[Beast]

So this is really cool . . .

About a month ago, I discovered an application on itunes that measures your hang time using the accelerometer. It's called 'Airtime'.

You just open the app, slip your ipod/iphone into your pocket, ride the line, then check your times. It plots all of the jumps and lets you know your record time for that run.

My friends and I got into a little competition to see who could boost the most, maximizing their hang time. Cob rocketed to a 1.25 second best in his backyard, while I was able to grab a 1.15 at the Clairemont jumps.

Fun stuff! Check it out, plot your trails and post a screenshot of your best time. (Hold down the menu button, then tap the power button to save a screenshot to your photo gallery.)

Here is the developer's link:
http://iphone.bannach.ch/apps/AirTime.html

Download it here:
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=303491209&mt=8

Cob's house:

Clairemont:

 

[Beast]

Sick! It gets even better. The developer just released an update that will allow you to save your best times, or high scores. Dirt jumping gone video game style! The update should be available this week.

http://iphone.bannach.ch/apps/home/Entries/2009/3/22_AirTime_update_v1.1.html

 

[Cru Jones]

Holy sh!t... that sounds like the coolest thing ever. I always wonder about stuff like that. Like whether we get more hang time on our steep jumps or our long jumps. Maybe now I can find out.

 

[Cru Jones]

Haha. That thing is rad. I'm now throwing my iphone around my apartment. 1.21 is the best I have got indoors. Hopefully I'll be able to try it on the jumps tomorrow.

 

[Dirty Maestro]

Very Cool,
Another reason for me to get an iphone.


Thanks for the link!

 

[opjones]

I'm now throwing my iphone around my apartment.

lol..

 

[v-digit]

that rules. i want/need iphone.

 

[tfree120]

Very Cool,
Another reason for me to get an iphone.


Thanks for the link!

works great on a itouch too

 

[brycexlighthall]

Haha. That thing is rad. I'm now throwing my iphone around my apartment. 1.21 is the best I have got indoors. Hopefully I'll be able to try it on the jumps tomorrow.

You are a nerd.

Report back with your results.

 

[Cru Jones]

Yo! This is the coolest thing I have ever owned. So, we tried it on the jumps today. My best air was 1.35. My best total airtime through the line was 8.6. We had a couple fluke readings that showed in the 1.6s... but, I don't think that was right considering we didn't get any in the 1.4s or 1.5s. We were consistently getting around 1.3. I forgot to do the screen shot, I'll do it next time.

I'm totally going to use this as a barometer for every spot I go to... "Man, your jumps suck... I'm only getting .9 seconds of airtime!" Haha.

 

[millerdakiller]

so am i the only one who thinks it might be a bad idea to ride with a 400 dollar phone in your pocket?

like what happens when you fall on it and it breaks, im pretty sure thats not covered on the warranty.

cool idea tho, just seems a little risky

 

[sittingduck]

A $400 dollar phone is a bad idea all by itself.

 

[v-digit]

plenty of places you can put a phone so it doesnt break in a crash. just dont strap it to your forehead.

 

[Beast]

Yo! This is the coolest thing I have ever owned. So, we tried it on the jumps today. My best air was 1.35.

Nice work. You must have at least one lofty jump.

It's amazing how little time we actually have in the air. "You have 1.35 seconds to throw a flip whip. Go."

 

[sixgun_sound]

I wonder how accurate it is... it seems like it might not know the difference between your going up the surface of a jump and your actual upward trajectory once you're airborne. What if it's only measuring "freefall"?

 

[Cru Jones]

I wonder how accurate it is... it seems like it might not know the difference between your going up the surface of a jump and your actual upward trajectory once you're airborne. What if it's only measuring "freefall"?

Yeah, I was wondering about that. It seems like the actual take off would be the hardest to "sense." My friend Tim actually timed an air with the stop watch on his phone and then we compared. The stop watch had a time that was a few hundredths of a second longer. But, except for a few fluke readings, it seemed to be a pretty accurate way to compare air on different jumps... even it isn't exactly the actual amount of air time.

 

[sixgun_sound]

Yeah, I was wondering about that. It seems like the actual take off would be the hardest to "sense." My friend Tim actually timed an air with the stop watch on his phone and then we compared. The stop watch had a time that was a few hundredths of a second longer. But, except for a few fluke readings, it seemed to be a pretty accurate way to compare air on different jumps... even it isn't exactly the actual amount of air time.

Yeah, the comparison thing still works just the same. I saw the comment about, "You have 1.35 seconds to throw a flip whip. Go." And I started wondering if that actually is the amount of time that it takes to do that.

 

[bmxice]

Check out "Air Time!" http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/air-time!/id437767730?mt=8
It's similar but more awesome, hang time, height report, but the first app which will tell you how much you spin up in the air.

Cheers

 

[rockofullr]

Interesting. I assume it is measuring the time period in which your acceleration = 9.81m/s2.

 

[Mutt]

so am i the only one who thinks it might be a bad idea to ride with a 400 dollar phone in your pocket?

I don't know about everyone else, but I, unfortunately, spend about 1/2 my riding time at the trails by myself. I don't care if my phone is 4,000 dollars, I need it in my pocket to cover the 'what if' scenarios when by myself. That being said, I've ridden with an iphone in my pocket for about three years and between myself and my toddlers, the trails have not significantly contributed to the demise of two iphones and the collection of cracks in the glass of my current one.

Although, I'll give you that I have frequently thought about it happening while riding (crashing).

 

[Mutt]

oh, and on-topic. I used the same or similar app for snowboarding. It worked real well and was fun to check and compare stats and I always thought about trying it at the trails, but just never got around to it. Will do so now though.