CornishChris

I will. Maybe we could have a beer some day. I could probably afford it. CJP Gods don't kill people. People with Gods kill people

I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth. I am not trying to make out that the UK is a better place to be. I appreciate Blue clearing up the facts for me and have stated that to him in a pm. If I wasn't so busy being put down by my government I would have realised my mistake. My statements were wild and unfounded - I am a cad and a bounder and deserve to be pistol whipped. Thatcher was what the country needed at the time - the best way to rate your current President is to compare to a Prime Minister of some twenty years ago, I see that now. I hate the tabloid press more than you, believe me. I am off to buy my ticket to NY and apply for a Green Card as the eloquent diatribe has changed my mind. The weekend is upon us - Blue ones to you all and no offence meant to anyone. CJP Gods don't kill people. People with Gods kill people

Deep Breath... Are you proud of: Metal detectors in schools Phenomenal crime levels Highest murder rate in the western world "President" Bush The "Liberation" of a country where 98% of people voted for it's president by one where less than 25% of people voted for theirs. The 61% of adults now considered overweight or obese That more coalition troops were killed in the current Gulf war by US troops than by the enemy Firstly I would like to say I am proud to be English. I would not up and leave for the US if a Green Card was offered as someone quoted earlier. I do think it is a good thing to be proud of your country. Squeak is proud to be an Aussie and good for him as I am there at the moment - they are a very proud nation. However, somehow from an outsiders point of view, the US citizens seem to have taken this pride to the n-th degree. I believe it is partly due to your media and the way they portray your country in the world. You are the most powerful nation on the planet and therefore can do wht you want but that is not necessarily something to be proud of. For one thing I disagree with the attitude that not agreeing with the US makes you wrong - take France for example. They chose not to support the US in an attack on Saddam Hussein and were flamed for it (as I will surely be). They took the freedom, of which you all speak so highly, to make a decision and yet as it was a decision not in line with the US PR machine it was deemed wrong. What type of freedom is that? Now we sit in the aftermath of a patheticly short war, no WMD's found, hardly any resistance from the enemy deemed to be such a threat and still the French are considered cowards for their choice. Were they really so wrong to make a stand? I believe that with the Pride that is so essential to a nations stability must also lie a humility that allows you to recognise the issues that surround your nation and address them. For example. Proud Englishman but the UK has/is: High unemployment Dreadful health service Poor dental system (!) Lap dog to US when should make own decisions Damned expensive Too lax laws Easy to take for ride etc. etc. Before I get totally flamed I would ask you to think why you are proud to be American but also what makes you most ashamed to be an American. Does Pride not come before a fall. Let the flaming begin... CJP Gods don't kill people. People with Gods kill people

No idea but my AFF instructor did levels 1-7 on one day with a student which isn't half bad. CJP Gods don't kill people. People with Gods kill people

Truly terrifying. Great story though!!!! CJP Gods don't kill people. People with Gods kill people

Brilliant. CJP Gods don't kill people. People with Gods kill people

I was told during my AFF that one of the reasons for doing the back loop was to get you unstable - they didn't expect me to be able to do it first time (proved em wrong). Then obviously as you are unstable you have to get stable again. Back loops will come with practise and as long as when you do end up on your back you can get yourself belly down and stable again you should have no problems. Relax & enjoy. CJP Gods don't kill people. People with Gods kill people

I did 4 S/L's before jacking it and going for AFF. I totally agree that other pure AFFers have low altitude exit fear. The way they get over it in Aus - where I am now - is to do three H&Ps to graduate AFF, 5K, 4K then 3K. I think this is a good idea and it is fun to see their faces on the 3K jump. Once you have bundled out at 3K on a S/L you feel much happier doing a H&P from 5K. 2 cents CJP Gods don't kill people. People with Gods kill people

OK fair enough - poor analogy. I st think that people are not well enough educated about big bikes. I can be doing 100mph in about 6 seconds from the off and I know my bike inside out have riden tens of thousands of miles on it and it still scares me sometimes. The temptation to blast a big bike is so huge - a hayabusa can do 200mph and that is just asking for trouble for a newbie. What I was implying is that you need to learn how to deal with a smaller more docile bike before you launch onto the big boys. In the UK the highest risk group of bikers is the "Back to Biking" over 40's. They used to ride big bikes but they were nothing like as powerful so hey don't know what they are dealing with. It is the same as canopy flying in that it is all about knowledge & control. Buy whatever makes you happy but rest assured it will scare the shit out of you before you tame it. I had some close calls on my SR125 and that only did 50mph... CJP Gods don't kill people. People with Gods kill people

