Atlanta Skydiving Center - any good?

[PhreeZone 15]

If you called the place I think you did in Ohio and none of the instructors there are willing to do it that says a lot.

Lets put it this way, if you ask 100 people and 99 says something is a bad idea and only 1 person says its a good one who is the one really looking out in your best interests? Betting on the "It'll be OK, I should be able to handle this" attitude is a good way to get hurt in Skydiving. The attitude to look for is the "I have done this before and this was the results. This is what we need to do to complete this safely and correctly." Putting you out on a harness or reserve rated for 255 lbs is not the second attitude at all and neither is the "Sure, come on down and we'll figure something out" reply.

Another option you can look at after loosing a few pounds is Static Line/IAD It takes a few jumps to get freefall of more then a few seconds in but for the first few jumps the instructor stays in the plane so you don't have to worry about that portion of the issue.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[B1029384756 0]

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Lets put it this way, if you ask 100 people and 99 says something is a bad idea and only 1 person says its a good one who is the one really looking out in your best interests?

That's easy. I am. If I want to do something, and if a reputable company is offering the opportunity, I won't pass it up because others have previously refused to do business with me.

I have another place lined up that also was highly recommended to me, for larger people in particular, just waiting to hear from them after they talk to their instructors. It's about a 1200 mile drive, more than I wanted but I'm glad you guys warned me about ASC's affiliation with Skyride, I suppose the extra 400 miles is worth it to deal with a better company.

[MichaelMoore 0]

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I still haven't made my first jump due to various problems such as getting my truck in good running condition and various other things.

If you can't expect to get another 1000 miles out of your truck, aren't your priorities just a little out of whack?
If I were you, I'd spend the money on a down payment for a new truck before throwing it away on skydiving.

[B1029384756 0]

It's not that I can't expect another 1000 miles from my truck. It's just that it's a bit older and sometimes needs work. I replaced the torsion bar bushings, tie rod ends, wheel bearings, ball joints, idler arm, pitman arm, front shocks, front brake hoses, and the pulley on the power steering pulley. I've also fairly recently replaced the entire ignition system minus the distributor itself, the fuel pump, entire rear brakes from the wheel cylinders on down, fuel pump, and some other things. I'm able to do the work but it just took a bit of time. My concern isn't that it won't last another 1000 miles, merely that there's a chance something unexpected might break over a 2400 mile round trip. Still, this is true of any vehicle and I believe that I've exercised due diligence in making sure it's in running condition. I'm prepared for most common roadside problems and can perform some repairs on the side of the road, though it most likely won't come to that.

Also, I've never owned a vehicle I didn't pay cash for, so putting a down payment on a truck I couldn't buy outright isn't something I'd be likely to do. I can swing $500 for another truck if I really need one, and I don't mind doing the work that such a truck would undoubtedly need. I do plan to get at least another few years out of this one if I can, though.

My priorities might be different than some people would choose in my situation, but it's been so long since I've done something like this for myself and have an opportunity to do so now while still being able to provide myself with basic survival needs.

[MichaelMoore 0]

You can’t afford skydiving. It’s that simple.

If you can’t even afford to make monthly payments on a car loan, and you only have $500 to put down for new one, again you need to get your priorities straight.

[marks 0]

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The Farm is an option if I can somehow get down to 260 lbs. Any place closer that I've called have limits of 250 lbs or less (some as low as 200), and a few have height limits of 6'1" or 6'2". I wasn't very interested in tandem anyway, I want to make a couple of AFF jumps. Almost no place has any gear rated to my weight, or if they do, they don't have instructors that would be able to keep up, or the DZ is simply unwilling.

Bigun was who I talked to when I posted a thread a few months back when I knew almost nothing about the sport and had no idea where to go. He helped me out quite a bit with information, and I've done some research on my own since then. I tried to contact him again before making this thread but haven't gotten a response, so I assume he hasn't been on the forum recently.

As for wingloading, ASC said that they have a 300 ft² canopy, which would put me at 1.08:1 assuming 40 lbs of gear. From the research I've done, my understanding is that under 1:1 is ideal for students, but that lower wingloading is more important for smaller people (that, for example, a 160 lb student with gear with a 150 ft² canopy would be at much more risk than me at 320 lbs w/ gear and a 300 ft² canopy). Am I correct in this belief? I don't know if other places have such equipment available.

I've heard about Skyride and didn't realize ASC was part of them. I'll be avoiding them, then. I just wish I had a suitable alternative.

Hans is the owner of skydive the farm. I am 100% sure he is big enough to keep up with you and he is an aff instructor.
I would also be willing to go as the other instructor. I have some experience now wearing 30-40 lbs of lead.

[denete 2]

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You can’t afford skydiving. It’s that simple.

If you can’t even afford to make monthly payments on a car loan, and you only have $500 to put down for new one, again you need to get your priorities straight.

Yeah, it had to be said. Everyone gets to make their own decisions regarding their personal priority lists, but I think in the long run MichaelMoore is right.

SCR #14809

"our attitude is the thing most capable of keeping us safe"
(look, grab, look, grab, peel, punch, punch, arch)

[B1029384756 0]

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You can’t afford skydiving. It’s that simple.

If you can’t even afford to make monthly payments on a car loan, and you only have $500 to put down for new one, again you need to get your priorities straight.

Making monthly payments on something that continuously depreciates in value is a stupid decision, especially when one is forced to maintain full coverage insurance that can add up to thousands. I've seen too many people end up owing more than the value of a car. Nor do I need another car right now - I have one, and can afford to replace it with something comparable if it suffers irreparable damage. Luckily, I don't need to rely on you to make my decisions for me, as I'm perfectly capable of doing so myself.

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Hans is the owner of skydive the farm. I am 100% sure he is big enough to keep up with you and he is an aff instructor.
I would also be willing to go as the other instructor. I have some experience now wearing 30-40 lbs of lead.

I spoke with Hans on the phone, he told me that he's a big guy himself (much shorter than me but fairly heavy, he said. I'm probably in much better shape unless he's a bodybuilder), and that he thinks at my size I'd fall too quickly. Like I said, if I were to manage to lose 20 lbs, he told me that I'd be able to go there. If I ever manage to lose the weight, I'll keep that in mind. I didn't ask him anything about gear, I assume he has it available if he'd be willing to take me at 260 lbs, though.

I've been in contact with another DZ that said they'd be happy to have me at my current weight, though, so we'll see what happens.

[BDashe 0]

Farm is good, ASC is best IMHO. After years of a hollister van ride, i cringe at the thought of more van rides. I also like air conditioning while packing. You get experienced staff at both places, but ASC for logical and sentimental reasons is the best choice. but f*ck it, when you start to jump regularly, jump at both and alternate weekends, you'll have twice the friends!

Note: I do have bias, I would make love to ASC even if it were a dirty whore, like drunk andy in the mock up to himself in a hooters dress.

Note 2: Hi cedartownites. Come fly @ Ifly SF bay, and then lose your dignity with me (+ the rest of norcal invasion) in SFO.

So there I was...

Making friends and playing nice since 1983