Been out of the sport.Now what??

[novacaine 0]

I have been out of skydiving for two years now. I had been working so I couldn't get out to jump. Since, I now have a "real" job, I am thinking about getting back into jumping.
However, I have never completed my A class (26 jumps.) The DZ(a) I have been dealing with, says I need to start all over, since it has been two years. Another DZ(b) told me I need to start from the begining also, since this DZ(b) want let anyone that has less then 100 jumps for DZ(a) jump there.
So now what do I do?

[bodypilot1 0]

Quote

So now what do I do?

How about start your training from the beginning like they have suggested?

-

www.WestCoastWingsuits.com
www.PrecisionSkydiving.com

[sundevil777 94]

Given your time away, you are pretty much out of luck. I was able to sweet talk my way back after a 3 month break after my first static line jump. But the instructor remembered me and that I was a very good student, and I proved my knowledge of emergency procedures, etc.

Your only chance might be to hang out at the DZ, get to know the instructors, prove yourself in a suspended harness, and be polite.

They might cut you a break after a first jump if you are good, but you had better know your stuff.

Good luck.

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

[pajarito 0]

2 years is a long time to be innactive with only 25 or so jumps. The beginning is probably the best place to start back. No getting around it. However, welcome back to the sport!!!

[AggieDave 6]

You're gonna have to do your "first" jump again, as well as go through the entire ground school again. However, I'm willing to bet that after that first jump and a couple of jumps, some things might start coming back to you, you'll progress through the required skills quicker then a brand new no jump student.

The point is, as much as this sport is a sport of memorizing and remebering items and how to do stuff, its more of a muscle memory sport. In 2 years the muscle memory is pretty much gone, you're going to have to relearn it, although I bet your body will pick up and apply it faster then it did the first time.

Even if you had your A license, after 2 years you'd have to do the first jump and course again as well...


The following is from the SIM:

Quote

A. Students

Back to Section 5-2

1. All students who have not jumped in 30 days or more should receive refresher training:

a. Review all standard procedures which were-or should have been-previously acquired.

(1) physical skills

(2) theoretical knowledge

b. Practice emergency procedures in a harness simulator under the guidance of a rated USPA Coach, Instructor, or Instructor Examiner.

c. A student should repeat reserve deployment training once each month until obtaining a USPA A License, including the use of a harness simulator and the pull of an actual reserve ripcord while in the training harness.

2. IAD or static-line method students on freefall status but not yet cleared for freefall self-supervision who have not jumped within the preceding 30 days should make at least one satisfactory jump in their initial training method, with a successful practice deployment, under the direct supervision of an appropriately rated USPA Instructor, before returning to freefall status.

3. IAD and static-line method students cleared to self-supervise in freefall but who have not jumped in the preceding--

(1) 30 days: should make at least one jump under the direct supervision of a USPA Instructor until demonstrating the ability to start and stop turns, maintain altitude awareness, and maintain stability during deployment

(2) 60 days: should make at least one satisfactory jump in their initial training method, with a successful practice deployment, under the direct supervision of an appropriately rated USPA Instructor, before returning to freefall status

4. AFF students cleared to self-supervise in freefall but who have not jumped in the preceding 30 days should make at least one jump and demonstrate the ability to start and stop turns, maintain altitude awareness, and the ability to maintain stability during deployment, with a currently rated AFF Instructor.

Back to Section 5-2

B. Licensed skydivers

Back to Section 5-2

1. Skydivers returning after a long period of inactivity encounter greater risk that requires special consideration to properly manage.

2. Care should be taken to regain or develop the knowledge, skills, and awareness needed to satisfactorily perform the tasks planned for the jump.

3. Jumps aimed at sharpening survival skills should precede jumps with other goals.

Back to Section 5-2

C. Changes in procedures

Back to Section 5-2

1. If deployment or emergency procedures are changed at any time, the skydiver should be thoroughly trained and practice under supervision in a harness simulator until proficient.

2. Ground training should be followed by a solo jump which includes several practice sequences and deployment higher than normal.

3. The jumper should repeat ground practice at short intervals, such as before each weekend's jump activities, and continue to deploy higher than normal until thoroughly familiar with the new procedures.

Back to Section 5-2

D. Long lay-offs

Back to Section 5-2

1. Jumpers should receive refresher training appropriate for their skydiving history and time since their last skydive.

a. Jumpers who were very experienced and current but became inactive for a year or more should undergo thorough training upon returning to the sport.

b. Skydivers who historically jump infrequently should review training after layoffs of even less than a year.

