I'd rather...

[mfrese 0]

I'm in the "anything, I need air" category.

While I occasionally (well, maybe frequently...well actually, constantly) make the "meat-hauling" comment to my buddies at the DZ, I'm actually back to loving tandems again. It is really fun to experience the rush of a first jump with people, seeing through their reactions the way I probably was when I started. So (at least for now), it's really keeping the love alive for me. Couple things, though:

- as Lisa, Ed, and otheres posted here, don't try to do tandems on an occasional basis. It ain't enough to just be current doing tandems, you really need to be on top of your game at all times. At least, old fat guys like me do, anyway...

- and Deuce...just for the record, I hope Connie and Vic let you have the choice to do tandems or video. The ugly truth is, there are usually more tandems than video, and once you get the rating and get current, you may find yourself with a student more often than a camera. Good luck, though, and don't forget to have fun going through the course!

Doctor I ain't gonna die,
Just write me an alibi! ---- Lemmy/Slash

[rjf98 0]

No applogies needed. I swore up and down I wouldn't get my tandem rating, but then it came down to it, and I realized that I would have the time to do this thing full time for a couple of months and decided that in order for my transition to the dark side to be complete I needed a tandem rating.

What are you gonna do?

It's fun, not as much as turning points and doing 4 way, but it's still fun. My fun jumps lately have been in the tunnel working on 4 way with my coachie (Erin rocks!!)

[Yoshi 0]

dont get me wrong... I like doing tandems... I jsut would rather be "fun" jumping... I havent taken a "real customer" yet, though... I jsut finished my rating 2 weeks ago, so I have only taken experienced jumpers, but they were all still very fun... I jsut prefer to be flying my canopy and freeflying... I guess once I have a handfull of tandems under my belt Ill be able to give a better idea of what I will do/want to do

_________________________________________
this space for rent.

[JohnMitchell 14]

***
Plan to learn to throw SL students out next February which has got to be pretty dull... but its all jumps!

Frank.

[JohnMitchell 14]

I get great satisfaction taking new people into the air by whatever means: tandem, AFF, SL, whatever. If you are not interested in the "giving back" aspect of the sport, then I would say that you just need to get another "regular" job during the week so that you can better defray the cost of your fun jumping. I do not suffer that affliction; I love to teach.

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That's the atttitude that makes great instructors. If you do it for the money, you'll burn out. If you do it for the love of it, you'll last. And the students can tell the difference.

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[Vertifly 0]

Coaching and video for freefly only.

1) I just love teaching... whether it be computers, health and fitness, or freefly. I just Love working with people and could care less who has anything derogatory to say about it.

2) Freefly video, the eye candy of our own celebraties.

[peacefuljeffrey 0]

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If I were qualified, i would do any of it. After all, it would mean that many more jumps.

Yeah, same here.

Fortunately I'm not in the situation where I would need to scrape to get jumps, but at this point (with only 78 jumps) I can't see why I would not do things like video or tandem if it got me flying.
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-Jeffrey
"With tha thoughts of a militant mind... Hard line, hard line after hard line!"

[lummy 4]

If given the choice, I'd probably try coaching. That way, I wouldn't have to give all my time to the sport (which I can't anyways) while still being able to give back to the newer jumpers, and hey, a free jump every now n then would be pretty cool ;)


Besides the fact that I'm no where near the #'s to be an AFFI or TM.

Packing, nu uh, that there's hard work

I promise not to TP Davis under canopy.. I promise not to TP Davis under canopy.. eat sushi, get smoochieTTK#1

[FallingILweenie 0]

If I had the skills, I'd do video and freefly coaching. And i would do it on a "ask me if you want a coach jump and i'll be happy to but i am not there specifically to coach" basis. that would let me have fun and then pay for the jumps where i am chasing someone who is just learning to freefly across the sky....i wouldnt even want anything more than just the slot being paid for.

[hookitt 0]

Since I know you and where you jump, I think you're on the right track. Flying video in this stage of your carreer is going to improve your flying skills on a large scale. It will cross over to coaching and AFF really well.

