Luke Oliver

Impacted in competition. Terrible day. But a very spirited wake, and much respect shown by those present at Corowa.

This may well be an apocrophyl tale; the book where I originally read it is out of my collection, and now out of print. But it’s too good a story not to repeat. The details will be incorrect, but the situation is around the place…

It’s time for the Chief Executive (CE) of Sony and his entourage to review the results of his design team. The MiniDV format has taken off; consumers across the world love the battery life, the compact assembly, and the excellent picture quality. Confident that they have a winning formula, the CE is keen to make a statement by bringing the next camera to market in a ground breaking tiny form factor. Today, the team presents its work:

Team Leader: As you can see, this new prototype uses the latest technology from our laboratory. It is very small, yes?

CE: It is small. But not small enough.

TL: But sir.. see the compact new battery design, more powerful than the last in a smaller package? the thin preview screen, reinforced by the latest alloys?

CE: I asked for a small camera. You must build a smaller camera!

TL: Sir.. we have pioneered new technologies - building a circuit board that wraps around a corner… a new loading mechanism which does away with a whole subassembly… even our switches are arranged to minimise space…

CE: (snaps his fingers)
(an aide brings a bucket of water to the boardroom table)
CE: Watch!
(he drops the prototype camera into the bucket)
CE: See? Bubbles! You are wasting space! You can build a smaller camera!

The next prototype became the PC1…

First publication “Australian Skydiver Magazine”, 2003

You don’t have to go back to far in this sport to the point where air to air video was a pretty amazing thing - 8mm and 16mm cameras mounted atop helmets, with the results sent for processing after the weekend’s jumping - on a rush job, you could be reviewing your skydive as early as next weekend. Today - thanks to miniaturisation and consumer electronics - debriefing the load one jump whilst climbing to height on load two is commonplace.

Even better miniaturisation has seen full-fledged cameras such as Sony’s IP7, small enough to slip into a shirt pocket. It’s pretty much a take-anywhere technology, and easy in the palm of your hand. But what if you’re looking for that special shot? Want to be a fly on the wall? An eye on the strut? You could put a camera out there - gaffer tape is pretty foolproof - but it might be smarter to just put the lens out there…

Leo Baker is a seasoned intermediate RW competitor who “gets” cameras in a big way. He’s also got the Electrical Engineering knowledge to make things work - and Jaycar electronics have the bits. He compiled a short shopping list for me:

Cat QC-3488 Bullet Style Camera with Panasonic CCD Sensor
This /is/ a camera - the leads attached are for power, and video - it has its roots in security installations. Just plug it in to anything that can record video, and away you go! It has a 380 line resolution - perhaps not quite up with today’s best cameras, but very serviceable - and a lens angle of 70 degrees, so it’s reasonably wide. Colour saturation isn’t a great as you get with a conventional camera - and worsens after a cold ride to height if mounted externally.

But you do get flexibility - for $329.

Next, you’ll need to get power to it. A sealed lead-acid battery has the “oomph” to drive the camera, 100mA required; Jaycar offer the following, which is well in excess of requirements for $24.95

Cat SB-2480 Sealed Lead Acid Battery 1.3 Amp Hour 12 Volt

A recharger, if you don’t have one, is essential:

Cat MB-3517 12V charger
…another $32.95

You’ll also need wire to hook the two together, and connecting lugs and so on - the Jaycar dudes are really helpful here.
Tim Bates has the best idea I’ve seen so far - using Category 5 Ethernet (Computer network) cabling allows a positive locking connection with ready made cable lengths. Alternatives include “cannon” style connections, like a microphone.

Most Sony handicam equipment has the ability to record video from an external source - check your manual, in any case.

The video lead may need to be adapted to meet the camera; this can be as simple as a

Get a couple of rolls of this
Cat NM2810 Gaffer Tape
At $13.50 a roll, it doesn’t sound cheap. But it will do the job if used correctly.

