A-DZ

Thanks for all the info already! My friend is from Pakistan, so he probably wouldn't visit North America in the next few months, but if he knew of a DZ where he could possibly do this he could start planning and touching base with them, and finding time to do a trip. (One of his marathons was in NYC years ago.) I'll pass on all this info to him! Thanks again, and keep it coming! Cheers, Allison "Here is a test to find whether your mission on earth is finished: If you're alive, it isn't." - Richard Bach, Illusions

Hello! I'm a new skydiver, USPA B license with 100+ jumps. I have a friend who would like to try a tandem skydive. He is quadraplegic, with some upper body movement, i.e. he can move his arms though has difficulty controlling his hands and fingers with precision. He is a tough guy (he's done two wheelchair marathons and driven the entire Karakorum highway solo.) Skydive Dubai already told him 'no.' Are there any DZs and instructors who are already experienced with this and could offer him a shot? Thanks for any tips you could give! Allison "Here is a test to find whether your mission on earth is finished: If you're alive, it isn't." - Richard Bach, Illusions

OK, in fairness, I did not go to the other two DZs near Toronto. But I did call and do web research, and I selected PST as they seemed the most USPA- friendly. (One of the others said I might need to do a coach jump since I "only" had a USPA B license.) The skyvan (13,000 ft in 13 minutes) rocked, and the view of the lake was incredible. But my greatest praise goes to the staff and the DZO (Adam). On my second day jumping I brought two non-skydiving friends for tandems. One completely panicked on the plane, despite her instructor and my own efforts to calm her down, and she didn't get out of the plane. Back on the ground, she felt completely defeated, so her instructor said she could go right back up if she was ready. That time she got on the plane, then immediately got off it! Finally, after pep talks from 4-5 different PST staff, and Adam's very generous permission to let her go up again (on a very busy Saturday morning), she finally jumped and absolutely loved it. I imagine most DZ's would never permit a second, let alone a third try, so I'm extremely grateful to Adam & PST for being so tolerant of my friend. They made her - and my - day!

I did my AFF & A license at Empuriabrava in May 2011. Both the ground school and instructor jumps were top notch (thanks, Laurent & Fran!) Though we were winded out the first day, I got my first 29 jumps in 7 days. They had an Otter and a Porter going while I was there, and I hear they have a 3rd turbine during the peak summer months. For a novice like me, it was quite a treat to be sharing planes with the French national 4-way teams (both male and female) as well as the Babylon Freefly team. The view of the sea is amazing and they've got a professional photographer there (Mike) who takes some amazing shots. The cafe and bar are good fun and excellent place for watching students' AFF videos and drinking their beer! I'd highly recommend this DZ to anyone who wants to do a ton of jumping, get licensed, do an RW or Canopy course, or even just chill and watch some insane swooping.