You already own good teaching and customer service skills. (This in no way reflects your internet personna )

The fact you plan to fly video at a Dropzone that doesn't freak out if you're not there at 8:00 am or want a day or 2 off from the rotation is a major plus.

This is only my opinion but for you, I'd suggest sticking with the video and kick it up with an AFF rating when you feel the urge.

It's fun and you'll be good at it.

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

[chopchop 0]

Thanks Timmae.. those are my plans exactly.. planning on doing AFF this summer..

chopchop
gotta go... Plaything needs a spanking..

Lotsa Pictures

[AndyMan 7]

I'll be doing part time tandem video this year. In the future, I hope to do for pay video and photography for individuals and groups. The only part that'll ever make money is the tandem part. I hope that the individuals and groups will help me buy some really cool hardware.

_Am

__

You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

[vdschoor 0]

the thing I would like to do most is skydiving photography, but since most people are after video I'll take that one.

Teaching is something I really enjoy too, jumping with new jumpers and helping them get up to speed.
I am going to get my coach rating and AFF, I am not to sure about my tandem rating.. I think I am going to stick to filming them and making them look good on pictures.

Iwan

[packerboy 3]

I don't get it... you get paid to jump out of an airplane doing tandems... draw the line? Do what you have to do. Obviously I'm a packer.. at a Canadian dropzone.. can't afford to go to the States and do a few hundred jumps to get my ratings. I packed my own tandem even before my freefall course.. I've packed for it all... I can't friggen wait to do tandems! Perhaps that will change after a few thousand of them. I've seen burnouts.. but they were doing it for the wrong reason to begin with. We have tandem instructors with thousands of tandems who still love every bit of the opportunity of getting to jump out of an airplane for free or less!

I guess you year round jumpers are just a little spoiled with your 12 months of jumping, cheap jump prices, half loads in Casa's and Skyvan's and thousands of students to pay for your jumps. Here, if we can be in the air, we do it.....

edited to say: I was being playfully sarcastic... but you have to admit that you've got it made compared to a 2 Cessna Canadian DZ.

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In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. ~ Thomas Jefferson

[CanuckInUSA 0]

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I guess you year round jumpers are just a little spoiled with your 12 months of jumping, cheap jump prices, half loads in Casa's and Skyvan's and thousands of students to pay for your jumps. Here, if we can be in the air, we do it.....

Yes we are totally spoiled down here (and I'm only jumping at a medium sized turbine DZ). I hate to say it, but I regret the likelyhood of having to move back to Canada once my work down here is done.

As far as this topic is concerned? Hmmm ...

A while back I said I could see myself being a TM. But lately, the idea of flying meat hasn't been all that appealing. For sure flying video is something that I can see myself doing (I'm just waiting to get more experience before I go down that road) and being an AFF instructor and possibly a rigger could also be things that I see myself doing. But I have also been warned against working for a DZ and have seen those who do not have their "I'm happy today" hats on. But I guess if push came to shove and if it meant this is the only way you will jump, I guess working at a DZ is a viable option.

I know it doesn't work this way, but my dream DZ job would be to be a freeflying or canopy control coach (and pretty much load organizing). But one doesn't just rise to those sort of positions without paying ones dues in these other areas first.

Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

[Deuce 1]

I have video'd hundreds of tandem and AFF jumps. About 600. Every week somebody comes up with some new way to keep a tandem master on their back to terminal or an evasive maneuver that almost gets the slip of an Aff instructor. Having seen so much of this it has caused me to back off on my normally "do it as soon as I'm qualified" attitude.

When I get a tandem rating, it will stay current. For AFF, I truly do think over a thousand jumps should usually be the criterion. If a jumper can't always get their dock when everybody on the skydive is cooperating it seems like a bad idea to me to move on to taking on the responsibility of attempting to pull someone else out who is trying to give you the slip just because they are spastic.

For people who are considering it, go and lurk some AFF to see just how much work it can be. I'm going to spend the summer accomplishing some goals, and I may go to AFF school in the fall or right before the Christmas Boogie in Eloy.

