17 years old and interested in skydiving!

[ADEBORD 0]

Hello,

I have been reading some of the forums here for the past week and figured now would be as good of time as ever to come out of the shadows. I was originally intending to start skydiving last year for my 16th birthday but that fell through when we couldn't get a hold of the drop zone in Oklahoma and as you may or may not know no DZ's in Kansas or Missouri (that I know of) allow < 18 yr. olds to jump. I am not quite familiar with the differences between the IAD or AFF learning methods other than I have heard IAD is cheaper? I was originally planning on getting my pilot's license but skydiving has peaked my interest.

I do understand that they main reason dropzone's require you to be 18 is due to the liability involved and some are willing to work those gray areas while others are not. But perhaps there is someone local on here (Kansas City) that can point me in the right direction as I really have no desire or intentions to wait another year.

Thanks,

Andrew

[nbblood 0]

It's been a while since I was in the area, but last I knew Missouri River Valley Skydivers allowed students that were 16 and over with parental consent. There are a few DZs around that do, MRVS is the one that I believe does in that area. Call and check with them.

Blues,
Nathan

If you wait 'til the last minute, it'll only take a minute.

[Tuna-Salad 0]

skydiving is crazy. you guys are all mental whack jobs. I don't know why anyone would jump out of a plane. To my knowledge non uspa dropzones can be jumped before age 18 as it is not governed by the FAA. Correct me if I'm wrong because I clearly don't know anything about what I say.

Millions of my potential children died on your daughters' face last night.

[jumpflorida 0]

Tuna, all flight operations are governed by the FAA (except military). Parachute ops still fall under parts 65 & 105 whether a dz is uspa affiliated or not--they're federal laws, not uspa BSR's.

[GLIDEANGLE 1]

Find info regarding various training methods and choosing a DZ here:

http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/safety/detail_page.cgi?ID=519

To find a DZ near you, go to this site and enter your location

http://www.uspa.org/FindaDZ.aspx

Once you have a list of DZ's a few quick phone calls should answer your question about age.

Plan B:

If you have to wait until you are 18... spend the time between now and then SAVING MONEY $$$$$. You will need lots of it to skydive!!!!

If you are really eager.... try reading Section 4 (Integrated Student Program) of the USPA Skydiver Information Manual:

http://www.uspa.org/SIM/Read/Section4/tabid/166/Default.aspx

Jump Safely!!!

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

[timmyfitz 0]

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Tuna, all flight operations are governed by the FAA (except military). Parachute ops still fall under parts 65 & 105 whether a dz is uspa affiliated or not--they're federal laws, not uspa BSR's.

There are no age requirements in the FAR's for skydiving. If you can find it in the FAR's, let me know because I have searched. The age requirement is partly the BSR's(16 with parental consent) and drop zone policy.

[jumpflorida 0]

I must have read the post too fast to realize that he was saying that age is not in the FAR's---sorry, my mistake for not being clear on that. However, the fact that the FAR's are laws and the BSR's are only a requirement for USPA affiliation does not change. I've personally never jumped a non-uspa dz, but I'm sure that there are some out there that take safety more seriously than some uspa dz's. I have been to several dz;s and seen a vast difference in the way they run things.

There is also the 'ethical business practices' of it all, which I'm sure we could all rant and rave about--especially if someone mentioned a certain company that shall not be named.

As mentioned by another poster, it is more a concern of liability and age of consent in any given state (with or without parental consent). I know a DZ in Mississippi that allows 16 yr olds to jump, and I'm not saying there is anything wrong with that. I think it is great that younger people can jump--as long as they have good instructors that will emphasize safety, etc. My home DZ has a hard & fast rule about being 18, and I'm cool with that, too. But, given the recent FL supreme court ruling about parent being able to waive the rights of a minor (search other threads) any dz doing business with anyone below the 'age-of-consent' should be very cautious. Avoiding lawsuits is just good business.

[wolfriverjoe 1,340]

There's not a lot of DZs that will jump minors. Most tandem manufacturers prohibit it in their TOS contracts.

Here is one who did it underage (Static line):

http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?do=post_view_flat;post=3390526;page=1;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;mh=25;

And here is a fairly long discussion about underage waivers:

http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?do=post_view_flat;post=3355287;page=1;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;mh=25;

Given the recent decision by the FL supremes, it will probably get less common.

A pilots license isn't a bad way to go. If you take it all the way to a commercial, you can fly jumpers (many DZs use single engined Cessna 182s). Then you can make the money you'll spend on jumping. Some of it anyway.

Good luck.

BTW-Static line and IAD are quite similar, they are explained in the "Learn to Skydive" section here, or on USPA's site, or any of the bigger DZs sites.

"There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy

"~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

[ltdiver 3]

So, what's wrong with inviting the OP to do wind tunnel training and packing until age 18?

ltdiver

Don't tell me the sky's the limit when there are footprints on the moon

[wolfriverjoe 1,340]

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So, what's wrong with inviting the OP to do wind tunnel training and packing until age 18?

ltdiver

Nothing at all! I don't have a tunnel anywhere near me so it never crossed my mind.

