DrDom

Not normal at all. I do this with patients I see at work. People I meet at conferences. Just kinda happens when you're not around the same people every day. Nobody will take offense. You are not the contents of your wallet.

I'm a better paraglider than skydiver... Our canopies are made MUCH less sturdy than a parachute. Not designed to be deployed but only strong enough to get you airbourne. Remember that since we are ground launching that weight is very important. I know it is important in skydiving but we have to launch them ;) So, the standards are much lower in terms of resistance to destruction (i.e. don't open them at terminal!). On top of that, you may have about 5 minutes under canopy per jump, I could easily fly 3-4 hours on my paraglider wing. That UV light is devastating. So I'm not surprised this happens on occasion, though good monitoring of hours, gear checks, and more appropriate flight would clearly have made this last longer. As for reserves... round reserves on long bridles with no sliders. Designed to open fast and not designed for terminal. I fly PPG as well and we motor sometimes at treetop level... and could easily be deploying my reserve at that height. We just need it to open FAST. You land like a sack of bricks too, worse with a motor. You are not the contents of your wallet.

jees, we have 98.6F degree days every year even in new england. You are not the contents of your wallet.

I lived in Brooklyn for a while, this spot is in the financial district and is excellent! You are not the contents of your wallet.

Regardless of how anyone feels my OPINION (and it is only that) is that when you enter into the arrangement to commit to someone you owe it to them to look them in the eyes when you tell them it is over. It is just disrespectful to leave what is essentially a "dear John" letter by voicemail. You deserve better. I'm sorry this happened to you. I'm glad you seem to be doing OK with it though. You are not the contents of your wallet.

I had some jumping friends who told me all firsts require beer. if you can say "first" its a first. Either don't say it or bring beer. I had the FJC, I brought beer... we didn't even jump, but ahead of time I picked up some decent stuff and left a note "from your First Jump Class". It was a huge hit, and when I came back to do my ACTUAL first jump... I brought beer as well. I think of it as providing an opportunity to say "thanks" to everyone, and have time to sit and chill. Sadly I never made it to the beer drinking part (life responsibility), but I have had many people say "Hey! Thanks for the beers last night! We missed you!". Its part of cultural initiation, it brings us together to enjoy (admittedly I don't drink beer so I keep some good gin, vodka, and tequila in my "emergency kit" in my car) eachother in a common atmosphere. The concept of bringing beer for firsts is beautiful in its simplicity. And it does make a group into a family in this sport. You are not the contents of your wallet.

To paraphrase a funny thing I read and use it in this context... "Asking someone to draw groundrush is like trying to smell the colour 9". Ground rush is more of a motion phenomena coupled with some weird processing your brain does to try and get you to react to the approaching ground. A picture would only get you so far, and a video will also only get you so far... its more of a sensoneural experience of adrenaline and dopamine compounded by the hyperactive amydala and pounding adrenal glands while your brain tries to sort the very non-Homo sapien experience of flight. The best way to convey it would be to take a photo on final, blur the bottom with a motion filter to give the semblance of ground movement, still the focal point of landing, and attenuate the "stuff" above the point of impact. I could do this in a few minutes, but I feel like it would not give credit to the experience. You are not the contents of your wallet.

I was thinking this but am too new to have the cajones to post it. You are not the contents of your wallet.

Hey Guys, I looked in the directory above and I am near SkyVenture NH where I flew quite a lot in the past. Sadly I had hoped I could FINALLY get a tunnel camp with Tanya but she has evidently moved. BOOOOO! Anyhow, I need to find a proper coach. I want to get my flying improved over the winter while I have time and conveniently the place I'm moving to gets me closer to the tunnel by a substantial amount but not any further from SNE (ok, its also right near Pepperill, so I have two DZs local), but I digress. I did not think that contacting the owners would be the best way to go, I'm sure they have more to do in their daily operation than deal with customer questions. SO, how does one FIND a good tunnel coach who can teach me how to fly better? I have the basics, but getting good is limited by the instructor since my back-flying has been so slow to progress and I could probably use a brush up on my belly work... yeah. Advice? Referrals? Thanks all! You are not the contents of your wallet.

The OP has 7 jumps. I think inface and outface carving should come a little later in his journey. and by a "little" you mean "a lot" ;) You are not the contents of your wallet.

Tendons are avascular (no blood flow) so heal MUCH slower than bones, unfortunately. Expect a longer recovery You are not the contents of your wallet.

SNE has been closed a while. I am working on moving (local but buying/selling homes is stressful anyhow) and getting through a little family loss... so this winter will likely be a bust anyhow. I have managed to recruit a friend who may get current (he is a B or C license, cant remember) while I go back through AFF. I'm going to do a little tunnel, take some flight lessons, and just get used to being in the sky a bit more. I'm going to jump again. I don't think its optional for me. I just felt so alive and (sorry to the atheists in advance) so close to God while up there. My head was finally clear, I was living the moment, and when I landed I rememered that life is more than paperwork, diseases, patients, and all the life issues that we put too much importance on. I'll get there :) You are not the contents of your wallet.

