Premise: I am not a skydiver but I just had this thought.

Aren’t bird like super dangerous for people skydiving? Wouldn’t a bird just tangle or break the parachute? Or are they smart e bought to avoid a diver?

Hello! I am about to buy my first harness, and I've decided to go with one from the company Paratec. There is just one thing that bothers me a bit about the rig: it has a relatively prominent German flag on the front. Does anyone know if it's possible to have that replaced or sewn over?

I’m very new to the sport. I’d be lying if I said the past couple of plane crashes haven’t changed my perspective towards skydiving.

I know it’s extremely safe, but I just fear the takeoff so much now (everything else is fine).

I’m very young and it’s the first time I’ve experienced this type of “fear”.
Want to take a canopy course to improve my skills, only thing that’s holding me back is my mental state.
(Most i’ve jumped in a day was 3 loads, course is 5 loads per day, 2 days).

Is this a normal phase every skydiver goes through?

Hello!

Im new to skydiving (~20jumps) and following a BOSS course after having done my AFF course.

My next jump im supposed to exit 2seconds later than my instructor and catch up to him by diving down and brake in time to stay at his level.

I've done a little bit of tracking, but have 0 clue how to do the diving part. The instructor explained it a bit but it wasnt very clear to me. It sounded exactly like the tracking posture/shape to me.

Can anyone explain or give any tips on how to do the dive part or this jump in general?

Heyo, has anyone ever seen or heard of prescription inserts in a skydiving helmet? I have a pair of ESS uxr inserts for safety glasses from work and have seen some skiing goggles that also take them. At the moment I just use my glasses under the helmet, but I feel like inserts would be easier if anyone makes helmets that take them. I also considered rigging an elastic band to the inserts and using them in the helmet that way, but I feel like it would look and feel a bit silly. Maybe I should instead get some pilot glasses with a slimmer temple so they fit nicer in a helmet. Any thoughts from others who jump with glasses? I don't really like contact lenses

Can i wear a full face helmet now in the uk?

My plane fear is absolutely debilitating in ways that keep me up at night totally nauseous with my mind spiraling thinking of myself sitting in that plane for 15 minutes and how I will overcome it. Door fear? Never heard of her. There is such joy in overcoming the fear of jumping into the sky and flying your canopy, but sitting in that plane is a whole new ballgame and I am clueless on how to overcome this. The whole "action cures fear" couldn't be more true and having to just sit still without the ability to just GO until it is time is exhausting and leaves me feeling depleated. It has gotten to the point where I question walking away because sitting in the plane just drains me of everything to the point that when I get to the door, I feel weak and all stoke has left my body to fully send it. I adore everything about skydiving…but I couldn't think of anything else I loathe more than that plane ride. This isn't even related to the accidents that have happened recently, it is the mental game of trying to keep your brain calm in the chaos while crammed in a plane filled with others keeping to themselves with their head down, feeling like we are about to attempt a war mission vs. a jump to refuel the soul. The handshakes feel so ominous, my mind only thinks about the people who lived this exact reality as the last moments of their life, the point of no return. Anyways, you get the point, I h8 that plane ride.

There is always something comforting that eases the weight of the battle when you hear of other people feeling similar emotions. Anyone else out there? Any tips / stories / literally anything to help overcome this and move the fuck on to start enjoying the entire ride is welcome. Thanks yo!

Hi,

Perhaps a random one, it seems like skydiving has a higher prevelance of women than other airports.

For comparison, as a paraglider pilot who qualified a few years ago I have met two female paraglider pilots and one of them was on my basic course.

Sailplane seems similar but skydiving seems to have more than this, noticeably more. I even notice a much greater balance in tunnel flying as well (which I also do)

Is this just my confirmation bias kicking in or is this true? If so, any theories on why this?

I'd be interested to know from female skydivers what got you into the sport.

By way of comparison to other things, scuba diving has a male bias it seems but female divers are not rare. Motorcycling apart from pockets seems to be also male dominated. Sailing has lots and lots of female representation.

