Lemming1

Having been jumping at Netheravon for 6 years, (including driving past other DZs to get there), I can only conclude that there are 2 DZs in the UK called Netheravon, as I recognise very little of the negative criticism. Are the staff anal, or just safety conscious, acting when people are unsafe/risk the lives of the rest of the jumpers? If what Nethers does is perceived as anal, I'd be very worried about jumping elsewhere! However, given the lack of names of people firing criticism, my suspicion is that they are all written by the same bitter person who was banned for his own safety, not to mention ours...

This is certainly not the first choice DZ if you want very high quality 4/8/big way FS, or quality large FF groups etc. However, it is without doubt the friendliest DZ of some 20+ that I have visited across the world. As I want the former, I tend to stick to large DZs with quality load organising. However, every so ofen, I feel the need to head back for the one thing that ALL big DZs miss - the fantastic friendly atmosphere that you get at Brid. They make you feel very welcome both in the bar (even if it's not packed to the walls), and bending over backwards to get you in the air, even if it means hosing themselves from the lift.

I bought a Sabre2 150 after about 200 jumps, and have done 150 jumps on it since then (wing loading around 1.2). It's the most fun I've had under canopy. (Other 150s I've jumped are the Spectre and Sabre). Depending upon my mood, I can fly it conservatively or give myself a thrill by throwing it around the sky. I didn't mind the consistent right turn on opening - until I started doing big-ways. After a couple of scares (eg turning towards somebody in twists), I've started to think seriously about looking for something more predictable. I have also had an absolute cruncher of an opening, which put me in physio for 3 months. There are however a number of theories as to why this happened. The most likely is that I hadn't fully come out of my track. Lesson learnt!!

I've jumped there at the Southern Regionals/Grand Prix for the last two years. They organise an excellent party (second best during a competition that I've experienced after Netheravon). However, they are greatly let down by the facilities that they share with the flying club. The shower (singular) is dirty and unhygienic (I drove to Maidstone), and the less said about the toilets the better. Also, £1.20 for a (pretty poor) coffee will give you some idea of the cost.