The Search...

[Skylark 0]

http://www.skydiveu.com/flash/search4.htm

I've been considering applying for 'The Search' at Skydive University, Florida. The cost is $2,000 for 26 jumps with coaching and wind-tunnel time etc.

I just wondered whether anyone could recomend it or not? Does it really represent good value for money? Is it the next logical step for someone like myself with only 18 jumps? Would I be better off purchasing 70 solo jumps from my local DZ? Any help much appreciated...

"Into the dangerous world I leapt..." William Blake, Songs of Experience

[Jessica 0]

18 jumps is the perfect time to get training like The Search. You haven't had time to develop bad habits yet.

You'd be a much better skydiver at the end of The Search's 26 jumps and tunnel time than you would be after 70 solos.

But if you can spend those 70 jumps at your home dz jumping with more experienced people and getting on some good loads, then that would be productive, too.

Skydiving is for cool people only

[AggieDave 6]

Do you have a Skydive U. Coach at your DZ? You could learn a whole lot from going through the Skydive U. program at your own DZ for not quite as much money as "The Search" costs and you don't have to travel. Atleast, that's what I'm about to do and I wish I would have done it when I had the same number of jumps you do...now I have to spend time "unteaching" myself all the bad habits I got while freeflying for the past 250 jumps...

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

[weid14 0]

From the feedback I've heard, the participants have found it very worthwhile. There is tunnel time in there, a seminar with Dr John (well there used to be), canopy class, gear seminar, it's pretty inclusive and gives you a well rounded experience with a bunch of people who are there for the same thing.

[Samurai136 0]

I attended the first 'Search' with 35 jumps. It's worth the money. The next jump season I was making skydives w/ jumpers who have 20+ years in the sport who thought I had 300-400 jumps. They were shocked that I had fewer than 100.

If you attend, consider who will pack your main? With 26 jumps are you prepared to pack for yourself and make 5 or more jumps per day? Seriously consider paying a packer. You'll have more energy to focus on the jumps, instruction, and post jump de-brief.

I had a blast.



Ken

"Buttons aren't toys." - Trillian
Ken

[flyangel2 2]

Being with a group of jumpers that are all working towards the same goal in the same environment is the way to go. (less distractions than if you are at your home DZ) You'll learn more than just how to fly your body with the seminars they offer. Plus the tunnel time is a great way to learn. (two minutes of flying time compared to 60 seconds) The flight times in the tunnel are divided into blocks so you don't get too tried.

I have close to 3000 skydives and wish there had been these kinds of events when I was first learning. It sure would have saved me a ton of frustration.

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

[wilmshurst 0]

I cannot comment on The Search specifically, but I have done a number of Sky U jumps and I found the experience to be most excellent. You jump one-on-one with your coach and the jumps are tailored to your skill level, strengths and weaknesses, and speed of progression. All basic RW skills are covered - including different exits and tracking - in a simple and straightforward manner that really aids understanding and the learning process.

After returning to my home DZ - I did do an Airspeed tunnel camp as well - I was able to hold my own with jumpers with several hundred more jumps than myself.


"It's not a question of if...just a question of when!"

The only thing worse than a cold toilet seat is a warm toilet seat.

[Skylark 0]

Ok, sounds like this is the way to go. Regarding packing my main, I'm not sure what you mean? During my AFF course, I wasn't taught how to pack, but I now consider it to be the most important thing to learn before I jump again.

I dont yet know a rig inside out which could be fatal if I get caught in a nasty tangle and need to use a hook knife to save myself, I wouldn't know where to start. It's also very important when reading about fatalities and cutaways as I dont yet understand what's being said when people mention gromits, and pins, and loops etc.

I guess its also vital to know a rig back to front if I'm using an RSL? In other words, if my main canopy is a real mess above my head, I wouldn't know whether to release my RSL unless I knew exactly what was going to happen.

Thats another thing, during my AFF I jumped with an RSL, but the only time I was told I would need to release it, was if I landed in a tree with my main, and I need to cut away so I could climb down. I was told that I should release the RSL to save the cost of repacking the reserve which would fire if I had the RSL on.

It's only now that I've started reading about RSL's that I realise there's a whole debate about their 'saftey'. During my 10 solo consol. jumps, I had no idea that I should consider releasing my RSL if I have a very badly tangled main, which might also tangle my reserve when I cut away.

"Into the dangerous world I leapt..." William Blake, Songs of Experience

[PhreeZone 15]

If you have a mal odds are you won't have time to disconnect the RSL. Leave the plane the same way you want to cutaway.

