GilliganFalling 0 #1 March 17, 2006 Hello all, My name is Matt and i'll be doing my first jump this Sunday out of the Santa Barbara area. To be honest, i'm scared to death. I've always wanted to do this, so my gf got me a jump as a birthday gift. I know i'll be hooked once I do it, but I cant help but want to back down. The falling doesnt bother me at all, but stepping off the plane does. Anyone have any suggestions for a first timer? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PRSKY71 0 #2 March 17, 2006 I'm certain you will get wonderful and practical advise from all the pros here!! I just wanted to let you know I can relate. I did a tandem on 2/11/05 and my AFF level 1 on 3/11/05. The tandem was great but my level 1 was quite scary. We all have to go through the motions, though. Good luck to you and you are right, you will more than likely be hooked!!!! Character cannot be made except by a steady, long continued process. -- Phillips Brooks Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GARYC24 3 #3 March 17, 2006 Have fun! Let me know how ya like the place, I'm in Camarillo. Gary Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GilliganFalling 0 #4 March 17, 2006 Thanks all. I appreciate the support. After reading several threads in this forum I am definitely feeling better about this. I cant wait to get up there. Fortunately i'll be flying tandem my first time so I can worry just a little less. I'll be sure to post here after and describe my experience Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites skydivermom 0 #5 March 18, 2006 ***The falling doesnt bother me at all, but stepping off the plane does. __________________________________________________ That is a BIG part of the fun in my opinion. I don't have that many jumps, but I only recently got over that (a little). Good luck and have a blast. Remember, you will only do your FIRST jump onceMrs. WaltAppel All things work together for good to them that love God...Romans 8:28 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites adventurechick 0 #6 March 18, 2006 Do a back flip out! PMS #449 TPM #80 Muff Brother #3860 SCR #14705 Dirty Sanchez #233 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites skymama 35 #7 March 19, 2006 Welcome to the fourms! 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 GilliganFalling 0 #8 March 20, 2006 Unfortunately it was too windy to go up today I was so ready for this. So i'm scheduled for next Sunday instead. I didnt even think about it being too windy. I was only worried about it raining. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites skymama 35 #9 March 20, 2006 Yes, unfortunately you've gotten into a sport that is totally dependant on the weather. I can't even count the number of days that it has been sunny and we've been sitting on the ground hoping for the winds to die down. I hope you have better luck next week!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 krazykate 0 #10 March 20, 2006 Let us know how you get on! and everytime you think that maybe you will change your mind, think about how much you would regret it if you didn't make the jump! you're gonna love it! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites popsjumper 2 #11 March 24, 2006 Well Matt, They aren't going to tell you about the major danger in doing your first skydive so I will go ahead and let the cat out of the bag... The major danger of doing your first skydive is.... You're going to love it so much that you wipe out your bank account, give up your marriage, eat Ramen noodles for the rest of your life, sleep mostly in a tent...and love every minute of it. My reality and yours are quite different. I think we're all Bozos on this bus. Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites GilliganFalling 0 #12 March 25, 2006 I should be just fine with it then. I've already spent several years of my life rock climbing, so I know what most of that is like already. My gf is paying for my first jump. If she ever gives me crap about it I can always tell her that she's the one who got me into it. This time i've got an earlier jump time. If the winds are too high I can wait all day for them to die down. Anyone know of a site that has some kinda wind forecast? Can they predict such things days in advance? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Eule 0 #13 March 25, 2006 QuoteAnyone know of a site that has some kinda wind forecast? Can they predict such things days in advance? The regular NWS forecast includes ground winds, but many forecast offices only give these two days out - in other words, you have to wait until Friday morning to get the Sunday winds. Some go a little further; right now (Friday night) Dallas has wind forecasts through Tuesday night. Here's the NWS Santa Barbara forecast. Assuming you get hooked and start working on your license, you'll learn a lot more about winds. Whatever your instructors say takes precedence over anything you read here, elsewhere on the net, or in a book. Having said that, there are some other sources of wind forecasts and data. There is a "winds aloft" forecast produced for pilots. Here's the one for your area; look at the line marked "SBA". By default, you get the forecast that is good right now and for a few hours into the future. You can get forecasts further out - on that page, there is a little yellow bar at the upper right, with one red segment. This is a timeline, and clicking on the different segments gives you a different forecast. Unfortunately the format for these was invented when each letter cost eighteen million dollars to send, so they are kind of cryptic. Here is a good post on how to read them. There is also a thing called a "wind profiler" which is basically a radar that sits on the ground and points straight up. It can measure the wind speed and direction at different altitudes for quite a way up. You can't get a forecast from this, but you can see what the winds have been doing in the recent past. There are several of them in California; the one closest to you is probably in LA. This link may or may not give you the current report from LA; if it doesn't work, you'll have to go to the previous link and fill in the form to get it. If you click on "advanced display options", you can make it display in reasonable units (feet and knots) instead of those weird ones furriners use. :) I hope you have fun! EulePLF does not stand for Please Land on Face. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites popsjumper 2 #14 March 25, 2006 Here's a couple.. You can change the region and location to your area. http://usairnet.com/cgi-bin/launch/code.cgi?sta=KAHN&model=avn&state=GA&Submit=Get+Forecast and.. Select a state and a dropzone. http://www.skydivingweather.com/home.php and I like usairnet's winds aloft display.. http://www.usairnet.com/cgi-bin/Winds/Aloft.cgi?location=ATL&Submit=Get+Forecast&hour=06&course=azimuth .My reality and yours are quite different. I think we're all Bozos on this bus. Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites adventurechick 0 #15 March 25, 2006 I've been winded out many days.... my trick is to wait til sunset... the winds always go down where we are at around that time. Good Luck! PMS #449 TPM #80 Muff Brother #3860 SCR #14705 Dirty Sanchez #233 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites gofast_ER 0 #16 March 26, 2006 QuoteWell Matt, They aren't going to tell you about the major danger in doing your first skydive so I will go ahead and let the cat out of the bag... The major danger of doing your first skydive is.... You're going to love it so much that you wipe out your bank account, give up your marriage, eat Ramen noodles for the rest of your life, sleep mostly in a tent...and love every minute of it. i actually lived off of cup o noodles while going through aff and getting my gear...NO JOKE. This is as true as it gets. I did fork out for soda though.I may not agree with what you have to say but i'll defend to the death your right to say it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites popsjumper 2 #17 March 26, 2006 Quote...I did fork out for soda though. Oh. You must be one of the "rich kids." My reality and yours are quite different. I think we're all Bozos on this bus. Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites GilliganFalling 0 #18 March 26, 2006 YEEEEEEEEHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!! That was wonderful! There really is no way to explain this experience to anyone. The whole ride back home I kept reliving the experience over and over again in my head. Each time made me want to go back up more and more. Ok, so it seems as though their scale was a lot different than my scale at home. Theirs added another 20 pounds. Because of this they had my jump from 7k instead of the 13k i was originally gonna jump from. I was a little upset by this, but the last thing i want is my fat ass putting anyone else at risk. Regardless I had a wonderful time. Thank you all for the support you've given me, and you can be sure i'll do it again. Blue Skies Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites spoolfool2 0 #19 March 27, 2006 Congrats, Skydiver It's nice to see that you got a jump # under your sig. I'm sure I'm not the first to say it but, welcome to the skys. How did the jump go? 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. Clear editor × You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL. Insert image from URL × Desktop Tablet Phone Submit Reply 0
skydivermom 0 #5 March 18, 2006 ***The falling doesnt bother me at all, but stepping off the plane does. __________________________________________________ That is a BIG part of the fun in my opinion. I don't have that many jumps, but I only recently got over that (a little). Good luck and have a blast. Remember, you will only do your FIRST jump onceMrs. WaltAppel All things work together for good to them that love God...Romans 8:28 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
adventurechick 0 #6 March 18, 2006 Do a back flip out! PMS #449 TPM #80 Muff Brother #3860 SCR #14705 Dirty Sanchez #233 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skymama 35 #7 March 19, 2006 Welcome to the fourms! 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
GilliganFalling 0 #8 March 20, 2006 Unfortunately it was too windy to go up today I was so ready for this. So i'm scheduled for next Sunday instead. I didnt even think about it being too windy. I was only worried about it raining. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skymama 35 #9 March 20, 2006 Yes, unfortunately you've gotten into a sport that is totally dependant on the weather. I can't even count the number of days that it has been sunny and we've been sitting on the ground hoping for the winds to die down. I hope you have better luck next week!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
krazykate 0 #10 March 20, 2006 Let us know how you get on! and everytime you think that maybe you will change your mind, think about how much you would regret it if you didn't make the jump! you're gonna love it! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
