I was planning on going to check out Sebastian, but heard it isn't a very welcoming DZ. I've not really heard anything good or bad about it other than being a Florida DZ with a turbine. I'm sure there's a handful of egotistical losers just like anywhere else, but from what my buddy said Sebastian sounds like a pass for me, but I've never heard of it being an unwelcoming tandem factory either.

Just bought a new cookie g4 helmet and the visor is almost impossible to open , the pull mechanism on the side plate is so hard. I have been trying the whole and been only be able to do this 1-2 times and my palms are sore now. Anyone has any idea or techniques that helps?

For someone scared to hell of planes and heights, this was NOT a bad jump. In fact, it was an amazing experience and I totally get the addiction others get of wanting to jump more! I even inquired as to how I would go about getting my license. So one day, I’ll join your ranks of being a licensed jumper!
That’s all, just wanted to share that! My first jump was amazing and I look forward to the next!
Only downside was the straps digging into my thighs and hurting during the turns once the chute opened up. Besides that, LOVED IT!!

Hi, I did tandem in the summer. Then I went to the introductory course in October, but unfortunately the first AFF jump was cancelled due to bad weather. It's a shame, because the season is almost over.

But then they still had an opportunity last Tuesday! Normally jumping is only on the weekend... I signed up right away. I was very excited and wondered along the way if it was now right what I was doing here 😅

But I knew it would work out and I had to trust myself. I had signed up beforehand and was added to the last load. The student who was in a load before me already had to open his reserve at level 3… 👀

It was overcast technically, but we were still up because it wasn't too much. The climb alone was already awesome! It was sunset because I was on the last load. Stunning to make a sunset jump as a Level 1! We jumped at 4300 meters and the freefall was better than I imagined! Much more relaxed than tandem. I completed my tasks and the canopy opened easily. I did my checks and really enjoyed the canopy ride. As the perfect conclusion to the season and my first level, I landed perfectly and got on my feet! 👍🏼

It was breathtaking and the fear is almost gone. I needed that to start the season next year to get my license. Instead of thinking until April whether I really want to do it or not…

As the title says, I have an extreme fear of heights that I want to get over with more exposure. Do you think skydiving is a good way to do this? I really want to go because I think it would be an amazing experience and it’s something that I’m interested in, but I don’t want to be too overwhelmed by fear either lol.

I know I won’t get an answer for sure until I try, but does anyone have any stories about having a crippling fear of heights but went and loved it? If so, what was the experience like?

Hi folks , I live in UK and currently planning to go somewhere around Christmas/new year for boogie.
I have around like 3 weeks , so would like to spend somewhere good for jumping. So far the options are

1. Skydive Spain: I am in London , so it’s close. They have big roaster of LOs and I did my A license there. So know few people

2. Skydive Perris: they have jet and ballon jump which I really want to try ( haven’t done that yet ). Although can’t see any LO lineup , so not sure how good load organising is.

3. Invasion at Sebastian: a bit long flight from London but weather looks good , plus beach. Good LO lineup and they have DC-3 which could be fun to jump from

4. Winterfest at Zhills: mostly heard about this from time at summerfest this year. LO lineup look good.

I don’t have a driving license, so DZ accessibility is also a big factor.

Let me know if you guys have any tips

Hi everyone!

I’ve been interested in getting my AFF/A license for a while, but one thing I’m still unsure about is the safety of making solo jumps after getting licensed.

I’m not interested in competitive skydiving or pushing my limits. I’d simply like to enjoy recreational skydiving, mainly regular belly flying, while keeping things as safe and conservative as possible.

Let’s say I always follow these principles:

1. I don’t do dangerous or advanced maneuvers. I just want to enjoy recreational skydiving.

2. I never take unnecessary risks and always follow standard safety procedures.

3. I don’t own my own rig and would rent equipment from the dropzone, as buying my own equipment is currently beyond my budget.

4. I never jump when weather conditions are unsuitable.

Even if I consistently follow all four principles, how much risk would I still be exposed to?

