RMK

http://newslite.tv/2012/04/30/rare-very-wideangle-camera-len.html Would this be better on a FTP or Wes Vapor? Where can I buy a spare lens cap? "Pain is the best instructor, but no one wants to attend his classes"

Too late. 120K has already been done: http://newslite.tv/2012/04/25/rubber-chicken-sent-to-edge-of.html#more "Pain is the best instructor, but no one wants to attend his classes"

I fly wingsuit and also have lost 5-10% extension on my right arm from an accident in my teens. That amount hasn’t made any difference or caused any problems for me. I have a Ghost 3 and an S-Fly Expert (and have flown a few other types/brands). For suits with grippers, your arm isn’t 100% straight anyway, but even on an S-Fly Expert with arms extended and palms flat down, it’s no problem and I don’t notice any difference. "Pain is the best instructor, but no one wants to attend his classes"

My picks would be: Europe: Empuriabrava US West: Perris or Elsinore US East: Zephyrhills ... In my opinion these are the best and most fun dropzones globally. "Pain is the best instructor, but no one wants to attend his classes"

For weather forecasts to be of any use for air sports (flying, skydiving, etc) you should look at the aviation weather sites, which rather than being aimed at the general public with “do I need a jacket/umbrella to go to work” information will give you cloud base levels, winds aloft and trends. For the UK look at http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/aviation If you have an iPhone, try AeroWeather http://www.aeroweather.ch/ which is great. "Pain is the best instructor, but no one wants to attend his classes"

Tack a small Velcro wrap to the end of some bungee cord and it looks like a knot. Simple, fast and no hard bits to sit on and nothing to catch. "Pain is the best instructor, but no one wants to attend his classes"

While kitted up with a good quality MBU/20, Airox8 & twin-cylinder 22ci unit, I asked “just curious, but what does this stuff cost?” He replied “about $8000” "Pain is the best instructor, but no one wants to attend his classes"

Our renew rate at the equivalent of USD 182.00 / EUR 137.00 today is not exactly a stunning deal (a couple years ago it was over USD 320.00 equivalent). I’ll admit I haven’t been kind to the BPA in the past, but have to admit they’re trying/doing much better. That said every sport (unless it requires cold/wet/damp) is more enjoyable in other countries. Get over to Spain/France, get some jumps in, get all the “stickers” in your book to make them happy here and then it’s not so bad in the UK. "Pain is the best instructor, but no one wants to attend his classes"

Skydance normally do 30K HALO jumps on two weekends a year (usually May & Sep). Tad Smith is the HALO master and has all the equipment. I would consider him the best, safest and most experienced you will find. At that height it’s all about the oxygen, not just a “higher” skydive. You’ll need: • Minimum 200 jumps • FAA Class III Medical • Hypobaric Chamber Training Session Costs may have changed but are approx $585 initial HALO and $425 secondary jumps. "Pain is the best instructor, but no one wants to attend his classes"

I'm planning a business trip to Lisbon, Portugal and will take the gear and get a weekend of jumping while there. Doing some searching, I see: Skydive Proença, Proença a Nova Skydive Algarve, Alvor Skydive Portugal, Évora Sky Medley, Ponte-de-Sor I’ll be wingsuit flying and/or freeflying. I don’t care for an FS scene or matter if there are other Brits there. Any feedback/suggestions on the above DZs? "Pain is the best instructor, but no one wants to attend his classes"

Military? I usually associate camouflage with rednecks - the “huntin & shootin” types. On a trip to the southern US last year, I remember seeing a worker on a highway construction crew directing traffic on a busy highway while dressed head-to-toe in camouflage (with his state-issued safety vest). "Pain is the best instructor, but no one wants to attend his classes"

Worth the wait; great video "Pain is the best instructor, but no one wants to attend his classes"

Hope he is OK. There can be some quite tricky winds off of Table Mountain. If not familiar with Table Mountain, it actually faces North (the usual postcard shot of the mountain behind the city) so winds like today S/SW come over the mountain onto the city. I was there two weeks ago flying helicopters and on a similar day & conditions turned the helicopter back just as I rounded the corner to fly in front of the mountain instead of proceeding to fly around the Cape. It was another heli pilot who warned me on the radio how “bouncy” it was and I heeded his advice and local knowledge. At around 20mph they even stop running the cable car taking tourists to the top. "Pain is the best instructor, but no one wants to attend his classes"

The two jumpships with lower horizontal elevators (Beech & PAC750) are both low-wing planes. So for these (when looking forward on exit), wait till the plane’s main wing trailing edge goes by your face to open your wings. "Pain is the best instructor, but no one wants to attend his classes"

