The Drop
News and Resources from AXIS Flight School
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Here are some images I took for the AXIS Flight School website in order to give people a better idea of what Skydive Arizona‘s has to offer.
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Most of the time I am not lucky enough to have a camera on hand when rainbows appear.
To the left you will find a picture I took of the Skyventure Arizona tunnel yesterday afternoon, after a rainstrom passed thorough the area. In order to track my progress in shooting this phenomena, I have added another image to this post which I took back in March of 2009 at Skydive Elsinore.
I shot the image of airplane with a Canon Rebel XTi set on RAW, focal length 25, FNumber 11, exposure time 1/800. Whereas the photo of the tunnel was shot with my Canon 7d set on L, focal length 21, FNumber 22, exposure time 1/80. Both images received some post work in Adobe Photoshop Elements. -
Over the past couple of weeks, AXIS Flight School has been working with the Indian Air Force in order to prepare them for the upcoming CISM Military Championships. India will be competing in Formation Skydiving and Classic Accuracy in both the men’s and women’s divisions. During their first few days of training, the group has made great progress in their
individual body-flight skills utilizing Skydive Arizona‘s wind-tunnel. Now they have entered the next phase of their training, taking to the air and working on camera flying, exit technique, and more advanced FS skills. Here are some photos I shot during their first week of sky training:
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Sometimes it is nice to just get out there and do whatever comes natural. Steve Curtis (left) and Niklas Daniel (right) perform a sole to sole over Skydive Arizona during a “Fun Jump”. Photo by Travis Mills
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Check out UPT‘s latest ad in Blue Skies Magazine. It includes our AXIS Flight School digital night camouflage rigs! Click here to order yours.
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Since I have move to Arizona I have been taking an interest in some of the wild life that can be found in the desert. There is a wide variety of birds of prey, such as the Burrowing Owl, Red Tailed Hawk, and even a variation of the Peregrine Falcon. In some cases I have followed a single bird for hours, observing its behavior and hunting tactics. However, given their keen eye sight and high intelligence, it has been quite a challenge to photography these animals, as they tend to be very curious about my presence. Here are some of my selects from the last few weeks.
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AXIS Flight School has been posting information about coaching, events, photos, videos, and their trick tips on Facebook for the past year. Recently however, facebook has been making a lot of changes that effect businesses with personal profiles. In order to keep our information out there, we have created a business account. Unfortunately, now we have to start all over by rebuilding our friend list.
Blue Skies Magazine, has been a huge help by posting a bulletin on their wall, informing their readers about this switch. If you do not yet have a subscription, you are missing out! Blue Skies Mag is independently owned and operated by people passionate about human flight. Covering everything from: skydiving, BASE, paragliding, ground launching, speed flying, hang gliding and any other form of human-powered flight, this magazine will keep you in the loop of the most up to date information available in the industry.
However, I feel that I must warn you, some of the content may not be for everyone, which is why the magazine comes with a “Mature” sticker on its cover. Please click here to view a sample version. And if you do decide to subscribe, tell them AXIS sent you 😉Also, please make sure to check out their Facebook page!
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It turns out that torching a parachute is much more difficult than you would expect. There was a lot of prep work involved in this stunt, such as creating a deployment-system involving a plastic bucket filled with gasoline, a special cutaway system for a third parachute, and a detonation system that could withstand the forces of the parachute opening. Our first attempt failed when the igniters inside the canopy were detached during the opening process. Luckly we had a second chance the very next evening. With lots of help from Steve Curtis and Brandon Atwood of Arizona Arsenal, the stunt became a success. With a combination of 4 gallons of gasoline and 4 pounds of gun powder the canopy did not stand a chance. However, the ignition sequence had to be performed quickly, as the vapors of the gas were being dispersed by the air flowing around the parachute. About 17 seconds after exit, I used a 9 volt battery to create an electrical spark inside the canopy which held the charges and burning materials. Here is another look at the burning canopy stunt that appears at the end of the “4 Years” music video. Using a Go Pro, which was mounted to my left foot with gaffers tape, I was able to capture the action form another angle.
Kid Savant – 4 Years Music Video
Captured by Joe Jennings, the video below shows the very first successful canopy burn performed by Steve Curtis. After dozens of failed attempts, Steve finally figured out the magic formula to make this stunt work (which is why his hands are up in celebration).
