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TheElderBrother

Been trying to find a drop zone for thirty years...

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I have a number of disabilities that are worth thinking through if I want to vigorously and recreationally throw myself at the ground, and miss...

...but here's one disability I've never been able to work around. I'm a pituitary giant. I have Acromegaly, the same condition that made Andre a giant, although I ended up being on the small end of giant and on the giant end of normal. I'm 6'6". My lean body mass weighs 275 pounds, and my raw bodyweight roams between 355 and 385, so I need to find a jump zone with a really huge canopy for a tandem jump with my giant ass and a quasi-normal instructor, or a jump zone that will let me jump from a static line.

I am prepared to greet everyone based solely on their accomplishments and character, so if you write back and tell me that you know an instructor who's also the stunt double for Peter Dinklage, I'd love to meet that guy. He sounds like a bad ass, and maybe he can help me with my math problem.

I've been dying to jump since I was a teenager thirty years ago, so if you know anyone who can help me hook that up, please! Let me know if there's a big and tall version of the sport available anywhere in North America, because I'm in!

And if there isn't, what would need to happen for that to change?

All the best,

George Oldroyd
[email protected]

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It will help if we know where you live, that could make a big difference to the recommendations you get. You might still be advised to travel somewhere but at least you will get closer options.
Summer Rental special, 5 weeks for the price of 4! That is $160 a month.

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There is no such thing as a tandem passanger harness for sb your size.
And a TI the size of Peter Dinklage isn't going to help either. You'd need to find a guy that is able (and willing) to control both of you during the skydive. For that he/she'd need quite a range so theoretically you should search for somebody that resembles slenderman. I'm 6'3, 187 lbs and my weight limit for a tandem passenger is around 240lbs athleticaly build, less if they are more fat than anything else. I Know of a few that jump with even heavier students but nothing in your class thats for sure.

Still thats just theoretical as there still is no harness certified for your size.

Your best bet would be to find a DZ that has a Tandem rig converted to a solo one. Still you'd likely have to reconfigure/enlarge the harness as there obviously is quite a lot of body to strap around.

So, I'd say it's definitely doable but still there is the question whether you actually should?!

Landing is quite rough if you don't know what you are doing. With an exit weight of 400 lbs every mistake can and will break you badly, even under a really big tandem canopy. Not only hurt but break. Your bones are still only biologicaly certified for around 220-260 lbs of normal use (yes I made that up but you get the point?!)

So... no, I don't thing you could find anybody on this planet that is willing to teach you how to skydive

That being said...

Go to a Windtunnel and learn to fly your body there. It definitely lacks the view and most of the rush but boy, its fun as hell =)

I truly believe this is the closest YOU could ever get to real skydiving... if... you don't loose any weight.

get rid of at least 100lbs (yes, also some muscles) and it should be a peace of cake for you to make your livelong dream of jumping a reality ...


ETA: lots of stills, should reconsider my writing style
-------------------------------------------------------

To absent friends

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How transferable are paragliding skills though? I know that skydivers generally make lousy paraglider pilots (on account of us assuming it'd be just like piloting our mains), but how about the other way around?
"Skydivers are highly emotional people. They get all excited about their magical black box full of mysterious life saving forces."

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mathrick

How transferable are paragliding skills though? I know that skydivers generally make lousy paraglider pilots (on account of us assuming it'd be just like piloting our mains), but how about the other way around?



I recently got my paragliding license and the experience greatly improved my skydive canopy flying and confidence.
Summer Rental special, 5 weeks for the price of 4! That is $160 a month.

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mathrick

How transferable are paragliding skills though? I know that skydivers generally make lousy paraglider pilots (on account of us assuming it'd be just like piloting our mains), but how about the other way around?



..............................................................:.......

What happens when you bisect the word "assume?"

You make an ass out of you and me.
Hah!
Hah!

Modern para-gliding canopies don't look like parachutes anymore .... haven't looked like parachutes for decades .... anyone who expects them to fly the same is ..... an ass!

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