nael

I have: - started a new job (and realised it doesnt pay enough) - had my heart absolutely shattered. - met a new boy who went away but has just come back. - started skydiving (which pretty much ended the rest of my life!) - started dating a skydiver (which is now complicated with the return of the ex ) - realised my life closely resembles a soap opera and probably always will. www.TerminalSports.com.auAustralia's largest skydive gear store

If Chris cant give you a ride to the dz theres heaps of people who live in the city who jump. Plus, the dz van takes you to the dz for free from the city! See ya soon......get ready to freeze your ass off. www.TerminalSports.com.auAustralia's largest skydive gear store

Ah thats awesome!!! Congrats. I didnt end up jumping this weekend. I was at the dz on saturday night, got drunk and had 4 hours sleep and didnt trust myself to fly a parachute properly on sunday! I'll talk to you soon! Congrats again! www.TerminalSports.com.auAustralia's largest skydive gear store

For the most part its my boyfriend who hassles me for not jumping. Hes pretty experienced and has instructor ratings, but isnt one of my instructors. For the most part hes pretty heads up about my limits, except lately hes been telling me that i'm getting "scared of leaving the plane" because i dont want to jump in winds that look too much for me. I tell him exactly what I think about him saying stuff like that, I wont hold back. This is one thing in my life I am doing slowly, the consequences of taking it too fast are just too great. But still, hes really frustrating sometimes! www.TerminalSports.com.auAustralia's largest skydive gear store

I'm happy not to jump when the winds are too high. I only finished AFF 2 weeks ago, but I got it finished in 6 weeks and of that time I was at the dz but not able to jump about 3 times. I was pretty lucky. Now when the winds are picking up I always question them. I have been told I'm being paranoid, but when I see experienced jumpers frapping in due to the winds I dont want to jump! I'd rather be paranoid than broken. It frustrates me when experienced jumpers hassle me for not wanting to jump in winds they consider fine. Seems some people forget how much there is to learn when you're looking at this sport from a students view. www.TerminalSports.com.auAustralia's largest skydive gear store

Its a 9 cell and I have a wingloading of 0.7 on it. The size is fine, its not an issue - I've had some people telling me to try a 150 but I want to take it slow and not break myself. I just want to know if a PD is a good canopy or not. www.TerminalSports.com.auAustralia's largest skydive gear store

I'm looking at buying a PD 170 for my first main from a guy at the dz. Its an old canopy with about 700 jumps on it apparently and hes selling it for AUS$300 which is really cheap. In itself its in fair condition, lines are ok but getting a little worn, the canopy itself is good - a few patch jobs but done pretty well apparently. I've had an instructor look at it for me, and he said it would probably be ok for me. A friend is going to jump it next weekend and let me know how it flies and I'll probably buy it if its ok. I dont plan on doing many jumps on it, maybe about 100 if that, before I downsize (depending on how I go). My question is, I've been told that its "old technology". When I asked what this meant I never really got a straight answer, but about 5 people said this when I mentioned the canopy to them. I've done a search here which hasnt really turned up anything for me on this, so can someone explain to me what this means? Would I be better off paying a bit more money for something better? (Ideally I wanted a Spectre 170 but finding one has proven difficult). Thanks for any help. www.TerminalSports.com.auAustralia's largest skydive gear store

Theres no wind tunnels in australia, so I'd have to head overseas. I plan on going to Perris when I have about 200 jumps and want to start freeflying, for the good instructors and for the wind tunnel. www.TerminalSports.com.auAustralia's largest skydive gear store

I only listen to people with more jumps than me. I only started skydiving 2 months ago though, which is why. Also, if someone with less than 100 jumps tells me something, I always make sure I double check it with a more experienced skydiver, especially when its safety related, if its more just tips on body position etc sometimes I dont check. www.TerminalSports.com.auAustralia's largest skydive gear store

