestinian territories, parts of Jordan, and parts of Lebanon and Syria. So, yes, you're right. So am I, though. It's sort of like if someone lives in Edmonton - you could say they live in Edmonton, or you could say they live in Alberta, or you could say they live in Canada. They're all correct. Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

Apocalyptic, revolutionary proto-socialist feminist. No, I'm not joking. I refer you to The Quest for the Historical Jesus by Schweitzer among a bunch of good books I could recommend. For the apocalyptic (a kingdom of God is soon to appear on earth, in which God will rule; the forces of evil will be overthrown, and only those who repent and follow Jesus’ teachings will be allowed to enter the kingdom; judgment on all others will be brought by the Son of Man, a cosmic figure who may arrive from heaven at any time), I refer you to Mark 13:24; Luke 17:24; and Luke 12:39. (Interestingly, the later the Gospel is written, the more the whole "The Son on Man is coming immediately!!!!1!" is toned down. Probably because these sources were written after his cruxifiction, and the further out in time you go, the less the immediacy of the prophecy makes sense. On the "socialist" angle, I refer you to Matt. 19:16-22 (also found in Mark 10:17-22 and Luke 18:18-23), among a huge number of other citations I can give. In particular, Jesus was concerned that his followers love those who were underprivileged and oppressed—the impoverished, the mentally diseased, the terminally ill, the outcast, the imprisoned. These people would inherit the kingdom when it arrived. On the feminist angle, he associated publicly with women (Mark 15:40–451; Gospel of Thomas 114; Luke 8:1–3; John 4). These associations are significant, because women were widely regarded as inferior to men and, at least in Palestine, were restricted in their abilities to engage in public activities. This also makes sense in an apocalyptic context. Remember the kingdom would have complete equality, and those who were oppressed would be exalted. He would not be a family values person (at least how we think of them). In fact, he was quite unambiguous that parents, siblings, spouses, and even children were to have no importance in comparison with the kingdom (Luke 14:26). Jesus appears to have realized how divisive this teaching could be, but he claimed that he would split families up rather than keep them together (Luke 12:51–53). Overall, Jesus did not advocate a strong structure to promote a healthy society, because he thought society was diseased and soon to be destroyed. Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

Neat. But if you click the "right hand pattern" for SNE, you're crossing the runway at a pretty low altitude... (Minor nit, but worth mentioning...) Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

Like a bunch of skydivers, I'm trying to track down a few red and blue smoke canisters. It would be for a boogie (i.e., not a demo and not paid) for the Fourth of July. I'm trying to find a supplier that sells in small lots (I've found ones that sell in large batches, but the minimum order is in the $700 range). Alternatively, if any of you demo guys are interested in selling a few of each, I'm looking to buy. I've jumped Skydiver Smoke previously a bunch of times, and I'm familiar with the special concerns the other forms of smoke that I have to be careful of (i.e., high burn temperature, spewing flaming bits of nastiness, discoloration/damage to my wingsuit and canopy, etc.). Any leads welcome - the search function came up with few/no viable options. Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

Thanks for this information. It's a great perspective. I'm not really a video/photography guy. I think of myself as a wingsuiter who happens to like to take pictures/video from time to time. I agree that if I was going to really go into wingsuit camera hardcore like Matt Hoover or Scotty Burns, I'd get a flat top solution. But since I'm a casual camera guy, it sounds like I may just have to live with the CX7 shake... I haven't noted any shake with CX7 so far (in the box), but I haven't had it exposed to the wind... That's great information about the CX100 - it sounds like if shake is a problem, I might be able to solve it with that. Thanks again. -Jeff Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

Hi all, I've got a Tonfly CC1 helmet that I originally purchased to use with a top mounted CX7 (in a Tonfly box). I've since started shooting stills, which I'm doing with a top mounted Canon. No problems so far. I'd like to add the ability to shoot video at the same time, which means that I need to side mount the CX7. Mounting the still cam in front of the CX7 isn't really an option, at least not without getting the still camera in frame in the video. So side mounting is the way I've been approaching it. Here's the tricky part - the box for the CX7 that I have is designed for top mounting. It can be sort of awkwardly made to work as a side mount, but that's not a great solution (basically, I can put the CX7 in upside down and flip the video during editing, but the CX7 doesn't fit in the side mount right side up). So here's the question: Rather than doing that, I could do a traditional/simple side L or C bracket attached through a ZKull connector, but that will leave the CX7 fully exposed to the airstream. I hear that shake is a problem when CX7s are exposed to the wind, though. What's the experience been - if any - with exposed side mounting of a CX7? The camera arrangement will be used exclusively for wingsuiting. Any suggestions/alternate approaches also welcome. Thanks, all. Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

