T_P

I have just had a very disappointing experience with Skydive Jersey and thought I would share it in the hope that other customers are treated slightly better in future. We decided to visit Jersey for a week of holiday. One consideration was that there was a DZ, so I could do a few jumps while I was away. I called up Skydive Jersey about a week before we arrived in Jersey to ask how much jumps cost, whether there was a membership fee, whether there were any restrictions because of the beach landing etc. I spoke to the manager who was perfectly helpful and told me at the outset that I wouldn’t be able to do too many jumps because the DZ basically does tandems, with very few club members, but that he would try hard to make sure I got at least one jump in so that I could experience skydiving “Jersey style”. He advised me not to bring a rig, but to use club kit because it would be difficult to do a lot of jumps. I said I would be happy with just one jump but if I could do more that would be good, but I understood tandems were the mainstay of the DZ etc. The DZ has a piston engine plane which takes jumpers to 10k for £24 in about 25 mins. OK, so you would go somewhere else on the mainland rather than pay these prices, but jumping on an island is an experience so what the hell. I was thinking of paying for a tandem for my partner, but according to the website (http://www.skydivejersey.net/) tandems are £330 + £130 for video. We decided we would leave the tandem until we were back on the mainland. One of the curiosities of Jersey skydiving is the beach landing. Actually it is perfectly straightforward – the beach is several miles long, and the landing area is hundreds of meters wide for several hours around low tide. But… there are regulations which the Skydive Jersey understandably have to stick to. Because I’m A-licence (approx 40 jumps) the manager said I would only be able to jump for a couple of hours either side of low tide – no problem. Because we were on holiday I said we could be completely flexible and the manger should just tell me when to turn up to maximise the chance of getting a jump. He said I should turn up at 3 pm on Monday and it was quite likely I would be able to jump. I turned up at 3 pm on Monday. After waiting about an hour my documents were checked and I signed all the membership forms, disclaimers etc. I was told that there were too busy for me to jump that day so I should come back on Tuesday at 3 pm. I asked if I could have a DZ brief and was told the CCI would do it on Tuesday. I had spent about 2 hours at the DZ by this point. One thing that is a bit unusual about the manifest at Jersey Skydive is that most lifts are pre-Manifested days before. The DZ has 6 or at most 7 lifts per day, and because there is a very long gap (over an hour) between lifts they ask the tandem students to turn up for a specific lift rather than waiting at the portacabins and car-park which are Skydive Jersey. So I went away again and turned up at 3 pm on Tuesday as agreed… this disrupted our plans for Tuesday because it meant we had to end up near the DZ in the middle of the day. I wanted to jump, however, so I decided it would be worth it. When I got there I was told that I needed to see the landing area again (even though I had been down to see it the day before). I was told to drive down to the beach to see it and then come back up at 4 pm. I went down to the beach, saw a load land, and drove back to the DZ. So I arrived for the third time at 4 pm as agreed… When I got there the manager said the CCI needed to check my documents again and give me a DZ brief. At this point it wasn’t clear whether there was any intention of getting me on a lift that day, even though all the lifts seemed to be pre-manifested, but I assumed/hoped this was their intention as they were going to give me a DZ brief – or so I thought.. I went to see the CCI. He was packing. I said the manager had asked me to go and see him to have my documents checked again and have a DZ brief, but that I was happy to wait until he was free. He barely looked up from this packing and said he was busy “running the main part of the business” (which I took to be tandems) and that I should come back at 6 pm, when he would have time to brief me. So I went away and came back for a 4th time at 6 pm. This annoyed my partner because it meant we had spent most of the day hanging around close to the DZ so that I could have the documents checked, and I still hadn’t been put on a lift. I arrived at 6 pm to find the DZ completely locked up with nobody in sight! I waited for about 40 minutes and eventually a van arrived with a load from the beach. I asked the manager where the CCI was. He said he was on the beach. I said that he had asked me to come back to the DZ for 4th time to have my documents checked and have a DZ brief, and that I had driven back to the DZ at 6 pm, as agreed, to meet him. The manager said that the CCI was working on the beach. I said that I thought this was a bit odd given that he had asked me to meet him at the DZ (not me asking him). I asked whether it was worth coming back. The manager said I could come back on Wednesday and see how it went in terms of getting on a lift. I said I had been there 4 times already (over two days) and hadn’t even had a DZ brief yet, so I didn’t want to turn up on a third day unless there was a very good chance of getting on a plane. The manager said he would call me on Wednesday to let me know whether or not I would be able to get on a lift. On Wednesday I waited till 3 pm but wasn’t called by the DZ. At 3 pm I called and spoke to the manager again. I asked if there was any chance of getting on a lift. He said they were too busy but he hoped I would come back and jump there some other time. I said the whole experience had been really disappointing, and that I felt like telling anyone who asked me that Skydive Jersey was a complete waste of time. He said that he thought I was being a bit harsh. I asked him how he would feel if he had been asked to turn up to the dropzone FOUR TIMES and on the 4th time the CCI hadn’t even turned up to meet him. He said the CCI had been working. I said that I had spent the whole afternoon waiting near the dropzone because I had been asked to turn up at 3 pm, 4 pm and 6 pm, and that I had driven there on the 4th occasion to meet the CCI who had asked me to meet him, and that I thought this was unprofessional. He said he would pass this on to the CCI. I asked if I could speak to the CCI. He said the CCI was busy. I asked him if he would be kind enough to ask the CCI to call me, because I didn’t understand why he had asked me to meet him if he knew he would be down at the beach. He said he would ask the CCI to call me. The CCI didn’t call me. When I had asked the manager how many regular jumpers there were on the island he said there were about 30 but most of them jumped in France rather than at Skydive Jersey. At the time I thought this was a bit odd but now I know what he meant…. I said to the manager that I understood that I would never make the DZ much money (at most brining back a few friends or a tandem) and that therefore I understood that the tandems had to take priority, but that I was a bit pissed off that they didn’t tell me in advance that it would be impossible to jump, especially given that they seemed to pre-manifest most of the loads days in advance and could therefore predict whether there would be a slot. He said something vague about me having an A-licence. I reminded him that I had called a week before coming to Jersey and we had discussed all that, and that I had been asked to turn up to the DZ four times, and that on the last occasion the CCI hadn’t even bothered to honour the appointment even though he had suggested it. The manager did say he would speak to the CCI about this and that he might say to people in future that they wouldn’t be able to jump at the outset. I said I thought this would be a good idea. My analysis: PROS: The *three* club members who were there seemed very friendly. You get to jump onto a beach. CONS: Skydive Jersey seems to have absolutely no interest in anything other than tandems.

