17 replies to this topic

[rookie24]

Newbie Alert!! Just passed my A license (finally), with 26 jumps. I am so proud to finally be part of such a unique community of thrill seekers. Anyone at the Byron DZ tomorrow, there will be plenty of cold beer to quench your thirst after the last load Looking forward to jumping with as many of you guys as possible.  Blue skies

Kurt

[Sadist]

Congrats Kurt!
A virtual   til I'm next at Byron, or you're up at Toogs.


Martin.

[Mongtrix]

Fuck yeah!  

[Uncle Paul]

WOOT!

[MiA]

YYYAAAYYY!

[gregdemon]

rookie24, on 23 June 2011 - 08:27 PM, said:

Newbie Alert!! Just passed my A license (finally), with 26 jumps. I am so proud to finally be part of such a unique community of thrill seekers. Anyone at the Byron DZ tomorrow, there will be plenty of cold beer to quench your thirst after the last load Looking forward to jumping with as many of you guys as possible.  Blue skies

Kurt

  Coming out of exile  to just say     WELL DONE Kurt  BUDDY  if I had 100 bells in the house I would ring them for you   a fantastic achievement !!!

  GW

[Phil C]

I'll take one off ya...Congrats

[rookie24]

thanks soo much everyone! This is why I love this sport   lookin forward to coughin up some beers for all of the 'firsts' I'm about to have

[DaFallen1]

A credit to you and the guys/gals at Byron, they know how to do it well.

[rookie24]

DaFallen1, on 24 June 2011 - 08:53 PM, said:

A credit to you and the guys/gals at Byron, they know how to do it well.

Thanks, yeah if they can get me through my AFF then they definitely know what they're doing    

Are you also a student?

[Terry Wahlen]

Congratulations!

It only gets better...

[blacki]

Congratulations! This will hopefully be me in August. May I ask how long it took at Byron?

[rookie24]

blacki, on 02 July 2011 - 12:17 PM, said:

Congratulations! This will hopefully be me in August. May I ask how long it took at Byron?

Thanks, it took me at least a few months to complete the jumps at Byron, due to work commitments and the weather being not so favourable for students ie. strong winds or clouds (students have different weather restrictions than licensed jumpers). But get some decent weather and you could get your licence in a couple of weeks!
Good luck with the jumps and hopefully see u at the DZ soon.

[blacki]

Thanks will probably see you out there in August!

[shane2483]

Im from Byron bay thinking about doing my AFF there but also considering doing it somewhere more inland without the coastal winds? thoughts? i want to get it done as quickly as possible

[chooc]

i was wondering similar things...
everyone ive spoken to says for weather cconsistancy(rain and wind) toogoolawah is the best.
and just stay out there for the duration.

i dunno what it is about these skydiving people but they seem to be the most easiest and coollest people to deal with of any organisation ive dealt with.
from every step.
1. the people at the promo stall giving out info were super cool.
2. i rang up for more info and the lady i spoke to was awsome and sent me out some material including a dvd with the course stages and more shown to you..
3. i next emailed toogs directly and got a responce almost instantly about confirming course dates.
4.then spoke to a cruisey dewd to put down me deposit and lock in dates.

great people to deal with and cant wait to meet em and get into it.

cheers

[milehigheric]

I actually just finished my AFF at Byron a couple of weeks ago so I can speak first hand.... Unfortunately the weather at Byron is a bitch and can be very frustrating at times but the DZ itself is awesome and very professional. The instructors are great and Steve (the DZSO) is pedantic about safety which I personally think filters down into your own jumping mindset as a student. Generally speaking you need to get in early...get your briefs done the day before (prepare yourself overnight) and be there first thing ready for load two. When the southerly winds start blowing (usually mid morning) it is pretty much game over so expect to only get 1 or 2 jumps a day. Student restrictions are 15 Knots (including gusts) - byron does seem to be (for the most part) just over this...I was grounded a few times due to as little as 16K gusts but I got there in the end. I also did deal with a freak 2 sold weeks of rain that is not all that normal for anywhere but Melbourne haha

For reference it took exactly 2 months to get through my AFF at byron. I most likely could have done it quicker elsewhere but it didn't and still does not bother me... there is heaps more to learn about skydiving outside of your AFF table and in my opinion there is no need to rush through it. AFF is one of the very few times a skydiver gets to be the centre of attention of coaching staff so milk it and take in as much as you can in my opinion

[rookie24]

Hey guys, first off I would have to say that Byron is an amzing Dropzone and as 'milehigh' said Steve the CI is very safety conscious and this is a great thing for students as we are all kooks when we are learning, his mindset rubs off on you and you always think twice before making a decision in freefall/under canopy. But the weather in Byron is generally always a bitch with high winds usually just over student restrictions which can be quite frustrating. I did all of my A license at Byron but then I went up to Toogs to do some fun jumps and continue my B-rels. I would have to say that if you can, I would try to book a course at Toogs. You will most likely get through it faster and they are a really fun bunch of guys up there..plus you can camp there or stay in a cabin for the duration of the course. The bar is always a fun place once the jumping stops!! They are both great DZ's but the only thing hindering Byron is the coastal weather (plus it is quite the tandem operation because of all the backpackers in Byron). But you can't beat the views in freefall all the way up to the lighthouse )  Good luck with your jumping guys, whatever you choose it is better than what I have now... I have relocated to Germany and the ground temp is usually -10 degrees..brrrrrrr. Blue skies and safe landings