andybr6

http://www.skyshotdesign.com/helmets-1/all-hemets-and-camera-mounts/sky-shot-with-carbon-top-mount.html The above is pretty good solution, and a SLR/Video camera can also be mounted on the top. On a lighter note, love it how the HD flyer casually puts the reserve handle in his jumpsuit while flying! ------------------------------------------------ "All men can fly, but sadly, only in one direction"

There is also a London Skydivers network on Facebook if you are going to be living in / near London. ------------------------------------------------ "All men can fly, but sadly, only in one direction"

I did a couple of AFF levels out of that Skyvan in Sebastian in 2001; such a shame it's been retired. Didn't it have a sign above one of the seats that said 'President Bush sat here' (or something like that). I can also confirm that it's easy for tall and inexperienced skydivers to hit their heads on exit ------------------------------------------------ "All men can fly, but sadly, only in one direction"

I did my AFF in Sebastian when these guys were based there http://www.ffadventures.com/ but they now seem to be based at Lake Wales. It's run by a British guy and they have UK instructors. If your not set on Sebastian (and it is a great DZ) you might also consider sending them an email. Whatever you choose to do I am sure you'll love it! ------------------------------------------------ "All men can fly, but sadly, only in one direction"

Sign me up for a FJC! I cannot wait for the boogie

The smart money will be on the northern lass (that's Mss Manchester) ;) ------------------------------------------------ "All men can fly, but sadly, only in one direction"

I learnt to freefly in an older style Mirage (made in 1998 I believe) and never had any problems. The rig had all tuck tabs and all the closing flaps were solid. The only 'freefly mod' I had to make was to put some bungee cord on the leg straps. I think I sold it for about 1100GBP so about 1600USD a year ago. I second NOT buying new unless you have money to burn! ------------------------------------------------ "All men can fly, but sadly, only in one direction"

I have put a fairly new Spectre 170 in J1KS. It was a real pain to pack and a very tight fit. IF you do decide to put a 170 in I would strongly advise you practise the pull on the ground. The extra pressure on the pilot chute pocket makes it more difficult to extract. It is easily overcome by flattening the pilot chute down properly but obviously this is not an option in the air! I put around 10 jumps on the system with the 170 before getting a 150. Due to the difficulty in packing and the pilot chute (potential) issue I would not recomend it as a long term solution. It was also tight enough that I never closed the container after the last jump of the day as I was concerned about stretching the main tray and wear on the grommits (I am not a rigger it just seemed logical). NB. Spectres have a slightly lesser pack volume than 9 cells like Sabres/Pilots. ------------------------------------------------ "All men can fly, but sadly, only in one direction"

Thanks for your reply. Would you happen to know if they have a plane there before that? I have tried emailing but I was stumped by the language barrier. ------------------------------------------------ "All men can fly, but sadly, only in one direction"

N/A

Hi All, I will be in Sicily from the 18th to the 23rd of September and wanted to do some jumping towards the end of that holiday. I know there are a couple of dropzones on the island, but wondered if anyone has had any experience jumping there? Thanks in advance, A ------------------------------------------------ "All men can fly, but sadly, only in one direction"

I do not know the guy, but if he us a UK jumper you might have better luck here http://www.ukskydiver.co.uk A. ------------------------------------------------ "All men can fly, but sadly, only in one direction"

I think Chris Lynch (of Freejive) got some kind of award for helping another skydiver in freefall. At least I am sure I read that on a team profile somewhere. Maybe some one out there knows more? A ------------------------------------------------ "All men can fly, but sadly, only in one direction"

If you cannot try one in I would go with the XL. I bought a large M1 and was in the upper end of the scale. It fits well but is on the snug (but not at all uncomfortable) side. If you are right on the line I guess it would be better to go with XL to be safe. I only have the M1 and not the camera version but they are awesome helmets; low profile, warm and quiet. I had a mindwarp before and the cookie and, IMHO, the Cookie is much better. A. ------------------------------------------------ "All men can fly, but sadly, only in one direction"

Thanks for all the advice folks. I think I am just finding the prospect of going to a large DZ on my own a bit daunting. There is nothing in the UK that approaches Eloy in terms of size... ------------------------------------------------ "All men can fly, but sadly, only in one direction"

N/A

I would want to really progress with my free flying focusing on head up. I have not actually booked anything yet as although I am keen to go I have never travelled on my own to a boogie before and have never been to eloy so that is causing a little apprehension. ------------------------------------------------ "All men can fly, but sadly, only in one direction"

Hi, I am considering going to the Arizona easter boogie next month but I would be travelling on my own. I would be coming from England and I don't know of anyone else going out at the same time. I was hoping that anyone who had gone on their own before could share their experiences? I really want to go to get a good 50 or so jumps and an hour or so in the tunnel but don't want to be stuck doing solo's for the week. I have 280 jumps mostly Head up freefly. All advice would be appreciated. Andy ------------------------------------------------ "All men can fly, but sadly, only in one direction"

I have been looking at the new Aviator helmet but have been put off by some unfavourable posts in a thread on DZ. I'd be interested to hear from anyone who has bought one of the new ones and what they think of it. I live in England so once I import it I really do not want to be sending it back across the pond. Thanks in advance. ------------------------------------------------ "All men can fly, but sadly, only in one direction"

LOL yeah a great plane but a sod of a door, still nice and big when you do get it open and you get a nice view if you r sitting down near the open door. ------------------------------------------------ "All men can fly, but sadly, only in one direction"

Where I jump we usually have a Turbo Let 410 in the summer months. The rule with that aircraft is the door has to stay open until 1,500ft. I believe that this is because the door is not all that easy to open - it is hinged and opens inwards like a gate. So if you do crash after take off and the door is closed you would have a hell of a job getting out. I guess my point is that some aircraft may have 'eccentricities' that necessitate having the door open on take off. ------------------------------------------------ "All men can fly, but sadly, only in one direction"

I would agree with 'jumpdr' I trained at Sebastian with FreeFall adventures and so did quite a few of my jumping buddies. I can't praise them enough, the experience was fantastic and the training highly profesional. I had no problems jumping at my local DZ on my return and neither have any of my friends. ------------------------------------------------ "All men can fly, but sadly, only in one direction"

Pretty much what 'Jakee' said. However at my Dropzone I get the impression that you are expected to practice it and show interest in learning it so by the time you do the 'test' it is a formality. ------------------------------------------------ "All men can fly, but sadly, only in one direction"

If you continue your progression on the UK you will have to spot successfully from at least 10,000 ft to gain the JM1 rating. Although I am sure it is possible to almost ‘rubber stamp’ this requirement I would suggest you get a good brief from someone who has been in the sport longer than GPS. Whenever feasible I always ask the person spotting at my DZ if I can stick my head out of the door with them and if they can help me to understand what they are looking for to gauge the spot. I can only talk from the perspective of someone who is learning this skill but to me it seems very similar to packing; everyone will have a different ways of doing it but the fundamentals are the same across the board. I think you will find most people willing to help you learn to spot well. After all one day they may be up the front of the aircraft and you may be spotting for them. ------------------------------------------------ "All men can fly, but sadly, only in one direction"

Thanks for your reply. I am sure there customer service is good but I really wanted to try it on before I buy. ------------------------------------------------ "All men can fly, but sadly, only in one direction"