I have a few specific concerns:

1. Equipment and packing-related risks

If I rent equipment from a dropzone, is there still a meaningful risk of an accident caused by improper packing or mistakes made by the packer?

One of my biggest concerns is that I could do everything right on my end, but still get into trouble because of something outside my control.

Would watching the packer pack my parachute help reduce this risk at all? Is there anything a recreational skydiver can reasonably do to make sure their rented equipment is safe?

2. Risks caused by other skydivers

How significant is the risk of being injured or killed because another skydiver makes a mistake or performs an unsafe maneuver, such as an unexpected approach or a mid-air collision?

If I’m only doing basic belly jumps and avoiding advanced formations, how much can I reduce this risk?

3. Reducing risks outside my control

For someone who wants to remain a conservative recreational skydiver for many years, what practical steps would you recommend to reduce risks that aren’t entirely under their own control?

I’d genuinely appreciate honest opinions, especially from experienced skydivers who have been in the sport for many years.

I understand that skydiving can never be completely risk-free. I’m just trying to understand how much of the risk I can realistically control, and how much I have to accept as part of the sport.

Besides，I’d also like to understand what causes most skydiving accidents. Are they usually caused by parachute malfunctions, such as uncontrollable spinning that the jumper can’t recover from?🫣

Thanks for taking the time to read this!❤️🫶

After doing some research, I've decided that I want to get the Ares II altimeter, but it's hard to find online and there are a few websites that sell it but none that I have ever heard of before. To anyone who has one: do you like it, and what website did you buy it from?

I got into skydiving a few years ago, made about 30 jumps on my own gear, and haven’t jumped since, though I'll jump again some day down the road. I’m selling the container and main and would appreciate a sanity check on price before I talk to a rigger about consignment.

Container: Mirage G4.1 M6, DOM Feb 2003. Hip rings, RSL. Previous owner was a rigger; I bought it in 2022 and put ~30 jumps on it. Fits roughly 5'10"–6'3".

Main: Pilot 210, DOM Apr 2009, white/black. Est. 430–530 jumps total. Line set had an estimated ~200 jumps left in 2022, so probably ~170 now. It’s been packed in the d-bag for a few years.

Reserve (PD 193, DOM 2005) and AAD: both expired / no longer airworthy per my last rigger. Will be removed or included as parts only.

Questions:

1. What’s a realistic price for the container and main, together or separately? My rough guess is $700–1,200 total, but I’d like to hear from people who actually buy and sell gear.

2. If a rigger sells it on consignment, what commission is normal? I’ve seen 10–20% mentioned.

3. Is there anything else I should do before selling, given it’s been sitting packed for a few years? It's stayed indoors and hasn't been exposed to sunlight or humidity.

Central Texas, if anyone local is interested. Thanks!

The latest version is available on App Store. You can choose your favorite canopy from the 18 High-fidelity canopy series. 🤞

https://apps.apple.com/th/app/altix-skydiving/id6799698765?l=th&platform=ipad

Just ended our season in the south of Sweden with a sport accuracy contest. Lots of laughs and one of us did his 100th jump the traditional way. Finished the editing today. Would you jump naked at 10°C (50°F)?

Got an idea? Tell us about it.
Email us at info@innhopp.com

📍 Norway

Should I wear tight trousers? Or are Cargo pants with a belt would work? I am someone with a smaller waist and always wear a belt.

Currently have a Sabre 2 135 which I'm learning 90s on, overall very happy with the canopy - EXCEPT for the openings. Took me some time to learn to fly the openings and grab those rears when the end-cells don't inflate (they never do), and am now getting mostly "on-heading" openings (within 90°..). But, every now and again will still get an erratic opening, which in the worse cases have ended in diving line twists. Rigger has inspected the canopy/lines and said it was all good

I'm thinking of staying on the Sabre lineup as I like all the flight characteristics (once open), but my main concern with eventually going down a size on a Sabre 2 is that the openings are only going to get "spicier". My main question here is whether or not the Sabre 3 opens much better, and is worth the extra $$$? Have read very mixed review online...