OK. Connect the whole lot together, plug the power (etc)

I’ve mounted this camera on struts, bicycles and shoes; clipped it to risers, dangled it from pergolas. It can go anywhere.

Thanks to Tim Bates and Leo Baker

Opening collision at Nagambie. Watching two friends die was awful.

The amazing, the incredible, the phenomenal Lee.
The perfumed starcrest hands of Rob.
No more.

At Nagambie DZ this morning, Pete “Gags” Gagliardi impacted the ground in a turn, and did not survive the impact.

Gags was a mature age jumper, who found skydiving after a highly successful representation in competitive martial arts. With some 1300 jumps in under two years, he completed six jumps yesterday in addition to his freefall video work in the Open competition at the recent Australian Nationals. He bought his family to the sport as well, and quickly carved a niche for himself; his professionalism and methodical nature touched everything he did, whether it be cooking bacon and eggs, welding frameworks at the DZ, or instructing students.

Behind a seemingly gruff exterior, Gags hid an inquisitive mind and a highly developed sense of right and wrong - scratch the surface, and you would quickly discover a heart of gold. A participant in virtually anything, he would quickly rise to the challenge if competition arose - and usually excel.

Gags is survived by wife Sherene (100 jumps), and sons Clinton (D license) and Nigel (A licence).

There will be no more breakfast barbecues lit because he could see the hangover in your eyes.
No more pom-pom dances at the foosball table.
No more wide-ass smiles in freefall.

Vale, Pete Gagliardi.

POPS are the “Parachutists Over Phorty Society”, which tends to be well represented at dropzones and boogies wherever they go. Criteria for membership is to have done one skydive - a tandem counts as a skydive, as always - and be over forty years of age.

Saturday, October 19 - at Toogoolawah, Queensland, for the Skydive Ramblers “Equinox” boogie - I was conducting a briefing for a couple of jumpers intent on completing their first nude skydive safely. Manifest used the PA to see if I could meet a video commitment at two waiting planes for a formation load.”Yes” is the only answer to that question… Archie Jamieson had his camera, and offered me a choice of plane - a generous man indeed. I elected to take the Skyvan, we discussed breakoff, the doors closed, and away we went.

For a big job like this, careful planning is my watchword. Pre-empt it with lots of careful considerations. Discuss it. Dirt dive, a lot, watching the formation build - who is on aircraft heading, where are the congested quadrants, where is the sun likely to be, etc. And I take /lots/ of ground footage, looking to make a production afterwards.But instead of this style of preparation, I assembled my camera helmet on the way up… The good news is that at least a ground shot was taken - by a lady POP who remains nameless to me, but I’d like to see her credited - and forwarded by Andrew Snow. Onya Snowy

It was a beautiful thing to film.

This is easily my biggest video commission - and I’ll take this opportunity to publicly thank Archie for making it so easy for me. And there’s definitely beer in it, but 32 doesn’t go nicely into a carton, and I’ve decided to do it individually. So: POPS on the load, I owe you a beer. Demand it from me next time the bar is open. And thanks for the skydive.

’tis better to have loved and lost…

(Statute of limitations has well expired on this one. Photography performed in controlled circumstances. Just one gear to go…)

This is a “how” discussion, rather than a “why” discussion – I’ll assume you already have a good reason (or have decided you don’t need a good reason). To get the most out of a nude jump, you’ll want a “C” license and consistent stand-up landings. You might benefit from some of the things I’ve learned along the way, too.

Regulation

Before you do anything else, get your copy of OpRegs out and check out OR5.1.4 (then 5.1.1 if you don’t know exactly what “approved” means). Most of the people mentioned in 5.1.1 are amenable to the idea when approached; some will have specific concerns they wish to communicate; but if you don’t ask, you’re in danger of breaking an OpReg. Worst case, that may see you at OpReg 8.1, which is no fun at all. Anyway.

