Legs

Fair comment taken onboard With love in Christ

How much do you want this? If the answer is not very much then your relationships with others may not seem like something you should work on............However, if the answer (like mine) is so much it hurts when Im not jumping then you can work hard to put the past behind you, find ways around the negativety and progress. One day it will be you that everyone looks up to, just be sure that you remember your own experiences as a newb. One idea is to stay at the DZ on a friday and buy some beers, share some leisure time. I dont know many skydivers who turn down a beer. Good luck with your decision, With love in Christ

Tom I have read your artcle and it is great, I would advise anyone to read it. It doesn't go into spotting techniques though. It just says the experienced skydiver should be able to judge their ground position and ground speed. It dissapoints me that people who have clearly been within this forum for a good amount of time, dismiss discussion because "it has been done before". This is a discussion forum, over time all discussions will take place, does this mean new people should not talk just read? Interaction speeds up learning, I just wanna learn. Please dont dismiss my questions just because its a frequent question for many people. The only stupid question is the one left unasked. Regards With love in Christ

I do not agree with your first comment. The person in question may continue looking out at the same angle relative to the plane, but the plane may have altered its attitude to the ground. The second point is an excellent one, and one that should be encouraged. The more people look down and try to judge, the better they will get at it. It should be routine for skydivers to spot their own exit......see thread on spotting With love in Christ

Its an interesting discussion so far but I feel so much is unsaid. I appologise for the wording of the poll, I agree it could have been better (I was just off to bed after a busy night shift). Saying that I feel I have to clarify that "No one has landed off due to my spotting" is meant to say just that. I understand that there are other reasons people land off (Bad canopy piloting) but this was meant to show how many of us feel we are infalable. I note that there have been several people vote "What is spotting?", but no one has given a good definition or any other techniques. One of the reasons I posted this was the statment made in another thread regarding exit seperation, that ground clearence was all important (One that I agree with). But to practice this each and every skydiver must have good spotting skills. Come on guys, you skydivers with high jump numbers must have some advice for us newbys on best definitions and methods? Yes I understand that there is an art to it after you become experienced, but it has to be based on science? And us newbs have to start somewhere. Thank you for your contributions so far, I look forward to seeing some help in here for the uninitiated.

aaarrrgggh, I new somebody would throw this back to me. I guess it encompassess all of that. In fact it even encompasses when you throw yourself out of the plane, even when someone else acting as jump master has told you it is safe to leave. I understand that when spotting (especially on the first run of the day) we rely on information sources that may be incorrect but I have experienced people with consistently bad results and was looking for general opinion. I am very young in this sport, I was hoping to gain insight from everyone elses experiences by triggering a discussion. I also feel that many skydivers rate themselves very highly and was interested in seeing the results of a poll. A good technique that I was shown recently, was to look at the objects around you on the ground, instead of the ground itself. For example if you can see some inside edge of the trees on all sides around a ploughed field your position must be directly above that field. If you use this method and defocus and concentrate on your peripheral vision you build up a concentric circle effect of inside edges and your position is in the centre of those concentric circles. It seems to work for me, but as I say I'm a newby and listening With love in Christ

It occurs to me that exit seperation (being discussed in another thread) is closly linked to spotting ability. How do you rate your own competency? Whats the worst spot you've ever been subjected to? Cheers With love in Christ

This requires skilled spotting techniques. Many skydivers look straight down and presume they are directly over the piece of ground they can see. This depends on the angle of the plane in the air. As we all know there are good spotters and notoriously bad spotters. Saying that, I would rather land off than have a mid air collision and 130mph With love in Christ

What a good picture, makes you feel warm inside. With love in Christ

For what its worth, I plan a landing pattern and landing position before getting in the plan. All above reasons for varying plan are valid and true, I would rather change my plan than focus on the one accurate point I wanted to land in and break a leg trying to acheive it. just MHO With love in Christ

This thread wasnt the best to ressurect, it seems its full of abuse between jumpers who had nothing better to do on the day they posted. It was obviously raining that week. With love in Christ

I see the UK membership is over double the US membership. What does your membership include? I know the BPA has had a hell of a time renewing the 3rd party insurance we all enjoy as members. We also get a quaterly glossy thats OK, but would be cheaper and more responsive as an internet Magazine / members area. Other than these benefits and the obvious (You have to have it to jump) It is the self regulating body of skydivers that gives the CAA reason to allow skydiving in the UK. How about the U.S.? With love in Christ

