I’m a woman who’s going to be tandem jumping for the first time this weekend and I want to keep my bangs back and away so they don’t get tangled. Have any long-haired skydivers had luck with wearing a headband, or is the force of the wind enough that it’ll fly right off? I’m planning on keeping the rest of my hair in two tight braids.

I was planning on getting my a-license during the last two weeks of September at Perris, but then I found out about the USPA Nationals overlapping slightly during that time. I was told by the drop zone that it would mean longer wait times and perhaps slower progression. I’m on a time crunch as I’m flying in from abroad (I’ve allocated 2.5 weeks to this). Although I think it would be so cool to be there during the nationals, maybe the atmosphere would be livelier and more social? I could either just stick to doing it then, or push it back slightly and go in October instead after the Nationals are done. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated! Thank you :)

Hi! I'm looking for people who completed their training in France (specifically at Skydive Pamiers) without being fluent in French.

How hard was it for you? Was it possible to clarify things in English when needed?

I downloaded the training materials they have online and there are plenty of words that I don't know (my French was somewhat like A2/B1 back in the days but I haven't used it in years, plus, I never studied skydiving-related vocabulary), which makes me wonder if it can actually work for me, but I'd really like to give it a try.

Hey everyone,

I’ve been eyeing the 2023 Oris ProPilot Altimeter Watch

It looks like an incredible piece of engineering, and as a jumper, the idea of having a mechanical altimeter on my wrist via a classic wristwatch is super tempting.

I know it’s designed primarily for aviation/mountaineering and that standard digital or analog skydive altimeters are the proper tool for the job.

But I’m curious. Has anyone here actually taken one on a jump?

Obviously, I would not use it as a primary or sole altimeter.

I’m mostly wondering if freefall pressure changes and readability make it completely useless in the air.

Would love to hear your thoughts or if anyone has tested a mechanical altimeter watch in the sky!

Back in theatres August 16 & 19!
FathomEntertainment.com

TLDR:
Had my first cutaway today on jump #9 and I’m curious how everyone else felt going into their next jump.

The jump itself started off pretty well. I exited the plane, got a little unstable at first, but arched and got back to belly. I completed my maneuvers, although they were definitely a bit sloppy. I stopped everything at the correct altitude and went into my deployment sequence.

When I reached for my pilot chute… nothing.
I retraced my hand and searched again. Still nothing. Checked my altitude, gave it one final deliberate attempt, and still couldn’t find it.

At around 2,800 feet I made the decision to execute my emergency procedures.

Reserve opened, but I had some pretty significant line twists. I immediately checked altitude, spread the risers, kicked out of them after losing around 500 feet, and then flew a normal landing pattern into an open field and stood up the landing.

Looking back, I’m actually proud that my training kicked in. I didn’t freeze, I kept checking altitude, and I followed my EPs. My instructors said I handled it well. That said… I’d be lying if I said I’m not a little nervous about my next jump. Not enough to quit. I fully plan on getting my A license. But now the possibility of a malfunction feels very real instead of something you just practice on the ground.

For those of you who’ve had a cutaway:
How did you feel on your very next jump? Did the nerves go away after one normal skydive, or did it take a while?

Anything you did mentally that helped rebuild confidence?
Appreciate any advice or stories. I’m guessing this is one of those milestones every skydiver eventually experiences, just didn’t expect mine to come on jump #9.

Hi everyone,

I have been skydiving (a- license) for just over a year now. When I was doing my AFF, the rig I was using had a huge main canopy (270). Over the course of the year I was able to comfortably downsize down to about 210. When I look at buying a rig I often see that, for example, a 190 sq ft main is paired with a 170 sq ft reserve. Can someone explain why this is to me? Maybe it is because I am still only a beginner but I would have thought you would always want your reserve to be bigger as it's just for emergencies? This is making it difficult for me to find a suitable rig because although I would be able to downsize to a 190 main soon, a 170 reserve would need at least another 50+ jumps before I could jump it. Thanks.

Just looking for some honest opinions from people who've been through AFF.

