skyflybabe

Anyone want to put a team together for this? Requirements: 1) Must be stable/competent in the tunnel!! 2) Must practise before April! Contact me if interested!

for the 4 way, will competitors have to choose their own team and...will there be junior/intermediate/senior categories or just one category?

all good fun! Same time, same place this year?

Had a blast, did loads of flying, my muscles have only just recovered! Awesome fireworks! Too much champagne....! Hopefully everyone has forgotten any drunken embarrassing moments! Definitely an awesome party!

I have been to Skydive DeLand 3 times now, for a week or two each time. Two of my trips were for team training which we couldn't have asked for better coaching, quicker turn-arounds etc as it was great, at the end of each day, I had forgotten how many jumps I had done :o) The staff and coaches were fantastic and it is by far the most professional DZ I have ever been to. On my other trip there I was doing some coaching jumps with Majik (those guys rock!), I also did some canopy coaching with Scott MIller (awesome). The only downside was that once I had done all that, I couldn't find anyone to jump with as most people had their own thing going on, so for people just wanting a holiday with some fun jumping, I would perhaps be inclined to recommend Skydive Sebastian or Lake Wales as a fun friendly place with a relaxed atmosphere etc. But for any type of coaching or training, then Skydive Deland is perfect. I am sure to be back there again soon!

When I first arrived at Lake Wales, it reminded me of my DZ back home, only on a larger scale! The people were very inviting and friendly. We got ready for our first jump there and found a big smiley face painted on the floor...they said that if we stood on that we would be load organised. I thought this was great! So we met some great people, did some fun jumps with them and generally had a very pleasant time. I think this place is great if you like a relaxed environment and are just on a fun jumping holiday. I am not sure how it would be for team training camps etc as I haven't done that at Lake Wales. Also there didn't seem to be much to do away from the DZ, but I was only there for a couple of nights. I would definitely like to visit again.

I had my first cutaway last week (2nd reserve ride but last time it was a complete total...another story!). This time the canopy came out a bit wishy-washy and when it inflated it started turning and was getting faster etc so I carried out my reserve drills. I remembered to 'peel' the cutaway pad before pulling it and I must say that both handles were very easy for me to pull. I think it would have been very hard to pull the cutaway pad without peeling it first, but I remembered a friend of mine having a problem before due to not peeling it, so luckily I stuck to the drills they drum into us as students! Then whilst under my reserve (which was perfect - a decelerator 120) I was trying to think of what might have caused the problem with the rotating main (which incidently looked ok!)...then it suddenly dawned on me...it must have been a brake fire!(When I recovered the canopy, this appeared to be what had happened) Now I felt a bit of an idiot for not taking my brakes off and finding out if I could control it first! Although everyone said I had done the right thing, if I had spent a couple seconds (I opened at 3K on a fun hop and pop lift) doing the 'control checks' that we learn - can you control it? Can you land it? then I might have avoided an unnecessary cutaway. It goes to show that even with over 1000 jumps under my belt, we sometimes forget the basics...still all was ok and I am here to tell the tale!

I found that while doing centre point turns I was slightly 'de-arching' when using knees but just remembering to 'arch' the hips now when turning seems to keep my fall rate the same...it is great to learn in the tunnel and very quick to break bad habits too. If you are just turning with your arms, then you are not turning around the 'centre point' of your body, this is why they teach you to use legs/knees as well...

I have done my last 550 to 600 jumps on a spectre 120. I load it about 1.2 to 1.3. I once tried a sabre 2 135 when a demo canopy was available and really liked it. The landing was far softer than those I get with my spectre. I do really like my spectre but fancy a change perhaps! I was thinking of going for a sabre 2 of the same size as I don't really want any faster landings than I already have, but I was told that if I am loading the canopy a little bit more then it doesn't necessarily mean it will fly faster, but I should get more flare power out of and therefore softer landings! Maybe a 107 would be better? I have just over 1000 jumps now. Any suggestions? I would also like to know if there are any ways of getting softer landings out of my spectre without having to do low riser turns as I prefer a straight in 'safer' approach!

I have a new suit with cordura mega booties and although they are the same size as my previous mega booties, the cordura feels different, like it flaps about!! I think it will take a little more time to get used to them!

Sebastian XL Skills Camp at Hinton Skydiving Centre (UK) 15th to 20th July 2002 2/3/4 way skills coaching Come and learn with the British Champions Only £50 coaching fee Normal £16 jump prices Contact 01295 812300 or [email protected] for further info.

Sebastian XL Skills Camp at Hinton Skydiving Centre (UK) 15th to 20th July 2002 2/3/4 way skills coaching Come and learn with the British Champions Only £50 coaching fee Normal £16 jump prices Contact 01295 812300 or [email protected] for further info.

Can anyone help with suggestions of how to fly on the hill more effectively. We are trying as a 4way team to make more use of the 1st 10 to 15 seconds out the door, it seems to take much longer for us to build the 2nd and 3rd points on the hill than when we are at terminal. On average we spend 10 to 15 seconds building the second point. Any suggestions on how to speed this up?!

That's great! Thank you for your input...will try some of these things and I'm sure I'll get there eventually!!

Occasionally I get to do solo jumps when there is nobody around to jump with! I decided to use these opportunities to practice the mantis position (we learnt this in the skyventure wind tunnel). Can anyone offer advice on what to practice, other than turns, when flying solo! Also when doing 4 way with my team, I forget to fly in this position as I have spent so many years in the traditional 'box' and need to remember to do the mantis instead, any ideas on how to do this while still focusing on the skydive? Any good ways to practice on the ground??