voltage

I can jump with my german DFV license in probably most if not all places in the U.S. A german DFV licence is lifetime without having to be member of any organisation, and you can convert from a USPA-licence for around 40 € (have to take a small written test) - I know because I did my USPA licence first. Might that be an option?

Very valid responses. I will certainly stop peeling the handles on each jumping day for reasons pointed out here, and because I found the force needed to be nearly the same regardless of circumstances (long sitting period, airline transport ...). I do check the 3 ring assembly because I've had the yellow cabel come out of the channel. Also checking every time that the loop is not twisted in any strange way. It is probably overkill to check the correct assembly every time, though. Thanks for every contribution.

What is your routine for gear-checks? Here is mine: start of the jumping day: 1) switch on AAD 2) check pin is proper in place on main 3) check pin on reserve and continuiety to handle 4) peel off both handles and re-place them before each jump: 1) check 3-ring system (proper assembly, proper routing of "loop", rsl connected correct) 2) check main pin / reserve pin 3) take a quick look at harness connection points 4) check pc stow Thats it pretty much. While packing I try to pay attention to the material that goes through my fingers, but don't do any specific checks. Am I missing something important? Do you have other routines? Hope to learn something from this post.

Yes it is the same person (aka Stephen Northcott). At least it is the same bank account number that received my full upfront payment in 2005. Thats 2000 Euro for 5 AFF jumps. Hope for you the plane doesn't break down this time, though.

Just a hint from someone who had problems with one of the organisers of this boogie in the past (when he used to "run" the now closed Skydive Thailand DZ): Be sure you get satisfactory answers to your questions. It cost me alot of money to trust and don't ask the right questions to this gentleman.

I really like your attitude. If you keep it through your training and onward, I think you have good chances for a long and safe jumping-career. By the way is the picture (avatar) from your tandem? If so you have to update it with your solo jumps

Sound exactly like what happened to the jumper I wrote about, only he did the turn. Lately I was in this situation (too low at pattern entry point) and did the whole pattern in one big 180° flat-turn from about 150 feet. There were outs in most directions tough, and I had a nice (not perfect) landing. I learned a bit more about my canopy on that jump. That is why I agree so strongly with the recommendations here. Only a moderate canopy can afford such a learning expierence (not directed at you - looks like you jump a very appropriate wingloading).

Just want to give a word of thanks to all experienced guys giving advise here. The recommendations here gave me a broader perspective when I shopped for gear and I got myself a Spectre at 1:1 wingloading. Most other people recommended a 170 or 150 at WL 1.1-1.3 at that time (40 jumps). Another jumper with similar expierence and weight from my dropzone got that 150. At around 10 jumps on that canopy he was far out and barely made it back to the DZ, did a too-low-a-turn into the wind and hit hard. He would most probably have been fine on a 190. Thanks god only some stiches and pain for two weeks, but it fucked up his jumping holiday in the U.S. big time. All the while I kept jumping my ass off! So thanks. Big is not always bad.

Nice meeting you. I had a great time there. Really nice people around. They told me the recent maintainance was a major overhaul and they hope to have the tunnel operating at greater power than before. I couldn't manage to do a sitfly, though one of the instructors barely did. But he was sticking out every bit of body he had . Hope that improves now. Tunnel flying rocks!

E-Mail sent. What's the rate for skydivers? Still RM38 for 2 minutes? Really looking forward to some tunnel flying.

Has anybody been there recently and knows what is going on? I had trouble contacting them today. If anybody is in KL Sep 19th/20th and wants to join me for some fun in the tunnel, send me a message!

I have had one of my best experiences while on holiday in Deland. After jumping alot solo, I was sick of it and asked Scott Miller and a friendly woman from the staff (AFF instructor) who at the DZ might be similar (low) experience and might want to jump with me. Well they then put together an 8-way sunset dive with staff and other friendly jumpers and it was easily my most memorable jump in the US. It was also my biggest to today and I hope I can say that I did not too bad (you can't do too much bad when you are base right? ). Jumps like that make it worthwhile and help me keep in the sport over times when I get attitude all too often

I'm dead serious what I wrote with my last sentence. Up to that moment on the highway I considered buying such a supersport bike (with >100 hp) but wtf? These bikes are made to race and here on our highways there is no speed limit (mostly). That means it is even legal to race. So tempting ... I'd be dead in a hurry with such a bike. I think skydiving is more slower, more relaxed and safer. Ontopic again.

Until yesterday, I haven't touched a bike for 3 years. Today I borrowed a bike from a friend because I was "hot" and the sky was 100% overcast I took it on the highway and pushed it for what it's worth (it's a '93 YZF 750R so it's worth some) When nearly at 140mph there was this one car who set the light to change lanes and was about to do it. Luckily he noticed me. After returning the bike to my friend half an hour ago I am now slowly coming down from the adrenalin rush For the future I think I may stick to skydiving because it is safer

This is a video from EADS, Germany. They have developped a navigation system with head up display for jumpers as well as an automatic landing system for cargo (in the video you see a ram air parachute with cargo flared and landed by a computer) http://www.eads.net/1024/de/pressdb/innovation_topic/Archiv/ParaFinder_ParaLander.html I am curious how long it will take for the old-fashioned radio being replaced by a navigation system (for the students) and the others landing with their ALD (automatic landing device). Maybe they will even have an auto swoop mode you just have to relax and look cool and the computer will do the rest edit to add: here is the same link in english: http://www.eads.net/1024/en/pressdb/innovation_topic/Archiv/ParaFinder_ParaLander.html

After 2 years in the sport, some 90 jumps and having visited about 7 different dropzones I think skydivers are risk-seekers. Sometimes it is enlightening to talk to whuffos, some of which have known a skydiver for some time. I've been told more than once how whuffos observe skydivers to gradually take more and more risk as they progress in skydiving. A not uncommon reaction I got from people when I told them I skydive was that they knew a friend of a friend who had been killed or seriously hurt while skydiving. I questioned it everytime and mostly I found their reports to be credible / true. That being said, I really like skydiving and I think I am no exception from above. I also think skydivers delude themself about it because it kills part of the fun to really have to acknowledge that skydiving IS dangerous.