[chopchop 0]

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For AFF, I truly do think over a thousand jumps should usually be the criterion. If a jumper can't always get their dock when everybody on the skydive is cooperating it seems like a bad idea to me to move on to taking on the responsibility of attempting to pull someone else out who is trying to give you the slip just because they are spastic.

Well, if you can't be sure of that yet at 6,745 posts 900 jumps, why are you going on 140 way sequentials?

J/K JP.. had to mess wiht you a bit, though.

chopchop
gotta go... Plaything needs a spanking..

Lotsa Pictures

[Deuce 1]

I'm qualified for the sequential. Everybody on the sequential wants it to work. I'm going to go get that record so that I can move on to the next step of filming something that big. I'm pretty methodical.

We all know people who have ratings that really shouldn't be teaching.

I was all hot to get my AFF rating this time last year. At the American Boogie I watched Fast Eddie break grips on a speed star, go down and fetch a skydiver, float him back up to the formation and fling him into grips before getting back into his own slot. I couldn't do that at the time, and I think AFF instructors should have that kind of skill. It made me back off and improve my flying.

I also don't have the range I should at my current weight. I'm in great shape for the fast base that the sequential requires, but I don't want to be going low on a student and then telling her she is "floaty and needs to arch more, and should be wearing weights"

[chopchop 0]

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I don't want to be going low on a student and then telling her she is "floaty and needs to arch more, and should be wearing weights"

Damn.. who would ever do and say something like that? Sounds kinda sketchy to me..

chopchop
gotta go... Plaything needs a spanking..

Lotsa Pictures

[Garycal 0]

Fix cars to pay for jumps at 60.00 per hour for sideline work a couple of jobs a week will pay for 6 jump tickets

[cocheese 0]

Almost 1000 jumps and i never had the desire to teach, coach, aff,sl,packing ,rigging, or tandem.
I've considered camera for tandems,but never made the committment.
I'm basically lazy and not really a people person. I've worn the cam for 450 fun jumps and would like to be a 4 way team camera guy or something. I took the cam off for a month and haven't worn it in a year or so. Lost the desire (and hassle of the cam etc.)
I give back to the sport by docking on tandems who didn't buy the video. (me wearing no cam). I love that. Get to see the smiles ! Hope it makes them come back.
I guess i'd be happy cutting the grass and fueling planes and just helping out with maintenance and stuff.

[dsbbreck 0]

When I started Skydiving I said "I'll never do Tandems". Now after close to 1000 tandems I can say I love it.

I started doing it because I could no longer afford to skydive. I could probably do something else and make more money, but I wouldn't be able to jump every day.

Some people get burned out on skydiving and just do it for the money, but I love introducing someone to my lifestyle. I don't know how many times I've heard people say " you have the greatest job ", and I think to myself....they're right.

I also fly camera which I love because I get to swoop my canopy.

If there's no work available you can bet I'm on the load doing a fun jump.

David

David

"Socrates wasn't killed because he had the answer.......he was killed because he asked the question."

[bodypilot1 0]

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I was all hot to get my AFF rating this time last year. At the American Boogie I watched Fast Eddie break grips on a speed star, go down and fetch a skydiver, float him back up to the formation and fling him into grips before getting back into his own slot. I couldn't do that at the time, and I think AFF instructors should have that kind of skill. It made me back off and improve my flying.

Don't call me Fast Eddie.....
Shit, it was the guys 1000th jump and I just needed to give him a hand back up to the formation is all!

www.WestCoastWingsuits.com
www.PrecisionSkydiving.com

[GravityGirl 0]

I would probably make t-shirts and sell gear.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Peace and Blue Skies!
Bonnie ==>Gravity Gear!

[packerboy 3]

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I regret the likelyhood of having to move back to Canada once my work down here is done.

Stay there then...

I bet 12 ways can still be pretty fun if you have to do them from 3 planes with a bunch of newbies though...

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In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. ~ Thomas Jefferson

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