Newbie

. Was this a complete rig you were looking to buy are an option on a new rig? ________________ an option on a new rig. Thanks all for the help!

whats the diff guys? Why should i go for one or the other? THANKS!

also what are snaps for on the leg straps? Just to hold the straps in place tighter? Thanks

on teardrops container ordering form you get the option for a retractable pilot chute - do they mean collapsable or is this something else? What are riser dive loops? Whats the point of having a chest ring? What are triple risers? Thanks

hello all. I now have about 30 jumps, and desperately want to get some kit sorted out as soon as poss as i really don't want to double my jump tickets with outrageous hire costs here in the UK for gear that i won't be able to get used to as it wont be mine. My main questoin is that, what is the quality of gear like from SA? I have relatives in Joburg and coiuld most likely order something through them, and then get it sent out here. I have seen that icarus.co.za offer Hornets which i have been told are good mains, as well as Tear Drops and Vortex II's which i have been told are very suitable for freefly (Teardrops) and quite well suited to freefly(Vortex II). Anyhoo, i really want a good secure free fly rig. Can anyone who has bought stuff from SA in general, whether its the stuff im talking about, or not, let me know your experiences please? The reason im looking into it is because i have been told that if im lucky with customs, i could get my relatives to send new gear through from there, and it will work out to my budget for a decent 2nd hand rig with cypres here (im budgeting £2500 tops). Also, although i started out on AFF with a 260, i have downsized well to a 200. Im happy that when if i buy a 190 canopy (im about 190 out the door) i will jump it regardless of how "boring" i might find it for at least a 100 jumps, so thats another reason why i want to get some new gear - with only 100 jupms on it, i figure resale value will still be very good. Anyway any advice is as always greatly appreciated. I have been grounded now for a week since i got back from my Empuria trip and i need to get the ball rolling as soon as poss so that when the good weather finally DOES arrive in the UK, im not breaking the bank having to rent overpriced student gear out here. Many thanks all

wow, now that was nice! What a crazy couple of days...7 AFF levels in 24 hours, a days break and now my first solo jump...the view here (Empuria) is absolutely fantastic, and i actually looked down and saw the ground coming up for the first time (scary but interesting to see - we really fall pretty fast eh :) ) Time for a quick coke, then back up i reckon! Hope everyone is having a nice a week as i am! Blue Skies all Newbie

just wanted to say many thanks to all who have been constructive and helpful on here.....this place has really helped a lot in the last few months with my preperation for AFF. To say i am excited is the understatement of the century. I have waited so long for this, it still doesn't seem real that this time next week i will have been flying. Thanks again and i will let you know how i get on when i get back in June. Take care and safe flying all.

could someone turn to page 137 and tell me what the hell is going on in that pic? (its the horse mal pic) To me it looks like he is still holding the PC and the main is still in its bag above his head. Thanks

davegeffen: i smoke loads of weed, and try to snort a couple of rails before each jump, it's gotten to where the freefall isn't enough anymore, ya know what i mean? i also inject (periodiacally) herion, behing the fuel tank, i get the best "rush" there because of the jet fumes ya know! hahaha - although your post content wasn't funny (at least to me), i did LOL at the way you opened it with my (incorrectly spelt) name. I am no longer the newbie stranger i was hoping to maintain on this board. My name is out there in the wild. Oh lord NO!

are there any weed smokers in the skydiving community or just beer fiends? I can't help but think some free fliers not only toke, but have probably dropped their fair share of shrooms or acid in their time, judging by what some of them look like (and that's a compliment, im not knocking it).

"where r you planning to jump Dave?" Hi Rem - my local will be Headcorn, which is still 1.5 hours by car/train in either direction. I did my s/l course there, and although i haven't been back since December 01 (no point due to deciding to do AFF several months ago abroad), i know some of the guys there and hopefully they will remember me.

hahaha dang, great stories. Scotty sounds like my hero - a cross between Ron Jeremy and well.....a skydiver. Great stuff! PS i didn't realise Scotty was a user here! Whats up man! I would love to hear about some of the stuff you guys have got up to - maybe if im ever over in that neck of the woods sometime i could have the pleasure..... PPS - rgoper with regards to your comments........ newbie: "sure is funny how you want to make this statement about scotty. " if you want to know where i got that from go to Google, put in "Scotty Carbone" and then you will find the following link http://www.skydiveupc.org/dzdirt/DZ-Dirt-XIII.html "and yet when one goes to your profile, your name, etc is vey obscure." Not that i see what that has to do with anything, but if you like you can call me by my real name - Dave Geffin, im based in London, UK (not Iceland, in Egypt) and on a first date, thats all the info you get im afraid ;) PPPS - keep the stories coming! This stuff is gold.

