BirdWoman

Since my last post was for video flying in general and not for tandems (like DSE asked for), here are some of mine for tandems. We haven't had any new vidiots at my dz this year but here are some points to bring up (for tandem flying): DO: ---communicate with the instructor about the spot, pull altitude, clouds, etc. You both need to be on the same page about whether or not to do a go-around to account for winds, clouds, etc. It is also nice to know what canopy they have and make sure they know what yours looks like, especially if it's a new instructor you haven't jumped with before. This also applies to docking, orbits, etc. ---be prepared for anything. have an extra battery (video and stills), memory card and sometimes a tape in your pocket at all times. It sucks getting down and telling your tandem that there are no stills because you forgot your memory card in your card reader. And you also never know when you will be put on a back-to-back when you are low on tape or battery. ---Accomodate your customer as much as possible. Don't get frustrated by their wants and requests. Talk to them about music for their video so you at least have an idea of what they like. Brief them on what to do with you in freefall, like "don't look at the ground, look at me. Play with me...peace signs, blow me kisses, thumbs up, etc. the more fun you have with me, the better your video will be." DON'T ---neglect your gear. In other words, keep your cameras clean, have lens filters to protect the glass, and check it before every jump. Check to make sure there aren't any smudges or spots on the lens before jump run. ---get complacent. Have a pre-jump routine you do on every jump regardless of shooting tandem, aff, 4way, etc. Battery life, tape length, free space on memory card, everything sighted in properly, no backlight on the video, zoom set where it needs to be, still camera settings, etc. Leg straps tight, chest strap properly routed, handles in place, etc. ---get pressured into jumping. If you don't like the conditions, ask yourself the following question: "is making $xx worth getting hurt or loosing my gear?" All too often jumping staff get caught in the money aspect of it, and jump in conditions they wouldn't do a fun jump in. Sometimes it's not worth getting paid $40 to risk not being able to jump tomorrow. There. My top 3 do's and don't with tandem videos. Lengthy I know, but sometimes it helps to explain it all. "I don't know where it is that I'm going, but wherever it is there I'll be!" --quoted by me

OK, I'll bite. DO: -take your time learning (i.e. don't get in over your head by filming a jump you can't handle) -always put safety before "the shot" (don't rush to the plane, be prepared, never complacent) -ask for help, advice or suggestions DON'T: -think you know everything, because there is ALWAYS somebody who knows something you don't -disobey the break-off altitude or bust your own hard deck for "the shot" -do anything stupid, like hurting yourself or anybody else (and this counts for both freefall and under canopy, because we all know that some of the most amazing footage has come from canopy flight) "I don't know where it is that I'm going, but wherever it is there I'll be!" --quoted by me

Zipper? Hmm, mine don't have a zipper. There is nothing they can snag on. Interesting... Oh well, either way they have made me happy. "I don't know where it is that I'm going, but wherever it is there I'll be!" --quoted by me

N/A

OK, so Houston usually isn't known for it's freezing jumping conditions like it is in Utah, Colorado, New York, Canada, etc. But face it, when you're used to temps right now in the 70s and it is 55 with wind, it's cold. I am a vidiot, so being able to feel and use my camera equipment is a must. I am also a swooper, so being able to feel both front and rear risers is a must. After not being to find anything at Sports Authority or our local store Academy Sports, I went to REI. Here is what I found: The North Face: Apex Bionic glove. $40 and well worth it. Granted it's not "freezing" but it was quite chilly today and I did not feel the wind at all. They are warm, lightweight and fairly thin. I was amazed. I could feel everything I needed to and they didn't impair my ability to find my risers or anything. Even though it doesn't say that they are windproof, I looked at the apex bionic jacket and it is. Here is a link: http://www.thenorthface.com/catalog/tnf-catalog-master/mens-apex-bionic-glove.html?parent_category_rn= I hope this helps for all of you asking about winter gloves. I hope they work for you! "I don't know where it is that I'm going, but wherever it is there I'll be!" --quoted by me

And maybe for an encore, Turtle will show us his amazing acrobatics as he skips through his risers across the pond "I don't know where it is that I'm going, but wherever it is there I'll be!" --quoted by me

His initial design was for an airlocked x-brace. One of the 81s that I have actually had the airlocks in it but he didn't like the way it flying so he cut them out. My pic on my avatar is one of my 81s. Albeit small, it's still a good looking parachute. "I don't know where it is that I'm going, but wherever it is there I'll be!" --quoted by me

Yes Ian, you are correct about the "velocity like" flight characteristics. One of my fellow vidiots flies a Velo 88 and I let him fly one of my 81 for a weekend. He said that it opened better, was more responsive on the rears and had a slightly shorter recovery arc. Another swooper who flies a VX-79 was impressed with it's flight and noted that it was more responsive in the harness. "I don't know where it is that I'm going, but wherever it is there I'll be!" --quoted by me

As a fellow "Team Sensei" member, I am glad that you are enjoying it. I have been flying my 81 (I have two of them now) for just over a year now and just over 500 jumps between the two of them. The more you fly it, the more you will fall in love with it. I have let a couple of other swoopers fly it who normally fly a Velo, FX or like. They all had great things to say about it. Yes, it is nice to have friends like Brian. Swoop far and stay safe. "I don't know where it is that I'm going, but wherever it is there I'll be!" --quoted by me

Can we do Ring Around the Turtle jumps??? "I don't know where it is that I'm going, but wherever it is there I'll be!" --quoted by me

Yeah yeah. The vibe is BACK at SDH. I can't wait to see what you dress Guapo as! "I don't know where it is that I'm going, but wherever it is there I'll be!" --quoted by me