Emplaning

First of all, you’re getting your gear off – NOT your rig off. Taking your rig – or any part thereof – off in the plane is an invitation to disaster; you’re asking Murphy to demand an exit when you least expect it. Sufficiently terrified of this, for my first nude jump (made without the benefit of a mentor) I used my hook knife to cut off my clothes on the way up, rather than loosen anything – but nick the lift webbing with said knife, and throw the rig away. A better solution was required! Here’s the golden rule: Any clothing you plan on wearing in the plane – practice removing it on the ground.Jump runs and emergency exits are no place to find out that your system doesn’t work.

Thinking about Gear

1) Clothing – it is advisable to have some form of clothing handy when you land. Boxer shorts can be held in your hand through freefall and landing, but they have the potential to complicate steering, and they’re no good to you if you unclench a fist and abandon them 6,000′ above Koo Wee Rup Road. Also, putting them on under canopy is (a) surprisingly awkward and (b) a waste of time. I’ve successfully used a spare pilot chute pouch (such as the legstrap on a rig with BOC and legstrap fitted), or knotted them through the hip ring on the left hand side (and well clear of the reserve deployment handle). These days, I fold then roll them up, and secure them to my chest strap with a pair of rubber bands. Sorted. 2) Helmets – a great idea if you’re used to one, audible altimeters likewise. I regard them as essential for nude jumps at night (I’m not gaffer taping a torch to my skull, and there aren’t too many other places left to stow one). A full-face lid tends to remove much of the sensation, but the advice stands. 3) Shoes – Well, the wind through your toes is fun, until you have to walk through an uncomfortable crop to get home. Turf surfing in bare feet is not for me. Tevas, if approved, are a good compromise. 4) Goggles – “Jumping without goggles is like wearing your eyelids as a hat”, says Skud. 5) Legstraps: snug, please, ladies and gentlemen, without overtightening. Loose legstraps lead to chafing under canopy, and the possibly of trapping crucial items of tackle between leg and strap on deployment. Check prior to exit. You have been warned. Elect to put your rig on whilst naked, and place a pair of loose fitting shorts or boxers over your legstraps. Make sure ALL your handles are exposed. Ladies, you don’t want a t-shirt over your rig for obvious reasons – but a loose one underneath your rig can be removed by loosening your chest strap prior to jump run. You could consider wearing a bra - seems every female innately knows how to remove one from underneath clothing or a harness – and a bikini top is, well, just great (if you get stuck, I think most blokes on the load will offer to help out). If all else fails, be creative with a towel, two balloons, an inflatable raft, a pair of skyballs, your boyfriend – or just brazen it out. Which leads neatly to

Special Considerations

Nudity is not always embraced by DZ operators, or the public at large. I’ve also met a couple of Rel Princesses who think it’s “silly”; their loss. However, if you are a whuffo en route to height for your AFF skydive, it may add to your stress levels. If you are the tandem master, and your student is disoriented by a naked “idiot” (TM’s description), you may have valid cause for complaint. Here’s some food for thought. Body Odour – consider it, deal with it if necessary. Make the student’s experience memorable – not unpleasant. Seating – I like to sit near the pilot, behind the rest of the load. This gives a small amount of privacy, and generally somewhere to stow any clothing not needed for the descent. In colder weather, most pilots use heaters, and this can be handy. The late exit also means my group generally gets to pull high, not a bad thing. Pilots are your friends in this endeavour - if you’re trying to sneak a nude jump in without attention, they are the people who won’t radio down and tell the crowd you’re coming. Buy jump pilots beer. Especially Baz. Get a gear check prior to exit. Don’t skip this bit, it’s an unusual skydive. Yes, someone in the plane will see you naked. You’re doing a naked skydive though, remember?

“Door!”

Ready, set: Hang on though: two more thoughts.

