TrickyDicky

Go to the DZ. Hang around. Try to get involved. Make friends. Learn to pack. Doing all this will only help your integration into the DZ when you graduate AFF, and will hopefully mean you'll have people to jump with. UK Skydiver for all your UK skydiving needs.

Ensleigh (sp) offer kit insurance I think, even while in use, but with enough excess so they wont cover a lost freebag and reserve repack. Afaik, its covered everywhere except in the boot of your car at a DZ. I know people have claimed quite happily on their contents insurance, even after chopping and losing the main. I know someone who lost his main in spain, just before his cover expired and he'd already renewed with someone else. He managed to claim for a brand new VX, with all shipping and VAT paid. So just about doubled the value of his canopy UK Skydiver for all your UK skydiving needs.

Afaik, the VISO is ONLY a visual digital altimeter, with no logging or audible facilities. For logging, get a pro-track. That is not being replaced. UK Skydiver for all your UK skydiving needs.

Repairs are still liable for VAT. And I think there are big repurcussions if they find out you've mis-labelled the value of the item in the box. UK Skydiver for all your UK skydiving needs.

I think you just answered your own question. Plus you'd have to put the 2nd seat in, which then loses you a space for the jumper and it makes it hard for anyone to get out the door. And as for bail out rigs and prematures... Id have to say that 182s and 206s are probably the most proven skydiving aircraft, and have probably flown way way more lifts than any other aircraft. Pilot wear bail out rigs because they want to. At my old DZ the pilot hasnt worn a bail out rig since they got it (afaik), and that was in 1978. Theyve never had a aircraft endangering incident. UK Skydiver for all your UK skydiving needs.

You can probably get a 2nd hand pro-dytter for the same price as the old dytters on there. UK Skydiver for all your UK skydiving needs.

Ive seen a guy at my DZ with a VISO. He got it for free as he's on a freefly team. Looks nice, but no where near the functionality of the Neptune. UK Skydiver for all your UK skydiving needs.

I just bought a rig with a new Cypres 2. 4 Year servicing, whether it needs it or not. Vigil Only needs a service when it says it needs one. I am an electronic engineer and I know that you cannot test everything every time, or even come close to it. I dont think Id trust the inbuilt test to always flag when it needs a service. Maybe in 12 years time when my current cypres expires, the vigil will be fully proven. But until then Im happy with my cypres/cypres 2. UK Skydiver for all your UK skydiving needs.

Have you tried replacing the battery, or contacting L&B? they're normally good at fixing problems. UK Skydiver for all your UK skydiving needs.

How do you collapse your canopy? I have been told the best way, after landing, is to let go of your toggles and just drop the canopy over to one side, using the risers. When you pull down a toggle, you just cause the canopy to catch air in the back, cause more drag and if its windy, and you're on a bigger caopy, you're gonna get dragged all over the place. A canopy is designed to generate lift in wind. I have stood there quite happily before with a canopy flying above my head, with no drag pulling me around at all. And I have seen lower experienced just pull a toggle to collapse a canopy and just get dragged over the field. Am I right in my reasoning/methods? UK Skydiver for all your UK skydiving needs.

Jersey is now a BPA dropzone, and you jump at any BPA dropzone you have to be a member of the BPA. That'll be £110. :( UK Skydiver for all your UK skydiving needs.

The way Ive had it described to me, and I like it, is to remember emergency procedure. Rub hands together (peel) punch (punch) point finger, which is the usual hand signal for "pull" (pull) So its just a subconsious reminder of what you're supposed to do if shit goes down. UK Skydiver for all your UK skydiving needs.

cat-8 but not A licence means you are still a student, and you need an instructor to check you out and dispatch you. A B licence jumper must be the jump master, but aslong as everyone gets out on the same pass, then you are allowed only A-linceces left in the plane. But if you intend to go round again, and the jumpmaster has exited, then a 2ndary jump master must have been nominated ON THE GROUND. In any jump only 1 person may not be qualified in the discipline they are doing. Nothing to do with coach/instructor. So Im not a coach, or an instructor, but I can take my friend who just got his A on a 2 way cos I have my FS1. So you could do a 100 way FS jump, but only one person is allowed to not have FS1. UK Skydiver for all your UK skydiving needs.

This I suppose is where it gets interesting: What if a national team are very young. If they are younger than the min age allowed in a competition host country, would they be not allowed to participate (could be seen as unfair) or special rules made for the event? UK Skydiver for all your UK skydiving needs.

The optima is NOT a logbook. The pro-track is the log book that hasnt been replaced. The new audibles are just there to replace the dytter (SOLO) and meet the needs of swoopers (optima, visio). The Altitrack looks like it'll be a wrist mounted pro-track with no audible functions. UK Skydiver for all your UK skydiving needs.

Regan is the man. And one hell of an entertainer. Though next time, ask him about his pickled egg forfeit at peterlee :) UK Skydiver for all your UK skydiving needs.

Why not get some old reserve and rig it up as a main? UK Skydiver for all your UK skydiving needs.

One of my friends was really scared of the door during her AFF. When she got near to it, she was scared she'd fall out UK Skydiver for all your UK skydiving needs.

Ive seen "Beleive" by the chemical brothers used really well. Probably the best song for a compilation. Make sure you get stuff happening on the beat though, then its awesome. UK Skydiver for all your UK skydiving needs.

RAPA is a british military base. I think all military jumping has to conform to BPA standards aswell, which would include all insurance and everything. Im sure there would be no problem if it werent a military base. UK Skydiver for all your UK skydiving needs.

I think its fairly normal. Basically, in the tunnel, the air is forced around your body In the sky, the air flows around your body. So you have to put more effort in to fly in the tunnel, but tunnels skills will translate to air skills. UK Skydiver for all your UK skydiving needs.

Sorry to be a picky bastard, but there is always 9.81g acting on all matter no matter whether you're accelerating, deccelerating or going at a constant speed. When accel/decel, the resistance forces are less/more than gravity. When constant speed, they are equal and opposite. UK Skydiver for all your UK skydiving needs.

TIs are not allowed to wear a handcam in the UK for the pruposes of filming their students. Some TIs are pretty pissed off with this, but thats whats happened. I dont think its in the OPs manual, but just discussed at an STC meeting. For everyone else, a C licence (not necessarily just 200 jumps) is required to wear any auxiliary equipment thats not standard skydiving wear. That includes cameras, GPS, smoke etc. Where you mount them is up to you AND CCI approval. UK Skydiver for all your UK skydiving needs.

Currently takes me about 10-15 mins to pack my sabre 170 that has >700 jumps on it, but I dont generally rush and sometimes chat to people while Im doing it. I recon I could do it in about 5 at a push. I have a brand new pilot 150 coming in a month. I get the feeling my pack times may skyrocket for a bit :( UK Skydiver for all your UK skydiving needs.

Seeing as I just bought a new rig, I better say Royal blue and black with white trim and pins. UK Skydiver for all your UK skydiving needs.