rss_v

Members
  • Content

    186
  • Joined

  • Last visited

    Never
  • Feedback

    0%

Posts posted by rss_v


  1. Quote

    Quote

    Just like a car or a set of skis aren't considered "life-saving equipment", even though a fault with either will absolutely fuck you up.



    And the worst analogy ever goes to...

    What happens if your 'fun having equipment' completely fails in free fall (to be specific -an unresolvable terminal mal)? You won't have to worry about getting fucked up bad, your dead plain and simple.

    Correct.

    Quote

    I put my rig in the same category pilots would their aircraft. You think someone having fun on the weekend in their Cessna would see it as a 'fun having' device?



    According to what you just said - yes!

    ***
    What im trying to say is that your rig is literately the only thing between you and certain death - I couldn't find a better definition of a 'life saving device' to be honest.



    The distinction is see concerns how one found themselves in that situation. I choose to get on the plane, go to altitude and then step out. In fact, I pay good money for it! The rig then does stop me from dying shortly afterwards, but in that situation it's not, in my mind, its primary purpose or indeed my main concern. If it was, I wouldn't get into the situation in the first place. Whereas something like a life jacket is utterly pointless to wear except that it may save you in a completely unwanted and unintended situation - it has no other purpose other than as a life-saving device.

    So while a parachute (etc.) for a recreational skydiver is indeed a life-saving device in literal terms, it's not by any means for me the primary concern when I choose what to put on my back. I would ever admit that at the DZ, of course, but I suspect many people think similarly.

  2. Quote

    OK, but your rigger would still need to note the battery change on the repack card, so they would have to be present at the time of the change if you want them to sign said card. Otherwise, it looks like your batts are out of date, and nobody esle will pack your rig without intsalling new batts.



    ah, right - this is the kind of thing I was getting at. OK, then.

    Quote

    How come all of your threads surround trying to go 'cheap' on gear?



    Because I have very little money.

    Quote

    You realize that this is life-saving equipment, right?



    I see it as fun-having equipment, first and foremost. If our primary concern was life-saving/safety then we'd stay on the ground, instead of spending vast sums of money to be as safe as possible in an otherwise very dangerous situation that we choose to enter. A life jacket or a hard hat are for safety, a parachute is for fun. Just like a car or a set of skis aren't considered "life-saving equipment", even though a fault with either will absolutely fuck you up.

    But anyway, I suppose your point is that because it's "very important equipment" I shouldn't skimp on the cost. In fact, imo I shouldn't skimp on the quality/functionality, and if I can save on the cost in the mean time then great, because that's more jump tickets for me.


    Quote

    I'm not siggesting that everyone needs to jump a brand new $9k rig, but I think you're taking this a little too far.



    Everyone has a different balance point on this issue, I suppose. I can see that mine would appear bothersome to many, though.


    Quote

    What do you think a rigger will charge you to swap the batts in your Cypres? Most I know would do the swap as part of the I&R and not really charge anything extra. If you really want to learn, ask to be present during your next repack, not by 'playing' with things on your own.



    Yep, in fact I just found out that he'll change them "for free" as part of the repack. And the DZ sells the batteries, so I'll just get it all in one! I might ask to watch, but I don't think he likes me much, haha.

    ***What kind of Cypres is this anyway? If I'm not mistaken, the Cypres2 onyl requires a batt change with the 4/8 year service. If this is a Cypres 1, your bigger concern should be when the unit expires, over and above the batt concern. Look into that before you spend any further money to make sure the AAD will outlast your repack, not just the batts.



    It's a "1" and expires early next year, so will be good for the rest of the season. The batteries are finished in a couple of months, though.

  • Quote

    Just let your rigger know that your batteries are expiring. They will install new batteries during your next repack.



    Quote

    well if you have interest in your gear, think about technically what would you have to do to change the battery.
    Once you think you have the answer, evaluate if you have the skills and authority to do it.
    Then go to your rigger and ask him if you can do it with him.
    The cheapest way to do it would be to have the same rigger that did your last packjob do it with you.
    Pennies will not be saved :P

    AND YES, THE NEW STICKER COMES WITH THE BATTERY :)



    I guess I should clarify that the AAD is currently out of my rig, completely separate. So changing the batteries doesn't involve opening my rig at all!

  • Hi. I have a CYPRES whose batteries is due to expire half way through my next packing cycle, so I might as well change them now. I understand that I can do this myself, is this correct?

    Also, on the battery pack there's a sticker with the date of the last battery change written on it - do new batteries come with a replacement sticker? Obviously I will know that they're fresh, but the rigger and DZ may not be convinced unless it looks legit.

    The reason I want to do it myself is because it interests me to get involved with my kit, and also to save a few precious pennies on rigging fees. The DZ will still get the money in the end...

  • Quote

    Quote

    I need to mostly just consider the cost of lost interest on the money if I had instead kept it in my bank account.



    Quote

    No, you don't.



    Unless you're going to buy one for me, with your money, yes - I do.

    Quote

    An AAD isn't an investment strategy, it's a safety strategy.