Thanks guys for the replies. Appreciate the opinion and feedback from "outside".

It was not really possible to keep them both in view, for me. The thing is, as a rookie myself it is very difficult to talk to more expierienced jumpers with criticism. I found mostly they will ignore you based on the fact that they have more jumps than you. Hell, even fellow rookie jumpers are difficult to give tips to most of the time, nobody likes to aknowledge he is doing something wrong. I have to say I start to feel a little bit worried at times. People giving me congratulation on surviving for this issue is disturbing.

Hi there, yesterday I was on a 3-way RW dive that ended in a way that is giving me afterthoughts today. Involved were the freeflyer (150 jumps), me (80 jumps) and the rookie (30 jumps). Plan was to break formation at about 5000 feet and turn and track. The freeflyer went low quite early in the formation and then he choose to do some freeflying with the altitude left. I stayed with rookie guy and separated normally. While tracking I suddenly saw freefly guy tracking DIRECTLY UNDERNEATH me in exactly the same direction. I quickly glanced back to find rookie guy but he wasn't behind me anymore, couldn't see him and feared he was tracking after me or some way to my side. I made the decision to only slightly alter my tracking direction (maybe 30 degree) from the freefly guy's tracking path below fearing to come to close to rookie guy, and instead track a little longer than usual. I dumped about 500 feet lower than planned and opened uncomfortably near the freefly guy. Turns out the rookie had opened higher than expected so that was the reason I didn't see him in the later part of my tracking. Now I tend to think I did not react in the best way and that I should have changed my tracking path more (around 90 degree to freefly guy). What would you (experienced guys) have done in such a situation? Thanks, Andi

I guess it depends when you get out. On a 5000' exit out of the Skyvan the pilot put the light on so far out that there was no chance to get back even if i had pulled right away. Having taken it down to 3500' I landed on the other side of the highway in a barb-wire fenced truck depot or something. It was fun ringing the bell from inside and holding my canopy into the security camera asking him to let me out The good thing is I didn't get hurt and learned how important it is to spot for the DZ.

Recently I vistited Florida for a skydiving trip and wanted to share my experience here because I took some good advice from these forums. I travelled with 2 fellow jumpers from my home DZ and we had in mind to do some dedicated RW jumping. I also ordered a rig from Rigs'n'Things in Cape Coral, and everything worked like a charm, I can recommend their shop. The first DZ we went to was Lake Wales. After we arrived we noticed so many old guys hanging around, ah we just joined a POPS meet. But it was very cool, and not only because a CASA was there but so many real nice people around. Actually one of our group qualified for POPS (he is 41, the rest of us two are in our twenties) but he cannot speak more than 10 words english so he wasn't able to apply So I have only good things to say about Lake Wales. The staff there is great, they got a nice big indoor place for packing and hanging out, relaxed atmosphere, ... I think I will be back next time. Then we moved on to Z-Hills. It was the first day of the 200-way camp and just minutes before we arrived there had been a serious accident and later that day, the winds went pretty strange, too. So we decided not to jump. Maybe next time. Instead we went on to Deland. The rest of our trip we spent in Deland. The DZ is very busy even on weekdays, with all the teams training there. On our first jump there we discovered how important it is to check the spot, because only 2 of us made it back, and sadly our friend Markus made a not so good decision to try to make it back and impacted while recovering from a low turn, but beside some hours in the hospital for some stichting and a week or so of pain he was lucky. No more Florida jumping for him, though. The long spot thing happened to me three times while jumping in Deland. This is defintely a thing to consider when coming from a small (abroad) DZ where things are a bit different and long spots almost never occur (in fact most low-timers from our DZ I spoke with have never bothered to check the spot for that). With our group now reduced to a 2-way, over the time of three days we did some very good dives turning some serious points. With all the professionel skydivers around and the amount of loads available Deland is imo really a good place to improve your skydiving if you are dedicated. One thing I disliked about Deland was packing space. Having to pack a brand new Spectre, the only way I could get that beast in the bag was with a side pack, and a side pack in a hot, windy and full of sand outdoor packing tent really sucked. The comfortable packing rooms inside are not available if you aren't staff or (professional) team packer. But aside that, I liked Deland, too. I'll be back there for sure. There even was some nice evening entertainment, Tiki party and live music one evening made the last slippery pack job of the day a bit easier. I'm seriously learning to pro-pack a slippery canopy right now, in fact today I have already (sort of) put it in bag 3 times and took it out again, soon I will be confident enough to even jump it Guess now I've got the Florida Blues. Anyway just wanted to share

Thanks man. Beautiful. Can't wait to make my first naked skydive.

ah yes ... well some things have to stay seperate, right? Leave the air for the skydiving stuff, and the evening for the other stuff. But still, when you own such an expensive nylon-whatever-sewn-thingy why not use in on the ground for the other fun stuff? hmmmmm ...

Come on everybody is posting their bedtime stuff here, so I am not creepy. I really think it is erotic. Why not combine the two most beautiful things, a woman and a rig And the various attachments on the rig offer plenty of oppurtunities for ... ah ... fun stuff to do. Hm okay the last sentence I got carried away but i am not creepy !!!

Hi there anybody knows of a website feautering the deliciously nude form of the female body dressed only with a rig? I think I am developping a fetish. Please help me is there such a website