Scottyb

Thanks for the replies. I do not intend to leave my "HOME" dz because it does feel like home to me & my wife, We feel everyone there is a friend and very supportive and I will continue at Cross Keys until i get my "A" and beyond, but my question is do I need to jump with an instructor or are my jumps $17.00 each Plus gear rental! (yea ha!) Scott

I will be (hopefully) making my graduation jump on Tuesday 6/3 and I am unsure how it works when you are off student status. Do you need a coach or are you on your own (not that I think I can't handle it alone, I'm sure I can) but what are the rules. I plan on going on to skydive U and also monkey claw school but are the jumps from now on "solo ". Please forgive my ignorance in how it is after I complete my level 7 jump but thats what all of you experienced skydivers are here for. Thanks, Scottyb

Congragulatins! I am hoping to maybe finish level 5-6-& 7 this weekend. Good luck getting your A! Blue Skies

Hi & welcome, I don't think it really matters what kind of beer it is as long as your buying! Blue Skies

Hi You have 8 more jumps than me but I hope to get a few in this weekend. It's the most fun you can have in the air!! Blue Skies

Hi & welcome to the wonderful world of skydiving, It's the best! Blue Skies

Tandem is the only way to go. The first jump you make your mind goes into sensory overload and you hardly remember it. I also recommend getting a video because you never make a first jump again. Blue Skies

Hi & welcome, Don't ever give up jumping it is the best. It doesn't matter how long it takes to get back into it Blue skies. Scott & teri

We live about 1-1/2 hours away and it's worth every minute it takes to get there and home!!!

Hi & welcome we have 2 kids and it's tough! Good luck just finding a sitter so you can jump. Get up as often as you can because it only gets better with each jump you make! Blue Skies Scott

I have always wanted to try it. My wife & I did the bungee the white water rafting and then for my birthday she got a tandem jump for both of us and the rest as they say is history.

Hi Joe, welcome to the skydiving family. We were also sucked in by our first tandem and are currently working on AFF level 4. We wish we had more money to get more jumps in but with 2 of us taking the course & a house & 2 kids it's tough. Good luck with the house and make sure you save some money for your AFF course. Blue skies Scott & Teri

Hello & welcome, my wife & I are working on our "A" we hope to have it soon. Scott & Teri

Congrats on your level 1! Hope the rest of your training goes as well. Blue skies

We are having the most fun! My Jm said he had a great time watching me laugh as I tumbled and recovered and said he would jump with me anytime. Teri is also having a great time but she is a little too hard on herself for little set backs. We were just looking for some friendly advice and some fellow skydivers to bounce our experience off of. Thanks to everyone who gave suggestions and next time we just have to relax a little more.

Well it's said the family that plays together stays together, and the students that don't pass level 4 together stay on level 4 together. My wife Teri & I both had a little trouble on AFP level 4 last time up. Teri went up a few loads before me and was in tears when I meet her at the landing zone, She flew her canopy great and flared perfectly for her first stand up landing! She had tumbled a little on our second JM release jump and went a little unstable during freefall but her jumpmaster said it was not as bad as she thought and she got herself stable and pulled when she needed to. I also did a couple of tumbles and got stable again before pull time and had a great canopy flight & good landing.Our Jm's gave us both the same "homework" to help us with our leg positioning in freefall. I hope it works because at $350. a jump for the 2 of us we can't fail any more of our jumps. How did everyone else learn to soar in freefall and do you have any pointers for us so we can move on with our training? Any input would be welcome. Scott & Teri Sorry all, we are newbies but this should be posted in the general questions section.

Hello Gab I have a family member in the same boat! My sister has Cerebal Palsey and is very intrested in skydiving! We just have to figure out how to do the exit nd LANDING!

I can't blame my wife she got (us ) a tandem jump and we have never looked back! We both are on AFP #5 and can't wait till we graduate! Enjoy your student status and learn from others! we can not wait till we jump together. Welcome !!! Blue Skies

Hi & welcome, Glad to see you keep in the faimly blue skies

Jen, I don't think panic is the right word (this is scott) but high anxiety is better. We watched the video and there was no panic involved just a great skydive that Teri nailed! I think what she was feeling was 3 months of not jumping and second guessing her problems with her last jumps. I think her "fear" not panic is what keeps us safe as students as we we are learning to fly. Scott

