damion75

You will probably get a lot of 'do a search' answers to this as taking rigs on flights is a hot topic! Personally I have always put my gear in cargo in a solid bag padded around with other stuff and I have never had a problem, although there is always that moment when your bag is the last to come out and you worry your holiday is off to a bad start! Other friends have carried it on as hand luggage, mainly in bags although one guy took it on a budget flight just as is, which was some good comedy. Insurance is always a good idea! Enjoy...

Almost true... that is the figure quoted in the BPA ops manual for standard parachuting operations. The main reason for this is the sheer number of other airspace users in the limited UK airspace rather than safety. If the DZ applies for (and gets) a NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) to warn off other airspace users, then that area can be extended by a specified distance and for a specified time (say up to 10 miles for a 2hr window) Gosh I hope some DZ does that on some fine evening this summer... *************** Not one shred of evidence supports the theory that life is serious - look at the platypus.

Of course in every aspect of life there are also those who are ahead of the curve, and those who think that they are ahead of the curve. Sometimes, those who just think they are ahead will have friends who agree with them because they are more experienced than those friends and act cool. But that still doesn't make them actually ahead of the curve. Of course in skydiving, everyone is ahead of the curve because we are all naturals... and of course in skydiving, thinking that you are better than you are can be terminal. *************** Not one shred of evidence supports the theory that life is serious - look at the platypus.

Hmmm. Perhaps we can give a more helpful reply? I like to work on the 'there's no such thing as a stupid question' principle and maybe a considered answer might help Yossarian understand why it is not a good idea - and it is not a good idea unfortunately! The mal/snag/entangelment issues are a possibility on a camera jump, which more experience will teach the camera flier to try and deal with. The risk of getting focused on filming rather than flying is a certainty on every camera jump - even one which goes entirely according to plan. This means risking losing alti-awareness, losing awareness of other freefallers (and canopies since the temptation to film a friend under canopy will also rear it's head!) and generally forgetting some key safety/ life saving principles. This is not an insignificant risk and applies just as much to someone with a bullet cam or the latest gucci enclosed 'snag free' design as someone with a big flat top. The difference is that the experienced cameraflier can maintain concentration on the angle, shot etc without losing touch with everything else that is going on. Someone still learning to fly their body - and sorry, but yes I do mean you (and me, and most of us to some degree) cannot deal with all these things at the same time. 200 jumps is not that far away, but I would recommend really honing your skills before you look for that camera - there is so much other fun to be had. Besides, if you are wearing the camera helmet, you won't be in the shot! And I do like being on the video... *************** Not one shred of evidence supports the theory that life is serious - look at the platypus.

Agreed. Unfortunately so much of the intelligent theory that has been worked out for this sport is ignored in practice. I think 95% of jumpers (there are always the DGITs out there) would agree that this is definitely the way forward. Sadly only about 30% of them would actually do this... *************** Not one shred of evidence supports the theory that life is serious - look at the platypus.

Surely a broken kill line would not cause a PC in Tow in itself? The PC would not uncock as the canopy opens since the kill line would not pull the apex of the PC back in, so it would act like a non-collapsible PC but that is all. Or is there something I am missing? Out of trim kill line is quite a different kettle of fish and I fully agree with you on that one, if the kill line has shortened. *************** Not one shred of evidence supports the theory that life is serious - look at the platypus.

Netheravon is an option (and a decent one - my home DZ!) but since you have the military angle, I would hook up with a trip over to the US with one of the teams (which Regt?) since the cost is about the same, you get a trip to the US and you are more likely to get AFF completed quickly... PM me if you want to explore that option. *************** Not one shred of evidence supports the theory that life is serious - look at the platypus.

That is a bit more than I was thinking! Bear in mind that 20 mins will cost you about £210! Thats over £800/month... *************** Not one shred of evidence supports the theory that life is serious - look at the platypus.

One common problem with the outfacing flier stems from the creeping bit prior to the dive - there is a tendency when facing out for the flier to lift shoulder and twist the spine to see more of what is going on in the centre or keep eye contact. This results in a false picture from the dirt dive of what the outfacer will be able to see and you need to train this tendency out. Accept that from some outfacing slots (like the Yuan and M Flake) your point fliers vision will be limited and you will get a much better shaped formation. Blue skies! *************** Not one shred of evidence supports the theory that life is serious - look at the platypus.

Hard spin sounds pretty extreme for a spectre loaded like that. I don't remember any end-cell closure on my spectre, but I get it almost every time on my Heatwave (9-cell fully eliptical loaded at 1.52) and that causes only a slight turn which I can hold on my legs while I deal with the slider. Perhaps this was a symptom of something else? Like a lineover which cured itself? *************** Not one shred of evidence supports the theory that life is serious - look at the platypus.

Perspective is an interesting thing - according to PD, the Spectre is more 'turnier up high' than the Sabre2! That said, I had a Spectre for my first canopy and it was a great canopy to learn on! Enjoy... *************** Not one shred of evidence supports the theory that life is serious - look at the platypus.

I am surprised that you found the toggles difficult to work with - that surely should not be the case. Perhaps a lack of upper body strength? If that is the case then I would also be concerned about your ability to deploy your reserve manually. In the UK students have to prove themselves capable of a 30lb pull force in the direction of pull required for manual reserve deployment - this may well be worth checking for you? For your own safety! *************** Not one shred of evidence supports the theory that life is serious - look at the platypus.

