freeatlast

That's a nice looking helmet - 2k make some beautiful helmets and now that they use the Zkulls system as well they're even better than ever! I saw these at the BPA AGM in January and was very impressed indeed!

And before everyone spoils you with details of the huge number of jumps that you can make in the US You know what the UK weather can be like - 4 or 5 jumps may be a great achievement some months !!!

Hi James Check with the DZ that you're planning on jumping at (Swansea?) to see what the regs are and i'm sure that they will fill you in. There are some differences in the requirements between the US and UK. As the others have already said - do the course and then spend some time learning to pack - most DZ's run a course and it's not that expensive!! Once you can pack - you'll save yourself a Fiver and you can start to pack other rigs (once you're approved for that type) - in no time you'll be packing like a pro

Very nice indeed It looks like you guys were having fun

Now THAT's CUSTOMER SERVICE !!! Way to go Les ...

Barbara likestojump is correct - any company that ships goods outside of the EEC can ship them without tax providing they have evidence that the item has left the EEC - ie shipping forms from a major courier etc ... So you shouldn't pay German VAT - as for the American side of things - then the best option is usually to phone the relevant govt dept - they are usually quite helpful - and at least will let you have the OFFICIAL position. Also factor in a small clearing fee or document processing fee as many courier companies seem to charge for this! As for the new religion - why not? Simply ask that all the faithful shall send you 10% of their yearly spend on skydiving related items - you will probably end up very rich

Lazlo nice images mate as always - those shots look really good for such a small camera ...

I can only speak for myself and can promise that i have treated the OP with absolute respect and can fully understand his position and i actually applaud him for posting online to try and gather information about his new purchase. The point i make about the other posts here is that people sometimes come across harshly when they are trying in the strongest terms to get an important point across ... To be fair respect is also a two way thing and i think that you should also understand this and give some respect to the large number of people who have taken the time to try and make this point to someone that they've never even met! If the humour is a little bleak at times then it is best taken with a pinch of salt and the understanding that this isn't gentle sport - it can be at times a dangerous sport (particularly when advice is ignored)... The internet is a communication tool but it's one drawback is that mis-understandings can occur and it is difficult to read the personality of the person or the post ... I am sure if you met many of the guys who have posted here in person you would understand that they are only offering some good advice - even if it is mixed in with some humour that not everyone likes ... Either way the original advice is still good - the canopy choice is not suitable for the OP's experience level - whether he listens to the advice or not is his choice - if he doesn't like the humour or finds the banter offensive then I'm sure that he would definately find the pain of a major trauma incident 'uncomfortable' too !!! I didn't listen at times when i started out - at times i thought i knew better, over the years i've outlived several people that i thought were conservative and didn't understand - but in the end it turned out that i was simply lucky and some of them were not ... Accidents can happen anytime, but it is better for all of us - jumpers, gear manufacturers, DZ Owners, TI's etc if we can all do what we can to reduce the incidents that were easily preventable ...

JF951 - I don't think that you have fully understood the majority of these posts - or fully understand the type of canopy that the OP is talking about. Have you ever jumped a heatwave? There's a reason that some countries put this canopy into a category where you simply are not allowed to jump it until you have 400 - 500 jumps no matter what your wing loading is !!! Not all 190's fly the same or handle the same ... As for the BB comments - maybe some of the guys are trying in a very blunt way to explain to the OP that this simply isn't a good idea ... There are plenty of cheap canopies out there and no-one has suggested that the OP spend a ton of money on a canopy ... (If you are short of cash it's always worth seeing what work can be done around the DZ or on the packing mat ... and it's a great way of learning about stuff) Making do with what you can afford is a great principle - but so is taking good advice from those who are far more experienced than you... Relevant experience will help in many areas - it can help you when the pressure is on, but it mustn't be mistaken for already having skills that you simply don't possess or have yet to learn ... Being RAD won't make the ground softer - which is why some of the previous generation of young rad dudes are not chiming in with advice - some of them have already bounced and some of those posting good advice have already seen it happen to a previous generation ... I would suggest that if you bear all of this in mind - you will probably see a bunch of like minded enthusiasts who are all passionate about the same sport who are trying to dish out some tough love and actually help a new guy realise that he has quite possibly made a mistake with his canopy choice and who are trying to prevent him from compounding that error and becoming a statistic ...

