DanglesOZQld

As a tm we used to have EXPERIENCED outside camera guys take out the tandem holding on to the chest strap of the student. Made for some great exit shots. There were some basic rules though..... 1) The student was briefed and totally ok with this 2) Usually no stills/photos as quality not possible with close quarters! 3) The T/m and camera guy were both ok and ok'd for doing this exit type and they talked at length re spin numbers / problems etc. At the end of the day the tm pax pay a lot of money so both safety as well as their own enjoyment are BIG considerations. If you want to play big time you do it on YOUR OWN TIME. My own Opinion! BSBD!! -Mark. "A Scar is just a Tattoo with a story!!!"

Probably already mentioned in above posts but these are my points : 1) Stay strong as much as you can (weight training, gymwork etc) 2) ALWAYS be prepared to learn new things - I have learnt a lot from some people who others would class as novices ;) 3) Have insurance or a health plan. Australia is SLOWLY but surely coming under workcover regardless of what some dz owners think the people who work for them are classed as. 4) Love the sport or move on. Don't become someone who just does it for the money. I have a crap car, lost my lifetime partner(divorced because of jumping mainly), broken myself enough for six months off ANY type of work and will never own my own home. I have accepted all of the above as being a tradeoff with doing something that I do love a hell of a lot. BSBD!! -Mark. "A Scar is just a Tattoo with a story!!!"

Heya dude!! Yeah getting there. Nothing like seeing the canopies and the plane most days though - that sucks! If not for the fact that I have been doing it long enough not to miss it TOO much I would be going mental these days ha ha!! Back to hospital for xrays and HOPEFULLY return to the skies a few days after the 9th of March. Accident was September 16th. Mmmm ;( There are a few guys around who have cool dz's. Nagambie is one of them. Nothing like a champ skydiver and a cool (far from whuffo ;) wife owning and running a dz. Was most impressed when I went south after years in Qld for a jump holiday there. They Rock! Makes me miss Melbourne even after living there for nearly 28 yrs lol! BSBD!! -Mark. "A Scar is just a Tattoo with a story!!!"

I don't think freefall noise would be all that bad and would be against having something stuffed into them in FF! The aircraft makes the most noise. I have been in a noisy factory for ten years and skydiving for more without much protection. I WOULD recommend at least a pair that you could wear around your neck and not worry about prior to the jump. I am sure there are a lot of experienced opinions out there ;) PS- I too suffer from pressure problems in a mild way but the clear technique seems to work most of the time. I know now to do it hard then back way off just when you feel it about to clear. Blowing hard beyond the "clear point" hurts much more than doing it as gently as possible when you know it is near ;) Just my .0000001 (converted from Aussie to US) cents worth................... BSBD! -Mark. "A Scar is just a Tattoo with a story!!!"

AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE!!! SUN SUN SUN We jump here all year round - life is good! BSBD! -Mark. "A Scar is just a Tattoo with a story!!!"

Well being one of the biggest in Australia does help lol ;) Flown over but not had the pleasure to jump there yet ;) BSBD! -Mark. "A Scar is just a Tattoo with a story!!!"

YOU get what you dish out fool. And I might add for someone with so much knowledge and so many degrees why is your spelling SO BAD!? BSBD! -Mark. "A Scar is just a Tattoo with a story!!!"

Hey guys, nice barn!! Ah cost.....the be all and end all of everything these days. Seems that the statement "if you don't like it change the channel or go somewhere else" doesn't apply to some fools these days. They have a degree so they know everything. Reminds me of this guy who came to our model plane field one day stating that he was a "747 captain" and needed nill help with his rather expensive model. There were a large number of people more than willing (and experienced) to help him but he refused and he just did his own thing. We tried not to laugh too hard when he rolled his big expensive model inverted on takeoff and turned it back into kit form. I have nothing against pilots by the way - I was one before I started skydiving. What I DON'T LIKE is the attitude of these WANKERS that seem to surround us like unwanted smelly poo in most aspects of life. The posts and comments of most if not all of the jumpers above say enough without having to say much more. PS- I have yet to meet a DZ that was swimming in money, nor an owner of same. BSBD! -Mark. PPS- If you want to jump for 1,000 I can do that for you!! Strange country, homemade parachute, slingshot etc etc LMFAO! "A Scar is just a Tattoo with a story!!!"

Jump tickets for most larger dz's in Australia now are in the order of $38. The petrol for vehicles is a minimum $1.05 a litre here in Queensland where it is one of the better prices in most states of the country. BSBD! -Mark. At least we don't have the traffic that some parts of the USA do haha! "A Scar is just a Tattoo with a story!!!"

