10 years since I jumped. What would you do?

[Bip 0]

Hi, it has been about 10 years since I jumped. I have a couple of weeks free so I thought I would make a jump or two and see if it is something I want to get back into.
A tandem jump is not an option to me. Static line or AFF is what im thinking off but im not rich.

The plan is to turn up at a british DZ and take a static line course. Unfortunatly I cannot find my logbooks after jump no. 660 in 1990. I have 1357 jumps in all.I have all my license cards that show I had a D license, TI, Instructor etc in 1995.

Here is my dilemma.

Do I just take the static line course and keep quiet about having jumped before or do I let them know?


Im not a knowitall kind of guy so I think I could pull it off and pretend I have never jumped. On the other hand If I let them know would/could they move me through the system faster?

What do you think?

[popsjumper 2]

I would go with "honesty is the best policy".

My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

[hookitt 0]

Take an AFF refresher and go jump with an instructor. You'll be on your own in about 1 jump. You have too many skills to bother completing the entire course.

Good luck!

My grammar sometimes resembles that of magnetic refrigerator poetry... Ghetto

[airdvr 200]

My personal experience after a 10 year layoff: Just go for it! Let everyone know your situation,,,do a thorough EP review with an instructor...strap that gear on and get busy. It's just like riding a bike.

Please don't dent the planet.

Destinations by Roxanne

[GeordieSkydiver 0]

I was in a similar position to you, but I had way less jump numbers. (still do)

I'd just be perfectly honest with them, and see what they think.

You'll be fine (riding a bike?) and they'll probably have you do a couple of level 7 AFF jumps and a hop + pop.

Which UK DZ are you thinking of going to?

PS Welcome back!

Lee _______________________________

In a world full of people, only some want to fly, is that not crazy?
http://www.ukskydiver.co.uk

[johnnyboydan 0]

I had a lay of about the same. I only had 307 jumps when returning. I sat through a first jump course to get refreshed and went out and jumped. Although my flying skills were lacking, basic flying and being safe was all there. But the hard part for me was the flaring on landing. A few PLFs and I got smart and went to Deland and took the Scott Miller canpy course. It was great on the first jump he got me doing it the right way. After that he gave me about 10 years of expereince in the other 9 jumps. He is a great teacher, think about doing something like that.

johnnyboy

[mr2mk1g 10]

A friend did a similar thing. He spent a couple of hours going through reserve drills on the ground and procedures etc before being told to go do a solo which was observed. After that he was on his own.

It might be like that for you... they may want you to do a jump or two with an instructor... but I doubt it would be much given how experienced you were when you got out of the sport.

... I have to admit though it would probably be quite funny to do a FJC and not tell them you possibly more experienced than the instructor...

But yeah, just take all docs you have along and they'll get you in the air pretty quickly one way or another.

[Adriandavies 0]

...what they all said, except that I'd suggest phoning around a few dz's and see what impression you get from the CCI or the instructors you speak to. DZ's can be cliquey so you may get different advice from different DZ's. Also try visiting your chosen DZ midweek as then the staff will have more time to talk to you and to take you through any refresher training.

[wmw999 2,155]

I too was in about the same situation, only really I was less current (it'd been 13 years since my ratings had expired etc).

I took a really long refresher session (couple of hours) and went up on a solo. Borrowed a rig with an AAD. No problems, so I did a 2-way on the next jump, and just kept going from there.

Have a couple of good jumps.

Wendy W.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[darkwing 4]

I had a similar dry spell, at about 1500 jumps. It was easy to get back into things. Do whatever makes you and the safety people at your chosen DZ comfortable. If that means sitting through a first jump course, that is fine. If it means having a personalized refresher with an instructor, that is fine too.

I had a brief refresher, did some harness time, and was invited on a 20-way. I declined the big way and did a solo from 4,500 feet. It was a very comfortable jump for me, and then I went right into some fun RW jumps.

-- Jeff
My Skydiving History

[The111 1]

I took 4 years off with only 23 jumps, and all I needed was 30 minutes with an instructor and a supervised freefall. Go for it!

www.WingsuitPhotos.com

[skyblu3 0]

sit through the first jump course and do 1 or 2 AFF style jumps. Make sure you refresh on your emergency procedures and get updated abut modern gear - BOC's, collapsible pilot chutes, etc..Don't waste your money doing the whole course all over again. If you really have 1000 + jumps I'm sure it will all come back to you.

I took 3 years off once and went up and did a 4-way with my friends. It was like I had never stopped jumping.

[slangford 0]

i had a layoff of about 6 years but had a good chat with the cci where i wanted to jump in the UK and he was happy (as was i although a bit nervous!) about me jumping solo for a while. This I did and it was a good way to get back into it. Mind you I still had my documents. I think the main thing was plenty of ground familiarisation with equipment and drills etc.
Good luck and enjoy!!