I have just had a very disappointing experience with Skydive Jersey and thought I would share it in the hope that other customers are treated slightly better in future. We decided to visit Jersey for a week of holiday. One consideration was that there was a DZ, so I could do a few jumps while I was away. I called up Skydive Jersey about a week before we arrived in Jersey to ask how much jumps cost, whether there was a membership fee, whether there were any restrictions because of the beach landing etc. I spoke to the manager who was perfectly helpful and told me at the outset that I wouldn’t be able to do too many jumps because the DZ basically does tandems, with very few club members, but that he would try hard to make sure I got at least one jump in so that I could experience skydiving “Jersey style”. He advised me not to bring a rig, but to use club kit because it would be difficult to do a lot of jumps. I said I would be happy with just one jump but if I could do more that would be good, but I understood tandems were the mainstay of the DZ etc. The DZ has a piston engine plane which takes jumpers to 10k for £24 in about 25 mins. OK, so you would go somewhere else on the mainland rather than pay these prices, but jumping on an island is an experience so what the hell. I was thinking of paying for a tandem for my partner, but according to the website (http://www.skydivejersey.net/) tandems are £330 + £130 for video. We decided we would leave the tandem until we were back on the mainland. One of the curiosities of Jersey skydiving is the beach landing. Actually it is perfectly straightforward – the beach is several miles long, and the landing area is hundreds of meters wide for several hours around low tide. But… there are regulations which the Skydive Jersey understandably have to stick to. Because I’m A-licence (approx 40 jumps) the manager said I would only be able to jump for a couple of hours either side of low tide – no problem. Because we were on holiday I said we could be completely flexible and the manger should just tell me when to turn up to maximise the chance of getting a jump. He said I should turn up at 3 pm on Monday and it was quite likely I would be able to jump. I turned up at 3 pm on Monday. After waiting about an hour my documents were checked and I signed all the membership forms, disclaimers etc. I was told that there were too busy for me to jump that day so I should come back on Tuesday at 3 pm. I asked if I could have a DZ brief and was told the CCI would do it on Tuesday. I had spent about 2 hours at the DZ by this point. One thing that is a bit unusual about the manifest at Jersey Skydive is that most lifts are pre-Manifested days before. The DZ has 6 or at most 7 lifts per day, and because there is a very long gap (over an hour) between lifts they ask the tandem students to turn up for a specific lift rather than waiting at the portacabins and car-park which are Skydive Jersey. So I went away again and turned up at 3 pm on Tuesday as agreed… this disrupted our plans for Tuesday because it meant we had to end up near the DZ in the middle of the day. I wanted to jump, however, so I decided it would be worth it. When I got there I was told that I needed to see the landing area again (even though I had been down to see it the day before). I was told to drive down to the beach to see it and then come back up at 4 pm. I went down to the beach, saw a load land, and drove back to the DZ. So I arrived for the third time at 4 pm as agreed… When I got there the manager said the CCI needed to check my documents again and give me a DZ brief. At this point it wasn’t clear whether there was any intention of getting me on a lift that day, even though all the lifts seemed to be pre-manifested, but I assumed/hoped this was their intention as they were going to give me a DZ brief – or so I thought.. I went to see the CCI. He was packing. I said the manager had asked me to go and see him to have my documents checked again and have a DZ brief, but that I was happy to wait until he was free. He barely looked up from this packing and said he was busy “running the main part of the business” (which I took to be tandems) and that I should come back at 6 pm, when he would have time to brief me. So I went away and came back for a 4th time at 6 pm. This annoyed my partner because it meant we had spent most of the day hanging around close to the DZ so that I could have the documents checked, and I still hadn’t been put on a lift. I arrived at 6 pm to find the DZ completely locked up with nobody in sight! I waited for about 40 minutes and eventually a van arrived with a load from the beach. I asked the manager where the CCI was. He said he was on the beach. I said that he had asked me to come back to the DZ for 4th time to have my documents checked and have a DZ brief, and that I had driven back to the DZ at 6 pm, as agreed, to meet him. The manager said that the CCI was working on the beach. I said that I thought this was a bit odd given that he had asked me to meet him at the DZ (not me asking him). I asked whether it was worth coming back. The manager said I could come back on Wednesday and see how it went in terms of getting on a lift. I said I had been there 4 times already (over two days) and hadn’t even had a DZ brief yet, so I didn’t want to turn up on a third day unless there was a very good chance of getting on a plane. The manager said he would call me on Wednesday to let me know whether or not I would be able to get on a lift. On Wednesday I waited till 3 pm but wasn’t called by the DZ. At 3 pm I called and spoke to the manager again. I asked if there was any chance of getting on a lift. He said they were too busy but he hoped I would come back and jump there some other time. I said the whole experience had been really disappointing, and that I felt like telling anyone who asked me that Skydive Jersey was a complete waste of time. He said that he thought I was being a bit harsh. I asked him how he would feel if he had been asked to turn up to the dropzone FOUR TIMES and on the 4th time the CCI hadn’t even turned up to meet him. He said the CCI had been working. I said that I had spent the whole afternoon waiting near the dropzone because I had been asked to turn up at 3 pm, 4 pm and 6 pm, and that I had driven there on the 4th occasion to meet the CCI who had asked me to meet him, and that I thought this was unprofessional. He said he would pass this on to the CCI. I asked if I could speak to the CCI. He said the CCI was busy. I asked him if he would be kind enough to ask the CCI to call me, because I didn’t understand why he had asked me to meet him if he knew he would be down at the beach. He said he would ask the CCI to call me. The CCI didn’t call me. When I had asked the manager how many regular jumpers there were on the island he said there were about 30 but most of them jumped in France rather than at Skydive Jersey. At the time I thought this was a bit odd but now I know what he meant…. I said to the manager that I understood that I would never make the DZ much money (at most brining back a few friends or a tandem) and that therefore I understood that the tandems had to take priority, but that I was a bit pissed off that they didn’t tell me in advance that it would be impossible to jump, especially given that they seemed to pre-manifest most of the loads days in advance and could therefore predict whether there would be a slot. He said something vague about me having an A-licence. I reminded him that I had called a week before coming to Jersey and we had discussed all that, and that I had been asked to turn up to the DZ four times, and that on the last occasion the CCI hadn’t even bothered to honour the appointment even though he had suggested it. The manager did say he would speak to the CCI about this and that he might say to people in future that they wouldn’t be able to jump at the outset. I said I thought this would be a good idea. My analysis: PROS: The *three* club members who were there seemed very friendly. You get to jump onto a beach. CONS: Skydive Jersey seems to have absolutely no interest in anything other than tandems.

