Newbie

I only have 70 jumps, im just off my 4 way for my FS1 so i don't have that yet, although hopefully will do by the time end of July rolls round, but im wondering if Espace will be worth going to because of my low experience? I really want to get some good FF coaching, and im thinking if not Espace, just to head out to Empuria and spend a few weeks out there with Babylon. Anyone who has been/or going and knows the deal, can you let me know what you think? Thanks "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

im about 125mph. I keep floating on everyone at my dropzone - loads of people wear weight vests/belts. Apparently people at the dz have a reputation of sinking like lead balloons here (some people average 140mph!) - i was going to ask someone why it is everyone wears vests then - surely if they took them off, no one would need them?? Anyway i thought there had to be a reason for it. Now im looking at £40 on a belt to keep up with everyone else! "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

i have had this suit for about 35 jumps. It fits fine, but i dont use the mega booties (i know, i probably should, but i used them once and they scared the hell out of me). Anyway what i do is roll them up and tuck them into the bottom of the suit, which leaves quite a big loose amount of material at the bottom legs of the suit. I've noticed, now that im trying to do 3 and 4 way (and even on my 2 way dives) that im floating on EVERYONE. Im about 180-190lbs with gear and although im quite broad, im still quite heavy. When i jump with people of similar weight/broadness i still float on them. Is the bunching of the material at the legs of my suit affecting this? I know i should use my booties but i didnt like the way they needed a miniscule amount of input to produce a huge change to my position - i figured i would use them once i had more jumps and experience. Anyway any suggestions would be appreciated. "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

i doubt that, especially if your BOC pouch is nice and tight as it should be - besides which if you pulled and let go of the toggle/hackey how would you know if the PC was even attached or not? (unless you actually turn and look at the PC as you throw; see my post from last week in the S & T forum about whether or not this is a good idea). I'm not saying its not possible, but with my limited experience, if i pulled and threw my PC handle and nothing had happened, i sure as hell wouldn't waste time searching around back there, trying to work out if a) my PC was still in the pouch and if so b)how i was going to extract it without a toggle/handle - I would be going straight to emergency procedures to save time. "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

Whats up mate, i was just about to email you to make sure you had checked this, sounds like you you're fine anyway. I just had my toggle replaced with a hacky last week, before i had even heard about this incident, so i think that should be ok but i want to check to make sure it's bartacked but don't really know what to look for other than "cross stitching that is sewn tightly together". If anyone can tell me exactly what a bartack stitch looks like to make sure my rigger put it on the hacky (although im pretty sure the guy did, he knows his sh*t for sure) then i would appreciate that. Thanks "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

i was wondering the other day if anyone does this (i.e. at pulltime) I was taught by my AFF instructor to look to the right to make sure the PC actually has "launched" (i guess so i can make sure it hasn't entangled/got hung up/caught in a burble/actually come out from the BOC) but i've realised since then (not THAT long ago, but about 50 jumps back) i've stopped doing this when i deploy. Just wondering if anyone does this, if it's good practice, bad practice etc. The reason i ask is because if it's good practice, obviously i want to start getting in the habit of doing it again. My only concern was doing this with a camera - does it make any difference if you cock you head to one side when you deploy? (i'm thinking small PC style side mount). I'm a fair few jumps off using a camera, but just thought i would check now before i got into a habit that i would then potentially have to try and break at a later stage. Thanks "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

At the moment im turning mine off at the end of each days jumping. I did overhear in the packing shed though that turning them off runs the batteries down faster compared to if you just leave it to turn itself off after its 14 hours "on" time has expired. Can anyone confirm if this is true? Thanks "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

http://www.blincmagazine.com/cms/article_364.shtml Is this going to give more airtime? "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

doesn't everyone? "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

i just popped my reserve for its repack in my apartment hallway, and thought i would share that with you all - my first attempt to cutaway didnt work too well and i fumbled the pad because i just tried to yank it off (so to speak). It might be because the velcro is so fresh because the rig is new, but anyway, i had to do a real peel then pull motion - aside from that it all went well. Just a reminder to all those due for their repacks - do a live cutaway practice, its invaluable (just make sure no one is stood behind you when you do ) "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

