mikelewis

Hi Sarah, Very well done! I run the Advanced Body Flight school at Netheravon, we can assist you with your next steps following your A Licence. We offer an organic training method that enables you to learn the necessary skills to become a competent formation skydiver and have fun jumping with your friends, with the emphasis on safe skillful skydiving. Website: http://www.autognosis.co.uk Have a look and drop me a note if you want to discuss more. All the very best, Mike

There are a good mix of old/new faces (ages 16 to 70) and skydiving disciplines at Netheravon. Onsite every weekend - Advanced Body Flight FS Coaching, RAW Flight Club for Canopy Coaching, Caroline Hughes Load Organising - its all there! It's a military DZ, civilians very welcome. Just call before you go. As it is a military base, there is a guard room, so check in early to avoid Tandem queues on the weekends. Cessna 208 Grand Caravan, Turbine Islander and Piston Islander online every weekend. With a LET410 one weekend a month, including most Bank Holidays. Teams very welcome in both FS & FF Disciplines, Coaching, Load Organising, good parties, regular visits from World Class Coaches, Team Extreme, PD Factory Team, Deland Majik (All in 2005) and ever improving facilities makes for a very friendly club with a great atmosphere. NEGATIVE REVIEWS ---------------- You will read a few DZ reviews on here that paint Netheravon in a somewhat disparaging or negative light, can I ask you bear a few things in mind... One time only visitors, bleating on about bad weather etc., and using troll names (Profiles without a real identity) are probably malicious and uninformed. Others going on about time-to-mainfest, may have only turned up at 10-11am when the DZ is in full swing (regulars are manifesting at 0830), so you can expect to have a delay... You don't arrive late at a rock concert and then slate the band because they don't restart their set just for you?!? Please take some of what is said with a pinch of salt, if you want someone to show you around and introduce you to the relevent people etc., look me up when you arrive. Cheers, Mike

Careful there... I am sure that you are not doing carving 120 degree turns(risers or toggles) on a BPA DZ without CP Coaching or a CP1 rating?? Are you?? Please be careful! It's one thing to wear a Katana T Shirt, it's another to do something radical close to the ground, without the proper coaching. Even a double front riser straight in can hurt you, you should have seen the guy at Nethers last weekend, Double-front straight in, started the flare, accidently dropped a toggle and hooked in at 30feet... Knocked out, but could have been dead! It's not a high-performance canopy, by any means, but you can still hurt or kill yourself on your Vision 150 mate! If I am wrong, and you have CP1... Didn't know... Well done but still be careful! If you want help with CP2, just let me know, the criteria is 500 logged swoops (not jumps) then 3 consecutive runs over a carving course of 185 feet, through 10 foot entry and exit gates... Cheers, Mike Mike Lewis RAW Flight Club Canopy Handling / Piloting School CH Coach #46

Here's my $0.02 As a preamble... Square/Semi & Elliptical??? Please be aware that most canopies today, that are called square are indeed semi-elliptical to a certain extent. The term elliptical has become a synonym for a fast high-performance canopy.. This is not the case... It is many other characteristics of the wing that make it high performance! OK Now onto your question! Sabre 1: (9 cell) This was not specifically designed as a canopy, let me explain... The original PD170 for example was made of F111 material, then following testing on ZP material and the fact it lasts longer, makes for a more rigid wing etc., the PD-F111 designs were recut in ZP and the SABRE 1 was born. So you have a tried and tested design in F111 that was recut in ZP. Thousands were sold and back in the day, 10 years ago-ish, it was the best entry level 9 cell, ZP Square on the market... Copied by many manufacturers around the world. OPENINGS: There are reports and I have personal experience of erratic openings (neck slammers) on Sabre 1's BUT ... Please also note: Typically the SABRE1 canopies, typically in the 150-170-190-210 are jumped by relatively low experienced jumpers, where packing and body position on pull could be an issue also. (FYI: I have jumped SA190, SA170, SA150, SA135, SA120 & SA107) Bottom line is: SABRE 1 - awesome in it's day, but that was a while ago. and now... SPECTRE: (7 cell) The spectre was specifically designed with ZP material in mind and was also designed for a market where softer openings were important to the owner than fast speeds and radical turns (Although you can kill or seriously injure yourself on ANY Parachute, please remember that!) I have jumped spectres, never owned one, but the overbearing fact in the world today, is generally their owners love them! Spectre owners are typically not swoopers, radical hookturners, etc., they are typically modest canopy pilots that want softer openings and want to fly a well made chute back to the ground in one piece. Spectres are popular with cameraflyers for the openings. (FYI: I have jumped SP170, SP150 & SP135) SURFING: Of course, as with any square, ellipitical or semi-elliptical canopy, get educated, up the wing loading and start a turn at the right height to plane out at the right height above the ground and you will surf it! Although I am very interested to see how far Damion75 can "surf" a SP170?? lol Cheers, Mike Advanced Body Flight Co-ordinator Formation Skydiving Coach # 547 Canopy Handling Coach # 46

Solid crew, really good bunkhouse, wicked aircraft... Totally all round best skydiving experience in the UK. These guys rock!