FFAddict

Thanks for all your input guys, im still not 100% but i think im going to go for container4 or a slight variation of it. Although i love the look of the white panels in contrast with the black i think it will look good for about 5 jumps and then its not going to look all that white anymore I realise that as im a relatively new jumper second hand gear might be a good idea for me, but at the moment ive got the money and if i dont invest in something i love like skydiving ill just spend it on something ill regret (drink, food, women...) and that i wont get as much joy out of.

N/A

what about this?

Ive not been to Lilo myself but i have heard that it is suppose to be a very good DZ

I think ive decided on the canopy, what do you guys think? But when it comes to the container i cant decide, which, if any, do you think looks better? Constructive criticisim welcome

you should look at www.endsleigh.co.uk (travel insurance then extreme activity). I used them and they seem to have pritty comprhensive cover at a good price

I have completed AFF and all the console jumps (in the US) and am now starting warp training (back home in the UK). I have (i think) done everything i need to to qualify for my A Licence, but i have not applied for it. Firstly does it matter if i have the licence? my DZ is happy letting me jump but im not sure if this would be the case if i want to jump at a new DZ. Secondly how do i go about applying for my licence? Can i apply alone or does my DZ need to apply to the BPA for me? Im from the UK but info from abroad may be usefull aswell, especially regarding wanting to jump without the licence

If you decide to stay in the UK then Hinton (my home DZ) is a great place. The people are friendly and the facilities, landing area,coaching... are all excellent. But as will always be a draw back in the UK you are taking a risk with the weather and could spend a week watching DVDs and playing with the dog at the DZ! I definately have to agree with Zeemax Sebastian is amazing, the people, facilities and especially the view are second to none. I did my AFF over there (so may be biased) and cant imagine a better place to go. Because of the great weather you can jump almost as much as you want and there is no danger of not finishing your consoles. This means that you have the opportunity to go the wind tunnel in Orlando or just see the sites. I was there over New Year and even at such a busy time of year i managed to get some pritty cheap tickets and that combined with cheap skydiving meant it didnt break the bank.

I have only jumped at two DZ and obviousely have limited experience. I did my AFF in the states and from talking to people and my own observations it seemed that RW was dieing out as almost everybody was freeflying. But back in the UK the opposite seems true, you seem to get the occasional freeflyer but the majority seems to be RW. As a new skydiver i always thought i would want to get into freeflying as RW seemed pritty boring, but i am just starting to do WARP training and i love it. i never imagined that i would enjoy it so much. In my opinion if/when RW dies (which i dont think it ever will) it is all down to image, freeflying has a much younger 'cooler' image than RW and to new and younger skydivers that is very important. Its all about 'getting people through the door' to try RW because that is the only way that they will understand how great it is.

In my opinion you have two choices, Firstly, get a cheap second hand one from your DZ shop, dropzone.com... which if your still at the strage of messy landings might be a good idea. Or in my opinion you should just bite the bullet and invest in a decent one. A decent one will last you a long time and when you think how many jumps you will make in it its isnt actually that expensive.

I have had grommets twice in one ear and three times in the other (for a totall different reason) and im not sure that this would be such a great solution. Firstly they are only temporary, eventually they will drop out and your back to square one. I am also not convinced that you will find a doctor who would be willing to carry out such an operation simply so you can take up a new hobby. i did not realise that pilots... have used grommits for this reason but still think that without a professional (pilot...) or medical reason you will struggle to have this done. Finally there must be a pritty serious financial restrictions to having this done. Like i said earlier i dont think you will have a problem, but as always the choice is yours

I am looking at buying my first gear. I have been using a 210 nav (i cant think for the life of me what the container was but its old and not really relevent anyway!) rental gear and recently got to do a few test jumps on an Aerodyne Icon with pilot 188. I really love the Icon, it was surprisingly comfortable concidering it wasnt fitted to me and i think it looks pritty good too. The pilot was very good aswell, it gave a really nice smoothe opening and was a good fun chute aswell. It didnt do anything i didnt tell it too but was nice and responsive at the same time. I have read as many reviews... as i can but im still a bit unsure. i really like the gear i test jumped and am seriously thinking about buying, but i would be happier if i had jumped some more gear first so i could see whether i like it cos it was clearly better than rental gear or if it was actually the right gear for me. As i live in the UK i seriously limited in the number of gear shops (4 nationwide i think) so there is nothing else, that i know of, that i can test jump. I would really appreciate some advice

