Tatetatetate

Dude my own personal experiences are not exactly unique, and tbh Manchester is a pretty crap area to skydive in I'd go as far as to say it is shit. You've got the 'unmentionable place' which is a freakin tandem mill where I lurked for close to 6 months and made bog all progress. You've got a better one farther a field which is better but has similar multi job staff. They are open less frequently as well. They also have a ton of banned people (16 at last count) from the 'unmentionable place' all fighting over the coaches here. There is however a wild card the one South of here Tilly which i've never managed to jump at. Which on paper is going to be even worse than the above two (I am an altitude whore) But in reality talking to lots of people and on UKS. Is actually a very very progressive DZ. I can't be doing with hib right now. A ride to Leeds the other day I couldn't feel my fingers. Hib is another hour and half on the motorway.

For once the trouble maker ain't me! Anyhow I doubt he'll be able to buy a BASE rig tbh.... I've looked at them out of curiousity (BASE is something I will probably never be ready for) and most of them require proof of a FJC and at least 200 jumps and they tend to check well they say they will anyay.

Hey Mik ever been to (novosirbisk) Новосибирск? I went through there in 2008. I maybe passing in 2012.

Im a firm believer of voting with my wallet. If a DZ after many frutiless attempts does not supply me with what I want, then I vote with my wallet. I dont go to resturants that give me food poisoning, nor do I go to shoddy mechanics Your argument is also flawed, other jumpers are all well and fine and may help help in what way exactly ? They can't take me on coach jumps, so how can they help me with the problem of lack of coaches. They can't so your point is moot.

I never said FS1 sucks and I understand the need for it I said inthe above post the BPA can set rules and regs all they want. Where they fail is they forget there are no tools in which to pass such regs and rules. I.e. the total lack of coaches who don't camera fly who aren't Tandem masters, who aren't instructors you know coaches who actually COACH If there are no coaches who actually coach then the hurdle of FS1 even though it is probably an inch tall suddenly becomes insurmountable. The old get to the DZ early doesn't work the olde stay at the DZ all week doesn't work, the old prebook coaches doens't work as some Tandem asks for a camera and you get bumped.. Making arrangements ith coaches doesnt work Ive made arrangements fourtimes and I get bumped for camera work on the day

There is only so much you can ask and talk, talk is just talk it is not cost or the doing. Its more the BPA unilaterally made this change not an STC change it was one bloke on the BPA. In doing so the BPA completely forgot or neglect DZ ops reality as demoknife says coaches do video are tandem masters or instructors. The unpaid for slot only coaching is last on their list of priorities as above coaches are like rocking horse sh1t. Cant find them at Hib a lot of the time how does this bode for smaller DZs then Stick with it! I have done over time I am starting to question if this is a hopeless cause I qualifid about a year ago now. I used to be diehard I get accused of living at the DZ id pester for coach jumps constantly Ive waited 12 hours for a single coach jump. 109 solo lobs later Im starting to ask questions the BPA and up the ladder types dont wanna hear they just say STFU do you think I just woke up one day and think BPA those utter b'stards I hate them or that my experiences have colord my view somehow nah I just wokeup one day and became a haterofcourse Ask yourselves if somebody like myself who gets to 109 lobs in a year and this implies I've been to the DZ a few times is losing the faith then what of the other 20K students behind me? How many others would ask such questions or just not turn up next week at the DZ the the next week then the next week after that then the next week after that Your BPA is dying and you seem to be quite blaise about it happy even cus I iz elite init lulz! n00bs ****'em PerhapsPerhapsPerhapsPerhapsPerhapsPerhapsPerhapsPerhaps you have forgotten what it is like to be new

nicely put on both posts

I would say: Gap Tallard (the top is 14500ft) - on the ground on a motorbike or a car driving tour the scenery is fantastic. From the air it is even better.

