domFF

Thanks everybody. We went to Deland and it was perfect. Lots of good rental gear, well organised and friendly DZ. The staff members do everything to make people happy (even while having two 100 way teams doing backup loads on 5 airplanes), thanks guys.

Hello! Me and my girlfriend are planning on a trip to Florida in November (winter in Germany really isn't that skydiver friendly) and are looking for some dropzones to go/stay. We will fly into Miami and stay for roughly two weeks (10.-22.) I have never been to any DZ in Florida and I have been reading the forums for the last few days now but could not really find the info I am looking for. Since my girlfriend is pretty new to skydiving we need a DZ with good rental gear. I would be helpful to get some information on rental gear availability and prices. Can you rent at the gear stores there as well? We might end up buying some good stuff for her if we can find any. BTW: Does the weather differ a lot from north to south in November? I have read about strong winds and stuff... Thanks for any input/information that could be helpful on our trip. Dom

There are 2 rigs manufactured in Germany: The Omega made by Performance Variable and the Next made by Paratec. The Omega was grounded for some weeks in 2005 due to some incidents where a flap caught a line. A friend of mine survived with minor injuries and a french guy died. There haven't been any safety related issues on the Next or any other product made by Paratec here in Germany. Maybe someone mixed it up because both rigs are manufactured in Germany. I would not recommend the Omega but the Next is a good and safe piece of work. Dom

Thats the way I pack my Crossfire, openings are always sweet and on heading (my Crossfire opens like a Safire ). I just roll the canopy instead of s-folding it (I think thats no Psycho-Pack) and pull the connection point out before bagging the canpoy. Maybe stress on the lines is not that big of a problem with Vectran lines used by Icarus. Dom

Thanks for your thoughts and inputs, guys. I didnt want to make this a Mirage vs Odyssey thread, I think there are enoughg. My G4 fits me perfect while standing or on my belly an even in any other position. Please, take al look at the containers, they are both sticking out quite a bit, but if you look at the webbing, thats what I was talking about. Look at the legstraps, mine do not slip in any way an my mlw does not flex or bend (sorry, if I am using the wrong words here, I am from Germany), when you look at my teammates cutaway handle, you can see the webbing bend. I had an Odyssey before (custom made, similar picture wihle taking the same kind of grip) and I loved it. If you take a look at the picture again, its not the easiest position for a rig to follow. The upper body is twisted towards the hand that takes the grip while the other hand goes backwards. I think its just a tricky position for any rig. Thanks Ward for your useful input. I think the point of what rig fits good is mainly set by the feel it creates and my G4 just feels great. Thank you all again. Dom

I just wanted to let you all know that I am really surprised by the fit of my G4! I put around 50 jumps on my new G4 and I am 100 percent satisfied! The harness fits perfectly and moves with me no matter which position I am flying due to its improved geometry. It really fits like a glove, I am really happy with it, thanks Mirage, thanks Ward! I attached a pic of me and my teammate over Empuriabrava, Spain. As you can see, my harness stays in place 100 percent. My teammate's rig is a Odyssey, same container size, also brandnew an custom made. Blue skies and safe landings Dom

I emailed Mark at Harbortronics about 2 weeks ago because my DigiSnap 5700 ( I use it with a CoolPix 5700, too) broke down. He told me that they do not have any replacement DigiSnap 5700s and they are not going to build new ones. A friend of mine is now working on my DigiSnap to get it working again (he works at Infineon). He told me that he can fix mine but he is not able to rebuild a DigiSnap 5700 (another guy at our DZ thought about buying a CoolPix 5700). Sorry! Dom

Thanks! Do you use a extra fast CF-Card?

Hi there! I jumped my Nikon Coolpix 5700 for the first time yesterday. I am using a Harbotronics DigiSnap 5700 and a Bite Switch with it. I couldn't take any pictures after leaving the aircraft during the first two jumps and on the ground the cam was "frozen", I couldn't even switch it off. I had to remove the batterie and put it back in to get the cam working again. After using a Compact Flash Card instead of the IBM Microdrive I used for the first two jumps, taking pictures works just fine. Now I am trying to figure out the settings that work best for freefall photography. Is anybody out there using a Coolpix 5700 who could tell me his settings step by step? General information on for example shutter speed and stuff like that would be great, too. Thanks so far Dominic

I agree! I think, lifting a rig of the ground is NOT the same like lifting a jumper of the ground! I think that a little force could eventually clear the situation shown in the pics of the Vector 3. Therefore you can not compare the pics of the Vector 3 and the Omega. take care Dom

Nice and professional DZ with great vibes. 3 turbine powered planes, 2 Porter, 1 Otter, well organised and managed! Great view with mountains and the sea.

Skydive Colibri is the most professional organized DZ in southern Germany. Lots of Gear rentals and covered packing space! And a whole lot of nice and friendly people!