mellow 0 #1 May 31, 2009 about 3 weeks ago i did my first tandem, and ever since then i've not been able to stop thinking about skydiving. i've decided to sign up for aff, which starts in 4 weeks. i'm 48, in good health but not all that athletic, and know next to nothing about the sport. in fact, before my tandem jump (which was a surprise gift from my son), i had never even seen anybody skydive before. watching my video was the first time i actually saw what it looked like. so, i feel like i have a relatively steep learning curve ahead of me, and want to do all that i can to get the most out of aff. since i find myself almost constantly thinking about skydiving, and those thoughts range from sheer joy and anticipation all the way to fear and anxiety, mixed with a little curiosity about my sanity, i thought i'd try and channel all of that enegy into something constructive. here's what i'm doing: i'm reading everything i can get my hands on. i bought a sim, and skydiver's handbook, i've read lots of safety articles online, and dozens and dozens of threads, old and new right here. i realize that there may be major inconsistencies with the information i'm getting from books and online vs. what i'll be taught in my aff course. the main reason i'm studying now is just to get acclimated, learn some basic vocabulary and basic concepts, and get a feel for the sport. i've watched tons of youtube skydiving videos, mostly ones that are aff instruction, and watched my own tandem video a bunch of times. i asked my son, who works at the dz i'll be training at, to send me the google earth map of the lz (which he did). i want to familiarize myself with that because i'll be flying the canopy alone, basically, and want to have some visual idea of where i'm headed. i've been jumping off of a chair trying to practice plf's and laying on the floor trying to get a feel for body position. i've even gone through the "look at the altimeter, practice pull" routine that is outined in the books. and if that's not enough, i'm visualizing my first dive, and how i'll be smiling, and enjoying it, and relaxing, and doing everything i'm taught to do, all the way from gearing up to landing softly in the right place. oh, and i've also scheduled one more tandem for 2 weeks from now. i've contemplated just going straight into aff, but i think for me, this will give me more confidence. i'm going to ask for a working tandem, and the instructor i'm going tandem with will be my aff instructor. yea. i'm over the deep end, completely over the top obsessed. do you think i'm a raging lunatic, or someone who's just committed to trying to be prepared to get the most out of the course?? if i were going to be your student, what you say to me right now?Jennifer don't ask yourself what the world needs, ask yourself what makes you come alive. and then go do that, because what the world needs is people that come alive. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skybytch 259 #2 May 31, 2009 Quoteif i were going to be your student, what you say to me right now? Skip doing another tandem. You're ready for AFF. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mellow 0 #3 May 31, 2009 i've thought about that for sure, but here's how it is- i can't get the time off for aff 1 until 4 weeks from now. it's a bigger time commitment with the ground instruction and all fo that, and during the same weekend i want to be able to do 2 or 3 jumps also. so aff 1 is at the end of june, no changing that. between now and then, which is alot of time, about 4 weeks or so, i have the time and money for one more tandem, so i thought i'd do that. it will give me something tangible- i'll be in the air again- as opposed to just reading and jumping off of chairs.Jennifer don't ask yourself what the world needs, ask yourself what makes you come alive. and then go do that, because what the world needs is people that come alive. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhreeZone 14 #4 May 31, 2009 Save the money and put it towards more AFF levels. Most DZ's can run AFF courses just about any day of the week or weekend so they should be able to do a course for you as soon as you can fit it into your schedule, no reason to wait until end of June unless you just don't have any time in your schedule between now and thenYesterday is history And tomorrow is a mystery Parachutemanuals.