SecondRound

To update the process. Got my wish last trip the weather went bad. I was the only student at the DZ and I had access to a wealth of experience. I was able to 1 go over my upcoming F/F program, 2.practice repack a canopy, 3. Get into hanging harness and work on flash recognition of malfunctions and appropriate EPs. 4. Discuss canopy skills to practice on the ride down after my remaining SL jumps. Also I was able to listen to the discussions between super experienced jumpers about skydiving which added to my knowledge. All of which I deem we'll worth the drive through bad weather(I woke up next morning to 8 inches of snow). I am on vacation and looks like I can work my schedule to include a day at the Perris tunnel. Fast progress is the last thing on my mind, solid fundamentals are my goal at this stage. I want to be the guy that people can trust on a load to not do something stupid. Soaking up knowledge through being around better skydivers is a path that will let me learn the finer points of being a safe and skilled skydiver. My Wissota instructors are fantastic and I appreciate their passion and willingness to share their experience.

Well, don't just hope then. Sunny blues skies or not, if you feel like you need more time, take it. Don't feel rushed because they want you to or you think you have to jump. The sky will always be there, but you know that! Its more a matter of keeping my own eagerness in check. Plus I think the pool of experienced jumpers to talk to would be larger especially my instructors who can get tied up with large first jump classes. Definitely there is no pressure to jump from my instructors in fact they seem all for adding additional knowledge to the basics early in my career.

Well, theory is turning into practice. Friday was a tandem with emphasis on altitude awareness and practice touches- tried to make things easier for the TI with a good arch on exit. Saturday was a Static Line first jump course. Seems like it was twice as long as the one I took in 1977 but without the many PLFs off a 5' platform in all directions of the 1977 version. Lots more emphasis on canopy control and off zone and hazardous landings. Seemed like having jumped rounds did not make me a veteran it made me a survivor. Rest of the day included two jumps with a successful PRCP on the second and a first run through of packing the canopy. I was really able to spend time on learning the canopy and on the second jump I even tried out the risers a liitle bit while I was still up high. Damn it felt good to be in the sky and to have nylon over head. Seeing that big beautiful rectangle above me and the slider coming down was like a kiss. Still planning on hitting a tunnel on vacation. All in all I am totally stoked and grateful to my Instructors and Jumpmasters who obviously love the sport and love to teach. I hope I can stay in the sport long enough to pay back the gifts they have given me.

Made 6 jumps in 1977. Just went through tandem and S/L first jump this weekend at age 60.

Tandem done. Static line in the morning. Can't wait to get back. Thanks Skydive Wissota for making it happen. Now if I could only remember where I put that SOS application.

I hope I can thank you personally some day. I am set up for a Friday Tandem then a Saturday static line FJC at Wissota. Once I get my A card and feel like I can jump in larger groups without being "that guy" I plan on jumping weekdays at Baldwin thanks for the encouragement. - PLF's, PLF's, PLF's, PLF's, PLF's, PLF's, PLF's, PLF's, and then some more PLF's. Some day you'll thank me.

As a new student, I am very interested in hearing what Instructors and Coaches have to say about ways I as a student can can the maximum learning value from each jump as I progress to an "A" license. I have looked at the goals and dive flows in the SIM and what I would like to hear are the added things I can do to support my learning. At the same time, I realize that too much advance information may either confuse me or lead me astray. Maybe I am over thinking things, but I am getting antsy waiting for the season to get in full swing here in the frozen, now muddy North. If this is not the proper forum to post this I apologise and will move it.

I remember reading a quote in the dark ages of the sport known as BT (before Tandems) which went something like " Any first time jumper who is not scared to the very edge of his wits does not appreciate the seriousness of what he is undertaking."Scared to edge of my wits described my first static line jump almost exactly. Fortunately, each succeeding jump became less thrilling and more fun.

