thourb 0 #1 December 20, 2005 Hey everyone I'm new to skydiving, just done (or should i say, was forced to do by a friend) my first tandem about 2 weeks ago - it was great!!! Just my luck to get into skydiving one week before my local DZ (south cerney, England) closes for the winter.. The weather even stopped me from jumping on day one, but the weather was much better when I went back on the Sunday I can't believe how jumping out of a plane with a sheet of nylon in a bag strapped to your back can be so addictive .. It took me all of 3 days after my jump to book a £1200 10 day holiday to the Freefall Uni in Spain for me and my skydiving buddy to do our AFF... I can't wait! You just need to look at my Desktop on my work computer to see how much skydiving means to me now.... http://img473.imageshack.us/img473/7698/desktop5jp.jpg (Yes, that is a timer in the bottom right hand corner.. 60 days, 4 hours, 30 mins and 55 seconds till i start my AFF, not that i'm counting or anything... How sad is that??) All i do all day at work is browse skydiving websites and talk about skydiving... People on the outside would say that its not an addiction - its more like an unhealthy obsession Anyway.. Photos attached (what a fashion statement those hats are, i must say!!!). I really enjoyed the day and, two weeks later, im still buzzing from the experience. Whenever i go outside, i tend to look up automatically now and think "mmmm skydive" :) Look forward to jumping again in two months and meeting some really nice people! Blue Skies!! :D Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KNewman 0 #2 December 20, 2005 Hey Tom Welcome to our wonderful sport Blue Skies and Stand-up Landings!!!!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
daniel_owen_uk 0 #3 December 20, 2005 Get yourself over to bodyflight or airkix in those 3 months, its a hell of a lot of fun and will help HUGELY for AFF.__________________ BOOM Headshot Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Scoop 0 #4 December 20, 2005 I concur. 100 quid in the tunnel gets you alot more time than 100 quid on AFF Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thourb 0 #5 December 20, 2005 Spoke to the people at my local dropzone, they say that it would be best to do AFF first before spending a lot of time in a tunnel, to determine strengths and weaknesses... In the meantime, i've already booked some tunnel time at Airkix as a Christmas present for my mate (and a present from me, to me as well ) - just to get the hang of the basics (body position and turning mainly) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Scoop 0 #6 December 20, 2005 Quotejust to get the hang of the basics (body position and turning mainly) Thats what you need mate. The time you get in freefall in the sky is very expensive on AFF. I did what your doing after my AFF Lv 3 and it helped so much. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skymama 35 #7 December 20, 2005 Welcome to the forums! She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man, because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
daniel_owen_uk 0 #8 December 20, 2005 They teach you the basics (ie arch turns etc), in your first tunnel flight. They also teach you hand signals etc so you can correct your body position. Take a look over in the wind tunnel, ask them there, ask in the instructors section what the AFFIs would prefer, someone with tunnel time or someone without. I debated whether or not to do it before I did AFF, after I came out of the tunnel after flying with a stable heading and controlling turns as well as height, I was 100% positive I had made the right decision. The only downside I was told about doing tunnel time first is it can mess with your alti awareness, but I found the ground coming up at 120mph did enough to make me look at the alti on my wrist http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1737655__________________ BOOM Headshot Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thourb 0 #9 December 20, 2005 Thats great everyone Thanks for all your advice and welcomes, everyone here seems to be extremely helpful and friendly towards newbies, glad i found this site (ahh, the power of Google) Cant wait to have completed my AFF and got my A license, then there can be less talking and more jumping :) Will be good to get to the wind tunnel to start to learn the basics.. How long do you think is necessary to have a fairly competent standard before beginning AFF? (bearing in mind that i'm on an IT Technicians salary and ive just shelled out £1200 for the AFF course!) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Scoop 0 #10 December 20, 2005 I did 10 mins at Bedford Bodyflight. Would have liked to have done a little bit more. Maybe 20 mins give you good standard for AFF? Dont blow all your money because no matter how much tunnel time you do it dont go towards your A licence Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thourb 0 #11 December 20, 2005 QuoteDont blow all your money... Dont worry, i don't have that much money to blow! Its already been well spent on my course. I guess i'd rather pay a bit more for tunnel training first as its cheaper than re-taking one of the AFF levels and im sure i'd get more fly time for my money... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Orange1 0 #12 December 20, 2005 Welcome to the sport and the forums!! I agree that it is an obsession, but there's nothing "unhealthy" about it . When your whuffo friends get sick and tired of you talking about skydiving, there's plenty people here to indulge you, and once you start jumping regularly you'll meet enough people happy to talk about jumping all day every day!Skydiving: wasting fossil fuels just for fun. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mdrejhon 8 #13 December 20, 2005 I'm still a relative newbie, but I just flew tunnel for the first time after approximately 125 jumps. I hear from enough people in a few countries that a few minutes of tunnel time doesn't hurt. Be careful about altitude awareness -- a tunnel session is usually 2 minutes and a freefall session is about 1 minute (usually depending on dropzone's typical AFF jump altitude). And you'll have to adjust for a container on your back when you skydive, which means you have to adjust your backward/forward motion to compensate... The consensus is that tunnel usually help more than hurt, although some argue doing 2 or 3 skydives first before tunnel time, is a good idea (to know weaknesses). However, if you're forced to wait for AFF anyway, I see no reason why not taking a little tunnel time since it takes a small amount of sensory overload away from you, since you'll know how to arch and fly your body a bit. Little things like that make a lot of difference... make sure you're debriefed on all of the above by your instructors... I'm not an expert, but I have read, met and heard so much to know that the above are common considerations to remember, just be aware of tradeoffs. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
