timbarrett

I flew there for the first time last weekend and can say that it is an outstanding set-up there. As big as Bedford, v smooth and powerful and the open perspex walls offer great views in and out...there are massive blackout curtains they can roll down when the Singapore military want to play.. the instructors (talk to Kris or Sebastian)are as good as any working elsewhere and the set-up there is still evolving so very open to suggestions how to organize things for more experienced fliers.. they have two "ambassadors" for the tunnel in the form of two eight and nine year-old girls who, apart from being adorably cute, are scary fliers having more or less lived in the tunnel for the past few months.. it is for sure more expensive than the US but there is no alternative in the region and I imagine will see good interest once word gets out having not flown for a year while I waited for this to (finally) open, now all i need to do is find somewhere to actually jump in the neighbourhood.. "Work hard, play hard and don't whinge"

still not finished...from what i am told here is Singapore, financing is still an issue...sucks as i am sitting here waiting too "Work hard, play hard and don't whinge"

Am hearing that the eloy tunnel is out of action temporarily..any news on status/return to action? "Work hard, play hard and don't whinge"

Hi Marcel, Lot of good drop-zones BUT if you are serious about wanting to maximize the training to get thru AFF1-7 then you really should pick a location with a tunnel nearby/onsite...some time there will significantly increase your chance of rattling thru the levels in the shortest time...tell your AFF instructor/DZ what you want to do and they should be able to book you in for both..worked for me at Deland (Skydive U do a Tunnel AFF program i highly recommend) but Eloy. Perris etc too... "Work hard, play hard and don't whinge"

if i remember my aero-dynamics properly doesn't the force of the wind increase with the square of the speed....so the decision about gusts over a certain maximum you are comfortable with is not a linear one..the spread for the gust limit above your comfort level should narrow as absolute speed rises... or am i wrong? "Work hard, play hard and don't whinge"

hi y'all just moved to Singapore for work..i would love to hook up with anyone who can give me some info on where I might some jumping in here (or rather in the neighbourhood)...offer beer for info? thks, tim "Work hard, play hard and don't whinge"

just moved to Singapore..anyone have any info on completion date - economy is pretty dire here so must be at risk? tim "Work hard, play hard and don't whinge"

Just one AFF - normally I make it a hard rule never to try to convince anyone that they should jump and just facilitate it if they are keen...however in this case a very good friend of mine's personal life was sooo messed up that I told him he HAD to make use of the CTRL+ALT+DEL function that exiting that door has always brought me...worked perfectly "Work hard, play hard and don't whinge"

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Does anyone know of a rigger in Singapore...or the nearest thereto at least? thks, Tim "Work hard, play hard and don't whinge"

if you are training seriously and trying to maximize the number of jumps/debriefing/prep time it makes a lot of sense to use a good efficient packer... more generally the US market is set up to offer choices to the consumer..you can pack for yourself or, if you prefer and/or it is more efficient, you can pay someone else..in contrast the UK/Eur systems may promote more self-reliant jumpers i grant you..but the downside is that environment is less consumer-oriented and limits what you can do even if you can pay for it..personally i think that limits the growth of the industry.. "Work hard, play hard and don't whinge"

Above 20 generally would be an issue but it depends a lot on where I am jumping and what other conditions prevail... for example at 20 in Eloy in hot weather, with the threat of dust devils and the small grass area (yes I know there is plenty of desert but trying to hit the grass with considerable hazards around in the shape of hangers etc does up the risk), I would ride it down...whereas, say in the UK at Weston where you have a huge field designed for scattering paratroopers, I would probably push the limit a bit more... "Work hard, play hard and don't whinge"

just my 10c worth but I think that your questions, while seemingly on a specific topic, merit much more focus... the issue I believe you are touching on is how in this sport we learn to take responsibility for ourselves. How do we build both sufficient experience and confidence that we can make decisions such as not to jump? It is incredibly easy - in my experience - to adopt the mentality that allows you to go along with what eveyone else is doing, despite any misgivings you might have, on the assumption that a) the others don't seem to be worried and b) it will "probably" be alright (because most mistakes are not really punished). I followed someone out the door at about your stage for much the same reasons and got to enjoy my first off-DZ landing... The only advice I can give on this currently is firstly to have thought about as many situations as you can ahead of time and have some sense of your own "rules" as this makes it easier to stick to them rather than succumbing to the pressure of the moment (eg the wind is gusting over X, I am off the load, no questions). I have never heard anyone given grief for having that approach. Secondly- and much harder- is to understand that no-one asked you to do this, most of your whuffo friends probably told you not to, and therefore you are responsible for your own decisions..and your own life. That's what is so great about this sport and what the mass of lawyered-up, risk-averse citizenry don't understand. This freedom comes with a price and you are asking the right questions to learn how to exercise it as safely as possible. Enjoy the responsibility... "Work hard, play hard and don't whinge"

