vt1977

OK - I love tracking and it is something that I have tried very hard to work on both because it is a survival skill and because it is good fun. I've been told that my tracking is good and flat, but let's face it, there is always room to improve! Now aside from body position (rolling shoulders, de-arching etc) and thinking about tracking towards just above the horizon what other tips would you give someone who wants to learn to track faster and flatter? Vicki

that was my first video game

Of course there was always that game called "Parachute" on the Nintendo Game and Watch (remember them? Early-mid 80s) where parachutes were dropping into a lake/the sea and you had to catch them in your boat. If you missed one, it fell in the water and got eaten by a shark! If I remember rightly, sometimes they eneded up hanging on one of the palm trees as well!

9. Stay up drinking beer until at least 4am - gurantees blue skies and nil winds in the morning. (Also gurantees sore heads, but that's another matter...) 10. On a bad weather day, it only takes one person to give up and go to the pub (sacrifice themselves to the weather gods!) and the weather is guaranteed to improve for everyone else! Vicki

Cool! Booked my flight already and I CAN'T WAIT!!! Any experiences of camping at Eloy at this time of year? Vicki

I've done it every time I've flown with Easyjet and they were fine with it. Normally I wait until they start telling me that I have too much baggage and then point at my rig bag and say that it contains sporting equipment (I always keep it as vague as possible unless asked specifically) and that I am therefore entitled to an extra 10kgs baggage allowance. I have had to produce the printout a couple of times. I was once asked what sporting equipment it was and I replied that it was sport parachuting equipment and that was accepted without question. If pressed on it, you can always tell them that it is recognised as a sport by the Sports Council, but I have never had to do this! Vicki

I have flown to Barcelona approx 4 times in the last couple of years - 3 times with Easyjet and once with BA - always out of Gatwick - and have never had a problem. Just say nothing, check it in and go, in my experience! Obviously carry your Cypres data card and CAA letter in hand luggage just in case but I have never had to use them. Another tip about travelling to Empuria (or anywhere really) is that if you book with BA online using a credit card you basically put your card in the machine at the airport and it prints out your boarding pass for you. You then walk past the huge queue to the self-book-in desk, hand over your baggage (which isn't weighed - no more crappy Easyjet/Ryanair excess bagage charges!) and go shopping. Easy huh?! On the subject of excess baggage charges, the budget airlines can be real arseholes about this, however there is something on the Easyjet website (PM me if you can't find it and I'll try to help) which says that you are entitled to an extra 10kgs baggage allowance for sporting equipment - print the page off and use it! I hear that Ryanair give you a max allowance of 15kgs though with no extra, which is pretty crap if you're taking a rig etc. hth! Vicki Edit: To correct some really appalling typos!

Good luck and enjoy!

Did you ever figure out how it worked or exactly what you were meant to do?! Vicki

I have a particularly crap skydiving game for the PS1 - I think it's called Skydiving Extreme (or something like that). I can't quite figure out what I'm meant to do with it - I think you're supposed to be doing RW and backlooping inbetween points or something. IIRC you can change the DZ that you are jumping at, but all in all it's a pretty poor excuse for a PS1 game. Surely someone can come up with a better game than that???!! Vicki

As far as I remember (and this is going back 4 or so years) they were free. I was also sent their catalogue and maybe some pull up cords or stickers. Vicki

Do both! I watched the first film before reading and becoming totally hooked on the books - they really are excellent. Have fun! Vicki

Without asking you to name names, this person that you've offended... are they a skydiver or a journo??? Vicki Dear Journalists, if you are reading this then you are nosey bastards!

I had this dilemma a couple of years ago and called PD who sent me fabric samples which made it really easy to see which colours went well with each other. Give them a call!

You may have more luck asking that question in Swooping & Canopy Control. Vicki

That can only mean one thing... BEER!!!

Jumping the yellow twin otter has left me lacking a sense of humour on more than one occasion... Speaking of sense of humours, the DZ really didn't seem to take the idea of naked jumping too well! Vicki

It was, erm, interesting! Naked jumping at Empuria... better pray you get a good spot, huh?! Anyone know who those guys were? Vicki

Happy Birthday! I think birthdays are great, but then I am still in my mid 20s and that may well change in a few years... Have a great day, Vicki

Did anyone watch this programme last night? Vicki

Hmmm… yes, that photo. An interesting tale! The reason it has been zoomed in so much (and before anyone accuses me of taking the piss in any way shape or form, I’m not and will post the full picture if you don’t believe me!) is because when it was taken I was a University student (it wasn’t that long ago!), it was a Friday night and I was about to go clubbing with a male friend of mine… who just happened to be in drag at the time and was wearing a terribly fetching blonde wig and pink lycra dress… Vicki

Ughhhhh! That is WAY too much information!!! Vicki

I too am sickened by the thought that a skydiver could have done this, but agree it seems probable. My gut feeling is that it is probable that whoever did it not only knew enough to sabotage the rig in the way that they did, but knew enough about our flight line checks to make sure that what they had done would not be picked up - and that has to be someone who has been around the sport for a little while at least. Really not a nice thought. Vicki

Ooooh, go on then! Vicki I was visiting the DZ for first time and I was then something less than 100 jumps. I paid everything and the very moment that I was ready to enter the airplane somebody asked why do I wear a frap hat (it wasnt allowed with less 100 jumps). I said very polite no prob and I ran to get a helmet. While the plane was waiting and I was ready to get in the same guy shouts to me and asks me why dont you have a hook knife? Gee.... I was there some seconds before. Couldn't me ask for these thinks before getting in to the plane (I was geared up at least 10 min before boarding) and also couldn't he ask me more polite rather than shouting to me? When I landed the same guy told to me that I was rude to him and of course I flipped out. I was very polite to him all the time and the only thing that I asked him was why I had to run twice for helmet and hook knife (again in a polite manner). He was arrogant and combative all the time. Finally, because I didnt want to spoil my day there I just turned my back and totally ignored him. Of course he continued to call me some names (soft ones) Thats all Unfortunately, your experience is not an uncommon one at that particular DZ... Vicki

The thing that occurred to me on reading about the 'binge drinking' and wild parties was that the event in question was a skydiving event being run for University students. What will the tabloids come up with next? Univeristy students in drinking and partying shocker... regardless of where this is happening, I can't see that it is newsworthy! But you're right, it is the skydiving element that fascinates them and that is why we all have to be so careful about what we say. Sad, but true. Vicki