It wasnt him that first told me I should have chopped it, but the guy who told me I should have does have instructor ratings, but isnt one of my instructors. My boyfriend also has instructor ratings but also isnt one of my instructors (but none of my instructors seemed to see it) and my boyfriend said that with my experience level and the way the pilot chute was hanging it would have been a good idea to chop. After all the responses here, I asked them to elaborate more on why I should have chopped but everyone here says if it flew fine I was ok to land it. I was told the pilot chute was wrapped around 2 of the A lines in the centre. My boyfriend then told me that since I am walking, I did fine, but next time it happens he wants to know that I've seen it (and believe me, I have learnt that I need to look up many times while under canopy!). I will ask the other guy who told me I should have chopped to explain why in more detail next weekend. Thanks for the responses. Oh, and I didnt put this in the incidents forum because I assumed it was something that happens fairly often, and since it didnt cause a problem it wasnt really an incident. www.TerminalSports.com.auAustralia's largest skydive gear store

Do a search on the forums. Depends what exactly you wanna know, but I've learnt heaps by reading up on sabres vs spectres vs saffires vs everything else. Now I know the exact main I want in my first rig, now all I have to do is find it which is proving difficult. This site has so much info right at your fingertips, all you gotta do is search! www.TerminalSports.com.auAustralia's largest skydive gear store

I was told it would have been better to chop because of the risk of it getting tangled in my lines and causing the canopy to collapse. It was my first stand up landing, and I was so excited, but all I got was an earfull from my boyfriend about the pilot chute. Apparently he doesnt like stress. www.TerminalSports.com.auAustralia's largest skydive gear store

Hey chris! Apparently it wasnt underneath and out the back of the canopy, it was just stuck underneath near the A lines. I finished AFF a couple of weeks ago now. I'm up to B-rel stage 4 now! Thats cool about the suit, just ask him when you get a chance, there's no rush! www.TerminalSports.com.auAustralia's largest skydive gear store

I checked it as soon as it opened, I'm pretty sure the pilot chute was not caught then (surely I would have noticed it!), it must have happened later. It flew fine. www.TerminalSports.com.auAustralia's largest skydive gear store

I'm a student, jumping rigs with spring loaded pilot chutes, yesterday mine got stuck underneath the main and I landed with it that way (stressing out a few people on the ground!) I've since found out I did the wrong thing by not cutting away, but I was stupid and didnt look up at my canopy again after I checked it just after opening, so I had no idea it was even caught until I landed. Incidently, the canopy flew fine the whole time. I just wanted to know if the pilot chutes on a sport rig cause more/less of a problem if they are caught underneath the main? If it happens again, I've been told to cutaway, but does that go for collapsable pilot chutes too? www.TerminalSports.com.auAustralia's largest skydive gear store

When I have something really bugging me that I need to think hard about, I go to a cliff near my house that overlooks a beach and I sit up there and stare out at the ocean and just think. I've been going there for about 4 years now, so many memories in that place just because its my thinking place. www.TerminalSports.com.auAustralia's largest skydive gear store

I dont really talk about it at all unless someone asks me about it. Usually at work I get asked if I jumped on the weekend, so I'll tell them about my jumps, but people dont really seem that interested so I dont want to bore them too much. I've just started dating a skydiver so I talk to him about it all the time, which is awesome because he has a lot of experience so I can ramble on about it, and he can set me straight on the things I am stuffing up. www.TerminalSports.com.auAustralia's largest skydive gear store

hehe I did a similar thing. I usually jump from a skyvan, but on my stage 7 I did it from a cessna. Straight out the door I went into 3 front layouts which were so much fun, I got stable, did a 180, found my instructor and just laughed and shook my head, she laughed too. I just wish I could do layouts intentionally! Although I failed that jump, it was my best jump yet in my eyes - first cessna jump (loved it!), first time I was completely unstable and not at all concerned - just thought it was fun, and first backflip and tracking attempt. I passed stages 7 and 8 last weekend, now I have 3 hop and pops to do to complete AFF. I refuse to do them from the cessna or beaver because I dont know that I'll be able to do a stable exit and from 3000' I damn well want to be stable on exit! I plan on doing heaps of jumps from altitude from the cessna later on, so that I can get better at my exits. Lastly - we're students! We're supposed to scare our instructors and give them something to laugh about later on! Bring on the unstable exits and in my case - almost taking out my instructor in a track. www.TerminalSports.com.auAustralia's largest skydive gear store