2. Skydiving equipment, techniques, and procedures change frequently.

a. During recurrency training following long periods of inactivity, jumpers may be introduced to new and unfamiliar equipment and techniques.

b. Procedures change to accommodate developments in equipment, aircraft, flying styles, FAA rules, and local drop zone requirements.

3. Returning skydivers require thorough practical training in the following subject areas:

a. aircraft procedures

b. equipment

c. exit and freefall procedures

d. canopy control and landings

e. emergency procedures

That is from here: http://www.uspa.org/publications/SIM/2004SIM/section5.htm#52

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[skybill 19]

Try Dropzone "C" With no air time in two years and no rig I'd say that you're a bit rusty. How was your progression before you layed off? Were you on top of your game or???? Keep us posted on what happens. AD pretty well sums it up.

SCR-2034, SCS-680

III%,
Deli-out

[CieloDiosa 0]

hey i started jumpin when i turned 18 and i got uncurrent each year after... didnt realize most people kept jumpin thru winter
so anyways each time i went back to my dz they only made me do one tandem then i got to solo, at the time i had 12 jumps when i went back, so i did a tandem then did my solo jumps (with an instructor)- just 2 i think.
u'll have to go back a few, im sure u wont have to start from scratch
what do u want to do tho?? i know i wanted to tandem for sure after giving it a 9 month break.... ahh something i shall never do again!!!
why would anyone wait that long!!! i suck

best of luck and glad ur back
cya n the sky
~justi

~boogie ho!!
pull before impact!
L.A.S.T#14, PMS #309, Ci EL O DI O SA

[ickleFish 0]

Don't want to hijack the thread here.....but I'm in kind of in the same position....

I've not jumped for almost exaclty a year now, and only have 29 jumps and my A license. Is the same answer going to be true for me when I get back to it (hopefully sometime in the next couple of months)...start again?

Thanks

[TrickyDicky 0]

In the UK, there are no currency rules, but it would be down to the CCI (centre cheif instructor) as to what you should do after a layoff.

At my DZ Ive seen someone come back after 12 months with no jumping, only about 25 jumps to his name, just do a Solo from 10k (he actually hasnt been back for 18 months since that now). Also, Ive heard of people just redoing a level 7 with an instructor.

UK Skydiver for all your UK skydiving needs.

[akarunway 1]

Even if you had your A license, after 2 years you'd have to do the first jump and course again as well...

BULLSHIT. A level 7 AFF is all it takes

I hold it true, whate'er befall;
I feel it, when I sorrow most;
'Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all.

[AggieDave 6]

Go read what I quoted. What a lot of folks take that as is you sit through another ground school and do an AFF dive, for A license jumpers. If you had 1000 jumps and layed off the sport for a couple years, your refresher would be much simplier.

I was keeping my reply simple to keep the confusion down and I posted the required information from the SIM. Basically its up to the DZ and the majority of the DZs I can think of would require sitting through the first jump course and doing some sort of AFF jump for someone with barely an A license. That was my point.

An A license jumper barely knows wtf is going on around them. Hell, someone with 200 jumps isn't that much better, that's another reason why the D requirements were changed. That's also why the SIM gives a recomendation and leaves the retraining up to the instructor/DZ. Each case is different. So a blanket statement that "Bullshit. A level 7 AFF is all it takes" is so very incorrect.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[akarunway 1]

Glad you clarified that. It depends on your skill level, your DZ, the instructors that trained you. Just because you only have a couple hundred jumps doesn't make you uninformed. Trust me. I've seen a lot of (stupid) shit in a couple hundred jumps. I almost take that as a personal insult. I KNOW you are in it for the money. We need LESS regulation and better training. MY 2 cents. Edit to add. Is there still such a thing as a waiver?

I hold it true, whate'er befall;
I feel it, when I sorrow most;
'Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all.

[AggieDave 6]

Wasn't intended as an insult, I was using the old reqs for the D license and the thought by some folks that once you have a D you never go uncurrent.

I'm in it for the money? Bwaahahahahaaaha...yup, if I was I'd be at SD Spaceland where I would do 10 tandems a day every freak'n weekend instead of the handful that I do every weekend. There are some instructors out there that actually do it because they enjoy it.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[mr2mk1g 10]

Most likely need a check out dive. Your answer will vary depending on which DZ you go to.

[kelpdiver 2]

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BULLSHIT. A level 7 AFF is all it takes

I took 6 months out in the winter and then got back to it. A sampling of the DZs near me - you get ground school that may be accelarated based on your knowledge level, then a Level 3 release jump with one JM, and then a resumption was a typical setup. So, it might be as simple as a couple hours of class talk, a L3 and a L7.

