Skydiving

[TQ]

I know there's a few people on here who are into skydiving/parachuting and I'm looking for some advice.

I want to do a tandem skydive this year, where should I be looking and how much should I expect it to cost?
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First Bike :Gilera DNA 50 | Second: Imported 1989 NSR125
Third: 1998 Yamaha XJ600N | Currently: 1999 Yamaha FZS600

[st3v3]

[G]

The adverts at the bottom of this page advertise them for £150 and £155 .

Fatpies and Miss Ed are the two that have been really in to it, not sure about others.

[arry]

Did indoor Skydiving at AirKix a couple of weeks back - that was good fun for the money. I think after that experience though I realised I'm just not any good at falling over from anything other than my own height

[fatpies]

The best place to do it is Skydive Spain in Seville. They are having an offer at the minute 165 Euro. Also if you're a groupon member you can do a SL jump from 5000ft for £99 at Peterlee. Saunders lives at Peterlee though and I always want to punch him out.



In Seville you get 15000ft, and Jonno will invariably say to you, why do a tandem? Why don't you do your level 1 AFF for 180 Euro instead. At which you'll get sucked into it. Abandon your job and go out there and do it full time. 9/10 of their staff wanted to do a tandem, did an AFF1 and decided to sell up and move out there. If you go there say howdy to Barbie, Ghey Pete (with the pink BMW with a my little pony on the bonnet) and keep away from the office girl. She'll sleep with anyone.... except she is a he.... a VERY convincing she as well.

I wouldn't jump in the UK if I could help it tbh, near to you are numerous dropzones, tbh they all cost about the same. The thing is they will all put different prices because some will include the BPA membership, some will not.

Near you is: (if your map location is correct)

Tillstock - home to a 206 which can theoretically go to 12000ft but never does, they usually go to 10,000ft. Buzz the CI is a safety Nazi and will only ONLY jump in perfect blue skies. I.e. you'll be sit in Agne's cafe all day and night. I have little love for Buzz as he's a psychopath. One of those people who pretends to be your mate to find things to use against you.

South Cerney, its on a military base, sparse things to do other than a drinks machine which is always empty. Blue haired girl called Hannah is effectively the DZO. Go to 15K, use a Airvan it is slow to altitude. It is not proper military like Netheravon

Hinton is your best bet. PAC750, big spacious fast 13000ft altitude tandem mill.

Langar is deceptively close, but its not its actually an hour from Nottingham centre. But they go to 12000ft and are generally nice guys.

[fatpies]

BTW who wants a skydiving job?

https://www.skydiving.co.uk/employment.htm

Hibaldstow is an OK DZ. Not fantastic and not as good as any European or US DZ. But wayy easy going place.
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"It's easy to attack and destroy an act of creation. It's a lot more difficult to perform one"

[arry]

[thomp1983]

fatpies what is your level 1 aff and what does it allow you to do? any links to info? always wanted to skydive bit im one of those that would rather splash out on a first level qualification than just a one off affair

chris

[fatpies]

[TQ]

Thanks fatpies that's given me something to look into.

I'm based on the Shropshire/Worcestershire border, having done some very basic research yesterday I stumbled upon somewhere in Whitchurch, are you familiar with it?

I'm looking to do it cheaply, easily and most of all safely. Basically strap me to someone else and get them to jump out of a plane and I'm happy.
____________________
First Bike :Gilera DNA 50 | Second: Imported 1989 NSR125
Third: 1998 Yamaha XJ600N | Currently: 1999 Yamaha FZS600

[J0Al1]

Paper tests?

Since when?

Whats the point if you can't fail them?

[J0Al1]

PS - I'd go to a smaller friendlier (ie Dunkerswell) DZ over the larger plained big Tandem factories (Hinton/NLPC).

Jump an Islander or a Beaver- much more fun than Turbo Let if this is an one off...

[fatpies]

[J0Al1]

They have to weight ratio the TM's to students... so you can't really choose your hero for the day.

It is what put me off not TM'ing myself - I'd get all the fat fucks.

[G]

If you do end up going for AFF, definitely go for somewhere with good chances of good weather, from my experience.

It was just under 3 months after doing my initial training that I actually did the jump.
Think it was the fourth time I'd been booked in to. Unfortunately, I'd moved after having booked it, so a 200 mile journey there.
Also, while I'd made an effort to get all the stuff fresh in my mind, that time I'd made less effort as it'd been a waste all the other times, etc.

Felt a bit airsick on the way up. Messed up the exercises and couldn't even properly find the release cord, so had to have one of them pull it for me. We went through some patchy cloud on the way down too.
What worried me most was that I wasn't really that worried - but logical mind says instructors holding on to me, know what they're doing. Had twisted lines, but did remember how to get out of that, at least.
At least, despite being shouted at loads, my landing was pretty good - probably the closest to the clubhouse of my group and a bit of a dip down, but pretty good for a first time apparently*.

*But having done a day's paragliding five yeas prior did help as it's similar skills.

[fatpies]

[J0Al1]

Haha - it has been 9 years since I was involved and 8 since I last did a crappy jump.

Things just get shittier as the years go on.. like bike tests and theory etc.

Bah

[Paulington]

I've always wanted to try skydiving, the sound of trodding over to Spain, staying with a family friend over there for a while and doing an AFF1 whilst over there sounds appealing.

As for Dunkeswell, I used to race there and on practice/race day you'd see hundreds of people dropping all through the day, who knows, may have seem some of you? !
____________________
"Four wheels move the body, two wheels move the soul."
Current Vehicles: '89 Kawasaki KDX200, '99 Yamaha XV535, '00 Honda ST1100 Pan-European, '08 Suzuki GSX-R1000, '08 Mitsubishi Lancer GS4 2.0 TDCi, '15 BMW 1 Series 116d Sport Turbo.
CBT: 27/08/08. Theory: 04/09/09. Module 1: 16/09/09. Module 2: 01/10/09.

[fatpies]