rsb5267

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Everything posted by rsb5267

  1. CK is a great DZ and very welcoming. It's been my home for just about a year now. Join the Facebook group and introduce yourself! Search "Skydive crosskeys funjumpers" in the search bar on facebook and we should come right up.
  2. Hey guys I'm getting pretty due for a new lineset, this I know. Been meaning to get it done over the winter, but never got around to it. Now I ordered my new Spectra lineset for my Spectre 170, but really want to wait for the right time before I send it in for a reline as I have jump fever currently. My question: If I gave pictures of my lines to a rigger, or had a rigger look at it directly, could they tell me how badly I am in dire need of a new lineset? i.e, could they tell me if it is safe for me to jump for another 20-30 jumps? Or is number of jumps since last reline really the only way to gauge when a new set is needed? Thanks
  3. I'm starting to get interested in Free-flying. I've experimented a few sit/stand positions for a few seconds at a time, nothing more. Before I start doing free-fly jumps and exposing my rig to 180+ mph winds, I want to make sure that it can handle it. I have a javelin where the BOC is a little loose, probably needs to be tightened a little. Other than that, what are key things to look for in a free-fly friendly rig? Good Bridle Protection? Reserve pin protection? Any insight would be appreciated.
  4. Any jumpers from Panama City planning on jumping the weekend of March 7th or the following week? Will be in PCB for spring break and looking to dedicate a day to jumping. Probably won't have access to a car, I'd love a lift and to meet some fellow jumpers. Thanks
  5. I have a copy of packing made simple, great video that has helped me when I was struggling in your shoes. I would recommend buying it. Its only $20 w/o shipping from paragear, and covers various methods of packing in detail in case you ever wanted to know how to Pro-pack or psycho pack. I would give it to you for free, however I'd like to keep my hands on it in case I ever want to try a different method of packing. Good luck, I know how daunting it feels to start learning to pack. After jumping your own pack-job a few times, you'll realize it's not too bad.
  6. Sorry you are having problems. I'm a strong believer that biochemistry plays a large role in how we feel. The food we eat directly affects biochemistry, which in turn determines the balance of hormones, neurotransmitters, etc. etc. Keeping this in mind, here are a few ideas that I hope you will try. 1. Do a juice fast Drink nothing but fruit/vegetable juice for 3-7 days. This will allow your body to "reset" and detox. It may help rebalance your neurotransmitters. I have done a 3 day juice fast before, and, although I was not depressed, it helped me gain mental clarity. 2. Start taking Fish Oil There's a lot of research that DHA (which is in fish oil) plays a role in fighting depression. I'm not a doctor, but I would recommend taking between 500-800 mg of DHA every day. These are just two ideas that I hope you consider.
  7. I rented until about jump 35-ish. Luckily I had a friend who sold me his old gear for a great price and I didn't have to pay all at once. Also, I jumped without an AAD until about jump 80 (recently) which saved money...however you have to determine if that is something you want to/are okay with doing. Wait until you're at least done with AFF, then go ahead and buy an altimeter/helmet/goggles/gloves. DZ will supply everything you need through your A license. Jumpsuit is completely optional and up to you if you wanna buy one.
  8. You started pretty similar to me. Did a tandem for my 18th b-day and started IAD training the following year. I spent a ton of money on skydiving in the past 2 years between training, my own gear, and a brand new AAD (about 5000 dollars total maybe) but I wouldn't go back and change anything! School is important, but if you find you have enough money leftover to start skydiving then by all means do it because you won't regret it! I had to get a job during one semester and over the summers for the past two years and about 80% of that money went to skydiving (addicted?....maybe).
  9. HAH he also says in his previous thread that he jumps at most once a month. This is either 100% a troll or he is serious.
