Tinley

The helmet in your picture is a Cookie Gas (G1). The visor does not open.

I've jumped in Gap. Great DZ. No issues with the language, canopy size or lack of a logbook.

A better question to ask would be how many skydives does it take. Some people with 10, 100 or even a 1000 of tunnel hours have trouble exiting, diving/floating, approaching and even staying on level in a group/formation skydive. The only thing to teach one to comfortably fly a slot, in any orientation, is a lot skydives. I would expect that number to increase as the complexity of the orientation increases.

Disclaimer: I don't work for iFly and somewhat don't know what I am talking about. I fly a lot of standby time, its great if you live close. First you will need a standby account, which requires you to put down 1hr of standby time, after you fly that time, you pay at the counter before or after your session, no need to keep money on your acct. The caveat is standby time must be booked 30min in advance of when you want to fly. Call and ask to see if they have any open. I'm not 100% sure but I think this is incentive to bring 2nd, 3rd, 4th time flyers back. Not necessarily a good option for someone who has held a bulk account, can fly by themselves or is trying to learn a specific set of skills. For example, if you want to fly on your head, iFly would need to accommodate you with an instructor who is rated for that level of flying. But for the plebeian 2nd and 3rd timers all instructors are able to accommodate them. From my observations iFly has reduced the amount of employees on the clock and needs a 1 hr buffer (Arrival Time) to better manage volume/rotations and maximize sell-able time. Though, it can work out better for standby flyers because now iFly can sell near-term time from sessions in which the 1st timers canceled or were a no show. Blocks are there for the instructors to have a schedule to rotate from. Any flyer will still have to adhere to the block scheduling, that is how iFly manages their time. I don't believe there is anyway around it. You can straddle blocks but the wind might shut down as the instructors rotate. I personally don't want iFly holding any bulk money of mine, so I always pay through standby or the hourly rate of a coach.

I stayed in Milan for a season. I frequently jumped at a BFU, Para-centro Locarno and Fano while there. BFU was the closest. Fano is a blast to jump at but far, ~3hr drive to the coast. Locarno is simply beautiful but expensive... They are all great places to jump.

I have never attended a beginners camp, but I have seen some video during one, and it appeared they were working more towards achieving the correct angle with the addition of speed. From my observations and moderate experience, usually carving is one of the last maneuvers to work on. Especially in freeflying. Carving uses all 3 processes at once: drive, rotation about your axis, and fall rate. You have to be solid is all 3 of those to perform a good carve. When I say learn to track like a boss, I'm talking about the ability to perform very well on simple, relatively flat, group tracking dives. This would put you in a good spot before you attend a camp, where they would most likely build your angle and speed skills. These skills should come easier to you because you have been practicing and performing well during regular tracking dives. Additional camps would add in more dynamic flying. Also, in no way am I a professional. I'm just a guy who likes to skydive and feels like having a discussion about angle flying.

This sounds a lot easier than it is. Besides, what experience will you gain doing solos? How will you know that you are experiencing the correct speed, angle, body position, route...plus, solos are boring. You should be a pretty efficient tracker before you start carving all over the place. This is where freeflying comes into play. Having experience with high speeds and carving in a vertical orientation translate easier when learning to carve at a steep angle, whether on your belly or back. I'm not aware of a "starting program" per say. Learn to track like a boss on normal tracking dives, without the speed and without the carving. After a bunch of those you should be skilled enough to flock with people at those beginner camps... If you really want to learn aggressive flying, go travel Europe over the summer and get 1 on 1 coaching. Those guys can go seriously fast.

I did a couple trips to Para Centro Locarno (paracentro.ch) in Switzerland while I was living in Europe. Great dropzone with good people and amazing scenery. Expensive (48chf/~54usd per jump), but everything is expensive in Switzerland. There is also a cheap bunkhouse nearby.

This is difficult because you will find a lot of people love their liquidsky suit, and would be willing to invest in the product regardless of the wait time, this includes myself. Wait time doesn't matter when the product style and build quality are worth it. I have a liquid sky and a Tonfly 618, the tonfly I would not recommend for a novice, plus I waited a hefty lead time. There are a bunch of different suit manufacturers out there with reasonable lead times but if you have already narrowed it down to tonfly or vertical, then I would suggest look more into vertical, which is a great brand and many people I know are happy with their suits. Regardless of what kind of suit you get, make sure you choose the correct fit and take proper measurements...twice, just to double check.

There are several European drop zones that teach all the necessary skills needed to fulfill the USPA A license requirements. If the license you earned in another country does not meet USPA requirements then I assume there would be some restrictions on what you can do in the US until you meet all that is required. As a USPA B license holder you should be able to jump in Europe without a problem. Just be sure to bring the appropriate documentation. In some countries the liability insurance provided by the USPA may not be sufficient and you might be asked to pay for a local club membership which would provide a higher amount of coverage. This is required at some dz's in Italy, for example.

The suit only works as good as the person flys it. The sonic tunnel suit comes in 3 different fits, normal, baggy, and tight. You havent stated your dimensions but unless you're an anvil or a stick, I would assume get the normal fit. A high end suit should last a long time so it's not a bad idea to invest in quality. For a beginner, a suit that is too tight or even too baggy would be more difficult to learn in regardless of whether you're in the tunnel or sky. It's not a matter of you getting used to it. It is a matter of you learning and adjusting to fly a suit with that particular style fit. Do more research, talk to people at your dz or tunnel, contact a dealer and ask them your questions...and then make the decision.

