nerves

[treeman 0]

does anyone else get nervous when the door opens? is it fear? i know i cant fly but i jump everytime i can. it's winter and havent jumped in months but all i do is wait for that feeling if ya know what i mean. is it natural to get this worked up when jumping? green horn from tenn.

[Jumpmunki 0]

i was so scared on one of my lifts back i nearly pissed myself .....

just keep your mind occupied, focus, more importantly take your time.. deep breath ..... go ...

and then love the feeling and the view ...

[BRYANGOESBOOM 0]

i know exactly what your talking about

Not only will you look better, feel better, and fuck better; you'll have significantly increased your life expectancy. --Douva

[treeman 0]

so i'm not the only one. it's just so intense! i cant stop thinkin' bout it. my heart pounds just writin' this. chris martin told me it was ok i just wondered if everybody else gets that "feelin'" thank you for your time. green horn

[ryoder 1,384]

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does anyone else get nervous when the door opens? is it fear? i know i cant fly but i jump everytime i can. it's winter and havent jumped in months but all i do is wait for that feeling if ya know what i mean. is it natural to get this worked up when jumping? green horn from tenn.

At your level of experience, about 90% of students feel fear, and the other 10% are liars.

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

[MrBrant 0]

I know i was scared ABSOLUTLY SHITLESS my first 8-9 jumps or so.

And I mean SHITLESS. When that door opened inches from my knee, I didn't know if i could get out there and hang from the strut.
But I did, every time.
After that, the fear was slowly replaced with excitment, waiting for that door to open.
By about jump 11-12, the fear was gone completly (still nervous as hell, yes, but no "fear")


anywhoo, that's how it werked out for me.

[kai2k1 0]

Ive only got 78 jumps, but everytime the door opens i get scared shitless. Once i'm out the door i'm fine. I prefer to think that my brain is working double time, if not, then something bad is bound to happen.

One of my old instructors that has over 1000 jumps told me that he still gets nervous when the door opens.

Dude, its natural, and i think its one of the best parts of the skydive.

There's no truer sense of flying than sky diving," Scott Cowan

[fgersch 0]

Yep. It's a great feeling. I kind of miss it. It was genuinely the only nerve racking bit for me when I was learning, I've heard a lot of people say the same thing. It's funny how that opening door sets all of your instincts on fire, ringing alarm bells.

I couldn't figure why I wasn't more nervous about actually leaving the plane but I guess the answer is that you are just too overloaded with stuff to do at that point to care about feeling nervous. Like many people I didn't really remember my first couple of jumps. but I did remember that bloody door opening!!

https://www.burblesoftware.com

[ryoder 1,384]

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Yep. It's a great feeling. I kind of miss it. It was genuinely the only nerve racking bit for me when I was learning, I've heard a lot of people say the same thing. It's funny how that opening door sets all of your instincts on fire, ringing alarm bells.

I couldn't figure why I wasn't more nervous about actually leaving the plane but I guess the answer is that you are just too overloaded with stuff to do at that point to care about feeling nervous. Like many people I didn't really remember my first couple of jumps. but I did remember that bloody door opening!!

I talking to an AFF student a few months ago about the difference between AFF instruction, vs the old static-line system I learned on last century. I told her I felt sympathy for the pressure on AFF students to perform so many tasks prior to deployment, vs the simplicity of static-line. Her answer surprised me; She felt the concentration on all the freefall tasks kept her mind busy so she didn't have time to think about being scared.

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

[happythoughts 0]

Jumps 1-25, I was afraid of skydiving.
Jumps 26-50, I was afraid of the plane ride.
Fun since then.

[treeman 0]

can you tell the differance between fear and excitement. i just love the feeling leaving the plane. cant get it out of my mind. so is it fear i'm feeling? One time before my first aff i had to take another tandem cause i just wanted to make sure i knew what i was doin. made it to aff 4 then mr. martin left us. left me wonderin' should i jump. i just hope it is ok to want to jump out of a perfectly good plane. cause i want to do it every damn day! it is ok to be feelin that way then right. by the way how do you get 1600 jumps i really need to know. thanx again. bluest skies

[happythoughts 0]

Most weekend jumpers, like me, do 150-200 jumps a year. People who work in the skydiving industry stack up jumps a lot faster.

Eventually, I started doing less other stuff. My golf clubs sat in the closet with my racquets. I started spending my weekends at the dz. It is easy to do.

I've been trying to keep skydiving as part of my life, not all of it.

[nate_1979 9]

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Jumps 1-25, I was afraid of skydiving.
Jumps 26-50, I was afraid of the plane ride.
Fun since then.

Jumps 1-18 scared shitless of the skydive.. I am still afraid of the plane ride, I really dont like being IN THE PLANE.. I think my reason for that is that it is the one point where I dont really have any control over what's going on..

FGF #???
I miss the sky...
There are 10 types of people in the world... those who understand binary and those who don't.

[drdive 0]

Hey Tim,
It gets better. I'm still a little apprehensive, but more of an "excited, can't wai to go " apprehension now, unlike the extreme anxiety of my earlier jumps. I asked my instructor when the fear would pass - I was past AFF and doing coached jumps with him - he made me go solo my next jump. I was still nervous, but after that, realized that I could handle it, didn't need my hand held. It's actually a GREAT feeling to conquer the fear. Just talking about it I can't wait to get in the air for my next jump. Part of the draw of the sport is the fear, apprehesion, adrenaline, and reward of surviving what most people only dream of doing.

