timeslikethese

Hi buddy, Axa Austria is your best bet. They provide 3 party liability and evacuation cover to anyone resident in the EU worldwide except for the USA, not sure about residents of countries outside the EU. http://www.flugschulen.at/axa/english/index.html Blue Skies

Listening to it now, keep it going for another 100. On the questions of gear checks, in Ireland we are required to get a gear check from another licensed skydiver before boarding the plane. It is not a question of abdicating responsibility, its more a case of two eyes are better than one and that you might miss something especially if you are rushing. Its strange jumping in the US to not see it going on, it actually seems quite blasé at times :) Have seen a check catch quite a few things in the last few years. It is the jumpers ultimate responsibility to gear themselves up and check themselves properly, once they are fully licensed or off student status. Cheers, Tommy

Great, that's a few hours sorted tomorrow :)

I fly a Pilot 140 loaded at about 1.3 - 1.4. It is a great all round canopy that allows for both conservative and fairly aggressive flying. It always opens softly even after a 'thrash pack' and invariably on heading. It is great for getting back from long spots and is good to fly on the rears. I haven't went wingsuiting with it, but a couple of my mates have Pilots for wingsuiting, albeit a bit bigger canopies and think it is great. It has a great flare but needs to be flown down to the ground. All in all, I think it is the best all round canopy currently available.

Great show guys, keep the banter up, makes it what it is, great stuff on Winter Gear maintenance. Funny to hear Rocket crying the backround, glad to see you are putting her to packing work early!

I jumped a Sabre 1 150 for about 100 jumps before down sizing to a Pilot 140. The Pilot is by far the better canopy. It will get you back from long spots, is a lot of fun to fly and can dig you out of trouble. The Sabre 1 is not a bad canopy, however the openings leave a lot to be desired and will leave you off heading a lot. The Pilot invariably opens at medium speed but always softly and on heading even if your pack job is less than neat. The flare on the Pilot is far more powerful, which means you have to fly the Pilot to the ground, whereas the flare on the Sabre has a much narrower range and requires a far quicker motion. I'd never go back to the Sabre 1 after jumping the Pilot.

Hey, I installed a cutaway on my G3. It involved removing the small strap and installing a spring mounted pin with a teflon cable. It is quite neat, it works and is fairly easy to put in. I can post a few pics if anyone is interested.

Pretty easy to avoid, just pop your reserve when it is due a repack and pull it out of the free bag. Also a great opportunity to practice your reserve drill!

I just got a brand new V309 a few months ago. Although I have never jumped a Wings I can say without a doubt, having done a lot of research, that the Micron is a better rig. As regards comfort the spacer foam makes a lot of difference and I'd definitely recommend it. On balance I think a increases my chances of surviving if things go badly. One of my favourite parts of the rig is the UPT tuck tab semi-stowless bag, which is great to pack and gives consistently soft on heading openings every time. The only big downside of a Vector is the 6-9 months wait. Overall I am 100% satisfied with my new Micron and wouldn't be trading it for any other rig.

After jumping a teardrop as my first (second hand rig) I decided to take the plunge and buy a new container (at 200 + jumps) I researched practically all rigs available on the market. I originally was going to for a Vector because from talking to riggers and other jumpers, the general consensus was that it is the best rig available bar none. I also strongly considered the Icon, Infinity and the Basik Advance 7. Infinity and Basik's customer service is excellent. Icon not so much so, saying that that I have a Pilot 140/Smart 135 in my rig, which are great canopies. The main factor that swung me in spite of the 22 week wait (which is now gone to 37 weeks) is because the Vector was the only rig that would take the Pilot 140 as a top size and allow me the flexibility to downsize in the future. All other rigs were sized for 135-150. As for the rig itself it looks amazing and the build quality is second to none. I took the spacer foam options, which make the rig very comfortable, it would feel pretty solid without it. The magnetic riser covers are a great option. Pin protection is superb. I also took UPT's semi-stowless bag option, which uses tabs instead of magnets. Its exceptionally easy to pack and had made for great openings so far. The Micron is a brilliant rig that will stand the test of time the only down side is the long waiting times. Finally, I ordered it through Chuting Star, who provided great back up guidance and advice.