Seems kinda expensive for a second hand suit. You can get a new, custom made suit at www.spiritskysports.com for about $285. I know RMW suits are pretty good from what i've heard, but so are spirit, and they're an aussy company - so easy to get. I live in sydney and I'm going to get a spirit suit within the next 2 weeks. Heard good things about them, and the ones I've seen at the dz look pretty good. Also, I've been offered 2 used RW suits this weekend - one was $50 and one was free, so I think what they're asking for the RMW suit is expensive, but then again, maybe not. www.TerminalSports.com.auAustralia's largest skydive gear store

I've spoken to some people here about this, and been told that if I want work at a dz I can probably get it here. I also realised that if I go to the US now, I wont have enough money for the equinox boogie in october which is going to be huge and I really dont want to miss it. So, back to spending every cent on jumps, waiting for 200 jumps, and then heading over to the US for some tunnel time and fun when I can afford it! Thanks for the views, you both pretty much backed up what my friends here said.

This is going to be a little long winded, but basically I just want some opinions from other skydivers on this. I have just started skydiving (a month ago), but I have a friend (who I met at my DZ)who went over to the US to work at a dz there for the summer. He's spoken to the DZO who has offered me a job at manifest and packing there for the summer. I live in Australia, I can get cheap airfares but would still be spending every cent I have to get to america, and could only really stay for about a month if I wanted my job here when I get back. Taking into account my newbie status and the fact that I dont even have my A licence yet, do you think it's worth the trouble to go over there? I know I'd get to jump heaps more than if I stay here, but if I dont go now, I want to go in a year or 2 when I have more jumps under my belt, but this same oportunity may not arise again. Basically, I'd get to do tunnel time (we have no tunnels in australia), get paid to work at the dz and get to jump more often. I'm just not sure if my low jumps and inexperience with skydiving would make it less beneficial than if I wait a year. Opinions? www.TerminalSports.com.auAustralia's largest skydive gear store

That'll go down real well! www.TerminalSports.com.auAustralia's largest skydive gear store

So true. I am doing AFF now. Here, its a 9 stage (11 jump) course. I just had to repeat stage 7, but it was my funnest jump yet. I would rather repeat it and learn than pass it and not be confident in my abilities. You'll have a blast, and dont worry if you dont pass it all first go, skydivings not as easy as it sometimes looks! www.TerminalSports.com.auAustralia's largest skydive gear store

Completely disagree. I think he might have been talking about the basics of it. Obviously the lifestyles are a little different, but I was involved in the punk scene for a few years, and it is similar in that it becomes your life. You spend your weekends (and many weeknights) surrounded by these people, your friends, and you miss a lot of other stuff outside of that scene because you are always doing this one thing (be it going to punk shows or skydiving). I do see the similarities there. On the whole relationships things - I only started skydiving a month ago, I'm single, I want to be single, I just want to skydive. I think a lot of guys at the dz need to realise a single girl doesnt necessarily mean she is available and willing! To the guy who brought this thread up again - let it (your relationship) go. Also, if you want to start skydiving, do it for you, dont do it to try to revive something that seemingly has already gone. It takes too much of your money to be doing it just for someone else. If you are doing it for you - then good luck, you'll love it! www.TerminalSports.com.auAustralia's largest skydive gear store

I have another question along the same lines as this. Although I'm not getting a rig of my own for a few more jumps I've been looking into it and talking to lots of people at the dz. I have a similar problem in that I am pretty small under the student 220 canopies. I would have a wingloading of 1:1 on a 150, which I am not comfortable with (and have had many discussions with experienced jumpers trying to get me to buy a 150 for my first canopy), so would be looking at a 170 also. Now, the question - I have yet to stand up a landing but I've heard the student canopies can be more difficult to have a good landing on than a smaller canopy, is this true or are people just trying to make me feel better? www.TerminalSports.com.auAustralia's largest skydive gear store