philipturneraa

Not just you. My usage of the forums immediately went from daily (or more) to practically zero when the new design launched because of exactly this. I’m curious how forum page view stats compare before and after this redesign. My vote would be to please put the site back just as it was and go back to the drawing board (in a test environment) until a new design is found that adds some value. Sorry, but at the moment, in my view, it’s a really, really big negative. I would love to support something new, but this just isn’t it.

Strictly discourage. Discuss.

I’ve been using a Phantom X for about 250 jumps and never any problems (as you describe, or anything else). I doubt it’s a general issue with these helmets - probably something exceptional is wrong with yours. I would suggest taking the visor off the helmet completely — it’s very easy if you follow the instructions that come with the helmet. Check all the fittings / hinge that hold the visor to the helmet (and pm me if you want me to send you photos of mine to compare). Re-attach the visor. If still not right, as Terry says, ask the manufacturer.

Had a look on the wayback machine which shows redirection to http://www.uk-skydiver.co.uk Is that it?!

Some thoughts: What you experienced on those three occasions (carnival ride, passenger ride, tandem lesson) might actually have had very different causes. You may be searching for a correlation that doesn’t exist. 18,000 feet? Really? In any case, I’m sure many people (including some skydivers) feel nauseous during aerobatics. And on some fairground rides. How much do you weigh? How old are you? On your tandem jump, were you very uncomfortably cramped up in the plane? Search here and read up about how leg straps can sometimes reduce / cut-off blood circulation under canopy, including for tandem passengers, and lead to the kind of symptoms you are describing. Before trying AFF or a static line jump, do another tandem, preferably with a different instructor/rig, and see how it goes. Explain your experiences and concerns to the instructor before the jump. In the hours before jumping, eat normally (avoiding high sugar and energy boosting snacks and drinks), drink lots of still water, and keep out of the sun. If the same happens again, be very cautious — perhaps the advice in the previous post is best and solo skydiving cannot be acceptably safe for you. But what do I know? Talk face-to-face with several instructors at more than one dropzone, if possible, and see what they suggest.

Oh my! I bow down to experience!!!! I have just over 300 jumps and no reserve rides.

Is this really so outlandish? If the reserve is needed on around one in 700 jumps, and if a reserve malfunction occurred at the same rate per use, a reserve malfunction would occur on one in 700 x 700 = 490,000 jumps. Technical reasons (e.g. system design, reserves packed more carefully) should mean the chances of a reserve malfunction are considerably lower than a main malfunction. If half as likely, a reserve malfunction can be expected on one in 700 x 1400 = 980,000 jumps and that looks like a reasonable (albeit very much over-simplified) basis for the one-in-a-million claim. I realise that raw incident statistics won’t come out like this because a reserve malfunction is (often? nearly always?) a consequence of the main malfunction. So a lot on the precise definition of “reserve malfunction”. But if thinking about situations where the main malfunction does not contribute to the reserve malfunction (e.g. bad maintenance/rigging of the reserve, sabotage of the reserve), the one-in-a-million claim does seem reasonable to me. BTW, I agree with you completely that the expert opinions should steer well clear of anything sensational, misleading, or plain wrong. I’m just not sure this one-in-a-million thing is a particularly good example. Very happy to learn if I’m grabbing the wrong end of the stick here.

Perhaps it's worth asking a friend who is more experienced on faster canopies to give it a whoosh before you?

If it's only apprehension you're feeling, just get there and do it! I have a theory that the older you are when you start, the more intense the fear. Just about all the new jumpers in their 20s that I've met are much more gung-ho about it than I ever was. I started at the age of 36. During AFF I experienced the most acute fear I ever felt in my life. Many times in the plane I asked myself "do I really want to do this?" but every time I managed to force myself to jump. It was a very, very close thing on a couple of occasions. Be assured, the fear passes gradually and just butterflies remain. For me, the feeling of achievement having beaten that fear still hasn't faded, even after more than 200 jumps. The satisfaction of knowing I can climb outside the plane, hang on for a little while, and then jump — and all without being scared, is still very strong. So please force yourself to jump because the hardest part is already behind you and very soon it'll feel like the most natural wholly unnatural thing you have ever done. And that's a really, really great feeling! : )

Thanks for that. Good spot. That left hand tab would still be tucked into the channel if the slider had been properly reset. I usually jump rented Pilots with exactly this type of slider. It's very easy to reset the slider (carelessly) and leave the tapered part of the tab exposed. This incident is an excellent reminder to be careful every time.

You win the prize for active procrastination! ; ) In my view, having no fear while getting ready to jump out of an aeroplane for the first time would be cause for concern. In other words, just get on with it - sounds to me like you'll love it!!! : )))

WTF? Over 1100 views at time of writing and 0 comments?! So, OK, I'll start. ;) Congratulations to everybody on the (three) record setting Polish teams, including all those who provided the support to make it happen. Great to see such strong team spirit, courage and determination. Amazing achievements!!! : ))) Feeling very proud of my adopted home country (as a Brit living in Poland for the best part of 20 years now). Thanks to Kuba and Marta for this write up and some excellent photos. Video of the 100 is here: https://vimeo.com/136200458 And BTW, I'd be interested to know ... which countries are the other 100-way record holders?

Hello! You should be able to do your AFF in Poland. It's a good choice - the weather is much, much better than in UK! I am English and jump from time to time at Kruszyn near Wloclawek (http://www.skydive.pl/) - it's a great dropzone with friendly and professional staff, a good crowd of sports jumpers, and all the facilities you need. They use a turbolet which is big and comfortable and have a good range of student gear for hire. Coming from the UK, you have a good choice of low cost airlines. I think Lodz and Bydgoszcz would be closest for Wloclawek if you are going straight there; Warsaw is a bit further but not too bad. skydive.pl does a first jump course most Fridays. I recently asked the guys there about the possibility of organising a first jump course in English for a friend of mine and they can do that, given a bit of notice. It's a slight complication, but they can arrange for you to finish with a USPA licence which should be fine for the UK. (I don't know if they can do BPA - I expect not, but I suppose it's possible somewhere else in Poland could, but I didn't hear of it.) One important thing to know is that you will need to complete a Polish medical (which is based on the international CAT3 aviation medical) before you can jump in Poland and that can take the best part of a day by the time it's all said and done. Contact details for the instructors are on the skydive.pl website (click KONTAKT at the bottom of the page). I would suggest you email Maciej "Mahoo" Machowicz (in Polish or English) and take it from there. Let me know when you'll be here and we can drink beer.