mik

The prices at my DZ in Russia (Kolomna, near Moscow) have been a lot more than £3.50 since I first started jumping here in 2005 - in that year it was about £10 ($16 a jump - including from an Mi8 hlicopter going to 13.5k ) if you bught a block of 50 jumps plus about £2 ($3) a pack job. I am not sure where you jumped but it sounds as though you had a very good deal. Your point about making it a free holiday is absolutely true.. when I first came to Russia on an organised skydiving trip, the cost of £850 for 50 jumps, flights, accommodation etc was less than the £1000 it would have cost for 50 jumps in the UK at the time. And I did as many as 120 jumps in 2 weeks, packing for myself with one rig, with others doing more than me. It is certainly something that might be worth considering today, if the jump tickets are much cheaper than the UK. (Currently I think around £15 a jump in Kolomna, depending on exchange rates) *********************************************** I'm NOT totally useless... I can be used as a bad example

BBC version http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-15057234 *********************************************** I'm NOT totally useless... I can be used as a bad example

I stand corrected If Canadians, Americans and South Africans believe the Ukraine was part of Russia in the 1930's, then I must be wrong. *********************************************** I'm NOT totally useless... I can be used as a bad example

Good grief. The Russians in the lead by 2 decades or so. Dnepropetovsk is in Ukraine... To the locals, it's a bit like confusing South Africa with Zimbabwe, or the USA with Mexico.. *********************************************** I'm NOT totally useless... I can be used as a bad example

I can't help but wonder why, if the coach really wanted to post something people can learn from (as has been claimed), he posted it on a facebook account instead of sharing it with the wider community on an established skydiving site... like dz.com - perhaps with some commentary that would really help people to understand the situation that led to the skydive. Does not make a lot of sense to me nor does the very defensive attitude by some people in this thread - unless it was to solicit the very positive comments from Facebook friends about how awesome a coach they are - that seems a bit at odds with some of the very experienced posters. I just don't understand it. *********************************************** I'm NOT totally useless... I can be used as a bad example

Easy... I would be extremely happy to recommend renting one at my local DZ in Russia to anyone.. in the words of one of my German skydiving mates with about 400 times your jump numbers "these Russian rigs are extremely well made - just as good (if not better) than any other rig I have seen. And I have probably seen 500,000 jumps in Russia on these rigs with no problems" I would be less happy to think about renting a rig from a DZ that has a proven track record of failing to maintain aircraft but that offers very cheap jumps (they might also be inclined to cut corners while maintaining rigs). So I guess it depends very much on the local DZ and their approach to maintaining and replacing their rental gear. Fortunately for those who want to rent a rig, at my DZ in Russia they take these matters very seriously. *********************************************** I'm NOT totally useless... I can be used as a bad example

*** But, maybe the only difference between me and that 16-year-old Russian kid who went in with no pull on his second jump may just be that I had someone next to me in freefall and he didn't. Who knows? Which incident is this? Do you have a link / more information? Thanks *********************************************** I'm NOT totally useless... I can be used as a bad example

Agree entirely - great post Also, what I find annoying is the "I know stuff but am not posting" plus the condolences that are posted here ... often not addressed by the moderators.... *********************************************** I'm NOT totally useless... I can be used as a bad example

Many, many at my DZ with 10k+ jumps, some close to / over 20k. We have to sign in each jump day and record details of jumps to date, jumps this year, canopy size etc etc. I have been third to sign in before now and previous jumpers (2) have close to 40k jumps between them. But, to the astonishment of many people using this site, there is a world outside the US, I believe. And many of the people who live in that strange world outside the US might not be USPA members. *********************************************** I'm NOT totally useless... I can be used as a bad example