I believe the the GK's John Hoover did a series of articles in Skydive magazine which were detailed analyses of all/some of the FS blocks (eg exits/key focus issues for each position etc). Does anyone know how I could get a copy of those articles short of back-ordering the last decade or so of Skydive magazine?...and by the way, if that does turn out to be what I have to do, does anyone know when the articles started..? Any help appreciated, Tim "Work hard, play hard and don't whinge"

Wow! That post about those that were lost shows you get it...you are one of us. Welcome. "Work hard, play hard and don't whinge"

never found anyone in London..but both Point Zero (Hinton) and Adrenaline Adventures (Headcorn) will arrange to collect/deliver from London so i used that service instead... welcome to town meanwhile... tim "Work hard, play hard and don't whinge"

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Hi..need some info please. It looks like I will be moving to Tokyo for a few years and I need to find out how I will be able to jump there..at least occasionally to stay current. Any rules, restrictions..will they accept my BPA and USPA A licences...can i get a reserve repack there..etc?..what's the scene like..? Obviously i can get on a plane and go somewhere nice for a holiday and jump flat out for a week or so but that won't feed the craving enough I fear... Any thoughts or contacts gratefully received..Tim "Work hard, play hard and don't whinge"

i remember that..jumps 2-5 were definitely the worst from a fear perspective...but it does pass and I reckoned a small rite of passage was falling asleep on the way up to altitude somewhere around jump #50.. Only suggestion I would make is that, while you train for problems, on the ride up visualize the positive outcome. Keep that in forefront of your mind to keep the demons in the background... "Work hard, play hard and don't whinge"

Before doing Tunnel time i was failing several levels in AFF..after tunnel i repeated the whole AFF course and i was immediately stable, both JMs let go and i rattled thru the AFF in 5 jumps... on the fear issue..i don't know that it made the first jump after the break i took much easier but thereafter it made a huge difference to know that at least one issue didn't have to be worried about... bottom line..it's worth it "Work hard, play hard and don't whinge"

if i understand right i agree with you about not using the pin for stowing the excess line...i managed to create a mal that way last week because i pulled the toggle free down thru the loop of excess line..creating a neatly locked off brake line... as i had never tried landing on rears i chopped this and then took the resultant mess to the UPT rigger Pablo who told me not to stow that way and just to stow the excess doubled over in the elastic on the rear of the risers... "Work hard, play hard and don't whinge"

Trapped right brake line..i pulled the toogle down through the loop of excess line..never landed on rear risers and with no wind decided not to find out how badly i might screw that up... ..damn, that skyhook is fast..and it keeps the freebag with it as well! "Work hard, play hard and don't whinge"

What are/should be your expectations for the checking procedure when your rigger repacks your reserve? After a cutaway last week I was allowed to sit through the inspection process Pablo at UPT went through as he repacked my reserve. I was very reassured by the professionalism and thoroughness of the process..but what unnerved me was that he found a slight misrigging of the reserve lines that had clearly survived two repack cycles with two seperate riggers elsewhere (in the UK as it happens). Presumably some element of the line continuity check had been omitted on two previous occasions. Now evidently the problem was not that significant in that I didn't notice it on the cutaway (roughly a 1:1 wingloading on the reserve) but it did get me thinking 1) What should be my expectation of my rigger for this inspection/repack process? 2) Short of sitting through every repack, how do you know what happens? 3) How do you find a rigger you REALLY trust? 4) Right now I am thinking that the only rigger I KNOW I can trust is Pablo but it's a rather expensive proposition to send the rig back across the Atlantic to him each time. How far would you send your rig to get it to someone you trust? Maybe I was a little naive in assuming I didn't have to think about this..but your first cutaway does concentrate the mind a bit "Work hard, play hard and don't whinge"

Other 1) Searched under "(city name) skydiving" and looked at the website- looked okay. 2) Rang them and made a judgement on how profesional and efficient they sounded primarily on the basis of how they handled my request for a FJC at the time of convenience for my wife and myself. They were willing to do one mid-week for me rather than just stick to their standard schedule. Thus..location and professional efficient service. It was all i could judge by After taking a break and needing to repeat most of the FJC I went looking specifically for quality instruction - not that i really knew anything to judge that. Came across the Skydive U website and liked the idea. Rang them and got some guy called Rob Laidlaw who told me about "Tunnel AFF" and he chose Deland in effect. Good decision and if anywhere is "home" I guess that's it now... "Work hard, play hard and don't whinge"

i am going to get so little work done!!..thks "Work hard, play hard and don't whinge"