Newbie 0 #1 June 26, 2003 especially for TM and JM's, any pro's out there- basically anyone making a shitload of jumps on a daily basis. I was just wondering if anyone gets to the point where its so normal to be jumping due to the frequency that you don't get even a little nervous when standing by the door getting ready to go out. I know a little nervous energy is good to keep you on your toes and ready for the unexpected, but does anyone not get even that level? "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JumpCrazy 0 #2 June 26, 2003 I barely have any jumps and obviously get nervous. However, the DZO at my DZ has over 10500 jumps, has been jumping for over 30 years, is a PFF instructor..... and he said to me that he is still nervous every time. It natural, and if you don't feel a little freaked, then its probably not safe for you to be jumping.Flying Hellfish #470 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
freakydiver 0 #3 June 26, 2003 I really only get nervous when in a new situation, like jumping with someone I don't know. I also am ALWAYS nervous under canopy because I see alot of bad habits out there... Don't ever really get nervous when in the door though... -- (N.DG) "If all else fails – at least try and look under control." -- Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DaMan 0 #4 June 26, 2003 I hang out up high until all the "potential problems" have landed Z-Flock 8 Discotec Rodriguez Too bad weapons grade stupidity doesn't lead to sterility. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
betzilla 56 #5 June 26, 2003 A really famous guy (I won't mention his name, because I don't want to make him blush thru his beard) said this to a very nervous freefall student at my DZ: "I still get scared a lot, but I always jump anyway, because I don't give in to superstition." I thought that was a great way to put it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AggieDave 6 #6 June 26, 2003 Hell yeah I still get nervous. Not super-nervous, but enough to remind me that what I'm doing is dangerous. The day I don't get even a little nervous anymore will most likely be the day I quit skydiving, since at that point, I have become dangerous to myself.--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tbrown 26 #7 June 26, 2003 A great man once said, "If you're not scared, you don't understand the situation". Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity ! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
phonics1981 0 #8 June 26, 2003 Ive only just started but I cant see the nerves ever going. Think about what we are doing, we are falling from 13000ft at terminal velocity! We are only seconds from death everytime we jump. Things can go wrong. Being nervous helps keep this fact at the front of your mind so you are half expecting it. Also, the nerves make the whole experience better! It gives a sense of relief and acheivement after every jump, well it does for me anyway!! ------------------------------------------------------ "Ive given up on sigs cos I make a mess of them!" ------------------------------------------------------ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EricTheRed 0 #9 June 26, 2003 You beat me to it. The day it doesn't scare me will be the day I stop.illegible usually Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flyangel2 2 #10 June 26, 2003 Like AggieDave said, the day I stop getting nervous is the day that I stop jumping.May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds. - Edward Abbey Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
councilman24 36 #11 June 26, 2003 On most jumps I'm trying to stretch some how. I might be nervous about not wanting to screw up, trying freeflying, jumping with some newbie and having to look out for both of us. But on routine jumps I ususally feel more relaxed once I'm OUT of the plane. I'm back in control. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
quade 3 #12 June 26, 2003 QuoteI was just wondering if anyone gets to the point where its so normal to be jumping due to the frequency that you don't get even a little nervous when standing by the door getting ready to go out. I can honestly say that I was "nervous" for the first couple of hundred jumps about various phases of the entire process from takeoff to landing. And it's not like I had a fear of heights or anything either. I was a Flight Instructor and did aerobatics -- but jumping was just so totally different from anything else it was overload. After a few years in the sport I can honest say I'm rarely "nervous" anymore on about 95 percent of the jumps I make, but I'm still "highly aware" at certain points. Not because I'm 2 and a half miles above the surface of the earth and going 120 mph at the planet -- to me, that part is now quite normal and I feel very comfortable in that environment. And a normal canopy ride is something that I intentionally try to make as boring as possible. I have complete control over most of those aspects of a jump, so I try to do so and make the parts I can control as predictable as possible. Things that make me "highly aware" now are things like pushing weather limits or jumping with other people I know are at their limits as far as the dive is concerned or maybe some special jump where I haven't done some specific task over a thousand times before. Or the sight of something really ugly like a huge killer dust devil wandering through the landing area -- or even worse -- knowing it's out there somewhere and NOT being able to see it. Eventually, you'll learn that the actual jump itself is usually pretty harmless, but you'll come to know about a bajillion other things that will make you "highly aware" that what you're doing is far from boring.quade - The World's Most Boring Skydiver Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
