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Shouldn't be a problem. If you use a really simple, just-for-emergency chutes that fits tightly into the suit... Developing such a suit would probably cost a few billion dollars and decades of research anyway... a high-tech chute would probably be the easiest part ;-)

Wouldn't it be extremely cool to fly the Iron Man suit that Tony Stark uses in the movie/novel? Until recently I thought that nothing could top skydiving (driving a 911 Turbo or Veyron down our Autobahnen being a close second) - but flying that thing certainly would make skydiving seem rather boring. Imagine you could just take off and fly with supersonic speed - and if you gained enough height, you could free-fall / skydive, then fly up again - as often as you liked, without packing your chute every time, without any waiting time on the ground, without flying up for 20 min. or more in a rather slow (in comparison), packed plane... I usually never fantasize about technology that doesn't exist yet - but this suit dominates my daydreams ever since I first saw it.

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Thanks for your replies. My gf and I decided to go to Australia, because it is in the southern hemisphere and extremely hot there right now, and we need the temperature (and we speak English and no Spanish or Portuguese). All of the USA is on the northern hemisphere and most parts are either rather cold, rainy or cloudy. Also, I hate being descriminated against when going through customs there. Also, we hate rain and want blue skies, all the time. NZ seems rather rainy and cloudy at the moment. So my question is: What is the BEST dropzone in Australia, if I want to do multiple jumps a day, every day of the week, in perfect weather condition, where they have rental gear and fair prices? I know I am asking for a lot, but please help me out here, friends. My job is extremely stressing me right now and I don"t have the time to do all the research atm... Thanks! Highly appreciated!

Thanks for the input :) Money is *NOT* an issue. What are some of the more exotic locations? Does anyone know any good locations specifically? It would be from now (Decembre) until Februrary...

I'm free to travel anywhere in the world for the next 3 months and would prefer blue skies and hot temperatures. It would be perfect if I could do a little skydiving there. Does anyone know a good location? Maybe in South America?

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I've recently met someone at my dz who flared too early (what seems to be a common beginner's mistake...), after which his chute collapsed and he touched down so hard it knocked him unconscious. What would you say - what height (falling) can you survive? Of course it depends on the circumstances (e.g. head first), but are we talking about 25, 50 or 100 ft?

If others jump before you, look at how they approach the landing area... This is especially helpful if the radio malfunctions. Otherwise: Trust your teachers and follow their advice, but remember to plan ahead even though your teachers give you step-by-step instructions. I still was an AFF student a few weeks ago and pulling the chute was always a very pleasant moment after the free fall - it seemed to me back then the worst part was over. Today I enjoy the free fall itself intensely and consider flying the chute down necessary to get back to the plane that takes me up again ;-) After my first jump I was pleasantly surprised how well you could control the chute! There is absolutely nothing to worry about!

Good for you :)! I'm still stuck at level 4 since the weather was too bad the last weeks. I'll hope to finish AFF in the next weeks as well!

This is how I feel right now: You know you're a skydiver if... When you wear your rig on commercial passenger flights, just in case. You stop by the New River Bridge and take a look. All the others are saying 'damn, look how high it is' and you're saying 'damn, look how low it is'. Your friends look at the sky and say, "look at all those clouds", and you say, "look at all those holes!". When buying a house seems like a terrible waste of jump money. Every single one of your whuffo friends is to the point of wanting to kill you every time you mention skydiving. You know to the tenth of a mile how far it is from your driveway to the drop zone's driveway. On a full moon night, you look up and think "Night jumps!" You drive a beaten-up car because you really need that new canopy more. You look at your VCR and think, "Hmm, that's gotta be worth a few jumps. You wonder what whuffos _DO_ with themselves on gorgeous summer weekends. You can't imagine how anyone can go on vacation without a parachute. .Your rig costs more than your trailer. Losing your job is a reason for celebration! When buying a house seems like a terrible waste of jump money. Your whuffo friends only call if the weather man says the weekend will be shitty. You can't think of a better way to relax other than falling 10,000 feet. When someone asks you where you're from, you reply with the name of your dz, not your hometown. On cloudy/windy days you go to the drop zone anyway and bitch about the weather. On cloudy/windy days you pull out your parachute and pack it just to say that you've done something skydiving-related.

Well... after finishing all 7 AFF levels, you have to complete a number of additional jumps alone (16 jumps I think) with your teachers overseeing them (I think that is an informal agreement, not sure though). After that, you have to do 2 license jumps and pass an exam. Only then you receive your license... I don't think you can switch dzs before that... long way to go, and right into the winter! Damn, it seems I will have to completely stop jumping until next April once the season here is over. Painful thought! With a break longer than 3 months I'll also have to do an AFF rejump, even if I finished the complete program. Why on earth did I start in August? I should have started 2 months ago! Bad, bad timing!

