vt1977

I reckon if I’m packing to make a load I pack my Sabre 135 in about 10 minutes. About the same for my boyfriend’s Spectre 150. If I am having a lazy sort of day it can sometimes take 15 minutes or longer… I’d say I have probably done about 1000 pack jobs. Vicki

Have you tried getting some shorter risers? I could not reach the slider on my Sabre 135, ordered some shorter risers and I now have no problems reaching it. Vicki

I still haven't! I did 400ish jumps on a PD170, 200 on a Sabre 150, another 200 on a Sabre 135. I was going to demo a Stiletto 135 this weekend but I wasn't too happy with the winds so decided not to. I think I now feel ready to try an elliptical canopy, but I will wait for the right conditions. Vicki

Yep, I have had that happen to me several times. I have been to see a doctor about the problem once before when it was particularly bad but the response I got was extremely unhelpful and I don’t think I’d bother going to see the doc about it again. My advice (and my own personal rule) is not to jump until I can clear my ears easily on the ground. I have never managed to burst an ear drum but the pain from jumping with dodgy ears is quite unbelievable and I have learnt that it is MUCH better to err on the side of caution. Sometimes my ears can take some time (a week or more) to sort themselves out but in the meantime I guess you could try taking some decongestants or inhaling some Olbas oil. The main thing though, in my opinion, is to avoid jumping until you can clear both ears on the ground! hth Vicki

There is an excellent article on flight line checking here: http://www.zct.co.uk/skydivemag/pages/articles/apr97/flightlinecheck.htm Learning how to do flight line checks is part of getting a B licence in the UK. I like the fact that even someone relatively inexperienced who is checking me has been taught what to look for.

In the UK all experienced (i.e. A licence plus) jumpers have to get "checked out" by somebody holding a minimum of a B licence before each jump - BPA rule - and usually the person who checks signs for you on the manifest sheet to show that you have been checked. Students are checked by Instructors. IMHO it is a good thing as getting a check becomes a habit and it means that most Brits I know will still get flight line checks from others even when jumping abroad. Vicki

I did: 3 x s/l rounds before converting to squares, then... 9 x s/l 7 x DPs 3 x 5secs 4 x 10 secs 2 x 15 secs 2 x 20 secs 1 x turns (all max altitude from here on) 1 x unstable exit and backloops 2 x dive exit and tracking 2 x track turns Then a qualifying jump So all in all 35-ish jumps to get qualified. I struggled with static line jumps (lots of scary bad exits) but was absolutely fine once I got onto freefall. Good luck - you'll get there before you know it! Vicki

As Trig says, you are right to get any equipment you are thinking of buying checked out by your rigger/an instructor and to haggle on price! I seem to remember someone saying recently that they had paid £150 for a Cypres service with new batteries but again your rigger should be able to clarify this for you. You don't say how many jumps you have or what you are flying at the moment but that is obviously a consideration. Another thing to think about is the size of the reserve - think about how comfortable you would feel landing the reserve of any kit you are thinking of buying. I also recommend finding out what the maximum recommended suspended weight is for that reserve - again your rigger should be able to help with all of this. Personally, as a choice between the two, I think I'd go for option 2 but as others have said shop around! Vicki