SecondRound

That was how I returned to skydiving after a 35 year layoff. Then moved to s/L.

Tom Sawyer is an American fictional character who when made to paint a fence as punishment managed to convince others that painting was so much fun that they painted the fence for him. I will have to become much much faster and more skilled before I would be volunteering to pack other's gear and even then it seems unlikely although I may make a sign that says" Will pack for coaching"

That sounds suspiciously like Tom Sawyer painting the fence.

I am slow still, flat packing a 260 Navigator but I feel fortunate to be at a DZ that strongly encourages learning to pack and I have a Master Rigger teaching how to do it right while teaching me the tricks to become more efficient. I have already jumped my own pack job and got a good opening. I intend to do my own packing throughout my entire career or until there is no more to learn about my rig and they start making perfect parachutes. My thanks go out to all who teach us newbies this essential skill and put up with our fumbles and bumbles.

[ As a ballpark estimate, 2000 feet elevation is comparable to a 1 size downsize in canopy size. Also, the hotter the air, again, the less dense the air is. So, for example, at Eloy next weekend, when it will be 117, between the 1500 feet elevation and the temperature, it would be *like* a 2 size downsize from, say, sea level at 80f. I was living in Northern IN when I took my 1.1-loaded canopy on a road trip and jumped at Marana in triple-digit temps in July. I got a face-full of AZ desert on landing. Tony Frost got his belly-laugh for the day: "BWA-HA-HA-HA-HA!!! Welcome to high-density-altitude Arizona! BWA-HA-HA-HA-HA!!!" Tony always was the sensitive sympathetic type. You can imagine the laughs he got watching us land 28' rounds at 4000' at Spearfish SD.

Quick update, I have been jumping the suit and after a half a dozen jumps other than on grass stain it looks untouched. Of course nailing my first stand-up did not hurt

[q That said, going back and forth between the programs is a bit fuzzier in the real world than it is on paper. If you have a student who has done a few IAD PRCPs and a couple single JM AFF jumps, at what point would you put him back in the IAD world? Clear and pull? 10 second delay? And what sense is there in program that says if we keep you in AFF, you must do three more jumps with an AFF instructor, but if we switch you to IAD, you can solo freefall right now? If we back them up a level to make them demonstrate progressively longer freefalls, we're just milking them for money and making the student process last longer than it should. My personal experience was one of moving between methods along with some tunnel time. What worked for me was having the same gifted instructor who used the various methods to teach specific skills. I feel that my learning was enhanced by a building block approach which included clear objectives and coaching. It definitely is not a one size fits all approach and does require a gifted Instructor who uses techniques the way a good chef uses ingredients. I just hope I don't end up a half baked Skydiver.

I guess there are advantages to waiting til you are older to start. My 80 year old mother is telling my adult children "It's his money and his life, he deserves his fun. I am lucky, mom has got my back.

I admit I got ahead of myself getting the suit. It was a good price and fits really well. As far as letting my AFFI make the call yea or nay that was always my plan, I just did not want to even ask if wiser heads let me know in advance that it was a very bad idea. One reason I jump at Wissota is that I have a great deal of confidence that my Instructor will keep me from doing anything stupid or dangerous through eagerness or ignorance.Also since I live near St. Paul I know a really good suit maker who is at the top of my list if I go to have a custom suit made for me in the future. Thanks for the input it makes sense and I will run it by my AFFI before I do anything else.

I am way way new, but my instructor has already repeatedly drilled into me the jump run check of three threes. Three ring releases, three attachment points (chest strap and both leg straps, and the three handles in order of use (ripcord, cutaway, and reserve) reading this thread makes me appreciate the quality instruction I am getting.

As an overeager newbie I bought a RW suit with booties figuring that I would be making a number of delays in my student suit before moving to a RW suit. Now it looks like I may be making some AFF jumps right away. I would like to use my own suit and I have searched the forums and the solution appears to be taping the booties. I am not sure how that would be done or even if it is a good idea, but I figured that RW folks would be my best source of advice. I am at a RW heavy DZ and so when I saw a good deal on a suit I grabbed it since my goal is to focus on RW. Thanks to all.

Tension Free was based out of either Montana or South Dakota. The members I knew started at the old Black Hills Zone in Spearfish SD in the 1970s

Made first Beer jump. Finished third PRCD then did two sloppy hop and pops. Dealing with a bad habit of rushing my pulls and sloppy position. Packing is becoming less of a black art, but still challenging.

added link to videos of both sessions http://youtu.be/YcuWJOwq2wc http://youtu.be/IDf4IV7HfNI

EG's customer service has been great for me. Bought a stock suit and all my questions were answered promptly, an alteration was made, and the suit has arrived in less than 1 week. Looks awesome and I look forward to seeing if it flys as well as it looks. Just an update to let people know about present day customer service.

You don't know how impressive this attitude is. And you are absolutely right about the concern. If you could bottle it, I'd buy gallons to feed to new jumpers. All I know is that people can and do die in this sport and it is unforgiving of bad decisions and ignorance. The way I see it, the BSRs and the SIM are there to keep me from wandering into places where my ego or ignorance could get me hurt ort dead. This ain't no game with a reset button and I appreciate not having to make all my own mistakes. The people who have been at it a long time are my leaders not Nazis. Apparently, the troll has little to no concern for his fellow man and that's sad....and a danger to others.

My experience was that when told upfront, the TI is more than glad to make it more than a thrill ride. It gives them a chance to be Tandem INSTRUCTOR rather than just trying to get a passenger to the ground. My TI drilled me on altitude awareness and practice touches very thoroughly and made a good detailed entry in my logbook. It was a valuable rentry into skydiving. Thanks Paul.

I can't say enough good things about this DZ. The instructors have an incredible amount of experience and a passion for teaching. It is primarily a tandem and Static line program, but there are AFF qualified Instuctors. There are 3 C182s on site and loads get moved along quickly. The facilities are comfy and friendly with camping and showers and a kitchen.

Some of the guys from my original DZ had an early 4 way CRW team called Tension Free, and they joined with the Budweiser 4 way team to compete in 8 way as Free Budweiser.

Staying on track to integrate my training. Took 4 minutes of tunnel time at Perris Valley today. First question out of the tunnel was can I do more time and then added two more minutes. I came away with six minutes of freefall and a DVD to share with my coaches back at Wissota. Tyler was an awesome coach and the results were obvious on the DVD. I feel much more confident as I move to freefall after my S/L jumps.

I hope not. I am just restarting my static line and free fall progression at age 60 with my last previous static line in 1977

I put my skydiving on hold when my oldest was born. Now I am back in the sport and when my daughter questioned me about it , my reply was "all three of you are adults and doing well on your own, and I am at the age where if I were an Eskimo you would be putting me out on my own ice floe" There are times and seasons for everything and we all need to decide what is right for us.

Should have been more specific. First thing done was my workbook and my A license card which was done with the chief instructor. I have had a copy of the SIM for months and have been going through the ISP section along withe the BSRs and FARs. My work book is a loose leaf binder with tables of specific items to study along with references to the source documents. I am impressed at the level of organization and thoroughness it gives to the learning process. It reminds me of my Nuclear Powerplant Operator qual book in its approach.