New to this

[SpencerP 0]

I've never been skydiving, but I have plans to go out as soon as the weather gets nicer. I've wanted to do this for quite some time and I have a few questions on how to go about it.

Should I do a tandem? I've heard some people say to do it to see if you enjoy the sport but I honesty can't see myself not enjoying it, so should I just skip it and go right to the FJC?

Now for gear. I know I should wait until I actually start skydiving to think about gear but I was hoping someone could give me a rough estimate on how much it would cost for everything.

Finally, I'm not sure how many of you are from Alberta if any but help finding the right dropzone would be awesome

[Absolut 0]

1. tandem is always a good idea. don't go straight to aff, skydiving is a lot different than you might think, not in a bad way, but quite a lot of people just don't seem to be able to handle it. might be wasted money, i've already seen quite a few people giving up their course. i was almost one of them although i had my first old skydiving rig to play with when i was eleven and spend my entire freetime learning everything about skydiving till i was 17 ;-) if you're really eager to start maybe a first jump course isn't a bad idea, you're assisted in freefall, but alone under canopy except for the radio. this takes much more nerves. so if i were you i would go with at tandem at first, can't go wrong with that, just get a feeling of the air!

2.Gear-forget about that now, after aff talk to your instruktors and get and own helmet and altimeter, that's it till you get your licence

3. i don't know anything about that

Blue skies

[dthames 0]

There are training programs that start out with "working tandems" where you have specific tasks to do other than just hanging on for the ride. The correct answer for your first question varies. If you can find the DZ where you want to train, talk to the instructors there. They should be able to help you decide. They might have concerns different than you do, suggesting what they think is best for you. You will end up with some type of relationship with the instructors. It is not too early to start learning from them, if you are serious.

$4000 USD for used gear would/should get you operational, when the time comes.....ballpark figure.

Instructor quote, “What's weird is that you're older than my dad!”

[GLIDEANGLE 1]

I am an AFF instructor. I have made over 500 AFF jumps with students & taught over 50 FJC.

DO A TANDEM!!!

1. It lets you ENJOY the experience without the distraction of the many tasks you will have in AFF.

2. Lets you experience the tremendous sensory input (often sensory overload), without needing to do any tasks.

3. It lets you SEE and feel the landing before you have to do it by yourself.

The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

[FlyingRhenquest 1]

Mmm, if I had a do-over I'd put in about half an hour (3x10 minute sessions over the course of a week or two) in a vertical wind tunnel learning to body fly a bit before getting in the sky. Probably would have saved me a couple of AFF repeats, which would have more than paid for the tunnel time.

Some people will belittle tunnel time, saying it doesn't teach you to be altitude aware or how to fly a canopy. Personally I think knowing a bit about how to react when the air hits you before getting out of the airplane would be helpful. You can also do practice touches in the tunnel.

Plus it gives you something to do until the weather gets nicer. Heh heh heh.

I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

[Tink1717 2]

As a former instructor and tandem master I can say that you should certainly do a tandem first. The introduction to the freefall environment in a controlled setting is worth its weight in gold. Also, you might be one of the rare students who come away not thrilled with jumping. A tandem, as opposed to AFF, will save you money in that regard.

So, if you've read this far you're likely committed to jumping. Let's base the next part on the standing that you're going to pursue the sport. With that being said, you are looking at a substantial layout of cash in your fist year. After that it gets less demanding but can get expensive at any one point.

You are looking at ( based on last years prices at the DZ I last worked) about $1500 USD for your lessons. This is directly related to your performance and can be less ro substantially more. Then you're looking at about another $1000 USD or so to finish getting your license.

A good way to supplement your training is tunnel time. Get as much as you can afford and as often as you can. It is truly the best non jumping training you can get.

After that it's time to get gear. You will need to get your own personal gear. Student gear is just that - student gear - you will outgrow it by the time you leave the nest.

You will be councilled to start off with used gear for a rig, main, reserve and AAD. This is highly sound advice that is a near universal standard in the sport. A used system will set you back about $2500 or so, depending on what you get, where, and from whom. Be very careful and let your instructors and riggers in on every step of your decisions. We've been there before and want to make sure you get the best deal possible.