Sure you can do it without tunnel time, but the tunnel is a great training tool which excels at letting the instructor work on your body position so I say that if you can get the money together then go for it, but no more than 30 mins as the other guy said. Probably just 15-20 or so. On another note, I have just finished a 2 year stint working with the TA, and one of my team is actually a TA officer and working skydiving (weekends) around TA (weekends) and significant others (weekends?) is a nightmare! good luck and see you in the sky soon... *************** Not one shred of evidence supports the theory that life is serious - look at the platypus.

Actually it sounds like it was caught oretty late in Spain! Almost last chance... I agree that not everything that the BPA puts in place is necessary, but the flightline checks seem like a no-brainer to me. No they don't always get done perfectly and sometimes people do treat them as a formailty, but that can normally be sorted with a quick word. When done properly they can save embarrasment, mals and even lives. Having a formal JM also seems pretty sensible to me. As Mk2mg1 says, there is a lot of talk on here about separation and jump order, and very little of it seems to be put into practice in the US, particularly on boogies and so forth when most people don't know each other and are too shy to discuss it! Why leave these things to chance? *************** Not one shred of evidence supports the theory that life is serious - look at the platypus.

As in the US, the instructor will want to see your eyes. Beyond that, I would be very surprised if any DZ will let students jump their own helmets until they are qualified (and not students therefore!) Most DZs use the pro-tec and it is probably the best helmet for the purpose, I would go with that until after your A Licence. Then it is a case of running your helmet choice past the CCI and some experienced jumpers. Ski helmets do get used, but normally modified to remove the clip on the back which could catch on stuff. I would also strongly recommend against the use of Ski goggles: they are not shaped to accept the wind from below, they are designed to get blown at from in front and I suspect that they would not stay on long. With the strap over the helmet the chances of them staying on are also pretty limited. there are some great (and inexpensive) skydiving goggle designs out there, I am sure you can find one you like! Enjoy!! Frank. *************** Not one shred of evidence supports the theory that life is serious - look at the platypus.

Do you really mean that? Or is it a Freudian slip?!! Well I guess it would be one way to hang on but it seems a little painful to me... *************** Not one shred of evidence supports the theory that life is serious - look at the platypus.

Whereabouts are you planning on jumping? I bet there is someone from that DZ on here who can tell you exactly what will be needed... and maybe let you buy them a beer for it when you get there! *************** Not one shred of evidence supports the theory that life is serious - look at the platypus.

I'm not sure I agree - I think that going through experiences like this ARE team building in the corporate sense - which I do not think is the same thing as building a sports team (of whatever kind) especially if you are working with a group who are a team already (corporate I guess in this case). I (used to!) participate / instruct in a variety of activities from mountaineering to sailing, many of which are also about individual accomplishment in adverse circumstances. In most of these situations, a completely diverse group comes together to support each other emotionally as much as anything else, and the achievement of the individual becomes the achievement of the team, even though they have done little or nothing to really make that achievement happen. You must have seen SL students on the ground waiting to jump watching someone from their training syndicate land and getting really pleased for them? That suggests some mentality of group ownership of individual success has taken place, which I would call team building. I hope that rambling nonsense made sense! By the way, Hi Dolph! Hope all is well over there and maybe see you at Empuria next Xmas!! *************** Not one shred of evidence supports the theory that life is serious - look at the platypus.

A semi-eliptical canopy like... maybe the Spectre he is jumping now? Just cos it has 7 cells... *************** Not one shred of evidence supports the theory that life is serious - look at the platypus.

Answer: Don't do it! Going over there is cheaper and you get some warm sunny jumping too... but do get the manufacturer / dealer to ship it to an out of state DZ to avoid the 8% in state sales tax... *************** Not one shred of evidence supports the theory that life is serious - look at the platypus.

I would definitely agree with this! Working out roughly where you will need to be at certain set heights for a good landing pattern (before you even gear up) will help you a lot in making sure that you end up facing into wind. You might want to ask one of the coaches / instructors for some help doing this the first few times. Caveat to this is that sometimes people do end up doing stupid stuff under canopy and your plan might have to change in the air but since you are on a 270 most people would be out of your way anyway! The downsizing sounds like a really bad idea! *************** Not one shred of evidence supports the theory that life is serious - look at the platypus.

This could be why on AFF jumps the student opens significantly higher than 3k! I seem to remember pulling at about 5k? I am sure that an AFFI will correct me if I am wrong... *************** Not one shred of evidence supports the theory that life is serious - look at the platypus.

So true - and not just for students! One of my friends recently damaged himself enough to spend months out of the sky trying to stand up a nasty landing in some turbulence. I'd rather PLF and have the dirty jumpsuit, and yes, I have the grass stains to prove I'm prepared to put my arse where my mouth is...! or something like that... *************** Not one shred of evidence supports the theory that life is serious - look at the platypus.

I have to admit that you have a point here. I mean things really have gone downhill since Robin took over the APA... I particularly dislike all the world class skydivers coming over to coach FS and canopy piloting. Not to mention having to have a top class load organiser in most weekends. And all those parties - what's that about? Damn all those cheap drinks. Like Monty Python said, what has Robin ever done for us? Nope, I think I will head off to a nice small Cessna DZ with an overpriced bar and no social scene... *************** Not one shred of evidence supports the theory that life is serious - look at the platypus.

The USPA website and SIM are full of good info to be sure, but bear in mind that as a UK jumper, the regulations governing your progression will be different... as are many of the rules about equipment.