freeatlast

I can't say I like it when ...

1. Despite being fully insured I always seem to get less than 50% of my true costs back when something goes wrong (Camera helmet / diving holiday etc etc).

2. Someone breaks into my luggage (3 weeks ago) !!!

3. The girl I LIKE wants to be friends !!!

4. I can't jump

5. There's so little money and so many nice TOYS !!!

6. My reserve pin fails its test

On the upside

1,2 and 5 are only material things ...

3 and 4 are SERIOUS PROBLEMS WHEN THEY OCCUR

6 wasn't a problem except I had to go away for 2 months without my shiny 8 month old rig ...

So I really don't have any big problems - especially compared to some of the things that happen.

In fact I'm a SKYDIVER HOW MUCH MORE FORTUNATE CAN I BE ????

I also was at Rantoul in 2002 and it was terrible that this happened.

I went on the chopper before and after this happened and would like to say that all REASONABLE SAFETY MEASURES seemed to be in place (apart from wrapping the chopper in bubble wrap !!!).

Once again we have someone (Rod) who has gone out of his way to help us have fun now stuck in the middle of a LAWSUIT !!!

Obviously if there was to be proven negligence or perhaps maliciousness involved then the persons involved should be punished but where there appears to just be a terrible tragedy then we must accept it for the terrible accident that it appears to be.

I read a good article about base (written by Tom A - I think) where he suggests that in addition to all the waivers and other bits that you sign , that you need to sit down with your family and explain that it is your choice to participate in sports such as these and ask them not to sue unless there is VERY CLEAR EVIDENCE of malice or negligence. I believe he also suggests leaving a letter to the same effect somewhere it can be found (perhaps with a friend or lawyer - someone not directly related to you so there can be no doubt as to YOUR WISHES in the event of a tragedy). It may seem morbid but at least you know that if something ever happens then hopefully your death will not cause further harm to those who gave you such enjoyment in life.

Perhaps we could have a central DZ.com register like a donor register where we can specify that we do not wish for our relatives to sue anyone connected with this wonderful sport of ours EXCEPT IN PROVEN CASES OF MALICE or PROVEN NEGLIGENCE (such as a lack of aircraft maintainance or the person being under the influence of drink / drugs at the time of incident.

I for one would readily sign-up I hate this sue-happy BS

23000 ft was my highest (so far)

Jump #93 - WFFC Rantoul 2002 - you gotta love that place !!!

A biplane jump / a helicopter jump and the king air all in one day, followed by a balloon jump the next morning (about 4 firsts in one day !!!)

My condolences to all who knew him ...

I never had the privilege but his articles have helped many (like me)

Fly free ...

***It will be for sale then like mine. ***

No - it cost enough to buy this one !!!

But the rewards were worth it !!!

Well it's good to know I'm not losing my mind !!!

I was beginning to wonder if I had finally flipped ...

Sellling house + car to go skydiving / travelling = madness according to most people ...As I explained at the time - "I haven't SOLD everything, I've actually BOUGHT a soul"

Anyway congrats on the 12hr UK BASE !!!

That's some going - you must have done some serious planning !!!

Maybe I'll catch up with you guys at some point when I'm back in the UK ...

Thanks Screamer

I've PM'd you and I'll come and have a look at the container once I'm back in the UK

Carry on is definately the way to go - I've carried my rig on approx 15 flights in the last year or so with no problems.

However I have just flown through LA en-route to NZ (Auckland) and some lovely person jemmied my bag open - they ruined a $400 dollar case - but luckily the bag was empty (of valuables). Luckily the airline was there to re-imburse me a whole $90 towards my one day old $400 suitcase.

The point I guess is to carry your rig on and remember to have insurance for your checked luggage as the airline will only pay approx $20 USD for each kilo of luggage so in this case I get approx $90 back !!!!

Just my $0.02c

Hi there

I have an Odyssey and had to wait for it to be delivered - not the current 26 weeks delay, but it's certainly hard to wait for something when you want it right now !!! But then again it's something that you'll keep using for quite a while so it's important to get the one that you are happy with.

As far as my odyssey goes - it is VERY comfortable and was everything that I wanted plus the customer service was excellent (which may explain some of the long waiting times - they're popular !!!)

I would definately get it custom fitted - otherwise buy a second hand rig - there's no pointing in waiting all that time for a rig that almost fits

As for whether or not to go with another manufacturer - that's up to you, there are lots out there that will make you a rig in a shorter time and for less money, so you have to decide if the time and price is more important than waiting for the one you wanted originally

As for finding a dealer - as everyone else has said go for someone that is going to offer you a good service as well as a good price. There's nothing worse than finding out AFTER 26 weeks that someone has made a mistake or given you bad advice - and then finding out that the reason the price was low was because the lack of service is such that they can only sell goods by being the cheapest !!!

Also ask around your DZ and find out who uses which rigs and why and also try a few different rigs (if possible) to see which you like the look of as well as what seems to fit comfortably. Perhaps that slightly more expensive dealer might have some sort of demo program which would let you try some different rigs out. It might even be worth a trip to one of these dealers to try some demo's (a pain I know but well worth it when it comes to making a MAJOR PURCHASE like this !!)

Just my $0.02 !!!

James

I have just taken the first (small) steps towards my first jump and ordered a Troll canopy with MDV in order to get some experience with the canopy before heading out for a FJC.

To say that it has taken a lot of thought is an understatement !!! I have been going through alternate days of "what the hell are you doing" and feeling scared beyond belief at the thought of taking another step closer and yet there seems to be something which keeps bringing me back to the idea and keeps burning away in the back of mind and just won't go away !!!

