UKKid35

I'm flying to LA for a week in February and would like DZ suggestions. I'll probably still have under 100 jumps by then, and I'd like somewhere with a free/cheap bunkhouse if possible. Ideally I'd like to jump somewhere similar to Spacecentre - Titusville, FL. Any thoughts welcome - TIA

Try Gavin McLeod, London based very helpful and reliable. He has a gmail account which you can guess easily.

I'm traveling to Turkey in a couple of months and hoping to get a few jumps in. Can anyone give me an update on the status of DZEphesus as I don't think their website is still up. Also, are their any special considerations when jumping in Turkey? Thanks

Huge thanks for that offer! Marriane has now found accommodation for my friend, so he'll only be asking for you to offer you a drink. Thanks again!

A friend of mine is looking for advice, or preferrably a floor to sleep on, for next Friday and Saturday nights. He thought he had a bed in the bunkhouse reserved, but due to a misunderstanding that is now only available from Sunday night onwards. Because it is high season everything seems to be booked or prohibitively expensive. The weight limits on his flight make it impossible to bring camping gear, and the cost of his AFF course means his options are limited. Any help or advice would be very welcome - thanks.

Just checking whether anyone else on DZ.com will be at Lens this weekend. I'm not sure the weather will be kind but it's probably my last opportunity to jump for some time so I'm going to try at least.

I've jumped at Annemasse, Gap Tallard, and Cahors, each were happy with my UPSA licence. Ask for Kevin at Gap, he's brilliant.

I'm thinking of going jumping in Lens for a day in two weeks time while I'm in France. Has anyone any experience of this DZ or any thoughts at all? I jumped in France earlier in the summer and had a great time. Sadly it's cheaper for me to go to France and jump using my USPA membership, than it is for me to join the BPA and jump in the UK.

I'm a UK citizen but I've done most of my jumps in the US and I have USPA membership. Are there any DZs in the UK that will allow me to jump without taking out BPA membership?

A few weeks ago I was on holiday in France and took the opportunity to visit three DZs during my travels. First I stopped at Annemasse, near Geneva on the Swiss border. The staff were very friendly and Ivan, who spoke English, was especially so. I only have 50 jumps and I was very happy to use a radio - I needed it. The landing area is small (apparently the smallest in Europe at one time) and it is bordered by trees, runway, and a line past which it is absolutely forbidden to cross - because the aerodrome is shared with helicopters. I only did one jump, I simply didn't like the landing area. Next I jumped at Gap Tallard. Kevin is brilliant, I was very well looked after, and despite the fact that this is a very busy DZ, Kevin and other staff took plenty of time to help and advise. I did three jumps and would have stayed much longer had circumstances allowed. Finally I visited Cahors in the south west. There were no English speaking staff, however they found an experienced jumper, David-Leon who looked after me for the day. The atmosphere at this DZ is brilliant, I really enjoyed jumping here, sadly I only had time to do a couple of jumps. Club membership fees were very modest, but still neccessary at each DZ, and I would also have needed to pay for insurance if I had not had my USPA membership card with me (BPA would also have been accepted). I took my own gear with me, and my wingloading is greater than is allowed under French regulations for my level of experience, however I was still allowed to jump using my rig. Thanks to everyone I met on my travels who made jumping in France so much fun!

This link should help http://www.para-net.org/paramag/online/centres/centres.html

I've jumped a Quantum Leap a couple of times and always found them to be friendly and helpful. They are also one of the few places to have rental gear (although probably not relevant to you).

Thank you everyone for you help

Anyone have a link to a map of France with DZs marked? Thanks

I've been advised by Kevin at Gap that I may have to jump using a larger canopy until they have seen my landings. Will I notice the difference at 2,000ft compared with sea level?

There are no other posts on DZ.com re Lyndi Harding, why is that? This seems like a fairly major incident, and only happened a few years ago. Why was she doing her second freefall unaccompanied? Had she been on a static line course before? Also, there was no refernece to what the inevitable enquiry would have determined happened, a major weakness. The plf part was fairly interesting. As was the part about her possibly losing conciousness, and the bone break demos were enlightening too. Its a shame the budget didn't extend to chucking some dummies out with tangled gear, and seeing what speed impacts were actually acheived.

The DZ had indeed been closed temporarily, there had been problems with the C206. Two minutes after I arrived at the DZ the engine started for the first time in weeks, needless to say there was a huge cheer from everyone. I got two jumps in on the only day I was there, Stephen, Julia and Daniel are great and did everything to help me make the most of my limited time. Thanks also to the Finnish guy who gave me a lift back from the DZ - sorry can't remember your name. Just a quick warning, facilities are limited as this is a brand new DZ, the C206 is not exactly fast, make sure you bring cash (no cards accepted yet), if you go to the DZ by taxi make sure the driver knows where he's going. Thanks again - I had a great time!

Definitely worth getting on the Central Line and heading for Charing X Road to meet up with Sarah, Caroline et al for drinks - check the yahoo group for details.

Thanks Dan - I've emailed you

Great DZ, very friendly, the brilliant Mike X arranged airport transfers and the bunkhouse is very convenient both for DZ and shops. Been twice already and will definitely be going back.

Many thanks David, I have emailed Stephen at the DZ and he has sent me a number to contact him before turning up, set me info on getting there, and generally been very helpful.

In a couple of weeks I'm going to be in Bangkok and I'm planning a day trip to Pattaya to go jumping. Anyone have any thoughts or advice?

You may possibly have to wait for a lift in Titusville - Skydive Space Centre, although this is unlikely most days. The service that Mike and his team offer is both personal and professional, you can be sure you will be looked after, and since like me, you're a newbie, that is very important. Alternatively you could go to DeLand, you can be assured a lift almost anytime as far as I could see. Even if the conditions are totally inappropriate you'll probably be able to get on a load. On the day I was there last week a girl of my experience broke her arm and/or shoulder following a poor landing in strong winds. I was still manifested at this point but decided against it after talking with other more experienced jumpers. However I don't think anyone was going to stop me jumping had I decided to that day.

Mum dad gave my mum a Tandem jump for her 60th birthday, as a non- jumper he was petrified, but she loved it. I really couldn't face being outdone by my mum, so a couple of years later I did an AFF course after being encouraged by a girl who I talked with online who had just done hers - thank you whoever you were!

About $2k and I haven't done a single jump for 18 months. But., I've bought a rig that I'm hoping to jump next week.