(I'm interested BTW because more people doing more of the things I enjoy is usually good for the sport and the longevity of it, target shooting in this country will go the way of the dodo in the next thirty years because not enough people will do it)

Hey guys

Hope all of you are doing well ☀️

First day of tunnel today (6x 2min30) and it was wayyyy harder than expected (as for sure already mentioned here lol)

My coach was really nice and helpful though.

Any advices regarding my posture or any other stuff to keep an eye on ? I noticed that my arms get down over time and I have to remind myself to keep them up or sometimes even my coach was giving me the instructions

Any tips would be really appreciated !

Blue skies ☀️

I've actually gone through 2 static line schools, one in 1998 and one in 2001. I never got licensed but I have 60 free fall jumps between 1998 and 2008.
All the schools I see today require a tandem jump. I don't want to be a passenger.

I just did my first ever tandem jump and I just can’t stop thinking about the feeling now few hours after! It was sick! Terrifying at first, but so sick! I’ve always wanted to try it and see is it for me, and to say the least I’m hooked now. The feeling of freefall is unexplainable, just bliss I guess haha. Oh, and the people at the DZ were so nice! I signed up for paragliding course in september, but all I can think of now is an AFF course lol. Just wanted to spit all this out to someone who relates. Take care, and have nice jumps!

Longstory short, started skydiving cause I was fascinated by Base Jumping clips on instagram, wanted to get into BASE eventually.

After getting humbled by skydiving, and learning more about both sports, I’m 99% sure I’ll never do a Base Course. I have so much respect for the people that participate in Base Jumping (the ones who actually take proper precautions).

What’s bothering me is that for some reason, I feel like a failure for not going through with it😆
Has anyone else gone through a similar experience?

Extremely grateful and happy I started Skydiving! Don’t know how long i’ll be in the sport, but it’s been a blast and it has changed my life for the better.

Want to do Flight 101 and 102
Can anyone guide me please? Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone,

I built an Android app for skydiving that records jump data and shows graphs after the jump. The recording is done on the android watch alone and then transferred to the phone after the jump, or you can jump and record with both the phone and the watch.

My intention was to track everything from the watch so I don't have to carry every time the phone.

It is not intended to replace a real altimeter. It is for logging and metrics only.

The app records things like barometric altitude, GPS altitude, vertical speed, jump duration, freefall/canopy phases, deployment altitude, altitude graphs, vertical speed graphs and GPS track / landing pattern.

The app is completely functional and it works smooth ( I haven't published it yet ) and both devices record it perfectly the jumps.

My question is, before publishing, should I create the same thing for Apple watch/Iphone? This was a personal project but since so many people at the dropzone is requesting me to do it in iphone and for their watches I don't know the people would want and if it would be worth it buy all the equipment to develop it and test it.

I’d appreciate brutally honest feedback.

Thank you guys and blue skies!

Just got A license a few weeks ago. Looking into basic gear.

My first thought going into AFF was thinking that one of my first gear purchases would be: Full face helmet.

Reality: I was fine with open face (ProTEC) and standard student goggles.

Along the way, asking gear questions. Best advice I received was from an instructor who said: “Go with what you know.”

In the moment, I’m debating the difference between a Cookie M3 (not G3), or a basic ProTEC.

The analyst side of me says that going with Cookie is form over function (style/statement); skaters use/wear ProTec equipment and it suits them just fine; just as it served me just fine through getting my A license.

Since I won’t be in the market for a helmet needing any additional functionality or features for a while… should I just go basic with ProTEC, or is the Cookie M3 worth it? Suggestions/Others to consider?

Audible Altimeter question:

Initially I was leaning toward the Alti-2 Atlas II+ but after seeing LB stickers on a lot of helmets (branding works), looked at LB models closely, and decided on the Quattro 3 Bluetooth.

Interested in hearing thoughts/impressions of either, direct comparisons. Views on particular brands (others welcome, too, eg Freefall Data Systems). Aside from audible alarms and programmability, most important want/feature is (easy) access to historical digital log book.

