Spartacus

I recently ordered this helmet. Upon arrival I immediately sold it based on the fact that it is no more than a flimsy plastic shell with a comfort liner. This thing will provide little to no protection in the event of a collision with another skydiver or a fixed object. As a mechanical engineer, I can tell you that this thing has absolutely no energy absorption capability whatsoever. All it will do for you is minimize wind noise and provide a place to internally mount your audible altimeter.

I have made about 70 jumps with my Ion, and I love it. It's comfortable and provides excellent protection. My friend recently chose the same helmet based on my experience. It's made from Kevlar, demonstrating its design intent of providing protection as well as other skydiving functions. I have the top camera mount, and the strap is easily cinched down and tucked into the rubber band for jumping without the camera. The only trouble I've had with it is that the top camera mount allows my camcorder to rotate slightly if bumped in the airplane, which screws up the alignment. I've had to augment the hardware a bit to prevent any camera rotation.

I put about 50 jumps on my PD 9 cell. It is very easy to pack, which is nice for a newbie like me. Allowed me to focus on things like lines and flaking the canopy. I moved on to zero-p because I got tired of fighting my way back to the dropzone on windy days and watching other people fly away from me with their superior glide ratios. All said, though, it always opened nicely and never gave me any trouble.

The Farringtons are a great family, and they are super safety conscious. They have a great safety day in the spring, and as another review pointed out, Jessie will have words for you if YOU are not making safety a priority. They've got an Otter, and they host advanced training. They also host great events at the end of the day. The views during jumps at KAS are spectacular. Their legal issues are unfortunate, and their location on Meridian avenue in Puyallup makes things a pain in the butt.

I had quite a different experience from the other reviewers. Blossom was very friendly and helpful. They are a bit of a Tandem factory, but they aren't really hiding that, either. However, they did send up a less than full Caravan for fun jumpers (me included!) and I didn't feel any bad vibes at all. I was only visiting and rented their gear. They could have totally blown me off, but they didn't. I look forward to jumping with them again next summer. Thanks!

Less than impressed with the DZ where we did our tandems, my friend and I switched to CPI. We are so glad we did. We did our AFF at CPI, and the instruction and safety awareness were top notch. We have both moved out west, and we have never found another DZ like CPI. I second the other reviews for having a lot of people, lots of different things going on, but a small DZ feeling. They know who you are, they care about you, and they have your back. They bent over backwards for us as students.