RichyR

Hi I'm after recommendations for a good PD dealer in the states. One that can offer some form of discount on RRP would be even better. Cheers Rich

Like has been said by many others before, training kicked in for me. No thinking or fear, I just knew what had to be done and did it. In my case, I had irrecoverable twists/spinner from an intentional stall. Afterwards... Elated, from the combination of adrenaline, excitement, and knowing I can do what needs to be done when the shit hits the fan. It's the ultimate validation of training and skills, something that can't be truly tested for any other way. Didn't have any fear on subsequent jumps. Obviously, the vast majority of people cut away in emergency situations, but there is a very small proportion that doesn't, maybe through fear. They try and deal with the mal until it's too late - ending with a low cutaway or heavy impact.

I've heard it said that you really need to be doing a minimum of 50-100 jumps a year to stay current from a risk reduction point of view. In my short time jumping, the most dangerous people have always seemed to be those who are licenced but relatively inexperienced and haven't jumped for 3months+ e.g. inadequate separation, lack of alti awareness, low turns.

I'd speak to UPT direct. Here's their sizing chart in case you haven't got it. Bear in mind that a 170 will be a very snug fit and you may struggle if your packing skills aren't great. Also there's some size differences between PD and Aerodyne canopies of the same size e.g. A Pilot 168 packs bigger than a bigger than Sabre 2 170.

I ordered the 2-piece, and whilst they feel a bit weird on the plane and walking around, under canopy it's so much easier to sit back than the 1-piece I had on my previous Javelin. I ordered from Sandy G, following is a quote from his option notes: "I have two rigs - one has One Piece Leg Pads the other has Two Piece. I will never have a one piece leg pad again. In my opinion the two piece leg pads are way more comfortable and they don't have extra fabric that can inflate while head down like the one piece. Some people like the extra padding under the ring and believe the one piece leg pads are more comfortable. I prefer the two piece leg pads because they allow me to adjust my leg straps to the perfect position for comfort without the restriction of the one piece connected leg pads. This is mostly personal preference."

I know of someone that successfully used the Ricoh Theta S 360 for some jumps. Quite a novelty being able to pan around in realtime playback. The big issue with most VR cams is their shape and position - a huge snag hazard, the resolution and quality is crap for anything but VR too. Basically there's nothing that will do everything well.

Ok. Maybe I should have said a good chance rather than likely. By HP I mean the technical definition of any landing with purposely increased speed, rather than swooping. I'm sure it varies by DZ, but the majority of jumpers I know with 500+ jumps do these, even if most are 90s or straight front riser. Those with over 1000 jumps that goes up to 80%+

^^^^^This I thought I wouldn't need the canopy alarms, but now love them. I set one for 2k cutaway altitude, as additional awareness in case I got distracted fighting a mal. The other pattern ones allow me to concentrate on traffic instead of continuously checking my alti for turn points. (I fly with 2 audibles - so essentially have got the use of 6 canopy alarms!) They're also coming in useful now I'm starting high performance landings - something it's likely you'll want to start doing a few hundred jumps down the line.

Wow thanks. Aren't slider sizes canopy specific though?

Thanks, I'll ask around. Out of interest by what mechanism do they usually split?

Yeah. In fact this is one of the reasons. I had this the other day when trying to pull the slider over the brakes both came off at the same time. I've contacted PD and they don't do a split slider suitable for the Sabre 2.

Does anyone know of a 2-piece / detachable slider suitable for general canopy use i.e. 150 Sabre 2? I'm not looking for a RDS system, just something that's easier than stowing it behind my head, which I find a faff getting over the brakes/dive loops and it reduces my FOV to the sides once stowed. If there's nothing off the shelf , can anyone see any potential hazards in getting a rigger to make one up? I was thinking something like a zip in the middle, potentially with velcro cover if the zip would cause wear/ or allow air through.

If it's that clear cut, how come practically no-one uses them?

Suggest you read Sangi's downsize story: https://youtu.be/tF578oSkrKk http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=4203276;search_string=sangi;#4203276

Great. hopefully ok then! Think it was an issue specific to the Desert DZ, apparently even though the wind was in limits the sand limited visibility. Booking this eve!

I've noticed the Palm, Duabi have dropped the jump number req down to 300 now, but along with the 2x canopy courses have also introduced Water Jump Training as a requirement. Does anyone have any more info on this? Is it just a briefing, or proper practical that's needed? It's OK for USPA, but in the UK the BPA has no requirement for water training in the licence system, and I can't find anyone who does it. I've emailed the DZ, but haven't heard back. Thanks

I've just got back from a few days jumping in the Desert in Dubai, and was going to book a week for Feb, when someone mentioned they went for a week in March last year, and most days were unjumpable due to wind/visability Is this typical at this time of year, or unusual? Thanks

I had a real hard time choosing. Red, Neon Blue and Smoke...The smoke is lighter than i thought, and the Neon Blue, isn't neon, but still a nice bright colour. Attached

Yeah, I've picked up an old PF Orignal. Think the Squirrel Sumo will be next as it's supposed to be fine for a beginner, but up to other advanced suits when flown right.

Thanks. Super useful, inc the link.

Are you aware of the instant feedback of the Flysight via tones through headphones, as your post seems to imply you think it's just a data-logger? Tones can be set to indicate changes to glide ratio, horizontal speed etc, so changes in body position can be tested and refined in realtime. Surely this is way more straight-forward and beneficial than post-jump video analysis or even coach jumps?

Thanks. So for break-off, maybe work on increasing GLIDE RATIO whilst keeping a fixed shallow angle.

I've just bought a Flysight to help improve my tracking skills. I want to improve tracking for both general skydiving break-off e.g. 4-way FS, and for future BASE. For BASE I want maximum horizontal separation over an altitude, so I take it I set up the Flysight to feedback on GLIDE RATIO? What about general skydiving break-offs? Would working to max GLIDE RATIO work here too, or would I be diving below other member of the break-off?

Import duties are the same, however pound has been very strong against the Canadian dollar - at 6 year highs. Against the US dollar it's been the opposite i.e. 6yr lows. Also check out adjustment charges, as there's a good chance fit may not be quite right first time. Tonfly didn't charge me for two lots of adjustment. Not sure if Vertical do/don't.

As you're in the UK, the top-quality options are Vertical or Tonfly. Tonfly are based in Slovakia so no import duty etc. Both work out around £350 for a base suit. If you go for a Liquid Sky or something decent from the US, expect to pay something like £600 after duty/tax. Jedi is a different beast. Much cheaper at under £200 but it'll won't even last a season of hard use before stitching starts coming undone. You can pick up lightly used ones for £100 which may be a good stop-gap.