wsskydiving

Having jumped at DZ's all around the world, big and small, this is definitely one of the friendliest I've ever been to. The staff go out of their way to make eveyone feel part of the club, whether experienced jumpers, students or even just spectators. The DZ is co-located with a microlight club, and the two operations work very well together to ensure safety is well managed. At the moment, they have a Cessna 206, which after using large turbines for the last 15 years or so takes some getting used to, but I understand they will be getting a bigger aircraft for the summer season, which should help improve turnaround and comfort! Just off the M4 near Swindon, the DZ is well located for access - if you are in the area one weekend - pop in, it's well worth it.

What can I say - I love this canopy. I have jumped just about everything in it's class, and nothing comes close. So far I have put in excess of 800 jumps on my 135 loaded at 1.55 - and never had a problem. Prior to this I did over 1100 jumps an Sabres and Stilettos, and the faqtor leaves them both in it's wake. I mainly do AFF and 4 Way. I teach AFF all over the world, at DZ's of various sizes. I've never had to worry about putting my canopy down in a tight spot on an off-landing, and yet the swoops are amazing. Last year I entered the the 1st UK Pro Swoop Tour, and was amazedwhen I finished halfway up the rankings, beating several people on cross-braced / air locked swoop machines. I'd recommend this canopy to anyone who is looking at improving their swooping at intermediate to expert level - it rocks!

This canopy is a masterpiece of innovative design. It is, to date, the only canopy on the market that can have it's performance uprated as as jumper gains experience. It is also a hybrid F-111 and ZP - making it easy to pack. I first test jumped one with over 2000 jumps, and found it quite fun. It is predictable, has a good flare, and turns responsively yet flat. The V-TEC comes with a choice of beginner or intermediate line sets, trimming the canopy for varying performance. This means that someone who has jus graduated, can start out on the V-TEC, and then upgrade the performance when they are ready, without the expense of changing canopies. It has a fairly flat glide, and generates good lift, making it easy to land and get back to the DZ from a long spot. The intermediate line trim also gives fairly light front riser pressure, allowing you to build up speed while recovering to flat and level flight quickly. Everyone I have spoken to who has jumped it has been impressed by it's handling - from low experience jumpers to guys more used to swooping high performance canopies. If you are looking for value for money from your first canopy, this is the one for you - fun to fly, easy to handle, easy to pack and able to perform to your experience level.