Where should I start

[dresherr 0]

I am only a senior in high school but look forward to skydiving in the future; hopefully as a career! Where should I start out? I've heard the Golden Knights is great but I'm really not a military type guy. All I want to do is skydive!
Where is the best place to go for training and what would it take for me to get hired as an instructor? In the future I don't care about money in my career I want to have a career that is fun. That's why I am interested in skydiving. I heard there is nothing else like it! What should I do? Go to the military and save up money or just save up money through a Burger King job or something? Then where do I go from there? Please write any comments you have good or bad! Thanks!!!!!!!!!

[weid14 0]

well you should look in the yellow pages under skydiving, go out to the local DZ, talk to people there about different student programs, make a skydive and decide if it's for you before making it a career decision, then talk to your instructors and find out how they got where they did and what it took. then make up your own mind about it as a career.

[pds 0]

kidnap yourself and use the ransom money to move into a trailer on the DZ. when a plane goes up, be on it. when a door goes open, get out of it. lather rinse repeat.

namaste, motherfucker.

[wmw999 2,133]

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kidnap yourself and use the ransom money to move into a trailer on the DZ. when a plane goes up, be on it. when a door goes open, get out of it. lather rinse repeat.

That's pretty funny. And you can do that, although the ransom part might make long-term freedom kind of a challenge.

That said, start jumping. Learn to pack. Learn to wash airplanes, and don't be too proud to do anything for the dropzone. Always take your pay in jumps.

And make sure it stays fun. You can go to school part-time; having college never hurt anyone's skydiving, and if you decide permanent skydiving isn't for you after all, then you've got a start on a degree. Plus which your brain will stay alive.

I moved to another state, packed mains and rigged for a drop zone, and did all that for 6 months. It was great, and I don't regret a second of it. For me, it wasn't permanent, but dang it was fun.

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)

[Raefordite 0]

Dear Dresher: If you are not a "military type guy" then I strongly recommend NOT going the Golden Knight route. These men and women are soldiers first, second skydivers. I'm sure the Golden Knights can elaborate a lot better than I can, but keep it in mind. Get a job that will help you earn some bucks. If you live close to a DZ, go there NOW and learn to pack parachutes. My local packers make a cash killing. $5 at a time can add up to amazing amounts! Also see if you can become a DZ "slave". You will probably be able to trade work for jumps! Wishing you blue skies and calm winds.

[dresherr 0]

Thanks guys! But one more question: How do I start packing parachutes and such? I live pretty far away from a DZ but I would make the drive! How do I learn to do all the stuff at a DZ so it could help me in the future? Thanks once again for all your help guys!

[PhreeZone 15]

The DZ will teach you everything you need to know in order to pack a parachute. Just be warned while in theory its just folding fabric it takes a lot out of someone to pack all day. Some of the people at the DZ in the best shape are the full time packers. Its important to hang around as much as possible, after hours, rainy days, weather out or not most times some one is at a DZ willing to teach or just tell stories.

No shit there I was type stories can teach some good lessons if you listen to them. Also check out www.skydivingfatalities.info to make sure you understand what you are getting into. Skydiving, while its made great strides to be safer, still has approx 30-35 people killed every year in the US alone. 30-35 people out of approx 35000 active jumpers.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[dresherr 0]

Thanks again but all the info on the fatality rates... Well to put it this way... How many of us drive a vehicle? I know I do. I just started out and it's not all that bad. But why do we do it when hundreds of thousands of people die in vehicle accidents each year?
I know I would rather die doing something extreme like skydiving than just driving my car to school or something. The fatality rates on skydiving are indeed true but look at the stats on other stuff.
There are some funky death rates on some activities out there in the world and if you ask me... skydiving isn't all that bad compared to some jobs. I hope all skydivers don't worry about the death rates so much before they make the leap. Do we all think about dying before driving a car? I hope not.
Thanks to all and much love.

P.S. Hopefully it does not sound like I am coming at you hard PhreeZone. If it does I apologize. I just wanted to share my opinion on the stats. Safe flying!

[skybytch 259]

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I hope all skydivers don't worry about the death rates so much before they make the leap.

I hope we do. I know I do. I worry about it enough to not jump in marginal weather conditions, take care of my gear, jump conservative canopies and not be afraid to sit out a jump or three if something isn't right.

You can read statistics any way you want. Just remember, regardless of what the statistics say to you - you can be injured or killed skydiving even if you do everything right.

[dresherr 0]

Sorry about the last comment but what I meant was that we should all do stuff safe but why let statistics overcome you like a fear and get in the way of your goal ahead? Much love and SAFE flying.
Note: Please stay safe and don't become one of the stats. Just don't let obstacles get in the way of your goals. But if the obstacles are life threatening then have second thoughts on how you handle them.

