How I started skydiving

[christoofar 0]

Ok. Spill the beans. What got you into doing this shit?

Here's mine:

Gf of mine got a tandem gift cert. for her 29th b-day. A week before her 30th, I'm at her desk (we were coworkers, I was on a different floor), and I'm razzing her about her gift certificate while she's tidying up her desk. She raised an eyebrow at me.

Two weeks later, we're BOTH sitting on the floor of a Twin Otter wondering WHAT THE F??? are we doing here?! Karen left the plane first, followed by me, and then by my brother, who was doing his 400th jump.

I knew about my bro's skydiving for years, but I wrote it off as being "crazy." I never thought a chick would dare me into it.

Now, I get "the shakes" after going a couple weekends w/o jumping.

____________________________________________________________
I'm RICK JAMES! Fo shizzle.

[TomAiello 25]

I was a serious rock climber (lived in my truck climbing for a year and a half).

One day, we're finishing up a long route on a big wall in a famous national park. We see these two guys go flying past.

My jaw drops. I turn to my partner.

"I've got to try that."

The rest, is history (well, actually it's research, training, practice, serious expenditure, finding an instructor, and a whole lot of fun).

I think about it every time I hop off that big stone.

-- Tom Aiello

[email protected]
SnakeRiverBASE.com

[dbattman 0]

I tried it back in '97 after I got established in my first post-college job. I loved it, but didn't have any extra money since I was starting out and paying down debt.

I was traveling for work in April 2001 and just walked onto the dropzone. I needed a new challenge and jumped (heh-heh) right into it. I stuck with it because I absolutely love the people I meet.

[moodyskydiver 0]

My bf did it and I've always been crazy,so it kinda fit. Then we got engaged..great!even better,a skydiving couple! NOT!!!! I was very broke and didn't have the $$$ for my student classes..so b/c I hated not being able to jump and had to sit at the DZ every weekend(per his request for moral support)..he decided he didn't think I could handle his extremely busy life and he left me. Oh well! Now I'm about to do AFF 5,I'm single and having fun,I think I might have a new job,and I'm goning back to college.As far as I'm concerned..he can go to hell and I'll skydive w/o him!!!

OK..Sorry..I'll get off the soapbox now.

"...just an earthbound misfit, I."

[skydiverbrian 0]

Surprise birthday present from my then-boyfriend. I told him he was nuts - there was no way in hell I was jumping. But I did, then we broke up and the money from the boyfriend-budget became the skydiving-budget. Ain't life great?!

In a world full of people, only some want to fly... isn't that crazy! --Seal

[freeflir29 0]

The military offered me jump school. I said Cool!! Didn't start skydiving for fun until 4 years later. I could kick myself for waiting so long!!!!

[Gypsy 0]

Somthing along the same lines.

My best friend got a gift certificate. She called me up and told me along with asking if i wanted to go ... I said, "HELL YEAH!!!!! NAME THE DATE AND TIME, I'M THERE!!!" Damn near screaming the whole time with excitement.

• Quote

[Jasmin 0]

I must be the only person here who didn't get a gift voucher
My parents met at my home DZ, she was purportedly the best student he ever had! He was an instructor at the DZ then (versus the owner).
My first jump was a sunset 20-way +3camera, with the tandem acting as base, on my 14th b'day. My mum was on it and my Dad was my TM. Everyone on the dive was family friends or DZ friends!
Truth be told, I thought about chickening out, then pride took hold, so I did it.
32 tandems, D licence and five years later I'm still jumping at the same DZ!

xj

"I wouldn't recommend picking a fight with the earth...but then I wouldn't recommend picking a fight with a car either, and that's having tried both."

[drenaline 0]

After I wrote this I thought it was a good idea to change the topic a litle for me.

I think the year was 1991 or 1990 I had 10 years of age, went to the dropzone thinking that my neighbor was going to be flying his R/C planes and when I arrived I saw him in a car with a twisted ankle, asked him why and he told me cause he made his first jump, that same day talked to the instructor and he told me I had to wait until I was 16.

The year 1997 came I was 16 and my dad told me that I would never going to do anything dangerous including everything, after a car crash (dad driving going to school, I always knew school was evil ) I almost broke my neck and it made me realize that life is short and random, I will never going to know when I am leaving so I should live extreme and try everything (if you think gay, you go to far). Had to be in recovery for 2-3 years.

1999, 17 years old I dated my first girlfriend, she didn't like the idea of me jumping and I never tried to find out what to do to jump (we don't have DZ so no phone book, we only had a secret society of skydivers that jumped every sunday ), that happened for 2 years and some months.

2001 I am 19 years old I break up with my gf (best thing to happen to me in my life), all of a sudden I recieve a call, it was my godfathers son, a good friend a brother and a man that made his first and only jump on 1991 or 1990 and twisted his ankle, told me that the skydiving instructor was going to talk about skydiving to those who wanted to do it, to be there in his Pilot school at 6p.m. went there and wrote my name on the list for the next class that was one week after.

Scared for the jump, I talked some friends into it, convinced a class mate and gave it as a gift to one of my best friends.