Hi, i only have 60 jumps or so now, but im wondering what i should be doing - my jumps have either been all solos (the vast majority) some WARP/SkyU jumps (im up to my 3 way now) and 2 non coached 2 ways. I spoke to my friend at the dz the other weekend and he was saying i shouldn't be doing solos anymore as i'm just going to get into bad habits and not really learn anything which is a fair enough point. He said after 40 jumps he never did a solo anymore, he just would do 2 ways, 3 ways, 2 ways, a 4 way etc. Should i be pushing more to jump in 2/3 ways? I'm on the verge of getting my FS1/Cat 10 with only my 3 and 4 way to do, and then i want to try some freeflying, as i've been holding off until i get a little more aware of whats going on up there. Anyway i was wondering what everyone around my experience level was doing? I guess i should really be practicing tracking as well on my solos, as thats something i haven't done much of and is a really important skill. The things i generally do on my solos are turns in place (as fast as possible, but controlled, but also more gentle turns), backloops and frontloops, and occasionally a little track. It's all good fun but, should i be "working" towards anything at this stage (other than my FS1 rating?) "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

Hi, thanks for the link, i haven't looked through it but i intend to read it later today, but it looks very comprehensive. I did have a quick skim through though - i see you are from the same school of thought as Billvon which is to look at the ground as an indicator to measure 1000, 1500 or 2000ft of separation. However, how is this possible when you are: a) at a new dz where you are unfamiliar with run in's and objects on the ground at run in with which to use as markers to measure distance on the ground b) not allowed near the door when the preceeding group exit to look down and spot exactly what you are flying over to measure the distance from that spot to your 1000/1500/2000 ft marker point? At the dz's i have jumped at here in the UK, if i even try and get close to the door when the preceeding group exit, the jumpmaster will put a hand up indicating for me not to move - i guess they are worried that i am going to jump before giving the previous group enough separation. In this situation i guess i have to rely on the JM's expertise, but i'd rather not do that to be honest, especially when i asked one of them what they do to judge separation and he told me to watch for the 45 degree angle thing, which as kallend has pointed out, is not a valid indicator of separation. Anyway i've diverged somewhat from the original point, but i hope you could give me some advice to address points a and b above. Thanks again "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

i pull at 3000 (although i wave off at like 3100 so probably pulling at like 2800-3000 ish) Anyway my protrack constantly shows deployment altitude as like 2500, 2400 etc. Because i have maybe a second, sometimes as much as 3 max, between my wave off and PC throw, am i actually pulling at closer to 2500ft than im aware of or is the protrack reading my deployment alti lower than it actually is, OR is deployment alti on the protrack when your descent is slowed down when the bag is released and the main canopy extractedm which i imagine is probably closer to 2500? Thanks "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

Im guessing its like a person you can go up to and say "hi i have 50 jumps in such and such and i want to do this sort of thing" and (s)he partners you up with 1 or 2 or 15 others for the load, who want to do the same sort of dive? Also when you see "free load organising" advertised at boogies etc, does that mean you get load organising at places that you have to pay for? Thanks "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

Hi all, i did my first 3 way last weekend, it was fun even though it was a bit of a zoo Anyway what i was wondering was, when we finally leveled out, i could tell that our fall rates were mismatched (you know like how you can feel when someone is pulling you down on one side and someone is floating on you on the other?) - anyway i got that feeling when we were in a star - i felt like i was being pulled down by the guy on my left (WARP assist) and the guy on the right (WARP coach) was floating on him, leaving me wondering what to do to my fall rate to ensure upon release we wouldn't all ping off) The end result was that when they released me and each other we immediately had separation of a good 10 ft between all 3 of us. The guy on my left who was sinking shot off somewhere and never made it back to formation while i popped up and floated above the WARP coach who was on my right. I came down to him and we ended up running the 3 way as a 2 way as the other guy was gone somewhere doing his own thing! Anyhoo, what do i do in that situation to ensure that on release we dont sort of ping off in all directions? It was annoying because i could feel that when we were levelled out at the start of the jump by like 12k, we weren't matched and i knew something was going to happen along those lines upon release but didn't know what to do as i guess i assumed they would be matching each others fall rates and i would just have to worry about matching theirs. Does this mean that my fall rate needs to be adjusted to the base (in this case my WARP instructor) and only the base, regarless of the other jumper(s) in the group? Or does it mean i should really be jumping with people of my own size/build/weight etc to minimise the need to alter fast/slow falls excessively during a jump, as both were bigger than me, the WARP assist especially so, probably a good 30+ pounds heavier, and 6" taller. I guess this is something that comes with practice, and im generally competent at matching fall rates on a 2 way, even with someone who isnt my size/weight so i guess the extra person on this jump (who admitted he wasn't as current as he should have been to be a WARP assist) was the extenuating factor that caused the problem? I know that the purpose of the base is to sit there and we come to him/her whatever, but what i guess im wondering is what to do when you have a floater and a sinker on either side pulling you in different directions. I guess stick with the instructor right? Any advice appreciated. "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