If you are sure, which it sounds like you are, that is very helpful. Thanks. Then I'm sure it should pack into my container as the chap who recommended it has personally packed it into an identical container. Best.

Hi there. Just bought a pulse whilst in the us and about to fly back to the uk with it. I asked the person at PD whether it would fit in my container and was told it would. Just took it out of the bag and realise that it has really thick lines - is the Pulse only shipped with one type of lines, or can you go for optional microlines. If so I think I have the wrong lines and it wont fit in my container after all. Help me if you can!

I have a question about the chest strap on the new Javelin containers. OK, not a very exciting subject, but a chest strap is rather important, and there is something about it that got me thinking... then worrying... The strap itself is about 25 mm by 4 mm in cross section (1" by 1/6" for those from USA). One end is sewn into the shoulder strap (L side) and the other end is simply hot-cut so that it comes to an abrupt end. The hot cut end passes through a double-back friction loop (yes I do know how to feed it through... I'm still alive, I think) when you are wearing it. Obviously the friction loop works, in that it does clamp up under full load conditions. But under partial load conditions there can be slippage through the loop in both directions, i.e. it can "work" through the friction loop. A small flap on the end of the strap would prevent it falling out all together - ie a last resort. What I mean is just a doubling over and sewing of the strap itself to form such a flap. Such flaps are the norm on climbing harnesses and I have seen them on the chest straps of containers. Which brings me to the question. Is this normal for the chest strap of containers? Have there been any recorded accidents resulting from correctly done up chest straps of this type working undone? Would anyone else worry about this or do you not see this as a potential problem? Cheers.

That is very helpful. Thanks. I can't weigh it because I do not have scales and FedEx are picking it up.

Does anyone know, or know how I could find out, the approximate weight of a Sabre II 170? I need to fedex it and dont know the weight. Cheers.