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zarkon 0 #5 May 31, 2009 My DZ requires two tandems before progressing to AFF, but if you have the choice I would go straight to AFF...but I don't have enough experience nor any instruction experience so don't listen to me Your reaction sounds perfectly normal to me. Me and the friends I started with all had the same reaction...Spending hours reading DZ.com at work and listening to Skydive Radio podcasts. One other tool you can look into if you haven't already is www.skydivingmovies.com. Go to their Students section and you can watch what AFF jumps look like. Also, if you have to weigh another tandem vs waiting a long time for AFF you may want to look into trying a tunnel in the mean time. But again, I'm no instructor Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sangi 0 #6 May 31, 2009 48 and never seen skydiving? Any kind of parachuting? Maaaan, where have you been living? Quote yea. i'm over the deep end, completely over the top obsessed. do you think i'm a raging lunatic, or someone who's just committed to trying to be prepared to get the most out of the course?? Who cares? if i were going to be your student, what you say to me right now? Shut up and jump."Dream as you'll live forever, live as you'll die today." James Dean Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mellow 0 #7 May 31, 2009 Quote no reason to wait until end of June unless you just don't have any time in your schedule between now and then i really don't, but wish i did. i work m-f and i'm squeezing in this tandem on a sunday morning on my way somewhere else.Jennifer don't ask yourself what the world needs, ask yourself what makes you come alive. and then go do that, because what the world needs is people that come alive. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mellow 0 #8 May 31, 2009 zarkon, thanks. i'll check out that link. sangi- i know, hard for me to believe, too, that i'd never seen anyone skydive...but yea, i had no idea what i was getting into until i actually rode up in that plane. and you're right, who cares if i'm obsessed with this. and, finally, jumping is all i have on my mind right now. i'm having a hard time shutting up about it, but i'll definitely be jumping just as soon as i can get down there. the dz is 2 1/2 hours away.Jennifer don't ask yourself what the world needs, ask yourself what makes you come alive. and then go do that, because what the world needs is people that come alive. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bucketlistpilot 1 #9 May 31, 2009 Quoteyea. i'm over the deep end, completely over the top obsessed. do you think i'm a raging lunatic, or someone who's just committed to trying to be prepared to get the most out of the course?? Welcome to the raging lunatics. I'm 46, my mate is 55, and did our first aff jumps in March. We didn't do any tandems, just went straight to aff. I've done 10 jumps plus 58 mins in the wind tunnel, and he's made 22 jumps and 32 mins tunnel. Completely over the top obsessed pretty much sums it up. I'm sure we get dumber looks at our age when gushing about it to family/friends. Enjoy it.Ian Purvis http://www.loadupsoftware.com LoadUp DZ Management App [email protected] Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tombuch 0 #10 June 1, 2009 Quote if i were going to be your student, what you say to me right now? Relax just a bit and try to stop thinking about skydiving...that's almost impossible, I know, but try. And enjoy your next tandem. Asking your instructor to make it a working tandem is a good idea. That will help you better understand the ground instruction in AFF. If you can have an AFF instructor do that tandem, it'll help even more, and if you can then do your actual AFF jump with that same instructor, gosh will you be doing killer-well. Blue skies,Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mellow 0 #11 June 1, 2009 QuoteRelax just a bit and try to stop thinking about skydiving... ok. i think i need to start letting all of what i've read start to settle a little in my brain. i'll try to relax about it, otherwise the next 4 weeks will be a painfully long wait. QuoteIf you can have an AFF instructor do that tandem, it'll help even more, and if you can then do your actual AFF jump with that same instructor, gosh will you be doing killer-well. that is exactly my plan. i will be going on this next tandem jump with my soon to be aff instructor. i can only hope i do "killer well." thanks so much for your encouragement.Jennifer don't ask yourself what the world needs, ask yourself what makes you come alive. and then go do that, because what the world needs is people that come alive. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andy_Copland 0 #12 June 1, 2009 QuoteShut up and jump. You're a genuine guru Sangi1338 People aint made of nothin' but water and shit. Until morale improves, the beatings will continue. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sangi 0 #13 June 1, 2009 It's kinda pointless talking about this on a forum right now... When he starts doing his AFF, he'll have shit loads of info to process and all this is he's trying to absorb here can cause an overload. When he's gonna be falling all he is gonna care how to be stable and how to successfully complete the task at hand... What I'm trying to say is when you start jumping, during freefall you're mind changes, you forget all the details, so it's no point to babble here.. Go to the DZ, listen to your instructors, ask them everything you want and jump!"Dream as you'll live forever, live as you'll die today." James Dean Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohanW 0 #14 June 1, 2009 Quote yea. i'm over the deep end, completely over the top obsessed. do you think i'm a raging lunatic, or someone who's just committed to trying to be prepared to get the most out of the course?? Both. :) The former is not unusual in new skydivers, and the latter is not necessarily a bad thing. Keep in mind though you only need so much information for your first jump. Asking questions is good, overloading yourself, the instructor and the rest of the class is not. ***if i were going to be your student, what you say to me right now? Not an instructor, but based on your first name, I'd say you were a girl. So don't take Sangi too seriously. As a student skydiver, you're going to be waiting a lot. So practice patience. The coming four weeks will be good for that. Relax, enjoy, and don't forget to smile.Johan. I am. I think. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mx19 0 #15 June 1, 2009 Quote Quote Shut up and jump. You're a genuine guru Sangi Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
adobelover 0 #16 June 1, 2009 I'm not an instructor but good for you! I was 49 when I did my first Static Line class. And yes I had a steep learning curve. Had never seen anyone sport jump before and didn't even know they did that for fun. Had only heard about Army jumping under rounds from my hubby...for 18 years! I only have a little over 200 jumps now but it's the coolest thing I have ever done and will keep doing it at long as I am physically able! I just wanted to encourage you and wish you Good Luck!_________________________________________ Old age ain't no place for sissies! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tetra316 0 #17 June 1, 2009 Kudos to you for doing the research and educating yourself about skydiving! But keep in mind, no matter what you read, your instructors have the final say. Meaning some things you may be reading may not be appropriate for students or your instructors may have a different way of doing something. I would not be practicing things like plfs and pulling without getting the proper instruction as you may not be doing it correctly. And different instructors will have different routines. Practicing beforehand will only then drill into you bad habits/incorrect sequences that are harder to break. And try to go into the course with the atitude of learning and listening, even if you've already read everything they are trying to teach you. There's nothing worse than a know it all student who's never actually done a soloOh, and have a GREAT time!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NovaTTT 1 #18 June 1, 2009 It sounds like you're doing a fine job of preparing yourself educationally. You should also prepare yourself physically and start a light exercise program, if you're healthy with no underlying condition. It' won't be hard, but getting yourself in good physical condition will help you enjoy skydiving and should make the learning curve easier for you. Congrats, good luck and blue skies! Nova"Even in a world where perfection is unattainable, there's still a difference between excellence and mediocrity." Gary73 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mellow 0 #19 June 1, 2009 thanks so much to all of you who have responded. i appreciate all of your ideas and encouragement alot. johan- developing patience has been my lifelong challenge. now, since i have 4 weeks of waiting to start aff, i guess i'll really have to work on that one. adobelover- ah...someone else whose never seen skydiving before! tetra316- you bring up a good point about practicing plf's and pulls beforehand. you're right, i don't want to develop incorrect habits, so i'll let that go until i'm given direct instruction during the course. and yes, i realize that what i'm reading may not be appropriate at my level, and may differ from what i'll be taught. my main intention in doing all of the reading is to just get acclimated to the vocabulary and basic concepts, and help my brain start to make a space for all of this new information. i'm not really trying to memorize what i'm reading, and trust me, i'll be all ears when i start. years ago i used to be an instructor, so i know exaclty what you mean by a no-it-all-student. i definitely don't want to go there. novaTTT- physical training. yes. great idea. i just started a light exercise program, and i am so sore! i'm healthy, but my body can definitely use some toning and stregthening. in fact i've taken 3 days off because i was sore, and now, after reading your post, i think i'd better get back at it. thanks again, everyone! i am so excited, and this is going to be great. less than 2 weeks now until that next tandem! also, what makes this even more fun for me, is that my son works at the dz where i'll be training, and his friend (who is the owner) will be my instructor. i get to learn to fly in the sky with my son! how fun will that be?!!Jennifer don't ask yourself what the world needs, ask yourself what makes you come alive. and then go do that, because what the world needs is people that come alive. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sapphire 0 #20 June 1, 2009 These next few weeks will fly by - I promise! "One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar" ~ Helen Keller Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