    Clearly.

    ***
    It's a double-edged sword - if you don't jump all that much, your lack of currency or experience makes an AAD a good idea. If you jump all the time, your increased exposure to risk makes an AAD a good idea.

    All of the AADs out there cost about same. With that said, your decision is more functional then financial. If you're going to buy an AAD, buy the best one for the job, not the one that's $100 or $200 less than the others.



    I don't want an AAD at all and my reason for getting one would simply be that DZ's require them, to tick that box. My decision between AADs is almost entirely financial, therefore.

  • Imagine if someone was happy jumping without an AAD and, given the choice, wouldn't purchase one. Try not to worry about why they might make that decision, just "accept" it for the purposes of this thread.

    They decide to get an AAD, though, because the majority of DZ's require one - either officially or unofficially. What would be the cheapest way to tick the "has an AAD" box that doesn't actually make him less safe? I know some people refuse to use certain models of AAD because they supposedly give false positives, for example. Of course, for this person false negatives wouldn't be a concern because the alternative is no AAD at all.

    Any suggestions? Not including things that require lying/deception such as a fake/empty AAD, haha.

    Thanks,

  • Quote

    Hi

    Hope your the op.

    I'M not trying to be a wise ass, but 30 jumps/yr are not very many to do much more than a 2 way Ymmv. Are you sure its worth the extra cost vs a tunnel or some other sport.

    BPA annual dues
    Petrol to and from the dz.
    Lift ticket.
    Maybe a coach or recurrency jump.
    Cost of kit

    Vs the cost of 30 minutes of tunnel time;)

    Enjoy







    00



    of course it's not worth it, not at all - but I try not to think about that. I don't skydive purely for the sensation of floating on air, though - so a tunnel wouldn't be a suitable substitute. There's more to it than that - as I'm sure you agree.

    I guess it's like spending £1300 on a six-day skiing holiday when that money would get me near unlimited access to a local dry slope for the rest of my sad, lonely life.

  • Quote

    I have always been fascinated with Skydiving but always have been too chicken to do so. It took very many years (about 10 years +) to finally mentally prepare myself to do a tandem jump which I only completed last week. I've alway watch Skydiving videos and probably know alil too much about Skydiving for someone who has never jumped before. I always thought once I did my tandem jump I would want to go for my AFF.

    Over the years I have gone to a couple of wind tunnels and have about 30 mins flying experience. I know it's not much, but it definitely took away the element of surprise of freefall when I finally took the plunge for my first tandem skydive. So much so, that even though I absolutely loved the skydive and am so happy that I finally did it, I think I regret that I did the wind tunnel time beforehand because I think It took away a part of the total rush of my first Skydiving experience because I was already familiar with how the freefall would feel like.

    Can anyone else relate to this?
    My question is to experience skydivers and people maybe in a similar situation previously is, does Skydiving get better with experience? I've always dreamed to learn how to Skydive and am considering my doing the AFF course and think I would have a way better time if I could manoeuvre on my own instead of being strapped to another guy in a tandem freefall. If I wasn't completely blown away by my tandem skydive, would that mean Skydiving is definitely not for me, or does it become more exciting with time when you learn how to really fly in the air?

    Any opinions or feedback on this would be appreciated because I dont know If I am dreaming about skydiving for real too much when it is or isn't for me ;)



    Bear in mind that you're asking a forum populated by continuing skydivers, so you'll tend to get only one kind of answer. Except from miserable people like me. There have been some threads in the past about this, check my post history to find them.

    Some considerable majority of people who get through their initial training don't continue skydiving. For me, no, it didn't "get better" - my favourite time was around jump 7 or 8 and then it lost a lot of the excitement and interest. Then, the enjoyment comes from learning and progressing like in any sport, but skydiving is too "rare" and expensive for me to make and meaningful progress, so that's just frustrating, and I prefer cheap/free hobbies I can do any time and enjoy just as much.

    Some people remain sick with nerves for 100 jumps or more, and some are bored stiff after three. Some think free-fall and canopy flying is just the best movement and activity available, while others find it limited, samey and less interesting than bowling or darts.

    Unfortunately, there isn't a forum for "people who have started skydiving but quit because they didn't really like it," so you can't ask many people like that.

  • Quote

    Quote



    I won't be buying an F111 canopy. Not exactly a new Sabre 2, either, though. I've flown the rental rigs (obviously) as well as ones I might buy, and I'm definitely happy with it/them - it feels pretty much the same to me.



    Depending where you jump, the rental rigs you have been using may well be F-111. Do you know what canopies you have jumped?



    Navs in Javs, if you will.

  • Quote

    A couple of people have mentioned it, but just in case:

    The difference between landing a shitty twenty-year-old F111 PD190 and a Sabre2 190 is night and day. The latter flies, the former merely slows down. If you're not going to be particularly current, and your budget doesn't stretch to a relatively modern canopy, I'd stay renting. Much more forgiving if you misjudge something a tad.



    I won't be buying an F111 canopy. Not exactly a new Sabre 2, either, though. I've flown the rental rigs (obviously) as well as ones I might buy, and I'm definitely happy with it/them - it feels pretty much the same to me.

  • Quote

    Quote

    One thing with gear hire in the UK vs other places. The DZ often insists their packers pack the hire gear (unless you're signed off as one of their packers..)



    At several places in the US a 'DZ packer' has to pack it the final time before it goes back on the rack. If you jump it 10 times during the day YOU can pack all but the last one.



    Yea, at my DZ in principle we're allowed to pack rental rigs - for our own jumps only.

  • Quote

    Approx yearly costs of a £2500 used rig (with cypres 2) would be

    £110 approx for the cypres (linear depreciation and services included at current rates)

    £70 for 2 reserve repacks (although if you only jumped April - Sept you could get away with 1 reserve repack).

    £5 for bungees

    If borrowing the money then any interest payments or if taking the money from your savings then the loss of interest (£35 is probably reasonable based on current interest rates if the rig is being purchased with savings).

    It would be prudent to factor in an amount to cover other perishables etc although if you only make a few jumps you might well get away without needing any!!

    All in all buying a used rig would probably be a good idea both financially and for other reasons such as:-

    The familiarity of your own equipment

    The ability to jump when you want

    The possibility that you might surprise yourself and do over 30 jumps

    The ability to spend time examining and learning all about your own gear

    This is just my 2p worth!!



    Yea, I'm thinking it will be worthwhile. Rental is £10 per jump (includes packing) so you can see how quickly I'd save money. Of course I'd save even more by not jumping at all... :S

  • Thanks for the replies. As I mentioned, I'd be getting a cheap second-hand rig so I'm ignoring depreciation as it will be minimal or zero.

    So there are no other definite costs than repacks, it seems? In that case I should indeed buy, because if I make only ten jumps in a year I'd break even.

    Quote

    One other thing to factor in is whether your 30 jumps per year is where you want to stick at - or is this limited by availability of kit hire.



    That's pretty much all I'm interested in doing. When I go to the DZ and do 2-4 jumps in a day that's enough and I don't really feel like going again for at least a month, often longer. I usually end up going back after six weeks mainly just to stay current. Skydiving is basically just a minor hobby for me (thank goodness) and I don't have any wish to make more than about ten visits to the DZ per year.

  • Quote

    Speaking for myself:
    I've bought a new rig for about 6.000€
    So far I've done 173 jumps, so it's about 35 € per jump at the moment.

    If I do 100 jumps per year and I can use the rig for 10 years (usually a lot more!) it is 1000 jumps and 6.000 € for the rig. I have to add about 150 Euro per year for maintenance.
    So it will be about 7,50 € per jump.

    If I can use it for 15 years (and 1500 jumps) it will be 5,50 € per jump.



    What maintenance are you talking about, in particular?

  • Each time I jump rental gear it costs me £10.

    I'm trying to work out how much owning a rig would cost me per year to decide where the break-even point is, i.e. how many jumps I would have to make in a year for it be worthwhile to own rather than rent. This is very cheap gear and I don't think there will be significant depreciation at this point. In fact the current owner will be making a profit in this sale!

    So far I can only come up with:

    > Repacks, two at £35 = £70
    > Lost interest on money - £35 (depends on your interest rate)
    > Spare stow bungees... etc? £10


    I must be missing something...?

    I don't expect to make more than 30 jumps in 2013, so basically if the rig costs me <£300 per year in "running costs" then it will be worth me having it. I realise there are various non-directly-financial pros and cons to owning or hiring, but they're for me to make a subjective decision on and can't be easily compared.


    Thanks,

  • Quote

    Other thing is if you're a boring individual and don't stand out much, your name might not come up at the end of the day. Being tagged as "The guy who skydives" isn't necessarily bad if it has them talking about you. You're already standing out from the crowd at that point. Just make sure it isn't all you talk about, or you'll slip back into the "mediocre" category pretty quickly.



    Yea - I'm a very quiet, softly-spoken and "boring" kind of person with a bunch of odd, solitary old-man hobbies that people generally find a bit strange.

    I would mention "skydiving" as something that will make me seem slightly more human - still hard for them to relate to but they might think I'm outgoing, energetic and confident, etc. All untrue, of course.

  • Quote

    Hello everybody, i am somewhat new to skydiving. I started AFF over a year ago but only recently got licensed. Im at 42 jumps right now and have about 45 mins in the tunnel. Right now am working on my sitfly. I got fwd, backward, lateral movement and turns down. Getting better at up and down and sit to sit flips. When i have talked to people at my local DZ's though they say that i should not be freeflying and should be on my belly. Just wondering what your thoughts are on this topic... If i am learning fast and being safe, i dont see what is wrong with this. Anyone?



    No one knows what you do on solo jumps. Whether you waste the next 1000 jumps "being safe" and burning a hole straight down (or is it straight? how would you know?) on your belly, or keep trying to fly in other ways, or just curl up into a ball and cry until 4k... no one will know!

    "just saying"