maverick3n1

Thanks for all of the great info! Other than age being a factor when it comes to some possible service bulletins, does it play any other vital roles? Are rigs like cars, in the concept that there are some cars that are 20 years old that if maintained properly, are better/more reliable and dependable than some of the newer cars today? Or has technology changed so much that a 20 year rig would be pointless to look at? If it only had 70 jumps on it, could I expect it to be fine, or has the design and reliability changed so much between then and now that the rig would be too outdated to be worth spending money on for current use? Also, how does the price scale look at the moment. Has the hobby dropped dramatically in price for gear, or is it still fairly similar to 10 years ago? When I got into flying remote control Helicopters about 6-8 years ago, my first bird cost me approx $3,000. Now I could get an equivalence to that (a top end bird that size) for around a 3rd of that price. I know Skydiving has been around a long time, but so has R/C airplanes/helicopters. It just wasn't as popular when I got into it then vs now. Are prices fairly stable now a days on average equipment, or are prices falling, and 2 years from now, I may find gear half the price it is now due to a larger demand, and thus a step up in mass production, reducing prices? Should I expect to buy my used gear now for $3,000, and only a year later, suddenly find that new gear is now selling for $3000 for a kit and I have to sell mine for $1500 to compete? Obviously nobody can tell the future, but those who have been in the hobby for a while have at least seen the trends and can get an idea of what the trends seem to be. Are prices fairly leveled out now?

I'm considering getting into skydiving as a hobby. I've done the first step in the AFF training course and loved it. I tend to have the "go all of the way or not at all" attitude however when I jump into things, so using that mindset, I like to know what I'm getting into. My thought if I get into this, is to buy a used rig immediately following completion of the AFF course. From my understanding, I can get a used rig for somewhere in the ballpark of $2000. Then as I need to upgrade to a smaller rig, I turn around and sell the rig for close to what I bought it for, and upgrade. This would save me the rental fee on every jump, and sounds like it'd make it a bit more cost effective. What I don't know however is what is involved in maintenance on your own rig. Other than having to repack your reserve every 6 months, what other maintenance things typically come up? How often do you need to replace other parts typically (assuming you take care of your gear and aren't dragging it on the ground etc..)? What does that maintenance typically cost? Any help would be appreciated =)