"There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy

"~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

[ltdiver 3]

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Quote

So, what's wrong with inviting the OP to do wind tunnel training and packing until age 18?

ltdiver

Nothing at all! I don't have a tunnel anywhere near me so it never crossed my mind.

You're a truck driver. You can go anywhere and jump -while- earning a living. Very cool! Just pick up a load that's heading toward any wind tunnel and you're set!

Then there's "Trucker Dave" who plans all his trips to hit DZ's around the country....
ltdiver

Don't tell me the sky's the limit when there are footprints on the moon

[wolfriverjoe 1,340]

Yes and no. I work for a big company, so I get no say in my loads or destinations. They say go, I go.
I was in Ogden UT on the 23rd, but only had a little time to waste. Took a shower at the Pilot, got a bite to eat, and made my delivery. Sat and got unloaded, went and parked for the night, got reloaded the morning of the 24th and headed back towards home.

I have a really cool, but odd schedule. I go out for 7 days, and them I'm home for 7 days (split the truck with another driver). If I have enough time to do anything out on the road, I'm losing money.

And, I'm a little uncomfortable jumping while I'm out on the road. How in the world would I explain it to my dispatcher if I got hurt? Even a sprained ankle could keep me from going down the road. If I got hurt at home, I could just not go out, but if it happened at, say Z-hills (I've picked up water there), that would be bad.

"There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy

"~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

[ltdiver 3]

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Yes and no. I work for a big company, so I get no say in my loads or destinations.

Oh, okay. Trucker Dave works for himself, I believe.

And yeah, it would suck big-time if you got hurt away from home. Understood. No out-of-town boogies for you, then.

ltdiver

Don't tell me the sky's the limit when there are footprints on the moon

[ADEBORD 0]

I have found a place a couple hours away that seems to allow minors to jump. It's called Skydive airtight. http://www.skydiveairtight.com/home.html

I think I will do IAD but when exactly do I make free fall jumps in that learning course?

Thanks,
Drew

[wolfriverjoe 1,340]

If IAD follows the same progression as Static Line, you do 2 jumps, then you do 3 practice ripcord pulls (ripcord in rig that doesn't do anything. You have to demonstrate that you can find and pull the ripcord)
If you do the 3 practice pulls ok, then you do a Hop'n'Pop (pull right after letting go of the plane). After that you start doing delayed falls, with longer and longer (and higher and higher) freefalls.

If you look here: uspa.org you will find the Skydiver's Information Manual (SIM) that covers a lot of this stuff. If you want to be a real skydiver, you should get a copy.

"There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy

"~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

[kuai43 7]

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I have found a place a couple hours away that seems to allow minors to jump. It's called Skydive airtight. http://www.skydiveairtight.com/home.html

Don'tcha love their logo? If that guy makes it down past the funnel cloud, he's either going to buy it by toggle-hooking a downwind landing at 20 feet, or else get scalped by Tonto in his warpaint. I guess there wasn't enough room to add in a random UFO attack.

As if a simple skydive isn't risky enough.

Every fight is a food fight if you're a cannibal

Goodness is something to be chosen. When a man cannot choose, he ceases to be a man. - Anthony Burgess

[Andy9o8 0]

You'll shoot your eye out, kid.

[labrys 0]

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You'll shoot your eye out, kid.

Owned by Remi #?

[tdog 0]

Interesting enough - Robin Heid just wrote an article for Skydiving Magazine addressing this issue, detailing the laws and interviewing a few DZOs that allow sub-18 year olds and the interesting waiver/parental consent techniques they use.

It seems the key from every DZO that was interviewed - BOTH your parents must be on board with the idea and well educated.

The DZOs interviewed: Skydive Temple - Texas, Austin Skydive Center - Texas, West Tennessee Skydiving Center.

At my home DZ there are a lot of 16 and 17 year olds that show up daily, packing parachutes, driving equipment, making friends, learning the sport - and doing their first jump on their 18th birthday.

My advice, if you can't find a DZ that will let you jump, find one where you can show up and make friends and learn, and maybe even get a job....

[slj678 0]

Yeah I made my first jump on my 18th a little over a year ago, man I wish I had hung out up there before that first jump. Very good suggestion

"I didn't know they gave out rings at the holocaust"

[zappman 0]

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...as I really have no desire or intentions to wait another year...

Plan a holiday trip to Europe (France, Belgium, Holland,..) You can do AFF there the year you turn 16
I know a lot of people who started jumping at that age.

[Halfpastniner 0]

Thats how I started. By the time I turned 18 i had enough money saved on account to get me through a good portion of AFF.

Still finished in debt though, which is why its important to have a cool DZO (to allow you to run in the red for a bit) And also have a real job to pay for the other stuff in life.

BASE 1384