Ed in Spokane

"We saved your gear. Now you can sell it when you get out of the hospital and upsize!!" "K-Dub"

"

[happythoughts 0]

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reward of surviving what most people only dream of doing.

Belief in yourself. You get information, you get training, you believe in your own ability, and you use that belief to face an awesome fear.

The attitude becomes "if given all the information and the training, I can do anything that I want".

There are others things that can do that. Skydiving is one of the more intense ones.

It flips a switch in your brain. It changes your perception.

[Dougiefresh 0]

One of my AFP instructors, Dave Ciccarelli, once told me if I ever don't feel that fear and adrenaline, it's time to quit the sport. Dave has, I believe, over 20k jumps, not including BASE.

That's good enough for me.

Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so. --Douglas Adams

[Brian425 0]

Treeman,
Nerves and fear (to a degree) are good things. They get your body and mind prepared for something scary, dangerous, etc.

The only thing that I found dissapointing about training in skydiving is that the issue was never directly addressed. My instructors were perfectly happy to discuss it if I asked; however, if I did not bring it up, there was no real mention of it. I think that it is something that should be discussed at least a little bit in first jump class.

We all get scared to some degree. I have 40 jumps and I am still not 100% comfortable sitting right next to the door in the otter. When I was trying to learn to spot, my friend asked why I was uncomfortable opening the door and looking out to spot. As stupid as it sounds, I was a little afraid to fall out. Well, I nearly pissed my pants laughing after I said it. I mean we were on jump run with the green light on, spotting and I'm worried about falling out. (isn't that the reason I was in that spot.)

Talk to people, and other students, you are 100% normal. Have fun and be safe.

Brian

The only time you should look down on someone is when you are offering them your hand.

[happythoughts 0]

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One of my AFP instructors, Dave Ciccarelli, once told me if I ever don't feel that fear and adrenaline, it's time to quit the sport.

If there is no fear, you get complacent. Complacency will kill you very quickly. Always respect the sport.

[Yeeeeha 0]

The few times I have been going to altitude I've been sitting in the plane saying to myself "You're stupid! What are you doing this for? You're an idiot, you're gonna die...", but as soon as that door opens I know I've got a job to do, my JM is there and I've done it before, so by the time I'm back on the ground I just want to get back up there. Then I'm on the next load sitting saying to myself "You're stupid! What are you doing....

[Jumpmunki 0]

try doing your first jump out of a c182 with no door. actually kneeling up in the door all the way !

theres an incentive to get qualified and jump the "big" plane for you lol

i've always loved planes and flying and all that stuff so having a fly around in the cessna was no biggy apart from the door (or lack of it)

one thing i would say helped me is, relax and enjoy the view, think of what you need to do (not super concentrating just run thru it in your head) visualise your malfunction drills end to end, the whole jump how you want it to go. that worked for me anyway..

[vt1977 0]

There is a good article about coping with nerves/fear here.

Vicki

[julesshrew 0]

I've been told before that I look petrified in the plane but I dont think I feel it. My nerves are more intense when waiting to get manifested (usually because ive had a 6 week break between jumps due to the weather)

The decision at the end of the day is to get on the plane as (cloud base permitting) there is only one way Im going out. I know as soon as im in there I focus on what Im going to do and enjoy the plane ride. As soon as I hear 'cut' Im in the door and away

Having random attacks of nerves about going to do AFF in a couple of weeks but since I got a jump on Sat I remembered why I do it and its that fine line between excitement and nerves I cant wait to experience freefall again

[bluegremlin 0]

Its been months since my last jump as well, In fact havent jumped since October due to weather (Have trained recently though) and im shitting myself, 10% of me want's to do it and 90% doesnt. But i know that after iv done the first jump of the day it will be the other way around. But it still doesnt stop the brown trousers time. Hopefully be jumping 2moro so ill see you then jumpmunki - Ill be the one that looks petrified.

[LearningTOfly 0]

The 206 we use dosen't have a door... in winter it's a bit chilly, but I love sitting next to the door on the ride up and sticking my hand or foot out into the propwash. There's really no way you're going to fall out unless you try to, so I never worry about it.

On my very first jump, I had a blast, no worries... then between my first and second I read up on the accident stats and was scared stiff for the next ten or so jumps. I find the worst part of the jump for fear is the taxi to the runway... it's where you're body says "You can still turn around...!" Once it's wheels up, you're not thinking one bit about landing with the plane.

I got the strongest taste of adrenaline in my mouth from jumps about 10-27(now)... oh man, I loved it! Stupid winter...

[Fast 0]

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One of my AFP instructors, Dave Ciccarelli, once told me if I ever don't feel that fear and adrenaline, it's time to quit the sport.

If there is no fear, you get complacent. Complacency will kill you very quickly. Always respect the sport.

I have a looming fear of fucking up and/or dying but I don't get a very scared sense or anything when its time to go. I like being in the plane, at the door, wind in my hair. It feels great.

I know I can die doing this and thats what I mean by a "looming fear." That keeps me from being complacent.

~D
Where troubles melt like lemon drops Away above the chimney tops That's where you'll find me.
Swooping is taking one last poke at the bear before escaping it's cave - davelepka