Learn to ride a small bike before you get a big one. I did a year on a 125 around London, then onto a Bandit 6 then an Interceptor (VFR800). the jump from the 125 to the Bandit was the same as the Bandit to the VFR. I don't know about the states but in the UK you wouldn't be able to touch a CBR as a first bike on the insurance front. My brother is just getting into biking and I recommended te SV650 to him. It is better to ride a bike like that at 99% than a Hayabusa or R1 at 40%. Would you recommend a fully eliptical to a newbie with 25 jumps - it is the same with bikes - whilst they may be able to fly it reasonably well and land it 95% of the time it can get them into a whole heap of situations that they will not be able to deal with. In surmation go for: SV 650, Bandit 6, Hornet 6, Kawasaki ER7. You will have just as much funb riding them as a Busa or a Blade at your experience and you will be less likely to die. Blue Skies & empty roads to you. CJP CJP Gods don't kill people. People with Gods kill people

hmm CJP Gods don't kill people. People with Gods kill people

The ultimate in post whoring... CJP Gods don't kill people. People with Gods kill people

He is a bit pent up - I think he needs to take up skydiving. He has become a character you want to grab by the shoulders, shake and yell at. Good book though. Finished it yesterday - anyone want any spoilers... CJP Gods don't kill people. People with Gods kill people

2 out - not nice. Nice to see both Cypres' fired. CJP CJP Gods don't kill people. People with Gods kill people

One of the best things about the UK is the abundance of hire gear at decent rates. I have moved to Aus where there is one rig that you can hire that is a 190 that has been jumped to death. Well not literally. Anyway at nethers or Weston were I jumped the rig hire rates were OK and loads of gear around which means you are not pushed into getting a rig before you are ready and know what you want. Fly the PD210's (as they generally are) for a while until you know what you want. Ask your instructors and friends on the DZ then. You can pick up reasonable deals on new gear from Thomas Sports and also from DZ Sports - see Skydive the Mag and there is also a bit of used knocking around. Hope you enjoy it and take care. CJP CJP Gods don't kill people. People with Gods kill people

How exactly did he take off? CJP Gods don't kill people. People with Gods kill people

Have a dig around some of the other files - there is some mad shit in there... CJP Gods don't kill people. People with Gods kill people

Pretty all over the place though but it is a good book. If you liked that then you should definitely read "An instance of the Fingerpost" by some bloke. Very interesting and cool style. CJP CJP Gods don't kill people. People with Gods kill people

If you like the Rowling Books then pick up Sabriel by Garth Nix. First of a Trilogy that I read in a week then reread the next week. Or just do what I am doing and read the 4th Potter again... CJP Gods don't kill people. People with Gods kill people

Having not done this I have a question. In this situation in real life would you not disconnect your RSL prior to landing then cut your canopy away on landing and swim away. Obviously there are advantages to getting out your harness weight wise but surely, as was mentioned, air is the most important thing. Can someone clarify for me. Cheers CJP CJP Gods don't kill people. People with Gods kill people

Except your reserve has a spring loaded pilot chute, as does rip cord for students which makes a big difference. It seems to be an endless argument/discussion on the pros and cons of each. There are about three posts on the topic at the moment... CJP Gods don't kill people. People with Gods kill people

In my ongong quest for pullout information I got loads of advice at the DZ yesterday. The most interesting comment was regarding the deployment sequence. With pullout your container is open before your Pilot Chute is inflated. It was explianed that this could lead to further complications - i.e. D-bag coming out of container prior to Pilot chute inflating fully and creating bag lock Incidentally I was also advised strongly by one of the instructors from changing my deployment method to check the rig out with just 50 jumps. The instructor reckoned that nothing would be gained by me from doing this. I have now decided to convert the rig to throwaway. The money is not the object for me particularly and then I will be with a system that I am used to and confident with. Rigger informed. No going back. Stick with what you know and are happy with. CJP CJP Gods don't kill people. People with Gods kill people

I wouldn't do it again if I were you. Level two isn't going to be so different and you know what you did wrong so you can adjust for level 2. Think of the money; whilst it is important to get it right you could do this on level 2 and save a bit of cash. Your instructors will let you know if there is a problem. Goggles. Take em off under canopy but don't drop them, slip them round your neck - they are only really necessary in freefall anyway. Well done for doing it anyway! Keep smiling and keep going - and despite my advice, or anyones - do what you feel happy with. CJP CJP Gods don't kill people. People with Gods kill people

I am buying my first rig and it has a pull out system. I was trained on a BOC throwout system but I want to jump the rig and make my own decision about it. I have had a quote of AU$250 from my rigger to make the canopy BOC throwout so I know that if I am not happy I can get it changed. However I truly believe that, whilst I have asked many people for advice on this, jumping it yourself is the best answer. I think that "because no one else does" is not the most intelectual response (quoted from other post). I would still be interested to hear peoples opinions on my decision however. Blue Ones. CJP Gods don't kill people. People with Gods kill people

You do realise Australia is the same size as the states don't you?! That said the one Aussie DZ I jump at is pretty spectacular. I think it is less about which DZ than which place. I would have to go for Hawaii of somewhere like Fiji over all of the ickle islands... CJP Gods don't kill people. People with Gods kill people