howdy

[hallucinaut 0]

Hello.

I've never skydived before, but have always wanted to. I'm going to try it asap, and see if I enjoy it as much as I believe I will.

Other than that, I'm 21 and live in eastern Washington.

[FlyingRhenquest 1]

Good for you! I'm not sure the middle of winter is exactly the best time to start, but whatever works for you. Any reason you're choosing now over, say, spring?

Are you planning on doing a tandem or going straight to AFF or static line training?

I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

[hallucinaut 0]

I'm not sure what those terms mean, but that gives me a good place to start my research, thanks.

I probably won't be going until spring, so I feel its a good time to collect info.

[FlyingRhenquest 1]

Ooh! You're in for some fun!

Tandem: You're strapped to a dude to go out of the plane. Pros: The fastest way to do a skydive, with not much more than a briefing before you go out of the plane. Cons: You're strapped to a dude. (This may be a pro if you like that sort of thing.)

AFF/Static Line: A couple different methods of skydiver training. I did AFF myself so I don't know much about static line. AFF is typically a course of a ground school and 7(ish) jumps wherein you learn the basics of how to stay alive while skydiving. Instructors accompany you on your jumps but it's a solo skydiving experience. For what it's worth, I'm quite impressed with the results of my AFF training. I started back in July, so I'm fairly new myself.

I suppose it might be a good time to mention vertical wind tunnels. Google for "Indoor Skydiving" in your area. They aren't cheap (Neither is skydiving) but you can learn to fly your body in one without all the distractions of an actual skydive. Distractions like a planet coming up to say "hi" at 120 mph. Veterans here complain that they don't teach you altitude awareness or dealing with those other distractions, but my opinion is that whatever you can do to reduce the sensory overload of your first skydive will probably give you a better chance of paying attention to those other distractions.

Edit: Oh, and there's a lot of youtube footage of AFF, Tandem, Freefly, Wingsuit, etc jumps out there. If you want to actually see what something might be like, that's a good place to start.

I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

[hallucinaut 0]

righteous, thanks for the help.

The closest skydiving company around offers a nice solo course option. $200 for training and your first jump, and $85 per jump after that until you reach full altitude which is about $90 per jump.


You said you started in july, so have you finished both your IAD jumps and all your 25 coach jumps or just the IAD's?

[FlyingRhenquest 1]

I did AFF. You'd have to talk to someone who went the IAD route to see what they think of the training. I haven't heard anything particularly bad about either one. I bet you could find some IAD jumps on youtube too, so you can see what the difference would be. Come to think of it, I might go see if I can find some, just so I can form an impression of it.

I finished my A license requirements back in early September. To date, I have 66 jumps and about half an hour of tunnel time. I'm going to try to get another couple skydives in this weekend if it's not completely miserable

I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

[skymama 35]

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

[gregpso 1]

Howdy mate ! you are in for the ride of your life.. enjoy !!

I tend to be a bit different. enjoyed my time in the sport or is it an industry these days ??