[CSpenceFLY 1]

On my 1000th jump I got the guy who introduced me to skydiving to jump with me and one of his good friends.He had not jumped in 12 yrs.He did fine.How many jumps do you have?

[EvilLurker 2]

Once you get to the DZ, tell them your history. There's a chance they'll let you take a FJC at a reduced price (let you take the training and skip the SL jumps). I had a layoff part way through my A license (hey, it rains here a LOT), and I retook the FJC for $25. They let me do a 10-second delay and proceed with my progression after that. Most DZs would probably be willing to "wheel and deal" a little to get another regular jumper.
Be careful until you're back into the swing of things, and good luck.

[Bip 0]

Thanx for all the encouraging advice.
For some reason I had the impression that to start jumping again would be a bureaucratic nightmare.

You have all made me feel so much better about turning up at a DZ. :) I also noticed that several people mentioned being nervous before their first jump after a long layoff. What a relief, I had butterflies just posting here. :)

Anyway, I will turn up at a DZ with an open mind and see what happens. I'll let you all know how it goes.

[sundevil777 94]

Quote

Do I just take the static line course and keep quiet about having jumped before or do I let them know?

I am surprised that you would consider doing a dope rope or tandem jump.

1300 jumps? Get into a suspended harness for a emergency procedure refresher and practice reaching for the main handle while on a creeper. Of course you want to approach the DZO carefully with your situation and not be arrogant or presuming what they should allow you to do.

If you really don't have confidence in yourself, then maybe an AFF jump would be appropriate, but I think that your brain still knows how to fly well enough for you to be stable, although you would not want to swoop down hard to dock on a formation. Like riding a bike, even if you haven't done it in years, you don't forget how.

People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

[CrazyRick 0]

I took over 27 years off after 700 jumps. I went thru the AFF class to learn all the new gear and did a couple of jumps with instructors. Then went right back to RW. Just did my first 50 way at Rantoul.

You will be fine in a few jumps.

JUST DO IT!

[burbleflyer 0]

My dream is to win the lotto and go to a DZ where no one knows me and do AFF. I would be the worlds worst AFF student.

[JoeT 0]

4-Way!!!

[The111 1]

Quote

My dream is to win the lotto and go to a DZ where no one knows me and do AFF. I would be the worlds worst AFF student.

Except when it's time to show your instructor "forward movement"... then you should put on the track!

www.WingsuitPhotos.com

[JohnMitchell 14]

What are you comfortable with?

I think a little ground review, then up in the air with an appropriate sized canopy for a solo, high pull jump, then on with it. That all depends on your mental state. Do your EP's feel fresh to you? Do you remember how to do it all? Have you kept all this in your mind the last 10 years? A day doesn't go by that I don't think about jumping. Like riding a bike, I don't think I could ever forget how.

I hope I never go 10 years without jumping.

[outlawphx 1]

I went close to 10 years myself with 480 jumps before my layoff. I just talked to the head instructor, showed him I remembered my EP's, rented a rig, and did a solo with a high pull. Piece of cake.

[slug 1]

Quote

4-Way!!!

We had about 1200 jumps and after a 7 yr vacation

The laws of gravity haven't changed and the main even worked after being packed for 7 yr's

Think about what you want to do, how your going to do it, and get into the zone with your EP's (befor doing it) gravity sucks.

R.I.P.

[tbrown 26]

Don't know if I hold the record, but a 22 year break has got to be damn close.

If you have ANY logbooks at all, bring 'em ! I couldn't find all my logbooks and still haven't found the most recent one from the "old days", but was able to find two of my four logs. It makes all the difference. You DO have the experience and it WILL come back quick enough (though not all at once, so don't get frustrated). What you want to ask for is a "Recurrency" jump. Most DZ's have a fixed price for that, but once you're over it you're good and any license you may have held is reinstated, so long as you rejoin USPA. My D license was reinstated with a single jump, after some training in emergency procedures and BOP pilot deployment (we had hand deploy mounted on belly bands in the old days and there are some differences).

If one jump's not enough, by all means request a 2nd jump with an instructor - I did. Then take a good ten or dozen jumps to work on your basic skills, just solo or 2 way stuff. It will come back like riding a bike if you just don't rush it. And before you know it, you'll be making real "skydives" again, like 6 point 8 ways, or 12 point 4 ways, or this crazy hip-hop shit the kids are doing on their butts or head down. And you'll be back in the game and it will feel better than ever. All you gotta do is show up and do it !

But bring ANY logbook you can find, otherwise they MUST assume you're a newbie.....

Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !