Chiemel

We have about the same travel schedule! If you want to meet up, or need a ride, let me know!

I'll be landing this friday the 16th around noon at LAX, driving to Elsinore to sleep in the bunkhouse.
Travel through on monday for a day in Vegas, go on to the grand canyon.

Aiming to be at Eloy around the 23rd.

Invitation is open to anyone!

Hey people,

thank you all for the friendly tips and suggestions - filming the rookies on medium FOV worked awesomely (if I got really, really close at least).

A couple 100 jumps later, and after getting the taste for video, it's time for upgrades! Check out my new baby! http://i.imgur.com/0H8OBgc.jpg

Tonfly 2.5X with cutaway
Parasport RW suit retrofitted with wings (got this one very cheap, thanks Paul!)
Sony CX115 with Raynox 0.5 lens
EOS 450D with kit lens with tongue switch

Missing:
Should of gotten the hypeye :'( (I was being cheap, I regret that now)
Camera jacket (booties get in the way sometimes :) )
10-18mm for the DSLR
Balls big enough to put that heavy DSLR on my head (holy hell that one is staying in the closet for a while)

Thanks again!

Thanks everyone, looks like I'll be keeping it on wide for now, and I'll be messing around a bit the weekend after that.

I'll be back once I have to figure out how the correct equipment actually works.

Winter project is finding a suit, helmet and a .50 - .55 lens for the CX!

Hi! I'm a rookie camera jumper, with basically what could be considered as the worst gear package ever. No wings, just a gopro (hero 3+ black),... Waiting for a camera suit to show up on the second hand market, same for a camera helmet (which is kind of hard with an XXL :D). I've got a cheap CX115 just waiting for a nice helmet to mount it to

But I figured I'd ask you guys for some help anyway. I've been asked to film some rookie coaching this weekend, so I don't really want to mess up or mess around.

Problem is, I've been filming in the wide FOV for all my camera jumps untill now, but as I get closer and closer to the formation, I still can't get my screen filled (see screengrabs attached). As can be expected, I'm allready pretty close to the formation (atleast to my limits), and I still can't fill up the screen.

I've been doing some comparing videos on the ground, but it's hard without having actually used the medium fov in the air.

Question being: do you guys think I'd be better off using a medium fov for 4way? Anyone who uses a gopro as a backup camera, filming on medium fov?

Any experiences/tips are welcome! Thanks!

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where I don't really have a burning desire to jump.

And that's just fine! If you don't feel like jumping, don't jump, in essence you're throwing money out of that airplane.

There will always be funjumpers who just want to a jump in every once and a while, and there will always be jumpers who spend (almost) every last penny jumping their ass off every weekend. The only person to decide what category you fall in is you!

They both have their up and downside, and you've basicalled summed it up in your post: if you don't jump regularly, you will not get good at it. That means no larger formations, barely any freeflying, ... But it does mean you still get to save some money.

Safety can be a bit of an issue, since you will never be current, so you might just be stuck doing solos whenever you come down to the DZ. If that's ok with you, perfect! Keep in mind, you not being current can be a danger to yourself and other jumpers, so you might not get to be part of "the gang", and get alot more supervision during fitting/ride up. For your safety and ours.

Since you're still a novice, you're better off talking to an instructor at your local DZ, and tell him about what you want to do in skydiving. He can probably give you some good advice! And he might suggest you try to jump a bit more right now, so atleast you've got some basic skills you can carry with you!

Stay safe and have fun!

Hey Nick,

I don't know where you're located in Belgium, but I jump in Moorsele every weekend! If you want to, send me a pm, and I can introduce you to some instructors who can shed some light on the complete picture, in a way more correct/professional way than I (or anyone else on the internet, don't believe everything you read!) can. Bring your parents along so they can feel at ease to!

Don't even worry about BASE/making a living, just start at the beginning. In a couple of years you can see where it takes you, but there's no use learning to run when you can't walk yet.

Just a small note, AFF courses fill up really fast, so you might have to wait a while to get in. But waiting a little bit makes it even more exciting!

Good luck with your adventure!

Hey JeffCa,

How about Airspace, in Charleroi Belgium http://www.airspace.be/en/ (coaches are mentioned on the staff page)

- New, big ass and powerfull tunnel
- Right next to the Charlerloi airport with hotels and all that (actually visible from the airport)
- Probably no direct flight from Tokyo to Charleroi, but there should be one to Brussels. About 2 hours away with public transport, and more than enough of that since it's airport to airport.

-Other things to do: capital of Europe to check out, not to far from the sea, couple of weekend warrior dropzones nearby. And if you come in July a free boogie! https://www.facebook.com/events/224600964383914/?fref=ts

Oooh a Belgian dropzone!

His instable pulling position, causes the bridle to wrap around the cutaway handle.

