DanglesOZQld

COOL! -Lifetime installments as opposed to Lifetime membership....this could be a catching thing!!? BSBD! -Mark. "A Scar is just a Tattoo with a story!!!"

Have for a very long time now worn Protector sunnies available from one of the big hardware stores here in Oz and used as safety glasses. My passengers wear them as well and never had any problems at all with them. Passengers including those wearing contacts also. Just an old canopy line on the back of them and a spring loaded button to hold them on in freefall. Each to their own but I wouldn't go back to the "oh so lovely split easily, glared by the sun, have to adjust all the time" clears................... BSBD! -Mark. "A Scar is just a Tattoo with a story!!!"

Beach Landings are fun if you take the right precautions. Here we do it seven days a week all year round and to land on grass would suck for us!! Have attached a pic of our last LET load from the other day overhead Caloundra Queensland Australia. Enjoy your first beach jump and dont forget the beer!! BSBD! -Mark. "A Scar is just a Tattoo with a story!!!"

I think Sony improved the 109 a bit over the 108. Myself and a lot of the guys I work with bought 108's (About 10 of them) and FIVE had problems serious enough to send them back for warranty repair. To top this off Sony then made out that we "rough handled" the cameras (skydiving etc) so therefore the attrition rate was not the camera's fault!!!? I really hope they (Sony) lift their game. I had a Panasonic (my first digital) for two years doing exactly the same sort of things that the new 108 has failed to do after 3-4 months. Our fault or the way the camera is made? Also who remembers how good the EARLIER pc range was in comparison to the now "lets make a new model after 4 months" bs??? Ps- Sent my 108 in for "urgent" repair to the warranty repair place suggested to me by the shop I bought the camera at on June the 27th and still (July 12th!!) have not got it back. The warranty is not worth crap if you have to borrow a friend's camera in the meantime or go without it and lose more than the camera's cost price from not being able to do video! BSBD! -Mark. "A Scar is just a Tattoo with a story!!!"

Definitely Crossfire 2's. When outside cameraperson's were more prominent here we had 8 guys and girls and more than half were flying 2's. BSBD! -Mark. "A Scar is just a Tattoo with a story!!!"

Plenty of places in the world are pretty cool to jump and Queensland suits me just fine. Twelve months a year 7 days a week landing on beaches 5 mins from where I live and work. As far as getting your licence renewed, very bad info or a nice troll! BSBD! -Mark. "A Scar is just a Tattoo with a story!!!"

Apart from the HOP I have also jumped Set, Icarus and Gyro canopies. I also jumped other Tandem canopies just after gaining my rating but at a point not really with enough Tandem Canopy experience to comment on these. Keeping in mind that most Tm's out there would be somewhat biased in the canopies they fly this is my opinion only. We also have 3 other tm's here with over 10,500 jumps who swear by the Hops as well. With regard to the rare main mal none of our tm's has ever really had a problem getting off them. BSBD! -Mark. "A Scar is just a Tattoo with a story!!!"

The HOP is 330 square feet and fun to fly and the 12 tandem rigs we use all year round here work just fine. There were issues with turbulence re the initial and early model HOPS but we don't have a problem at all with what we use now. Our environment consists of beach landings in three locations 7 days a week with varying wind conditions, thermals etc. I would rather a HOP than any other canopy! BSBD! -Mark. "A Scar is just a Tattoo with a story!!!"

Exactly - blaming a canopy for a death is like blaming a gun for murder when the trigger is pulled! The person controlling(?) the canopy is the one ultimately responsible for bringing their own asses in safely. I might add that I would LOVE to have a Crossfire 2 as my next canopy. I have jumped a BT Pro Series 120 for the last 2,000 plus jumps as well and laugh when people call them "Blue smacks." Had 3 bad openings in the above number of jumps. UNDERSTAND the canopy you fly, what it can do and how it does it!! BSBD! -Mark. "A Scar is just a Tattoo with a story!!!"

Been there done that (in part!) , hence the nickname!!! Don't worry dude - if you are careful and try to learn from others and/or keep an ear open willing to learn then people will see the real skydiving "you." Never be afraid to criticize yourself but not to the extent that it gets you down. BSBD! -Mark. "A Scar is just a Tattoo with a story!!!"

When I came off student status, did quite a few jumps with the rental gear the dz had and had the money for a second hand set of gear I bought a Laser 228 and had that for about 200 jumps. It was fun to learn with but I appreciate now having the canopy much longer than I wanted to. Have still tried to bury myself on another canopy though so like the others have said go at your own pace. Also remember that it is not just a small canopy that is unforgiving as a large one can do just as much damage given the right(wrong) circumstances. Basically whether upsizing or downsizing respect your canopy! ;) BSBD! -Mark. "A Scar is just a Tattoo with a story!!!"

I think that prior experience is definitely something that should be brought up with regard to Tandem numbers with Handcam being introduced. No-one knows you better than your own DZSO or C.I especially if you have been at mostly the one dz prior to your ratings. Putting a blanket number down for a certain jump requirement has always been good on paper but is not the be all and end all solution. How many tm's out there with thousands of jumps could not dive down last in an 18 way and get in no problems??? Hey, but they have heaps of jumps don't they? The same way I agree with another post re currency. A low number full time jumper in some cases might be greater in skill than a high number weekend warrior. BSBD! -Mark. "A Scar is just a Tattoo with a story!!!"

I like the whole thing but would have to say... "The first four seconds out the door!!!" BSBD! -Mark. "A Scar is just a Tattoo with a story!!!"

