Hand-cam on AFF

[livendive 8]

Would you fly a hand-cam on AFF? Not having flown a hand-cam at all, I think it'd be way too big a distraction for me. I'm pretty sure it's not industry standard, but I'm curious if it's even a little bit common. I do fly a helmet-cam with a very wide lens, but for the most part it just gets whatever I'm looking at. Once in awhile, if my student has a bit of fine-tuning to do but I'm not working that hard, I'll try to point at the problem area for later debriefing. But when my student is, umm, trying to challenge me, my camera isn't anywhere near my sphere of awareness. Does flying a hand-cam generally go the same way?

Blues,
Dave

"I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!"
(drink Mountain Dew)

[Fast 0]

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Would you fly a hand-cam on AFF? Not having flown a hand-cam at all, I think it'd be way too big a distraction for me. I'm pretty sure it's not industry standard, but I'm curious if it's even a little bit common. I do fly a helmet-cam with a very wide lens, but for the most part it just gets whatever I'm looking at. Once in awhile, if my student has a bit of fine-tuning to do but I'm not working that hard, I'll try to point at the problem area for later debriefing. But when my student is, umm, trying to challenge me, my camera isn't anywhere near my sphere of awareness. Does flying a hand-cam generally go the same way?

Blues,
Dave

I am a new AFFI, so bear that in mind... No fucking way. I don't want anything on my hands besides an altimeter. I think for the most part its a waste and its not your job. It isn't something that would ever even be allowed at my DZ. Most of our instructors wear a helmet cam though, its out of the way and leaves us free to use our hands for more important things.

~D
Where troubles melt like lemon drops Away above the chimney tops That's where you'll find me.
Swooping is taking one last poke at the bear before escaping it's cave - davelepka

[cpoxon 0]

Not AFF rated but no.

Which hand are you going to put it on? The one you might need to give signals or the one you might need to pull for them with? Or either hand when you are trying to stop a spin or right them? None of which seem a particularly good idea. Besides, would you get anything remotely useful fromt hat angle?

Edit: Now I see why you are asking!

Skydiving Fatalities - Cease not to learn 'til thou cease to live

[tdog 0]

Not if my life depended on it...

I wear a camera helmet where there are no snag point and nothing sticking out to stab the student or other instructor with...

But I need full use of my hands. I would never trade the use of my hands, the risk of entanglement with the students gear, etc, for a camera shot.

[HUSHPUPPY 0]

In your opnion...wouldn't the same logic apply to using a hand cam while doing a tandem? Having just finshed my tandem rating, I do not plan on using any kind of other equipment on my hands other than an alt! IMO the "student" deserves all of my attention!

"You made my panties wet!" Skymama (Fitz 09)
"Never argue with an idiot. They will bring you down to their level and beat you with experience."

[tdog 0]

Quote

In your opnion...wouldn't the same logic apply to using a hand cam while doing a tandem? Having just finshed my tandem rating, I do not plan on using any kind of other equipment on my hands other than an alt! IMO the "student" deserves all of my attention!

I am not a TM/TI - so I have no opinion.... However, I will say, I never have seen a tandem student roll on their back and spin while the instructor was fighting belly to earth to catch the student.

[djmarvin 2]

AFF Designated Evaluator with A LOT of camera jumps on AFF's I jump a .3 diamond stealth and find it a very valuable training aid! At Spaceland we require all AFF/STP Instructors wear camera's but I have quite a few at a prior dropzone and would recommend it to any experienced AFF-I

edit to add: I wear a helmet mounted camera, it looks where I scan so it shows what I want to see, no thinking required about "framing"

DJ Marvin
AFF I/E, Coach/E, USPA/UPT Tandem I/E
http://www.theratingscenter.com

[livendive 8]

Yeah, I jump the same lens on AFF, for the same reason. I was asking more about the risks/benefits of a hand mount as opposed to helmet mount.

Blues,
Dave

"I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!"
(drink Mountain Dew)

[stratostar 5]

After some of the rides I have been on, no way in hell I want that crap on my hand to get in the way.

you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

[riggerrob 643]

I have over 600 tandem jumps with handy-mount, but only 2 PFF dives with handy-mount.
Frankly, the hand-mounted camera was too much of a distraction when doing PFF.
My next major purchase will be a helmet that allows me to side-mount a camera for PFF and IAD.

[Liemberg 0]

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Would you fly a hand-cam on AFF?

On a tandem, the handcam has some advantages- economical (no extra place in the airplane for the camera) and practical (facial shot more or less guaranteed, your left hand isn't going to crash into the tandempair on opening and most importantly the camera still there under canopy...)
Since with AFF a helmet cam (that wouldn't catch anything worthwhile on a tandemmasters head) is a viable option that catches what YOU (the AFF-I) are looking at (which seems to be your student most of the time) the disadvantages in putting the camera on your hand far outweigh the few benefits (as in "certain shots would become possible")

On tandems, handcams are not really flown (me thinks). They'r just so attached to the TI's left hand that the wide angle lense catches most of the students face most of the time - but if I need my left hand to stop us spinning under the drogue "you have to pay for the video anyway"
On AFF the student isn't attached to you with four solid metal hooks, isn't he?

"Whoever in discussion adduces authority uses not intellect but memory." - Leonardo da Vinci
A thousand words...

[riddler 0]

As an AFFI - no way in hell. Not for me, anyway. There are probably some AFFIs that have the skill to do it, but I don't know of any that do. Both my hands always seem busy on AFF - either holding the student or giving a hand signal (usually close to their face, which would be bad with a camera).

I can't speak for tandems. My father-in-law does tandems with a hand-mount camera. He has about 9,000 jumps, too

Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

[Schoenauer 0]

No

Memento Mori

[JoosVos 0]

I bought a different altimeter (low profile) because student kept grabbing mine - going for the handle....

A hand camera is out of the question!

Now on later level skydives - with unstable manuevers I have taken my helmet cam with

That is very valuable for a debrief...

Have fun!