IrishDave

My first cutaway was on jump 73. I was (and still am) a baby skydiver. It was a brand new 170 7 cell Spectre. Had about 20 jumps on it. I still jump it. It was loaded at 1.0 It was my fault. I have outside video of it. I didn't know what it was at the time. I looked up after deployment, collapsed my slider and unstowed my breaks. Before I could perform a canopy control check, I went into a slow spin getting faster. Couldn't understand it. Let go of breaks completely and it continued to spin. Looked up and couldn't see anything wrong with the canopy from the pictures they show you during AFF. Pumping the breaks made it worse. I actually remember saying, out loud, the wise words of my AFF instructor: If there is a problem, ask yourself "Can I land this canopy?". The canopy was still spinning and I had no idea what was happening so the answer was NO. I cut away. My main landed on the peas :) After examining the canopy, nobody, including the rigger could see any problem with it. I actually felt at one point that nobody believed me. I didn't find out what the problem was until about 100 jumps later when it happened again. This time it was a little more obvious what the problem was. Turns out, I got tension knots in one of my break lines just below the guide ring. The second time it happened, I stupidly spend to much time trying to fix it that the option to cut it away was lost quickly. I had to land it. Luckily, I knew what the problem was and all I needed to do was a breaked approach and land pretty much in breaks with zero flare. Ground was soft and wet and the PLF meant I was on the next load. Lesson: Always untwist your break lines after every 2-3 jumps. It hasn't happened since. Lesson 2: Even though it was just a simple tension knot, I couldn't diagnose the problem (albeit a simple one) so I chopped. Despite some jeering, I know I made the right decision. I cut away a canopy that I couldn't (at the time) land. For the record, it appears that the first cutaway, the tension knots "vanished" when the tension was released during the cutaway. Hence the phantom symptoms. Also, the AFF class I took, I WAS shown a tension knot, it was just much further up than where I had mine.

I've only done one and it was awesome. I was NOT prepared for such a "droppy" feeling and the dead air made it pretty much impossible to control my body for at least 7 seconds before the air started flowing over my body. This scared me a little but it quickly dissipated. My advice (based on your experience level too): Make sure you're comfortable getting into a stable belly to earth position from unstable VERY easily. Make sure your accuracy is good, even if you are landing on/near your DZ. There's a high chance you'll land off. Pick MULTIPLE outs BEFORE leaving the balloon. Don't wear your camera. Even at 5k, should you not be able to get stable quick enough, an entanglement may not be cleared or you may be able to cut away in time. A 5k stable exit from an aircraft is not the same as a 5k exit from a balloon. Don't go first. Watch other(s) go before you and watch where they land and if they landed safely. Turn on your AAD :)

The IPC has the biggest planes, the best facilities and the best vibe out of any DZ in Ireland. It's also the only DZ that really caters for fun jumpers. It has the largest community and jumpers of all levels so finding jumpers at the same level as you is easy. The Wingsuit, Freefly and 4 Way disciplines are really well catered for and everyone is willing to help you learn. The load organizers (Tony, Conor, Ronan etc.) do an awful lot for the club and since I started jumping here have seen a remarkable improvement in the skill levels and sense of community as a result. I didn't learn to skydive at this DZ but it is now my new home DZ. This is also the only DZ in Ireland (apart from the Geese) that isn't just a shed in a field. They give equal preference to fun jumpers and tandems. If you visit Ireland or are doing your first skydive, this is the place to be.

I always stay at the Microtel Inns & Suites. Call them. Do not book online. They ALWAYS have a cheaper rate (and another 10% on top of that for being a skydiver) if you call them. They have also had rooms available when I called when the web said they were booked out. Clean, free coffee, driving distance to the DZ, fast wifi and nice showers.

Hey Rich, Are the heli jumps still going ahead? Flight booked. Sitting here in a rocking chair looking out the window, holding my rig, waiting for the time to pass.

I was recently at a boogie in South America. Cutting corners was a mild way to put what I saw. I left after my 4th jump. (10 day boogie). I mentioned what I had issues with to the boogie organizer who dismissed my concerns. "In {country name} we don't care about trivial things like that" was the response. I'm only new to the sport (240 jumps) and they were sure to let me know that. I don't believe that a safety concern is less valid if it comes from someone with 10 jumps or 10,000 jumps. Also, I have no problem with anyone smoking weed but seeing the packers openly smoking weed between loads bothered me.

Hi ArialGnome. Thanks. It was a lot of fun. It wasn't too overwhelming although at times it did seem like that. I also think that had I crammed everything into a week (or tried to) I would have come home exhausted and not wanting to jump again for a long time. 2 weeks in the summer, I reckon you'll be fine. I managed to get to the Everglades boogie and was jumping 5 ways (with much more experienced people) the night I got my A Licence. It was scary jumping at an unfamiliar DZ but I learned a lot. As for Oz, while I cannot comment on that, I was VERY impressed at the professionalism of the instructors at Z-Hills. I'll post videos shortly. Finally, and I realize the irony of this sentence, but I got the best bit of advice from someone the night I did my first AFF jump: "Always listen to your instructors, they know best". They really do. As a student I received a LOT of advice and a lot of "bar advice" but I filtered everything through my instructors. It worked well for me. Good luck this summer! PS: I did some tunnel time with a coach during my AFF and Coach jumps, it was VERY VERY helpful.

