Best way to become packer

[ManagingPrime 0]

I'll skip the long story, but bottom line is I moved 2K miles and sold all my belongings (including car) so that I could jump year round and be at a DZ where I could progress with great coaches.

The car part might bite me since I have to be at work in the AM and I don't have my beater car yet. In the off chance that I get fired (not likely at this point as I'm going to call off with "car problems"), what is the best way to get into the packing game?

Since I started AFF I knew that I wanted to pack, work as a pilot and jump camera (in that order) and figured about a year before I started the progression. Things may be speeding up. Any advice?

Anyone else jump into skydive head first and scramble to have to make it work?

Little freaked out right now and I'm hoping to hear that it could still all work out.

[Bertt 0]

Tell the folks at the DZ you want to be a packer. Then show up on time and work hard.

You don't have to outrun the bear.

[stratostar 5]

Get a rig out RTFM and start packing over & over till you can get a sign off from the DZ rigger or DZO.

you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

[ManagingPrime 0]

It's a larger DZ with what seems a hands off DZO. So I should go direct to the DZ rigger and just let them know I'm interested? Makes the most sense. The DZ has REALLY experienced packers so I thought about trying to work under one of the packers as a kind of trainee.... Does that happen?

Edit to add: Should I speak with a packer about that first or the rigger?

[stratostar 5]

Read FAR 105.43..... Who is legal to pack a parachute? Answer is, the person jumping it, a packer under the direct supervision of a rigger or a rigger.

While a whole host of places fail to have a rigger supervising the packers, if I was wanting to pack on a dz for money and didn't know shit about it, seems like finding the head rigger and buying lunch for him to talk about it.... before you get to the lunch study up on packing by watching pack like a pro video, and get your hand dirty a bunch, that way your not a total noobie.

It might help some of us to know where you are, many of us know people and could lead you to the right person to talk with.

It's hard work to be good at it and fast, but it's one of the best paid jobs on the dz. Also you being a pilot will help keep you working on most dz's. Might plan of a lot of PB&J for a few weeks till you "hired".

Good luck.

you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

[ManagingPrime 0]

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Read FAR 105.43.....

Thank you. While all advice has confirmed my suspicions a FAR violation did not occur to me. I will find out the riggers favorite meal and try to broach the subject.

I don't think things are going to go to shit, but as I said I've wanted to pack since I started so I guess at the very least this is a good opprotunity to make my interest known.

I'll pickup the video as well.

Thank you.

[NewGuy2005 51]

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....Anyone else jump into skydive head first and scramble to have to make it work?....

Not that I have ever heard of. I think you may be the first one to ever do that.

[billvon 2,400]

Find a senior rigger course; take it. Talk to the DZO and offer your services. Also try the school, local riggers (being careful about how you talk to them, of course) and the organizers. Often local teams need packers and might be willing to take you on if you can handle their workload - for an 4 way team doing back to backs, that means you might have to pack 5 rigs every 20 minutes.

[davelepka 4]

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Since I started AFF I knew that I wanted to pack, work as a pilot and jump camera (in that order)

Packing is by far the easiest of the three. Howvever, at a year round DZ, a spot on the packing mat might be hard to come by. Packers the best paid people on the DZ, and if there's a DZ where you can pack year-round, 4 or 5 days a week, being a packer becomes a 'legitimate' full time job.

Your best bet is just to ask at the DZ and to start with whoever seems to be in charge. If the DZO is hands-off, there has to be a DZ manager somewhere. It might actually help if you explain that you're new, and probably a slow packer, this way you're not going to be eating up all the work.

In terms of being a pilot and camera flyer, you know that it's waaay easier to become a camera flyer than a pilot, right?

You can fly camera with a few hundered jumps, and $1500 worth of camera gear. Total invenstment is less than $10K. With minimal jumps and basic gear, you might not get a slot at a premiere DZ, however. Figure another couple hundered jumps (at least), and another $1000 or so on gear to get a slot at a top DZ.

Becoming a pilot will run you about $8k to $10k, just to get your private with 60-ish hours. You'll need another 200 hours plus a commercial rating before you even get close to flying jumpers in a 182. You can get the hours for about $20k, and the additional training and rating will add on another few thousand.

Good idea to start as a packer. Even if you don't get fired from your new job, stick with the packer idea. It's even easier to get a spot on the mat if you're slow and part time. Packers get paid by the pack job, so a fast, full time packer can easily eat into their income, and often times are not welcome. As long as you're not that guy, you should be able to pick up a few extra bucks, and you'll be at the DZ so you won't miss anything cool.

[ManagingPrime 0]

Great advice. I am in fact a slow packer and I only want to do it part-time. It's good to know that folks tend to not take a dim view of that. I'll ask around today and pickup some videos. Thank you for the advice.

I think I'll still be gainfully employed after this snag, but I still want to be a packer either way so I think this experience is good for starting a fire under my butt.

Again, thank you.