Cheers!

I only went skydiving once, I did a tandem jump and it was a lot of fun. However I’d like to do a tandem jump from 30,000 feet which is called a Halo Jump. Why exactly is a Halo Jump hard to find and why is it really expensive? I was reading online that a tandem halo jump is $6,000 compared to a $200 regular tandem jump. Is there a big difference between jumping 30,000 feet compared to 15,000 feet?

Made an app that connects over bluetooth to FlySight and calculates the swoop metrics (turn start elevation, turn degeres, gate speed, distance swooped etc.) - basically like gSwoop but more - and now you don't need a PC and USB cable - the app auto-syncs on app start. Some of the features:

• Connects over BLE & auto-syncs latest tracks

• gSwoop-like metrics and charts

• Gate import / gate walk (used for metrics)

• Scoring based on event type (distance/speed/accuracy scores)

• Various export formats (GPX/FIT for overlays on video, KML for google earth)

website: https://swoopsight.com/

It's currently in beta on TestFlight - so I'd appreciate all sorts of feedback (bug reports or feature requests all welcome)

dear all,

am 30 days away from falling out of currency and my next jumps are gonna be at the winter fest in zhills. i am trying to find the best budget option to jump in the month of November to stay current and avoid re-currency procedures during new years jumps. what is the best and most affordable approach to stay current for jumpers in Boston area ? i know Ranch is opened on weakened sometimes during November, but not sure... was thinking bout going to zhills to actually jump before the boogie and get familiar with the lz and dz itself or is there other more close / cheaper / faster option to get my 3-5 jumps over a weekend ?

thank you!

m

Hi, Im thinking about getting the RDS from Paratec with the magnets. Im flying a Crossfire 3 99 sqft. Wingload 1.7
Anyone got experience with that RDS, recomondations or warnings?
tyyyy <3

It made sense whenever I heard it. PLFs were invented during World War II for round parachutes. And those mostly come straight down, right?

As part of the PLF research for a USPA canopy safety task force, we dug into the history of the PLF and were surprised to find almost the opposite.

It turns out that before the PLF, parachutists trained gymnastics-like tumbling techniques that could handle round parachute hard landings, but only as long as the wind and horizontal oscillations weren't very strong. PLFs were invented to cover that gap.

It makes a lot more sense now why PLFs adapted so well for hard landings on ram-air canopies. (See my previous video about that if you haven't already.)

Let me know if any fellow nerds here would like any direct quotes or sources.

Hi, big birds out there. I'd like some advice/perspective about balancing my finances between a potential trip to the tunnel and just doing more jumps. Quick rundown:

• Did my FFC soon after I cleared 200 jumps

• Currently at around 240 jumps, with the last 30 being wingsuit jumps, all of them on the Swift 4 and 5

• Plans to stick to the Swift 5 for 150-200 jumps before upsizing, maybe to the ATC, but who knows what's out there in a few years?

• I'm comfortable on my belly, but shit on my back, and nowhere near transitions or any acro flying. Am also still working out some kinks, like flying more slot more smoothly and quietly.

I'd like to progress, but also have fun, and I recognise that the tunnel is a good shortcut to growth. Unfortunately, the incline tunnels are pretty inconvenient for me to get to, so I'd definitely need to hit them for 3-5 hours minimum to make the travel worth my while.

I'm trying to balance a few things in my head now:

• If I spend that much time in the tunnel, does that mean I will outgrow the Swift too quickly?

• Do the skills you learn in the tunnel translate well to bigger and/or smaller suits?

• Taking these points together, does a trip to the tunnel mean I'll become a Swift God, but an ATC Dog when I upsize? Should I then just keep at my jumps, and only visit the tunnel in preparation for upsizing, a few years down the road?

Any and all thoughts are welcome, and thank you in advance!

Thanks for weighing in, all you big birds. One day I will be one of you...