kizza

Skydiving is like the matrix. You cannot be told what it's like... you have to feel it... for yourself.

sweet. thanks for the advice guys :)

Hey guys, I am pretty new to skydiving so obviously jumping a camera is a long way off for me, but I do want to be able to do it one day. Anyway, I'm totally into editing video and such, so I am thinking of purchasing a DV camera for reasons other than skydiving... uni etc. But I was hoping you could fill me in on what makes and models of DV cameras are good for camera flying, so that if and when I do get to that stage I will be able to use it for that too! Thanks heaps

Check out this thread http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=463743;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;guest=1092422

Hi, I am a new member but it seems no matter whether I am logged in or not, the front news page never updates until like a month when I see like 10 new news posts! Any ideas?

Remember, newtons law of gravity states that all objects accelerate towards earth at the same rate, that is 9.8m/s. The law doesn't take into account terminal velocity, and you didn't have to take it into account either, because your objects never got fast enough to reach it. However at 14,000 feet we can quite easily get up to terminal velocity, and it is reached when our weight is equal to our drag, or air resistance force. Where we can't fall any faster (unless we change body position). If we are heavier it will take more air resistance to counteract that weight. Hence, a heavier person will accelerate to a higher terminal velocity than a light person, and fall at a different rate. http://www.glenbrook.k12.il.us/gbssci/phys/mmedia/newtlaws/sd.gif This diagram illustrates terminal velocity, but for a parachute aswell. Essentially it's the same thing. We have a terminal velocity for freefall, and a slower terminal velocity under canopy. Under canopy we fall much slower than in freefall due to the huge surface area we use to create air resistance. Because of that huge surface area, the air resistance required to counteract our weight can be acheived at a much lower speed, which means we can land safely :) This brings me to a question that has always puzzled me: How do people know how to make those space balls fall at the same rate as them? How heavy are they?

Welcome to the forums Miracles! You guys! Any excuse for beer :)

he he, i had someone from my work tell me bungy jumping was much safer because you were su much closer to the ground.

I'm not sure if this is standard for all Australian DZ's, but atleast at my DZ my instructors use a clenched fist infront of the student's face to indicate "pull ripcord now". Much more sensible IMO.

from one newbie to another, I know how you feel! skydiving has totally taken me over aswell, i am doing the AFF course with a friend from work and when we are rostered on together everyone else gets sick of us talking about it!! wait til you start aff, you're going to love it.

Looks awesome! love the colours.

Having previous flying experience did help the canopy flying a bit, especially in terms of understanding crabbing / running / holding, and flying a circuit pattern. Except when I turned onto final and I was right over the landing area, felt really weird! Then i remembered that the canopy only flies at 20 knots and there was 20kts of headwind :)

I should have made myself clearer, I HATED the part where the plane leveled off, the door opened and I had to actually walk out there. Scared me shitless. But once you let go and you are flying you know there's no turning back, it's like you are in a totally different world... I got the biggest adrenaline rush ever! I guess that rush is what is making me want to go back for more ASAP! I will be just as afraid of the exit on the next jump, but I don't know, I guess overcoming that fear is what makes it so cool.

Points taken guys, I think it's probably right to say if I'm busy doing things then I forget about it... I know the worst was the first few seconds of the jump, then when I got into all the stuff I had to do I think I stopped thinking about it. Thanks for all the advice :)

Nope, I'm in Melbourne and my DZ is Barwon Heads, right on the beach!

Thanks, I appreciate that, but I don't think my problem is taking deep breaths, it's exhaling. I find it hard to breath out properly when theres 200 kph of air rushing in!

Hey guys, I started off with skydiving a few months ago when I went for a tandem with a friend. It was an amazing experience and since then I have been a regular visitor of this site and have been amazed at how helpful you guys are towards eachother. Skydiving seems to be an extremely collaborative sport where helping eachother comes before being competitive, it's great. Anyways I have now started the AFF course and did my AFF stage 1 yesterday. My favourite part was the exit, and my second favourite was the landing. Can't wait for stage 2. I have been a private pilot for a while before I started skydiving but in that whole time I have never felt the rush you get from skydiving, especially the exit. What a thrill!

Hey guys, I am new to the world of skydiving and have just yesterday completed my first AFF jump. It was an awesome experience. Can't wait for stage 2. Anyway the only problem I had after exit (other than a moment of sensory overload) was that as we reached terminal velocity I found it pretty hard to breath. It felt as though I was sort of suffocating, then I realised it was probably more like hyper ventilation. Soon I realised it was time to start doing the PRP's and check my height etc and I just got on with it, got down on the ground, the instructor said I did great and I was passed for stage 2. But I am curious, do other people have any breathing problems in freefall? If so how did you overcome them? Edit: Noticed I probably should have posted this in Safety & Training forum, sorry about that.