lowie

I'll be amazed if you can hang out for 2 months before you jump again - you'll be gagging for it. I struggle to jump in winter but find that up to end of November is ok - it's Dec - Mar that are the really tough months. Jump heaps in November and then do a couple of jumps a month until it warms up.

Brings back less than flond memories. Keep going it does get easy.

Packing new canopies is a bitch. I've got 50 pack jobs on my new ZP and it is still hard to bag. Anyway here is what I do hope it helps. While I'm still lying on it, I get the nose all rolled in under the attachement point for the bag tight enough to get it all in one hand. I then make the top S fold (I dont s fold the tail firstt) while still holding the nose tightly rolled with one hand and then apply some light pressure down on fold to hold it together. Using my free hand I start working the bag over the fold. If it's too wide for the bag I may have to put one corner in and roll the other corner a bit to work it in to the bag. I keep working the canopy into the bag until it is into all corners and then rotate bag upand place between my knees. I tidy the original S fold up (using both hands) and then S fold the tail into the bag. Hopefully I have a reasonably tidy package that I can get the first stow on. Once the first stow is on I tidy it up a bit more if necessary and then carry on stowing the lines. Not sure if I've got all the steps in on this. First 10 pack jobs were the hardest - after that I kind of put together something that worked from all the advice given to me by other people at the DZ and it got easier.

Hi I'm going to be heading off travelling for approx 6 months and need to store all my worldly possessions. My main worry is storing my rig. Has anyone else put a rig into storage for that amount of time? If so did you have any problems and what did you do to protect it. I'm living in the UK if that will make a difference. Thanks for any suggestions. cheers

Ooops I meant all stowed etc 700ft after pitching.

I have a Sabre 2 170 and load it about the same as you. I also have a lot less jumps than you so this is just me saying what my experience has been. I was first taught to push the nose into the centre of the pack job. THis gave me 1000ft snivells and at less than 40 jumps I found it pretty freaky. I then got told just to drop the nose instead of pushing it in it into the pack job and the excessive snivells stopped. As soon as I'm stood upright I grab and spread the rear risers then pull them down to get the slider to drop and end cells to open. Now I'm normally all open slider collapsed etc by 700ft.

The only thing I noticed with wearing booties for the first time was the difference they made tracking.

Hmm at 52 jumps and 2 years in the sport I'm surprised you dont know this already. Have you just recently arrived in the UK after training/living somewhere else?

I think when you take up a sport like skydiving you have to accept that there is a reasonable chance that you could be seriously injured or killed - even if you have done everything right. Shit happens and when it does divers are very lucky if escape unharmed. Well IMHO anyway.

Or even take one wrap try to stall (hold for a few seconds) release then take another wrap and repeat. If you have only just taken enough to stall the canopy then your hands up position will be still close to giving full flight. I've never had any problem getting rid of wraps wither skydiving or paragliding - in fact its more a case of the opposite - too easy to lose them when you least want to.

PM sent

My ZP is still slippery after 40 jumps but it's alot less slippery than when it was brand new.

Could also be the metropolitan line as that runs between algate and liverpool steet as well.

Heres my experience (which is pretty limited). I have a sabre 2 170 which I have been jumping since jump # 35 (wingloading 1:1.05). I also learnt to pack it from day one when it was a brand new ZP. After playing around with the packing and progressing a bit I now have pretty much on heading openings and if it does look like turning I just get on to the rear risers and control the direction. Very rarely get line twists now. THe only opening I didnt have end cell closures on was a slammer. I've heard that end cell closures happen on sabres unless the wing loading is around 1:1.3. A good pump with the rear risers or brakes sorts my cells out and it's ready to fly. Funny enough my subterminal openings have been perfect - so smooth it could be nothing out, on heading and end cells wide open.

I can put up a couple of people in Hammersmith if it's any help. Mike

The Londonskydivers group is disturbingly quiet today - but could be because everyone has left work and are trying to get home. mike

Interesting tip Darren. Not sure I'd be able to cough for that long but would have to be worth a try.

If you can get your A done before you go back it'll really help. If not then atleast try and get 10 solos post AFF (know as consolidation jumps in the UK) and get converted to a throwaway pilot chute if your not using one already. This will then cover most of the requirements for a Uk A license. And have your log book signed off ready to go. UK DZ's are not very interested in finishing the training jumpers who have done their AFF elsewhere so be prepared for a bit of static. If you read the posts here you'll find plenty of disgruntled jumpers. I seemed to be pretty lucky by the sounds of it. If you have your own kit and an A then your sorted. If the worst comes to the worst and you cant get sorted out in the UK head down to Spain for long weekend to say Lilo and you should be done. Note that rigs are generally way cheaper price in the USA as they are in the UK so try and get something decent before you go. Hard to say much more without knowing where you will return to. Hope this is some help.

You may have been in the core of a very big thermal. The thermal core could be only a few metres across - say 10 to 20m and may look like a large dusty. The thermal itself at altitude would be massive. This ties up with all the activity you say on the ground with regards to wind directions. Paragliders can get up to 8 to 10m/s climbs in a strong thermal so I'd have thought a skydive canopy could atleast get 6ms so if you were in it for 20secs you could have climbed 1000ft. In a paraglider I've managed to thermal to 3500m (11,500ft approx)

I dont know about that. Watching someone new trying to bag their 1st brand new ZP canopy does hit my sympathy button. On the other hand watching an experienced jumper trying to bag a brand new zp for the first time is bloody funny.

Dont quote me on the UK rules but it seems here as though if you can spot (ie a hole in the cloud at the right moment) you can go and if you fall through cloud so be it. Note that if this wasnt the case we'd be lucky to get more than a dozen jumping days a year.

Stop trying to talk while you jump caz! Surely you can save it till you get on the ground. Have fun in Spain - I guess your not going to be at the next London skydivers drinks then. cheers Mike

Looked pretty dodgey to me. Were you hanging from your rig by one arm at the time? Cool that no-one was hurt.

In almost every tandem vid I have seen there is about a 10sec delay after exit before the ear to ear grin breaks out.

Hey Tim PM sent Mike