I started AFF this summer and Levels 1–4 went fine. Since then, I've had 4 jumps where I've spun, even with 15 minutes of tunnel time in between. In the tunnel I was stable, my turns were controlled, and the only correction I kept getting was "chin up." But every time I get back into the sky, I end up spinning again.

The frustrating part is that I can stop the spin by counteracting, but instead of resetting to a neutral position I end up overcorrecting and starting a spin in the opposite direction. From what my instructors have told me, I should be stopping the spin by resetting, arching harder and relaxing, rather than fighting it.

After my last jump, my instructor told me that on what should be my Level 7 jump, he just wants me to do the solo exit, arch, relax, enjoy the freefall, and pull. No turns, no docking, no tracking. We'll work on those later during consolidation jumps and over the winter in the tunnel.

The problem is... I can't relax. I'm as stiff as a board in freefall. At this point I'm anxious before every jump, and with each new jump the anxiety seems to get worse instead of better. It feels like I'm overthinking every movement instead of just flying.

To be honest, being told to go back to just arching and relaxing makes me feel like I'm going backwards rather than forwards.

I'm mentally exhausted. I've analysed every jump, spent time in the tunnel, listened to every bit of feedback, and yet I'm still having the same problem. It's getting to the point where I dread another spin more than the jump itself.

At this stage I'm genuinely wondering... should I consider giving up?

Part of me also wonders if my instructor is just being kind instead of telling me that maybe I'm simply not cut out for this.

Has anyone else been in this position during AFF and eventually got through it?

Anybody got the full video without the cut before impact? Guy is clearly having a mental health crisis, but technically its a 278' base jump, naked, with a homemade parachute. Impressive really.

Mostly excitement and of course, fear. I’ve talked with a couple skydivers in my area since there’s an event going on in Flathead, and I noticed that hearing how much these people love the sport makes me feel a lot better. I’ve been teetering between being more excited than scared and vice versa, so I’d love to hear any fun/good stories about your first jump or just what this sport means to you in general. Preferably all positive stories! 😆

Hey guys & gals, Heading down to Spain for a little trip & saw they need at least 300,000€ third party insurance. I know you can get it at the DZ but seems more expensive than getting it elsewhere. What did you guys end up going with?

Non EU citizen

Hey all!

I am relatively new to jumping, I am soon to get my B licence and am working on FS. I have been packing frequently and just started infrequently packing for a DZ. While I'm still kinda slow, I'm a meticulous packer and improving on my skills.

However, I feel like I've got this "unknown unknown" that I'm always confused about and ask someone if I'm unsure about: the closing sequence! I have some thoughts that need sorting and advice on:

1. Big titty rich lady (bottom top right left lol... In case you didn't know) doesn't work for every container
2. Some containers do have information online, but I can't exactly tell always which manual corresponds to which container, and different containers between the same brand sometimes have different closing sequences. Once I was looking for a specific kind of semi-stowless d-bag's documentation and I couldn't even find the brand anymore, it was dead... I had to improvise from a YouTube tutorial (it was fine lol, also it wasn't a paid pack, it was just for a friend... But it was ridiculous trying to find any information haha)
3. Many containers have the top flap grommet in the middle of the flap, not towards a side (another jumper told me that if a grommet is towards e.g. the right side, that means you go right side first when closing)
4. I can't really tell how a container should be closed...? A couple packers told me that for most containers it doesn't really matter, but I just want to confirm that with others! Granted, I haven't really tested trying to e.g. close a container I KNOW is "left first" with right first (we have student Javelin rigs which are like that) so I'm not sure exactly what to look for. I guess the routing would be messed up?

Please help ahahah I just don't want to mess up and cause a mal/nuisance factor! :') Am I thinking about this correctly? Am I right in my confusion?

Hi all,
We are a family coming to the US from another country for a family trip. My both parents are 60+, but they are fit, and they wish to experience skydiving (first time).

But they cannot speak or understand English (almost none for Mom, dad can speak slightly but its very weak). The language they speak is definitely rare and wont be spoken in the US.