You will also need some ancillary gear to go with your rig. Jumpsuit ($300 or so new, $50 and up used). Altimeter ($150-ish new, $25 and up used {be very skeptical of used altimeters. They're often untrustworthy. IMNSHO}). Helmet ($40-500. You get what you pay for.) Goggles ($10-200) Gear Bag ($100-300) Packing Mat ($~50) and about $100 bucks worth of things that escape my mind at the moment ( Not a hard thing to do at any time).

So, think of it as more or less like buying a motorcycle: expensive start up costs, but relatively cheap after that.

Skydivers don't knock on Death's door. They ring the bell and runaway... It really pisses him off.
-The World Famous Tink. (I never heard of you either!!)
AA #2069 ASA#33 POPS#8808 Swooo 1717

[FlyingRhenquest 1]

Rubber bands. Packing tool. Beer. That pretty much covers it. I'm pretty sure one of Newton's laws states that if you spring for the top shelf helmet, you'll lose it on the very next jump.

I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

[DocPop 1]

Look at it this way:

If you do AFF you are CERTAIN to be alone under canopy. You may or may not be OK with this shortly after the first time you exit a flying aeroplane.

If you do a tandem, you have someone with at least 500 jumps of experience with you the whole time. If you don't need them, then you haven't really lost anything.

You might be fine never doing a tandem, I and countless others have been, but you will only know for sure after the fact.

"The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls."

~ CanuckInUSA

[PixieUK 0]

As a newbie who only started last August, I would say definitely do a tandem.

It gave me some idea of what to expect in terms of the climb to altitude, opening the door, getting to the door, that first shock of freefall (it's cold and VERY noisy), what it feels like when the parachute opens, how bloody fast the ground appears to come up to meet you at landing etc etc

I was actually one of those people whose tandem didn't get them completely hooked - I couldn't really see what all the fuss was about so was talked into doing my AFF level 1. That turned out to be a whole different level of adrenaline, lol.

I would also second the tunnel time. Due to high winds, it took me several days of hanging around the dz between doing my ground school and actually managing to do my first AFF jump. A couple of people recommended I have some tunnel coaching in the meantime and it was definitely a good investment. 10 mins in the tunnel is worth way more time than 10-12 jumps with freefall - a coach can correct you instantly and can easily catch you if you flip / spin / go unstable and then can show you on video what caused it and how to correct it.
I never suffered with unstable exit issues like some of the other students I learned with and I would attribute a large amount of that to the early tunnel time.

A mind once stretched by a new idea never regains its original dimensions - Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr

[Speer 0]

It is good that you are asking, and you have received some very sound arguments for doing a tandem first.
I caution you that if you proceed in this sport, your own opinions should continue to take a very distant backseat to input from instructors! You should also be especially wary of taking opinions from those of us on the web... having said all that, your initial decision in the matter of a first jump can only be made appropriately when your own personality, and ability to respond to stress is honestly factored in!

There have been thousands who have done a first jump course without a tandem, and done it well, so there is nothing inherently wrong with it. The use of tandems and vertical wind tunnels HAVE brought new and very useful tools to the sport, but that doesn't mean everyone must or should use them. The problem in an endeavor such as skydiving is that "not knowing what you don't know" can kill you...in that regard it is a little different than learning to make Belgian Waffles.

I had absolutely no interest in doing a tandem, so for me it was never even a question. If you would be just as happy doing the tandem, then all the suggestions made probably dictate what you should do.

Finally go to one of the Dropzones in Alberta, and get some first hand input from the people who will guide you as you learn to skydive. There are 5 DZs listed for Alberta. Two near Edmonton, two near Calgary, and one in between. You can get contact info by clicking on the "Dropzones" tab at the top of this forums web page.

Whatever you decide, as one of the posts above says, very few make a jump and come away disappointed, enjoy!

Russ

Generally, it is your choice; will your life serve as an example... or a warning?