I am taking an assignment in Milan, Italy for about 6 months this year, starting in early March. I would love to stay current over there and I'm curious as to which DZ's I should visit or even better, frequent. The DZ's closest to Milan I have found are. - Accademia di Paracadutismo - Para Centro Locarno Is anybody familiar with either of these DZ's? Are there any other dropzones around the area? I am willing to travel a couple hours by train if necessary. What are the requirements for jumping overseas. I am currently a USPA C-license holder but D-License qualified. Also, DZ.com lists Skydive Vercelli as open but their website doesn't work and the email address is invalid. So I am assuming they're closed. Any input would be greatly appreciated!

The transition to a sit fly will be easier the more comfortable you are on your back. Plus, it teaches you to resort to your back when you cork. I was advised by a lot of experienced flyers when learning but I also found this video to be helpful. The video refers to back flying as the ball position. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvjsDRrCox8 I started by doing some solos where I would hold a heading on my back then try and transition to a sit by arching my chest. Once I got this down, I sought out additional coaching.

Something like this? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpOBW1Kk5Iw&feature=related It's steeper than a track but same concept. Never seen anyone transition to this position but would imagine it to be pretty awesome.

Perhaps this will help. I found this website a while ago. It addresses exit separation and drift from winds aloft. There is a detailed powerpoint as well as a drift modeler. You enter all the conditions and it plots their trajectories. It's pretty basic but a nice learning tool. http://mypages.iit.edu/~kallend/skydive/

The benny was my first helmet, had it through my student progression and occasionally use it today but not so much since I got the G2. I am in the market for a new open face. If you plan on jumping quite a bit, my personal opinion would be to invest in a better helmet. Yes, I know, the benny is a popular first time helmet, great price and offers protection. What it doesn't offer is comfort, quality, and secure place for your audible. The foam padding is not very comfortable and the velcro that holds it in barely does its job. The chin strap could also use some improvement. It's almost impossible for my audible to stay in the benny. Instead of there being a pocket, its more or less a hole in the side. I guess you could secure it with tape but I would prefer a pocket instead. Our gear store sold then for $75, so a little markup, but regardless, looking back I would have rather put that $75 into something of better quality...say maybe a bonehead all sport or guner...decent price, thermal liner, nice features and good quality. Hell, I think I just sold myself on one...

What exactly are you asking? Design suggestions, features, fit size? I emailed Julio about questions I had concerning suit design and so forth to which he never responded. But I went ahead and followed through with my order and got a quote back within a couple of days. I was happy with it so I sent it through. I received a phone call from Julio describing how the suit turned out. Soon after I received it and it was EXACTLY how I designed it... No more, no less. I have since sent him an email about the addition of Cordura, he responded in about a week or so. All in all, I think your best option is to call them OR go ahead with your order and maybe once it has been quoted and he knows what you are looking for he would be more inclined to discuss things in more detail via email. Trust me, it's worth it. You would love the suit.

I don't think there is anything wrong with taking a packing class early on, it can only help. I took it around jump 10. I only had to pack once to have it signed off. Although, I went back and got a refresher when I purchased my own gear. My packing course taught me things about the rig, canopy, malfunctions and opening sequence which I didn't know before hand. Afterwards, while under canopy, I felt I had a lot more knowledgeable about what I was flying.

I think a jumpsuit tailored to your size can be a great tool. Most jumpsuits are designed around the flying you want to accomplish (RW, Freefly). They can help slow you down, speed you up, turn faster, track better, and fly longer, essentially making the most out of your skydive. I'm not going to tell you what kind of suit you should get. Being a Noob myself, my advice would be to do some more jumps with people, figure out your style and do some research before you pull the trigger on a custom suit. Jumpsuits can get pricey depending on options and design. As for the booties and grips being added...I doubt it. I imagine it would expensive and time consuming. I would not get an RW suit without booties and grips. Personally, I bought a pair of used Tony Suit freefly pants till my LiquidSky suit arrives.

Picked it up on the classifieds. Loving it.

Yes, the answer to your question is definitely out there. And it will most likely end up being ask your instructors/rigger. Search is your best friend. Personally, a new jumper like myself looked for gear that got me to the ground safely. Don't drown yourself in all the options that manufacturer's offer. When you're ready to purchase, scan the classifieds and find something used. Skydive equipment has a good resale value, so further down the road you can sell your gear for something that fits your discipline.

+1 for Spaceland.

Just to clarify, since the OP mentioned 23 specifically. Some DZ's have an A license program, this is like a hybrid AFF/coached jump package in which you essentially pay for 23 jumps. Of these jumps, 16 are coached and one is a Hop n' Pop, leaving 5 solo jumps as a student. In order to enter the program you must have 2 tandems. So, by the time you are done with the A license package, you have the equivalent of 25 jumps.

I don't think there is anything wrong with doing a second tandem, except for the money. My DZ's student program required two tandems in order to progress to the FJC. First tandem was to experience free fall for the first time. The second tandem we initiated turns, delta tracked for a few seconds, I deployed the canopy and flew it down until final approach. The experience was much more involved and I was learning too. It really wasn't until after the instructed tandem jump that I felt comfortable doing a solo skydive. I think your TI would be happy to teach you some basics.

Also went to Jenks, kindergarten-6th grade. Lived just north of 111th and on S. Yale.