this weekend i was on a solo just chilling looking at the view and whatnot, when i noticed a weird rainbow'y type thing going on. I was looking down at about a 45 degree angle and saw what i can only describe as the centre, or "end" of a rainbow. If you imagine like a circular paper target thing, with the bullseye in the middle and the rings expanding out from that, thats what i saw, but the rings and bullseye were rainbow coloured and the whole thing was pretty big. It was sunny, but there were rain clouds lurking and in fact i dropped into one after watching this rainbow thing for a while and got a few drops of water on my face, so it was perfect rainbow conditions if you know what i mean. Anyway anyone seen something like that before? I'm sure plenty have, but whats the explanation for it? Did i just see a rainbow but from a new persspective? Whatever it was it was a beautiful sight to see

im sure this has been discussed before so if anyone can provide links to older posts that would be helpful rather than repeat answers here - all i could find was posts on exit separation, not tracking and group separation. Anyhoo, what i was wondering, now that im coming up to do 3 and 4 way RW dives, is how to do track to provide necessary horizontal separation between the other jumpers in your group (i think Kallend said that it needs to be 150ft from the centre of the group until opening to be safe) without going "under" another group or jumper on the same load that has exited after your group? As far as i've learnt so far, you track 180 degrees from the centre of the formation which is fine for a 2 way, but what about 3+ ways? In a 4 way, if everyone tracks from centre at 90 degrees from each other, then 2 of the jumpers will be tracking along the jump run right? Does it not happen like this (see below)? Does everyone in a 4 way track at 45 degrees off the jump run line? If 1-4 represents each jumper in a 4 way (ignore the asterisks): *1* 2*3 *4* Do you all track like this, where x represents the centre of the group that everyone is tracking from and 1-4 is the jumpers who have tracked away from centre, and the dashed line is the jump run (couldn't get it exactly straight but you get the idea): *1********|*******2* **********|********* **********|********* **********|********* **********X********* **********|********* **********|********* **********|********* *3********|*******4* How does it work in a 3 way too? What "angles" should everyone be heading off at? Is this something that should be decided on the ground? Thanks all "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

i would also add not to be afraid to take a down winder. I did a few months ago and man, you come in a lot faster than you do normally (obviously) and it was a little scary realising i was going to have to run this thing out (although i have since read not to do that, and to slide it in, to minimize the risk of going head over heels), but it was no way as scary as realising i was going to land off and would have had to make a low turn to get into wind. "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

here's a pic of that head down tandem someone mentioned i think off the back of a thread in Incidents (this is not connected to any incident i should add, i just found this on a site someone said i should check to find a pic of a tandem in headdown because i was curious to see if they existed. Well i guess they do!) http://www.skydiveamericapb.com/you-jumped/photos/00000003-00.jpg I wonder if this passenger was experienced or what? Anyone know? "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

ok i've done quite a lot of reading in the forum about which BRAND of suit - but what about things like bagginess? I haven't started freeflying yet, so dont know how the level of bagginess affects how i am in the air, but i want to order a suit now so that when i start it's up and ready to go. Can anyone advise me on what i should look for as a newbie? What about knee/butt pads? Worth it? What about doubled fabric in arms/legs (as set out on the FREEdom means choice suits). What about other extras? Thanks for the advice all Edited to add - and what about the materials? Supplex - nylon Polyester/cotton Heavy cotton (denim)?? I guess the denser material = more drag right? "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

How many days (or hours/seconds) to get through the course, or even, how many jumps? When i did AFF i heard from someone that some kid passed AFF in one jump (so i guess thats 60 or so seconds?) because his dad owned a wind tunnel and he had over 100 hours tunnel time. Not sure if this is a skydiver wives tale or what, but thats pretty impressive if so. Can anyone top that, or if anyone knows if thats true or not, let me know as i've been wondering about that since i heard it "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

as in who produced it and how? I know they (FLyboyz) shot most of the video, im keen to get in touch with the guys and gals who produced/edited it though. Thanks PS sorry for double posting this in the Photo and Video forum but i figured someone here might know this and not necessarily be checking in there too. "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

as in who produced it and how? I know they (FLyboyz) shot most of the video, im keen to get in touch with the guys and gals who produced it though. Thanks

Stu no worries - i had fun doing that! See you at Sibson soon mate....... Edited to include: PS - if anyone has any comments on the audio side, please let me know (i.e. if you thought it worked/didn't work and why etc etc) because im new to this and would appreciate any feedback, good or bad. It was hard to match an audio track at a key point to what was already set out on video, but it worked in a few places i think Let me know what you guys thought, i'd like to hear. Thanks all "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

there is no mention of the guy anywhere. Am i missing something here? "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts