brabzzz

www.419eater.com Perhaps someone bored at work fancies fighting back? Ask tough questions. Speak on the phone. Ask them how stretchy the bellyband is and whether it is an aluminium or steel closing loop.... --------------------------------------- Ex-University of Bristol Skydiving Club www.skydivebristoluni.com

haha, what a bunch of bellends! --------------------------------------- Ex-University of Bristol Skydiving Club www.skydivebristoluni.com

Just acquired a Vigil and I'm either being thick or it's being thick! To turn it on you mash the button and again after each flash. After the checks, if you don’t enter the setup mode, it flashes green and you get the smiley face. If after the checks you quickly enter the setup mode, it cycles through config, setup, info (or whatever they are) until you get to the end of config and it goes to the green lights and turns on… But…if I leave the altitude as '0' it cycles through the modes (info, setup, config etc) followed by 'invalid', then 'alti' (maybe 'alti off' - I can't remember) and finally the display for inputting an altitude offset (maybe, I can't remember exactly). In a nutshell, as long as this is '0', this cycle continues. One you put something else in there it completes the initialisation process just fine. What have I missed? It's a 2004. --------------------------------------- Ex-University of Bristol Skydiving Club www.skydivebristoluni.com

Or put a post on ukskydiver.co.uk to see if anyone's coming back from the states that would bring it back in exchange for a few beers. --------------------------------------- Ex-University of Bristol Skydiving Club www.skydivebristoluni.com

I'm in the UK, planning on ordering US camera gear for delivery to the DZ (Perris in this case) to collect when i'm out there next month. I'm after a 350/400d with stock lens. Any pointers on well priced and, above all, reliable dealers (i'm thinking B&H)? --------------------------------------- Ex-University of Bristol Skydiving Club www.skydivebristoluni.com

Not that i've heard of....you'd think they'd post one up to clear up any speculation.... --------------------------------------- Ex-University of Bristol Skydiving Club www.skydivebristoluni.com

Not that i've heard of. I imagine it will get reported in the BPA minutes at some point, maybe with a bit more info. Keep an eye on: http://www.bpa.org.uk/council_matters.htm --------------------------------------- Ex-University of Bristol Skydiving Club www.skydivebristoluni.com

Espace boogie a couple of years back. 4 way star, 2 hangers and then turn the blocks 360 - plus half a dozen or so head up/down stingers. Tried the same 4+2 this weekend, but it folded on launch, becoming more of speedstar than a hybrid... --------------------------------------- Ex-University of Bristol Skydiving Club www.skydivebristoluni.com

I got a PM from Argus stating they hoped to have a report available (for the BPA and the DZ) by last weekend. We'll see if anything is released beyond what is leaked at the DZ / into the BPA minutes. --------------------------------------- Ex-University of Bristol Skydiving Club www.skydivebristoluni.com

To save a whole load of typing, can someone please flick me a link with info this issue? Does it relate to the incident in the herc? --------------------------------------- Ex-University of Bristol Skydiving Club www.skydivebristoluni.com

What is the scoop on the Vigil 2? There's dick all information (even on their site) and apparently it's already shipping. Is there an info sheet/summary of what's changed or what's new? You'd think they'd be informing people there's a new toy on the way and creating some hype - few seem to know (and therefore care...) --------------------------------------- Ex-University of Bristol Skydiving Club www.skydivebristoluni.com

Freeflying is flat, it's HD, it's HU...and it's also whatever the fashionable name (this year) is for all the various angles between them. I'd like to think my 300+ flat jumps were well spent. I enjoyed them. If nothing else, you migth as well be good at it because it's f*cking embarassing when fellow freeflyers can't flatfly. Or when someone is zooming around you in HD (in a good or bad way)but is crap on their belly / head up. --------------------------------------- Ex-University of Bristol Skydiving Club www.skydivebristoluni.com

...down in the SE of England last weekend. What's the scoop...or is it BS? --------------------------------------- Ex-University of Bristol Skydiving Club www.skydivebristoluni.com

Whatever floats your boat. If it's cheap and used, so much the better - minimises the 'all the gear and no idea' aura. Seriously, all it does is keep you legal (UK), hold audibles/cameras and maybe help prevent some minor knocks. Unless of course you actually care about protection, in which case get a ProTec...but that's SO uncool. --------------------------------------- Ex-University of Bristol Skydiving Club www.skydivebristoluni.com

A Slovak suit (and not all that cheap to be honest!) that looks pretty similar to the offerings of Sonic etc. Anyone tried/seen one? Any feedback? --------------------------------------- Ex-University of Bristol Skydiving Club www.skydivebristoluni.com

Indeed. I got a packjob off John a couple of years ago after he heard me moaning...and, yes, it was also off heading!

Mine used to do that. The Pilot I bought afterwards didn't, and nor did the Sabre 1 (shock, horror!) or Spectre that followed it. I guess it's just a 'feature' of the canopy. Maybe there is some way to tame them and get lovely, soft, consistent, on-heading openings - but i'd rather just have a canopy that provices them no matter how you pack it or who packs it... --------------------------------------- Ex-University of Bristol Skydiving Club www.skydivebristoluni.com

My old pilot had less than 200 jumps on and you could only just make out the generic black print - the SN and other stuff was completely gone. --------------------------------------- Ex-University of Bristol Skydiving Club www.skydivebristoluni.com

F*ckit, buy a new one. Worse things have happened.

Hmmm, are you refering to the "bozos setting brakes with their backs to the landing pattern, completely oblivious to the world around them"? Or different ones? "Too many instances of people forgetting to set both brakes out there after being distracted by landers." - they were the ones, weren't they? Bozos are bozos. Most of us are capable of keeping an eye out whilst doing a 20 second task we've done hundreds of times before. It's not rocket science, it's packing a main. 1 location, 2 locations, one the bus back, routine or not, coffee midway or all in one sitting. Who cares. As long as you're capable of packing consistently, it matters not. If it does and someone needs a set in stone optimised routine (there was a thread about some needing a checklist due to learning difficulties), that's cool too. Horses for courses mate. Comic, eh? Well, you implied it by saying someone standing around setting brakes is a landing hazard...cos they are one whether they're looking around or not...hyst by being there. So we agree it's an acceptable (miniscule) increase in risk to be standing around a bit by not rushing? Indeed. Gotta keep an eye out and be predictable once landed. True, we're not machines. We don't need to do stuff in the same order. It clearly works for me, and i'm happy with that.

The counter argument would be the bozo that stows their toggles (without setting their brakes) and then packs/jumps it because they didn't notice.... How much longer does it take to set brakes? 20 seconds overall? It's not like the 'safe' alternative would be landing, grabbing all your shit and screaming BRPPP BRPPPP before belting across the landing area in the hope of avoiding being a landing hazard. That's knackering (and dangerous). Land, loosen straps, get the lid off, chill out, keep and eye out, sort gear, open up slider and sort brakes. What's the rush? Look around occasionally. If i get taken out by someone when i'm standing still, i'm not going to be chuffed... I'm all for whatever helps me do what i need to do. That's my routine and nothing so far seems to convince me it's a bad one...Packing is packing. If I do two steps in the field or back in the shed is irrelevant. As long as I do them. Could I be safer? Sure. I could wear the lid back to the hangar. But i'm willing to take the risk of not doing so. --------------------------------------- Ex-University of Bristol Skydiving Club www.skydivebristoluni.com

Ditto. It's irritating when you yank on both to free them and end up in a stuck toggle induced spiral. I stow them straight after landing, including the excess line...and opening up the slider again. I used to be lazy and just stuff the excess line deep into the crack, but they started going all furry...which does not look cool! It's 30 seconds work and i can then be sure it's done to my liking. --------------------------------------- Ex-University of Bristol Skydiving Club www.skydivebristoluni.com

I like my protrack for the reasons the above posters have stated. I now prefer my optima/viso combo as it does a better job for -my- logging requirements, and the optima does indeed scream like a banshee.

Hardcore. --------------------------------------- Ex-University of Bristol Skydiving Club www.skydivebristoluni.com

You seem wayyyyy too think and reckless to base. Stick with the climbing where having balls bigger than brains (probably) won't damage the reputation of the sport. --------------------------------------- Ex-University of Bristol Skydiving Club www.skydivebristoluni.com