Sounds pritty unlikely to me, but who knows there are all kinds of insane people out there you know! I guess if you jumped from that high terminal would be much higher due to the thin atmosphere (less drag). But i doubt very much the sound barrier is within the realms of reality, surely that sort of speed would pull a the human body apart without any protection

I also had serious problems with my ears as a kid, infact i was alomost completely deaf at birth and have had many operations on my ears and have burst both ear drums on a number of occasions. All in all this has lead to serious scar tissue, and i have a lot of problems during commercial flights (pain as well as loss of hearing) and have also tried scuba diving which was almost impossible because of the pain. But despite my obvious fears skydiving has as yet not been a problem at all. i usually have to equalise on the way up and once under canopy but other than that im ok. The only time it has made me think twice about jumping again was a day when i did 5 jumps and the continual changes in pressure had started get uncomfortable, but certainly not painful. In comparison with scuba diving the changes in pressure in skydiving are very small despite the obvious height/depth differnce between the two. In my opinion you will probably be fine, but as others have suggested going up on an observation flight and seeing a specific skydive doctor might be a good idea if your nervous about it.

my head is v big around 24.5/25 inch, because of the size i had to have a custom made but it wasnt anymore expensive so it wasnt realy a problem in the end. Id say the best place for you to start is your DZ shop (assuming you have one) they will beable to measure you up properly and tell you what 'will' fit you also im not sure about the rules in the US but here in the UK you cannot wear a full face until you have done 50 jumps, just summit to think about before you buy

For those of you who are interested my new havok just arrived. Not only does it fit my oversized head comfortably but it actually looks pritty good, even if it is a little large! The peeps at bonehead seemed really nice too, they shipped it out to me straight away and i had it within ten days of ordering (and that to the UK)

Thanks to everybody who gave me ideas, it was nice to know its not just me with a big head! I have spoken to the people at bonehead and they are sending me a lovely new XXXXXXXXXL Havok, now i just hope it will fit

Is there a significant cost differnce if they have to make a custom helmet? And thanks for the 'big brained people' thing Lisa, i will have to remember that as the people at my dz shop seemed to think my head was so funny

my head is 62cm or 24.5inch, the limit on all the helmets i have found on the web is 61cm or 24 inches and i dont wanna fork out money and find its too small when it arrives i tried on a sky systems Oxygn which belonged to someone at my dz and it took him a long time to find one to fit him

It would seem that, as far as skydiving headgear goes at least, i have an Embarrassingly large head. I have tried a XXL helmet in a model that is apparently known to be very big anyway and it simply was not big enough. I have looked all over the net and spoken to the people at my drop zone shop with no luck. If anybody has any suggestions i would really appreciate it

thanks a lot for your support, i never expected to get so much negativity when i posted and its good to get some positive feedback. I know im only young but i already feel like i need to start really living my life or i am going to look back and be wonder what could have been

I realise that my initial post may sound like im rushing into this, and maybe i am but i have no reason not to. I am 19 and have just dropped out of uni after a year with a course i hated and have been planning to travel until i decide what to do with my life anyway. i realise that i have neither the skill or number of jumps i need to work in the industry, and as such i was planning to move to sebastian (or another dz) to work outside the dz whilst i build up both. I feel stringly that by staying in the uk with our poor weather i stand very little chance of building up any number of jumps and at 19 if i move away for two or three years and then decide its not for me then i have had the chance to experience things few ever do.

I have just completed my AFF at skydive Sebastian florida and have now completed 20 jumps. Firstly i want to thank everybody at the DZ for making my holiday so perfect. I want to give a special thanks to Mick who, other than L7 & 8, did all my training and jumps with endless amounts of enthusiasm. I enjoyed my time so much that i have made the decision to pack up my life and skydive for a career! My first choice would be to go back to sebastian and work locally until ive got enough jumps to get a job packing or as a cameraman... but as a Brit i am prityy sure i wont get a works visa (although im still trying) So as a second resort i am looking for another DZ i could go to in a more welcoming country that wants to give me a visa. New Zealend is an obvious choice for me as i have family there and will find it relatively easy to get a visa I have found the New Zealand Skydiving School which offers a 32 week 200 jump course with a work placement at the end of it. Fisrtly what do you guys think of what they have to offer (before you all say it i realise that the diploma isnt really worth much but the skils it represents should be) Secondly do you know of any other similar courses or programmes that i could look at.