Ian I am down at headcorn at least one day per week, and alternate weekends, next weekend is my skydiving weekend. Life is busy though with a 2 year old daughter and shift work. If your down there and looking for someone to chat to, you only have to ask Vicky to point me out and I'll introduce you to all the other relative newbys. (me included) there are a bunch who qualified last autumn, and a handfull currently doing RAPS (Static line progression). If you make the effort to chat to the people on the periphery they tend to welcome you into the fold. And a wet weather day at headcorn is great for training in all sorts!! I quite often stay down in the Bunk rooms on a saturday, so I can have my fill of beer without driving. At £2 a night its cheap but basic. Good luck with that AFF jump if I dont catch you before your first. Keep safe With love in Christ

Hi Ian Welcome to the sport and to the club, I look forward to seeing you progress and get your A license. If I'm at headcorn please feel free to say Hi. Cheers Graeme With love in Christ

Thijs Your latest post makes more sense than your earlier post. I am concerned that you say: Surely you know that one of the most important rules of canopy piloting is to land under a level canopy. This guy turned low, broke the rules and payed heavy for it. Yes experienced people break the rules too, but they tend to pay heavy for it cos they tend to be on less forgiving kit. You also say There are also advisory notes on downsizing, I belief its 15% at a time. (I may be wrong). Again this guy broke the recognised best advise. It is worrying that this is entertainment. You go on to say: I think alot of people sneered at your post ending "Maybe I should give up skydiving?" because it sounded arogant and pubescent. I think many of the responses you recieved encouraging you to stay in the sport were very kind and serious attempts at addressing this percieved attitude. However many posters (If like me) thought the same as the most basest response you recieved. If you want a serious discussion, there are plenty of people here willing to help, but demonstrate attitude by throwing your toys out of your pram and you will get attitude back. Good luck with your skydiving future....I sincerely mean this. With love in Christ

heee heee I think that solves the problem. Every one wears a wrist mounted fish with knickers on, and if you collide at deployment you throw your fish at each other. The knickers are just to maintain their modesty. With love in Christ

Only once I promise......yeah right With love in Christ

No-one wants you to stop thinking.......In fact we want you to start thinking and stop feeling so hard done by. Keep skydiving, learn, and become the best......... With love in Christ

In the UK you need to demonstrate a flat turn before getting CH1, this means no CH1 no A License. With love in Christ

I dont know what the rules are around the world, but high performance landings are not allowed by most CCI's in the UK without Canopy piloting qualifications (CP1). To get A license Canopy Handling 1 (CH1) must be passed, B license CH2. and so forth. Is this the same aroung the world? US, europe etc? With love in Christ

Thinking is ok, as long as you respect experience. The rules are made from experience so we shouldn't discount them just cos we think something different. On the other hand if you disagree with a rule we should THINK, what am I missing that caused this rule to be implemented? Keep safe up there!!! Am I competent? at my stage, I am competent in following rules and learning, oh and enjoying every jump. With love in Christ

I can't disagree, but you are talking about a section of the community that travels to skydive. There are many more who are happy to jump at their home DZ once a week / month who never travel because lifes priorities will not allow it. At my home DZ there are about 20 to 30 travelling skydivers and probably equal numbers of regular jumpers who do not travel. With love in Christ

Hey, I think you've got a good all round response here, a rule I try to stick to is don't buy until you know its the right canopy and why. In the mean time start with a student rig with a .8 wing loading and move on slowly. Jump friends rigs (If CCI/DZO says OK) to see the differences. Eventually over time you will now what you want, a sabre 2, a sillohette, a Pilot etc. Dont waste your money on a canopy that will not suit your desires/ needs in 2 months or one that will kill you in a week. Good luck and keep safe With love in Christ

PANTS I've been skydiving for one year, at one DZ and already know 5 base jumpers. (Note I'm not stupid enough to consider joining this group of nutters). I think you'd need a very very large nightclub for the worldwide base jumping population. Same argument for skydivers but cant be bothered to write it out With love in Christ

You have a "COLD" and youre seriously thinking of not jumping. Now ..... if it was flu, or even worse man-flu. All this nonsense about barotrauma to the sinuses, get over it. Were talking 13,000 ft. Take brufen, paracetamol, nasal decongestant and get up there. Disclaimer : You're personally responsable for your descision to jump and may die doing it! With love in Christ