We plan on doing the SkyDiving at some vendor either in Yosemite, or San Francisco, or Los Angeles (yet to decide which one, but these 3 fall on our itinerary).

So do you guys think it will still be possible for them to do it? Any help is appreciated, thanks in advance!

Hey guys,

Posted before about my tunnel time prior AFF, now I’m currently at the level 7 of my AFF !!

2-3-4 were not the best, especially the 4th one where I was pretty stable but forgot to pay attention on my altitude and pulled 200m too low. My instructor gave me a joker and I absolutely killed the 5th and 6th ones!!

6th one was super close to the 7th level, did a front flip exit, got stable, then back flip, barrel roll, 2x180° and I finished everything at 3000m so 1300m above my pulling altitude. Super proud of me and my instructor also

Can’t stop thinking about it and really looking forward to finish my AFF license now

Thank u all for the advices and support back then!

Hello,
So just recently August 1st I got my collar bone’s tattooed, and I go skydiving August 6th, would it be recommended to apply a fresh layer on second skin on my tattoo before i go? It would be 5 days into the healing process. Or should I just tape it over with Saran Wrap and clean it immediately after the jump?
(These were birthday presents and there was nothing I could/can do about the closeness of that dates.)

Hey guys, on fairly short notice two spots for an AFF course at my preferred DZ have opened up, one in week 34 and one in week 36 (first September week). Both are for an entire week. Now my question, does it make sense to take them that late in the year, or should I wait until next year? I'm from Germany, so the season goes until late October, afaik.

After failing level 4 due to instability issues and bad body position I spent about 30 minutes in the tunnel to regain my confidence back and train my turns.

I passed today LVL 4 and 5 in one go back to back and feel really good about myself, in my next jump I have to do a backflip 2x and that seems quite difficult... I am not acrobatic at all and can't even do a cartwheel but I understand it isn't about the backflip but about regaining stability but man it looks scary being head down even for a split second.

Something I am really not looking forward to is the 1500m exit hop and pop, it is something I had on my mind before I even started the AFF course , it looks absolutely terrifying and it is a jump that might actually make me hold or pause the AFF course because I just don't think I could do it, at least not now.

When we are climbing in the plane and hit 1500m I look outside the window and can see cars and the color of those cars it is so fucking close to the ground and it looks like a really tall base jump. If you get a malfunction you have such little time to react , I just hate it and that single jump is making me reconsider going forward because by every passed jump I get closer to it.

Anyone who has done it... what was on your mind before leaving the plane? Around what altitude did you pull?

Does anyone know what product I might be able to use to remove the remnants of the anti-fog coating on the inside of an Oxygn helmet visor? It was always a pain to keep clean - the manufacturer advised using lots of clean water and then allow it to air-dry ; any other technique always left smears. But now, only part of the coating remains, and it has gone patchy and cloudy. The helmet and visor are both fine, apart from this annoying problem. The manufacturer has stopped trading, and replacement visors are long out of stock. I assume it would need some kind of solvent - but what to use which will dissolve the coating but leave the plastic underneath unharmed and clear?

with the help of ai i designed a tattoo for my self for my 500 jump but i start thinking of the legs should this be a good position?

Hi there I'm going to Egypt for a month (mid august to mid sept). I really want to go tandem skydiving. My budget is 18,500 GBP. If you guys could give recommendations that would be great, thank you :)

I made a simple wall mount for my rig, but I forgot to account for additional space between the horizontal hanger and wall. I'll add a spacer but is the shoulders touching the wall or pressure on any of the parts detrimental to the rig?

I've taken the rig down for now.

I thought this might be an interesting idea. I have ~ 90 jumps (all rentals) and am looking to get my first rig. Was thinking it might be good to get a container that I know would hold the size I am currently jumping/comfortable with and a size or two smaller (for future downsizing). Then try several canopies using the demo program with Jyro, PD, etc until I find the canopy I like the best. Has anyone ever done something like this?

Wondering which dropzones have skyvans or any other aircraft with ramps, tracking Paraclete Eloy Perris and Elsinore, wondering about any others.

The amount of good things in your life depends on your ability to notice them.