DrDom

You're only as old as you tell yourself you are. 30 years? Call it acquired wisdom during a sabbatical! Welcome back. You are not the contents of your wallet.

Overcoming the fear IS the deciding factor! It is supposed to be scary. People that say they weren't afraid the first few times are either lying, crazy, or stupid. The rest of us practically soiled ourselves at some point during the early training/jumping. Skydiving is not a natural act and is difficult to prepare oneself mentally for. It's easier than you think, so stop thinking about it..... top 7 jumps, fear came back... its overcoming the fear and doing it anyhow that is the real early reward. How do you get over it? Much like anything else its just exposure. If you find a better way please let me know. My only other option is to have someone unleash a jar of spiders in the plane.. that will get me out the door. welcome to the sport. You are not the contents of your wallet.

In regard to ski goggles, didnt the guys who did the FLIGHT HUD use ski goggles with good effect? I always find ski goggles restrict my vision though and would not be comfortable 100% in freefall... plus the strap outside the helmet seems... risky? You are not the contents of your wallet.

REALLY want to make it to this place ^^^ and its probably a bit warmer than new england... brrrrr.... You are not the contents of your wallet.

Was the second a fatality or just an "incident"? You are not the contents of your wallet.

Must get some weird microclimates going into the stadium. You guys who do demo jumps have a lot of skill and an abundance of cajones... You are not the contents of your wallet.

Hi DrDom No disrespect intended But if the airplane is packed like a sardine can so the dzo can maximize his operating efficency and profit. The dzo will continue to do it as long as jumpers are willing to accept substandard conditions. With all respect stop your whining or go to a different dz. Enjoy your next flight, and the next, and your next, and so on. Ever walk in the rain without a umbrella and whine because your getting wet? R. I love how one can start a paragraph with "no disrespect" but then have a quite disresepctful tone. I was only pointing out that physics can be a bitch. My DZ is mostly Otter based, its a rare treat to jump a C182 and admittedly I really LIKE jumping a cessna (ok, I LIKE standing on the step with my face to the wind and looking over at a smiling pilot with a thumbs up..). so, I'm not complaining, just pointing out how much our physical laws work against us in the most inconvenient ways. You are not the contents of your wallet.

I'll be the "fun killer" and just tell everyone that the survival of a "blunt trauma arrest" is basically zero. Its not zero if you're in a Level 1 trauma center on an operating table; but doing CPR after a blunt trauma cardiac arrest is going to be futile. Would I do it? Probably, but usually its a problem with blood loss in the chest, abdomen, pelvis, or the ground; or its secondary to massive head injury. Some EMS services in our area are not transporting blunt trauma arrests (we think mostly fall from ladder or high speed crashes) to the hospital. I bring this up ONLY because if you don't know the person well enough to trust they don't have a communicable disease, consider the risk to yourself doing mouth-to-mouth or even CPR (now "CCR" with the compression only style). You are not the contents of your wallet.

My personal suit smells like that ;) But I think the best advice is not worry about the price of rentals and such since while you're in the licensing process you'll be incorporating that into your cost of AFF jumps and coaching. You'll work out the rest later :) Can you "rent" a jump suit? Not sure... I know the non-license holders tended to borrow student suits if they needed, alternatively, if you get into the sport and are pushing forward you can grab used ones at good discounts :) You are not the contents of your wallet.

Its only the start... Welcome! You are not the contents of your wallet.

Welcome to the place, you'll find many friends here. But.. North Dakota? Yikes, I thought New Hampshire was cold.. You are not the contents of your wallet.

Hmmm... I wonder if we could make people start carrying ID on a jump.. maybe sewn into their jumpsuit or on their rig someplace... I could see a jumper from another DZ visiting and nobody knowing how to contact anyone for them or even their name You are not the contents of your wallet.

Aside from repetition, how does one prevent that de-arch on exit. I'm notorious with it. That "hollow stomach" feeling overcomes me and I stay balled up a little like that... the overload and such. Is it just experience and comfort? You are not the contents of your wallet.

I really do agree. Honest. I just think that "we" spend way too much effort on suggesting that kids make sure that they're getting what they pay for rather than making sure that they get shit that fits. you provide a very reasonable opinion that I do not disagree with. I want shit that fits. You are not the contents of your wallet.

You're spending way too much energy on whether or not I'm offended and completely not explaining the difference between jumping borrowed gear for a weekend vs the first weekend jumping *new gear* There is no short term difference, its a difference of ownership. I see your point and am not disagreeing with it, I just think if someone buys used gear its not a bad thing if they become familiar with it. When I think of "borrowing" something, I foresee "Hey, I need a rig, can I borrow yours for this jump?" and jumping on the plane and going. I haven't been around long and I HAVE actually heard that conversation. I think used gear is good because it saves new jumpers money (I'm looking at used gear, its a bonus if it has an antique neon canopy!) but I'm not always keen on borrowed gear unless people really take the time to learn it. I think there was a Skydive Radio discussion with Germaine recently on this that I enjoyed. You are not the contents of your wallet.

I sooooooooo want to hear the story behind that name :) You are not the contents of your wallet.

with... you know... stuff... and things :) You are not the contents of your wallet.

Youll get lots of advice in the Gear section as mentioned... theres too many options! Dubai looks beautiful... admittedly I'm jealous! You are not the contents of your wallet.

Welcome! You are not the contents of your wallet.

Welcome and nice save :) You are not the contents of your wallet.

Why do you say "not the canopies"? My boyfriend is a huge fan of "closet queen" Sabres, especially for wingsuiting. People have mixed opinions on the original Sabre, but for those who love 'em, they can't get enough of them, and a ZP canopy well-maintained, something from the 90s is perfectly jumpable. There's other canopies that are still being made today - if you found one from the 90s in good shape - why wouldn't you jump it vs. one that was manufactured more recently. Same canopy same design, though (horrors) you might have to deal with the colors that were trendy back then (news flash, though - neon may be ugly, but it makes you really awesomely visible in the air!). ps- I love those old colours... I think NEON needs to make a comeback. I like buying gliders in the most obnoxious colours to everyone in the sky can see me. I'm a slow target for a pilot not paying attention or another glider. You are not the contents of your wallet.

"we"? Please explain the difference to "us" between jumping borrowed gear for a weekend and jumping new or used gear for the first time on a weekend. I think I explained it in my post in regard to borrowed vs used. "we" i meant in this post there was a lot of crossover. borrowing implies short term use and used gear implies a purchase. Its a semantic argument and I was trying to sort out that we were talking about the difference between "should I buy used gear/what is the danger" and "going in on borrowed gear". Remember this is someone new asking a question NOT an experienced jumper (at least that his how you framed your question of "why do we recommend new gear"). Maybe with more experience there is less risk with borrowed gear (I'll leave that to people with more experience), but I think newer jumpers borrowing equipment carries more risk is all since the implication of borrowed includes people who have not trained on the gear (not always the case, a generality) I was not meant to be insulting so if you're offended my apologies but there is no reason to be offended, I was trying to offer something helpful since borrowed and used ARE two different things. As for canopies, I meant in terms of "hours" on the canopies, they are apparently fine (I'm no rigger) if they are stored, compared to hours on a rig which doesn't matter as much if I've been instructed correctly. I know my paragliders get a lot of UV damage in the sun and often are not really good after a few seasons but the rest of my gear is... pretty much good to go despite that. You are not the contents of your wallet.

Here is an interesting question for everyone... Do "boogies" usually have standby ambulances? When I used to do sound reinforcement, some of the bigger music festivals (and some smaller ones) had an ambulance on standby. Most cities or states have rules to govern attendance and need for EMS. Do people even notify local towns or hospitals? More a curiosity since... believe it or not... I've seen more people hospitalized or dead at concerts than heard about from skydiving. You are not the contents of your wallet.

We seem to have a problem of discerning "Borrowed Gear" and "Used Gear". Borrowed usually implies that it is a short term use of unfamiliar equipment with no intent of purchase or long term use. Used gear implies the purchase of gear that will become one's primary sporting equipment. People "go in on borrowed gear" because of unfamiliarity coupled with potentially mis-sized/poorly fit, and possibly other problems. There are just more variables. Used gear, if inspected, should be fine if it fits, is appropriate, etc. Training and familiarity go a long way. I asked once about buying new gear (cost is not an issue) versus used and someone pointed out that there were people jumping gear made 1-2 decades ago (not the canopies of course) with no issues. I mean, one of the planes I fly is a 1942 Piper Cub. Its still in good shape. Looks old but flies fine. I feel like with a good and meticulous rigger the gear itself is "close to new", and much like a new car, someone else worked out the bugs for ya :p You are not the contents of your wallet.

People in Toronto have seen Toronto; its more eye catching to have "exotic" scenery. You are not the contents of your wallet.