FFAddict

Young, 1600 jumps and a millionaire's kid i really will have to try and make friends if i get to meet her she sounds like my sort of girl. Ive done nothing but work to pay to jump and i work full time! seriously though good on you its great to see its not just me who is giving up all the usually teenage things to pay for this sport

i was just looking at your profile and was wondering how the hell anybody at school (sixth form i assume at 17) afford equipment and 80 jumps?!?!

Welcome welcome welcome, nice to see some more brits especially women which seem to be few and far beween at british dz's. I wanna come and visit langer since ive heard some good things so ill keep an eye out for you Stephen

i was just about to come and say that i may have posted befor putting my brain into gear. I saw 20 hours and did the math in my head as if you would have to pay for it alone not thinking that a 4way team tends to have more than one member!!

I have to say it sounds like an amazing opportunity for anybody who manages to do it, but like everything else in this sport it loosk like a huge financial investment. just of the top of my head it looks like the best part of 10k just to get to nationals

I know you said new to 4-way but how much experience are you realistically looking for. For example i would not think of PurpleBadger as new at 450, but when like him i get to that stage i imagine ill still think of myself as new

guess i should have made my self a bit more clear, i know exactly how bad the uk weather is since i live in london aswell

In need of a bit of advice. I/We are planning a trip for the 16th - 24th of december and as much as i would love to get over to florida i just cant afford it What do you guys think is the best spot in europe at that time of year. The group is a mix of abilities from new AFF students to incompetent flat fliers like me if that effects you suggestions Stephen

I have only started jumping this year and its been a real struggle to pay for everything, but reading about your club and the real uphill battle you have with funds and equipment it puts into perspective how easy most of us have it. I hope that loads of us can do one or two less jumps this weekend and help a club that really deserves it, afterall isnt skydiving suppose to be one big family. Stephen

I would be very interested to know what issues pollster has with the Icon. He is the first person i have heard of with anything much negative to say about it

I love my Icon. I got all the optional bits (i think) but to be honest there arent many because just about everything comes as standard. Its very comfortable, looks great and has some of the best pin, riser.. covers ive seen. The only thing i would change if i could is to get the wide chest strap instead of the thin one. Now ive got it i think it could be very uncomfortable if i have a bad opening and my weight is on my chest strap.

i just finished doing skydive u to get my fs1 and struggled with side slides as well, so i know how it feels. Firstly remember to relax. No matter what your doing in the air you must be relaxed because the second you tense up you stop flying your body and wont beable to do anything. I was not told to try and tilt my body but to look at and shift my hips sideways towards the direction i want to move in. by moving your hips your arms and legs will naturally be pointing in the opposite direction giving you some movement but more importantly moving your hips will change your centre of gravity and tilt your body. I struggled with it for a few jumps but the second i stopped thinking about it too much and just pushed my hips sideways everythng else falls into place and its actually pritty easy. hope this helps and good luck stephen

I am not planning on packing until i and my cci are happy that i can do it so dont worry im going to kill myself! what are the requirments to pack for yourself in the uk? Do i actually have to get signed off (if so what does this involve) or is it just when the cci is happy i can do it

Im certainly no expert, but when i bought my new canopy (pilot) i was advised to get it packed for me for the first 50 or so jumps to get rid of the worst "slipperyness" (if thats a word!!)

I was over in sebastian last new year and loved every minute of it, infact im pritty sure we will be back this new year aswell and would love to jump with you all you make it. Its definately a DZ not to be missed if your going to be in florida, the views are amazing and the people are great too. Stephen P.S i think going to the tunnel if definately worth a trip if you get the time. I only got to share an hour but it was definately worth the trip

i got over excited and bought a Havok not long after graduating and your right it does look great and is very comfortable. Although i still have no idea what its like to jump as ive still not got my B license and cant jump it yet!!!!

hope you have a great time and good luck with the FS1. Just remember to enjoy every second because you will spend everyday when you get home wishing you couold still be there!! Say hello to Mik and Mark for me (my instructors) and Rob, Uwe, Drew, Bonnie and anybody else ive missed of the list who remembers me and the rest of Uni of Kent. And tell them we should be back this new year with even more new students for them!! Stephen

