Feb 25, 2013, 2:37 PM
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Good tandem DZs near London
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I've decided to go to London for a week for my 40th bday. This will be my first time there. I know there are a few DZs in the UK. Wondering which would be a good DZ to get in a tandem. Keep in mind, I do not plan on renting a car during the week I am there, so I will need something accessible by bus or Tube.
Feb 25, 2013, 3:42 PM
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Re: [guineapiggie101] Good tandem DZs near London
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I don't think you're going to get to any DZ by tube. A train journey followed by a taxi ride is an alternative if you feel like pissing some money away. There will probably be a few Londoners on here who could give you a lift. There are a few DZs which call themselves 'Skydive London'. Here is a list.
Feb 25, 2013, 5:37 PM
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Re: [guineapiggie101] Good tandem DZs near London
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My regular DZ is Hinton, it's the closest one to London I believe. I'll be going there at the weekend, if you're still here and the weather is nice send me a PM and I'll give you a ride. Providing you aren't in Croydon
If you don't want to trust a stranger (understandable) there is a national express coach that goes to Banbury station for £30 return, from there you can get a cab for about a tenner to the DZ
Feb 25, 2013, 6:54 PM
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Re: [tzephy] Good tandem DZs near London
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Something you may want to consider is that if you are doing this for a 40th birthday. The following section of the tandem student parachute declaration would apply,
"If you have had any of the above conditions, or if you are aged 40 or more, you must obtain the doctors certificate below before parachuting. "
"Student Tandem parachute Declaration" http://www.bpa.org.uk/bpa-forms/
So you may want to get this squared away before going to a drop zone.
Feb 25, 2013, 7:01 PM
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Re: [skytribe] Good tandem DZs near London
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Something you may want to consider is that if you are doing this for a 40th birthday. The following section of the tandem student parachute declaration would apply,
"If you have had any of the above conditions, or if you are aged 40 or more, you must obtain the doctors certificate below before parachuting. "
"Student Tandem parachute Declaration" http://www.bpa.org.uk/bpa-forms/
So you may want to get this squared away before going to a drop zone.
Yikes!!!! They actually ask for that if you are doing a tandem, if you are 40????
I never heard of that in the US. I know I have to sign a waiver and that, and I have 50 tandems under my belt.
Also, my plan is to be in London the week of 4/17- 4/24
(This post was edited by guineapiggie101 on Feb 25, 2013, 7:36 PM)
Feb 25, 2013, 7:44 PM
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Re: [guineapiggie101] Good tandem DZs near London
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A thought: Does any part of your trip fall prior to the date of your 40th birthday? If you're aged 39 years 364 days, you're still under 40, so presumably the extra requirement wouldn't apply.
Feb 25, 2013, 7:48 PM
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Re: [Andy9o8] Good tandem DZs near London
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A thought: Does any part of your trip fall prior to the date of your 40th birthday? If you're aged 39 years 364 days, you're still under 40, so presumably the extra requirement wouldn't apply.
Yes, my bday falls in the middle of the week of my London trip. Guess I will have to do a tandem before my actual bday.
The UK seems to have some stringent rules even in regards to tandems.
Feb 26, 2013, 11:29 AM
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Re: [IanHarrop] Good tandem DZs near London
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There are some that say BPA stands for Ban Parachuting Altogether
There are, but there are also some that say we have only ever had one fatal tandem incident and that was over 20 years ago, so I for one am happy with those stringent rules.
Feb 26, 2013, 2:03 PM
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Re: [guineapiggie101] Good tandem DZs near London
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Since you're going to be there before your 40th birthday then it really isn't going to be hassle....
And I definitely agree with the above post - our regulations may seem pretty strict but they are proven... I personally like the extra safety, and we still manage to have fun!
Feb 27, 2013, 12:40 AM
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Re: [guineapiggie101] Good tandem DZs near London
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Headcorn is the most accessible via public transport, as there is a train station in the nearby village. Other than that it's pretty likely you'll be able to get some help with a lift from the London Skydivers Facebook group :-)
Feb 27, 2013, 2:27 AM
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Re: [freekflyguy] Good tandem DZs near London
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There are some that say BPA stands for Ban Parachuting Altogether
There are, but there are also some that say we have only ever had one fatal tandem incident and that was over 20 years ago, so I for one am happy with those stringent rules.