[PhreeZone 15]

>die doing something extreme like skydiving

Its extremeness wears off fast, even faster after your first trip to the hospital for your self or your friend. I actually enjoyed my trip to the ER for myself, but thats just me. It quickly becomes either a passion or you walk away from the sport. A quick glance of the classifieds shows a lot of people getting out of the sport.

> skydiving isn't all that bad compared to some jobs

Job? I make no money in jumping. Only a very very small percentage of jumpers try to make it their occupation. Most have trouble living on ramon noodles and go back to a normal job after only a year or two and thats no counting those that get burned out and quit jumping altogether. I've spent well upwards of $18000 and have never made a dime while jumping. Its more of a hobby for me, much like playing computer games is also.

>I hope all skydivers don't worry about the death rates so much before they make the leap

Every time I wake up and get ready to jump at the DZ I wonder how can I make myself safer? How can I make others safer? I've never lost a close friend yet jumping but I know the day will come when some one I know dies jumping. I just try to make sure that we are as safe as possible until that day. Every time I get in a car I know there are 800 million ohter cars out there that are all wanting to hit me and kill me and I try to drive as safe as possible to prevent giving any of them the chance to do that. I don't live in fear, but I take calculated risks. If the odds of injury are high or if I can't tell the odds I try to walk away from it as I hope all jumpers would.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[DYEVOUT 0]

It might be a good idea to actually make a jump, before attempting to plan the rest of your life around an unknown.

----------------=8^)----------------------
"I think that was the wrong tennis court."

[dzjmg 0]

On your 18th bday, treat yourself to a tandem or aff jump. If you really like it, you could be licensed in less than 2 weeks. But that will require plenty of dinero as does everything else in this sport.

That said, definitely consider going to college. Many colleges have skydiving clubs and if not, you could even start one.

There isn't that much money in instructing and most coaches work for jump tickets.

While you're building the hundreds-to-thousands of jumps needed to be a good professional, it will be well worth it to have a good job to fall back on.

Jay

[eyeinthesky 0]

uhm, take it a step at a time, dude. you may not even like it. most do, some dont. try it first before you go setting plans to be a professional or a teacher or whatever. and remember, although its cool, dont be stupid, be safe


doug



never let anyone in your will pack your chute!

hey, i was stupid before stupid was cool!

[4waynut 0]

You are not that far away from Perris and Elsinore. Get off the computer and start watching landings and listening to stories.

If you are to find opportunity and insight, that is where you will find it.

However, I like the advice you were given about money: make lots of it, this is a spendy sport.

[weid14 0]

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I've spent well upwards of $18000 and have never made a dime while jumping. Its more of a hobby for me, much like playing computer games is also.

shoot, I've been spending that per season lately.... but I think that is going to slow down now...

[dex 0]

> It might be a good idea to actually make a jump, before attempting to plan the rest of your life around an unknown.

Good CALL! making a jump is a great way to start skydiving for fun or profit... heheh

Further more I would add to avoid thinking of skydiving as a career in the beginning... You have plenty of time to figure out how to spend the rest of your life... for now worry about how you will get the cash to pay for your first jump course and to jump as much as possible...

You don't need any jumps to pack parachutes but to do any of the other things like teaching aff you need experience and some serious jump numbers.. I think most of the instructional ratings will require at least 500 jumps or so by sept of next year...

Anyways I'd recommend finding as high paying of a civilian job you can and living cheaply (stay with parents or live at a dz etc.. eat ramen...) and jumping your ass off... if you jump and decide it's not for you the cash you have saved up won't hurt ya.... of course if you joined the army to just to jump and decided ya didn't like it ya could of made at least a 3 year mistake...

[algboy 0]

"hundreds of thousands of people die in vehicle accidents each year? "

Is that right?? In the US? Hell, doctors and hospitals kill about a 100K+ a year--but I digress. Sounds a bit high to me. I do know that the stats for skydiving vs driving a car are about the same as far as deaths per total jumps vs deaths per car trips/miles driven (or some other such stat). Take out the the goofy hook turn burn-ins and the rare suicides--it comes out way safer than driving a car. I'm not worried.

“Keep your elbow up!"

[billvon 2,412]

>Is that right??

Close. 41,000 in 2000.

>I do know that the stats for skydiving vs driving a car are about the
> same as far as deaths per total jumps vs deaths per car trips/miles
> driven (or some other such stat).

If you compare non-student jumps to the average US car trip (assuming an average trip of 10-15 miles) you are far more likely to die skydiving.

>Take out the the goofy hook turn burn-ins and the rare suicides--it
> comes out way safer than driving a car. I'm not worried.

That's like saying take out the drunk driving and bad weather accidents out of driving, then compare them. You can do that, but the fact remains that many skydivers die doing low turns - and a great many of those were not trying to do a hook turn. In fact, I'm convinced that if you can not pull off a high performance landing safely, your odds of dying in a low turn accident increase.