No it doesn't in my opinion,and based on what I have read about this incident. Someone snivelling into another canopy is hardly the same as a canopy collision where two people are flying fully functional canopies. There appears to have been mistakes related to tracking and possibly exist separation. Not the same as "risk under canopy" in my view There are those who believe that low jump numbers correlate well with the risk of death under an open canopy. Yep - The canopy collisions I have seen have involved low jump number people. I have read of others (eg involving someone 'swooping' into other canopies, but from memory this has involved fairly inexperienced jumpers. I have also seen incidents reported on this site resulting from inadequate separation and high jump number people eg recent fatality at Langar, UK. But generally I believe that higher jump numbers equates to better awareness under canopy and therefore less risk of collision). My own belief is that jump numbers are largely unrelated to risk, and that factors such as natural talent, dedication to canopy piloting, mental state (eg. hangover/drugs/tiredness) and ego/cockiness play a much more important role in determining canopy risk. Mad skilz??? *********************************************** I'm NOT totally useless... I can be used as a bad example

*** And yeah, 17 years old is not an infant, but people from other countries have posted videos of four year olds on tandems, so it's just a matter of time before someone takes their baby skydiving. A friend of mine with something like (I think) 5k tandems jumps took their son aged under 3 years in a specially made harness - a few years back and not in the US. He (the son) has jumped several more times since. The same Ti took my son on his first tandem, then aged 6. My son, now aged 13, has done 4 or 5 tandems, mostly in Europe. Not all countries have the "blame" and litigious culture that the US has... *********************************************** I'm NOT totally useless... I can be used as a bad example

At the DZs I choose to jump at, if the plane comes down for weather or any other reason, the jumpers are not charged. I would not choose to jump at a dz that had the policy that yours has. *********************************************** I'm NOT totally useless... I can be used as a bad example

Yep... that would be English contract law, of no relevance whatsoever in the US where the OP lives (per the profile) However, we could also Google "offer and acceptance" to try to understand the implications of a web site (presumably) accepting an offer of a payment following an invitation to treat. When I studied law (a few years ago, admittedly so I have no idea of the lastest case law in England relating to web sites and automated payments) if an offer was made and accepted the contract was formed and if the seller tried to get out of the contract, they could be sued for breach of contract. Of course, if the OP is in the US, this has little relevance to the issue he has. And I still think he was treated harshly. *********************************************** I'm NOT totally useless... I can be used as a bad example

Was the Pilot almost one third of the normal price (as this example suggests) or at such a discount as to be similar to a $30 tv (as another poster suggests)?? If not, I am with the original poster on this one - I would be pretty annoyed if a company that presumably has professional web staff and proactively offers goods for sale over the internet would not honour a price quoted. From a customer service perspective, if they had honoured the price I bet the OP would be a great ambassader for the company for years to come. As it is, I understand his frustration and in his position I would probably also consider taking my custom elsewhere. And telling everyone why and warning them not to trust the site. But it seems the OP and I are in the minority *********************************************** I'm NOT totally useless... I can be used as a bad example

I would suggest that the speed with which this event happened did not allow much time for flailing, panic or anything else. As mentioned previously, I reckon a max of 1-2 seconds from the initial canopy collapse to impact. *********************************************** I'm NOT totally useless... I can be used as a bad example

Yes I was a direct eye witness. A friend sitting next to me took the photos. It was absolutely a straight-in approach with no turns whatsoever. FWIW I heard, although did not see, that at about the same time a swooper was in deep brakes at about 1000 feet and also had a collapsed canopy. The story I was told was that it reinflated at a couple of hundred feet. It was a very turbulent on that day. *********************************************** I'm NOT totally useless... I can be used as a bad example

He was flying straight in to land with no turns for at least the last 500 feet (my guess). This was a canopy that was flying straight and nothing appeared wrong until the collapse, followed by the impact very quickly afterwards. *********************************************** I'm NOT totally useless... I can be used as a bad example