I've only recently begun skydiving and have only done 4 jumps so far (next jump will be AFF level 5). It's currently raining outside and my dropzone's webcam shows me that it is much too cloudy for any student to jump today... Weather forecast says it will stay this way for 7 more days... I was once mildly addicted to a substance and today feels exactly like a withdrawal day... it's aweful! Maybe the rush and fun wears off over time, but it's still intense enough for me to begin missing it shortly after I leave my dropzone's parking lot. I wish I lived somewhere you can jump all-year. I currently live in Germany and the season is nearly over here. I can really see myself moving to Spain or Portugal in order to be able to jump whenever I like to! Everything in my life has 2nd priority right now. Nothing I in the past considered a rush (like flooring on the Autobahn) is fun anymore. Everything else just pales in comparison. The freedom, the blue sky, the really cool people you meet... It feels as if I had just become addicted to a bad, bad drug. Yes, its highs are simply amazing. But its hangovers are virtually unbearable... If by any chance I make it through this week, I'll overcompensate and arrive at my dz at 7.00 in the morning and leave at 21.00 in the evening. I'm so eager to finish AFF and reach solo status, it's insane! I wonder if you can switch dropzones once you reach solo status? My teachers keep telling me you should not... ...but I don't mind driving a few hours to find a sunny spot with an open dz. Or even take a cheap flight to Portugal for a weekend... The saying that you spend a few hundred dollars on your first jump and half your paycheck for the rest of your life afterwards is simply true and not negotiable. You are totally willing to spend every dollar it takes!

It's called Adrenaline Rush and available here: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/musicandvideo/hdvideo/contentshowcase.aspx Here is a direct download link: http://download.microsoft.com/download/2/0/9/20907788-993F-4EF6-8D75-F0DD93207FB8/AdrenalineRush_720.exe It's a huge download but worth every megabyte... :)

I've set up an IRC channel on EFNET (#skydiving). Feel free to drop by! If you are new to IRC, it is probably best you download ChatZilla: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/16 IRC might be a little intimidating at first, but believe me, it is not!

I always wondered how many people skydived... Does anyone know numbers for a) The U.S. b) Europe c) The whole world

Two off the top of my head: Van Halen - Jump The Chemical Brothers - The Big Jump

No what I meant was: They wanted me to be more calm, do the motions more slowly etc. I did things very hastily. They had the impression I was extremely nervous and wanted to "get it done as quickly as possible", which I'll freely admit... But what they want to see is that their students concentrate a 100% and do everything in a slow, controlled and smooth manner... ...I still did everything right though, so my next jump will be AFF level 3. :)

It's really good to hear that people have had to repeat jumps... ...takes a lot of pressure off beginners... you are totally right, only practice makes perfect, and who cares how long it takes if you really want to reach your goal???

I completed my first jump yesterday - AFF level 1. I had never done a tandem jump or any other kind of jump before. When I left the plane, it was extremely scary, I thought I would accelerate endlessly. I still managed to complete the first level and landed very well, standing and running when I touched the ground. During the night I had a nightmare which woke me up - I relived my jump. Today I still managed to complete AFF level 2, though, and it was completely different. I actually felt 33% of the fear I had during the previous jump (but I felt sick in the plane, of fear). Everything went fine again, but my teachers told me I had done things much too quickly. They told me to calm down and do things more slowly... as if I hadn't tried. ;) So: 1st jump absolute nightmare, friendly teachers, 2nd jump close to enjoyable but teachers unfriendly and not very supportive (they were pissed off I did everything so quickly). Grrrr... Does it get better? Is the 10th flight actually fun? I'm actually really looking forward to jumping alone... then I have all the time in the world and don't have to complete silly (in the eye of a fearful beginner...) tasks anymore :)

What would a good spot be in Norway? I'll probably be going skiing there in a few weeks...

Sounds horrible Is yawning the only pratical way to clear your ears? Couldn't you have swallowed or held your nose and breathed against it?

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I've never skydived before and am a little worried about damaging my ears. How often does damage to the eardrum occur? Can it only happen if you have a cold? Can you practice "clearing your ears" (eleminating the pressure difference) on the ground before your first dive? Maybe while swimming? Is it a matter of practice at all or are you either a person with no problems at all or a person who will be plagued after every jump?