milehigheric

And the worst analogy ever goes to... What happens if your 'fun having equipment' completely fails in free fall (to be specific -an unresolvable terminal mal)? You won't have to worry about getting fucked up bad, your dead plain and simple. I put my rig in the same category pilots would their aircraft. You think someone having fun on the weekend in their Cessna would see it as a 'fun having' device? What im trying to say is that your rig is literately the only thing between you and certain death - I couldn't find a better definition of a 'life saving device' to be honest.

It seems as if I'm on the conservative side but my EP hardeck is 2,500. I pitch main at 3.5 - 4k ( wave off at 4, pilot chute out a second later). Perhaps after I experience a malfunction I will reconsider, but for me there is simply no reason for me to go that low without some good nylon over my head.

IMO, if your the new guy and you start narking out on other people your going to have a bad time. It doesn't matter a whole lot who is morally right or wrong at the end of the day, but getting on bad terms with co-workers (especially bosses toilet roll holders) is never a good start. I have had several people on higher salary who do sweet fuck all while im busting my ass. It's annoying, but I think the best way is to just stick to your morals and try not to let it get to you. Your there to do a job, your getting paid to do your job so what does it really matter if Joe is sitting on his ass watching netflix? Thats a management problem, not yours. I find in most cases if you bring up his laziness every now and then in a joking manor, eventually he will feel obliged to do some work while your around. Saying that, the last time I was in this position the said individual took a swing at me at our Christmas party. I threw a few back and after it was broken up he quit his job and left. I'm not advocating violence, but this time it worked...and I got his pay packet in the end

My 'home' DZ is Byron - it is a tandem orientated drop zone at the end of the day, but the people there are awesome, the views are incredible and the fun jumpers are starting to grow. Wednesdays are a good time to visit if you don't work (mainly a fun jump day and $33 to 14,000) but be sure to call ahead and check the weather. There is nearly always wind here (as with most coastal DZ's) and can leave you looking at the trees blowing all day on some occasions - trust me on that one, it took me 4 months to finish my AFF haha. Toogs is certainly worth checking out! I have only been out there for one weekend but I had a blast. Tickets are a little more expensive ($45), but remember it is a club DZ not a tandem mill like most aussie drop zones.

Like this guy... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2148554/Man-beheaded-cannibalised-fellow-passenger-Greyhound-bus-thought-attacking-alien.html

Your putting a reserve and an AAD in the same category...really? OP - just relax. If your DZ has any desire to make you a competent skydiver the gear will be explained to you in due time. Try not to fill your head with pre conceived opinions and 'Internet facts' that are not relevant to you yet. Once you understand the how and whys of the gear we use you will be in a much better position to figure out the who and what and pick gear that your comfortable with. You will be surprised at how quickly your knowledge grows! Good luck dude

I'm glad you said girls... Could of got awkward there for a second. See yas in July :)

How colds it get over there at altitude? Should I be dressing for snow conditions?

Cheers for the input! I decided to fly into Christchurch, grab a car and head to abel Tasman. There is also the skydiving school at Methven and the smaller skydiving kiwis DZ on the way to Queenstown so I shouldn't have to much trouble finding some fun. Now to stock up on warm gear - I have never needed to worry about the temperature here in Aus haha

I asked in the Aussie forums, and I sent some emails to a couple of drop zones but I haven't got much of a response. If there are any kiwis on the forum or if you have jumped there before your input would be much appreciated. Im headed to NZ in July for some snowboarding and I was thinking about heading over a week before my mates and getting 20 or so jumps in . My research has led me to believe Auckland would be the place to invade (http://www.dropzone.com/dropzone/Detailed/1026.shtml) but I was sort of hoping to get some recommendations. NZ seems alot like Aus in the sense it is heavily focused on tandems so I would hate to make the wrong choice. Ill just fire off some dot points... Open in winter? (Im not sure if NZ DZ's are seasonal or not? Im aiming for the 28th June - 10 July) -Temperature at altitude during this time? (I have never had to bother with cold weather gear in Aus, would it be recommended?) -Accommodation (any available at DZ?) -Transport from Auckland intl Airport? -Food at DZ? -Coaching available (RW? Freefly?) and costs? -Load organising (particularly during the week - will it be easy enough to find people to jump with?) -Multi discipline DZ (is there a mix of RW,FF etc?) -Loads per day (i know, very dependent) -Special requirements if any? -Any other DZ's in the area?

