james309

My friend and I went to Skydive Deland for Scott Miller's essential canopy skills course. The course and Scott Miller were excellent, however the facilities and the instructors that work at Skydive Deland were atrocious and on more than one occasion extremely rude. On several occasions they over loaded the plane. On one instance I noticed the instructors lying down in the back of the plane, and when I asked them to sit up so everyone behind me could board the plane and find a seatbelt. I was told to sit the F*** down and mind my own business. We still had 8 people that needed to board the plane, and one of our classmates was the last person to board the plane. He was crammed into the door, and barely able to hold on. One of the instructors (who are clearly marked by their skydive Deland T-shirts) stopped the plane on the tarmac and started cursing at him until finally someone was able to share a seatbelt with him. While having a seatbelt is an important safety concern, there was no need to be that rude. This entire situation could have been avoided if the instructors had just stopped leaning back, and made room for others. The other problem I noticed is the student landing zone (which is where the class was supposed to land) is bordered on two sides by active runways. We made five jumps that day, and I had to deal with airplanes in the landing pattern as well as other jumpers. It’s not a lot of fun trying to avoid Cessna’s on downwind. The only other problem I noticed is that there is no shade anywhere, so on the truly hot summer days there is nowhere to hide from the heat. There are so many other excellent dropzones in Florida; I would recommend trying some of the others, especially if you are traveling a long distance to have fun! Blue Skies!

Right now I have about 65 jumps, and I am trying to build my RW skills. What is the best way to proceed from this point on? Should I be focused on coaching, tunnel time, or something else. Any help would be greatly appreciated You only live once, but If you live like I did once is enough.

Thanks for your help everyone. What would you recommend as a cheap rig I can use for saltwater jumps. I would prefer something I could use for freefall, so I am not limited to hop n pops. I won't be freeflying on these jumps, so I just need something that is airworthy. You only live once, but If you live like I did once is enough.

I am getting ready to buy my first custom gear, and I really want a Vector. I don't want to hear from all the people who think Vectors are great. I want to hear from anyone that think Vectors don't work for wingsuit flight and why, so tell me why you don't like your vector. thanks. You only live once, but If you live like I did once is enough.

This summer I am going to be doing a lot of water jumps. As a fisherman I know that saltwater is hell on everything, so I know it can't be good for skydiving gear. My question is this; how bad is it for my gear? I have the ability to have a chase boat, and I plan on doing a lot of Saltwater landings. Should I buy an older "cheap" rig? Or can I use my normal rig? You only live once, but If you live like I did once is enough.

Thanks I couldn't find it anywhere on their website. You only live once, but If you live like I did once is enough.

I have the opportunity to buy a rig with a Raven 3 Reserve, but I can't find what the square footage of the reserve is. Can anyone help me out? You only live once, but If you live like I did once is enough.

I have been in the wind tunnel twice for 15 minutes. During these sessions we practiced Fall Rate, Side slides, knee turns, and wall tag. Can anyone recommend any drills to help with freefall and the progression to freefly. You only live once, but If you live like I did once is enough.

Thanks for the help guys. I am 205 pounds without gear so around 230 or 235 pound exit weight. My landings have been great, and I'm landing at around 1250' MSL. I appreciate the help, and I was wondering how hard it is to close a container with a chute that is one size larger than what it is designed for? You only live once, but If you live like I did once is enough.

I just got my A license, and I am trying to find a container that would work for me. I am having a tough time because I am 6'1" and 205 pounds. I have been searching the classifieds for almost a month, and I am running out of ideas. Some people recommended buying a new container and reserve, but I have been downsizing pretty quickly (280, 260, 240 in 29 jumps). I can afford a new container, but it doesn't seem practical, so I would appreciate any advice I can get. You only live once, but If you live like I did once is enough.