vt1977

:6:0 A not-too-awful bank holiday weekend weather-wise here in the UK. In spite of a few annoying weather holds I did some really fun jumps! Vicki

I don't know of anything like that I'm afriad - not for 2-way at least. 4-way and 8-way dive pools can be found here though... http://www.omniskore.com/ipc_pool_menu.htm I see you jump at Netheravon - I'll be there this weekend so give me a shout and I'll be happy to show you some basic 2-way dives with names.

I haven’t heard much about the Freefall University but Bogwarrior who posts here occasionally is from there – you could try dropping him a PM? Another option is somewhere like Winter Sun Skydiving or Phd Skydiving where British Instructors run courses abroad. Lots of options – the main bit of advice I’d give you is to either choose an AFF course with a British instructor who will offer continuation in the UK or to speak to the UK dropzone you plan on jumping at when you come back to check that they will be happy with whatever course you do abroad and what they will want you to do to integrate you into the British system. Some dropzones can be a bit wary of students who have done AFF abroad and may want you to do one or more check out dives before they will let you jump there – just a point to be aware of. hth! Vicki

It's a nice DZ with nice aircraft, good facilities and a cheap bar! Check out the website Depending on where you live, there is bound to be an equally nice DZ near you

I've heard of it but never jumped there - I mainly jump at Netheravon and occasionally Headcorn. Have you decided where and when you are doing your AFF yet? Vicki

There are some nice 2-ways dives here from the Headcorn Parachute Club website. hth! Vicki

In the UK once you have completed AFF, you have to do 10 consolidation jumps and you are then eligible for your A licence. B licence is awarded after completion of 50 jumps and achieving IC1. IC1 involves packing, basic canopy control, accuracy landings, learning the responsibilities of a jump master and spotting (determining the correct exit point). Once you have a B licence you can JM a load of experienced parachutists (A licence and above). C licence is awarded on completion of 200 jumps plus one other grade 1 – i.e. FS1 (formation skydiving, relative work or belly flying – all the same thing) or FF1 (freeflying). You can start working towards FS1 as soon as you have finished your consolidation jumps. D licence is awarded when you have 1,000 jumps. In the UK, you can go for a Tandem Instructor rating with 800 jumps. I believe it is 200 jumps to become a CSBI (Category System Basic Instructor) and 1,000 to become an AFF Instructor. If you want more info about progression in the UK – check out/browse the BPA website: http://www.bpa.org.uk/ hth!

NB Not a freeflyer! However... Babylon are based at Empuriabrava which is without a doubt one of the most beautiful DZs in the world. Vicki

Congratulations! What DZ is that? Vicki

Hey... since this is the 1st time this has happened... does that mean lots of the first night?! Vicki

Yay! I'm so glad Molly made it home to you!

Congratulations Michele… and congratulations to all those involved in a most spectacular pie-ing! Vicki

Hey hottie - so sorry to hear about your ankle it looks painful. Take it easy, take painkillers and rest up so you can be back in the sky soon!

:1:0 Only one jump as I was just too damn tired to do any more! A shame as it was a beautiful weekend here in sunny England! Vicki

Sorry to hear about your dog... http://www.petloss.com/poems/maingrp/rainbowb.htm Vicki

You could have a look in the PD owners manual http://www.performancedesigns.com/docs/MainUsersManual.pdf - start at page 16. There are also some decent videos... but I guess hands on is the best way to learn. Vicki

Some info here: http://pictures.freefalluniversity.co.uk/ Check out the video here: http://pictures.freefalluniversity.co.uk/images/MOV00158.MPG Vicki

My B-17 jump at Quincy in 2000 cost me a cool $350. It was a lot of cash, but totally worth it! Vicki

:8:0 What a beautiful, sunny weekend it was in England! I even have a sun tan! 3 jumps on the Saturday as part of a canopy control school - very useful stuff learnt. 5 great jumps on Sunday. A great weekend! Vicki

Same for me - I smile just thinking about my one B-17 jump... I would LOVE to do another one! Vicki

Depends on the type of pain, but yoga can work absolute miracles for sore backs. Vicki

At around 50 jumps (I was a slow learner on static line progression ) I went from a Raider 220 which was my student canopy straight to a PD-170 which I had bought. I weighed about the same as you too. I stood up the first landing on the 170 in the peas…

My new rig is built for Reserve: 126 Main: 120 I still have a 135 main in there for now as I’m taking my time over deciding what main canopy I want and I’m happy enough to stay with the 135 until I can decide! Knowing me, this may take some time! Vicki

:2:0 2 4-way competition jumps at the first meet of the season - we were a scratch team and we had a great time. Just a shame the weather didn't play ball 'cos I would have loved to have done more rounds! Vicki

The easiest DZ to get to by public transport is Headcorn Parachute Club in Kent. www.headcornparachuteclub.co.uk It is a one hour journey from London Charing Cross/London Bridge/Waterloo East direct to Headcorn. Once you get there you can get a taxi from Headcorn train station to the airfield for around £4. There may well be other options too – check out the full list of BPA DZs here: http://www.bpa.org.uk/dropzone/dzone.htm Hope that helps! Vicki