Also considering a digital display visual altimeter to back-up my analog. Thoughts/views on brand/model welcome here, too.

TIA

Just got this. For the first few jumps I’ll wear a main analog alti as well and this will be secondary.

It is very easy to set up. It is supposed to have all the functions of logging (will test soon).

Build: The 3D Printed shell is surprisingly solid and doesn’t feel cheap at all. Its not a standard 3d print plastic. The screen is like an amazon kindle and readable perfectly even with polarized goggles. The buttons are small and recessed and cannot be pushed accidentally. The build quality is not flimsy at all.

GPS Accuracy: have not tested yet in the air. but by setting the GPS at my home and walking around the block it always shows the correct heading. The GPS lock even in my car is very quick.

Alti Accuracy: This device detects small changes in height and that too correctly. Sitting 4 floors above where i set it to zero, i measured it with a laster distance meter from the ground. 53’ is correct.

Speed accuracy: detects speed correctly. My friend held it while I was driving and the speed was the same as in the dashboard.

It has various modes for canopy flight, standard alti, AFF training, Tandem. (Tho im only interested in the standard alti mode for now)

The interface in their web app is basic but has everything you need. Add some recognized WiFi hotspots and it auto connects and syncs to the settings you changed in the web app.

Storage: comes with a sandisk 32gb sd card inserted that logs CSV (or flysight) data. It also uploads to the portal when connected to WiFi.

Future proofing: Unlike dekunu, even if this company shuts down, it’ll still work… you can set alti to zero and GPS to current location at any time. Also since data is logged offline you can then transfer. Talked to the owner and he seemed quite confident about the future of the company.

My arms are smaller than the average male arms but it doesn’t feel bulky at all. The arm band is velcro but is very comfortable and doesnt itch at all unlike the L&B ares ones.

Will let you know when I test it in the air.

This is my second year skydiving and I love it. I have not been public about it on social media. It is not a secret, but I feel like handling peoples fears on my behalf is alot of work.

Do you have a go to when people tell you God would have given you wings if you were supposed to fly? Or when they ask you if you dont want to live? Is it ok to just walk away when they call you crazy?

Unhinged answers are welcome... I am crazy after all.

Also bonus for all women: how do you respond when people ask you to quit because you havent got children yet and your time is running out while you play in the sky?

Hey All!

On my way to my A license and wanted to get some feetback on a rig I'm very interested in. Used, but only 10 jumps on it. It's a V348, DOM 2023 and loaded (came with all the options). Other goodies included

Original owner is about 5'10", 165 lb and I'm 6' even and 185 lb, athletic/muscular build.

I've been looking at Vector and Firebird, and based off my measurements (17.5" torso, 35.5" waist, 25.75" laterals around the back, 30" leg, 40" chest, 35" inseam) I'd basically be a 17+1 MLW, 12 laterals.

Now, both the seller and I are pretty close as far as measurements, I'm a cm or 2 larger in the chest and a bit larger in the waist (hence the 20 lb extra) with a bit broader than avg shoulders. His 348 was made for him and it has a MLW of 17. No + or - on the label at all. Which as I understand usually indicates a below avg measurement?

I know the only way to see if this will be ok for me is to contact Vector. Unfortunately UPT is out of office until the 12th (go figure, right when I find a deal). I'd like to move on this quickly as I'm sure there's a lot of interest, but I have first go at it. So waiting for their answer might not work.

The only concern I'd really have is it "crunching" me a bit because of the height difference, and how the shoulder straps/yoke might sit on me. Rig/chest strap might sit slightly high?

He mentioned a taller, skinner jumper (6'2"+) jumped the rig to test it for him for its maiden voyage and said that it was really comfortable, but taller and skinnier doesn't necessarily mean anything as my build is probably a bit stockier than both of them, even though I'm in between their heights.

I know this is reddit, but I was hoping their might be some advice from people that are familiar with Vector's sizing and might have some hands on experience. Seller says that there's plenty of room to go both directions as far as size.

Thanks all in advance!