Did anyoen get into skydiving before even trying tandem?

[yoink 321]

You are not a special or unique snowflake...

;)

[Blis 1]

Di0

I know of at least a couple of people that never did a tandem and went straight into AFF. It's not "common" but it generally doesn't cause more reactions than a "eheh, that's cool!" from other skydivers.
Incidentally, if you stay in the sport long enough, you'll have your chance of trying a tandem for free when recurrency season comes around and TIs needs experienced skydivers to be taken on refresher rides. And that's actually pretty funny because IT IS a very different sort of experience at that point.

From what i've heard from fellow skydivers, it's scary as fuck to be the lucky recurrency passenger...

[GAjumper84 0]

My first exit from a plane was completely alone (IAD which is the modern version of static line). I thought I would only do it once, so it might as well be the whole experience. I didn't really know what I was doing other than that it would be me in control, didn't know that I wouldn't get any freefall. Really didn't know much about skydiving when I signed up for that FJC. Of course then I got hooked and over 100 jumps later still love every minute of it.

[ChuteRequired 0]

I decided on a Wednesday that I wanted to give it a go but without doing a tandem. Two of the three places in NE required a tandem first so I ended up at Jumptown and am happy that I did. I did two jumps my first day and three the next. Best thing I've ever done.

[mccurley 0]

An whole lot of skydiving happened long long long time before Tandems or AFF were ever even thought about.
Hell a lot of people had parachutes that were ROUND!!!!!!

Watch my video Fat Women
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRWkEky8GoI

[JeffCa 0]

I made this thread a while back:

http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=4641881

Only 31% of people responded that they did tandem first, and many of them were because it was a requirement for solo training or because they didn't even know about solo then.

My first jump was a solo static line, a one-time thing. Only did tandem once years later with the then girlfriend, then did full solo training a couple of years after that.

"So many fatalities and injuries are caused by decisions jumpers make before even getting into the aircraft. Skydiving can be safe AND fun at the same time...Honest." - Bill Booth

[Andy9o8 0]

mccurley

An whole lot of skydiving happened long long long time before Tandems or AFF were ever even thought about.
Hell a lot of people had parachutes that were ROUND!!!!!!

Our fathers use bedsheets! And they were thankful!

[ryoder 1,380]

Andy9o8

***An whole lot of skydiving happened long long long time before Tandems or AFF were ever even thought about.
Hell a lot of people had parachutes that were ROUND!!!!!!

Our fathers use bedsheets! And they were thankful!

You were lucky to have bedsheets!
We only had some old palm fronds that we had to share among the 26 of us!

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

[Andy9o8 0]

ryoder

******An whole lot of skydiving happened long long long time before Tandems or AFF were ever even thought about.
Hell a lot of people had parachutes that were ROUND!!!!!!

Our fathers use bedsheets! And they were thankful!

You were lucky to have bedsheets!
We only had some old palm fronds that we had to share among the 26 of us!

Your palms had fronds??

[Av1ator 0]

This question makes me realize my age. When I made my first jump in the early 70s, there were no Tandems, no AFF. They did not exist.
The progression was static line, dummy ripcord pull, hop n pops and 10 second delays.
I made five static line jumps my first day and three hop n pops the next weekend.
At 60 years old I still enjoy skydiving. Made three jumps last weekend.

[ryoder 1,380]

Av1ator

This question makes me realize my age. When I made my first jump in the early 70s, there were no Tandems, no AFF. They did not exist.

When: 1968
Where: Lake Elsinore CA
Instructor: Bob Sinclair
Student: Johnny Carson

Sure, it was a one-off stunt, as opposed the the fully developed program Ken Coleman developed years later.

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

[Av1ator 0]

I was indeed referring to some type of standardized program that was available to the average guy. There was none to my knowledge, at that time, other than static line. Even hand deployed pilot chutes were just coming on the scene.

[AlanS 1]

Ramzisleiman

Did anyoen get into skydiving before even trying tandem?

As I said in a different thread, "yes" like many others I started "static-line" before tandems even existed. Then took 20 years off, and came back via AFF without doing a tandem.


Two points to add to this thread.

The idea of someone else being in control of my fate wasn't appealing and I think I'd skip the tandem even if it was available.

As a way to get into skydiving, I think static-line has some advantages over AFF and should be offered more. I like that static-line start you off by making you learn good canopy skills first and then eases you into the free-fall portion of it. I see this as a of avoiding the "sensory overload" of your first few AFF jumps. I think for some people AFF can be too much all at once.

[paulzeee 0]

First jump was AFF. My first and likely last tandem was jump #101

[BIGUN 1,042]

mccurley

An whole lot of skydiving happened long long long time before Tandems or AFF were ever even thought about.
Hell a lot of people had parachutes that were ROUND!!!!!!

Nor did we have AAD's

Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

[fir3fly 0]

I also started with AFF. I've wanted to skydive ever since I found out people do this. So at the first chance in my life that I had both money and time I registered for the course. I never considered doing a tandem because 1. I prefer to be in control of my fate, 2. I trusted myself to pull from the first jump (and I did) 3. it made no sense to spend the extra money for the tandem because I was on a tight budget.

I haven't regretted that decision, although looking back, a tandem would have helped with the first canopy ride - navigating in the air. That was the scariest part for me in my first jump "So how do I get down there? Ummm.. where is "there"?!?!" :p

Just have fun and remember that AFF is training. When you train you might need to repeat something and it's totally ok - just a bit more expensive in skydiving.

Live to jump another day

[Guru312 0]

BIGUN

***An whole lot of skydiving happened long long long time before Tandems or AFF were ever even thought about.
Hell a lot of people had parachutes that were ROUND!!!!!!

Nor did we have AAD's
Yup, me, too a long, long, long time ago.

No tandem. No AAD. No AFF. Packed my own rig for my first and most subsequent jumps. Many of my jumps were on round parachutes of surplus vintage and known as a cheapo.

I hold the world record for parachuting night pukes. No one has gotten sick jumping out of an airplane at night as often as I have. If you want a challenge, try breaking my record:
http://aicommand.com/PukeDuke.htm

And...my only malfunction was packed by someone else.

Guru312

I am not DB Cooper

[AZogrediver 0]

I went straight into AFF. I was willing to do a tandem but at 6' 3" and 265lbs tandem isn't an option for me.

[pchapman 261]

AZogrediver

at 6' 3" and 265lbs tandem isn't an option for me.

Just depends where you are, what the local DZ's rules are, and what equipment they have.
Some places it is easier to do a tandem at that size than an AFF. (For example, I've taken people as large as 300lbs on a tandem -- just sortof in legal limits at my skinny weight a few years back -- but the DZ didn't have gear or instructors at the time who would handle an AFF student that big.) Good for you that you were able to find a place that would train you!