jessicamarie 0 #1 September 4, 2012 Okay, so Colorado was AMAZING!! I discovered that I really like hiking so I've found another new hobby! Yay!! Skydiving in Colorado was so much fun!! My husband and I did tandems. When I told my tandem guy this was jump #3 for me, he asked when my previous 2 were. When I told him a couple of weeks ago and April of this year, he said "oh yeah, you're hooked." I described the feeling of skydiving getting under my skin and the way it felt like an itch that can't be scratched until I get up in the sky again. He said since this wasn't my first rodeo (my words, not his. I used to work in addiction treatment) he was going to have me open the parachute and steer. At 5500 ft he stuck his altimeter in my face and reached back, grabbed the ring and pulled, then felt that familiar opening shock. That was a amazing feeling. He put both toggles in my right hand and I made left and right turns, lifted my hand for full speed and pulled down to apply the breaks. Being a tandem canopy (400 sq. ft. I believe,) it was difficult for me to do any hard turns, like the corkscrew turns that I think are fun. Tommy discussed the 1:1 ratio of jumper to parachute and how, as a petite woman, I obviously will not be jumping solo with a 400 sq. ft. canopy. I guess the question is one of finding the optimal size; I weigh 115. I learned a lot from hanging out with Tommy in Colorado. He showed me his rig (which is an SOS). He's on dropzone too and has numerous videos (some he's done himself and some others have done) on his YouTube channel in which you can see him in freefall and upon landing and get a close up look of how he connects the toggles. His YouTube channel is 1armskydiver. I have a tentative plan to take a few days off from work and (among other things) do another tandem in Temple on a Thursday. I might ask if it could be a "training tandem" and count as a jump toward my A license. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites FlyingRhenquest 1 #2 September 11, 2012 Yup you're hooked! Have you considered doing an AFF or static line training program? I started back in July and already have my A license going through the AFF program out here. It's an expensive sport to get into, but a training program would probably cost you a lot less than tandems! Just find a nearby drop zone (From your post I get the feeling you were vacationing out here and live somewhere else) and ask them about their training options. The next stage of the addiction is browsing the gear classifieds here looking for good used gear. I bet it'll be easier for you to find gear at your weight than it will be for me at mine! It also sounds like you'll be a swooper. If you go for training, check back in a year or so and see if my prediction was correct!I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites jessicamarie 0 #3 September 15, 2012 Haha, yeah! I do want to do AFF at the DZ closest to my home where I've done all of my other tandems (you're right, I was on vacation in Colorado). My plan right now is to save up the money to pay for the full course up front. And I still want to jump in the meantime. You're right about the tandems, though...almost a 6 of one, half dozen of the other situation as far as the money goes. I may re-evaluate my plan. Swooping does look like a lot of fun, but what I've really got my eye on is freestyle. I have a background in dance and always regretted not getting into gymnastics when I was much younger. Hell, who knows, maybe I'll do both. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Bealio 0 #4 September 15, 2012 Stop wasting your money on Tandems. You're not going to learn a thing. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites FlyingRhenquest 1 #5 September 16, 2012 Eeh, you'll spend about as much on an AFF class as a tandem, and less once you drop to one instructor. But whatever works for you, everyone's different! I wonder if you'll at least overcome the fear of the door monster doing tandems? I think that was probably the hardest thing about AFF. Something just clicked for me around my 4th or 5th jump and I realized that the worst possible thing that I could imagine happening as I approached the door was falling out early, and I was wearing a parachute and was going to do that anyway! Not so afraid of the door so much after that, though I don't think I'd be as comfortable as one of my instructors, sitting there with one leg hanging out for 4000 feet...I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites jessicamarie 0 #6 September 17, 2012 I know for me the primary issue to overcome is decreasing my sensory overload during free fall. I have an overactive nervous system (and I want to skydive; makes no sense but that's fine.) I know it's taken me several tandems to desensitize myself enough that I don't close my eyes, tense up, or scream when I exit the plane. None of that's going to work when I'm trying to learn how to control my body in free fall. During each tandem, I've felt less and less terrified and more in control of my emotions once I exited the plane. I also think on my second tandem, I was still on the fence about whether I wanted to pursue jumping solo. This is definitely not something to be entered into lightly; it's expensive and risky. But the way I felt after landing on my second tandem solidified my desire. I don't think any prior jumps (tandem or otherwise) are require to enroll in AFF, but I know myself. If Day 1 of AFF was my first jump ever, I don't think it would have been as good an experience than it will be if I desensitize my nervous system through tandems while not having the added responsibility of wearing the parachute on my back. I know the anxiety will still be there for a while, but I knew I would need time and exposue, maybe more than others, to get the anxiety down to a level more conducive to learning. I think one more tandem will get me exactly where I need to be to get the most out of an AFF program. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites FlyingRhenquest 1 #7 September 17, 2012 You definitely don't need tandems or anything else to enroll in AFF. The dropzone here suggests doing a tandem first just to see if you'll like it, but you can just walk right in and start AFF. That's what I did! It takes a while for your eyes to adjust to seeing things at altitude. It felt very much like going from a car I'd been driving for 5 years with a digital speedometer to going back to an analog. For a while I didn't know where to look or what to look for. It took me a while to get to the point where I could pick out landmarks at 12000 feet, or find something decent to lock onto on the horizon so that I could hold a heading. I'm not sure all the anxiety ever goes away. Friend of mine has a D license with over a thousand jumps and he told me he still gets nervous on the plane. I had an instructor who's been in the sport for decades tell me the same thing. It does get better, though. As for the risk, a bit of googling reveals that about 1 in 140000 skydives results in a fatality. Comparatively, in the USA about 13 cars per 100000 are involved in fatal car crashes (Driving to the airport about 10x more dangerous than jumping out of an airplane!) Fatality rates for motorcycles are around 72 per 100000 registered motorcycles. So really, if you think about it, it's the safest thing you can do! Ok not really, but we do a lot more dangerous things without even thinking about it. It's not like there's anything we can do that will make us live forever! There's certainly no reason why you couldn't freefly AND swoop! A lot of people at my dropzone seem to do both quite happily!I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here? 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
FlyingRhenquest 1 #2 September 11, 2012 Yup you're hooked! Have you considered doing an AFF or static line training program? I started back in July and already have my A license going through the AFF program out here. It's an expensive sport to get into, but a training program would probably cost you a lot less than tandems! Just find a nearby drop zone (From your post I get the feeling you were vacationing out here and live somewhere else) and ask them about their training options. The next stage of the addiction is browsing the gear classifieds here looking for good used gear. I bet it'll be easier for you to find gear at your weight than it will be for me at mine! It also sounds like you'll be a swooper. If you go for training, check back in a year or so and see if my prediction was correct!I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jessicamarie 0 #3 September 15, 2012 Haha, yeah! I do want to do AFF at the DZ closest to my home where I've done all of my other tandems (you're right, I was on vacation in Colorado). My plan right now is to save up the money to pay for the full course up front. And I still want to jump in the meantime. You're right about the tandems, though...almost a 6 of one, half dozen of the other situation as far as the money goes. I may re-evaluate my plan. Swooping does look like a lot of fun, but what I've really got my eye on is freestyle. I have a background in dance and always regretted not getting into gymnastics when I was much younger. Hell, who knows, maybe I'll do both. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bealio 0 #4 September 15, 2012 Stop wasting your money on Tandems. You're not going to learn a thing. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FlyingRhenquest 1 #5 September 16, 2012 Eeh, you'll spend about as much on an AFF class as a tandem, and less once you drop to one instructor. But whatever works for you, everyone's different! I wonder if you'll at least overcome the fear of the door monster doing tandems? I think that was probably the hardest thing about AFF. Something just clicked for me around my 4th or 5th jump and I realized that the worst possible thing that I could imagine happening as I approached the door was falling out early, and I was wearing a parachute and was going to do that anyway! Not so afraid of the door so much after that, though I don't think I'd be as comfortable as one of my instructors, sitting there with one leg hanging out for 4000 feet...I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jessicamarie 0 #6 September 17, 2012 I know for me the primary issue to overcome is decreasing my sensory overload during free fall. I have an overactive nervous system (and I want to skydive; makes no sense but that's fine.) I know it's taken me several tandems to desensitize myself enough that I don't close my eyes, tense up, or scream when I exit the plane. None of that's going to work when I'm trying to learn how to control my body in free fall. During each tandem, I've felt less and less terrified and more in control of my emotions once I exited the plane. I also think on my second tandem, I was still on the fence about whether I wanted to pursue jumping solo. This is definitely not something to be entered into lightly; it's expensive and risky. But the way I felt after landing on my second tandem solidified my desire. I don't think any prior jumps (tandem or otherwise) are require to enroll in AFF, but I know myself. If Day 1 of AFF was my first jump ever, I don't think it would have been as good an experience than it will be if I desensitize my nervous system through tandems while not having the added responsibility of wearing the parachute on my back. I know the anxiety will still be there for a while, but I knew I would need time and exposue, maybe more than others, to get the anxiety down to a level more conducive to learning. I think one more tandem will get me exactly where I need to be to get the most out of an AFF program. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FlyingRhenquest 1 #7 September 17, 2012 You definitely don't need tandems or anything else to enroll in AFF. The dropzone here suggests doing a tandem first just to see if you'll like it, but you can just walk right in and start AFF. That's what I did! It takes a while for your eyes to adjust to seeing things at altitude. It felt very much like going from a car I'd been driving for 5 years with a digital speedometer to going back to an analog. For a while I didn't know where to look or what to look for. It took me a while to get to the point where I could pick out landmarks at 12000 feet, or find something decent to lock onto on the horizon so that I could hold a heading. I'm not sure all the anxiety ever goes away. Friend of mine has a D license with over a thousand jumps and he told me he still gets nervous on the plane. I had an instructor who's been in the sport for decades tell me the same thing. It does get better, though. As for the risk, a bit of googling reveals that about 1 in 140000 skydives results in a fatality. Comparatively, in the USA about 13 cars per 100000 are involved in fatal car crashes (Driving to the airport about 10x more dangerous than jumping out of an airplane!) Fatality rates for motorcycles are around 72 per 100000 registered motorcycles. So really, if you think about it, it's the safest thing you can do! Ok not really, but we do a lot more dangerous things without even thinking about it. It's not like there's anything we can do that will make us live forever! There's certainly no reason why you couldn't freefly AND swoop! A lot of people at my dropzone seem to do both quite happily!I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
