evanderm 0 #1 May 15, 2012 Hi, As is the case with so many people, skydiving was one of my bucket list things to do. So, last September while a friend was visiting I decided the time was right to do it. Chose Skydive Burnaby for this jump as it was recommended by another friend with connections there, and it is close to Niagara Falls and we were able to make a day trip out of it. I can definitely say that the first jump though incredible was a bit underwhelming. I needed more. More thrill, more adventure, more adrenaline. Don't get me wrong, I had a blast. The view on the climb up to altitude and during the jump is amazing at this DZ. Doing a tandem didn't quite hit the mark, I was after all, just along for the ride. Cue (American) Thanksgiving and a visit with friends in North Carolina. They had caught wind of my first jump and I got to talking to a friend of theirs who is a skydiver and jumps frequently at Triangle Skydiving Center. As luck would have it, I was able to use a Groupon coupon for a tandem at TSC so my next tandem was duly booked. Little did I know that that day, TSC were jumping out of a DHC-4 (Caribou). Boy was that ever fun! So much more spacious than the 182 and don't even get me started on the tailgate! At this point I hadn't quite given much thought about certification, really just kept it at the back of my mind as a some-day kind of thing. Fast forward to March 2012 and another visit to NC. Yup, you guessed it... Another Tandem! This is when I realized that I should stop spending so much money per jump and look into getting certified. I was getting hooked. Back in Canada I started looking for DZs that were within easy driving distance to Toronto. Burnaby was great and I'm sure I'll jump there again, but it's just a little bit too far away. Also, not having a car of my own complicates things. I settled on Skydive Toronto Inc. Easy to reach by car and also accessible by public transit. Plus, I got a good vibe from the staff and around the DZ when I went there for the first time to sign up for the course and, you guessed it, another Tandem. Given the reaction to my first jump, you'll probably be thinking to yourself, why on earth did you do three more tandems after that? Honestly: a jump's a jump right! So with 4 Tandems under my belt (and 20 minutes of wind-tunnel time I'd rather forget), I started jumping in the Progressive FreeFall course. My first 'solo' freefall and canopy flight was amazing. I knew I was hooked! Hey, I even managed to stand my first landing! Subsequent jumps have been tricky and I'm still getting the hang of a good position. Progress is slow, but don't they say that slow and steady wins the race?! It's now a month after I did my fist PFF jump and my CSPA Solo Certificate is hopefully just a few more jumps away. Then it's on to an A licence and who knows where I'll end up! I'm looking forward to every next jump, even after getting dragged into the pond at the DZ on my last jump! See you in the skies! Regards, E Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skymama 35 #2 May 16, 2012 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
evanderm 0 #3 May 16, 2012 Hi Thanks for the welcome! My legs are a very bg cause of the body position problem so really trying to get that sorted. More tunnel time would help but the nearest proper tunnel is in Montreal which is a bit too far from Toronto. My first tunnel 'flight' was at a small tourist tunnel in Niagara with very choppy air. Still a way's away from the A licence. Still working on the intermediary solo certificate which can be obtained after 10 jumps. Definitely looking forward to that though! Regards, E Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Southern_Man 0 #4 May 16, 2012 Welcome to the sport. I may well have been on the Caribou with you at Triangle. Did you meet any of the boatload of Canadians that were there that weekend?"What if there were no hypothetical questions?" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
evanderm 0 #5 May 16, 2012 Hi, Yup, I was there on Friday! Spoke to some on the way up to altitude and afterwards on the ground. I was there with my dad and our friends so we had our own little clique going on with not much 'outside interaction' and didn't really meet any new people. Here's a link to some of the photos that were taken on the day. One of them is everyone getting to the plane for the load I was on. Maybe you can spot yourself? Regards, E Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