Great vids; excellent work. May be over in California in the next months and will come by Elsinore for coaching. "Pain is the best instructor, but no one wants to attend his classes"

Has been OK in the UK all day today "Pain is the best instructor, but no one wants to attend his classes"

I believe more should be required for a D License not less. For all the pedantic commentary above, night jumps will make you more skilled in regards to “low light jumping” regardless of how many exact lumens or degrees of the sun below the visible horizon. USPA gives out D Licenses with 500 jumps whereas for much of the world it is 1000 jumps. I wish I lived somewhere that I could do night jumps every full moon; they’re good fun. I’ve never missed a chance to do one when they were offered. Also, as noted above – there is no type of jumping that requires a D License. "Pain is the best instructor, but no one wants to attend his classes"

After landing my first Tandem jump. Jumped my new custom gear on jump #34 a few months later. "Pain is the best instructor, but no one wants to attend his classes"

Yes, Spain (or Florida or pretty much everywhere else). There is something definitely wrong with the new jumper scene in the UK. In the UK, I’ll frequently offer to jump with new jumpers and am taken back by their overt gratitude. They’re gushing; they can’t believe someone is willing to do it for free. I’ll video them and send them a link to download – they’re ecstatic. They often tell me that with their 50-100ish jumps, no one has ever actually offered to jump with them for fun or take a photo/video of them. Seems not much has changed (has actually gotten worse) for new UK jumpers. Even if you take the money aspect out of the equation: back when I had around your number of jumps, I didn’t care what it cost and just wanted to get this “Glorious FS1”; after months of trying to get the coached jumps completed in the UK, said f**k it and went to Empuriabrava and completed it in 2 days. Keep at it; it will get better. When you visit your first boogies in places like Zephyrhills, Empuriabrava or even little 206 DZs in the middle of nowhere, it’s a different world ...you will find people who do this for fun. "Pain is the best instructor, but no one wants to attend his classes"

Do you have links to any clubs that have such a room? I was curious so I started googling different searches and did not find any hits other than in medical research. The last one I saw was at the Club at County Hall (south side of Thames across from Houses of Parliament - it's the top floors of the building behind the London Eye). Previously saw similar at Cannons City Club, but that was several years back. "Pain is the best instructor, but no one wants to attend his classes"

Jon is correct re longer duration high altitude being very different. Being in better shape is always beneficial, but the hereditary element also counts –some people are just better suited to high altitude regardless of shape. A friend of mine did Mount Kilimanjaro w/ his wife (approx. 20K); they both made the summit, but a much fitter NCAA athlete in their group succumbed to altitude sickness and had to turn around. 1. Not smoking will automatically put you 2-3k physiologically lower than someone who smokes regularly 2. Some health clubs (admittedly nicer ones) have hypobaric workout rooms. A kind of airtight glass box affair with a couple machines like treadmills/cycles. Still not ideal, but after an hour inside you can at least compare how you fare compared to others. "Pain is the best instructor, but no one wants to attend his classes"

To the OP, I keep an Excel spreadsheet backup of my logbook, so can quickly sort any of my jump stats. In visiting 51 dropzones in 31 countries (which includes DZs in Europe, North America, Asia, Africa & Australia) my lowest ratio of jumps per day by DZ visits are the UK DZs – and this is where I live? Yes, we do have some good dropzones, but over the past nine years my most enjoyable and memorable jumping is always abroad. So what airfield do you visit to build up your jump numbers and have fun? Heathrow. "Pain is the best instructor, but no one wants to attend his classes"

For best choices near London, my picks are: Hinton www.skydive.co.uk Sibson www.skydivesibson.co.uk Netheravon www.netheravon.com Hinton is about an hour drive and Sibson about 1.5 hr drive (from SW/Chelsea area of London). As noted, more wingsuiting at Sibson. I’d give special mention to Netheravon, but it is a more military vibe (fair as it is a military base) but also about 1.5 hr drive. Also, as "Piisfish" noted, Empuriabrava is the best dropzone in Europe and only a two hour flight (though limited to the soul-destroying experience of flying RyanAir). Re how to get to the dropzones, Europe is known for excellent & reasonably priced train infrastructure; unfortunately this does not apply to the UK. Attached is a Google Earth file with locations. "Pain is the best instructor, but no one wants to attend his classes"

I ordered a Ghost3 on 5 July and just followed up re delivery estimates. I’m still told to expect around 7 weeks, so 23 Aug is the target (but hope it shows up earlier). If I remember, I’ll post or PM when received as mine will probably only be days before yours. "Pain is the best instructor, but no one wants to attend his classes"

Yes, also no one in the UK would call it a cashier's cheque - it's called a bankers draft. Definitely looks like a scam. "Pain is the best instructor, but no one wants to attend his classes"