skydive1234 0 #1 February 14, 2013 sup everyone..just signed up. was recently in Vegas and decided to skydive...i jumped tandem at Vegas Extreme Skydiving. people there are really cool..for wearing a New York Rangers shirt i got the punishment of several practical jokes by instructors..one was loose hareness straps joke while on the plane travelling to jump site...will probably leave the NY Sports apparell at home next time i jump out of NY..ha anyway, i am inquring about advice on how to start jumping alone... What also interests me is if people on this forum (and if so how) make a living from skydiving Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FlyingRhenquest 1 #2 February 14, 2013 Well now you need to talk to a dropzone about training. You can go AFF, where you're mostly solo but a couple instructors come along to coach you in mid-air and deploy for you if you don't, or static line, which (I gather) they chuck you out that plane with a line attached to deploy your parachute. Not too clear on that last one, I did AFF. You can find a lot of youtube videos on the subject if you want to see what each one looks like. Either way the results seem to end up the same. A lot of folks put up all 7 of their AFF jumps, sometimes even edited together into one long video. Making a living from the sport seems to involve a fair bit of training. Maybe some other folks can speak to that.I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Quagmirian 40 #3 February 14, 2013 To make a small fortune in skydiving you're going to have to start with a large one. Becoming an instructor will cost a lot of money, but you can earn money (or at least save it) pretty quickly by learning how to pack. You don't have to be a skydiver to do that. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dirtbox 0 #4 February 14, 2013 ok I am kinda bored right now so I'll lay out my career path with costs. You need 3 years in sport and 500 jumps to get your tandem rating. Having an AFF rating and camera flying abilities will greatly add to your income as will willingness to pack. 02/2009 I got an A licence in Australia, 33 jumps, cost ~3500 07/2007 - 07/2011 Worked in South Korea teaching English (degree in journalism), saved 45,000, did 25 jumps between Korea and Thailand, bought a rig, cost 4500. 08/2011 landed in USA with 55 jumps, above saving. Bought a car a jumped in TX, AZ and Fl. Learned 4 way how to wing suit. Got an AFF rating, did 460 jumps and spent ~30,000, earned $0 for the year. Total jumps 500. Lived in a tent. 02/2012 arrived in Canada and got a job at a big DZ on the condition I got a camera helmet and a tandem rating. Started out part time and then an opening in full time opened up and took it, did another 750 jumps in 7 months and made ~30,000. Lived in a tent. 11/2012 to present - landed in Australia (I am australian) and work for a dropzone here for a few months before returning to Canada. Earn about 1000 a week. Live in a shared house with another guy who travels like I do and jumps for a living. I have had job offers/applied for jobs and been successful in other countries but it hasnt always worked out visa wise or for other reasons. I have also been rejected/ignored by other applications. In time I hope to work in Germany and Spain and possibly South Africa and maybe even South America. I am not a very good skydiver but nor am I terrible. I am lucky that my parents have been very supportive and that I never got myself into debt and can manage money well. I will never get rich skydiving but 80k after tax, as an australian, a year is very achievable if you are willing to travel and work at it, so I certainly don't starve. I kind of fell into skydiving as a career but I am having a lot of fun and I like going to work but I also know I wont be able to do this forever :) Anyway that is just my journey so far and it is worth about 2c. Dave Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
potatoman 0 #5 February 14, 2013 you have 3 questions: 1. Visit your local DZ. you can probably do static line, or AFF training. Best you speak to them. 2. Yes, people do make a living out of this sport. (Camera work, Tandem, building/fixing equipment, pilotting, running of DZ, packing, mow the lawn etc) 3. How? Silly question. Did you not pay for your jump in Vegas? So, split the money into little bits, some for the tandem gear, some for the pilot, some for the gas, some for the plane, some for the DZ and so on.You have the right to your opinion, and I have the right to tell you how Fu***** stupid it is. Davelepka - "This isn't an x-box, or a Chevy truck forum" Whatever you do, don't listen to ChrisD. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Snowwhite 0 #6 February 14, 2013 I love your enthusiasm and wish you lots of luck in your skydiving career. My favorite people are skydivers. I will leave you with a joke. What do you call a skydiver without a girlfriend?skydiveTaylorville.org [email protected] Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NWFlyer 2 #7 February 14, 2013 Quote anyway, i am inquring about advice on how to start jumping alone... http://www.uspa.org/BecomeaSkydiver/tabid/54/Default.aspx"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Genego 2 #8 February 14, 2013 QuoteI love your enthusiasm and wish you lots of luck in your skydiving career. My favorite people are skydivers. I will leave you with a joke. What do you call a skydiver without a girlfriend? Homeless.I live with fear and terror, but sometimes I leave her and go skydiving. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airtwardo 6 #9 February 14, 2013 Quote Quote I love your enthusiasm and wish you lots of luck in your skydiving career. My favorite people are skydivers. I will leave you with a joke. What do you call a skydiver without a girlfriend? Homeless. What do a skydiver & a Popsicle have in common? Neither can feed a family! ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
stayhigh 2 #10 February 14, 2013 Packing is one of the hardest jobs to get at the dz. do you think those packers will let anyone waltz in and take their money away??? FUCK NO.Bernie Sanders for President 2016 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GLIDEANGLE 1 #11 February 14, 2013 I am sure that you have noted a theme above regarding poverty and living in a tent. For many of us, the path that works best is having a REAL job with benefits which we supplement with working in skydiving on weekends. I have stability, benefits, AND I get paid to jump. Since I don't rely on jumping to pay the rent... bad weather is simply an inconvenience... not a economic burden. Further, I get to approach my jumping job with a less "desperate" attitude. If there are extra jumps to be done and I am tired/hungry/ready for ... I am happy to let someone who "needs" the working jump have it. YMMV As mentioned above, getting to the point where you can get paid to jump can require a fair amount of $$$ and time investment. Welcome to the sky! The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