Cheers Terry, I know Mirage have approved them and other approvals are pending apparently.

Just thought if anyone is interested in a trip to the Emerald Isle, the Irish 4-Way Nationals are on September 8th & 9th at the Irish Parachute Club with visiting teams very welcome! It was the biggest Irish 4-Way nationals in history last year and it would be great to see it even bigger this year. Of course the legendary fun and craic is guaranteed!

Has anyone bought one of the new MarS M2 AAD's? Thinking about replacing my soon to be expired Cypres with one. It is available for a good price and they have a long track record of making military AAD's, one of which actually saved someone at my DZ a few years ago. http://www.marsjev.cz/products/n-1.htm?lang=en

Hey, just wondering if anyone owns or jumps an Advance 7 container by Basik of France. Looks like a fantastic container and am thinking of buying one but would like to hear some first hand feedback first. Thanks http://www.basik.fr/en/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=shop.flypage&product_id=189&category_id=6&manufacturer_id=0&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=28&vmcchk=1

Have around 20 jumps put on my new Pilot 140 which I am loading at around 1.35. The Pilot is my first brand new canopy and my second after 100 + jumps on a Sabre 1 150. After owning a Sabre, the great openings on a Pilot took a while to get used to especially on hop and pops, but it's great now knowing that my neck is not going to creek on every second jump. The Pilot is responsive but with great recovery even after last minute turns. The flare is great. The only slightly negative experience I had was after ordering a stock canopy, it turned out that after I enquired close to the delivery date to make sure all was on target, that Aerodyne had "a problem with red" and that my canopy would not be ready on time. In fairness to Aerodyne they offered me the only other 140 they had in stock in Aerodyne colours which was meant to be used for demos and through in a spare line set as compensation. The alternative canopy came with HMA lines, which means I probably won't need to change the lines for a long time. All in all I think the Pilot is a brilliant canopy.

The Sabre 150 was the canopy that came with my first rig. I was loading at 1.0 to start with and about 1.2 recently when loading up on weights for 4-way. The Sabre had plenty of jumps on it before I got hold of it and it is now nearing the end of its life after me putting another 100 jumps on it since last February. The Sabre is great canopy once it is opened and the opening doesn't knock you out. I've had a couple of horrific openings one in which my knees nearly hit my head and one that cut and bruised my arms. I then got a pocket added to the slider, which made the openings bareable. All are very firm, which I actually have become used to. I recently had a high speed mal and the opening of my reserve at terminal velocity did not feel that much harder than a normal opening of my Sabre! Secondly, invariably openings are off heading. I have tried lots of different packing techniques but none sort out this problem consistently. When it is open, it feels solid,has a great glide and is very predictable. Even at my low wing loading I was able to get good input from the fronts and rears. Landing can be a bit hairy due to the lack of flare, but that's mainly due to its age. All in all it was a nice canopy to start with, after I got used to the openings, I'm now moving to a Pilot to try and give my back and neck a break.

Just returned from my first visit to an overseas dropzone and am nearly afraid to go anywhere else the experience was so good. There is a great relaxed vibe around skydive city with a focus on fun jumping, great organisers and skydivers who have been in sport for years. Also great coaching and training available. The food and bar is great and Orlando and Delande are only up the road. The new swoop pond is immense. I'd thoroughly recommend it and will be back when I get the chance.

Recently finished my AFF. I did my first jumps in New Zealand and immediately felt at home in the IPC. The majority of the skydivers are really friendly and will chat to you for ages and offer great advice. Most of the AFF Instructors are really experienced, patient and constructive and interested in getting you jumping on your own rather than just a paycheck. I'd really recommend the IPC and am looking forward to getting lots more jumps in over the next few years.