Check the spot. Some loadmasters think there’s nothing funnier than spotting nude rel off the DZ (right, Slim?) A good general rule to have a pullup cord in your rig anyway, just in case you need to close your container away from the DZ. Camera Prior to exit, I also like to examine the front and rear float slots for camera people that watched a nudie way disrobe on climb, then climbed out and somehow “forget” to leave with their exit. In this instance, climb out and peel their fingers off the rails (trust me, this assertive approach works – naked people have a strange effect on the clothed). If you are videoed or photographed whilst skydiving nude, simply assume that the visuals will appear in one or more of the following: ASM, the World Wide Web, on the boogie tape, “Funniest Home Videos”, your bar mitzvah, pinned to the work noticeboard - it’s easier if you don’t kid yourself here. Even if you don’t take camera, unless you are very good at concealing your intentions there will undoubtedly be ground based footage which you have no control over.

Understood?

Go!

Seen what happens to faces in freefall? Don’t forget to look at what your whole body is doing. I’m always intrigued by the interference patterns that build on my forearms. You’ll probably discover things you didn’t know about the bits you normally keep covered – skydivers can generally be broken down into “pointers” or “flappers” (or “whistlers”, despite the fact that this appears to be simply an urban myth). Regardless, it’s an awesome feeling. Isn’t it cold? Heck, yeah. Particularly in winter in Victoria. The Seinfeld episode on “shrinkage” simply had no appreciation for a minus 10° exit - Ron Jeremy on the ground can be Mr Average on exit. Don’t let this stop you - for example, Lower Light on a 40° day can be a different and refreshing experience, and air at 0° is nowhere near as painful as water at the same temperature. Ask the pilot for a guide – most of them have thermometers and know how to use them. It’s the temperature at 3,000′ that’s significant – anything above that is only for a minute.

Flying your body

Everything works – but it feels different. Without a jumpsuit to moderate your fall rate, you’ll find levels can be an issue on RW loads, even with well matched and experienced people. Ladies seem to fall a little faster, men seem to fall a little slower; there’s probably my thesis in that discussion. You probably won’t be able to fly as efficiently as you do in a jumpsuit. Keep RW simple at first, and bear in mind that grippers are not found on arms and legs in freefall (which doesn’t mean there’s nothing to dock on, hmm, Sheeds?) Listen to what your body is telling you about the relative wind, but rely on muscle memory to tell you what’s right.

The business end of the jump

Tracking, in particular, feels quite different – but your track position will carry you away from the centre of the formation, so make sure you go with it. If you normally jump with boosters, well, you don’t have them here. Break off a little bit higher. Don’t be wearing gear you’re not familiar with. A safe skydive is a good skydive.

Under canopy

Take advantage of a few minutes out of visual range to get things warm enough to be “normal”, should you feel the need (don’t overdo it). If you’ve pitched high, leave your brakes set for a minute, and hold your hands behind your back to warm them up. I’ve also tried some nude Stiletto CRW, but have to say I no longer recommend it.

Landing

Be careful. And pick your day, too: if you aren’t into nil wind landings, landing nude in nil wind is unlikely to improve your technique. If you blow a high-speed landing without a jumpsuit to protect you, expect 8-12 weeks for the evidence to disappear. That’s 8-12 weeks of explaining how you got it, too…

Gearing down

Touchdown! You’ve attracted a crowd? Get your shorts on, or consider wrapping your canopy around yourself until you can gear down gracefully. If you have pants with you, consider landing a reasonable distance from spectators, and shuck off your legstraps first – this means you can walk back with your gear over your shoulder, and gear down modestly in the packing area. If not, you’re going to be briefly nude in that public spot – your call! Log your nude jump; have it signed; and spread the word. If you haven’t done a nude jump before, you have one more important duty when the bar opens.

Your nude jump…

That was great! But you’re five kilometres from the DZ, barefoot, no pants or pull up cord, found your main and freebag, but it’s getting dark and cars speed up rather than slowing down as they pass? You just haven’t been listening! Learn from my mistakes! Nude skydiving can be a great thing – personally, it’s a huge release, a celebration, and a dedication all in one. You’ll have to find your own reasons. Do it safely, and have fun doing it. Luke Oliver APF Nudie “B” XXX

That’s the right colour, too.

Shown here with the lovely Emily.

- 22 Oct 2001