Marnie7

I live 3 hours away from the nearest dropzone so often I have to take my dog with me. These two items ensure his and the jumpers safety as best possible. If dog owners cannot control their dogs then they shouldn't be there.

I learned to jump in a twin otter, I was taught to stand at the door and jump out and up into the wind. Now I am really concerned.

It would be best kept in electronic format, rather than printed off, in case you ever need to use it. Legally it is better in an electronic format rather than just a copy printed off. No employee should be subjected to language like that.

My hop 'n' pop was amusing once I had a chance to think about it after. I was really nervous about it. The aircraft was a Pilatus Porter and I hadn't jumped out of that plane at that time, I had been jumping from a Twin Otter. When it was time I got to the door and went to do my out, in, out however, when I leaned out I got pushed backwards and was sort of stuck with the middle of my rig jammed into the door. Apparently at this point I said "it's windy" and my instructor was in fits of laughter at me. I thought he would pull me towards him so I could have a good exit but no. I said "I'm stuck" but he thought I was saying "my arm's stuck" so he started peeling my fingers off the bar. As expected my exit was terrible but I recovered, pulled and called my instuctor all the names under the sun until I landed. When he landed later he was still laughing at me. I do see the funny side of it now.

Thanks for your reply. I'm sure it will be great. I will try to listen carefully, breathe and smile!

Hi, I am going to do AFF in Empuriabrava starting 8th March 2008. I am so excited about it. I wondered whether any other dropzone.com users will be there doing AFF too. Blue Skies, Samantha

Beware - naked jumpers 17 May 2007 NAKED base jumping in Cheddar Gorge could be putting the lives of tourists at risk. According to a gorge trader, the base jumpers use the area for the illegal activities early in the morning, to avoid being caught by rangers. The Galleries landlord, Paul Sturmey, said: "You can often see them going up there at about 6am. They usually don't appear much during winter but I have noticed a few again these last couple of weeks." Base jumping involves parachuting off large objects such as skyscrapers and bridges. Base stands for the four things that the jumpers can leap off - buildings, antennae, spans (a bridge, arch or dome) and earth (a natural formation such as a cliff). In an investigation by the Somerset Mercury, we were able to get pictures of some of the base jumpers, including one of a naked man jumping off one of the cliffs. Cheddar Caves and Gorge spokesman Bob Smart said: "People know they are not supposed to do it, so they choose times when there are no rangers about, usually first thing in the morning. "About a month ago we managed to catch someone who was about to base jump in the afternoon. Our rangers managed to stop him and he was ordered off our land. "We are facing two problems with base jumpers. Firstly, they could land on someone below and do some serious damage to themselves and the unfortunate person they land on." "Secondly, if they do end up injuring themselves, they can sue the land owner for compensation. "People try and use the gorge for base jumping when they think no one is around. It is the excitement of getting away with something they are not allowed to do. "Our ranger cannot work 24 hours a day, but if members of the public see any base jumpers we would urge them to contact us." Base jumpers have hit the headlines all over the world for leaping from famous locations, such as St Paul's Cathedral, the Canary Wharf Towers in London and Bristol's Clifton Suspension Bridge.

Thank you all very much, your comments have been really helpful.

Could anyone tell me which is better for BASE jumping, the Bushnell Yardage Pro Sport 450 Laser Rangefinder or the Bushnell Laser Rangefinder Yardage Pro 1000? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

I'll be by Edwin McCain - an amazing song

My brother is a musician, he wrote me a song that meant a lot to me and changed my life for the better