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Dude. You've done A tandem. He's done 5000 not tandem jumps. He's been jumping much longer than you have been alive. Because someone's profile on dropzone doesn't say instructor doesn't mean they have never been one. You might consider doing an actual skydive before telling very experienced jumpers to shut up.

Perris and Elsinore are both terrific dropzones. I was mainly a Perris jumper, but used to jump at Elsinore sometimes too, especially for their annual Chicks Rock boogie. I used to tell people that the two places offered "different flavors" of skydiving. I haven't jumped in five years and things always change. Lately I've seen where some Perris staff are now staffing at Elsinore, so the mix and flavor are always changing. Go jump and enjoy both places, one will probably start to feel more like home after a while.

Gotta love how they were caught cheating again. Apparently they needed an extra edge against the Bengals.

Either one you choose will be excellent. I highly recommend Perris - I jump there the most. A lot of the instructors in the area work at both DZs. Elsinore has great things but I'm going to focus on nice things about Perris: There is a restaurant/bar - great for staying fueled up during jumping. Most nights have some/many instructors/coaches hanging out and happy to share advice. You can connect with other jumpers too. Many, many outs for landing, no matter your skill level. The grass landing area is for jumpers with a B license and 100 jumps, so prior to that you will land in the dirt. And there is A LOT of dirt to land in! They incorporate the wind tunnel into the training, and the tunnel in on site. I don't know how many people realize how valuable this training is. You can also train extra if you like, on top of what's part of the AFF program. Load organizers are there every day. Once you are off AFF but prior to getting licensed, you will be doing coach jump and solo jumps to get up your jump numbers towards your A license. You instructors will always assist you, but you'll be more on your own away from the school doing solos. It's nice to know there are LOs/experienced jumpers/coaches around to ask questions to. Even just to help you out in the loading area and exit order, etc. Skyvan! Sometimes you get to jump out of this awesome plane. Pool. Always fun. Like someone else said, if you can, go to each facility and just check it out and walk around. Talk to the school staff at each DZ. You'll be jumping at both DZs eventually - they are both great.

I'm not 100% sure if this should be here or over in the Bonfire forum. I'm not a moderator. If any of them have strong opinions, it may well get moved. As far as cost goes, a good place to put your feet is to figure $10k to get your A & all the gear. That's not buying brand new stuff, but also not buying ragged out 'gutter gear'. That's including repeating a few levels as you progress. It may be a bit high, but not by a whole lot. If you stretch it out and have to do a bunch of re-currency jumps, plan on more. How to convince your mom? That can be tough. A lot of people, particularly older people, view it as far more dangerous than it really is. Statistics may help some. Contrary to popular lore, it is a lot more dangerous than the drive to the DZ. However, it's approximately as dangerous as riding a motorcycle. One jump has about the same level of micro-morts as 30 miles on a cycle (IIRC, this has been discussed before, search micro morts for more info). What worked for me was to take my mom out to the DZ on a day when I wasn't jumping. She got to see the other guys jumping, how they prepped, how they took care of the gear, how they approached the whole process. She could look at it without any concern for my safety. So that the next time she came out, when I was jumping, she could put the perspective of the previous visit over top of watching me jump. That went so well that she would regularly come out to watch. My current DZ is a 2 hour drive, and she's only been once. Mainly because she doesn't enjoy riding in the car that long. One of the local DZs (half hour away) reopened this year. She enjoyed coming out again, and enjoyed seeing all the familiar faces. And watching us jump. She did enjoy going to the other DZ (apart from 4 hours in the car). She declined a ride along offer in the Otter (it was Mother's Day weekend, and the DZ offers moms a discounted tandem or free observer ride). Given how the Otter descends (straight down), I didn't push it. She enjoyed the welcome that everyone extended, the general atmosphere and vibe, even the typical silliness (the hangar manager offered to let anyone who showed him their balls go home early - at the top of his lungs - 15 feet from my mom). Your mom may or may not respond well to that sort of thing. You know her, I don't. But exposing her to the sport is a way that she doesn't have to actively worry about you is what I would suggest.

Here in the US, if he's done a jump, he's very likely over 18. Very few DZs will risk taking a minor. Not 100% sure, but I think Perris is not one of the few.