There have been some really useful replies here and I have learned a lot - thanks very much for all the serious replies. There were a few questions asked and I will try to reply to some of them here. Despite all the good advice, particularly on exit order, which I think I now need to take up in a very gentle way with the DZ (they seem to have it backwards, and I understand and agree with the argument about bellyflyers going out first), I still dont understand what actually happened. One poster made the clever point that even if we had drifted back over the FFs (or they had drifted under us) we should have been AT LEAST 15 seconds apart when the person who complained opened. Yet he said he saw bodies falling past him while he was opening. 15 seconds is a long time... but, if you allow 4 seconds for opening, perhaps he was speaking loosly about "whilst he was opening" ie he might have been sorting his stuff out. Re seeing his friend and seeing it was not her, this was the strangest part of it. He was certain it wasnt a specific friend of his, but when asked to explain what the two falling past him looked like he said he saw it out of the corner of his eye. We then asked whether he saw the canopies open and he said he hadnt becuase he had "immediately turned away" from the area - not sure why that would be an issue once people had fallen past him, or where he woudl have headed to in particular, but the long and the short of it was that he didn't know anything about how the people falling past him looked. The most disapointing thing (as at least one person has commented) was that the main purpose of the discussion for him and the CCI was to find someone to blame. They wern't interested in analysing what had actually happened, or how to avoid it in future (apart from some very vague advice on exit gaps, which it turned out we had followed anyway). None of it adds up. If he was under canopy at 3300 or so, like his altimeter says he was, and *I* fell past him without a delopyed pilot chute at that height (15 seconds earlier than I should have!) then I woundn't have been under canopy until about 2.5 k. I think I would have noticed that given that I normally pull high. Also, we were tracking in opposite directions, and the person I jumped wiht confirmed that. If we had falled within 45 ft of a fully inflated canopy I really dont think we could have missed it unless we had had our eyes closed. It would probably have been terrifying in fact.