We took the SL course on a friday night, saturday night I was practicing in my bed my arch, count and emergency procedures and my best friend in the couch doing the same.

Sunday arrived it was jump day, at the dropzone at 8 am my dad came with me, first time that my dad has ever gone to a place were I do a sport (my dad is the best dad in the world but for some reason he never showed at my taekwondo practice, tennis, soccer, hapkido). First load landed, plane lands (cessna 172) and guess who was the jumppilot, yep the same man that twisted his ankle my friend and brother, he was going to be my jump pilot, cool. My best friend goes first, damn he really did it, didn't backed out that means it was my time and I couldn't back out. Time to go and be on the step, look inside "GIANNI ARE YOU READY?" the ride was fun let me feel the wind in the step, felt nice, then I remembered I was going to skydive, JM asked "NICE RIDE HUH? SO GIANNI ARE YOU READY?" I answered "UH HUH!", JM: "JUMP!", me:"SEX!!!", me again "wow feels great, mmm.. oh yeah I had to count lemme see, right 7 thousand" (of course canopy was already opened). Followed the radio, did everything backwards, instructor:"Left!" me:"huh? right? ok", then did it all by myself with no radio help (I kept confusing the instructions and it was hard to hear) until landed, nice flare but was scared and I presented my butt to the relative land . WOOHOO!! best day of my life!

After that I kept jumping alot and one of the reasons is cause my dad likes to go and see me, and it has only happened in skydiving. I LOVE THE SPORT!!!!!

HISPA 21
www.panamafreefall.com

[CanuckInUSA 0]

First I should say that for years I've wanted to try skydiving, but I guess I subscribed to the Whuffo theorum of "why" (well you know the rest of the saying). But then six weeks ago today I did my first tandem jump with a group of single people I know (some of who I play volleyball with) and I said to myself "wow, jumping out of airplanes is just way to cool not to do again". So I immediately signed up for the AFF ground school (I was the only one in my group that day that signed up) and the following weekend I did my first two AFF levels. Since then I have graduated my AFF, done virtually everything I needed to do to get my "A" License except for my pack job jump (I wanted to do it this weekend but the DZ was too busy) and I have 24 jumps under my belt.

PS: I'm hoping to convince the Whuffo boss at wotk that I need to take some time off later this week so that I can get my pack job done and do my "A" License check dive and oral quiz. Wish me luck (for the Whuffo boss not the pack job and jump as the boss tends to think that work is the only thing that matters in life).

Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

[drenaline 0]

Quote

the boss tends to think that work is the only thing that matters in life

If the work is jumping he might be right

HISPA 21
www.panamafreefall.com

[Viking 0]

It all started when i found my dads static line rig in the closet. It was blue and had a bunch of these silver hoses everywhere. I made my mind right then that when i turned 20 i wanted to skydive. I told my mom that fact two years before my 20th bday. When that day hit my God Mother, brother and Father drove up to Elsinore. My dad who had flown out from Louisiana for my bday did a tandem with me!! I then went back to my life for a year rarly ever thinking of jumping. Then I met this cool dude at school that saw my elsinore shirt and asked me how many jumps i had. I told him that i had only done a tandem. He told me that he was good friends with the owner of a dropzone and could probly get me free jump tickets!! So needless to say i went down to the DZ. I didn't have the $$$ for my AFF course so i started doing manual labor for money. After two months of going to the DZ every sunday Buzz the DZO mentioned that i could go on account and do my lvl 1. Well i jumped on that offer and the next weekend i started my carrer of scaring people leaving a trail of popped zippers and torn seams behind me

I swear you must have footprints on the back of your helmet - chicagoskydiver
My God has a bigger dick than your god -George Carlin

[CanuckInUSA 0]

Quote

Quote

the boss tends to think that work is the only thing that matters in life

If the work is jumping he might be right

No not in this case. The Whuffo boss is a computer geek who's only interest in this world seems to be computers.

Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

[Snowbird 0]

I love threads like this. So cool to see what motivates everyone here.

I had lots of little factors.
The local dropzone is very close to my house. Watching skydivers made me want to try it. I checked into it, learned what it cost, and chose not to do it.

Two years ago I watched a Skyhawks demo and decided that one day, I REALLY had to try it out.

1 1/2 years ago, my dad died. That began a long process of re-evaluating my life and motivations and beliefs.

Last year, I turned 30 and decided I had to do something extreme, something no one really believed I'd do - me included. So I told everyone I wanted $ for my birthday, and signed up for my FJC and did it. Did five jumps before winter cut me off.

I spent all winter obsessed with being up in the air again. This spring I started up again with the intention of at least getting off student status this year. Did that, already got gear, want my 'A' by winter, hang out at the dz most weekends, and my life has done a 180o change in priorities and values.

My only regret is that I didn't do this years ago.

Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea.
-Robert A. Heinlein

[jessefs 0]

<* Spread the Love! *>

[jessefs 0]

It was a dark and stormy night.....wait, wrong story
It was my girlfriends 22nd birthday and I had a little surprise for her. I picked her up without telling her a thing. 1 minute away from the DZ, I told her that she better call any loved ones now because we were going to be jumping out of a plane in about an hour. She started freaking out and said that her arms went numb. For a minute I didn't think that she was going to go through with it which I was a little worried about since we had no prior discussion about it. (I knew that I always wanted to do it but I wasn't so sure about her) She ended up going through with it and we each did 2 tandems that weekend while camping at the dropzone. We are both now going through AFP. She says that it was the best birthday ever, I'd have to agree with her.
Cheers
Jesse

<* Spread the Love! *>

[beowulf 1]

Skydiving has always been on my list of things to try at least once before I die. So when in 1994 I happened to drive past Pheonix Skydiving (now called Chicagoland Skydiving) and saw their sign with phone number to call about jumping. I was so excited about the possibility of jumping that I called them as soon as I got home. They told be it would cost $150. I said "thats all". Little did I know how expensive this sport really is. I was very cocky doing my first tandem. Didnt even bother to read the waiver. Just initialed and signed it as quickly as possible. I was more interested in the training and getting up to altitude. I just wanted to jump. finally jumped what a rush knew I was addicted right away
thousands of dollars later here I am still jumping!

[ernokaikkonen 0]

August 1998. I was staying at my mother's summerhouse, and went to to local store to buy some food. I saw an innocent looking ad on the notice-board, which of course advertised FJCs. The DZ was only 5km from my mom's house. I looked at it, took a phone-number slip, and went back to the summerhouse.

-"Mom, can I have 300€ so I can go skydiving?"
-"Umm, yeah, sure. You're going to have help around here for the money though."
-"Ok sure no problem."

Some time later I found myself hanging from the strut of a Cessna, looking at my JM. She nods at me, I let go, and immediately think "Why the hell did I let go of the plane?"
After landing I knew I was hooked. I jumped my second jump the same day.

Erno

[jumpy 0]

my mum was nagging me about what i wanted for my bday and i had no idea...i think i was looking at websites and stuff trying to find some idea's and then it clicked....i instantly printed out a list of all the dz's in the area and took them down to her....she wasn't exactly thrilled by the idea but my dad had done 10 jumps at the same club back in the sixties so he convinced her and yeah that's about it. I think my first jump was around 19th March this year and i now have 25 jumps and my A licnese

• Quote

[Kirils 1]

In 1968 I bought a complete military (T-10) rig for $90.00. A buddy mine had a family with a Cessna 150. I did statics over their farm as much as possible. If someone did that today they would be in jail...

"Slow down! You are too young
to be moving that fast!"

Old Man Crawfish

[cbain 0]

I was going to six flags with some friends on Saturday, the Friday before a coworker came over to my office, she was also going to six flags. We started talking about the rides and that we were both adreline jumkies, at the time I was learning to hang glide. So she asked if I had ever skydived and I said no but of course I wanted to. She said she wanted to try it to. So I said ok let's go. So we looked on the internet at what dz was closest and went right after work that day. That was May 4, 2002. She hasn't gone back and now I have 169 jumps. After that first tandem I knew there was no going back, it's all I could think about. I had first planned on just trying to gradute by the end of summer but I graduted by the end of May instead and haven't been able to slow down. My family thought I was pretty crazy so I offered to pay for anyone in my immediate family to do their first tandem. So far my dad, step mom, mom and step dad have all done it. My sister will be going on her next visit down here and my brother is only 14 but he already wants to go too. It's great because now they understand why I do it and they don't question me when I spend an entire weekend at the dz.

Christina

[PLFXpert 0]

I had always meant to try skydiving but when something in my life happened...I sort of put everything I wanted to do on hold. Finally, I just said, "f*ck it, I'm getting my life back together," and I scheduled AFF1.

It's exactly what I needed, and I've been jumping ever since.

[narcimund 0]

Quote

In 1968 I bought a complete military (T-10) rig for $90.00. A buddy mine had a family with a Cessna 150. I did statics over their farm as much as possible. If someone did that today they would be in jail...

I'm not clear on why you'd end up in jail. If you had a rig and no experience and a friend with a plane and a farm, what's stopping you from jumping?

I don't have my FAR AIM handy, but I know the FAA expects you to notify them before a jump, carry two approved parachutes, and avoid congested areas. Aside from that I don't think anyone cares.

First Class Citizen Twice Over

[PLFXpert 0]

Quote

As far as I'm concerned..he can go to hell and I'll skydive w/o him!!!

Way to go, moody. A lot of girls would have never come back. That's awesome!

I met my boyfriend right after I graduated AFF. I wouldn't jump w/ him for the longest time b/c he had 3000+ jumps and I felt silly b/c I've always kicked sausage ass when it comes to extreme sports and I didn't want to look like a girl in the air. Ha ha ha. I got over it quickly, though, and now I have my personal instructor on every jump! I love my boy-toy and I'm fortunate he puts up w/ me.

[rhino 0]

I made a tandem jump in 1998. I hit the ground and I was HOOKED!! A month later I had completed IAF and was jumping

Rhino