skyblu3

Anyone notice the extreme similarity between the Icon and Atom Legend containers. The icon is literally a carbon copy of the Atom Legend. They are even using PDF's pin secured velcroless toggles!!

Hi, is it possible to switch formats using Windows Movie Maker. I dont have any editing software and this one came free with XP. Whenever I upload something into Wimdows Movie Maker it seems to be in WMV format only. I am trying to make a DVD of my skydiving videos and Nero wont accept this format.

Rainbow design http://www.rainbowsuits.com By far the best RW suit on the market Suit on the left in all pics

I have flown numerous time with my rig as carry on without much trouble. Just keep all the documents on you. One time I forgot my hook Knife was attached to my rig it was at Vienna Airport. The security guard examined the x-ray then asked me if I am carrying any dangerous items, I said no and he let me carry on. This was post 9-11.

Whatever happened to Empuriabrava, still my favorite Spanish drop zone.

sit through the first jump course and do 1 or 2 AFF style jumps. Make sure you refresh on your emergency procedures and get updated abut modern gear - BOC's, collapsible pilot chutes, etc..Don't waste your money doing the whole course all over again. If you really have 1000 + jumps I'm sure it will all come back to you. I took 3 years off once and went up and did a 4-way with my friends. It was like I had never stopped jumping.

thanks for the pointers...keep them coming

I'm a FS jumper converting to freefly. I'm having an issue with moving forward in a head up position. The way I've been taught is to push the hips forward with arms back. This is ok but when I do this I seem to want to stand up thus creating some vertical seperation. In videos that I'm watching I see a lot of jumpers moving forward by picking their legs up and kida butt sliding forward. Which is the better method?? Any pointers will help.

I stayed at skydive Arizona's bunkhouse in the mid 90's. They were horrible back then, dont know how they are now. One evening I had returned from the Bent Prop Bar and was sitting on my bed when I say a giant rat casually walk across the room. Freaked me out. Will never stay there again. You are better off in a tent.

I just posted a question regarding the atom pilot chutes. i have jsut aquired an Atom 00 and i would like to put my Stiletto 150 in this container. I was wanderig if the very small bungee colapsible pilot chute is suitable for this canopy??

Thanks for the replies. From what i understand the pilot chute is sized according to what size main fits the container. My dilemma is this, I am putting a Stiletto 150 in an Atom 00. Normally this would be a really tight squeeze but since the Stiletto is oldish I can get it in relatively easily. So technically this canopy is large for the container, does that mean the pilot chute is too small?

I am putting my main in a different container and was wandering if the different pilot chute sizes are an issue. I currently have a Stiletto 150 in an Infinity container with a Precision main kill-line collapsible pilot chute. I would like to put this canopy in an Atom PDF container which has a considerably smaller bungee colapsible pilot chute. Since I'm told the pilot chute stays with the container I was wandering whether this will effect opening characteristics. Will it be ok to use this pilot chute or should I just switch the pilot chutes??

What about packing a Pd 176 reserve into an M4

Do you think I can fit my Stiletto 150 in my friend's Atom 00. He currently has a BT 40 in the container but since I'm going to be using it I would rather switch it with my own canopy. The Atom has a tiny d-bag so getting any canopy in there is tough. The nice thing about PDF rigs is that they pack up nice and compact and look really small and stylish.

Hold on, you are not understanding me. My rig was made in 95, I have NO bridle protection what so ever. I am not talking about adding the new modification that Infinity have just come out with. I would like some simple form of protection for the extra bridle that runs between the BOC pouch and the right closing flap. I attached a picture of my rig so you know what I'm talking about.

I own an older Infinity container, manufactured in 95. It's a very nice rig with very good pin protection on both the reserve and the main. Everything seems to stay closed in all orientations. The only thing that bothers is me is the lack of bridle protection compared with more modern rigs. There is a little bit of exposed bridle running from the boc pouch to where it tucks under the closing flap. I was wandering is it possible for my rigger to add some kind of bridle protection. If somebody has done this do you have any pics?? I will be going to Empuriabrava later this year and i will discuss this with Colin, the rigger there. If I had some pictures perhaps I can give him some ideas!

A little off topic but funny.... I know a guy who on his first AFF jump flipped over on his back, his instructors were on both sides belly to earth trying to get him to roll back over. After they landed this guy accused his instructors of playing a nasty joke on him and flying the whole freefall on their backs.

I live in a country with no drop zone (Malta) and it's an island. So for me just to get a jump I have to pay airline tickets, rental car, hotel, wife's airfare as she refuses to stay home, the list goes on. All in all just to get to the drop zone I figure it costs me about $1,500. I am not rich and for this reason I don't get to jump much and usually end up doing a years worth of jumps over a ten day period. I save every spare penny I have and put it in my skydiving fund when it accumalates I make a trip to a drop zone.