"The Hill." The hill feels weird to you. Heh. Do it enough, it'll stop feeling weird. Sounds kind of like me and hosin sauce, back in college. I'd get the mu shi pork and couldn't figure out of I liked the flavor of the sauce or not. It was a weird flavor (Plum and five spice IIRC) So I'd try it again the next week. After 20 or 30 iterations of this I decided I must like it, since I kept ordering the stuff. I did that with gin. I dated a girl who once ordered me a gin and tonic. I thought it was terrible. She kept bringing them to me when I was at work (we worked together, and no it was not as a doctor, I was a DJ at a gentleman's club at the time) and one day I was like "wow, I don't know what happened but I kind of like it". Now I'm a gin martini guy. I guess I just need to hit the hill. It sure does feel "funny". More "funny-weird" than "funny-ha-ha" but yea... I'm still not sure about Hosin sauce. that stuff doesn't make sense at all. Plums and spices? I just don't get it. Now I want some moo shu. damnit. I just realized I'm hungry. You are not the contents of your wallet.

I did not have to redo any of the levels. Once I'm out of the plane I'm surprisingly calm to the point I notice altitude, cues, and even the foliage and clouds. I find it rather relaxing. I learned I can't track for crap. Anyhow, all my exits were poised 1-4 and 5-6 were poised since I had never jumped the Cessna (all were twotter jumps). Its not so much freefall at terminal, its that odd transition time that is hanging me up. The 9.8m/2^2 that accelerates me downward from the door. I understand it, but it feels so weird I can't get over it. I feel the sky calls, I'm going to go back... its just a matter of figuring out WHY this part feels so odd for me. What do you mean by "unstable exit"? All my exits are unstable ;) I de-arch like a boss. Fortunately I am good at rolls and flips so I can re-orient pretty quick. You are not the contents of your wallet.

Exits are certainly rough to learn I can fly the tunnel fairly well, but it helps ZERO on exit. I cant swim for crap either and still throw a kick in there once or twice on exit ;) You are not the contents of your wallet.

8500 MSL or AGL? You are not the contents of your wallet.

Yeah they always tell you to relax. My position was "I'm about to jump out of an airplane and I'm NOT GOING TO RELAX!" Heh heh heh. Just relax, it'll be FUN! That sounds like my exits! You are not the contents of your wallet.

I'm trying to hook up with some friends; it seems all my skydive friends jump elsewhere (like different regions of the US entirely!) but that may be a big psychological help. To answer the question, I have pretty terrible exits, though I do regain stability pretty fast. I did 3 AFF jumps with 2 instructors and then went right to solo exits. I was told Jump 4 was "the most stable student exit they have seen in ages" and the dive was pretty much textbook. Jumps 5 and 6 were messy since I had never jumped a Cessna before and it changed everything. First exit I looked down (kept thinking I would hit the step) and second was better but trying to get off the step safely I never brought my feet back so had to roll off my back. Anyhow, the video showed just that. I don't have video from 4 (one of my best jumps, of course no video!) but the rest I do and I know my issues. There is a lot of "tension" when I initially let go... followed by the expected de-arch. Once past the exit I'm pretty stable. I definitely give 1-2 kicks when I exit. I assume this is something else to overcome. There is probably some leftover feedback loop I'm stuck in, much like you said. I have to say I wish I did more jumps per day. I did ONE jump per day (with days or even weeks apart) except my last 2 jumps which I did in a row. It was pretty dumb, but there was a lot of "external inertia" I had to overcome with family life (read: initially non-supportive wife and family). I have far too much going on right now to travel (one of my beloved pets at the end of her life coming far too fast, winter, and selling my home) but I am thinking once everything slows down and I can be "in the game" i'll probably end up at Blue Hills to finish my jumping. If that wont work out, California with a few of my friends is another option but less desirable. THEN if all goes well I'm trying to get a friend of mine to get current on his coach rating and come here for a week and just pound out jumps. Still loving the great advice and hearing I'm not alone in this sensation... and that so many of you have learned to overcome it! You are not the contents of your wallet.

SNE was great, probably more my lack of time there and the fact I was mostly on mid-week. I may go back, the few peopel I met were AWESOME... There were a lot of home issues so I may have also been a little evasive and kept to myself since I really had the opposite of "support" when I was there from home. Now my wife WANTS me to go back... so it could work out a lot better next time. My AFFI's (I had 4 different folks over time) were amazing people and I did chat with a few jumpers at other times that were great. I don't think it was SNE... I think a lot of it was me and my head being all astray from my home issues than anything. I am pretty sure if I spent more time that would have been less a problem. Anyhow, the common feedback I'm getting is that it is all in my head... so I'm just going to get back in the game and figure it out. Either I find a place in the winter after I move (selling house right now and buying a farm... long story.. but cerainly no time to jump before they close up) or I get back at SNE. I really liked SNE. Pepperill is great and all, and the same distance... but I had full faith in my AFFI's there and really would prefer they get me back through the process. Some cool cats at that DZ. You are not the contents of your wallet.

