TrickyDicky

Ive put over 200 jumps on my first set of gear: Teardrop classic (DOM 1989!!) sabre 170 Still all in good nic. I havent downsized because Ive been a student for the last 4 years, and have only just graduated. But a brand new wings with pilot 150 will be on order soon :) My girlfriend just ordered her first rig. Wings/pilot 168/cypres 2 and shes scared enough to downsize to a 200, so I think she'll be happy keeping this rig for a while. She asked for the container to be made for a smaller canopy, making it more downsizeable. Though packing might be fun. UK Skydiver for all your UK skydiving needs.

surely its technically a blower? its recirculating so its pushing the air back through itself. and with blowers, surely theres the potential there for a column in the middle that isnt as strong, with stronger air as you move out towards the edge. UK Skydiver for all your UK skydiving needs.

Theres 2 camps coming up at bodyflight with Steve Hamilton and John Mciver. From the website: 14-15th Jan 28-19th Feb Price edited out. If you are interested in finding out what people are charging, call them or go their site. UK Skydiver for all your UK skydiving needs.

Theres one DZ in the UK (Hib) that always flys to 15k. But they have Dorniers with powerful engines so dont take long to get there. Plus they own the aircraft. If you're renting you want to turn the plane around as fast as possible while keeping jumpers happy. PLus most DZs will be at some high above MSL. Im quite happy to go to 12.5+. And are you sure credit card surcharges are illegal? Most DZs in the UK are doing it now. VISA and Mastercard charrge 3% of every transaction. AMEX charge 5%. Why not just pay with cash/cheque/debit? UK Skydiver for all your UK skydiving needs.

Just wondering if anyone got the Random dive pool in some format that shows the position of Point, Tail, and the two centres for each formation? Theres a nice one up at my local DZ, but for my own copy thought it would be easier to get off the net. UK Skydiver for all your UK skydiving needs.

Yup I saw it. It was just a 30s thing with the footage. Pretty much said what has been said in america: First jump Double mal Found out she was pregnant after she went to hospital. They only showed the footage of her under her reserve, and to me it just looked like a high slider with maybe 1 break fired. Thats what made me think it might be a little BS. UK Skydiver for all your UK skydiving needs.

Or the Slow-mad as it got nicknamed at my DZ Yeah, they havent been the safest aircraft due to pilots loading them wrongly. UK Skydiver for all your UK skydiving needs.

Darlington aint far from peterlee at all. But I think they're dropping AFF (other than just level 1s) as its alot of hassle for the owner (not enough people do it and only himself as regular aff instructor so he has to get people in). But a great bunch of RAPS instructors who are always in the plane and easy to grab. But Its a great bunch at peterlee. Alot of the people there are students from Durham or Newcastle, so theres alot of younger people. I just graduated last summer so I left. But I really miss the guys up there. UK Skydiver for all your UK skydiving needs.

Steve Swallow (guy who owns the Camo G92) owns two more of them. a blue one and a white one All f***ing fast!! UK Skydiver for all your UK skydiving needs.

AN-2? So, takes off on day 1 and hopefully by the end of the WFFC they'll be a at a safe height to get out? ;) UK Skydiver for all your UK skydiving needs.

One point not really made is the social element. As you will be hanging around at a DZ alot AFF and RAPS have other advantages/disadvantages. As RAPS takes alot longer, you tend to learn other subtle things just through hanging around, talking to people and generally getting to know people better. With AFF, you get qualified quicker, but often at the expense of getting to know anyone. Ive known AFF students get qualified and get bored quite quick cos they dont really know anyone. UK Skydiver for all your UK skydiving needs.

One thing: get to the DZ in thailand ASAP. The longer you leave it, the more likely you'll have to redo stuff. UK Skydiver for all your UK skydiving needs.

It can be hard to transfer prices to the UK from all these messages in $$s and US prices are often alot cheaper than the UK, but Im from the UK so Ill give a rough Idea of prices. Minimum age is 16 with parental consent, 18 otherwise. Over 40s need a drs note and over 50s need one every 3 years (IIRC). You cannot start skydiving over the age of 55 other than a tandem without special permission from the safety and training committee (they meet once every 2 months). AFF in the UK at a UK DZ is usually around £1300-£1400. This covers all of your training/kit hire/instructor fees for 8 jumps (enough to pass all the tests). Redoing any of these 8 costs around £200/jump-£80/jump (depending on which level, earlier ones are more expensive as you have 2 instructors). After you've finished AFF jumps are about £30-£40/jump until you have your A licence. AFF can be done abroad cheaper, but be careful you do a course that is run under BPA rules and make sure you FINISH THE COURSE abroad. Its a massive hassle not finishing abroad and trying to finish at home. Some centres will make you redo alot of jumps. the BPA system is one of the strictest in the world, but fairly compatible with USPA rules. Ive had friends not finish AFF abroad and with all the hassle end up paying more than they would have done staying at home to do all of it. An alternative is RAPS. Almost all centres in the UK teach this. Fewer dropzones teach AFF than RAPS. Its a static line progression system, so you do a minimum of 5 static line jumps followed by progressively longer freefalls with more interesting exercises on later jumps, but you cover all the same stuff as AFF. this method takes alot longer (possibly by several months, took me 18 months/48 jumps to get my A) but can work out alot cheaper. It takes a minimum of 18 jumps to get an A licence (same as AFF). First jump courses run most weekends at most dropzones and costs is around £180 (depending on DZ) then further raps jumps cost between £30-40 (again, depends on DZ). This coveres all slots/kit/instruction. Once you've got your A, jumps cost about £20/jump from the top. Rig hire costs vary but normally about £10/jump. The cost of buying a rig varies due to the fluctuating $$ but new kit is normally £3000-£4000 for a rig, £200 for a jumpsuit, £90 for an alti, helmets range from £40-£300. You can normally get 2nd hand stuff for 50%(or more) less. I hope all this info helps. UK Skydiver for all your UK skydiving needs.