As for landing in a Tree... don't move untill help arrives to lower you down. You could actually fall the whole way down and kill your self falling out of the tree aftter surviving the landing in it. When help arrive have them determine the bast way to get you down. If the RSL needs disconnected then thats an option but don't try to get out with out help.

There have been 2 possible RSL related deaths in the US in the last 5-6 years, there have been a few cutaway no pulls/too long of a delay. Do the research to determine if an RSL is for you.

Having a ball of shit above you with an RSL does'nt mean the RSL is going to kill you 100% of the time... a lot is more luck hen most things. How many time have you heard of a reserve baglock? I've seen video of one that cleared way low.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[kopelen 0]

To everybody,

Think about my comments below and then about what you have then said above.

Skydive U Basic body flight course is as follows: "We offer professional and intensive programs to teach the fundamentals of relative work in a safe, relaxed and fun format. The courses cover all of the basic flying positions and principles for effective relative work, moving from simple skills and exercises to more complex ones. Utilizing the very best training available will drastically shorten the time and expense required to emerge as a safe, skilled skydiver and will greatly increase the fun and satisfaction from achieving successful skydives."

Outlined above is what you will learn.
Also if you want to spend the money for such a course great, but remember many DZs have people with just as much experience or more.

Lastly if you attended such a course with less than say 400 jumps, why would it not impress you. How many people honestly are 4 way champs under 400 jumps in the majority, not looking for exceptions here since they do exist. So of course the skydive U program will seem impressive. It should be for the money!!!!!

[billvon 2,396]

> I had no idea that I should consider releasing my RSL if I have a
> very badly tangled main, which might also tangle my reserve when I
> cut away.

You should not consider releasing your RSL in the middle of a mal. It is difficult, and you are likely to accidentally open your reserve if you try. It would also be ironic if you spent 10 seconds trying, got it released, cut away, then discovered you were at 500 feet - an altitude where an RSL just might have saved your life.

[sducoach 0]

Kopelen,
Help me if you will. I've completely missed your point.
Having gone through SDU as a student in 1993 when it started and becoming a SDU Coach in 1995, I have extensive experience with SDU. (hence the screen name) I am a coach that does not work on a "campus" and charges much less than the Search rates however, the process of working with good coaches along with others with the same desires and intent increased the learning rate.
No smart remarks intended, just curious as to your position.

Blues,

J.E.

James 4:8

[Skylark 0]

are you an sdu coach now?

"Into the dangerous world I leapt..." William Blake, Songs of Experience

[JFC3 0]

From my own experience I found the SDU Coaches to be much better than your average AFF coach (and I'm not dissing AFF Coaches I love all of them). When I was a student I did a couple of coach jumps with an SDU Coach at my DZ and found that from briefing to debriefing her style made such a huge impact that I just wanted to keep going back to her. A choice you don't always have as a student. We discussed and worked on muscle memory. Not only the propper body positon but the right mind set. She made the task challanging but not impossible. Then reviewed in an open manner and encouraged my feedback and explained what I didn't understand.

I took part in the Search last February and found all the coaches I dealt with there to be equally great. I had more than the average amount of jumps but that didn't matter. I still got more than I hoped for out of it. The best thing about the Search to me was that you had an entire room of coaches to use. Pick their brains ask for their different opinions. If I ever make that leap to coaching I will certainly be an SDU coach as well.

"Five days? But I'm angry now!"

[bigjim 0]

I also attended Search I. If you go, you probably will make the biggest leap forward, skills wise, over the length of the camp than at any other point in your skydiving career. Not only to you jump with really good coaches, which you can do elsewhere, but you are part of a really well thought out program and the group dynamic really adds to the experience. . In addition, the seminar instructors, people like Pete Allum, Dr. John and Scott Miller are among the best in the world at what they do.

[weid14 0]

Quote

To everybody,

Think about my comments below and then about what you have then said above.

Skydive U Basic body flight course is as follows: "We offer professional and intensive programs to teach the fundamentals of relative work in a safe, relaxed and fun format. The courses cover all of the basic flying positions and principles for effective relative work, moving from simple skills and exercises to more complex ones. Utilizing the very best training available will drastically shorten the time and expense required to emerge as a safe, skilled skydiver and will greatly increase the fun and satisfaction from achieving successful skydives."

Outlined above is what you will learn.
Also if you want to spend the money for such a course great, but remember many DZs have people with just as much experience or more.

Lastly if you attended such a course with less than say 400 jumps, why would it not impress you. How many people honestly are 4 way champs under 400 jumps in the majority, not looking for exceptions here since they do exist. So of course the skydive U program will seem impressive. It should be for the money!!!!!