Just got a new set of risers and I'm wondering if it is safe to miss match metals with three rings? I did advise mirage my rig has non stainless hardware, but the new risers they sent have stainless rings regardless. I'm sure I have read bad things about mixing in the past but I can't seem to find anything about it in the search? Being in Australia returning them is an expensive pain in the ass so I would rather just use them if possible?

Cheers for the advice guys! One thing I didn't consider is the TSO issue mentioned above. I would assume that a factory option ( and a factory supplied handle in this case) would be fine?

I have a soft reserve handle in the mail, and the plan was to swap it over at repack. I need it repacked this weekend however and I doubt the softy will be here in time. I'm not all that familiar with the inner workings of the reserve system and I was just wondering if it is much effort to changeover afterwards (not at repack time) ? It may be a silly question, but i havent had the chance to learn a whole lot about the reserve system yet. I plan to sit in on this repack and learn my way around a reserve tray however :)

Im only commenting on what I have seen online, I don't know what happened first hand... This may be a legitamite question, it just seems to point back to events that should be forgotten not for anyone else sale but his own. The threads just kept dragging on as if he was looking for approval or sympathy etc. Honestly, if he rocked up at my home dz I would jump with him - he just need to let shit go and take a lesson on dropzone/general social politics. Good to see he wants to get back in the air again, forget the shit and keep jumping I say. Just seems with the abundance of skilled ti's in aus, searching for one particular individual from where bad terms were created seems like he is still stirring on it.

Haha it never ends does it

Cheers guys! Will be sticking with the ozone and picking up an optima 2 for now. A protrack will be a good addition in the future.

Im tossing up between two helmets at the moment (cookie rok vs ozone fyi) and im wondering what is the reasoning behind having two audible slots in helmets. Is it simply to allow a backup of a backup device or is there another reason that im missing? I'm leaning towards the rok, but as it only has one audible slot im just wondering if this is a true disadvantage or not. Cheers

I'm not sure how training is done in other parts of the country (that alone the world) but it seems plausible to me that one would want to make the AFF course as simple is practicably possible. Giving a student so much information in such a short period is asking for trouble in my opinion. You can't put everything there is to know into a first jump course, and there will always be trade offs - perhaps RSL EP's (and the deliberate non-disconnecting rigging) are part of this? Im not saying I agree with it or not, but I can see the logic. I'm assuming it's an attempt at removing a decision from the student that needs to take place during a mal. Is it better for a student to look up and see an un land-able mal and commence EP's immediately or waste time thinking about what to do with their RSL? I would not call this alone a 'hole in my training'. If my instructor(s) never followed it up and I was left looking at my gear going "what the fuck is this" then that opinion might be different.

2 rigs and a packer and im on every load!

FYI, my student gear had non removable RSL. Same goes for other student gear I have seen at different drop zones. I have no idea what the reasoning is behind it however. Sounds a bit crappy really, but I only learnt that RSL's can be disconnected after buying my own gear and sitting down with someone to explain it to me - I would guess alot of students would be the same.

Whats the general consensus on letting minors jump if you were to factor out the lawyers? Here in Aus I did my first tandem at 14 (legal minimum at the time) and I believe it has been amended to 12 now. Morally I see nothing wrong with it - minors to an extent are capable of making their own decisions and the level of peformance required on a tandem jump would not be out of reach surely. Am I right in saying that this is just a case of the fear of lawyers being sue happy, or is there a bigger focus over there that kids should not be jumping?

I am so fucking jealous of USA dropzones, you guys have got it good! $13 a jump at lodi vs $40- $50 a jump here in Aus. Gear hire is usually that again per jump!

Wouldn't you errr... Not jump if you think there is a good chance of landing off?

I have considered packing myself a line twist just to experience it... 47 jumps in, with half of them on my own gear and I have had nothing but clean openings. My canopy experience includes navigators and sabre 2s at less then 1.1 wl for your info.

Don't trust the visual pictures you have learnt flying aircraft - they are not the same under a canopy. On my first jump I was under radio assistance as most students are. I recall sitting under canopy and saying to myself "really" when I was being given commands especially crosswind and final. I feel pilots have an advantage in the classroom Because they understand flight in general. The practical skills are so much different however that you can't bring much from a fixed wing environment to your FJC - nor should you. Just remember your instructors not going to let you up there unless you understand the basic knowledge required to be safe... So don't stress about it now.