It is not just me thinking this have a look on your ebsite about it http://www.ukskydiver.co.uk/cms/index.php?/topic/14277-the-dangers-of-allowing-a-licence-holders-to-jump-solo/ I dont have time to debate this and it is ground been over many times as above & tbh the BPA doesn't give a damn anyway

C'mon you have your own website search 'retention' look for the long posts dont wanna 2009 Danger of A certs jumping alone ANSWER- make them pay more. 2010 FS1 'clarification' jump with buds = FS1 = more tickets = more coaching costs + more money to DZOs FS1 1997-2010 was OK for 2 ways why not ok now. 2011 FS1 - more pin jumps = more tickets = more coaching costs = more money to DZOs WS1 - min 200 jumps = more tickets = more coaching costs = more money to DZOs. Did it affect skygods? did it bollox everything the BPA does only affects n00bs. Get your FS1 then I'm lucky enough to be important to my boss to take mega time off I can travel anywhere and it's hard to find coaches coaches are like rocking horse sh1t in fact some of them are sh1t 2 expensive coach jumps (£21+£21+£10+£5) I spent alone. Jumped out and they dissappeared. Three coach jumps I had I was brie'd on the 2 minute call before the door opened WTF? No video no debrief other than try again. Pre clartifcation n00bs got invites to scrambles, could practice cheaply... now? PAY UP. The BPA has its fist up its arse wondering why so few renew their BPA did the BPA bother to put in the suggested stuff did they bollox. You think its just me being an arse, go listen to the n00bs talk amongst themselves this is the feeling I get at many DZs... nah donna wanna talk outside me clicky group. Nawww oh look we have another fist where shall we put it?

What's your experience of the BPA Grimmie or are you just repeating a tired cliché?[/ None, darn it, you caught me. The way that the BPA keep on introducing more and more regulations which a cynic may well be justified to think is a money making exercise with safety utilised as an excuse. Which does not affect any of the BPA council and or the staff at DZs, but affects people at the bottom. And thus pulls up the ladder after they've gone up it.... And yet the BPA wonders as to why they are unable to retain members.

I drive past 2 DZs, and it takes me three hours to drive here and costs me a packet in petrol to come to Hibaldstow. But this is worth it though as it is a very nice place to jump. I could tell it had a great vibe due to the way that it only took a few minutes for somebody to approach me totally out of the blue to talk to me. Smaller places when I didn't know better it would take weeks for anybody to acknowledge your existence other than the JM. The good points: Full rigging facilities and a full time rigger. Fast aircraft, V fast all turbine wing of aircraft (5 of them). They will stick a load up without it being full. Some other DZs will not put their plane up without it being 100% full. This had led to extremely long waits or cajoling of people who don't want to jump to jump. IIRC this is 5 on the SMGs, and 9 on the G92s. I've even seen loads of 4 on the SMG when there is a tandem. Landing area is quite big, BUT its an odd triangle shape. It is a skydive dropzone by skydivers for skydivers primarily. Granted there are some tandems but it is not absolutely overwhelming. I have only ever seen 4 tandem instructors tops working the DZ. Which means 8 slots out of a 16 slot aircraft (of which they have three). So this is absolutely NOT a tandem mill!. 15K all the time. Lots of fun events, scrambles FS and FF (even on creepers if the weather is bad). Theme nights in the bar. Great easy going vibe..... this I think is in part that the staff and CCI are comparatively young and are not ex-military like at many DZs. The ex military doesn't carry over into civilian life very well. Shouting and screaming obsenities at customers is not a good way to retain them. I've never seen this happen at Hib. Three free to use video debrief TVs. The bad points: The rigger although is there full time tends not to smile and seems grumpy all the time. There are no 100% dedicated coaches each time I've been there even though it isn't like other places paying for slots. They are also camera fliers and quite frequently I've not been able to get a coach, its annoying sometimes but it is understandable as it makes them more money. They can be so laid back it is irritatingly annoying. I'm a rack it and pack those jumps in like no tomorrow. And they'll rotate lifts fairly slowly even though there are people eager to jump. I don't like the way you have to take a minibus to the aircraft and also have t otake one back when you land. For the size of the DZ there isn't enough kit to hire. This no longer bothers me much though. The canteen is not the greatest. In summer there are oh so many wasps due to the location. All in all each time I drive away from Hib I feel great even if I didn't manage any jumping A feeling not replicated at other DZs.