So, a bit of an odd weekend which ended with a bit of a mystery. Advice would be appreciated. I'm a complete beginner with about 35 jumps, so excuse the lack of experience if this topic has been discussed before. I went to one of my local dropzones and did 4 jumps. The first three were all uneventful solos with mixed groups in the plane: tandems, students, freeflyers etc. I was trying to land in the circle and almost made it all three times. On the 4th jump I met a very nice chap in the pen who was also doing a solo. We got chatting and it turned out he had done a couple of hundred jumps, and was into RW belly-flying. He offered to do a 2-way jump with me (very kind as I am beginner). I check the regulations with the load organizer (told him I was only an A license etc), and he confirmed that it was fine for us to do a 2 way. Exit order was then discussed in light of this. The following was agreed: a pair of free-flyers out first, then another pair of free-flyers, then us (as a 2 way) belly flying, then another 2 way bellying flying, then another 2 way belly flying. We confirmed time gaps between groups with the load organizer and were told about 5 seconds. I agreed with the chap I was jumping with to leave it a bit longer than this (about 7 seconds). He said once the 2nd group of FFs had exited he would go to the door and wait about 4 seconds. Then I would climb past him onto the step, give him the thumbs out, then an out-in-out and off. That is what we did. We didn't rush it, both just went about it as agreed. We were jumping from 12k and had agreed to do simple points down to 5.5 k, then at 5 k turn and track. We discussed the tracking in detail because I was concerned about getting exactly 180 degree to him. Having said that I'm reasonably good at tracking (having outpaced my AFF instructor, and earned the name "rocket man" during my AFF) and can easily hold on a heading even though I'm still at low jump numbers. We agreed that I was going to pull at 4 k and he was going to pull at 3.5k. Everyone else on the load planned to pull at normal altitude. (3 - 3.5 k). Because it was my first 2 way with points we agreed I would just turn and hold and he would then come and dock each time. I'm not sure what the uppers were like but we were fairly "deep" so I assume there was a fair wind up there. I was jumping a 210 student canopy so being a long way upwind was fine by me. So... the chap I was jumping with waited in the door watching the others exit. Then after a few seconds I climbed out on to the step. I gave him the thumbs up. He responded, I did a slow out in out and off I went. The jump was great. He floated down to me ever so gently. We docked, I did a 90 right, back to middle, and dock, 90 left (slewing off to the side a bit!) and docked again, and then it was about 5.5 k. I turned by 180 and tracked like mad, feeling the relative wind change as I picked up speed. At 4 k I pulled as agreed and had a normal opening. I looked around quickly and saw there was nobody anywhere nearby. On the walk back to the hanger I chatted to the chap I jumped with about the jump. I asked him whether I had got my 180 degree turn right before the track. He said it had been perfect and that he had watched me between his legs as he had gone off, and we had been in exactly opposite directions. So... great jump. Then the CCI accosted me and said someone had complained there had been a near miss in freefall and that I was the likely suspect - could I find the person I had jumped with? So we found him, and the person who complained (quite rightly I should add) about the near miss. The complaint was as follows. He had been freeflying and had exited with another jumper just before us. Just as he was opening he saw two bodies fall past him at about 45 feet from him and about 10 ft separation from each other. Both the CCI and the person who had complained seemed convinced that it must have been us because we had exited after them. He also said that he had seen one of the jumpers and knew it wasn't his friend (who had jumped in the group after us) because he knew what her rig looked like. Both me and the other jumper took this very seriously for obvious reasons. I would like to hit someone in freefall about as much as they would like to be hit! We tried to work out what happened. I would be happy to take blame for it if I did something wrong, but most of all wanted to work