If you are still thinking of doing FJC and AFF level 1 only as you mentioned before, please listen to what everyone is saying and WAIT until you can afford it. I wanted to jump in my early 20s unfortunately I didn't have the finances for it at the time and that's without even knowing the full cost of everything. 10 years later (after finishing school, paying my shit off, buying a house etc) is when I had disposable income to do this sport, even then I'm tapping into my not so disposable income, especially when you get comfortable enough and go jump 2-3 times on weekends, nothing shittier than sitting out and all your friends are jumping. Your mom might support your skydiving but she will NOT like that you're doing it. Good luck from me as well!

You must be thrilled. Wendy P.

Well, they lost the week of the 1st and the 8th, and don’t look good for the Super Bowl this season Wendy P.

Watching from across the Atlantic, it looks like that the impeachment process finally arrived at the doors of the kangaroo court. The verdict, according to Mitch Mcconnell, is already written. Do you guys think you still have a functioning system or are we seeing the republicans and the president exploiting all the flaws and limitations?

I'm not suggesting to do nothing. I'm suggesting that we need to rethink our approach, and our focus. I'm suggesting that we double on getting those places that are not as diligent as we are, on track. I'm suggesting that the environmental activists make their way over to the countries like China and India before pronouncing doom and apocalypse here. I'm suggesting reason, and logic.

I don't want to be harsh, but I think you need to adjust your perception on a couple of things: This is a subforum for general skydiving discussion. This is a family problem, not a skydiving discussion. I think other subforums are better suited. It is not your family duty to spend tens of thousands of dollars so you can have fun. If they want do it, that's awesome (for you), but I find that expecting it or demand it is out of line. If you need your family to financially support, your savings are not your savings. It is the money that thanks to them you have not spent. Expect them to have an opinion and a follow up action if you do what you want with your "savings" without their approval. Skydiving is expensive. You are making long term plans without even starting on the sport. You have enough money for a couple of AFF jumps, which is 1% of the money you'll spend skydiving. You are complaining about the price of videos. It kind of shows that you have no idea of how much money you'll need to spend to have a minimally safe skydiving career. A lowball break down: Gear price: Altimeter $150, audible $200, jumpsuit $200, helmet $200, rig $2500 License/maintenance: $300 per year Jumps: $3000 per year That just to be "that guy" with the ragged out gear with barely any skills. Multiply the gear price x3 if you want to be a shinny power-ranger like skydiver. Multiply the maintenance x1.5 if you jump a lot and get often new gear. Multiply x3 the jumps if you plan to jump every weekend, both days. And then add tunnel time (I guess around $900 per hour in your area), boogies and skill camps fees ($100-$200), canopy courses ($150-$200) if you want to be a rockstar. And that is without thinking about other things like cameras, wingsuits, multiple suits, etc. That is not to say it is impossible. But the first step to achieve it is having a realistic perception of who you are now, who you want to be and how to get there. My advice would be to follow a path to a successful career, where you earn enough money to jump as much as you can on your free time. Some skydiving rockstars followed the alternative way (basically committing everything they had to skydiving and tunnel flying), and they are the guys we look up to now. But don't overestimate the talent, work they put on, and help they've got to achieve it. Many of them are 2nd generation skydivers. And don't ignore all the others that did the same thing, and achieved nothing. Remember that the sky will always be there, you don't have to start jumping your ass off now (and doing 20 jumps a year does not make sense, you'll get stuck and bored fairly quick). Good luck.

I also see its winter in the background - Those Bananas on the table lead me to believe that they had to be flown on a JET A burning vehicle to get them to her.

Do your parents support you financially - ie provide money to cover your living expenses so you don't have to work? If so, they have every right to tell you no, you can't skydive, and you should respect that and not go behind their back and jump anyway. If you are supporting yourself, different story. Regardless, don't expect her to be okay with you jumping. Mom's worry. That's just how most mom's are. It took mine a few years to even come to the dz to watch.

Or when I gave the legs-out signal to a British AFF student and he thought I was flipping him off.

Hmm. So we should compromise our principles because Trump is so bad? I think not. I'd prefer educating people so they see the benefits of (for example) letting blacks marry whites.

Most English speakers do know. She's not a native English speaker, and in her language the phrase means something different. But you knew that, and just don't want to admit you were wrong.

It's an idiom in Swedish that has a different meaning in English. Not uncommon for second language speakers. My brother had a rather embarrassing experience in Brazil using the expression "give him the hairy eyeball." Note that we grew up in Brazil; our Portuguese is really good. But we didn't get as much education in the finer curse words (even as teenagers!). In Brazil it's a crude euphemism for penis. My the looks he got... So maybe a 16-year-old translating a Swedish expression into English didn't realize the other meaning in English. Even talk about a fanny pack in England? Or hear an Englishman call someone a cunt in the US? Wendy P.

