Well, here goes...

[DrDom 0]

Hello all...

OK, so I'm the new guy :)
I've been lurking a bit because 2 of my best friends from Nevada have been coach rated freeflyers and camera jumpers for a couple years now after I recommended jumping to them but never went. Combination of fear (I've actually jumped before though!), lack of money (college student at the time) and lack of time (college, med school, marriage). Anyhow, a few weeks ago I decided "F-it" and did a tandem.

Damn you all for getting me hooked on the rush.

Anyhow, I still have SUBSTANTIAL door anxiety and am working my way through this while setting up my AFF for end of Sept. It will give me a short season but I'm hoping if I just "go for it" i'll get back up there and jump. I feel like the more time I put between my tandem the more likely I am to KEEP putting it off. My wife just shakes her head and doesn't get it but fortunately supports my particular brand of crazy.

About me: I'm basically a 35 year old ER doc; married going on 5 years no. No kids, few cats, and a wife who doesn't understand my adrenaline/dopamine addiction. I live in NH and will be jumping at SkyDive New England (recommend to anyone, really fun place with good people!). I'm also enjoying some wind tunnel training prior to my AFF which is pretty brutal.

I hope to be useful here and hope to see some of you in the skies.

You are not the contents of your wallet.

[Toddnkaya1 0]

Welcome Dom,
Good luck with your training ! Jumping in the fall in New Hampshire sounds like skydiving paradise!!Keep us posted on your progress.

[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

[Boomerdog 0]

Well Doc, welcome to the biggest Lay's Potato Chip outside the supermarket where one jump is too many and several thousand will never be enough!

You're an ER Doc with a desire to jump...you sure do like adrenaline don't you. You might think about doing a magnanimous act and leaving your brain to science once you leave this world. It would be interesting to see how the ol' noodle of yours is wired. But I digress..

Door anxiety eh? The good news is that it's not uncommon, many here write of the same concern. I suffered through it early in AFF training as well. What acft are you jumping from? I did all my training jumps from a Cessna 182P where the door is up close and personal There's also a Cessna 206 at the DZ as well and that door is up close and personal too. Speaking for myself and only myself, the door yips are now down to a safe and manageable level in the noise line but I can sense some of it is still there. From Category C on, there is a required task to demonstrate proficiency in spotting the aircraft and your instructor and/or jumpmaster will train and walk you through it all. I can't say it was easy for the first or second times but over the long haul, I've learned a valuablie skill in spotting. One of the first things I do when I get to the DZ is look at the winds aloft board and calculate the spot and check with my instructor (yes he's still my instructor eventhough I'm now licensed). I then get on a load and ask to spot which allows me to open the door and get out first. Once I'm out and in the air, all is well. This was for me, the best way to beat back the "door monster." Other techniques may work for you and never ever be reticent to talk this over with your instructor. You'll get a lot of unsolicited advice here and my ONLY intent here is to share my experience rather than advice. Your first and sole source of training is your instructor and the coaches the instructor designates to you...they will know you best.

The tunnel is invaluable. I've got about 30 minutes of tunnel time and it was of great help. I've learned that skydiving is counterintuitive in the sense that by getting as relaxed as you possibly can and let gravity and the wind be "welcome partners in the process," you'll have much better control and situational awarenes during the jump.

Finally, why isn't your wife jumping? My wife and I went through AFF training together. In fact, skydiving was her idea. Maybe they should look at my brain too!?!?

Blue Skies

[DrDom 0]

Thanks for the replies... Category a went GREAT!

To answer a question first, my wife will never jump. She isn't into adventure really, thinks she will be too anxious, and feels she can not be clearheaded if an emergency happens. I think that some people probably aren't suitable for the sport, and I think that she is probably one of them. But she WILL go watch, just right now she is on nights (shes an ICU nurse). I respect that as she respects what she calls my "special kind of crazy". Gotta love it. Hell, today was our 5th anniversary and she let me do my first jump ;)

AS for the door... well... I had two AWESOME instructors who helped me get through it and it went great. SkyDive New England just has some amazing people and they didn't make me feel weird just for telling them I was insanely nervous.

Now that I remember how it feels... I think I can do this. I had to prepare for our anniversary so couldn't eek in a second jump but... weather is still nice :)

You are not the contents of your wallet.

[shoeless_wonder 0]

I only have a few jumps, but I am a frequent static line jumper in the army (I know it isnt the same, but it helps a little). For me, the anxiety went away after a few jumps. You'll get used to it and you might start to enjoy it. What helped me, was figuring out exactly what it was that I was nervous about. Than once I had that part figured out, I reassured myself that it was ok. Door anxiety is normal, I am sure it will pass with some time.

For me, it was the fact that I was TERRIFIED of heights (strange profession and hobby, I know). Once I figured out that was what I was most nervous about, I just made an effort to remember that I have a parachute on my back. So even if I DO fall out prematurely, I will still be perfectly fine.

Its what worked for me, but everybody is different. Sounds like you have great instructors, so lean on them for advice.

Hope to see you in the sky one day my friend.

What is the point of life, if you don't live it?
To escape fear, you have to go through it, not around.

[airtwardo 6]

Well Doc, like most things - the more ya do it the less it bothers ya!

Door anxiety, gear fear etc. is nothing more than that pesky self-preservation gene tryin' to ruin your fun...takes a while but once you find the 'override switch' - things really get interesting!

See ya in the clouds!

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[DrDom 0]

Well, Passed CatA and CatB, CatC tomorrow and maybe more. There is still a lot of fear, but the door doesn't bother me NEARLY as much. Just the sensory overload when I exit and concurrently de-arch. Gotta work onthat.

You are not the contents of your wallet.

[DrDom 0]

airtwardo

Well Doc, like most things - the more ya do it the less it bothers ya!

Door anxiety, gear fear etc. is nothing more than that pesky self-preservation gene tryin' to ruin your fun...takes a while but once you find the 'override switch' - things really get interesting!

See ya in the clouds!

Not sure what happened... since Jump 4 I have no fear of the door. Now what I'm left with is "performance anxiety" (not the bedroom kind). So much to learn and its always a little more awkward!

Thanks for the encouragement from EVERYONE getting me out that door.

Door Monster = DEFEATED!

You are not the contents of your wallet.