Do you really believe that, without them, some middle-aged tandem passenger in the UK would otherwise likely have died of medical causes on a jump? I'm all in favor of, for example, ramp checks, etc. But the BPA has no concept of balance; in the ostensible name of "safety" it regularly seems to want to reduce risk to the point of zero. Can't be done, and all they're doing is chasing jumpers out of/away from the UK. Oh, well, Empuria's gain, I suppose.
Feb 27, 2013, 5:17 AM
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Re: [Andy9o8] Good tandem DZs near London
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Do you really believe that, without them, some middle-aged tandem passenger in the UK would otherwise likely have died of medical causes on a jump? I'm all in favor of, for example, ramp checks, etc. But the BPA has no concept of balance; in the ostensible name of "safety" it regularly seems to want to reduce risk to the point of zero. Can't be done, and all they're doing is chasing jumpers out of/away from the UK. Oh, well, Empuria's gain, I suppose.
Feb 27, 2013, 2:41 PM
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Re: [Andy9o8] Good tandem DZs near London
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There are some that say BPA stands for Ban Parachuting Altogether
There are, but there are also some that say we have only ever had one fatal tandem incident and that was over 20 years ago, so I for one am happy with those stringent rules.
Do you really believe that, without them, some middle-aged tandem passenger in the UK would otherwise likely have died of medical causes on a jump? I'm all in favor of, for example, ramp checks, etc. But the BPA has no concept of balance; in the ostensible name of "safety" it regularly seems to want to reduce risk to the point of zero. Can't be done, and all they're doing is chasing jumpers out of/away from the UK. Oh, well, Empuria's gain, I suppose.
Do I believe the rules we have in place reduce the possibilty of fatalities happening?
Yes I do, and I think the record we have bears that out, there have been 26 tandem fatalities in the US since 2004, in the same period there have been 0 in the UK (I hope I havent jinxed us now), the fact that 2 students fell out of the harness is unconscionable.
You say that "the BPA has no concept of balance; in the ostensible name of "safety"", who do you think in the BPA is responsible for safety and implementing these rules?
What is wrong with wanting to reduce risk as low as possible? I agree we can never reduce risk to 0, but we should do our utmost to minimise it as best we can.
In the UK we cannot sign away our rights, so if someone comes to my DZ and kills themselves a piece of paper or a video of them absolving me of any responsibility isn't going to hold much sway when I am sued by their family or in a court of law.
Feb 27, 2013, 7:12 PM
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Re: [freekflyguy] Good tandem DZs near London
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There are some that say BPA stands for Ban Parachuting Altogether
There are, but there are also some that say we have only ever had one fatal tandem incident and that was over 20 years ago, so I for one am happy with those stringent rules.
Do you really believe that, without them, some middle-aged tandem passenger in the UK would otherwise likely have died of medical causes on a jump?
Do I believe the rules we have in place reduce the possibilty of fatalities happening?
Feb 28, 2013, 12:57 AM
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Re: [Andy9o8] Good tandem DZs near London
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Sorry I thought you had.
To be more specific then, yes, I do believe that our rules/medical/procedures reduce the likelihood of a student (they aren't passengers in the UK) or for that matter an instructor dying of medical causes during a jump.
Note I said reduce the likelihood, not stop it all together, I don't think that minimising any risk in our sport is a bad thing, especially when I am ultimately responsible for what happens at my DZ.
Feb 28, 2013, 10:37 AM
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Re: [freekflyguy] Good tandem DZs near London
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I’m for a safe jump environment, but this UK rule of requiring a 40 year old to visit a doctor to start training or to do a tandem is absurd.
In short, it’s a day pissed away for a doctors surgery visit, cost of £25 to £60 for him to pretty much say “you look OK” and sign and stamp your required BPA document. It’s not exactly like it’s a pilot’s JAA/EASA Class 2 medical or an FAA Class 3 medical (I have all of the above, so yes I know what’s entailed).
At the least, they should up it to something reasonable like 60 years old; the present setup is from a time when life expectancy was in the 60’s.
Mar 1, 2013, 4:35 AM
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Re: [guineapiggie101] Good tandem DZs near London
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I never heard of that in the US. I know I have to sign a waiver and that, and I have 50 tandems under my belt.
Also, my plan is to be in London the week of 4/17- 4/24
Why would you waste so much money on tandems? Unless you have some medical condition that makes it impossible or very hard to jump alone I do not see any logical reason to do 50 tandems, you clearly like it so why not sign up for AFF??
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