I doubt anyone enjoys spanking Brent more than I do. Well maybe his wife, I guess, but I digress. You're absolutely right, today. Sadly history has it going in both directions. That is what makes it such a troubling thing what she said and why she has subsequently apologized. Stell das gegen die wand, meant something very serious in the past. Let's be fair, she serves a purpose but that's about it.

So what should happen to these "deniers"? Should we be rounded up and sent to a tribunal in the Hague for our climate crimes? Mabey sent to a reeducation camp in China where we would slave away in a solar panel factory?

Let's ask her: "That’s Swenglish: “att ställa någon mot väggen” (to put someone against the wall) means to hold someone accountable." Seems like a reasonable thing to do to leaders.

It pretty clearly would seem to be another way of saying “hold them accountable”. What do you think it means? Do you think leader should be held accountable?

don't forget that RARELY does one pass the entire AFF course without repeating one or more jumps. Or what we call, expensive mistakes. Even more chedder!

Canopy includes slider. Toggles, risers, D-Bag, Pilot chute go with the container. Slinks get tossed. Get new ones.

I think you need to take another look at the UN speech. The biggest problem I have with her is the attempt to scare children all over the world with the thought that the world is coming to an end. Panic induces poor decisions.

I was an instructor at Elsinore and loved the Vibe. I still have friends at both. Pick your Tribe. LOL

Did you miss the huge dirt landing area at Perris? That's where students land.

They both should have grass LZ's...

No more or less than every post like yours, John. We're just a collection of nobody's posting on an obscure forum. I really doubt we're moving our own needle much less any media needles. Maybe I wasn't paying attention but I didn't notice anyone giving a crap about her until some of her parents rich friends gave her a hop to the USA on their $5 Million IMOCA 60' World Circumnavigation racing yacht, truly a once in a lifetime opportunity. I don't self identify as a right winger and I'm no climate change denier by a long shot. I simply think she's a construct and a damn rude young woman; certainly I think, by her behavior, she makes a poor role model for kids.

Without accountability what is the difference?

'Deep' is relative to whatever the stall point of the canopy is. Which could be with toggles past full arm extension, or chest level, or whatever applies to you and your arms in that particular harness with that particular canopy. So you can fly with no brakes, shallow brakes, moderate brakes (or medium or whatever term you want), or deep brakes. There's no specific definition (eg, "75-99% of the usable brake range before the first pre-stall rocking"). It's just "a lot of brake, getting closer to the point where you would stall the canopy or have arms fully extended". In deep brakes the canopy will fly a steeper line towards the ground, a steeper descent. The canopy might be dropping vertically faster than in moderate brakes, although possible less than when in no brakes, if it is a ground hungry canopy with a high descent rate in normal flight. It is easier to hit a target on the ground when coming down steeply, rather than skimming by at a shallow angle. Deep brakes is good for that. If too deep, you are getting closer to a stall, and thus susceptible to added danger from turbulence or accidentally stalling the canopy. You also won't have much energy left in the canopy for a flare, which isn't a big issue if doing accuracy with a big canopy onto a soft tuffet. If you do need to descend steeply (e.g., landing into a small field surrounded by trees), but would hit the ground too hard without much flare, you might need to have the room to pick up some speed again (out of deep brakes) before doing a flare with more effect. You might also fly in deep brakes when learning about and practicing approaches to stalls and doing stalls, while up high. Flying in deep brakes is therefore something with some added risk if not done appropriately, and not generally needed for normal flying and landing (excluding the dynamic activity of the flare), but is useful in specific situations.

Tip o' the hat and a raised to you! Great confidence-builder, eh?

That depends on the canpy and if you are up wind or down wind. Now, how do you tell will be best for you, your canopy and your scenerio? Go into rears and find the accuracy spot. You know what that is, right? If you look down between your legs you'll see the ground going by, if you look up at the horizon you'll see it rising. If you find the spot somewhere in between those movements that isn't moving, that is where you'll end up if you did nothing different. That's the accuracy spot. So go into rears and find that spot. Then use toggles and find that spot. The technique that makes that spot become further away is the technique that will get you the farthest. Rears tend to *make* you feel like you're going further, simply due to how it feels, but it doesn't always work. In my experience with PD canopies toggles have worked the best. With Icarus it depended on the canopy, with PISA it was the rears and with Aerodyne it was the toggles on the pilot and the rears on the Mamba. So play with it and figure it out.