Yeah, comfy, but really slow (as stated before). I dont think they are rated to have any decent size engines on them. The one we were jumping had a decent sized door but no inner rail. The outer rail only started 1/2 way down the door and another vertical one miles front of the door. Makes floating near the front of the door a pain in the arse (so 4 way is annoying, unless you learn to headjam) But otherwise comfortable (even with 18 in them) and cheap to run (cos of the small engines) UK Skydiver for all your UK skydiving needs.

There was one in at my home dz in the UK for the weekends recently. Feedback was good about everything except that it was a piston, so slow. Ive heard they have plans to make a turbine version. That would then make it a pretty good aircraft for smaller DZs. UK Skydiver for all your UK skydiving needs.

The rules are: To get A you need cat 8 (either going through raps or after 10 consoles after AFF) and CH1 (canopy handling 1) TO get B you need 50 jumps + CH2 +JM1. CH1/2 are just basic flying skills (accuracy, using toggles/risers to increase range of canopy, riser turns, flat turns) and in general it is thought these are needed. To do swoop landings, you need CP1 (for upto 180 pre landing turns, 200 jumps pre-requisite) or CP2 (basically allowed into swoop competitions, need at least 1000 jumps + 500 swoop jumps). Now, Im sure exceptions can be made. Members of airspeed (or similar) are obviously gonna be exected to be safe and know what they're doing. As for visual altimeter. Ex-XL guys jumping in the UK wear one on the side webbing of their rigs just to conform to rules. You cannot look at your alti in this position. And hook knives are often built into rigs. (if on riser covers make sure the knife is pointing the right way UK Skydiver for all your UK skydiving needs.

Nice to know he's listed a reserve ripchord with it. Too people people forgetting to include them UK Skydiver for all your UK skydiving needs.

The game of chicken is a contest between two participants, to see who is the first to flinch. Skydiving is just a game of chicken beteen the jumper and the earth. The earth is still yet to flinch. UK Skydiver for all your UK skydiving needs.

Just as a point, time outs are no longer made. And on to reliance. Having used a time out for the last 150 jumps or so, I found I really read my alti less. Then when I know I havent got it, It feels odd it not beeping when I get to 4k. But I do check my alti a little more. But recently, having hardly jumped over winter.. Ive found Ive been tracking off before my bleeps, cos I saw the alti was at 5k and didnt want to turn any more points. But its working its way back to "5k, time for a couple more before the bleeps :) " UK Skydiver for all your UK skydiving needs.

I was on a Twin turbine dornier with 10 onboard (cleared for 15). According to my friend's neptune, up to 10k we were doing over 2000fpm, I think it was about 2200. it started dropping off to 1800fpm at the end though. But "15k" (I swear the air felt like 16k ) in 10 mins was nice. The owner has 3 of these, and a single turbine Finnist (like a porter with the door on the left) with the same engine as the dorners. That can still do about 1000 fpm with 10 on board. That is some pimping UK Skydiver for all your UK skydiving needs.

I tend to prefer inside bars for 4-way exits. tends to give you more "spring" to your legs cos you're not reaching so far and it keeps you all closer together. But obv need an outside bar if you're gonna be doing bigways and camera and stuff. UK Skydiver for all your UK skydiving needs.

I think my first standup was around jump 5 or so. But I had fairly inconsistant landings on the centre student kits and the hire rigs with 20 y/o (knackered) furies. It wasnt till I got my own kit (about 70 jumps) with a sabre 170 in it that I started landing consistantly. UK Skydiver for all your UK skydiving needs.

As the first freefall is only 3s, it really isnt much different from a S/L. I think what gets most people is the psycology of it. You're not connected to the plane any more. YOU get the parachute out of the container yourself. Keeping the arch is easy. But if you let those things get to you and you keep seeing youself make mistakes, you will make them. Just visualise yourself do a really good jump easily UK Skydiver for all your UK skydiving needs.

In the UK, you can start skydiving at 16 (and join the military I think) with parental consent. Im sure its lower in some countries. I know that in spain, anyone can do a tandem aslong as they fit in the harness. I saw 3 kids, cant have been more than 10 years old do tandems when I was in empuria. one fainted when he got down and the other 2 really didnt look too fussed. But I think generally skydiving kids have good respect for the dz. There a 5y/o daughter of one guy at our DZ and she does run about and play as you'd expect a 5y/o, but shes always known not to go onto the landing area, play with the kit/microlights in the hangar or bug people when they ask her not to or when they've got their kit on. UK Skydiver for all your UK skydiving needs.

Story I heard from an old timer at my DZ when he was in the army based in germany in the 80s. Two jumpers were known for some stupid tricks. But this one got them banned from this DZ. Both exited the aircraft at altitude, did a little RW and dumped close to one another to do some crw. After flying for a bit they made a downplane, and both chopped their mains at the same time while leg locked. They then turned a few more points before opening their reserves. They then proceded to build a 2 stack on their reserves and landed it. Make old time skydiving sound much more exciting to watch. UK Skydiver for all your UK skydiving needs.