This is just not fair. I can't say anything that other's haven't already said. The first time I met you at LP in 2002, your warm smile let me know that you were truly a good and genuine person. You and Janna were two of the people I looked forward to seeing the most. Your care for me and my hubby when he was in Kalispell Regional. Our IM conversations after a long day of work while Janna was out training. Your speaches about how you didn't like me swooping. The countless "Be careful, I care too much about you." Just two weeks ago I heard those words. We'll miss you. Fly Free with our friends. Say hi to Joel for us. Feisty "I don't know where it is that I'm going, but wherever it is there I'll be!" --quoted by me

Did anybody happen to catch the "opening concert" with Def Leopard last night? The lead singer set Lord Stanley on his head! What a douche.... "I don't know where it is that I'm going, but wherever it is there I'll be!" --quoted by me

Yeah I know. I wouldn't blame you, either. I would love to see the Pens go all the way again this year, mainly for Sid. Hmm, a slapshot boogie you say? We should collaborate more on this idea... "I don't know where it is that I'm going, but wherever it is there I'll be!" --quoted by me

For once I wish I was over in Cali. Grim, you know that if I were there I would join you in a heartbeat. Of course, I would have to wear one of my Avs jerseys ...perhaps either my Sakic or Roy "I don't know where it is that I'm going, but wherever it is there I'll be!" --quoted by me

That really sucks. How far out of town are you? If it's not too far you can always make a nice road trip out of it... "I don't know where it is that I'm going, but wherever it is there I'll be!" --quoted by me

He retired in Feb 2002. I know that his pension was cut after the bankruptcy, but now they're saying that they recalculated it AGAIN and want more money back. I have a friend who is pretty high up on the Denver UA council who will help get us in touch with the proper union member to work with. What I'm wondering is, is there anything from a legal stand point about this? "I don't know where it is that I'm going, but wherever it is there I'll be!" --quoted by me

This is a rather serious post so serious replies/PM's are appreciated. I was wondering if there are any lawyers out here who can give me some advice for my dad. My dad retired from United Airlines in 2002 after 33 years with the company (he was a captain). Today he got a letter from the pension people saying that they did some calculations and they recalculated his pension. They now figure that he should be getting a pretty significant amount LESS per month. They also told him that because this is what he SHOULD have been getting paid all along, they are also going to take an additional X% out to "repay" what he got overpaid for the last six years. All that being said, he is looking at a pretty significant loss in his pension because THEY fucked up in the first place, but it took them 6 years to figure it out. This has happened to other pilots as well. To make matters worse, my Mom is getting a cut of his pension from the divorce. So here is my question. Is there anything legally that my dad can do to in order to not get bent over backwards? To give you an idea of how much money he would be loosing, I will probably be making more flying tandem video on the weekends then he will be getting after 33 years with United. Please help me help my dad not loose his money. "I don't know where it is that I'm going, but wherever it is there I'll be!" --quoted by me

Brian Germain will be holding a general canopy course at Skydive Houston on October 17-19. This is a Friday-Sunday class which will allow him to split the material up into smaller sections. Friday will be more of a basic class with intro to parachute flight/dynamics/characteristics (geared more towards new jumpers). Saturday will be the bulk and heart of the material; Sunday will be more of the advanced material with things like turn cordination. For more info, please contact me directly via PM. Come learn how to be a better parachute pilot by one of the best! --Stacey "I don't know where it is that I'm going, but wherever it is there I'll be!" --quoted by me

What was their turn time? Did they do anything else to it, like clean it or anything? "I don't know where it is that I'm going, but wherever it is there I'll be!" --quoted by me

It's about time you got some air time again. If you want some water our pond is full, nicely trimmed and I have set up some gates. Entry is 145', gates are every 25', total gate length is 245' (100' out of water). Its super sweet, AND you'd be able to see me showing up all the boys! "I don't know where it is that I'm going, but wherever it is there I'll be!" --quoted by me

Skydive Houston did good as well. The RV park stayed intact as did the building. There was some tree debris on the property but was cleaned up. The pool will need some work but that's to be expected. The planes are safe as they were taken out of town before the storm. The power has been restored as of yesterday so we will be back to normal ops this week. BTW-I think we have a toga party this weekend... "I don't know where it is that I'm going, but wherever it is there I'll be!" --quoted by me

I live not far from Chris and we too got lucky with minimal damage. There were houses in my subdivision that had pretty bad roof damage and some bad damage to their landscaping. Since our power came on last night we are making ice and freezing water jugs to help out any of our local jumpers who are still without power who need ice. Hopefully everybody from down south will be back to normalcy soon. "I don't know where it is that I'm going, but wherever it is there I'll be!" --quoted by me

I got the invite from Jenn for the flock late last week. We talked about it on Saturday and she has asked me to see if any of my out-of-Texas flocker friends would be interested. So I'm working on it with some of the best flyers I know. In short, I'll be there on Friday for the flocks but will more than likely have to work the rest of the weekend. "I don't know where it is that I'm going, but wherever it is there I'll be!" --quoted by me

Ok so here's the deal. One of my tandem instructors has some old 8mm tapes that he wants to put onto DVD, but he doesn't have the camera anymore. I don't have one, nor does anybody we know. I know that there are companies that will do it for you but they usually charge a lot of $$$ to do it. Does anybody have any ideas as to how this can be done for as little as possible? I have no clue other than find a cheap 8mm camera or a cheap player on ebay. Suggestions would be helpful. Thanks fellow vidiots! "I don't know where it is that I'm going, but wherever it is there I'll be!" --quoted by me