For a moment, it seemed I might be able to catch it. But then the pilot chute for the recovery parachutes prematurely popped out and flopped around the vehicle. Then it caught air and pulled the main parachutes into the wind, but by now the vehicle was tumbling fast and the lines wrapped around the entire frame. I thought it was curtains for that one, but as the parachutes filled with air, they whipped the frame around and cleared themselves for a perfect opening at 8,000 feet. Ed, the producer at Compass Films, was determined to finish aerial shots on day one.
Helicopters are expensive to keep for another day.
Winds were picking up and he wanted something in the can before they shut us down, so instead of rigging the second monoframe, we simply added weight and hauled it up to altitude. Again, the exit was beautiful, just falling peacefully with the monoframe for six or seven seconds. This car flew faster, a little, and I was able to maintain a shot for a little while, but again, it floated up and away. I'd asked for more weight, but there wasn't enough around. The only thing we had were two pressure tanks - like the ones used to fill party balloons.