out what had happened so we could all learn from it. My initial reaction was that it was unlikely that it could be us. Firstly, we had started tracking at 5k, and had already discussed the track. The person I had jumped with had confirmed that it had been a good track (and though he only had a couple of hundred jumps, I'm sure he knows the difference between a good and a bad jump). So I said it would be very unlikely that we could have been within 10 feet of each other at opening height. The response from the person who complained was that we had fewer jumps than him and probably couldn't track. The CCI said he was inclined to believe the person with more jumps. I then said that it was even more unlikely because I had opened at 4k, and the chap I with confirmed he had opened at 3.5 k as agreed. So how could we have both fallen past the person who had complained if he had opened at about 3.5k. The response from the complainant was that he had decided to open a bit high (about 4k he said) - I'm not sure why. The chap I jumped with and the chap who had complained both had pro-tracks. Both pro-tracks showed an opening height of exactly 3.3 k. That sounded about right, but I had definitely opened at 4k. And I had checked my altimeter against several others in the plane (like I normally do). This was explained away by the person who complained and the CCI by saying that all instruments are inaccurate and there must have been error in the instruments. We were both blamed for not having left enough of a gap. We asked how long we should have left and were told about 7 seconds. We said we had both been counting and that was about how long we had left. This was explained away by saying that we must have both been counting too quickly. We all agreed that a near miss of any sort is serious and that we must take all measures to avoid it in future. The tone of the conversation had entirely been that we (the relatively low jump jumpers) had been in the wrong, and that we had infringed the airspace of another skydiver. That's fine, and if we did I'm happy to take it on the chin and learn from it. But... firstly, I'm not convinced there is any evidence to support it, and in fact there seems to be a bit of evidence to the contrary. Secondly, what now. What if we did get that close to him? What should we do differently next time? I asked this question and was told to leave a proper exit gap. I said that we had both counted about 7 seconds. The other chap said he had done a 1 one-thousand, 2 one-thousand etc count to make sure he got the time about right. I asked if we should leave twice the gap 14 seconds next time. The CCI and the experienced jumper told me this was far too much. That was the end of the discussion. So... two questions arise. 1) What the hell happened? Was it us, and if so what did we do wrong? 2) What do we do in future? I'm not sure I know the answer to either question. If it was us (despite all the evidence to the contrary) perhaps this is the answer: http://www.omniskore.com/freefall_drift2.html But where from here... should I go back to the CCI and see if he is willing to revisit exit order sending belly flyers out first as this article suggests? Given that the general tone of the previous conversation was that we must have been in the wrong because we have relatively low jump numbers I'm not sure he would be keen to have that discussion.

That is really helpful - cheers. I had the impression that a Silhouette was considerably smaller than a Sabre II for the same size though. So if you can get a Sabre II 190 in a J3K it should be fairly easy to get a Silhouette 190 in - is that right, or is there a flaw in this logic? (Silhouette has an F111 bottom skin and apparently packs smaller than the equivalent Sabre II). I should warn you by the way that my Sabre II 170 is a very tight fit in the J3K container - and the few times it has been packed in tehre were by somone with a lot of experience.

Thanks very much everyone. Very helpful advice. Sounds like the answer is pretty clear - I will make it clear to the buyer so he knows exactly what he is getting. I have noticed something.... Having posted on climbing forums for many years, where you often get sarcastic or frivolous advice, or no response at all, it seems people on here are willing to answer even the most banal questions with really helpful genuine advice. That is a really nice change!