popsjumper 2 #11 March 24, 2006 Well Matt, They aren't going to tell you about the major danger in doing your first skydive so I will go ahead and let the cat out of the bag... The major danger of doing your first skydive is.... You're going to love it so much that you wipe out your bank account, give up your marriage, eat Ramen noodles for the rest of your life, sleep mostly in a tent...and love every minute of it. My reality and yours are quite different. I think we're all Bozos on this bus. Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GilliganFalling 0 #12 March 25, 2006 I should be just fine with it then. I've already spent several years of my life rock climbing, so I know what most of that is like already. My gf is paying for my first jump. If she ever gives me crap about it I can always tell her that she's the one who got me into it. This time i've got an earlier jump time. If the winds are too high I can wait all day for them to die down. Anyone know of a site that has some kinda wind forecast? Can they predict such things days in advance? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Eule 0 #13 March 25, 2006 QuoteAnyone know of a site that has some kinda wind forecast? Can they predict such things days in advance? The regular NWS forecast includes ground winds, but many forecast offices only give these two days out - in other words, you have to wait until Friday morning to get the Sunday winds. Some go a little further; right now (Friday night) Dallas has wind forecasts through Tuesday night. Here's the NWS Santa Barbara forecast. Assuming you get hooked and start working on your license, you'll learn a lot more about winds. Whatever your instructors say takes precedence over anything you read here, elsewhere on the net, or in a book. Having said that, there are some other sources of wind forecasts and data. There is a "winds aloft" forecast produced for pilots. Here's the one for your area; look at the line marked "SBA". By default, you get the forecast that is good right now and for a few hours into the future. You can get forecasts further out - on that page, there is a little yellow bar at the upper right, with one red segment. This is a timeline, and clicking on the different segments gives you a different forecast. Unfortunately the format for these was invented when each letter cost eighteen million dollars to send, so they are kind of cryptic. Here is a good post on how to read them. There is also a thing called a "wind profiler" which is basically a radar that sits on the ground and points straight up. It can measure the wind speed and direction at different altitudes for quite a way up. You can't get a forecast from this, but you can see what the winds have been doing in the recent past. There are several of them in California; the one closest to you is probably in LA. This link may or may not give you the current report from LA; if it doesn't work, you'll have to go to the previous link and fill in the form to get it. If you click on "advanced display options", you can make it display in reasonable units (feet and knots) instead of those weird ones furriners use. :) I hope you have fun! EulePLF does not stand for Please Land on Face. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
popsjumper 2 #14 March 25, 2006 Here's a couple.. You can change the region and location to your area. http://usairnet.com/cgi-bin/launch/code.cgi?sta=KAHN&model=avn&state=GA&Submit=Get+Forecast and.. Select a state and a dropzone. http://www.skydivingweather.com/home.php and I like usairnet's winds aloft display.. http://www.usairnet.com/cgi-bin/Winds/Aloft.cgi?location=ATL&Submit=Get+Forecast&hour=06&course=azimuth .My reality and yours are quite different. I think we're all Bozos on this bus. Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
adventurechick 0 #15 March 25, 2006 I've been winded out many days.... my trick is to wait til sunset... the winds always go down where we are at around that time. Good Luck! PMS #449 TPM #80 Muff Brother #3860 SCR #14705 Dirty Sanchez #233 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gofast_ER 0 #16 March 26, 2006 QuoteWell Matt, They aren't going to tell you about the major danger in doing your first skydive so I will go ahead and let the cat out of the bag... The major danger of doing your first skydive is.... You're going to love it so much that you wipe out your bank account, give up your marriage, eat Ramen noodles for the rest of your life, sleep mostly in a tent...and love every minute of it. i actually lived off of cup o noodles while going through aff and getting my gear...NO JOKE. This is as true as it gets. I did fork out for soda though.I may not agree with what you have to say but i'll defend to the death your right to say it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
popsjumper 2 #17 March 26, 2006 Quote...I did fork out for soda though. Oh. You must be one of the "rich kids." My reality and yours are quite different. I think we're all Bozos on this bus. Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GilliganFalling 0 #18 March 26, 2006 YEEEEEEEEHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!! That was wonderful! There really is no way to explain this experience to anyone. The whole ride back home I kept reliving the experience over and over again in my head. Each time made me want to go back up more and more. Ok, so it seems as though their scale was a lot different than my scale at home. Theirs added another 20 pounds. Because of this they had my jump from 7k instead of the 13k i was originally gonna jump from. I was a little upset by this, but the last thing i want is my fat ass putting anyone else at risk. Regardless I had a wonderful time. Thank you all for the support you've given me, and you can be sure i'll do it again. Blue Skies Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
spoolfool2 0 #19 March 27, 2006 Congrats, Skydiver It's nice to see that you got a jump # under your sig. I'm sure I'm not the first to say it but, welcome to the skys. How did the jump go? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