All student equipment in that club is equipped with a RSL (Stevens cutaway system), so when the main parachute leaves, it pull out the reserve pin by a little lanyard, causing the reserve to launch (as it should).


He's a bit panicky through out the jump, but you can clearly see him reaching for his handles AFTER the main cutaway. Good reaction! I just hope he wasn't looking for the cutaway for to long! :)

At 00:49 and 01:05 you can clearly see the cutaway pillow, and it looks (it's just a video, and therefor this is a guess). I think I even see a bit of the cutaway cables there. Might not be stowed properly, might be worn out velcro, might of gotten a little pull in the airplane. Just assumptions.

And even if it isn't loose, it's a good reminder to check yourself again before you leave the plane!

And did Goonies ever make it to Australia? :)

39 days in, still coughing up crap... I'd rather have it out than keeping it in, it's just nice to be able to breathe again, and not waking up like a 90 year old man with only one longue.

Keep it up! We can, because we're awesome.

Thanks for the replies! I contacted both Bev and Tonysuits for some further help. I'm going to avoid swoop cords/baggy suits for now, and hope the other basics helps. Like you guys said, big grippers, double materials, vented booties...

Will post some pics here when it arrives in a couple of weeks/months :)

Quattro:

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Four high-speed warnings:
Allows settings up to 19990 Feet and can be used for Bigway formations, wingsuit flight setup and other precision skydives where four high-speed warnings are needed and desired.
Track Guide:
0.5 second pulsating tones between the 1st and 2nd warnings help keep track of altitude separation of tracking groups or waves.

One extra freefall alarm (the optima has 3, get out, pull and oh-oh), with appearantly pulsating tones between the first and second freefall alarm(like you'd get on your optima between 2nd and 3rd canopy alarm), so you know how much longer you can track.

Quattro manual does not mention the pulsating tone between 2nd and 3rd canopy alarm. So I assume that's not in there.

Quattro has 3 climb to altitude alarms. Optima does not. Perfect if you need to be woken up during the plane ride.

In the end, it does look like the quattro has a small extra edge for wingsuit/bigway (as advertised).

I don't have one (only an optima II), those are just the differences I see right now, by reading their manuals.

Hey!

The setup: I'm 140 jumps in, 210lb (total exit weight), 5' 9", so basically what I'm trying to say is, I've got this nice beautifull natural arch hanging around my belly :).

I've got 2 suits: an old RW suit with some basic booties, with a fast fabric (very smooth, don't know the name), and an old baggy tony space suit (clown suit).

When I'm wearing the fast suit, people can't keep up. When I'm wearing the baggy suit, adjusting fall rate is perfect.

So basically, I'm adjusting the following:
- Trying to lose some weight seems like a logical step
- Adjusting my body position to something still comfortable, but less archy
- Finding an RW suit that slows me down a bit.

This long intro, just to ask people who had the same problem as me, what suit you'd take with what options, to slow you down... Any experiences/advice related to this is welcome!

Hey FastRodriguez!

I live in Belgium, and jump at Moorsele. I guess it'd be to much to ask to set up a blind date for a fellow jumper? :)

Anyway, as mentioned, in Flanders you have PCV with Schaffen, Zwartberg & Moorsele. Zwartberg en Moorsele both operate only on weekend with a caravan, Schaffen operates in weekend, using a supervan. Material is perfect and well maintained. AFF is pretty full at the moment, but it doesn't hurt to call and check it out anyway. Instructors are thorough, and take their time with every student for a good briefing and a video debrief.

Next to PCV, in Flanders you have Paraclub Hoevenen, bit smaller, haven't been there, only in weekends aswell, using a cessna 206.

Maybe a good mention:
July - August Moorsele is open on friday afternoons
13/7/13 - 21/7/13 Paraclub Hoevenen is open all week
20/7/13 till 27/7/13 Flanders Boogie at Moorsele (students are welcome), open all week with 4 planes (2 caravans, a skyvan and completely forgot what the 4th plane is)
5/8/13 till 11/8/13 Schaffen is open for a training week all week, students are welcome.


And on the French part of time, there's 2 clubs, Skydive Spa and Skydive Cerfontaine. Skydive Spa is open all week, a bit more expencive, but a beautiful, professional place to jump (or so I hear). No experience with Cerfontaine.

Usefull links:
http://pcv.be/ Parachute Centrum Vlaanderen (Schaffen, Zwartberg & Moorsele)
http://www.paraclubhoevenen.net/ Paraclub Hoevenen
http://www.skydivespa.be/ Skydive Spa
http://www.skydivecerfontaine.be/ Skydive Cerfontaine

https://www.facebook.com/events/521568787873769/?fref=ts Flanders Boogie 2013, Moorsele
http://pcv.be/nl.php/agenda/kalender/?acid=15833 Training Week, Schaffen
http://www.paraclubhoevenen.net/diversen/webcams.html Webcam on all DZ's (not all live atm)

If you need more help, just let me know! Good luck!

Update:
https://www.facebook.com/events/521568787873769/?fref=ts

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Bushman
Luc Vereecken
Mike Wittenburg (Dubai)
Kai Kai (Dubai)
Ellis (Dubai)
Martijn van Dam (ToraTora)
Jasper van der Meer (ToraTora)
Sandro Böhme (wingsuit)

- English -

Worldfamous in Belgium: the yearly Flanders Boogie in Moorsele. Check out the list of world class organizers above. Camping on site, boogie video's, bands, DJ's, raffles and of course a big ToraTora closing party!

ToraTora FF registration is full though :s Cheap jumptickets, cheap camping, good food and beer!

Andy9o8

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How do I tell my mom that I enjoy jumping out of planes?

You don't.
I didn't, and it was the best possible decision.

Ignore all these fluffy platitudes other people are offering-up in this thread; it's all chickenshit.
If there's any reason to think you shouldn't tell her, then you shouldn't tell her.

It's like your collection of bongs and porn and the sex you've had in the oddest of places. You don't tell your mom about those, do you? Of course not; you'll never tell her about them, and no harm will ever come from that sensible self-censorship.

Keep your yap shut. Some day, you'll thank me.

2 weeks ago, a student crashed into the hangar downwind. Broke his collar bone, some ribs, and both wrists. When the DZO called his emergency contact, his wife, her answer was "what the hell was he doing at DZ xxx". She thought he was doing overtime on his job for the last 8 - 9 weeks.

Let's just say she wasn't to happy about the whole thing, and he might have been better off telling her in advance.

Hey there SecondRound. Congrats on getting into the sport and getting your first suit!

To answer your question, there's 2 things to keep in mind:
First of all, yourself. Do you feel safe wearing a suit that's currently "above your skill level"? Don't you think it'll add another distraction? Do you consider it important how you look in the sky during your first dives? Why not just go with the student suit, no distractions, made just for the purpose of simple skydives, and nothing that you can blame any mistakes on!

Taping your booties is an option, but it's kind of silly in my opinion.

Second thing is, ask your instructor. Some instructors wont let you wear that suit during AFF. Everyone gets the same treatment: basic suit, alti, and student rig. It gives a better reference, and gets rid of any outside distractions having "specialised" equipment.

In the end, if the suit fits, you'll be using it in no time. I think you're better of just using the student gear, and when the times comes, put on your awesome RW suit with booties, and give it a go. It's not going anywhere!

And pics of the suit, or it doesn't exist!

Good luck!

Hey guys,

very silly question, but injury is making me think about alot of things. So, what's spooking around in my head at the moment:

Does a person blink his eyes when in freefall, or do they stay wide open due to the adrenalin rush?

Thanks for all your answers! Unfortunately, I wont be needing them the next couple of weeks... Started AFF1 last saturday, got to level 6 today, was going to do level 7 and a solo jump, but then stupidity struck...

My landing wasn't very confident at any time, and I landed on my ass all the time. So I was told to keep my legs down, flare, and run it out. Unfortunately, in somewhat panicky movement, I didn't continue flaring, and hit the ground a bit to hard. First cask, ligaments messed up. My own fault.

So next question (ofcourse I'm going to ask my instructors to run me through the landing tips again), any tips for getting a smoother landing? :P

Hey guys,

like the title mentions, I'm a beginner AFF student. Did my first jump on saturday, level 2 and 3 on sunday, and re-doing level 3 on thursday (for the best, I wasn't really at ease during that last jump). In the meanwhile, skydiving is all I can think about. My jumpmasters gave me some exercises/stretches to get a bit more in the relaxed position, and I've been doing them all the time.

So to finish my day, I came up with a couple of questions (that I'll be sure to ask my instructors aswell, just going through some info).

- At my DZ, there's alot of AFF1 students, about a class of 6 - 8 each week. Most of them said they will be continuing the course. But, on average (or a good guesstimate), what percentage of people doing the AFF course actually keep skydiving? (if there is one)

- How many jumps did it take for you to get comfortable in the air (crappy question, I know, just curious)? Are you ever completely relaxed?

- When experiencing a horseshoe malfunction, is the emergency procedure still the best solution? Wont the reserve just twist up into the main canopy?

- I realise it's something for the far future, but when would you make your first equipment purchase? 50 jumps? 100? 200? Would you save up for a rig, or start off with buying helmet, altimeter, overall, ...

- Any tips for improving my freefall posture at home?


So, sorry for the questions that don't have "factual" answers, but I'm still curious as how experienced skydivers look at these things.

Thanks!

Chiemel