Germany has a one year pack cycle also so you can easily go over 120days its no big deal. I am from a country with no local parachute association so it is always a grey area as to what the rules are for me. I usually follow the rules of the country I am jumping in. For that matter I have jumped my rig that had not been packed for almost one year.

Ok, here’s my story. I have about 300 jumps from drop zones the world over but hardly any in my home country. I live in Malta, the little island in the middle of the mediteranean and we have no drop zone. Considering we have relatively good weather year round I would have thought that there would be some interest in foreign investment in a drop zone here, especially since we have joined the EU now. At least, if nothing else Malta would make a good winter home for your aircraft for those of you who are snowed in for the winter months. Or it would even make a good place for an occasional boogie. Malta has a population of about 500,000, with about 1 million tourists visiting every year. This is a big tandem market. The only hurdle to all this is our local Department of Civil Aviation (DCA), they have the final say as to what goes on and they are still kinda in the dark ages. Skydiving has been organized here before but never on a permanent basis. In the early-mid 90’s some boogies were organized on Malta’s sister island Gozo. An MI-8 helicopter was used and would take-off and land on Gozo’s heliport. The drop zone was a decent sized field 3 miles away. In the late 90’s a couple of boogies were organized over Malta but again with a split drop zone. The aircraft took off from Malta International Airport dropping jumpers about 10 miles away. Malta is serviced by only one airport, Malta International Airport. Jumping until now has never been allowed over the airport, but I think it’s time we change this. Understandably an international airport has strict security control. To board the aircraft to skydive you have to pass a security gate and show your i.d., crazy but understandable. My plan to operate at this airport would be as follows: We would base ourselves outside the boundary, near this security gate I mentioned. We could do all packing, manifest, etc.. over there. I don’t think there would be any objection to this. We then would cross the security gate geared up and ready, board the aircraft at the gate, take-off and jump. My suggested landing zone is an area called park 4 beside a secondary runway, not the main airport runway and far off from the terminal building. The landing area is the right hand side of the runway in the first picture. The security gate I am talking about is between the two hangers on the right of the first picture. See links: http://www.maltaflying.com/gallery/pictures/009.htm more pics of landing zone http://www.maltaflying.com/gallery/pictures/012.htm picture from opposite angle http://www.maltaflying.com/gallery/pictures/008.htm After the jump the aircraft could pic us up at the landing area and drop us off at the gate and perhaps pick up the next load who would be waiting geared up. This is not an ideal situation but it is the only way I can think of to get around the security hurdle. Or the jumpers could get picked up by an airport vehicle but I don’t know how we could get hold of one and that would be an extra expense. The Department of Civil Aviation just point blank refuse to even open discussions on this topic. This is mainly due to some bad experiences with the previous company that organized skydiving before. There were two incidents that resulted in jumpers landing in residential areas. One guy had a very low reserve opening and landed on the roof of a house breaking his legs. Another guy on a separate occasion landed in a street after a bad spot, narrowly missing some children and breaking his leg. Because of this these morons that sit behind desks with all the authority in the world think that parachutes have no control and can land anywhere. When I casually mentioned to them about 5 years ago about jumping on the airport they laughed saying that we would land on the planes. Because of these two incidents I cannot seem to convince them otherwise. My argument to them is that times have changed and also with good GPS spotting we shouldn’t have any problems with out landings. In the past GPS was not used. I remember the instructors trying to spot from the tailgate of the MI-8. I think it involved a lot of guess work. I need someone experienced who can change these peoples opinions, then you can start coming to Malta to skydive. If anybody is interested in setting up a drop zone go ahead and try to do it here. The Malta Department of Civil Aviation’s website is: http://www.dca.gov.mt/. I know in the U.S the USPA helps drop zone owners fight for airport access and tights to airspace, do we have anything like that in Europe? What about the Europe Air Sport Organisation I found their website, -http://www.europe-airsports.fai.org. What exactly do they do, would they be of any use to me?? I want to jump in my country and not have to travel the globe just to get a skydive. I have jumped in many places but Malta remains the most scenic in freefall. See attached pics. What are your opinions?? Email me or forward this post to anyone you think may be interested. Pleasseeeeee…..I want to jump.

There is no permanent drop zone in Sicily however there are a number of Sicilian skydivers. Occasionally a boogie is organised in Palermo, http://www.skydivepalermo.it/ the website is not updated, last boogie was in March.

I have heard that Soulac in France is also pretty good and has a good mix of beach and skydiving.

I have the same problem and leaving her at home is not an option. I'm thinking of going to Empuriabrava in September but its a bit pricey at that time of year.

Has anyone stayed at the Onada Apartments. What are they like, compared to Maurici?? I am trying to plan a trip in September and am looking for a better deal on lodging.