blue_sky_chris

Not what the ops manual says: Hope it goes well for you Sarah!

Am I reading this right? Is it really true that each and every packjob done by a DZ packer in the USA has to be checked by a rigger??! I'm guessing 'rigger' means something different in the states - in the UK riggers are the people that make/repair/modify rigs and happen to pack reserves from time to time. We have an advanced packer rating for people cleared to pack reserves. Anyone with a BPA packing certificate can pack mains - you get signed off for different kit by a rigger or instructor as you come across it. I got my packing certificate and was packing centre hire kit without supervision long before I got my A license - could I not have done this in the states?

I once heard that for an activity to be classed as a sport you have to be able to kill yourself doing it (skiing, equine eventing, etc) - otherwise it's just a game (golf, bowling,etc.). Guess that makes skydiving a sport-hobby for me.

Took me 10 months and 11 jumps to pass all the AFF levels! I quit the RAPS static-line method as it was 'taking too long'! AFF took so long mostly due to shitty UK weather and my availability. Do it as quickly as you are able. I would recommend booking a couple of days off work and nailing it over a long weekend. If I'd been current I doubt I would have made as many repeats. Also get all you consols and whatever else USPA requires you to do for an A-license as soon as you can. Some places will make you repeat level7 if you leave it too long between consols. Most of all, enjoy it!!

Why not put a GPS receiver in an AAD too? That should be able to tell you your altitude above MSL to within 10m or so and could compensate for DZ elevation at the same time the ground level is zeroed to ambient air pressure. Belts, braces,etc...

1 stone = 14 Lbs(pounds) = ~6.5Kg - it's not that hard! Most Brits have to stop and work out what their weight in pounds would be - just what we're used to! Dude, what's the name of the language we are speaking? ... Who has the spelling problem? This could get coloUrfull!

In asked the same question when I was a student. The answer I got was basically that to jump as a student in the UK BPA rules state that student kit has to be approved by the relevant BPA committee (riggers and safety officer I think) so you would be limited to equipment on the approved list. You will also be limited to a wingloading of 0.85 (NB: not sure if this was a BPA requirement or just my DZ). If you are a RAPS student your kit would have to be modded for static line deployment, then ripcord then throw-out as you progress - a big riggers bill! I converted to AFF and was fortute enough to finish the course in Spain and use a friends sports rig for most of my consols but was told I absolutely would not have been allowed to do this in the UK. Get yourself a packing certificate if you haven't already. Packing a few student rigs should cover your gear hire and you won't have to pay someone else to pack it for you ;-)

Phew! Finally put those flames out! Well if nothing else your replies have made me stop to think and reflect - OK I realise that I did downsize way too quickly and should have made more jumps on 210s than I did - I know that now but back then I thought a 190 was a perfectly reasonable choice and none of the instructors present had any objections to me jumping it (all USPA or BPA rated AFFIs and/or canopy coaches and pro swoopers) and was given briefings and a whole bunch of excercises to do up high to help me get used to the canopy characteristics. *** Learning to flat turn and flare turning is very important, and IMO should be learned prior to getting an A license. Totally agree. I enrolled in a canopy control course the month after I qualified and learned loads. In the UK it is now mandatory to gain CH1 (canopy handling 1) for your A-license - this goes someway towards addressing these issues. Should probably also mention that I asked a BPA rigger examiner about the student kit and was told it was safe but old. All other safety aspects of the DZ were of a high standard. My main gripe was that wingloading seems to be the main focus of posts begginging "you shouldn't..." and think that perhaps other factors should be considered too. There does seem to be a vast range of opinion on what is acceptable for someone of given jump numbers amongst the 1000+ community. To use centre kit at some UK DZ's the wingloading works out as: 0 - A license max 0.85 A lic - 50 max 1.0 50 -100 max 1.1 100+ 1.2 so I tend to look to this as my referrence point on what's a sensible wingloading. Didn't know about the dive rate thing, I was going on how quicky the eliptical ones seem to turn

1 stone = 14 pounds therefore : 13.5 x 14 + 22 = 211 211/190 = 1.11

Just wondering where this wingloading obsession has come from. Perhaps it would be more useful to think in terms of the type and quality of the gear. I started jumping a ("square") 190 ZP half way through my AFF consols - I weigh about 13.5 stone. My reasons for doing this were largely due to gear availability but I'm REALLY glad I did. The student gear scared the shit out of me - old telesis containers so worn and thread-bare that lines could often be seen exposed, FXC mechanical AAD, a 290 F111 canopy with several thousand jumps on it! These canopies did not flare and I almost planted myself several times. Now consider a docile ZP 190 with less than 100 jumps on it - this allowed me to land pretty much where I wanted to, the container was comfortable and secure and (here's the best bit) the canopy had an incredible amount of flare power - every single landing was gentle and on my feet. I felt so much safer under this wing that jumping instantly became more enjoyable for me. OK so the 190 will lose slightly more hight in a turn and turn a bit quicker but so what? As long as you know this it shouldn't be a problem. In my (albeit limited) personal experience the potential for serious injury was far greater with the worn out old student kit than with new, solid and slightly smaller gear. I stress again that this was a "square" 190 not some hot-rod elliptical thing but the wingloading figure would be the same for both. I have (intentionally) landed the 190 down wind on a hot day without a problem but I'm sure I'd have been badly hurt doing this on the student gear. Had to get that off my chest.;-)

I feel your pain! As a student I can't think of a single 'nice' opening. Student canopies are huge which may go some way to explaining why they open so hard - tried any number of packing 'tricks' to slow down the openings but nothing seemed to help. I was fortunate enought to finish my AFF in Spain so was able to start using a friends sports rig half way through my consols (190 newish ZP main) and could not believe how comfortable it was! Now I would sooner stay on the ground than risk damaging myself with an ill fitting student rig. Stick with it dude! You'll be off that student gear before you know it!

Netheravon run intensive (flat) packing lessons one weekend each month - www.netheravon.com

Just wondering if anyone has ever heard of or dealt with a company called "Frexer Extreme sports". I can find no reference to them anywhere on the web except their own web page. Are they for real or yet another Asian scam??? Cheers! Chris