Welcome

Nice one -you'll love it But where's the pictures ???

Please listen to all that has been posted and seriously consider another choice of canopy. Losing money sucks - but suffering a serious injury (or worse) sucks more. If you do not believe anyone posting here take a look at the reviews of the heatwave here on DZ.COM. Quotes:- 1."Needs to be "flown" all the way through landing" 2."Flies super fast and turns even faster" 3."It turns very fast on toggles or front risers" 4."It is not a predictable canopy and I would not suggest it for learning canopy piloting or swooping as it requires constant control, and has a short recovery arc which is not forgiving, until landing but for pure fun with an experienced pilot it was enormous fun" 5."Wow! Decidedly aggressive" 6."i recommend these canopy to those who have jumped a high performance canopy before" 7."It does not want to bow tie as much as say a stiletto, but will if you hold deep breaks long enough" 8."This is not a novice canopy" 9."I had line twists a couple of times while I was working on the packing" 10."It will, however, stall and recover quite radically of you are not careful. It is very easy to cause one side to stall first if you have on toggle just the slightest bit deeper than the other." 11."Incredible long surf, but too fast for my skill level" 12."My rigger jumped it and said it's over all performance was superior to her Velocity" 13."Openings are gentle and on heading ONLY if I am square in the harness and with riser pulled over nose" 14."respective of performance it is much better than the PD Stilletto" I found all of these reviews here in the gear section within 10 mins without trying. These were all posted several years ago but the comments are still valid. This is a high performance canopy that could easily bite you ... Think again ... Its YOUR LIFE ...

Nice suit - Very nice indeed

Brilliant

Unfortunately there are several scams which regularly appear. Over paying and asking for a refund is an often used trick. I received three emails from the same guy asking the same questions - it was obvious that they were just cutting and pasting text and sending it to everyone who had an advert. Typical things to beware of are people asking about your 'item' rather than the specific rig / canopy etc that you have advertised. Also if someone says that there has been an error and the cheque has been raised for two much money and could you bank the cheque and send the balance on to the buyer then this is a total scam. Several weeks later the cheque bounces and the bank 'asks' you to repay the total amount and the scammer now has your cash !!! I guess it all comes down to trying to do your homework. I have sent a $4000 rig to someone before and in fairness people have sent me goods on trust but these days you have to be much more careful !!!

Yes you should wait until after you have completed your training before buying anything. Speak to your instructors first ...

Hi Alton I would agree with most of what has been suggested. I would strongly suggest drawing up a shortlist and trying to demo as many of the canopies on it as possible. The simple truth is that whilst canopy reviews are a good indicator of how the canopy performs it will be you who decides which one you really prefer. The Silhouette and Pulse are probably the closest to what you already jump and the Pilot or Sabre 2 are both slightly higher performance than the others. If you were here in Europe i would add the X-Fun and the Dragon to your shortlist as well but you will probably struggle to manage to demo one in the US at this moment in time. Another thought would be to go to the Skydive Expo in March - i believe that several manufacturers will be there and you might be able to demo several canopies in one place before making your choice ... (Mind you Deland is also the home of PD and Aerodyne so you could probably demo most of the canopies there at any time!)

Nice looking rig mate

Don't you guys know that RED is SO IN this season ??? All the guys are coming off their AFF course - ordering their VX's and 120 Reserves and won't have anything else but Red for the cutaway handles on their rigs Seriously though - i'm happy to report that I have used my handles 'in anger' before now and never had a problem locating them

For the OP - here are some photo's of the Advance Seven ... One of these containers has a standard spandex BOC and one has the magnetic pud. I have also tried to show the spacer foam backpad which is very thick and comfortable. PM me if you want any more pictures

Optimum 176 355 X-Fast 170 315 Speed 2000 170 307 Dragon 190 495 Spectre 190 475 X-Fun 190 395 Usual caveat's apply - these are only the manufacturer's quoted sizes and real life is sometimes different !!! But it makes interesting reading

Yes, i have two currently as demo rigs here in the UK

Lol - I couldn't resist pulling your leg It was too good an opportunity to miss

I hate to agree with VB But the Advance Seven from Basik is certainly one of the best FF rigs out there

Lol - so rather than contributing - we should all make a withdrawal when they take the collection ... Interesting theory