I'm sure this is a simple question for anyone who has been though this before. I bought the wrong main canopy. It all came shipped in the container. I'm selling the canopy. The person buying the canopy is fairly new too and hasnt bought a canopy before. What comes WITH the canopy when it comes from the manufacturer. Specifically, does the pilot chute, the D-bag, or the metal or soft links (not sure which) come with the canopy? Or anything else I may have neglected here. Many thanks for your help!

Thanks for the post. Does that mean you think a F111 210 would fit easily in a J3K? At the moment it is sized for a Sabre II 170, which is a nightmare to get in. Tom.

I have been told that a Silhouette 190 will fit in a J3K Javelin container (originally sized for a Sabre II 170). Does anyone know from personal experience how easy a Silhouette 190 fits,l and whether a PD 9-cell 210 would fit in the same container?

Thanks very much... but I think the article I referred to was quoted in sqf/lb rather than lb/sqf - i.e. those sizes were recommended... but back in 1999. I expect canopy design has moved on since then. The 150 ish size you point to sounds way to small for me, so the real decision is whether to go for a 190 and hope I can keep it a long time before getting bored, or a 170 and do XX jumps before landing it in zero wind!

I have a question about canopy size which I would be grateful if someone could answer. I am a student who has completed AFF in the UK and now have 30 jumps. I always weight less than 154 lbs (11 stone) *without* equipment and am generally in good shape - I run, swim, etc, so have good co-ordination and general fitness. Most recently I have been jumping 210 canopies (last 10 jumps) and stand up on almost all landings. I find the canopy (not sure which make) fairly comfortable to land, but difficult in higher wind conditions because of the slow flight speed - I get blown backwards off the dropzone. I did jump a 170 Sabre II twice (one which belonged to a friend) and stood up both landings (in a fairly strong wind which helped) but found it very very fast at the time (at 20 jumps or so). I have occasionally stumbled on landing, but had no disasters so far (early days!). I would like to buy a rig with a Sabre II canopy. I don't know what size to buy want advice. I have read the following article on dropzone.com which seems to advise very large canopies: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/safety/detail_page.cgi?ID=545 According to this article I should have a canopy about 1.65*(154 +20) = 287 square feet. This sounds BIG!!!! When I get past 200 jumps it recommends a canopy which is 1.2*(154 +20) = 210 square feet (ie what I am jumping now, and which feels fine!!). Obviously I can't challenge the author of this article, who knows far more about skydiving than me, but I note that the article is 10 years old, and that things *may* have changed (??). What I would like is a canopy that I can keep for a long time. I'm not interested in speed or swooping, and do not anticipate I will become interested in this. Nor am I concerned about pack volume. What I would like is a canopy that I can keep for the next 10 years, that will be safe in a range of wind conditions (inc fairly high wind), be fun to fly, but not aggressive or dangerous etc. I plan to do 30/40 jumps a year - ie be current but not fanatical (no jokes please!). I'm happy to do a progression on to a smaller canopy on rented rigs if this is required, but I would rather not do this for more than another 50 jumps because of the expense. The question, finally, is this: If I buy a Sabre II, taking all the above information into account, which size/sizes would you recommend I consider buying. I realize this is a difficult question to answer, and I will, of course, ask for professional instruction regarding downsizing onto it. Please don't recommend using this or that other canopy, I'm aware there is a lot of choice and personal preferences are different, this is purely a question of SIZE!

Thanks very much for the replies. It worked!

Does anyone know whether this is possible and if so how you do it? Many thanks.

Thanks to the person who contacted me - all sorted out now!

Dear All, I am completely new here. Having just completed my aff I am looking for a rig. I have seen one that has been advertised in the classifieds, but can not e-mail the person because I need to be registered for over a week. Would someone be willing to send them my e-mial address and a line saying I am interested in their rig? All you get out of this deal is the satisfaction of helping someone jump out of a plane even quicker than they would otherwise. Many thanks, Tom.