Skyflier

The day we show our respect for the diggers who fought for our country. In typical Aussie fashion this involves early morning drinking and all day gambeling.

Just wondering if anyone here has any experience with flying a hickster canopy. It is an Australian made canopy and I can find no reviews in the gear section nor do I know anyone who jumps one (maybe that should tell me something) Any info would be greatly appreciated...cheers Jesse

Wow. That's quite a statement. I wonder if the author has visited any of the many other countries in the middle east. I personally could not disagree more.

Could you tell us what you are doing when you are packing? ie, what you do to the nose etc.

*** Lord help us. Adults aren't going to suddenly learn to write in a way that doesn't offend your sensibilities because you make a post pointing out a very common error. I should know. Whose fragile sensibilities have been upset?

It happens. Deal with it.

Been listening to alot of PJ Harvey, Neil young and Marcus Miller recently...plus good old Crowded house.

A lot of valid opinions posted already. General consensus seems to be that most people choose to not jump without one. I think for these people AAD's are a great thing and may make this great sport of ours (and the people involved feel) a little safer- even if at times it is purely a placebo effect. As has already been stated, my only real objection is the possible "dumbing down" of jumpers (especially students) who think "I have an AAD therefore I'm safe". My own feeling is that maybe skydiving isn't for these people. And there certainly are some. Living in OZ, I have to jump an AAD till I get my D license (200 jumps). After that I will more than likely get rid of it. I would resent any implication that this choice would make me an un-safe jumper. My reasons for this are evidently not shared by many who post here and thus I don't intend on launching into an elaborate explanation of them. I'm not anti-AAD at all. There is no doubt that some people have been saved due to having one. Just my measly 2 cents.

YYEEEHHAAA!!! Job well done buddy. I had a similar one last year...can't wait for ever can you. My C.I said to me after I landed "you'll probably go over this in your head for the next week and second guess your actions, think you should have waited longer - f@#k that, get the reserve out." It's a good feeling knowing you dealt with the situation calmly and quickly.

I don't mean to be rude Tom but it is easy to cloud the topic with emotive responses. You have obviously taken my remarks about being "reasonably big" and gone for a nice run down a tangent. All I meant was simply that my chances of survival increase if someone doesn't have a gun. I hope a "guy like myself" never rapes or kills your mother or sister - or mine for that matter. Did you read the rest of my post or stop after you saw "reasonably big"?

"Some f'er can take you out any minute with their car when you're walking down the street. The same guy in the pub can take you out with a beer bottle." I'm afraid that this argument is non-sense to me. I'm a reasonably big guy and if some guy tries that on with me with a bottle, knife, screwdriver I like my chances of survival a lot more. As you said yourself, when a gun is brought into the equation, none of that matters. I would really love an explanation (I'm sure I'll get one) as to how guns help to "keep the playing field even". Must everyone carry a gun? Of the same calibre? Another problem I have with guns is that in the heat of the moment they can be used to much greater effect than someone's fists. I really wonder how many shootings would have merely involved a broken jaw or nose if neither party was carrying a gun. Yes, you can kill someone with just about anything if you want, but a gun ups the ante a lot. I am not a hysterical anti-gun campaigner . I am simply glad my country is different in this regard (and yes, I can offer you all the stats you want if need be). America has a problem. You already have a wide circulation of guns and a lot of the population is passionate about keeping them. I'll be damned if I know the answer, but I'm sorry, from where I sit, it doesn't seem to be working for you. I can understand your passion.I am willing to concede there is every chance that if I had grown up in your country, and had been told that it was my inherent right to have guns I would want to protect that right as well. That not being the case, I quite like living in a society that has far fewer guns. Maybe I'll be stabbed tonight. All I can say further is that I would fight to protect my country’s stance on gun control because it does seem to be working here.

"Some people use the term "Sheeople" for people with thoughts such as this." Let me see if I've got this straight...I'm a sheeople (I'm guessing sheep) because I DON'T AGREE with you.Hhhhhhmmmmmmm.... This is my last post, I swear. It is 3.30am and I don't care anymore.

