babz

Wait til you get it back from your rigger to see whether its worth it / what work needs to be done. Old kit can be good, can be bad. TSE are based over in Bridlington, so not too far if you really want to get it looked at by the guys who made it originally. AFAIK the UK rules on ageing of kit is that its down to AP/Riggers to certify the kit for 6 months following the repack - however I've seen a few conversations around this on UKS and issue I was close too as up until the end of last year I was jumping a 1990 Vector 2.

Agreed with you there. The use of the button cutaway is to provide a flat surface to attach the strap to which can be disconnected.. The system wouldn't be as good as a chinstrap cutaway due to the way in which the full face is attached. However am pretty sure you could make it work. (the cutaway pad effectively removes the tension strap from the helmet).. Then again it'll depend how snuggly fitting your Phantom is too..

Sorry my suggestion wasnt clear.. My suggestion is to drill out where the push stud is that the tightening strap is connected to, and fitting one of these http://www.2kcomposites.co.uk/2kc-button-cutaway-7-p.asp (removing the chinstrap as it isnt required). Then put a new press stud on the back of the cutaway housing(the silver metal bit). Pulling on the handle would then allow you to remove the press stud completely loosening the helmet so it'll come off. Just a thought that I've had, not had chance or desire to actually do it. Just wondering what the DZ.com bods think of it...

I was thinking about that one too (more curiosity than wanting to strap a camera to my full face as well as my open face). I was wondering whether a button cutaway would be sufficient, with a press stud on the back (the same you fasten the helmet on with on the phanton X). Cutting away would disconnect the press stud and allow the helmet to be pushed off..

I've put around 130 jumps on my Sabre 190 (DOM. 94) with the double breaklines which are an extra faff. All in all, the canopy has its good points and its bad points. I like the short recovery of the canopy on turns, and it is quite docile. It has a very powerful flare still, which i like. What i'm not so much a fan of is the glide angle, as mine is rather ground hungry for its loading (~1.15-1.2) which means a bum spot means hanging on the rears. When it comes to openings.. well I started jumping camera just after 200 Jumps and my view of the openings have changed. Each opening is pretty hard, and I've been experimenting with various packing styles to help (with mixed success). I've never had an opening so hard that I've injured myself, and my container has no padding to mitigate it.. However, whenever folk see the video's they do say the openings are ridiculously quick..

Then you should speak to a BPA council member with your proposals to improve things. Speak to your CCI who sits on the STC and see if he'll back a rule change on the grounds of coaches. Complaining on the Internet with no plan of action, does nothing but make people sick of the sound of your voice. [edited after a second post whilst writing this] Other people around the DZ can and do help out newer jumpers with their FS1 when it comes to 3 and 4 way parts. Often people pay their own slots when helping out friends with their Fs1 coached jumps. This was my experience when I did my 3 and 4 ways. Moving around with your wallet is a laudable idea, however your hurting yourself more than hurting the DZO. (1 Fun jumper really doesnt make much difference to them). From your posts, you live in the North West (ish), so I'm guessing Mankix isn't unobtainable for you. Why not get in touch with them, see what FS coaching you can get in there and see if the coaches do in air coaching too. (I believe Simon Catherine does some), then speak to the coach directly and try and agree to do some coaching at the DZ. The tunnel will help you get your FS1 without repeat jumps (hopefully) and you'll pass the obstacle of FS1.

It wasn't the decision of one man who brought the FS1 ruling about, it was clarifying the meaning of the rule agreed on by the STC years ago. Coaches can be hard to find at dropzones, the key is to get there early and speak to manifest and ask them to put out a call for coaches. If there are no coaches present then it can suck, but its the nature of it. A coach tends not to get paid for coached jumps, and may have other plans for their day. The whole FS1 argument is really about safety, there have been plenty of incidents with none FS1 jumpers in the past. The BPA syllabus for your A certificate doesn't include in air coaching for jumping with other folks, so you need to learn then demonstrate that you can be safe in the air before any CCI would let you loose. I am curious to why you seem to move around DZ's so regularly, consistency at a dropzone will mean that your more likely to get to know other jumpers who will help you out.

http://bpa.org.uk/assets/Stay-safe/Safety-info-and-notices/BPA-SAFETY-NOTICE-1-11.pdf United Kingdom

I find its more a case of looking at the forecast and realistically gauging whether its worth going. If the drive is 3 hours, then I'd want a pretty good forecast to risk going otherwise I'm just pissing away my cash on fuel without the reward of jumping. In short, not all UK DZ's empty when the weather is crap - however if your at a DZ which does a large number of lifts a month then your going to find fewer folk hanging around for that one jump. If you want a better chance with the weather, go somewhere warmer and abroad. But in nice weather countries you may find it hard to get people jumping in weather we would in the UK as they are used to it being much nicer..

Might be worth throwing a post over on UK Skydiver, should be able to get a ride sorted from there :) There's the London Skydivers social nights, which I believe are the last Thursday of each month. The weather is lovely in the UK at the moment (given this is a major national news story you can tell its not the norm!)

I do appreciate the negative status of women in Saudi Arabia, and the comparatives with the Nazi's (not the usual invocation of Godwin's Law on the internet). However, this is again questioning the laws of Saudi Arabia and not the action of this particular woman. Lets look at the other fact in this case, if she lives in a country where a woman cannot drive, would it be fair to say she hasn't a license or any formal driver training. Therefore posing a risk to the general public on the highways. How is this different from someone a year younger than the minimum driving age in your home town getting behind the wheel?

I do appreciate that I'm being pedantic here but I believe there is a distinction. My point is, she broke the law, fully knowing the sort of punishment the legal system may impose if she was caught. This is where we disagree on the wording deserves. Can you explain why she is above the law?

As I see it, the question is pretty loaded and the answers the questions aren't the same debate. It boils down to two questions: * Should she be punished for breaking the law (which is a conscious act) * Is this a crime? My personal view is that she has committed a crime and she should be treated within the extent of the law in that country. However, I disagree with the law in that country, and believe that it is not a just law.

I too have spoken to him, and tried to change his mind from jumping this canopy just yet. With no avail it would appear. Having seen the video of this jump, I'm hoping he reconsiders jumping this canopy again until he's ready.

Its always worth speaking to an instructor before jumping with gloves (as a student). Personally, I never jump without them, I like the skin on my hands too much to not wear them. As winter rolls in you'll see why you need them ;) I have a normal summer pair of gloves (http://www.dzsports.co.uk/dz-sports-gloves-325-p.asp) and some thick leather winter gloves with a thin pair of cloth liners (http://www.dzsports.co.uk/aircrew-winter-gloves-327-p.asp)

After moving to the South of England, i tried jumping at Weston and have done pretty much ever since. The crowd there are all pretty welcoming and up for a laugh. The FS coaching there is second to none, and are really approachable.They also have a skyvan as an occassional second aircraft. The downsides are that there can sometimes be a bit of a shortage with kit hire, so you have to get yourself there early to guarantee kit. The one G92 can sometimes struggle with the volume of jumpers.

I did my RAPS ground school in late 2006 and I couldn't have asked for a more professional course. The instructors were great and the training was extremely thorough. Throughout my course I found there was always instructors around to do refreshers and briefs/debriefs. I've not felt as well looked after anywhere else!