Newbie

how does it work and what are the pros/cons? Thanks chaps

hi all - i can't reemmebr the technical name for the valves that activate when turbulence causes the pressure inside the canopy to decrease, and forces the air out of the cells, but the they sound like a great idea to me (after having read and heard from people who have encoutered near collapsing canopies much too low for a cutaway to even be considered.) What i want to know is why more people dont have these canopies, that effectively seal the pressure within the cells in the likelihood of turbulent air? What are the cons to having canopies that maintain pressure like this? Is there a danger the valves could close before the cells have been pressurised with air, therefore stopping it inflating? Thanks for the help guys

It looks pretty decent to me........ http://marketplace.amazia.com/para-service/prodinfo.asp?cn=99031&sku=SPO3&page=9001&pagenumber= all for about £1500. No CYPRES but then we cant have everything can we? What do you guys think? What are the downsides to this deal? Thanks for the advice all!

where did this originally come from, and why has it been so widely adopted?

Rem - thanks mate, no offense taken. Thanks for the explanation - i see what you are saying - more "stuff" = more complexity = adding more fuel to the fire when things go wrong, they can end up going "wronger" if you have more things to do/activate/think about. You're right - shit happens, and i guess until someone works out how we can go up as well as down, its just something to accept that when it can go wrong, it can go wrong, and thats that.

Why would you need an AAD in the first place? if you're gonna post troll like posts on this forum, be ready for some major sarcasm... _____________________ i didnt say you needed one.......i guess in my naivety i overlooked your initial sarcastic response. Anyway, this is not meant to be a troll like post - its just a question from a new kid who is wondering things out loud. You dont have to contribute if you think its a worthless post mate.

What I mean is that you have a mal on your main, and you chop the first reserve instead. then your down to 1 useabe canopy anyway. ________________ although this is a hypothetical discussion, if the mal is on your main and you chop your reserve should you even be in the air to begin with? The idea i guess is that you have a mal, chop it, go to reserve but then you have trouble with that, either a mal or main/reserve entanglement. At least with another reserve you would have another option, is what i was thinking.....

It'd be too complicated - Can you imagine someone on their first just having a mal, and chopping the wrong canopy? The current system works fine, so wh not leave it as it is? _____________________ the 2nd reserve could be the same as todays reserve - i.e. you cant separate from it. You would only have the option to breakaway from the main and the 1st reserve. Also, anyone who has gone in from a main/reserve entanglement, or a mal'ed reserve might argue that todays system doesnt work fine as it is......

why would you need another AAD? I dont see why you would. The 2nd reserve would not be connected to the AAD, only the 1st would. Also, why would you need RSL on any of the reserves? Obviously you would need some more handles, but im sure they could be worked onto equipment somewhere so they wouldnt be a hinderence. The only reason i thought a 2nd reserve would be useful would be for those rare reserve mal or main/reserve entanglement scenarios where you cant cut away, and you have no way to get out of the nasty situation you are in.....

is it purely a size/weight constraint thing that there is only one reserve? Why not have 2? (i.e. a main that can be cut away, a reserve that can be cutaway, and a reserve that can't be cut)

i know its around 11-14k or whatever, but whats to stop people going up to 15+ regularly? Weather? Extra cost to get the plane there? Hypoxia issues?

nah j/k What i want to know is, who is the worlds most experienced jumper, in terms of who has done the most jumps. Anyone know? I know you could say "X is more experienced at free flying than Y, because Y does blah blah blah" but i want to know - in terms of numbers - who has done the most jumps, doesnt matter what type, and anyone have a number to go with the name?

thanks all - yeah as easy as it sounds i know the relaxing part (at least on that first jump) will not be something that comes straight away. Also, heard about the Surf Inn, Rem, will definitely check it a "few" times, im sure.

Hi all - booked my AFF for May in Empuria and have been reading as much as i can get my hands on online.....was just wondering if any of you guys out there had any advice/links with specific regards to doing AFF, how to cope, common problems, things to make sure i look out for etc. Again this is a fairly open ended question, but i guess im just looking for some fairly open ended advice. Needless to say im SO excited i cannot wait to get out there! Thanks to anyone that can offer any advice/links/guidance, its all much appreciated.

well you cant get much more of an open ended question that that, but i would appreciate advice if anyone can suggest (obviously i will speak to many people at my home dz and when i go on my AFF about this, but seeing as we have this great resource here, the more the merrier right??) So anyhoo, i know that after several hundred jumps, most students sell their gear on and get something else right? Well whats a good rig to get after AFF graduation? Im about 5ft 11, 165 lbs (about 12.5 stone), and out of all disciplines would very much like to get into freeflying above all else. Ideally if you guys could offer any suggestions, not necessarily makes (although thats good too) but just canopy size, ZP canopies (worth looking for or not?), expected prices of good quality second hand gear for container, main and reserve etc etc. Any help to guide me on my way much appreciated!

when you say misroute, could you be a little more specific please, as in how did you route it that was wrong (i take it you did it up, just not in the right way?).....thanks

I didnt think this was really very possible, until i read the post about someone was going to do a "stunt" to show newbies what the consequences of not having your chest strap up were. I mean, does anyone know any actual statistics about how many fatalities as a % have resulted from people falling out of their rig? I know im new to this, but its got to be one of the most uncommon occurences ever hasnt it? Has it even happened before? What else (besides securing your chest strap) will stop this type of mishap, or is it just a case of securing the chest strap? Thanks all

How do you "back up" log book info incase it goes missing?

and talk of boobs?

about the female (i forget her name) AFF student? I cant find it - has it been taken down? I wanted to re-read some of her experiences. Thanks to anyone that can help me find this elusive thing!

Im based in the UK but am considering doing AFF at Empuria Brava in Spain (www.skyrats.com) Thanks for the advice all!

Hi all - thanks to all of you who recommended dz's to me for my AFF - i have been looking into all of them, and the pro's and con's of going there. So far, for a number of reasons Empuria Brava (www.skyrats.com) seems the most likely, being only a short hop away in Spain. However, i want to make sure that i can get my A license there, and have it recognised back in the UK - i have already had one email back from the guys there, saying that after completion of AFF i would have to do a jump from 5000ft to have the course certified by the BPA (on a side note, anyone know the reasoning behind this 5k jump post AFF to get BPA recognised?). I would then need to take an application form back to the UK with me to get my A. What i was wondering was if anyone in this situation has basically got their A abroad and had any trouble getting it recognised back at home in the UK? I have contacted the BPA but not specifically about this question of getting the A abroad, only doing AFF abroad. Can anyone help out? Thanks to all those that reply...

Hi all - one tandem and one s/l jump later and it's time to get serious and do this thing (well as serious as you can be having this much fun!) Im based in London in the UK where prices (compared to the US and other places in Euroland e.g. Portugal) for AFF are just not competitive. I was looking also, to go somewhere where i can be guaranteed nice weather this summer - again the US (Arizona/California and Portugal appealed for these reasons) Ideally though i need your guys' help to make up my mind. I know its more than financial cost and weather that can make or break a dz (i have been reading this board enough to know there are some places out there that i wouldnt ever want to go to). What i would really like is some advice from ANYONE out there who has done AFF at any location anywhere in the World that you would like to recommend. Please let me know what you liked about the place (and if poss the prices of the course and how much Level 8 jumps were, at least at the time when you did it). Many many thanks all and i look forward to the day when i can fly with some of you!