This sequesnce of pictures was taken at my home DZ in Russia about a month ago. Lots of turbulance at 3000 feet and below, to the extent that me and lots of others stopped jumping. At the time of this incident, A and B licence holders were grounded. Guys I know with 15,000 + jumps had already grounded themselves. The picture sequence shows someone with something like 700 - 800 jumps with a main of something like a 150 coming in for a landing - straight in approach, no turns etc. Before the first photo, the canopy twisted in half and then pitched down. My russian is far from perfect but I understand the jumper suffered a broken neck, open fracture of elbow and femur, foot smashed and lost a litre or so of blood on the ground (according to the 2 doctors who are always on site) Just before the incident, low jump number jumpers were arguing with dz control that they were happy with the conditions and did not believe they should be grounded *********************************************** I'm NOT totally useless... I can be used as a bad example

And where this happened, the jumper went to one DZ and he was turned away from the DZ because of his inexperience, by a highly experienced and talented WS instructor (well done Chuck). So this particular person went to a DZ nearby, I suspect convinced them of his mad skilz and forgot to put on his leg straps. And guess what - the person had too few jumps per the recommendations (as far as I recall).. So what message would you take from this??? *********************************************** I'm NOT totally useless... I can be used as a bad example

I have doubts of the value of dumping at such heights for the purpose of canopy drills (of course fine if you just want to enjoy the views). I try to do a canopy course most years and most people on the courses struggle to finish all the exercises (designed to fly the canopy to it's limits) when we do hop and pops from 5-6k, the reason being that it can be very, very tiring. *********************************************** I'm NOT totally useless... I can be used as a bad example

Helicopters 12 pounds to 13,000 feet (20 jumpers) in Kolomna, Russia ((( Dunkeswell - 65 quid to 5 grand !!! Interesting - but I wont be going *********************************************** I'm NOT totally useless... I can be used as a bad example

I've jumped at 2 places (and flown gliders at one of them) where a DZ and gliderport share the same airport (Hinckley and Elsinore). Doesn't seem to be a problem. The last time I jumped at a DZ in the UK (at a DZ that shares the airport with a gliding school), a glider flew up the jump run as people were opening. Several people - including me - found themselves a lot closer to the glider than they would wish in freefall /tracking - especially at a DZ where there was a double fatality a few years back when a jumper hit a glider in freefall (attributed to the glider being in the wrong place). On this occasion, it was thought that the glider came from one of the other schools in the area - the glider pilots sharing the DZ are reported to be very good at keeping out of the way. As far as I know, efforts to trace the pilot failed. *********************************************** I'm NOT totally useless... I can be used as a bad example

In the USA, sure. But most smaller countries, especially those without the resources, have little choice but to put everyone on the same aircraft. A country like Poland might not have the resources of the US of A but I suspect that chartering a second plane might not have caused a major budget decifit!! Like a previous poster, I have worked in organisations that recognise the risks in having more than 3-4 senior people on one plane - and insist that if more than that number have to travel, then they should use separate planes. And these companies did not have the resources that Poland has. An article in the Financial Times today reported that on a previous occasion the President of Poland had ordered a pilot to land a plane when the pilot was not happy. According to this article the pilot refused (after effectively being called a coward by the president) but was subsequently awarded a medal for this action. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/be1dabfa-4642-11df-8769-00144feab49a.html *********************************************** I'm NOT totally useless... I can be used as a bad example

I agree they should be a choice but your 30+ years of experience is very different to mine. Last year I saw an AAD save on an A or B licence jumper. And I know people on a 4 way (plus camera) that went very low and 3/4 had aad fires (either last year or the year before). I have seen only one 2 out (student in Mexico), which did result in injuries. Just saying.. *********************************************** I'm NOT totally useless... I can be used as a bad example

Quote I think it's a case to show how much care needs to be taken when giving new powers to the Police, because if they have it, they will use it.Quote Yep PC Shiny Buttons from Scotland is making sure the UK's dangerous driving and anti-litter laws are applied.. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1246662/Stunned-driver-fined-blowing-nose-Michael-Mancini-faces-trial.html So if any visitors were thinking of dropping money, laughing when driving, blowing their nose when effecitvely parked, or eating in their car, they had better take lots of spare cash to pay fines. *********************************************** I'm NOT totally useless... I can be used as a bad example