Meh I use a hang gliding helmet, it has all sorts of EC numbers on it and compared to Protecs which I was using before it is MASSIVE and adds about half an inch to my already melon on a tooth pick sized head... But I'm ok with it esp when I bounced off the side of the plane and it left a fairly deep scratch in the side.

I'd agree, I am happy to jump without an AAD, but have to jump with an AAD because pretty much all DZs demand you have an AAD. I'm pretty pissed at the fact that the AAD I use has been grounded yet again... since the DZ's kit hire is all this model of AAD, and my own is the same make. It means I'm effectively grounded completely lest I can find a DZ which uses the FXC or the cypress.....

Yes it is, missed it by about 3 hours... still annoying though!

On UKS the BPA just grounded the vigil due to yet another cutter problem

Heh the more time I spend in skydiving sat around watching the sky or travelling to a far DZ in hope of some coached jumps. The more I think maybe I could be doing something else with this wasted time instead... As mentioned in another post its been nigh on 2 months since my last jump 7 weekends and 4 week days just sat watching the sky.... It gets to the point where I think maybe I should do something else.

The tunnel isn't the same, plus the tunnel in Manchester is booked solid for weeks and weeks and you can't get stickers from tunnel work. I've got feck all stickers in my book s'ok when you've got your stickers but wanting to progress and not being able to. First by a DZ who didn't give a damn about progression. (One coach jump in 4 months).... Then going to other DZ, where the coaches aren't there are ill, or they aren't jumping, AND the weather getting in the way as well. It kinda drains the fun out of doing it and I can see why a lot of people quit. I'm getting bored tbh and every which way I turn I'm blocked by something be it weather no coaches, no kit, broken plane, too busy etc.... All so very frustrating.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyZ27d9dwGQ&feature=player_embedded @ 3 minutes 38 seconds

You're talking about Gap Tallard right? 2 PC-6 (both turbo, rated for ten skydivers each).

I qualified here a few months ago and only got round to writing this review. Its a nice place, the landing field is absolutely massive,don't worry they have trucks to pick you up if you land far far away. The aircraft are all nice and spacious and almost everybody gets a seat and Dave isn't uber anal about lifting without a full load. The vibe is nice, within a few minutes of arriving experienced people came and spoke to me. Which doesn't happen in some places where groups stick to their own. Post jump socialising is fairly decent with an onsite bar open after jumping and it gets fairly lively at weekends. Weekdays is a little quiet but this place does open almost everyday. One bad point is that it is quite isolated compared to other DZs. Cockerham is 2 miles from the M6. Hibaldstow is 5 miles off the motorway. But Langar to get to the M1 you need to go through Nottingham and about 25 miles of dual carriageway countrylanes and satellite town roads out of Nottingham to get to the village the DZ is located in. Not a massive deal but if you're short on time it counts.... I used to think Cark as far away from the motorway but this felt a very long way and was tiring at times.

Obviously you've never lived in Britain! Somebody breaks into your home, ties up your family and tortures them for a bit, even threatens to execute your wife and kids.... Should you manage to break free and fight them off and harm the person who broke into your home? YOU get arrested for assault. Ten years ago, farmer unloaded a shotgun into a burglar, he got done for manslaughter...3 months ago a gang of 4 men with knives enter a man's home. A fight ensues man grabs knife and sticks it in the intruder... gets arrested for murder and put in jail (jail as in remand prison where they hold people while investigations occur)

Yes I am which is why in my original post I asked about NON UK DZs. Since its rather pointless to fight the weather, I do the next sane thing, go somewhere where the weatrher is better. but was unable to do so due to passport issues. It would peeve me off even more if I were to find that it is exactly the same overseas having to take time off work and pay for a flight out there. But I dunno you chose to ignore this aspect.

It is a definition that varies from person to person as the risk assessment everybody does and the risk tolerance of people is different. I believe my risk tolerance is variable, and when things are done which exceed lots of people's risk tolerances and even when there are lifts going people won't go on them. Experience can however change ones risk tolerance!

Define effort? Quit my job and stay at the DZ 24/7? And the open everyday DZs are a good three hour drive away. Petrol isn't free and after a long drive an incorrect weather forecast it is terrifically frustrating to arrive at any DZ and not jump.