Hi Everyone, Yesterday my husband and I took our 6th and 7th jumps. My AFP1 (jump # 4) and AFP2 (jump # 5) were successful, but not great. During AFP1 I tumbled out the door and then went into a flat spin before getting stable. During my AFP2 I never got stable, didn't do any of the manuevers, and at 6000 ft, I started a left turn, without thinking. Needless to say, I pulled at 4500. When my canopy opened I had a sizeable line twist which I knew to kick myself out of thanks to Laurie - an instructor who had discussed this malfunction with me just a few weeks before. I ended up landing in a nearby golfcourse. I passed AFP1, but failed AFP2. Everyone at Crosskeys was wonderful as they always are. They just kept telling me that it wasn't a perfect jump, but it was a successful jump. I jumped out of an airplane and landed safely, so that made it a successful jump. At that point, I couldn't wipe the smile off of my face (this reaction has happened each and every time I have jumped). I have to make a special mention of the whole crew at Crosskeys. They always make you feel like you belong there no matter whether you're new to the sport or a veteran. There's always someone to hug when you land safely and are so excited you feel like you're going to burst! After a few months off, We were starting to go through what I call "skydiving withdraw." We were ready to get back up there and since we had gotten several gift certificates as presents for Christmas, we headed for the DZ yesterday. We took our refresher course and Rick explained what he thought I had done wrong during my last two jumps. I was starting to feel a little more confident and thought I was ready to take another jump. The key word here is "thought". After our training was over, we went to the cafe to get a bite to eat. Pancake came in and introduced himself to my husband and said they would be on the next load together. Needless to say, we immediately went to see who I was jumping with. When I found out I wasn't going on the same load, I started to get a little nervous. Actually, I became VERY nervous. I went out back to see my husband land and missed my name being called for the following load. When I went to check, Liz put me on the next load with Pancake. While I was waiting, my husband landed safely and came to find me. He was thrilled about his jump, but he could see immediately that something was wrong with me. When he asked what it was, I started crying. I was so scared that something else would go wrong. Actually, I was terrified. In my heart, I really WANT to skydive, but in my head, I keep asking "weren't these two problems enough of a warning?" I think Rick and Pancake knew I was upset too because they asked me what was going on. My husband kept saying I didn't have to do this and I kept telling him "I WANT TO DO THIS!!!" I decided I was going to jump and I got on the plane. As soon as I did, my heart started pounding so hard I thought I was going to have a heart attack. I sat right up front next to the pilot and pancake loaded in right behind me. He started talking and joking with me as soon as he got me buckled in. As a matter of fact, Pancake, the pilot (whose name I didn't get), Jason - my videographer (I decided to take a videographer just in case something went wrong again so I could see on the video what I was doing wrong), and Troy (the JM I was supposed to jump with on the load I missed) all started talking and joking with me. By the time we hit altitude, I was smiling, laughing, and relaxed thanks to these people and ready to skydive. I was still scared, but no longer terrified. I am very proud to say that this was the BEST jump I have ever made. I had to work out a few glitches (going off course, etc.) along the way, but nothing major. I just kept trying to smile and stay relaxed. I am amazed at what a difference it makes. I'm sorry this message is so long, but I just wanted to explain why I was so terrified. Rick even asked my husband if I was doing this for him (my husband...not Rick). He told Rick he didn't think so, but I thought it was interesting that Rick picked up on that because I want to do this with him and I want him to be proud of me for doing it. Will this tumbling stomach and hard beating heart ever stop??? I want to be excited and not terrified about every jump I take. How long will it take before I am confident enough to get on the plane without hesitation? Anyhow, after this jump we took another. I was lucky enough to have Pancake again and that jump was great too (althought I didn't feel it was as great as the first one - I panicked when I saw him in front of me in freefall instead of holding me at my side). I've decided that the jumpmaster makes the jump. If they get you relaxed enough, you can really enjoy your jump. I would like to send out a thank you to Troy, Jason, the pilot, and especially to Rick and Pancake at Crosskeys in Williamstown, New Jersey. Without them, I would have probably ridden the plane back down and never jumped again. Now I know that all it takes is a smile (along with everything else) and thanks to these guys, I have enough confidence to get back up there again! Thank you all so much! Sincerely, Teri Bryan

My wife & I did 3 tandems first then onto AFP. We did our level 2 & 3 jumps yesterday & our first release dive . I can honestly say I don't think either of us jumping today if we didn't have those three tandem jumps and knowing exactly what we were in for. Now we are learning & improving our skills with every new jump, and the best part is it gets better every time we do it!!!! It's all we seem to think about, so I advise you to take the jump no matter how you decide to do it you will never regret it. I also recommend getting the video my wife had a second one done yesterday to improve her exit & diveflow and it's just as awesome as her tandem video. Welcome

Aloha, Welcom to the fourms. blue skies

Hi Brian, Good luck on afp #1, my wife & I are on AFP #3 and are hoping to go next wek if the weather holds out. Are you a student at CK? Blue SkiesQuote

Hi & Welcome Frodo, My wife & I are also student's (5 jumps each) she also had a line twist last time and as instructed got out of it fine without a cutaway even if her & her instructor landed off site it was a good skydive. we can not wait to take our next jump (March 23rd!!!) Good luck in your training. Blue skies Scott & Teri