Andy9o8 0 #26 December 7, 2011 QuoteQuote - If you as an under-qualified person are seen to be giving advice to a fellow noob, you could wind up getting some DZO's or instructor's foot up the ass. (Got the t-shirt. The hard way.) Uh oh, what happened? Nothing all that dramatic. I was a pre-A license noob, talking to a fellow noob, and we were trading war stories about how to get stable (S/L progression), dealing with fear on the plane ride up, stuff like that. I guess we sounded kind of cocky. The DZO overheard me, took me aside and (sternly) reminded me that, despite my whopping 15 jumps or so, I was still just a student, which meant that I should not talk, but listen and ask questions to instructors only, and should STFU rather than giving my opinion to other students. It was an ass-chewing, and it made an impression. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airtwardo 6 #27 December 7, 2011 What did you learn the hard way? ~That big ball of dirt coming at you is REALLY hard! ~Go with your gut, if/when something doesn't feel right it isn't...don't let yourself get 'talked into' anything you aren't comfortable with...EVER. ~Double check everything, don't count on anyone else to have as much concern for your life as you do. ~Don't throw yourself into the 'next new thing' until the 'other guys' work out the problems. What did you wish you'd focused more on at the beginning? For me it was RW...the DZ I learned at was mostly style & accuracy. I had maybe 10 RW jumps in my first 100 skydives. Did you have any bad habits? "Blind spots" in your skills and knowledge? I tended to, and still do sometimes... rush things in free-fall. I consciously keep reminding myself smooth is fast. Long time bad habit that came from doing style as fast as possible & trying to turn 4way points from 5500' - It's also what a demonstration jumper often needs to do,..speed up your mind and actions in order to get a lot done in a short time. It's not however a very good way to be successful at formation skydiving. If you could go back in time, would you do anything differently? ~I'd make sure I had the best possible equipment, current and suitable to what I was trying to do. My first few years in the sport I was a broke college student, I 'made do' with gear a generation or two behind what was current & popular. That's everything...parachute, container, jumpsuit. Nothing I had was as safe or easy to fly as everyone I was jumping with. Made it harder to do things...had to focus on more, and in different ways. It just handicapped everything. Bought my 1st 'current' rig when I was 6 years into the sport, a Wonderhog with a Cloud & 26' lopo. It weighed 15 pounds less than my old rig and actually fit. ...could not believe how easy it was to jump with and fly.So I would say do what it takes to utilize the best of what the sport has to offer... gear, training, aircraft, etc. 'Making do' might get you in the air, but it's not safe or smart on more levels than I can relate. You might want to create a couple follow-up questions regarding the positive side of things like - What are you glad you did looking back in time, and what good habits did you learn early...what did ya do that MOST helped you go forward. . ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Namowal 0 #28 December 7, 2011 Quote Nothing all that dramatic. I was a pre-A license noob, talking to a fellow noob, and we were trading war stories about how to get stable (S/L progression), dealing with fear on the plane ride up, stuff like that. I guess we sounded kind of cocky. The DZO overheard me, took me aside and (sternly) reminded me that, despite my whopping 15 jumps or so, I was still just a student, which meant that I should not talk, but listen and ask questions to instructors only, and should STFU rather than giving my opinion to other students. It was an ass-chewing, and it made an impression. I bet that's a common situation: The student is enthusiastic and wants to share, swap stories, and suggest- [insert record scratch sound here]. Good reminder!My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Abedy 0 #29 December 7, 2011 Quote What did you learn the hard way? To ALWAYS check whether pilot chute and bridle are where they must be (i. e. neatly tucked away) Contributed to a bad accident, broken humerus + scapula. Quote What did you wish you'd focused more on at the beginning? To first of all learn to bellyfly really well before wasting time and money on freeflying. Quote Did you have any bad habits? "Blind spots" in your skills and knowledge? Didn't pay enough attention to windsock, resulted in two landings 180° wrong, thank God I was always last and didn't hurt anyone. Got talked to, grounded myself for that day and from then on never forgot to check the windsock. Quote If you could go back in time, would you do anything differently? See above, I shouldn't have started with freeflying too early as I know now. OK, as an old fart (41 by then) I had real problems finding anyone to jump with. A girl who started with me always was asked. Yeah, the "two arguments" boys don't have. But that's no excuse - I could have spent the money for instructor jumps on RW as well. Most thing I do not regret, on the contrary. Skydiving has been a source of joy and fun once I recognised that everybody can f*ck up and that one should (or even: must) not put oneself under pressure. First of all enjoy the ride, second only try to catch up with your expectations. There's always something to be learned from any jump, you know I especially enjoy jumps with noobs now and then. Not only is it rewarding (especially when you invite boys for a 1-on-1 jump) but it's always sort of box of chocolate and I often was surprised, had to react etc pp. Helps you improve or train/maintain your skills. And yeah, I should have become TI one or two years earlier, it's so much fun, so rewarding.The sky is not the limit. The ground is. The Society of Skydiving Ducks Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Namowal 0 #30 December 7, 2011 Quote You might want to create a couple follow-up questions regarding the positive side of things like - What are you glad you did looking back in time, and what good habits did you learn early...what did ya do that MOST helped you go forward. That's a very good idea. I'll do it! Quote Most thing I do not regret, on the contrary. Skydiving has been a source of joy and fun once I recognized that everybody can f*ck up and that one should (or even: must) not put oneself under pressure. First of all enjoy the ride, second only try to catch up with your expectations. There's always something to be learned from any jump, you know Sounds like wise words to me.My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fastphil 0 #31 December 7, 2011 N O T H I N G ... I couldn't stand anymore but wouldn't stand for any less. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
guineapiggie101 0 #32 December 8, 2011 I'm in no way an experienced jumper (don't have license). But, if I could turn back the clock, I would made more of an effort to find a way to calm my anxiety down, before continuing with AFF. For all the jumps I've done, the tunnel time, finding solutions to my spin issues, the anxiety I have with making split second decisions, is what is preventing me from advancing. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airborne47 0 #33 December 8, 2011 And if it's a guy talking to a female. it's normale to try and sound/look cool. So while no harm is meant. It can be very harmful! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
evilivan 0 #34 December 8, 2011 Quote If you could go back in time, would you do anything differently? I would have liked to have seen your cartoons on your skydiving progress before I did my AFF - they reflect my experience almost perfectly... Due to some temporal difficulties, it wouldn't work of course - but "possible" wasn't in your question..."If you can keep your head when all around you have lost theirs, then you probably haven't understood the seriousness of the situation." David Brent Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Namowal 0 #35 December 8, 2011 Quote Quote If you could go back in time, would you do anything differently? I would have liked to have seen your cartoons on your skydiving progress before I did my AFF - they reflect my experience almost perfectly... Due to some temporal difficulties, it wouldn't work of course - but "possible" wasn't in your question... Hey, thanks!Also thanks again for all the responses. Interesting stuff!My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Joellercoaster 6 #36 December 8, 2011 Quote The more I jump, the more likely I am to land far away from other people This -- "I'll tell you how all skydivers are judged, . They are judged by the laws of physics." - kkeenan "You jump out, pull the string and either live or die. What's there to be good at? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SWATcop 0 #37 December 26, 2011 Quote If you could go back in time, would you do anything differently? I wouldn't have been back flying in 1996 with an ROL pilot chute and I wouldn't have jumped a still wet main from the jump before.Kevin Muff Brother #4041 Team Dirty Sanchez #467 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kd5xb 1 #38 December 26, 2011 Don't get in a big hurry with ANYTHING. I wouldn't jump a demo in Misawa when I only had about 50 or 60 jumps. I also wouldn't jump with a movie camera with the same number of jumps. I wouldn't "free pack". I'd listen to my rigger when he tried to tell me that a torn-out grommet on my deployment bag was going to cause me a problem. In short, I'd realize that I'm not Superman.I'm a jumper. Even though I don't always have money for jumps, and may not ever own a rig again, I'll always be a jumper. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Namowal 0 #39 December 26, 2011 Quote In short, I'd realize that I'm not Superman. That reminds me of a quote from the book Deep Survival. "Any time I start to believe I'm some hot shit [insert activity here] expert, I pull the [photos of someone who didn't make it] out and I'm over it." There's another quote in the same book about some climbers who were overconfident about climbing Mount Everest: "We've got the Big E wired!" and so on. You can probably guess what happened next...My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rwieder 0 #40 December 26, 2011 *** 1) I pretty much did as I was told. My instructors were great. QuoteWhat did you wish you'd focused more on at the beginning? 2) On what an a****** T** was. I should have been paying more attention to people who wanted to teach, and people who's only intention was to be a prod, and just do Tandems part time to supplement their incomes. QuoteDid you have any bad habits? "Blind spots" in your skills and knowledge? 3) Loads of them. I was verbially chastised for every one of them. QuoteIf you could go back in time, would you do anything differently?If you could go back in time, would you do anything differently? 4) No, I don't think so. I had some of the best people and equipment around me, no complaints, except for the Sabre1 Canopys. Like Hook-N-Swoop told me on my first Tandem SkyDive, He could tell I was slightly concerned, he patted me on the back and said: "It's cool dude, It's all about living" I'll never forget those words....EVER. Thanks Derek. Quotep.s. While I'm truly curious about this, I still plan to run any advice (including "I should have done X" anecdotes) by the instructors before trying them out. 5) I never asked anyone other than my jump masters for advice, I relied on them that's what they were there for, and those guys did their jobs. If I'm you, and I'm not, I'd listen to my instructors where I'm training. A man cannot serve 2 masters. There's absolutely way too many people coming her to these forums asking about gear, training, "I'm training here, or where ever, but I'd like your opinions as well. If I were your jump master, I'd kick you to the curb. Post haste.-Richard- "You're Holding The Rope And I'm Taking The Fall" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flipper 0 #41 December 27, 2011 Stop @ 200 jumps Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chuckakers 370 #42 December 28, 2011 I would have jumped slower opening canopies while jumping big, heavy camera gear. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Krip 2 #43 December 28, 2011 I should have listened to the voice in my head and found a different DZ, instead of wasteing my time in a shit hole and getting a bad attitude.R Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bigbearfng 10 #44 December 30, 2011 Go back in time............... Just wish I could undo the friends that have died or been maimed skydiving...................... But yes I still choose to jump................... Sorry, just been thinkin and rememberin too much lately............. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