The search is set up differently, with seminars and other events giving a more extensive education. Please note, I am not an SDU coach, but have observed the program.

[sducoach 0]

Yes I am. I am currently working in the Kansas City area, however I'm from Ozark Missouri and teach at Freefall Express Skydiving in Mt. Vernon MO.
Rob asked me to work the Search this year however work schedule prevented me doing so. Looks as if the same this year.
Blues,

J.E>

James 4:8

[mdowling 0]

I attended the Search last winter and found it to be tremendously helpful even though we got weathered out for about half of our jumps. I learned a lot on the ground and the eight coached jumps I made with T-Square from Skydive Orange were just what I needed to build some skills and confidence going into an active skydiving year. I had 30 jumps when I went to the Search in February. I'm nearing 400 now. Obviously, I highly recommend the Search. But I believe that jumps with any USPA coach is money well spent.

[dove 0]

I went to the Search II. It IS expensive but so worth every penny. Seriously. AFter all the ground stuff and working with Dr. John I could already tell the difference on my first jump! And from there my RW skills really took off! Amazing difference. Now, if I could only remember them! DOH!

Fall in dove.

[SkySlut 0]

The Search was the best investment that I have done with skydiving!!! I went to the second one with about 100 jumps. The whole atmosphere was great, because you are with people that are really eager to learn...Everybody is at the same stage for the most part. (Which is great!) The problem with skydiving sometimes is that AFF teaches you basic survival skills, thats it. So when a jumper gets off AFF status they are stuck in a limbo state...the higher level jumpers dont really dont want to jump with the recent grad and the recent grad can get too anxious and flail on the dive if they do get the opportunity to jump with them...then they feel bad about messing up and that can snowball into a lack of self-confidence. So if a newer jumper doesnt get to jump with better jumpers, they are usually jumping with people at the same skill level...which can be dangerous, a lot of DZs wont let 2 people jump together if they dont have over 100 jumps combined between the two of them for safety reasons. From a learning perspective, you have two people zooming around the sky never getting near each other...how can you really learn from that??? You cant really figure out who was really doing what on those dives. The coaches job is to sit completely still, so you can get better overall body awareness in freefall. SDU teaches you to interact safely and efficiently in the air with other people. There arent too many places where a newer jumper can bridge the gap in a safe learning environment, that is what "the Search" is. It is a intensive camp that encompasses everything you ever wanted to know and things that you didnt even know that you wanted to know. You can jump demo gear from the major manufacturers and plus they have a raffle at the end of the camp...I won 50% off a Javelin Odyssey, whoohooo!!! That made the trip worth my money right there, but when I got back to my DZ they were impressed with the skills that I had attained. I hopped on a 4-way team with people that had 1000 jumps each and I got my AFF rating with 360 jumps. The camp may not make everyone a world champion, but its a great place to learn at your own pace and level of comfortability. The coaches are great, I still chat with my coach (Pete Allum-20 time British National Champion) from the search every so often, he was always glad to hear what kind of progress I was making. They are nothing but professionals-no attitudes at all.

This years looks even better, canopy coaching from Scott Miller, 20 minutes of wind tunnel, 1on1s, 4-ways, sunny florida, Dr. John...its better than freezing your butt off somewhere thinking about skydiving.

[SkySlut 0]

I think that there are a few slots left for the Search, so if anyone is interested give them a call and see if you can still get in.

[SkySlut 0]

I believe that there have been some slots that have opened up for this years Search due to a few cancellations. If anyone is still interested in attending send SDU an email or give them a call.

www.skydiveu.com

[rendezvous 0]

Well what do you think about some thing like the Skyventure Arizona Airspeed tunnel camp compared
to this SDU search program. I have 100 jumps and I want to take up some coaching that will help me imporve my RW skills.

[SkySlut 0]

The SDU program was created by Jack Jefferies...most, if not all, Airspeed members are SDU coaches...I cant speak about their camp because I havent attended one...but I am sure that its pretty good. The search is kinda different though. It gives you 5 canopy control jumps with scott miller, you can demo gear from PD, Vector, Javelin. Free giveaways like 50% off rigs & Skysystems helmets, free jumpsuits, protracks, etc. There is 15 minutes of tunnel time...more if you want it. a bunch of 1 on 1 coaching with XL guys and other great coaches. 2 on 1 jumps, and 3 on 1 jumps. There are seminars every night for packing, peak performance with Dr. John Rosalia, competitive skydiving...tons o stuff to keep you occupied from 7:30 in the morning till WELL past sunset everyday.

[Kris 0]

Quote

The SDU program was created by Jack Jefferies...

Nope, it was Rob Laidlaw.

Kris

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