First Jump

[slydog 0]

Going for my first jump in 10 days. I am very excited and a little nervous. I believe this will be something that I could really get into. Any pointers for my first jump?

[indyz 1]

Listen to your instructors. Have fun. If you want to be a popular guy and hear some great stories, bring a case a of good beer and stick around after the sun goes down.

[pack40 0]

You should not be worried to much. If you are those kind of brave, loud, wise-guys making jokes during the trainings/courses, no problem, you will worried enough in the plane to be soooo silent .

In the plane instead of worrying you should repeat/think through the emergency procedures -it takes only a minute-, check the equipment where are the reserve/cutaway handles. Then you can look around. If you are worried still you can concentrate on your tasks. Instead of going through stupid thoughts as "why I am here" and "I do not want to jump" you should concentrate on your primary tasks which you can set
For example
1.) Today I have to make a good exit
2.) How will I make it?
3.) I will .... (as your instructor said)

For me it helped instead of just sit and wait for the jump I have something to think of and if I do whatever I planned it feels very good. These are simple thing although an experienced jumper might laugh at these.

After the jump send a line or two about the jump.

Robert

OVER

[coconutmonkey 0]

Try to relax and be positive about the whole experience. Pay attention in you classes and ASK QUESTIONS if you have any before the jump. It doesn't matter how silly it may sound to you, but the questions not asked are the ones that pop up and gnaw at you later. The more you know the safer you'll feel. Safer you feel, the more you relax. More you relax, more fun you have... and isn't that what lifes all about?
Enjoy your jump and then drink a beer and tell your 'war stories' until the wee hours on the DZ. Good luck.

Hearts & Minds
2 to the Heart-
1 to the Mind-
Home of the Coconut Lounge, Spa, & Artillery Range

[Nick 0]

Listen to what your instructors tell you (ask questions if you need to) and most of all enjoy it. You'll never forget the feeling of your first freefall.

Nick

Nick
Gravity- It's not just a good idea, it's the LAW!

[packman 0]

what DZ are you going to make your first jump at ?

"Trust your Rigger with your Life , but not your Beer or your Wife !"

[dida 0]

the first day of my solo training, my instructor told me this, "there are only two reasons we jump out of a perfectly good airplane. one: there's no such thing as a perfectly good airplane. two: we do it because it's FUN!!!!"

of course, it's important to concentrate on safety and the tasks you're trying to accomplish, but at the end of the day, if you didn't have fun, it wasn't worth doing. ENJOY!!!

let us know how you go...welcome to the family

spiral out...keep going...

[DTOXX 0]

The best advice I can give is to listen and ASK QUESTIONS. If you don't understand something ask for that information again. Do not hesitate to ask to practice something more than once if you are not sure about it. If the instructor uses an expression or phrase that you don't know then ask him/her to rephrase it another way.

In the end it is YOUR safety you are looking our for. The instructors have been doing this for a while and know there stuff. The will do there best to make sure you know everything you need to know and will be more than happy to explain something more than once.

Anytime I teach someone, and I do not mean skydiving here, I am never happy with an answer of "Oh I know that already." If you know an answer then state the answer. You never know... You could be wrong.

-------
D.T. Holder
SIMstudy

[CanuckInUSA 0]

Will your first jump be a tandem jump or an AFF Level I jump?
If it's just a tandem, then asking questions if good, but you're there to really just have fun and hopefully have so much fun that you'll want to jump again, and again, etc, etc, etc.

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

[Deuce 1]

Quote

Any pointers for my first jump?

Bring a case of beer.

Big Ears, Small Mouth (listen more than you talk)

Practice the dive flow at least a hundred times before you do it, so that you're not trying to remember it. This changes from DZ to DZ.

Exit, arch, heading, altimeter, arch-reach-touch. (repeat to 6K, deep breath)

5-5, wave-off, arch-reach-THROW!

Pull on time stable.

You've read our posts, how hard could it be?

[MarkM 0]

Bring a snack and some gatoraid.

[slydog 0]

It is going to be a AFF Level I jump.

[slydog 0]

Making jump with Skydive Fort Wayne & Relative Wind Skydiving School. Located now in Kendallville, Indiana.

[CanuckInUSA 0]

Now that's a different story and way too cool (you will shed your WHUFFO skin).
Be a sponge, ask questions, relax and have fun. I did my Level I & II jumps two weeks ago, my Level III & IV jumps last weekend and I'm hoping that maybe just maybe I can get my Level V, VI & VII jumps done this weekend. But I fear the boss will be asking me to work this weekend as the WHUFFO computer geeks would rather pound keyboards than play.
Still looking forward to the day I can cut away from work and just play.

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

[MarkM 0]

Quote

Making jump with Skydive Fort Wayne & Relative Wind Skydiving School. Located now in Kendallville, Indiana.

Didn't know they moved and started doing AFF. I did my first jump at Fort Wayne. AJ is an awesome DZ owner. Had a couple days where he pulled the plane out of the hanger when I was the only one around to jump.

[jncoughlin 0]

Don't be nervous !!!!

I know: Easier said than done!

I started AFF in late May and completed Level VII two weeks ago. Next is solo but I'll never forget that first jump.

Practice the dive flow until you think you're crazy. It's actually very easy in the air. You'll fly better and have more control if you completely relx.

Good luck and welcome to the best sport in the world. When your canopy opens and it's quiet, you'll understand why the birds sing.

[pilotdave 0]

My best advice is don't try to learn too much before ya get there. You're probably best off going in "blind." Just have fun and don't think too hard.

Dave

[packman 0]

Quote

Making jump with Skydive Fort Wayne & Relative Wind Skydiving School. Located now in Kendallville, Indiana.

hey thats not too far away , i'm about two hours south of there. have fun and enjoy your "FIRST jump !

"Trust your Rigger with your Life , but not your Beer or your Wife !"

[skymut 0]

Absolutely listen to your instructors, and soak up what they have to say and teach. I would say, don't be nervous, but you will be. Even if you are cool all the way, when the door opens, and you realize what you are about to do, you will get nervous. But it is the coolest feeling in the world. Just concentrate on the task at hand, but enjoy every awesome moment of it.
Welcome to the sky....

Matt
A well-informed person is somebody who has the same views and opinions as yours.

[fred 0]

And, if possible, bring extra money for a second jump on the same day.

[CanuckInUSA 0]

Good point. But that's more likely to happen on a Level II jump and subsequent jump as there's a full day of ground school to get through on the first day before the Level I jump occurs.

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

[slydog 0]

My mistake, I looked at the paperwork and it is a First Jump Static-line course. My friend set this up for me.

[slydog 0]

I want to thank all of you guys for the remarks and advise. You all seem like a great people. I hope to see some of you in the skies someday.

[CanuckInUSA 0]

Do they have an AFF course? If so, you should get in on that instead. It's my understanding that the AFF is better.

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

[indyz 1]

Quote

Do they have an AFF course? If so, you should get in on that instead. It's my understanding that the AFF is better.

They both have pros and cons, like anything else. I did static line, and I don't feel that I'm a worse skydiver than an average AFF grad, and I spent less money to get there. It just took me a few more jumps. I'll leave the more knowledgeable posters to comment about specific pros and cons.