phonics1981 0 #13 June 26, 2003 QuoteBut on routine jumps I ususally feel more relaxed once I'm OUT of the plane. Thats how I feel too. Nervous in the door then once your out the nerves seem to disappear. ------------------------------------------------------ "Ive given up on sigs cos I make a mess of them!" ------------------------------------------------------ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lippy 773 #14 June 26, 2003 Usually I have some nerves. I find it strange that every once in a while I get kinda freaked on the way to altitude, but I always make myself jump anyways (some people say that feeling is a sign something will go wrong, but I have horrible intuition anyways). I always have a split second of fear right when I let go of my PC. Only twice in 293 jumps has my PC failed to get me a canopy without me helping it a little.I got nuthin Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Blahr 0 #15 June 26, 2003 QuoteQuoteBut on routine jumps I ususally feel more relaxed once I'm OUT of the plane. Thats how I feel too. Nervous in the door then once your out the nerves seem to disappear. Right on! I hate the ride. Especially if I'm in "the hole" where to co-pilot seat used to be and all I can do is stare at my toes. Once I'm out I'm ok :-) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Blahr 0 #16 June 26, 2003 Quote (some people say that feeling is a sign something will go wrong If this was true, I'd be 68 times dead by now. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
phonics1981 0 #17 June 26, 2003 Quote Once I'm out I'm ok :-) I reckon its because once your out, you realise how f**king good it is you forget being nervous!!! ------------------------------------------------------ "Ive given up on sigs cos I make a mess of them!" ------------------------------------------------------ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bkdice 0 #18 June 26, 2003 i was told that the nervousness would fade after about 50 jumps. that ended up being true. the only times i get nervous are when it's a new thing (new DZ, new plane, dive with new person, new gear...) or if i haven't jumped in a few weekends. there is always a slight nervous anxiety - but i don't want that to ever fade. i finally trust my judgement in what i'm doing (at my lower level) and i don't try anything i don't feel good about or ready for. know your limits and know when to push them or when to hold back. just my opinion. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Ron 7 #19 June 26, 2003 QuoteI was just wondering if anyone gets to the point where its so normal to be jumping due to the frequency that you don't get even a little nervous when standing by the door getting ready to go out. Nope..I don't get nervous. Tandems...I would not call it nervous...I would call it VERY aware, I don't take them for granted. When I do something I have not done in a while like a 40 way, or video...Well there is an awareness to be more careful. But like I said no, I don't get nervous. Ron"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites tosca 0 #20 June 26, 2003 If I try something new, I can have an anxious feeling about not knowing what to expect from the situation. It can be a very strong focus or just an excited feeling. If it´s a normal jump, I feel just feel more concentrated, in a nice way. I think it´s interesting how the nervous feeling changes to a relaxed focus the more I jump. The first jump was full of so many new sensations that it was impossible for me to handle them all. I can feel how I getting more and more out of every jump, I can feel the wind better, I get more control of what happening around me, I can think more about my body position, about my breathing and take in more things about what´s happening. In a couple of hundred jumps more I think I´ll experience the same kind of jumps rather different from now, in more ways than just improved skills. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites BikerBabe 0 #21 June 26, 2003 For me, at this point, the only times I get "nervous" are when I'm doing something completely new. Which is extremely rare. I can imagine myself being nervous if I were to, say, try a Birdman jump for the first time. However, with what I'm doing, sometimes I get "nervous" not about the situation, but about my own performance. I'm on a 4-way team, and there are times where we'll be doing something that I'm not as good at or a complex dive with a slot-switcher, etc. Then I might feel some anxiety in the plane, but part of being a competitor, at least for me, is learning how to control that anxiety, put it out of my mind, and calm down. As for being nervous about the FACT of jumping out of a plane? Not anymore. That went away somewhere between 50-100 jumps.Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites dreamsville 0 #22 June 26, 2003 I'm slightly nervous on every jump, although I know it diminishes with the frequency of jumps during the day. |I don't drink during the day, so I don't know what it is about this airline. I keep falling out the door of the plane. Harry, FB #4143 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Snowbird 0 #23 June 26, 2003 QuoteAs for being nervous about the FACT of jumping out of a plane? Not anymore. Like BikerBabe said, it's not the whole idea that makes me nervous now. It's different parts, new things, new circumstances - new pilot, sudden wind picking up, that kind of thing. QuoteI'm slightly nervous on every jump, although I know it diminishes with the frequency of jumps during the day. I'm totally opposite! I'm so pumped to get in the air that the first jump is just 'let me out!' The more jumps I do, the more I remember that I'm another jump closer to my first malfunction. The exception to this is if it's been longer than normal between jumps. Then my stomach can become a nasty ball of lead. Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea. -Robert A. Heinlein Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites billvon 2,405 #24 June 26, 2003 During most jumps I do (RW, big way, C+P etc) I'm not nervous. During unusual or high workload jumps (AFF, tandem, record attempts, freeflying for now) I'm a bit nervous. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Scoby 0 #25 June 26, 2003 I'm always a bit nervous, but I feel better once the plane climbs a bit. When we're still close to the ground, I feel like I don't have time to react in an emergency. Altitude makes me feel safer. My nerves disappear at the door and don't come back until pull time! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Prev 1 2 3 Next Page 1 of 3 Join the conversation You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account. Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible. Reply to this topic... × Pasted as rich text. 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Ron 7 #19 June 26, 2003 QuoteI was just wondering if anyone gets to the point where its so normal to be jumping due to the frequency that you don't get even a little nervous when standing by the door getting ready to go out. Nope..I don't get nervous. Tandems...I would not call it nervous...I would call it VERY aware, I don't take them for granted. When I do something I have not done in a while like a 40 way, or video...Well there is an awareness to be more careful. But like I said no, I don't get nervous. Ron"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tosca 0 #20 June 26, 2003 If I try something new, I can have an anxious feeling about not knowing what to expect from the situation. It can be a very strong focus or just an excited feeling. If it´s a normal jump, I feel just feel more concentrated, in a nice way. I think it´s interesting how the nervous feeling changes to a relaxed focus the more I jump. The first jump was full of so many new sensations that it was impossible for me to handle them all. I can feel how I getting more and more out of every jump, I can feel the wind better, I get more control of what happening around me, I can think more about my body position, about my breathing and take in more things about what´s happening. In a couple of hundred jumps more I think I´ll experience the same kind of jumps rather different from now, in more ways than just improved skills. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BikerBabe 0 #21 June 26, 2003 For me, at this point, the only times I get "nervous" are when I'm doing something completely new. Which is extremely rare. I can imagine myself being nervous if I were to, say, try a Birdman jump for the first time. However, with what I'm doing, sometimes I get "nervous" not about the situation, but about my own performance. I'm on a 4-way team, and there are times where we'll be doing something that I'm not as good at or a complex dive with a slot-switcher, etc. Then I might feel some anxiety in the plane, but part of being a competitor, at least for me, is learning how to control that anxiety, put it out of my mind, and calm down. As for being nervous about the FACT of jumping out of a plane? Not anymore. That went away somewhere between 50-100 jumps.Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dreamsville 0 #22 June 26, 2003 I'm slightly nervous on every jump, although I know it diminishes with the frequency of jumps during the day. |I don't drink during the day, so I don't know what it is about this airline. I keep falling out the door of the plane. Harry, FB #4143 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Snowbird 0 #23 June 26, 2003 QuoteAs for being nervous about the FACT of jumping out of a plane? Not anymore. Like BikerBabe said, it's not the whole idea that makes me nervous now. It's different parts, new things, new circumstances - new pilot, sudden wind picking up, that kind of thing. QuoteI'm slightly nervous on every jump, although I know it diminishes with the frequency of jumps during the day. I'm totally opposite! I'm so pumped to get in the air that the first jump is just 'let me out!' The more jumps I do, the more I remember that I'm another jump closer to my first malfunction. The exception to this is if it's been longer than normal between jumps. Then my stomach can become a nasty ball of lead. Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea. -Robert A. Heinlein Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 2,405 #24 June 26, 2003 During most jumps I do (RW, big way, C+P etc) I'm not nervous. During unusual or high workload jumps (AFF, tandem, record attempts, freeflying for now) I'm a bit nervous. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Scoby 0 #25 June 26, 2003 I'm always a bit nervous, but I feel better once the plane climbs a bit. When we're still close to the ground, I feel like I don't have time to react in an emergency. Altitude makes me feel safer. My nerves disappear at the door and don't come back until pull time! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