Thanks Tela, and congrats! The AFFI's there are awesome. That's where I was last summer and some great people. I do realize I need time up there. I'm just now in the period of 'winter' up here and feel like another 3 seasons pass before I jump again making 2 years. I find a lot of reasons NOT to jump and yet I still remember the sensation when I landed my AFF6 and thought "this... this was amazing". I'll be outright honest and say several things killed me: 1) no friends at the DZ. I mean.... the AFFI's were awesome, but you don't really befriend them as much as learn from them. There weren't many students and I worked weekends and jumped as the only student many days. It was lonely 2) Fear without positive reinforcement. I would land and... that was it. I would drop off my rig and read and then maybe jump maybe not. I found myself a bit stranded in a busy DZ. 3) No support at home. Wife kept demanding I spend less time at the DZ because I was "wasting my summer" there. When I stopped jumping she realized how much of a better person I was when I was jumping... and now is almost demanding I go back and get in the sky. So there was a lot going on... The weird feeling scares me. I don't know why I find it so aversive since once I'm at terminal I'm all calm smiles. But there it is. No ideas why. Anyhow. Yeah... I have to just bite the bullet and get back up there I think. Time spent stitching? Yeah... I can't tell you how many days I spent just tying knots while reading surgical technique and pathology. I guess I was afraid practicing alone at first and... I pushed through it. Thanks all again for the advice, this is great for me (and maybe others who quietly suffered along with the same fears?) You are not the contents of your wallet.

In terms of routine running and routine jumping you are correct I've never seen a broken pelvis from a runner, I've known 2 jumpers with them. Never met a runner with a femur fracture from running... It's common enough that "femuring" is a word in the skydive vernacular. With more runners than jumpers you would expect a marked increase in injury if running were that evil. Maybe the issue is that long term running tends to destroy knees, one bad landing can do the same. Either way, landing hard is pretty tough and there's a lot of variables on a jump. Should you stop? I think the best advice a doc could give would be "you can jump when you think you are ready" (assuming all has healed) You are not the contents of your wallet.

You guys are awesome and thank you all for the advice and thoughts. Some of it... Possibly a lot of it... Is in my head. To elaborate more, the weird sensation is that "zero G" sensation like when you practice flaring and get to the edge of your forward swing and start to head back; or when you "nose down" in a plane and come off your seat a bit. the sensation is noticible but possibly exaggerated by the adrenaline and fear at the door. My biggest point of fear is actually the door opening. Once I'm in the door im ok... Consigned myself to fate and such... But that drop is just something I cant get used to. Sadly my season up here is over (I live in NH and it's cold!) but I'm thinking of redoing AFF next year... I'm just trying to find a way to acclimatize to that sensation In a vacuum so it's one less sensory overload I have to deal with Once I'm in free fall I'm fine. Once I'm under canopy im fine. Landing I usually end up covered in dirt and grass and bits of rock but I'm still fine. It's just that exit and first 5-7 seconds And for those wondering. Tandem and jumps 2-5 were from a Twin Otter and jumps 6-7 were from a 182. As an aside, as much as I loved the otter there was something uniquely fun about standing on the 182 step. You are not the contents of your wallet.

Hmmm, isn't running up and down mountains rougher than skydiving? I had a doctor tell me to quit skydiving even though he said I was in perfect health. Every time I see a patient with life issues I tell them to consider putting down the bottle, the pills, the sadness, the worry.. and go do a tandem. Most people have just never LIVED. I never felt so alive and never felt so close to God (sorry to the atheists that may offend, substitute anything else you like please) as when I jumped. Telling someone to stop... I don't know if I could ethically do it if someone were physically able. You are not the contents of your wallet.

OK all, in my constant spirit of disclosing my various fears on here I was hoping to ask a question. Some background: I did 7 jumps last year, 1 tandem, 6 AFF jumps. Also spent nearly an hour in the tunnel. I'm afraid of heights. Like really REALLY afraid of heights. Well, maybe I should say "was" afraid of heights. I took up skydiving to deal with my fear of heights but in the end overcame the view and sensation of flight and discovered I have a bigger problem. The fear of "falling". Or even more specifically: the fear of the sensation of falling. I just can't get past it. I took up paramotoring (or powered paragliding depending on where you're from) and have become even more accustomed to flight and really LOVE being in the sky. Being up there under a paraglider is the same bliss as flying my student Nav260! But I can't get over that drop sensation and it is why I have not made another jump. This upsets me. I'm exposing myself to flight when possible (flight lessons, paramotoring, etc) but is there any advice anyone has to acclimate them to the falling sensation and make it... less terrifying? I know that "just jump" is one piece of advice, but I'm wondering if anyone else has/had this issue and if anyone knows anything that can help expose me to this on a more regular basis. I've been looking at building a "pendulator" on my property as one option but I have no rope experience and would need major assistance to do this safely (open to anyone who wants to help!) ok... so aside from "just jump"... can anyone help me out with this one? Thanks everyone! I hope I can get the nerve to get back up there sooner than later. You are not the contents of your wallet.

Our son was a tunnel instructor prior to AFF. He did it in 5 jumps, could have done it in 3-4 with a little preplanning. He finished up his A license coaching me on some sit fly jumps. Too cool.