Sorry to bump this thread, I just thought I would come back to it in the hopes that someone with the same question in future might be better advised. First of all, got my A Licence Absolutely thrilled. Had an amazing time and spent a lot of money on beer for firsts (Including an aircraft emergency on my 7th jump where everyone bailed but I wasn't allowed because I didn't have that one extra jump) Managed 43 jumps in 3 weeks. Changed flights to stay a little longer. I guess you can all relate to that

I came to Z-Hills in January to learn how to skydive and get my A Licence. I was coming a long way so did a LOT of research on where would be the best place to learn. After the very quick email responses, information and advice received directly from the DZ manager TK, I chose Z-Hills. I am eternally grateful that I did. First of all, I cannot stress how professional and safety orientated EVERYONE at the DZ is. This point didn't strike home until I visited another DZ. The guys at Z-Hills are first and foremost safety driven. This is evident from the first day of ground school all the way through to debriefing. Never once did I feel uncomfortable in the hands of an instructor or coach. Their second priority is fun. The guys at Z-Hills really know how to enjoy the sport and have a good time once the sun sets! It's also amazing how much dedication everyone has to the sport and how open they are to new skydivers. I have never felt so welcome ANYWHERE in my live, not even in a church. Skydivers at Z-Hills LOVE new skydivers and everyone at the bar is always willing to give advice. Everything about this DZ is fantastic. The aircraft, the astonishingly capable coaches and instructors, the awesome camera guys, the always friendly and beautiful manifest folk, the wonderful food (try the pressed cuban!), the professional packers (thanks for the lovely soft openings), the pilots and of course the mix of other fun jumpers that call this DZ home. During my trip, I made 43 jumps here over 3 weeks. It was the best 3 weeks of my life and I am proud to call this my home dropzone, despite living half the world away. Guys at Z-Hills, don't change a thing. You guys rock.

Just called myself. Yea, the lady said that a B licence is required for ALL loads. That messes up my plans so :( They should really say so on their website.

For Biplane jumps and heli loads only I thought :( Is this confirmed?

Easy way out of that. Lie about your jump numbers, and experience level. Just say you have "mad skillz" and everyone will want to jump with you. Hell, they will have to make a waiting list. Have fun! Hahaha :) I'll have to think about that. It's not like anyone would know ;) Cheers.

Thanks SkyMama! Yea, it actually works out at pretty reasonable value, about half the cost of spreading it out over a few months. Also, because I'll be there alone, there is the social aspect to it too. I'll be with a good few others in the same boat as me. Might be a good way to make some friends while I'm alone in a new country (Although it's never been a problem before, I travel a lot alone). One of my biggest concerns was and still is finding people to jump with after I hopefully get my A Licence. I'd be worried that I'd be stuck finding people willing to jump with someone so inexperienced. I think the option I'm going with will help that. Anyway, thanks for all the advice guys. I will hopefully be around here a lot more often.

Thanks everyone for the advice and warm welcome. It is very much appreciated. The reason I am very much leaning towards the intensive course is for the exact reasons you mentioned that I should. I believe that I am in good condition physically and as with most things I do, I tend to learn better when I completely immerse myself into something with no distractions. I am exactly the type that learns better when it's "jammed down my throat". As for the additional time, I have a year in Australia. I am under no illusions about coming out of this expert. I am fully aware that I will need to put in a lot more time than 9 days! I actually intend to hang around for another two months at the same dropzone if possible to get as many more jumps in as possible. I've been saving for this for a long time so I have the luxury of getting in as much experience as I feel is right for me. I'm going into this with my eyes very much open and I have already committed to taking this very seriously. As for getting hurt, if I get hurt through fault of my own, I am fully prepared to face the fact that skydiving may not be for me. I know the emphasis those in the sport place on common sense and safety and the days of being reckless are mostly in my past now :) Really appreciate all the advice. It was exactly what I needed to hear. I think I'm going to go for it. I'm nervous as hell even thinking about it but I guess that's all part of it right? Thanks again.

Hello everyone. Long time lurker here so you can assume I am aware of (most of) the rules and I think it's about time I finally signed up and introduced myself. My name is Dave, I'm from Ireland, 27 years old. I'll leave out the dating site references for now as I'm not fond of walks on the beach ;) Completely new to skydiving (I've done three tandem jumps but I don't think they count, although they are what led me to want more) so go easy on me. Basically, I'm looking to start my AFF next month and I was wondering if I could get your advice on something. I'm in Ireland but plan to head to Australia to do my AFF and A Licence. There's a couple of DZs that offer complete A Licence "packages". These are essentially a 7-9 day intensive course to do the AFF and enough jumps to get an A License. My question for you guys is this: Do you think a 9 day intensive course/training is TOO intensive or do you think this type of learning is suited to skydiving? I've done my research, decided on my DZ and am now just looking for the opinions of you wise souls as to weather I should go for the intensive course or spread it out over a few months. Any advice would be very welcome and I look forward to hopefully contributing here a lot in the future.