I wouldnt count on getting your FS1 finished in the two weeks. Although you have more than enough time to get the ten jumps done its not really like the AFF course where you do your levels and your done its more of an ongoing thing. The requirments for FS1 are more things you need to practice and improve you are unlikely to just be shown them and pick it up straight away like AFF. It is doable but its a lot to cover so dont put too much pressure on yourself. I would definately advise you to get down to the beech its beautiful and goes on for miles. We went for a quick walk to the beech and kept going for about two hours befor we realised we how far we had gone! The biggest thing to watch out for if your camping is the ants. Unlike the UK the have serious ants out there which will tunnel up under the tent because it is warm and moist and eat through the bottom if your not carefull. You should be ok seeing as your only there two weeks but keep an eye out and move the tent if you need to because you will wake up one morning and find a mound under the tent!! Enjoy it and good luck Stephen

I was under the impression from speaking to instructors, other jumpers and my DZ shop that in the UK the only requirment for full face was 50 jumps and and A licence. But i was just looking through the BPA manual, for something else, and it seems to suggest that you must use an open face until you get your B Can anybody shed any light on this for me? stephen

thanks for your replys guys. I think i was having a stupid moment i meant to say £120 not £140 and i know the guy so no shipping or tax. i didnt know that L&B was lowering the price but even so i think it is a pritty good deal seeing that it is as good as knew and come with jump track and the cables stephen

Just a couple of questions. Firstly can a used protrack be reset to wipe all previous jumps? restoring all the factory settings... Secondly is £140 a good deal for a used Pro-Track (with only 20 jumps onit, it even has the plastic cover stuck over the screen!) with the jump track software and connecting cables. Assuming it can be reset it seems like a really good deal to me, but if you guys know of any glaring problems let me know stephen

he may have been wearing the glasses in freefall but i doubt very much he will have been listening in free fall, its just too loud to hear anything. He proably used it on the way up and maybe under canopy but freefall i doubt. even if he could get it working in free fall i personally thiunk it would ruin it for me. i love the feeling of freedom you get and music would spoil it for me

I think seven days should be fine as long as you only plan on jumping. If you wanna get out to the beach... (which i advise) ten days would probably be better. I was there for ten days and managed all my levels and consoles (20 jumps total) and that was with losing a day to the beach and new years day with a hang over! I agree with mr2mk1g about the full USPA membership. i have no idea about the price differnce but i do wish i had the magazine subscription. Dont worry about your coaching being valid in the UK, Mik (the head instructor) is both well known at UK DZ's and is a BPA rated instructor. The whole set up is top notch out there and your training will surpass any BPA requirments. You can contact the DZ direct to make sure about prices if you want but ffadventures and the DZ work together with ffadventures doing all the AFF and WARP coaching, so im sure they wil quote the same price if they dont just give you the number for ffasdventures. I was there over new year so it being too hot for camping wasnt a problem for me, but i think it should be ok as long as you air it out when it cools down at night. stephen

I did my AFF with ffadventures and they are fantastic people with a lot to offer, i would definately advise anyone to go there. The coaching is top notch and the drop zone is beautiful, and of course everybody is always happy to drink with you as you will be having lots of firsts! The USPA membership they quoted you is not optional because your uninsured without and it is not included in the course fee (but its only $15 cos it a temp membership anyway). I would definately get over to the tunnel if you can it is totally worth the money, but you wont need to worry about that as Mik (who will probably be your coach) will sort it all out for you so you will do it at the right time so it will really help your progression. My group camped at the DZ to save money which worked out really well with the bar on the DZ. But i would definately advise you to rent a car as the DZ is pritty remote and your a bit lost without one if you want to leave the DZ to eat... blue skys, Stephen edit to add: i would advise you to try and get all your console jumps done whilst your still away that way you are much less likely to haver to repeat levels or do too many coach jumps befor your allowed to go solo in the UK. Dont worry too much about meeting people over here in the UK, it may take a while but i dont think doing consoles here will change that because from the outside you look just like a qualified jumper as you will be solo on consoles anyway

Ive not been so this is second hand info ive got from people because im going to be out there later in the year. Aparantly the DZ is pritty nice if a bit remote (about an hours drive from dubai) they have an AC packing hanger and a small shop. They only usually run weekends (thursday, friday) but if your in a group, or another group is around, they will run all week long, just contact them befor hand to sort it out. hope this helps