I really wasn't referring to military campaigns. I didn't mean to push any buttons. I respect anyone in the armed forces who puts their lives on the line to protect others. I spent several of my teenage years in the Australian Army Cadets and will proberly join the reserves next year after I finish studying. Having said that, I was referring to the implication of one being willing to pay a large price (non-military persons lives) for the freedom of non-military persons to carry guns. East Timor was a peace-keeping operation that resulted in 1 Australian death from a ND in an APC. 1 NZ solider was also killed. This topic in my view isn't about the military however.

Isn't it nice of you to be willing to pay a large price (i.e other's lives) for freedom. I am also more than willing to pay a large price for freedom. Every time I jump it is a decision - risk vs. reward. But this isn't about jumping is it. I prefer to be the one making choices about my life and the safety there of. My problem with guns is that some f#$@er in a pub might make that choice for me and THAT takes away MY freedom. Old Benjamin's quote mean very little to me I'm afraid..."temporary safety" in this context is essentially referring to the lives of people who may not wish to be killed by a gun. I'm all for risk, but only when I have a say in the outcome. But as I said before, it's your country. If you want to keep blowing each other away in the name of "freedom" it is of no consequence to me. Just don't bring 'em to my country. P.S. In regard to your earlier post; Northern Ireland (IRA) were fighting the British occupiers , the Palestinians are fighting the Israelis ...who is America fighting? PPS. Please don't interpret this as anti-American slander, it isn't.

Seems a rather large inconvenience to me Tom. But it's your country, you do what you like.

One of the main reasons I skydive is because it is one of the few times in life when I can be completely in the moment. I love the freedom and I love the purity of the rush. Who didn't want to be able to fly when they were a kid???

I always find it slightly alarming when I hear Americans say that "gun control doesn't work". Growing up and living Australia I've been lucky enough to be exposed to a society that doesn't have a constitutional right to bear arms, and funnily enough, we have no where near the amount of shootings that happen in the US. Even allowing for the differences in population, you guys are still well out in front. People may well kill people, but guns do it a lot quicker and easier. I don't care what you say, ofcourse gun control works.

It's funny 'cause it didn't happen to me.

Definitly mission beach in cairns australia. Freefall over the great barrier reef and dunk island - it's pretty special.

WHAT???? YOU ONLY BUY BEER FOR YOUR FIRST MAL...I WOULDN'T BE BRAVE ENOUGH TO TRY THAT ONE AT MY DZ

LOVE YA WORK!!!! WHERE'S THE BEER?

My sincerest condolences to the family of the passenger and hopes for a speedy recovery for the TM. Blue skies. JP

Something happened yesterday that I thought I might as well share with you all; it's just a story about something that in my opinion never should have happened. It was my 100th jump yesterday and the plan was to launch a 5-way out of a cessna 185. I was jumping with people I've jumped with on many occasions, one of them being a good mate who I jump with alot (he shall however remain nameless). The exit was smooth and controlled; we went into a horny gorilla which ended up being in severe need of some viagra. The group broke up after the gorilla mayhem and myself, the camera-man and my mate fell away from the two girls on the load. No big deal. After afew backloops, backflying etc the three of us went in to build a star again (about 5000ft or so) and this is when my mate flies into me, pulls my arms down, rolls underneath me and dumps me out. I was in a crap body position and completely un-aware that he was going to do this. I thought my reserve had fired. Because of the poor body position the canopy came out with line twists down to the risers which were caught around my neck. I then got the hardest opening that my sabre has dished out yet (still looks painful in slow-mo on the video). One of the girls "nearly" went into my deploying canopy and you can see her on the video tracking her arse off to get away. Under canopy I was stunned for a second as the opening had given me a real spanking.. I didn't know if my canopy had somehow deployed prematurely or what. I got the twists out and realized my neck was in alot of pain. I have ligament damage in my neck (not real bad but a major annoyance all the same) and a nice welt on my neck from the line twists. Could've been alot worse. I don't mean to sound soft of pedantic but the words "horse-shoe malfunction" send a shiver down my spine. I also have no desire to have someone go into my canopy while they're at terminal. Worst of all I'm not going to be able to jump again for at least a week. My deployment system is for me only to use in freefall. If this had been pre-arranged then fine. AT LEAST the other people on the load should have known his intentions. I have no real problem risking my own life but when someone else does it for me... We all landed safely but it could have been a real stupid way to die.

I'd be surfing alot more. I've gone from twice a day every day to about ten times in the last year. Either that or shooting speed ;)

Just say the word and I'll do it. Enough said.