  10. Well take comfort in the fact that riding a motorcycle is more dangerous than skydiving
  11. To answer your question about when to buy new gear... As soon as you can afford it AFTER you get your license. Renting gear is nice, but it is simply a black hole that sucks all of your money. renting gear is usually around 25$ per jump, which doubles the price you pay for each jump. The cool thing about buying used gear is that it doesn't depreciate all that much. Most of the time, you can sell a used rig that you bought for 80-90% of what you bought it for, maybe even more. Another benefit of getting your own gear is that you get used to it very quickly. Things change from rig to rig like how the brakes are stowed, and just how it feels under canopy and whatnot. Plus, you can also practice packing at home which is really helpful. I bought my gear right around jump 40, That means I made about 13 jumps with rental gear after I got my license. 13 JumpsX25$ rental for gear per jump=325$. This is 325 dollars of wasted money, money that I'll never get back, and I got my gear relatively early
  12. HAHA get that license baby and we can still boogie this summer! You can't hide from me on dz.com
  13. just start out doing it for fun man. I don't understand why people want to make skydiving a career before they even try it. Also, keep in mind you'll be spending a great deal of money looooong before you make any appreciable amount of money at all in this sport. Even so, the earnings are modest in the long run at best.
  14. Look, we have a website full of people who proved it was possible
  15. Everyone here is spot on. When i did my first few hop and pops my nickname was "quickdraw McGraw". I created many more problems than there needed to be by trying to get it out as quick as possible. I deployed on my back one time and had a pretty "fun" opening (ouch). Just take your time and dont even think about reaching for your pilot chute until after a second or two. Seconds are longer than they seem upon letting go of the strut, keep that in mind.
  16. I did not do my certification in Perkasie, for no particular reason at all. They seemed like a great group of people. I actually did most of my AFF at above the poconos skydivers in Hazleton which is about a little over an hour north of me (Bethlehem). Great place to learn the sport. Very safety driven, as most dropzones surely are, but they seemed to stand out in safety. I've been to STL as well and they are awesome. Run a great dropzone and are very organized with their loads, and everybody was super nice in helping me get acquianted with different dropzone landing procedures (since im still a new guy). It all comes down to whether you think you'd enjoy a large dropzone or a smaller dropzone. There's differences in them. I just got my license at the end of this past summer, which means you could just barely call me a skydiver haha. I literally just went through what you are going through/about to go through. I plan to do tons of jumping as the whether gets warmer.
  17. I did my first tandem in Perkasie almost two years ago exactly! Now I believe that our sport has many people around your size, so I'm sure that one of the many dropzones around your area would be willing to take you. They make canopy sizes all the way up to the 280 range which would certainly be suitable for you. It's just a matter of giving them a call. There aren't really any clubs besides USPA...You can think of being a regular at a certain DZ as being part of a "club", just get to know everybody there. I'm up in eastern pennsylvania (Allentown/Bethlehem) so I'd be willing to bet we'd cross paths at some point considering we are both new guys. I don't know anything about the dropzones in New Jersey but I've been to most in eastern PA and obviously did my certification at one. PM me if you're considering eastern PA dropzones and I'll try to help you out
  18. I was thinking about buying the Benny Helmet and an audible, however I am uncertain whether the helmet even has a slot for an audible/If you'd even be able to hear the audible in freefall since it is open face. My question is: should i opt for a full face if i want an audible or is there a (cheap) open face helmet that i should use for audible compatibility? I'm considering the optimum II audible, if that matters thanks guys, I'm new to this whole gear buying thing
  19. At jump number 29 I packed my chute and had an indescribable feeling that I packed it completely wrong. Opened up at 4000 feet to a step through. Never even released the breaks to check control-ability. Cutaway, lost freebag, had to retrieve canopy from a QUARRY. Did i mention it was a rental rig?
  20. Sounds kind of like me. I did my AFF this past summer and did one (or two MAX) each month due to time/money. If you decide to do this, keep in mind your progress will DEFINITELY be stunted. However, it is certainly do-able.
  21. Anybody have any online resources (like videos) about pro packing? I'm a crappy packer and would like to see tutorials of pro packing so i can brush up during the week when im not at the DZ
  22. Contacted an administrator to attempt to get a skydiving club started at my University. I attached the response. I could practically taste the bias in her response.
  23. If it's a USPA approved dropzone, it's reputable. About wind conditions, you'll find as a student that they are much stricter about letting you in the air. 15 mph is usually the limit for students. This is because you are jumping very large student canopies, and high winds will tend to give you some backwards movement when turning into the wind for your landing which is NOT good. Also, a wind that changes directions every few seconds will get you grounded as a student too due to sketchy landings.
  24. Just keep jumping. Truth be told being terrified your first few jumps is simply a phase that 99% of jumpers experience. Youl'll notice as you progress through AFF that your nervousness goes down and your freefall awareness/comfortableness will go up. As you get better at maneuvering during freefall, you'll gain more confidence in yourself