Is this normal ?? - not that I want to be thought of as normal !!!

Anyway now all I have to do is find a skydiving rig big enough to put it in (for the moment) and someone to teach me to pack it properly !!!

Quote

Avoid Headcorn as it is too full of bs, the comments above come out time and time again. Sibson near Peterborough is a very friendly place, particularly for freeflyers. Weston-on-the-Green is definately the best facility and good kit store although my favourite DZ is Hinton as you can guarantee a very warm welcome and excellent progression training. It has the best club atmosphere in the South/Midlands area.

I have to say I agree with the general comments above - I have had similar experiences. One place not mentioned so far is Chatteris near Cambridge (which may be nearer depending on where your student is based) - www.ukskydiving.com which seems to be a very friendly DZ with good instructors. Hinton is another good place too - I haven't jumped at Weston / Sibson but I have heard good things about both places.

Maybe it's the government selling the rigs that they've confiscated in order to help fund the park ranger service ??? !!!!

FANTASTIC - looks like it's going be my week (Lovely BA stewardess bumped me up out of economy after my vid screen didn't work properly !!!)

All I need now is for a lottery win and my FJC !!!

I'm glad that Gus managed to get his cover too ....

Off to NZ via LA today - long flight which I'm not looking forward to !!!

Lets see if my luck holds again with Qantas !!!

Ok - now I know I'm opening pandora's box here but I'll ask anyway!!

What canopy choices would you reccomend for a newbie?

190lbs plus gear so I know I'm looking at a 280 - 300 ft canopy

But what canopy type and options ???

I am leaning towards buying either a Fox 285 Vetec or a Troll MDV 290 following recent advice !!!

But I have heard 2 different sets of advice about using Vtec with covers as a newbie - one for and one against ...

I am unlikely to be able to demo these canopies (unless anyone knows of a demo programme!!!) So I'd like to go with a well known and well reccomended canopy that I can learn to fly and pack.

- I intend to jump the canopy in my skydiving rig for a while before a FJC

So WHAT would you reccomend and WHY ???

Thanks to Base 689 and Tom for those helpful answers ...

I'll certainly be going for a big-boy canopy (got to leave the pies alone!!!) and will start to do the legwork on costs etc ... And you've cleared up the vented / non-vented query for me !!!

I realised that the choosing your gear article was written a year or so back and thought I'd try to get the most up to date information I could - and from people who have a much better idea of the potential pitfalls and best practices when it comes to learning the art of base !!!

Especially as the odds of demoing canopies like this are low !!!

The last time I made a "blind purchase" for equipment was a snowboard which everyone raved about but as far as I was concerned (once I'd used it a couple of times) - it sucked !!! and I sold it afterwards with probably a weeks worth of use - which was a pretty expensive mistake to make - with base canopies the risks seem greater and not all to do with money !!!

I'm in the US for a couple of days just now and I'm coming back through in a couple of weeks (but it looks like I'm going to miss BD !!!) but I might try to get hold of a canopy if anyone's got one in stock (although this close to BD it might be doubtful) !!!

Anyway - the sooner the better ...

Can't wait to start making those accuracy jumps !!!

A question for the experienced people out there:-

I'm interested in doing a FJC in the US at some point (once I've recovered from the cost of my last trip !!)

I'd like to start to prepare now (especially as I only have 220 jumps) by learning how to pack and fly a base canopy (as well as trying to work on my tracking etc).

My idea is to purchase a canopy and container and then practice by using the base canopy as a main when skydiving.

My questions are:-

1.Can anyone reccomend a canopy (and size) that would be suitable (I'm 190 lbs plus equipment) to learn on. (Troll/Fox/Other)

2.In the first rig article by Tom it states that secondary vents are not a good idea (for a beginner) because of the possible effects of these vents including opening backsurge in deep brakes - is this still the general consensus ??

3.Can the (base) canopy manufacturer give me an idea of pack size so that I make sure I get the correct skydiving container sized for the canopy (it's definately not going to fit my J3!!!)

4.Would a rigger be able to check that I've set the slider and PC up correctly (for skydiving)??

5.Or am I best to wait until I've saved up and done the FJC??

From what I have read - most people seem to suggest that getting used to the canopy control and packing methods as early as possible is the way to go ....

Many thanks ...

I hope that they have to honour it if it's listed on the policy ... I'm not sure about the cooling off period though ...

We'll have to see what comes in the post - only one downside is that I'm off to the US at 5am tomorrow and will not be able to check the paperwork

But I knew that they'd probably change the policy once people started to query it !!!!

To be honest I was just surprised that it was OFFERED TO ME (when I asked for their list of hazardous sports) - rather than me asking about it !!!

By the way - does anyone know where I can insure my rig for more than the £300 limit that most places seem to charge per single item (household insurance is no good for me as I don't have a house at the moment - I sold it to go jumping !!!)

Just to say that I've just taken out a policy with M+S insurance services (marks and spencer for those across the pond).

Decided to book "hazardous activity" insurance for skydiving and was asked if I wish to add any specific items - I queried what COULD be added and was told "BASE JUMPING" amongst other things - suffice to say I signed up for an annual worldwide multi-trip policy with no excess INCLUDING BASE for the grand some of £90 ...

Good old M+S !!!!

Now I just need to do my FJC !!!

(I bet they change the policy once everyone phones in !!!!)

Nope but UK has the objects i like and thats a HUGE +