Then again you could be a body dressed in scuba gear found in the middle of nowhere amongst forest after a large bushfire!!! Another reason why choppers are nicer than aircraft for water dumps lol! BSBD! -Mark. "A Scar is just a Tattoo with a story!!!"

QUOTE - "So I guess you're right, those of us who aren't privelaged enough (or liked enough) to get paid to skydive think this sucks. I hope I never turn into one of those people who only jump when they get paid to jump" -Firstly, before committing to jumping for a career full time get as many skills as possible. Basically this includes AFF, Outside video and Tandem with Handcam as an absolute minimum in most countries. -Also re the quote above those who do work full time at skydiving often cannot AFFORD to do fun jumps with others as much as those with a "real" job who mostly only turn up on the weekends. I personally do not treat my position as "just a job" and try to give back more than what the sport has given me but often that is just not possible. I still fun jump as my dropzone offers fun jumps for staff at a discounted rate. THERE ARE A LOT MORE REASONS THAN PEOPLE THINK OTHER THAN JUST FULL TIMERS BEING SNOBS OR ONLY WANTING TO JUMP FOR MONEY NOT FOR FUN. BSBD! -Mark. "A Scar is just a Tattoo with a story!!!"

Ps - My dz has a page at - http://www.scskydivers.com/ -ITS HARD BEING ABLE TO JUMP ALL YEAR LOL!!!! BSBD! -Mark. "A Scar is just a Tattoo with a story!!!"

Have been brought up on and love the HOP canopies we use daily at Sunshine Coast Skydivers. (Qld Australia ;) Sets and Gyros and a lot of others I have tried but nothing compares! Try landing anything but a HOP in deep brakes releasing into full drive and flare for a stand up landing!! Have been to a lot of places but still call caloundra home lol ;) See my personal gallery ;) BSBD! lol! - Mark. "A Scar is just a Tattoo with a story!!!"

As you "should" know most canopies have different characteristics.....and in the case of (personal not tandem gear) a bt pro series for example the rear riser pressure is more for the same movement in the BT than say a stiletto......... Daily we use HOPS which happen to be the nicest canopies I have flown. The others need (in nil wind at least!!) some sort of 30+ degree turn into wind to get the lift/drive/flare required to obtain a good landing from the evidence I have been shown thus far! So yes the hops do have "some" rear riser pressure but I prefer them to ANY canopy on the market today!!! Flame away! BSBD! -Mark. "A Scar is just a Tattoo with a story!!!"

293 jumps and just under three years in the sport. 3,500 jumps now have two reserve rides on tandems and 3 on my own gear ;) BSBD! -Mark. "A Scar is just a Tattoo with a story!!!"

I am the same re no weight training. I used to play heaps of sport (5+ nights per week) and after moving up to Queensland did nothing for some time and fully expecting to put on weight. Just doing regular Tandems (7 days a week) tends to keep you in shape enough to have no problems and I have actually gained nothing in the weight department. Nothing like hanging off one riser after opening to face the sun for the handcam reaction or both to get back from a long spot. Usually with the later though it is a rare event and you dump 1+ grand higher to help!! BSBD! -Mark. "A Scar is just a Tattoo with a story!!!"

Dont use one at all apart from the punters watching promo videos during their short wait for the jump. We totally reinforce the need to arch etc for a better jump to those people who need to do it a bit more but usually the one on one briefing works just fine. BSBD! -Mark. "A Scar is just a Tattoo with a story!!!"

Definitely agree with the four, Nagambie York Picton and Ramblers. I did most of my jumping years located in Victoria and have since been down for only a couple of times to Nagambie but the whole crowd down there are a huge cool family. Don and Louise rock and they are owners with heart putting back into the sport they so obviously love. Being a Queenslander working full time skydiving I dont get much time to do anything for fun other than at my home dz but do work with guys who jump most weekends at Toogoolawah (Ramblers). Have fun while in Oz!! BSBD! -Mark. "A Scar is just a Tattoo with a story!!!"

In Australia it is every six months, and I follow this regulation. If there was not one in place I would go 1 year without hesitation given the packer A who does my repacks. I would NOT jump out of date gear at all anywhere out of respect for the dzso as stated earlier in this post- this sport is not about a single person and sometimes it pays to have a think about that! BSBD! -Mark. "A Scar is just a Tattoo with a story!!!"

Had two instances where the chest straps were misrouted and asked the jumper "so you are ready to jump right now yeah??" to which the answer was "Yes." Nothing like yanking their chest strap and seeing it fly open to get their attention! (And if they had been a bit uncaring about things to that point they no longer were! ;) BSBD! -Mark. "A Scar is just a Tattoo with a story!!!"

True re some pilots just not knowing. There was a dz near where I used to live and learned to fly and it had been there for many many years. One day a fair while after gaining my PPL myself and about six other aircraft decided to go away for the weekend and the course to get there made us go over this private airfield with parachuting activity. Nothing was happening on the way there but on the way back I heard the jump pilot calling just before jump run and told him where I was and would be staying 5 plus miles to the North while tracking towards home. The other planes behind followed suit and the jump pilot was rather pleased for a change. On getting back to the home aerodrome I learnt that two of the other planes had Flight Instructors who had not even heard of skydiving in that area (even though they were clearly listed on the charts!!) I was suprised to say the least!! Then there are the gliders who have radios and dont bother listening to them lol! Most of the problems I have ever had have been due to either having little or poor knowledge of what jumpers do and how they do it or just plain failing to monitor the ol radio! BSBD! -Mark. "A Scar is just a Tattoo with a story!!!"