Ebay feeback ZERO......hmmmm ;) BSBD!! -Mark. "A Scar is just a Tattoo with a story!!!"

The drogue went around the tm's neck after he deployed it. The camera guy went straight for his reserve, not an easy feat as the pair were spinning rather hard. I believe the drogue loosened off his neck or came off after the reserve deployed sufficiently for the tm to regain conciousness. BSBD!! -Mark. "A Scar is just a Tattoo with a story!!!"

Did one with a Pro Series BT-20 once.......everything worked as planned and the canopy was packed to snivel (yes on a blue smack) and did. Wing loading was around 3.3 with the other guy attached. Got some cool pics from it but they are with the "hangee." ;) One of those silly things you have to do once.....would recommend a big ass canopy though! Did one prior to the above with a really big canopy and it was a bit easier! BSBD! -Mark. "A Scar is just a Tattoo with a story!!!"

I know the feeling. 13 years in the sport and busted thru my own stuuupid actions six months ago and just about to return to less days than I had when I left. Have a partner and child to think about and skydiving just doesnt seem to cut it as far as having to pay for everything. How many full timers out there own their (not THERE) own homes!??? PS- Have had the jump plane over my place every one of the days I was not at the dz, unfortunately I AM that close!!! BSBD!! -Mark. "A Scar is just a Tattoo with a story!!!"

No mention of Australia or the USA here...........? MMMmm "A Scar is just a Tattoo with a story!!!"

I must admit that the canopy I still jump is known as a blue smack because of some of the openings that some people had. BT SERIES PRO 120 ;) (As in my profile pic.) Over the last 8 years I have found the canopy very nice to use for camera and fun and it is the way you pack the beast that matters!!!Of the 1,900 jumps plus I had had with it only one maybe two openings were cause for swearing ;) As far as packing into a smaller volume I might suggest talking with some good packers and instructors and most of all learning a technique that works for you. If you have a hard to pack canopy that was made to suit your rig then it is a matter of learning to pack properly. If your canopy is new then personally it is just a matter of controlling the beast into the bag. The first >50 jumps on most new canopies are going to be really messy so it is really a matter of getting the beast into the bag and making things neater after that. I find that rolling the bottom half of the bag and the upper half toward the centre does help (Once in the bag.) Another method is the reverse roll IE- Instead of pre d baggin the canopy like a student one fold it the other way. Left hand just above your knees for the first fold, right hand above that fold bringing the whole coccooned canopy back in a reverse but similar way. Much easier especially with a newer, slippery canopy! BSBD!! -Mark. "A Scar is just a Tattoo with a story!!!"

Experience is a skydiver who has been there and done that but still states that there is much more to be learned. The BEST skydivers on earth are those who still want to talk to first time jumpers with no ego, and the initial love they found of and from the sport is still very evident. Just my aussie

Yeah well it was one of those days but like I said the alarm bells were not going off even as I made the final turn into wind. Felt like we dropped from fifty feet into nothing and I could tell straight away that we were both in trouble. After Impact my passenger had her head/Back of neck on my right arm and I was (as well as her) going into shock but trying to keep that arm STILL as she was complaining of back/spinal pain. The two things that really worry me are 1) I injured another person and I was responsible for THAT person 2) Having stuffed up a few times and known it on my own canopy I felt nothing when turning onto final. I had been way low before this on my own canopy and panic flared out of it ok. IE- The Alarm bells were going off and I knew I was in trouble!!! I trust the TANDEM canopies more than any other that I have flown and the flare is more than excellent on same. The accident was on sand (beach landing). Had it been on "normal ground" there would have been a double fatality I think. BSBD!! -Mark. "A Scar is just a Tattoo with a story!!!"

I learned to skydive via Static Line only because of the cost aspect of it. That was '92 and after I had a pilot's licence also. Cost was the only factor of why for me AFF was the lesser over Static Line. Having gone through a GOOD Static course I believe that you can be just as good a skydiver as someone having done the AFF Course. Obvious probs AFF vs STATIC- AFF PRO'S- 1) Direct Supervision 2) Fast from nothing to A licence (Many less stages!) 3) Full Freefall feeling from the first jump (IE- 10,000 feet is most likely the first skydive on the AFF course.) STATIC PRO'S- 1) Cost per jump - Have to repeat a jump the cost is MUCH less than AFF 2) Possibly more self confidence in that you are in control of what you are doing a little more than with AFF. AFF CONS - 1) Have to repeat a jump then there is a lot more cost involved to do that. STATIC LINE CONS- 1) Further in the course you may not receive the feedback direct from an instructor flying next to you that an AFF student would - Hence any small flying errors are harder to rectify. 2) Many more stages means that you cannot do the course in a small amount of time which is possible with AFF. These are just a few points - flame away....... BSBD!! -Mark. "A Scar is just a Tattoo with a story!!!"

Mine was a bad low turn with a tandem. Bad day to jump (windy/turbulent etc) but on flying my usual downwind pattern lost a lot more height that I realised. The two things that really get to me are the fact that no alarm bells were going off and that my passenger, MY responsibility, was also hurt. I had been low and done a few DUMB things before with my own canopy and I knew I was low but this day felt nothing until just starting to turn. I did not hoon around or make hard turns anywhere near the ground except when I was on my own gear. My attitude with tandems is that they pay bloody good money to jump so you should give them the most enjoyable (and safe) ride you can. I had handcam (waycool glove) and the alti (barigo) mounted towards my thumb from the (upright mounted) camera. The alti looks like someone has put it on concrete and hit it as hard as possible with a hammer and the camera was totally u/s after impact. The glove however has not missed a stitch!! ;) (WELL MADE!!!!) I have a rod (nail) through the femur with one screw at the hip and two more near my knee and like a lot of people here am wondering what the options are to get this gear out after 12 months which has been recommended by my specialist. I have been told after the nail is out there are another two months recovery for the screw holes to fill in. This was by the way the first time I broke ANY bone in my body and the first real injury in 13 years jumping..... (For those who say it will/cannot happen to you ;) BSBD!! -Mark. "A Scar is just a Tattoo with a story!!!"

Mmmmm - Pilots licence first then Divorced because of jumping, nearly 4,000 jumps doing a variety of things, busted enough for six months away from the sport, > 13 years in it, somewhere around 9-10 percent in the experience level whereby 100 percent would be Knowing all!!" There are always more things to learn and the sport itself is always changing in one way or another so noone should connsider themselves fully experienced. The learning curve never ends!!! BSBD!! -Mark. "A Scar is just a Tattoo with a story!!!"

DEFINITELY GET A GOOD JOB OR TRADE to fall back on either if you are looking at being highly competitive with Team jumps etc OR doing it full time. Being competitive these days is bloody hard work and commitment no matter what country you are from. Doing it full time takes a lot out of you as well and is not so much the dream job everyone thinks it is after some years of doing it. If you are starting out do it for fun for some time and get to know those jumpers who have been there and let them guide you. Also learn to walk before you run. Wishing you the best in your future jumping ;) BSBD!! -Mark. "A Scar is just a Tattoo with a story!!!"

Friend who does the ground work on the beach where we land gets all sorts including "so where was the boat wif da big rope that towed all yous up??" BSBD! -Mark. Ps- A standard cutaway due to main main and landing perfectly without hassles in the same spot as everyone else usually ends in at least 10 people calling (In Aust.) 000 and having the cops, fire brigade and at least two ambulances going past us as we drive back to our base!! "A Scar is just a Tattoo with a story!!!"

Totally agree - start slowly towards gaining your PPL and you might find you just keep on going and get it rather than just obtaining a basic understanding of the minimums. I started flying before skydiving and ended up with around 180 hours flying a 6 seater Piper Lance. Each aircraft is a different beast. I went solo in under seven hours on a Cessna 172 but there are no actual hours to tell if you could land an aeroplane with multiple engines and different engine types apart from knowing the basics. Mentioned before, best glide speed, stall speed etc etc. Basically have fun learning new stuff as you go and keep going if happy....it is a whole new world out there when you are flying the vehicle and not just jumping out of it! BSBD! -Mark. "A Scar is just a Tattoo with a story!!!"

I am due to return to jumping probably early March after (by then) around six months away from the sport and my accident was skydiving related. The first few months sucked, especially when you live close enough to hear the drone of the jump plane almost daily but after a while I got used to it. Been down to the DZ a few times but mostly stayed away. At least I can return unlike some who through worse injury or death cannot. It is hard not to feel sorry for yourself sometimes but harder it seems to count the blessings that you DO have. BSBD! -Mark. "A Scar is just a Tattoo with a story!!!"

Hell no - Queensland Australia we jump ALL YEAR ROUND NO FEAR! (Except for when some of us plough into the ground and something goes "snap") BSBD! -Dangles. "A Scar is just a Tattoo with a story!!!"