artistcalledian 0 #14 December 20, 2005 QuoteThats great everyone Thanks for all your advice and welcomes, everyone here seems to be extremely helpful and friendly towards newbies, glad i found this site (ahh, the power of Google) Cant wait to have completed my AFF and got my A license, then there can be less talking and more jumping :) Will be good to get to the wind tunnel to start to learn the basics.. How long do you think is necessary to have a fairly competent standard before beginning AFF? (bearing in mind that i'm on an IT Technicians salary and ive just shelled out £1200 for the AFF course!) where are you doing your AFF ? i did mine at langar. What do you get for your £1200 ?________________________________________ drive it like you stole it and f*ck the police Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sky-pimp 0 #15 December 20, 2005 your life will never be the same --- but better YeHaaaaaaaaaaa Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thourb 0 #16 December 21, 2005 Quotewhere are you doing your AFF ? i did mine at langar. What do you get for your £1200 ? I'm doing it at the Freefall University near Aranjuez in Spain (30 mins from Madrid) - http://www.freefalluniversity.co.uk For the £1200, im getting: - 8 AFF levels (including kit hire) - 10 Consolodation Jumps (including kit hire) - 10 nights accommodation - 10 days Car Hire - Return Flights Not a bad deal, all in all i didnt think... It was a bit cheaper for me as i'm going with a friend and we can share a twin bedroom rather than both paying for seperate accommodation... I have been impressed with their customer service so far; even when they made a mistake (booked the wrong dates), they were polite and corrected it immediately Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites artistcalledian 0 #17 December 21, 2005 thats a good deal !________________________________________ drive it like you stole it and f*ck the police Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites thourb 0 #18 December 21, 2005 Got a £140 discount as it's the winter season there too... Still, i'd imagine that the weather should be fine in the middle of spain at any time of year Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites cocker 0 #19 December 24, 2005 Hey there. Just thought that I'd let you know, you made the right choice with picking FFU in spain. I was there in November and it was absolutely fantastic. The guys on the DZ there are excellent. I enjoyed it so much that I am now moving there on the 28th of Dec. So be aware, it really is seriously addictive. Whatever you do, don't forget to have fun (and pull) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites thourb 0 #20 March 2, 2006 Well... It's all over. Have now completed my AFF, done all the 10 consols, hop 'n' pop and CH1 grade in 10 days at the Freefall Uni in Spain - thought i'd get back to you all with a proper review of my experiences... First of all, the atmosphere at the dropzone is totally relaxed. The instructors and staff there really make you feel at home. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't particularly good there for the first 7 or so days... Had rain, high winds, clouds at 1000 feet - even snow! But the last 3 days were excellent, managed most of my jumps in the last 3 days alone. I've had such a hard time trying to describe the feeling of skydiving to people outside the sport (most think i'm mad doing it in the first place)... I have to say that my best jump was AFF #5. The first 4 levels i was nervous about and didnt really do all that well at (enough to pass though)... Level 5 (360 degree turns) was excellent though, perfectly relaxed, did my turns and still was only at 9000 feet. Managed some waves and thumbs up to the camera as well as 2 more 360s before waving off and pulling... Great experience to do everything and more only at level 5... Can't wait till i can start jumping here in the UK.. Think i'm going to have to pester Mr. Barclays for some help financing a rig though..... Wold definately 100% recommend the FFU to any prospective AFF students. The dropzone is great, the weather is (normally) great, the facilities are great and the nightlife and friendships you make are excellent! Hope to see some of you at a dropzone soon Blue Skies! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites L.O. 0 #21 March 2, 2006 The tandem was a start..., now you begin down the next path. It only gets better from here. You can never find a place to be free from the sport once it has you. Skydiving gives you a high like no other. I have the perfect way to describe the sport to none skydivers. Those who do can not explain and those who don't can not understand. You can try till your blue in the face and they will never get it. It is simply to profound an experience. Like I said it only gets better from here. WelcomeHPDBs, I hate those guys. AFB, charter member. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites peaceskydiver 0 #22 March 3, 2006 i am a student and waiting in new york for snow to stop falling and the season to open. i am glad you posted that info on that DZ you went to. not a bad deal for all that you got!!!! i wish i would have known about this sooner b/c i would have signed up myself ( i could claim death in fam so i could get out of work-tht would be the only way-still so wrong though-anything for skydiving!!!!!!) sucks about the bad weather but what a great experience you had- i am very jealous. well congrats and bluer skies to you peace "From Wings Came Flight" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites franman 0 #23 March 3, 2006 Congrats! I bet you were glad when the weather cleared up for the last couple of days! You can really pack them in when it gets a bit brighter! I may see you at South Cerney sometime soon then - just got to hope the sun shines! Francis Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites popeyefireman 0 #24 March 4, 2006 Welcome and did anyone ever tell you that you look like the Shermanator from American Pie "I Yam what I Yam" I am not afriad to die, only to die without living. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites thourb 0 #25 March 5, 2006 QuoteWelcome and did anyone ever tell you that you look like the Shermanator from American Pie haha I've only been told that about 1000 times.... Maybe i should change my hairstyle?? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Join the conversation You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account. Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible. Reply to this topic... × Pasted as rich text. Paste as plain text instead Only 75 emoji are allowed. × Your link has been automatically embedded. Display as a link instead × Your previous content has been restored. 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artistcalledian 0 #17 December 21, 2005 thats a good deal !________________________________________ drive it like you stole it and f*ck the police Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thourb 0 #18 December 21, 2005 Got a £140 discount as it's the winter season there too... Still, i'd imagine that the weather should be fine in the middle of spain at any time of year Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cocker 0 #19 December 24, 2005 Hey there. Just thought that I'd let you know, you made the right choice with picking FFU in spain. I was there in November and it was absolutely fantastic. The guys on the DZ there are excellent. I enjoyed it so much that I am now moving there on the 28th of Dec. So be aware, it really is seriously addictive. Whatever you do, don't forget to have fun (and pull) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thourb 0 #20 March 2, 2006 Well... It's all over. Have now completed my AFF, done all the 10 consols, hop 'n' pop and CH1 grade in 10 days at the Freefall Uni in Spain - thought i'd get back to you all with a proper review of my experiences... First of all, the atmosphere at the dropzone is totally relaxed. The instructors and staff there really make you feel at home. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't particularly good there for the first 7 or so days... Had rain, high winds, clouds at 1000 feet - even snow! But the last 3 days were excellent, managed most of my jumps in the last 3 days alone. I've had such a hard time trying to describe the feeling of skydiving to people outside the sport (most think i'm mad doing it in the first place)... I have to say that my best jump was AFF #5. The first 4 levels i was nervous about and didnt really do all that well at (enough to pass though)... Level 5 (360 degree turns) was excellent though, perfectly relaxed, did my turns and still was only at 9000 feet. Managed some waves and thumbs up to the camera as well as 2 more 360s before waving off and pulling... Great experience to do everything and more only at level 5... Can't wait till i can start jumping here in the UK.. Think i'm going to have to pester Mr. Barclays for some help financing a rig though..... Wold definately 100% recommend the FFU to any prospective AFF students. The dropzone is great, the weather is (normally) great, the facilities are great and the nightlife and friendships you make are excellent! Hope to see some of you at a dropzone soon Blue Skies! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
L.O. 0 #21 March 2, 2006 The tandem was a start..., now you begin down the next path. It only gets better from here. You can never find a place to be free from the sport once it has you. Skydiving gives you a high like no other. I have the perfect way to describe the sport to none skydivers. Those who do can not explain and those who don't can not understand. You can try till your blue in the face and they will never get it. It is simply to profound an experience. Like I said it only gets better from here. WelcomeHPDBs, I hate those guys. AFB, charter member. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
peaceskydiver 0 #22 March 3, 2006 i am a student and waiting in new york for snow to stop falling and the season to open. i am glad you posted that info on that DZ you went to. not a bad deal for all that you got!!!! i wish i would have known about this sooner b/c i would have signed up myself ( i could claim death in fam so i could get out of work-tht would be the only way-still so wrong though-anything for skydiving!!!!!!) sucks about the bad weather but what a great experience you had- i am very jealous. well congrats and bluer skies to you peace "From Wings Came Flight" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
franman 0 #23 March 3, 2006 Congrats! I bet you were glad when the weather cleared up for the last couple of days! You can really pack them in when it gets a bit brighter! I may see you at South Cerney sometime soon then - just got to hope the sun shines! Francis Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
popeyefireman 0 #24 March 4, 2006 Welcome and did anyone ever tell you that you look like the Shermanator from American Pie "I Yam what I Yam" I am not afriad to die, only to die without living. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thourb 0 #25 March 5, 2006 QuoteWelcome and did anyone ever tell you that you look like the Shermanator from American Pie haha I've only been told that about 1000 times.... Maybe i should change my hairstyle?? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