That yell was great. Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

The rest of the shots are here: http://skwrl.smugmug.com/gallery/8345039_57Qqz#547109804_LtBZr Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

Damn, I'm impressed with both of them. Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

Did anyone ever find out whether that was a momentary shot on exit or a sustained dock? I'm betting it's the former, based on an experience I had this weekend holding onto the back of the door of the Otter and bouncing off the side of its tail for about 10 seconds. My foot slipped off the camera step and my hand slipped off the camera step grip... so I held onto the door frame with both hands instead, legs floating... It wasn't what I would describe as comfortable or easy. Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

A few more pics can be found here . Shots of the smoke jump were taken by Joe Rodriguez, using skwrlcam. Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

We also played a little "chase the rabbit" (one wingsuiter has a 10' streamer; the others try to grab it - the wingsuiter with the most wins). Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

Apparently, Andreea really wants to qualify for the world record... Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

BillK It actually comes out parallel to the line of flight if your toes are pointing earthward. If your toes are pointed for full flight, it comes out at roughly a 45 degree angle. Monkeycondo It kicks off really easily with the wingsuit on. That's why I chose that particular sneaker. Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

Hey all, A few weeks ago, I posted about my experience with a commercially bought smoke bracket that unfortunately came off my foot at deployment. Since I'm a complete attention whore, I wanted to jump smoke again, but I didn't want to buy another one... So after tossing back a bunch of beers with my dad (in other words, a typical Sunday morning), he came up with a new smoke bracket that costs under $7 in parts (plus a sneaker). I thought you guys might want to see it. To make one, you'll need a slip-on sneaker that you don't mind sacrificing. I used an old Puma with a thick heel (probably a wise idea to have a thick heel, for reasons that will become clear). Basically, I bought an "L" bracket, which I bolted to the bottom of the shoe (you want to bolt it in, rather than screw it, because the shear forces on the bracket and smoke canister could pull it loose). A 2" rubber pipe connector and metal bands holds the smoke canister in place. You'll want to put the bracket far back on the foot - by the heel - so it doesn't conflict with the bootie on your wingsuit. The "cutaway" is accomplished by kicking off the shoe - incredibly easy for the particular shoe I used. Pics are here: Skwrl shoe I've used it four times, and Joner has used it once. It worked really well, and I got some good shots of Joe flying it. Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

Whoah, whoah, whoah - doesn't it depend on what you're talking about? I mean if you're talking the population of beavers, North American arctic territory, and consumption of Molson and poutine, I think you'd have to say that Canada does, in fact, rule. Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

Funny you should mention that about smoke - I've been jumping smoke a bit lately and I've been amazed with how far forward (from my point of view) the smoke is pushed. So, for example, in full flight, legs extended, arms out, etc., I nevertheless will still see smoke by my hands. (In other words, it's going from the canister attached to my foot and moving forward to my hands as a result of the flow displacement). Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

For my education, why/how do we "lack laminar airflow"? Isn't it just that we have a really crappy (i.e., far from the wing) laminar layer? I mean, all wings have a laminar layer, don't they - it's just a function of how good the wing is as to how much of the air "sticks" to the wing. (This assumption might be wrong.) As anyone who has seen me fly can tell you, I don't know crap about aerodynamics, so I'd be curious to learn more about this. Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/05/19/darpa_goose_v_formation_ploy/ No word yet on whether the double chevron beats the single row wedge... Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

One thing worth mentioning about work for hire is that if you're NOT an employee (i.e., you're a contractor), in order for the work to be "Work Made for Hire", there needs to be a written, signed agreement that expressly provides that it's work for hire. Given how lax some dropzones are with the whole "paperwork" thing, I wonder how many situations exist where something the DZ thinks is WFH is actually not.... (Note: this is the US Copyright law only that I'm talking about - foreign jurisdictions have thier funky laws.) Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

+1 to that. Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork