Kiwiskydiving

Before every jump, no matter how scared you "feel", ask yourself, " Do I trust my equipment, the people I'm jumping with, and above all else, myself? " If the answer is yes, take a deep breath and step out the door. You have nothing to fear.

From what I've heard/seen on forums, you can load it up to around 1.7.

I just had a cutaway with a skyhook and it took 350ft to open. Even when the skyhook engages, you have to account for the time it takes for the reserve to inflate. You might get a slow or fast reserve opening ranging from 100ft to 500ft, and it's certainly not worth the risk. My skydiving blog: www.kiwiskydiving.com /// youtube channel: kiwiskydiving

I had about 200 jumps on a Volt 185 loaded at 1.0 and 50 on a Volt 170 loaded at ~1.1. The 185 had weird openings- 300ft openings if I left the nose be and 800 if I split rolled the nose, and ok-ish flare (just enough to stand up on a no wind day). OTOH, the 170 had 800ft openings without doing anything to the nose and a very strong flare. Not sure why that's the case. They both had good glide for a 9cell and a flatter glide if you compare it to a 7cell Spectre. Openings on both of them are prone to off headings though, but I didn't have a mal/cutaway on either of them. IMO they are good beginner-intermediate canopies that do their job just fine. However, if you're looking for one just for the price, get a Sabre 2 or Safire 2. because the resale value for a Volt is shit compared to a Sabre 2. After my 2 Volts, I switched to Safire2 and Sabre 2's loaded at higher wingloadings, but I believe you won't go wrong with the Volt when loaded conservatively.

I too find it very weird that there isn't a single video on youtube about the crossfire 3 aside from the manufacturer. I thought someone with one would at least post a "first jump impression" video.. guess not

Haha don't worry it's just a question that popped up looking through the chart because I don't see a UPT container that has a full fit for KA97/XF99. The best they got is standard fit, so it seems possible that a V306 must fit a KA97/XF99 or else ppl will have to switch containers all the time. I'm staying on my 150 for another half an year.. I promise . The original question though, came up because I see that UPT makes containers that hold the same mains but different reserves. And I'd like to know why most people opt for the smaller reserves. I could've named V308 and V320 but I chose to put V306 and V319 in the question since those are more common. Just a curious question guys.

Will a XF 99/ KA97 fit in your V319 in your opinion?

According to UPT's sizing chart, http://www.unitedparachutetechnologies.com/PDF/CHART_00037___Rig_Sizing_Chart.pdf V306 and V319 has the same main canopy range, but V306 fits a OP126 while V319 fits a OP143. I however see a lot more V306s than V319s on the market. If I were to pick one, I'm leaning towards a V319 because of the bigger reserve. I'm also 6'1", so the 2" difference in length might help. Is there a reason why most people go for a V306 other than it looks smaller?

What's up with the plane that flew under the jumper at 1:13?

I've jumped 2 Volts. A 185 loaded at 1.02 for 135 jumps, and a 170 loaded at 1.11 Oddly enough, the 2 sizes of the same model wing gave me entirely different flare characteristics. My 185 came with noticeably long excess brake lines, and the flare point (the point where you plane out) is low at the waist. I do a 3 stage flare, first at shoulder to decrease the airspeed, then at the waist to plane out and hold it as long as possible, and when I'm ~2-3ft above the ground I quickly stab the 3rd stage out at full arm extension and hold it till I touch down. Out of the 135 jumps on the Volt 185, I stood up 120+ times, so the flare power is definitely not the problem. The flare point simply sits a little bit lower down the lines due to long brake lines. I'm 6' and have long risers though, so if you're shorter, the excess brake lines can be your problem here. My Volt 170 loaded at 1.11 for some reason has almost zero excess on its brake lines, and the flare point is at chest height. On days with winds, I dont even have to do my 3rd stage flare. So far 20 jumps on it have all been stand-ups. I prefer this brake line configuration and the resulting higher flare point much more than my previous Volt. It reminds me of the strong flares I get on a Sabre2 190. It might also just be your lack of experience. My landings improved dramatically after 50 jumps, and no matter what canopy I jumped or what brake line configuration they had afterwards, I stand up 99% of the time. With experience comes the ability to adapt to different canopies and variable landing conditions. On your next couple jumps, I'd observe how long the excess brake lines are and where is the flare point. I'd also ask someone to video your landings to get an idea of whether the canopy or the pilot is the problem. Good luck!

Gopro studio is as easy as it can get. It's free and created specifically for gopros. Take the time to learn it by watching some youtube tutorials...... My skydiving blog: www.kiwiskydiving.com /// youtube channel: kiwiskydiving

How do you pack your Volt? Especially what do you do to the nose and how do you roll the tail? My skydiving blog: www.kiwiskydiving.com /// youtube channel: kiwiskydiving

I started wearing a BH AERO since my 8th jump. Almost 200 jumps later it still fits like new! I agree that the paint is easily chipped off when I bump the door. It's however the only helmet that fits my big head.. I wear a XL while G3's XXL is still too small for me. The AERO does protect the lower part of the backside of your head better, and its field of view is great. The built in cutaway is a plus. Between the rev2 and AERO I chose AERO because rev2 has limited camera mounting positions and AERO looks better My skydiving blog: www.kiwiskydiving.com /// youtube channel: kiwiskydiving

For sure.. i'm a super neat packer and quite OCD about my pack jobs My skydiving blog: www.kiwiskydiving.com /// youtube channel: kiwiskydiving

I jump a Volt 185 loaded at 1 to 1.1. So far I've put 100 jumps on it. I've jumped a Sabre2 190for 50 jumps before the Volt. The flight characteristics are very similar. Toggle and riser inputs, turn rates are the same. I'd say the flare point on the Volt is a bit lower than the Sabre, but the overall flare is very strong and I stand up on no wind days no problem. A big difference I've noticed is the Volt's openings. I didn't know better at first and I didn't do anything to the nose. I kept having

If you had 2 hours of tunnel time like your profile suggests, you should breeze through AFF in just a couple jumps. C2 is most likely your 2nd jump in Category C, and it's going to be your first jump with 1 instructor. I won't be surprised if you can do many turns on that jump and knock out Category D in the same jump too. Btw, all these info in the SIM, so look harder next time! Skydivers have to be proactive about learning new stuff to save your life :) My skydiving blog: www.kiwiskydiving.com /// youtube channel: kiwiskydiving

I used to get some bruising early on my jumping career, especially if I make multiple jumps in a day. It goes away rather quickly though, I don't remember feeling it after 10 or 15 jumps. My skydiving blog: www.kiwiskydiving.com /// youtube channel: kiwiskydiving

Quite a touching story.. glad you came to your senses

Hi everyone, Can someone who is currently in the course or was not long ago comment on what they think about the New Zealand Skydiving School? How is the work placement looking to be in New Zealand right now? Do they offer customized courses if you have 100+ jumps and a USPA B license at the start of the course? I am a New Zealand citizen, just not living there right now, and will like to know the current state of the industry. Thanks a lot brothers and sisters

Looks pretty good! A lot cheaper than mainstream ones too. Yall should shoot a video of it in action. My skydiving blog: www.kiwiskydiving.com /// youtube channel: kiwiskydiving

A Volt from Parachute Systems is a good alternative. Openings are soft and on heading. Turns are zippier than a sabre2, and flare is adequate. Oh, and a brand new Volt will only cost you 1400usd My skydiving blog: www.kiwiskydiving.com /// youtube channel: kiwiskydiving

I have magnetic riser covers for my new vortex. Regardless if you choose magnetic or tuck tabs, they both act like tuck tabs. The magnetic option just means that additionally to tucking it, there're magnets underneath the flaps to further secure it in place. I was worried at first because the magnets plus tuck tabs just seem to make the riser covers too tight, but so far 20+ deployments I haven't experienced any hesitations yet. It's a solidly built container. My skydiving blog: www.kiwiskydiving.com /// youtube channel: kiwiskydiving

You have 1200 jumps and 40 tunnel hours and "you know nothing"? C'mon man where did your skydiver ego go My skydiving blog: www.kiwiskydiving.com /// youtube channel: kiwiskydiving

I emailed GrellFAB a month ago and they said they're working on an AERO front mount, but no one knows for sure. I jump an XL AERO because my head doesn't fit the biggest XXL G3. A very good thing about the AERO besides its fit is that the shell surface area is actually a lot bigger than the G3. G3 provides no hard shell protection for your bottom half of the back of your head, while my AERO's shell extends to my ears. To answer your question, currently there's no front mount/chin mount for the AERO. I plan on mounting a GoPro HERO Session using its low profile frame on the top of my AERO. Hope this helped! My skydiving blog: www.kiwiskydiving.com /// youtube channel: kiwiskydiving