vt1977

Anne Hawthorn... not too great huh?! Vicki

Nope, another boring job here I'm afraid. Offices suck. On the bright side, tomorrwo is Friday!!! Vicki

I’ve just had a look on the Nethers website and there is nothing on there yet… I’m certain you guys won a medal and I also remember that the staff team won the senior event. 95% sure you got silver, but since the wine was flowing nicely both before and after the prize giving my memory isn’t quite what it should be! Vicki

Ivan, I was at the prize giving and I’m pretty sure that you guys won a medal in the senior open event – it may well have been silver but don’t quote me on that as I had a fair bit to drink that evening ! I do know the results for the Speed 8 competition that was held last weekend though… 1st: Elsinore N-RA 2nd: WADGAS 3rd: Tequila Vicki

Hi Beth, I see that you are in the UK in which case I suggest that you look for used gear in the following places: BPA website – has a classified section uk.rec.skydiving newsgroup often has adverts or you could post a “wanted” Other possibilities are to look in the BPA Skydive Mag which has a classifieds section and there is a fair amount of used gear for sale every issue. You could also call Maddy at DZ Sports (Hinton) or Rob Colpus at The Kit Store (Headcorn) – both numbers will be in the mag. Both will happily offer you advice on kit and will have a range of used kit in stock. Also keep an eye out for adverts on your DZ notice board. Obviously, you should seek advice from instructors who know you and your abilities before buying and you should also ensure that any piece of kit you are looking at with a view to buying is checked out by a rigger before you part with any cash. I hope that helps – if you need any more info on any of this (phone numbers, websites etc. which I haven’t included above) then please feel free to PM me and I’ll try to help. Vicki

I should have said in my previous post, I am using my short risers with slinks. The whole set up is now great and I don't have a problem reaching my slider any more! (The only problem was that I had got so used to not being able to collapse my slider that it took me a while to get into the habit of doing it...) Good luck with trying the slinks! Vicki

I have voted for Langar and Netheravon. I mainly jump at Netheravon and actually very rarely make it up to Langar but I would certainly jump at Langar much more often if I lived closer. Vicki

Hey Colin, Yep, my vote would go to Netheravon too! Vicki

I used to have a similar problem with reaching my slider - no matter what I did it was no good, my arms were just too short. I solved the problem very simply - by ordering a set of shorter risers. I have done 200-250 jumps on them now and they are great! I can reach my slider easily and comfortably. The only thing is that I do have to warn people who are used to "normal" length risers if they borrow my rig! Vicki

If you’re after a DZ to go to near London during the winter then my advice would be as follows: Headcorn has been mentioned and whilst it is slow and has some major downsides (very slow turnaround, far too many tandems and, at times, a bit of an attitude towards experienced jumpers), I jumped there pretty much every weekend for approx 8 years and there are some great people there and you will have fun there even in winter. If you are going to be relying on public transport then this is by far the easiest DZ to get to – you can get a train direct to Headcorn from Waterloo East, London Bridge or Charing Cross. There are generally one or two trains an hour and the journey takes 1 hour. On arrival at Headcorn station you can either walk to the DZ (20ish minutes), get a taxi (approx £4) or call the DZ and someone will normally give you a lift. Their aircraft in winter is a turbine Beaver – small and cramped, but warm and gets to altitude quickly. They have accommodation there and an overpriced bar, restaurant and canteen on site. Jump prices are £18 to 12,000 feet. Another thing to watch out for is that the runway at Headcorn has a habit of flooding and becoming totally unusable in winter. Another option if you will have a car is Netheravon – near Salisbury - which is where I jump these days, and have been jumping for the past year or so (I believe it is possible to get there by public transport, but involves using a combination of trains and buses and so is not the easiest). Excellent facilities, reasonable turnaround, reasonably priced canteen, cheap bar, nice aircraft (a Grand Caravan and a turbine Islander). They also have accommodation on site. Jump prices are £16 to 13,000 feet. Obviously, if you have a car, you can check out lots of DZs (have a look at www.bpa.org.uk and you should find links to all the DZs in the UK on there) but if you are reliant on public transport, then Headcorn is definitely an option. It’s ok and you should get a couple of jumps a day (even in winter). Hope that is helpful – feel free to PM me if you want any more info on anything I’ve said. Vicki

My first jump was my 16th birthday present from my father! He did about 120 jumps in the 1960s and had always told me that when I was 16 it would be my turn. I don't think he ever expected me to do more than one jump (if that) but he loves the fact that I'm still jumping although I've yet to persude him to get his knees back in the breeze! Vicki

I was there that day - horrible, horrible day. Vicki

Yes I've seen one - it really made me take a long hard look at the sport, why I jump and everything else. Don't ever want to see another one. Stay safe everyone. Vicki

Count me in too - flying into Phoenix from England on Christmas day! Vicki

25 until 29th December! Vicki

I live in the UK so here goes... UK - pros - ummmm... most DZs have pretty good turbine aircraft these days. Definitely NOT the weather! - cons - expensive and crappy weather Spain - pros - cheap, beautiful weather, relaxed - cons - I can only get there a couple of times each year! US - pros - cheap, great aircraft - cons - a LONG way to go for a great jumping experience. Vicki

16:25 Vicki

http://www.bpa.org.uk/nationals02/2003%20FS%20Nationals.htm 47 teams! Wow! Congratulations to all! Vicki

It does make me wonder if anyone (the BPA should do this I guess?) has actually told BPA centres about this potential problem and the need to do the tests. Can anyone shed any light on this? Vicki

I’m just wondering what experiences people had this weekend getting the reserve ripcord test done. I was at Nethers and there were posters up and people were being warned to get them checked before they jumped and the checks were being carried out efficiently. However I am told that this was not the case at all DZs! I know of at least one DZ that was unaware of it as of late on Thursday and one that on Saturday told jumpers that those without a Cypres should get the test done prior to jumping but that those that did could get it done “some time during the day”. Is it just me or is this kinda worrying? Any other experiences? I am wondering if this was an isolated case or if the BPA didn’t pass clear info about this service bulletin on to clubs and centres in the UK. Vicki

Can anyone confirm which containers from which manufacturers are affected by this? Any that aren't? Vicki

I really hate answering this question... approx. 850:0 (knock on wood!) Vicki

The freefly tracking dives I've been on were not very flat. More a social event than survival skill. I’ve been on a few tracking dives and found that they felt pretty slow and not particularly flat. I’m not unhappy with my tracking atm, but there is always room for improvement and I am interested to hear tips from people who do a lot of big ways on how to get away further, faster and flatter! Vicki

You're worrying me now... I was planning on having an airbed, two bodies (mine and my boyfriend's, not just any two bodies! ) in the tent, fleece sleeping bag liner and a couple of warm sleeping bags each. I've been ok like this in England in December before... D'ya reckon I should start thinking about a hotel/motel? If so, any recommendations? Vicki

DON'T DO IT!!! Why? I have heard it gets cold but is it really that bad? Vicki