timbarrett

The Bonehead Havok fits very well with the glasses I wear. The flip up face makes it easy to settle the glasses on your face and/or adjust them subsequently. I have had no problem with the helmet fogging but I did find that the glasses fogged especially if I was breathing heavily before exit. The helmet's anti-fog solution seems to do a pretty good job but I would be interested in a better solution for the glasses themselves. I would also caveat these remarks by saying my (limited) experience is only in warm Florida conditions so further research on other climatic conditions might make sense. Tim "Work hard, play hard and don't whinge"

hey, thanks for posting that link...some good stuff to read and i particularily appreciated the news that there is a great wind tunnel near Paris...something thats a bit easier to get to from London than Orlando...blue skies, tim "Work hard, play hard and don't whinge"

Thanks Robin and all those who replied to my question. I will use your suggestions to set up a program for the next two months and then report back on what happened..if there is anything left of me. Summary seems to be 1)There is physical prep you can do 2)flexibility/stretching is important - so start now 3)Drugs 4)Pads 5)Have fun and embrace the pain Best wishes, Tim "Work hard, play hard and don't whinge"

What fitness preparation should I be thinking of for a 3-day tunnel camp? I am planning about 90 minutes over that 3-day period. I am in reasonable condition but I have read a few posts (Great post Michelle, btw!) suggesting that, while I will have a great time and learn lots, there may be bits falling off me by the end or at least the Advil supply will be seriously depleted. Those of you who have done this before, is there anything I should specifically look to do to prepare myself in terms of strength ot flexibility? Thanks for any help, Tim "Work hard, play hard and don't whinge"

I went thru early AFF levels also at Sydney Skydiving and it was pretty clear that, their best efforts notwithstanding, it was the training provided by the instructors that would save me...so they told us to pay attention and commit to the learning. On level 3, i 'got away' from my JM...i had been stable for a few seconds and then, spooked by entering some light cloud ( for the first time) just before wave off height, I went unstable, rolled over and fell away rapidly from the JM. I remember looking back up at his rather surprised face and thinking " I had better sort this one out myself!"...the point being I had been taught how to barrel-roll and i did so and pulled immediately. Not clever or elegant ( i have hidden the video of my disappearing downward from my SO) but a good reminder that ultimately it is the training not the JM that you must depend on. One episode like that and you know the answer to the question... Next stop, some wind tunnel time to make sure i don't do that again.... Tim "Work hard, play hard and don't whinge"

sputnik, the first character we have problems with..not recognizable as Japanese kanji...next character is 'heavens' not sky but gets the point..next two charcters together are common usage for'eternity'...Japanese kanji for 'black' is similar but not quite the same but it was guessed (by a non-skydiver) as 'black'. 'Death' is common kanji and correct. i will send this to my colleagues in Hong Kong and see what they tell me it says before i tell them anything... we think the kanji are attractive ones as well... good luck...tim "Work hard, play hard and don't whinge"

Mark, thanks for the advice, mate ..your point about de-arching with chest mount is well taken as that is exactly what i did... btw..your TM story is wild! timQuote "Work hard, play hard and don't whinge"

i am sitting here in Japan so if you can show/fax me the kanji you are planning to use i can check it as the characters are likely to be the same...Quote "Work hard, play hard and don't whinge"

I am a student based in Japan and looking to complete my AFF in the US and I would appreciate any thoughts on ideal ripcord/throw out locations. In my (very limited) training to Level 3 in Australia so far I have been tried on both chest and BOC ripcords. I started with a BOC ripcord location but was also tried on a chest mount as I was having some difficulty in quickly locating the BOC (This forum suggests that I am not the first student to try to open his chute using the JM's altimeter!). I am not particularily flexible in the shoulders so it was also suggested the ROL might be a good compromise as no-one(?) uses a chest mount anymore..others just told me to stop worrying and to get used to the BOC. I would prefer to do all my training in a consistent manner so I would appreciate any thoughts on how to proceed and what is now standard for student training.. Thanks, "Work hard, play hard and don't whinge"