With 2 years off, I think it would be pretty aggressive to go directly to the L7. There are a lot of skills to remember and get right in 45 seconds and the performance requirements could increase the danger level a bit too far.

[akarunway 1]

With 2 years off, I think it would be pretty aggressive to go directly to the L7..=================================== Me thinks after a couple hundred jumps you pretty well know whats going on (if you have half a brain). Edit to add. Your mileage may vary.

I hold it true, whate'er befall;
I feel it, when I sorrow most;
'Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all.

[akarunway 1]

OK. This is bugging me. In the few jumps I have I taught myself to sitfly, have done headdown, Mr Bills, jumped outta plenty different A/C. Base jumped, every kinda jump you can think of, turned 5 pts on a 7 way on my 100th jump. So the USPA or whomever says I don't know WTF I am doing and should have to pay all over again. KISS MY IRISH ASS.. Edit to add. FUCK THE USPA

I hold it true, whate'er befall;
I feel it, when I sorrow most;
'Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all.

[kelpdiver 2]

Quote

With 2 years off, I think it would be pretty aggressive to go directly to the L7..=================================== Me thinks after a couple hundred jumps you pretty well know whats going on (if you have half a brain). Edit to add. Your mileage may vary.

Two years is a long time. I've got better than 300 hours of bottom time and occasionally I'm out of the water for several months. Generally I can see sloppiness is what I'm doing that first dive back. Everytime I got to a tropical region I see people relearning after a year since their last trip. Not pretty.

I've never been off my motorcycle more than a couple weeks. I'd certainly dial back the aggressiveness there if it had been a year or two.

[akarunway 1]

Let's see. Proper gear check. Proper entry and exit the A/C. SIT. Proper seperation time. Awareness of wind directions and speeds and landing areas and outs (see arial map b4 hand). I guess I should pull b4 my hard deck to would be a good idea. What did I forget? Oh. I have to land this fucker. Can they (the USPA) help me do THAT. Fuck. WHY SHOULD I HAVE TO PAY AGAIN? Did I forget anything else? Peace out

I hold it true, whate'er befall;
I feel it, when I sorrow most;
'Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all.

[AggieDave 6]

Quote

So the USPA or whomever says I don't know WTF I am doing and should have to pay all over again. KISS MY IRISH ASS.. Edit to add. FUCK THE USPA

You realize that the USPA didn't pull their guidelines out of their ass. They were set due to past experiences.

Hell, I miss a weekend of jumping and I feel rusty as hell.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[akarunway 1]

It's getting to be all about money. Com'n Dave. Admit it. I know you won't cause you donna wanna lose your ratings if you piss em off. They are taking all the fun out and pussifing the sport. When I joined there where very informative articles in Parachutist. Now it all freaking ads. Sorry for the rant. Not directed at you

I hold it true, whate'er befall;
I feel it, when I sorrow most;
'Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all.

[AggieDave 6]

Quote

They are taking all the fun out and pussifing the sport.

You're absolutely right. Lets go back to the days when rigs had a jesus string and people went on crater tours at DZs.

Remember something, I'm not in it for the money, I like instructing, there are a lot of folks out there like me. If I charged for all the time I've spent helping newbies/students out with random stuff, answering questions, etc I would have a much nicer motorcycle.

So quit ranting, get more jump, some more skill and get some ratings. Work for change if you want change.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[akarunway 1]

Where were you when I was teaching myself cause nobody would would help this newbie. I mentored a few (newbie) people my self when no one would jump w/ them w/o the God Almighty dollar. Nothing personal. I just think The USPA is getting outta hand as w/ all govt. regulation. These stupid fucks that write the laws ain't gotta clue. Would like to jump w/ you one day tho. Peace OUT

I hold it true, whate'er befall;
I feel it, when I sorrow most;
'Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all.

[velvetjo 0]

There's an old saying that "behind every FAR [Federal Aviation Regulation], there's at least one dead body". I'm not into regulation either, but not everyone is as good a skydiver as akarunaway, including me. Just like I wouldn't fly an instrument approach unless both current & proficient, I take it easy after a layoff from jumping.

Just be thankful that you're dealing with the USPA and not the FAA. A good way to get us regulated more is to make stupid decisions that hurt or kill people (like letting uncurrent & unproficient students back in the air without proper refresher training). It's too easy to criticize policies like these when it's not your business, airplane, reputation, etc. on the line.

Lance

[novacaine 0]

Thank you all! It is comforting to know that my DZ isn't pulling a fast one on me.
I just hope now that the weather will help me out, so I can get in at least a few jumps in this year before the DZ closes for the winter.