Models are exactly that, tools to explain or illustrate behavior and concepts that can not be readily observed full scale real time for any number of reasons. For instance, we use electricity based upon a model,one that seems to work and has been supported by experience. But it is a model, have you ever seen an electron? Remy, I guess what I'm saying...is I see and have experienced issues with people in our and other DZ's that get overloaded with too much created complexity while "in the moment"...and this isn't just isolated to skydiving. I think sometimes we try to over analyze things and create a workflow that essentially overwhelms people when things start happening fast. I think posting simple and easy to apply guidelines in aircraft is a great thing...but when we armchair this stuff with physics equations, it makes my eyes cross. I don't know how to work a slide rule, hence my dropping my major as a mechanical engineer one semester into college... The whole in the moment issue is why I as a novice really need to plan my jumps ahead of time and change that plan with a damn good reason and with input from my instructors. I understand that everything can change, but too many errors are explained with the phrase,"it seemed like a good idea at the time". Plan,Brief,Execute, will be my mantra as I progress. As a side note, when I took college Stats, our professor told us that anyone who used the terms prove or proof in relation to what statistics delivered would instantly fail the class. His point was that Statistics give probabilities and an estimate of how reliable those probabilities are given the quantity and quality of the data. Please forgive a newbie for jumping into a subject that has drawn so much heat and light, but procedures and safety are integral to my daily work as are models.

If that's what it takes to encourage her to recover and get healthy, I'ld gladly take one for the team.

You mean the DB Cooper Forum? AKA "The Neverending Story"

Take care of yourself and get better. I've never met you, but it's something I look forward to. You sound like my kind of people and why I love the skydiving community.

I think it would be a great idea. I have searched the topic older jumpers and while the discussions are interesting, as a newly returned jumper over 60 there are additional things I would be interested in. Things like choosing a parachute for post student status and a place to find activities for us older types. The way I approach the sport is colored by my experience and the fact that I don't heal as fast as when I was 25. Plus I find that I have to unlearn old habits and terminology so it would be nice two have access to other jumpers who share my outdated knowledge, but unlike me have kept up with the sport.

Printed and in my logbook. Thanks for the suggestion

As a really new jumper I really appreciate this list. Is there a chance it could be made a sticky or or something else so I can refer to it at the appropriate time? Thanks for a great post.

The real kicker is that last week I met up with my original Instructor and I was still so awe struck that I did not ask him to sign the new logbook I bought from him even though I had the original card with me. Also, meeting him again reminded me of what I loved about skydiving, the cool people you meet.

Super excited now, Looked Tony Frost up while I was in Tucson and confirmed that skydivers are family. He offered great advice on how skydiving has changed over the years, and how a jumper of more mature years can enjoy the sport and stay safe. The discussion also helped me pin down my motivation. Simply put, I feel at home in the sky. So me, my battered jump card with 6 jumps on it, and my shiny new logbook are headed to the drop zone. I have already reinitiated my USPA membership so I am ready

Amen to that. I only made one jump under a T10. The rest were under a 28' double L. Between the small canopy and a field elevation of a scosh under 4000' there was tremendeous incentive to develop a good PLF

Here it is. I really appreciate the advice. As you can see it is pretty well beat up. It spent more time in my wallet than a teenager's condom.

I am returning to skydiving after a bit of a layoff. I still have my old jump record from from previous training. Two issues, first of all, the last entry is dated 11/13/77 and says OK for FF. Secondly the card is in two pieces and looks like an ancient relic. Is there any value in transferring the entries to a new real logbook and is there anything that would maintain the integrity of my log book entries like keeping a good copy of the original. It is not like I plan to only make 19 jumps before applying for my A license, but darn it I did make those jumps and I want them to be in my jump history. I would appreciate any advice given from those of you who are familiar with the paperwork side of the sport. Thanks

I have to agree. I watched the video and it got my attention. It made me aware of a couple things. How deep into shit a canopy can get you, and how a cool head and canopy flying skills can get you out of the deep shit. I also agree with the beginning statement to not stay with a bad canopy but instead cut away. Thanks for sharing this hard won wisdom Brian.

It looks like I may have found a way to test this progression. I found a DZ that encourages a Tandem before beginning a S/L progression. They also have AFF qualified Instructors on staff. As an added boost I will be vacationing in Vegas and I may be able to sneak in some tunnel time DRPs and freefall. I am excited to find so much teaching talent available at a reasonable sized DZ where I won't have as many canopies in the air with me as I try to bridge the gap of thirty-five years from 28' round to 288 SF square. In the mean time I will continue to learn from this website and read my SIMS before bedtime.