"Carbone Zone" on Shaky Ground Scotty Carbone, the definitive dirty old man of skydiving, brought bad press for United Parachute club at the boogie last September. He climbed onto the clubhouse roof and videoed a female jumper while she was taking a shower. Said one old timer, "Actually for Scotty that's pretty tame stuff. But there's no excuse for his behavior. He's been banned from some of the best dropzones in the country and his status here is very precarious. In order to avoid the cost of putting a roof on the showers a group of male jumpers has volunteered to stand on the club house and make sure there are no more incidents. bahaha thats pretty funny. Who is this guy, he sounds hilarious? Anyone got any stories/info on him?

could you let me know whats going on with Oliver Furrer's cover shot. I understand his leg straps are under his shorts, but what about the rest of the rig? I can see the container behind him, so he hasn't got a concealed t shirt on, so where the hell is the rest of the rig? Is he wearing a concealed "front" only? How do these concealed suits work anyway, like, how do you get access to your handles? Did they just airbrush the rest out? I wouldn't have thought they would do that, but i have been wracking my brains for ages trying to work out what how this works. Thanks

i just wanted to add that that report from Perris i mentioned involved 2 canopies out that were similar sized canopies.

hi - i have been reading about 2 canopies out again. Downplaning is described as when the canopies dive toward the ground. Why/how would this occur? Does it mean it dives forward i.e. over your head, putting you into a pendulum position i.e. you are level horizontally with the horizon? Also, in the Perris Valley report on 2 canopies out, it says that some of the research, in the event of a down plane, recommended waiting for the canopies to bi-plane again instead of just cutting away the main.....however, how do you "wait" for a canopy/canopies to stop down planing, and what do you do to a canopy to stop it down planing and get it back into an above your head configuration? Thanks for the help people

nice idea, ive always wondered if skydiving and snowboarding could produce a nice hybrid. _______________________________________ Skysurfing?

here is something to look at..... http://www.hbinsurance.co.uk/policies/parachutists.html

....but how is counting? Well i am dammit - im SO excited. Its been so long since i have jumped (s/l in Dec 01, and my only true taste of freefall was wayyyyyy back in June 99 with my one and only tandem), i really cant wait! I have been counting down the time since i booked 2 months ago, and now im (almost) into my last month. I feel like a kid waiting for Christmas again, but even worse than that - its nuts. I really want to go out there and do my best but most of all i just know how fun it will be, and thats what im looking forward to the most. Im full of nervous excitment and anticipation (and more than a little scared (everytime i watch video of people doing AFF im getting butterflies because i know that will soon be me!), but im trying to keep that under control and just spending time working out so im at peak performance, practicing my arch, meditating to visualise my jump and performances and just trying to keep a lid on my bubbling excitment (at least until next month when i get to Spain). Just wanted to let you guys all know that i have really appreciated the good advice and words of encouragement from all those who have helped me out the last few months. DZ.com is a great resource, and Sangiro should know he's doing a great job for providing a great community for people at all levels of the sport - good work! Ok im outta here to take lunch and go over some more stuff from the Skydivers Handbook. Thanks again guys!

thanks bbarnhouse - although i have read through the SIM a few months ago, i will print it and take it with me to Spain to reread.

thanks Lisa - i just finished reading the Skydivers Handbook last week.

#1 - not that it bothers me, but im not a whuffo. I may have only made 1 tandem and 1 s/l, but i have been through ground training. I have spent dozens of hours practicing my cutaways (when i couldnt do s/l due to weather), i listen to people carefully and while i love this sport (even with my very limited experience, i have still tasted it)i do take safety very seriously. I am going on my AFF in May and i fully realise that i should be listening to my JM and instructors only, BUT - as has been mentioned - skydiving is based a lot around personal decision making, and there are times when you could find yourself in a far from 'trained for' situation (like when a plane cuts into your canopy at 200ft as was mentioned in the other post for instance). In these situations i feel its important to be armed with as much knowledge about these situations as poss, which is why i come to dz.com and post sometimes weird, hypothetical situations. The only reason i do it is because i think of things that i want answers to but dont yet know enough real world jumpers to be able to ask (and besides, this is a great place for knowledge sharing anyway, regardless of how many people i know, i would probably still ask these sorts of questions here for different view points). Im sorry if it sounds like im trolling, but in all honesty i just dont know the answers to these questions which i know some of you consider basic and simple. To me, this is new stuff, and while i fully intend to base my core training around what im told by my JM's on AFF, as i have said i like to be armed with as much info so i can make my own choices in those abnormal conditions with as much experience behind me as possible. You best believe i will be asking these same questions when im on my course in Spain too though. I guess what im trying to say is that i understand that it will be my JM's training me, and as a result all of what im learning now will not be something im drilling into my head - the only things i do drill into my head are my cutaway drills. #2 - about the...... Also, i should have mentioned that the reserve would be on a RSL system, so there is no messing with clearing 2 handles. comment. Apologies - that was bad wording on my part - i know both handles have to be pulled, and i didnt mean to only pull the pad. What i was meaning was that, instead of going back into freefall and making a decision about how long to be there before pulling the silver, you would have separation and deployment handled for you (by the RSL) so although you pull both, you would (or rather should) have one simultaneous action of cut and then deploy. Sorry about that, but just wanted to reassure you guys that i know to never rely on one and always pull both. DZ.com is a great resource for us beginners. Again, im sorry if these questions dont come out right (or rather, how i want them to sound) or if i sound like im trolling - im really not, im just wanting to be as prepared as possible before i go to do AFF next month.

do you mean that after 2k you make the decision to never go to your reserve, no matter what? Also, i should have mentioned that the reserve would be on a RSL system, so there is no messing with clearing 2 handles.

i know it could depend on all sorts of factors like weight, if you are spinning, type of reserve etc but hypothetically, if you were under a canopy that developed problems (e.g. extreme deflation from tubulence) what is the decision altitude in order for a reserve to be out and open at? Is 500 ft ok? Whats the lowest anyone has cutaway at and been under a reserve and landed safe?

Just curious. Thanks all