Tela

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  • Main Canopy Size
    230
  • AAD
    Cypres

Jump Profile

  • Home DZ
    Skydive New England
  • License
    A
  • License Number
    72857
  • Licensing Organization
    USPA
  • Number of Jumps
    47
  1. Hell yea! Welcome to your new addiction. Make sure to LISTEN to other jumpers on the ground. You'll learn a metric shit-ton just from listening and asking the occasional question. It only gets better from here. "The lizards were a race of people practically extinct from doing things smart people don't do."
  2. How will you address the fact that many DZ's become micro-communities? I've had several non-jumpers refer to the "sky-fam" as a cult. If you're studying addition/mental illness you know the about the links between the two, but your survey didn't seem to contain anything that correlated to the social environment. My home DZ is literally a second home during the season, with it's own set of social norms and rules apart from "the real world". Just something to think about as you write that conclusion. "The lizards were a race of people practically extinct from doing things smart people don't do."
  3. I bet he's a better packer than me already, too. Amazing what they absorb. "The lizards were a race of people practically extinct from doing things smart people don't do."
  4. I got my license at 37 and the lead up to doing my recurrency jump after 6 months of snow and no jumping, was butterfly city. I told my instructor that I was a mess...I was trying to find a reason not to get in the plane...by the time we hit 1,000 feet in that tiny little 206 (nearly all my jumps are out of an Otter) I was relaxing more with every foot of altitude. By 3K I was smiling and ready to go. The long and short of it is time off allows our nerves to jump back up to jump 2 levels. Once you're out the door, or climbing to altitude even you'll feel better. Skydiving can be scary for us newbies when we are on the ground, in the air we tend to remember why we keep doing it. To a 'man', everyone I've talked to about this exact feeling says they experience it if they go awhile between jumps. That includes 2 of my AFFI's who both have over 5K jumps. You are not even close to alone on this one. Relax, smile, Arch, relax smile and pull. You be back in the saddle having fun as soon. Blues and here's to an early spring for all us northern DZ folks. "The lizards were a race of people practically extinct from doing things smart people don't do."
  5. The way it was explained to me was that above 10k you have jets and turbine aircraft that fly significantly faster than piston aircraft. Hence, you need to be able to see further to really ensure clear skies and no traffic. Below 10k planes are generally slower, so up high 5 miles. Think about it like crossing a street in your neighborhood vs crossing a highway. I don't know Dutch specific rules, but the general principals still apply. "The lizards were a race of people practically extinct from doing things smart people don't do."
  6. Why not add Maine to your list and do AFF at Skydive New England? They have a nice twin Otter, awesome instructors and a great vibe at night with on site camping. "The lizards were a race of people practically extinct from doing things smart people don't do."
  7. How could you screw up after having a whole 60 seconds of practice??? Every jump is different and there is so much to learn. My first 20 jumps everything seemed to be happening at light speed, I bet it's the same for you right now. Relax and try not to let your head be your worst enemy. I redid my level 1 after having both instructors with their hands in my face (giving me legs out) and me doing nothing. The retry, freefall went ok, but I landed in a tree. DOH. I went on to redo level 4, level 5 took me three tries. One of my instructors (who has thousands of jumps and is an incredible flyer) told me he almost quit after redoing level 4 SIX times. You're going to learn more from your mistakes than your successes. I made it harder and take longer to get my A because I was so hard on myself mentally. Relax, relax, relax. A videographer sat me down and explained that even if you passed all seven levels and did all your solos/coach jumps perfectly, you would still have had less than a half and hour of practice in freefall. Did your high school gym class make you an Olympic basketball player or archer? See my point? You are going to make mistakes, screw up dive flows and redo some levels/jumps. The more you get mad at yourself the more you'll redo. Tunnel and dirt diving are great practice for the physical part of the jump, but (for me) the hard part is getting the head to relax and quit freaking out. You sound like you've got the determination to do it. Be determined to allow yourself to make mistakes and learn from them. The more you jump the easier it seems to get. I was a mess all the way through finishing level 5 (on my 11th jump), then all of a sudden my head quieted down, I smiled and levels 6 & 7 were easy. There are a ton of us who know how you're feeling and have been there. You'll be fine. Keep trying, relax and smile. "The lizards were a race of people practically extinct from doing things smart people don't do."
  8. If we haven't met yet, we will. Sounds like you're off to a great start. Yes, a lot of it is a mental game "Each jump you gain a few more brain cells". Dustin is a wealth of info and is great at keeping it laid back. Meagan, oh my god, awesome, sassy, smart, great teacher and a ton of fun. I'll be up Friday for night jumps and I'm doing a canopy course Saturday, so if you're going well "formally" meet this weekend. I'll be the long haired hippie rocking the helmet with the Rebel Alliance (Star Wars) paint job during jumping and sippin whiskey at night. "The lizards were a race of people practically extinct from doing things smart people don't do."
  9. You have less than 4 minutes of practice in freefall, don't be to hard on yourself. I redid level 1 and then redid level 4, level 5 took 3 tries. Ever been ice skating? Were you flying around the pond after 5 minutes doing hockey stops and cross overs? This sport takes patience and humility, trust me I learned that the hard way. I used to beat myself up for every f**k up, that never helped me do it better the next time. Remember when you have to redo a level, it means you have to go jump out of an airplane and that just doesn't suck. Relax as much as you can. Have fun. Force yourself to smile in freefall, it's harder to be tense when you're smiling and don't over think it. Engineers think about how to fly, but pilots fly by feel while the Engineers watch. "The lizards were a race of people practically extinct from doing things smart people don't do."
  10. Hey Kim, you picked a great place to do your AFF. Meagan, Jackie, Freddie and the whole crew at SNE rock. I got my A last season there and honestly can't say enough good things about them. Don't stress about being perfect or failing levels, you won't be perfect and most of us repeat levels. Hell, I redid level 1, level 4, level 5 took me 3 tries and now I'm licensed. You can learn as much on the ground talking to people as you can in the air, and I encourage you to listen and ask questions whenever you're not prepping for a jump. Waiting and frustration are part of the journey for most of us during AFF. I'll be there almost every weekend this season, so we're sure to meet. Relax, be patient and have fun. I'll see you around and don't hesitate to ask anyone any questions. I fought "the door monster" and hearing others did too made it easier to get through. Now I can't wait to get in the door, that's where the fun starts. -Mike "The lizards were a race of people practically extinct from doing things smart people don't do."
  11. I did 2 tandems and then AFF the next season. Just got my A in September. Do some tunnel time and at most 1 more tandem. You'll need the extra money for alti, helmet, suit. .. Plus, you have to take off the training wheels at some point, why delay. "The lizards were a race of people practically extinct from doing things smart people don't do."
  12. You should try the air in Maine in the summer! We're basically at sea level so 13,500 is routine for our Otter, but the humidity is the killer. It's not uncommon to have humidity above 80%. Some days the temps will hit 90+ and the humidity is right there with it (90%+). It's like breathing water and flying in soup. Still beats roofing houses. "The lizards were a race of people practically extinct from doing things smart people don't do."
  13. Hey Doc, I just got my A license@ SNE. I can tell you that the nerves and weird feelings really do settle down. It was probably around jump 20 that it really changed for me. I had to gut it out and keep jumping. Then one day I realized the past couple jumps had been different, things felt normal. It's. A game of keeping going until it becomes natural. You spent how long practicing stitches before tbey felt normal? Well at this point you only have about 6 minutes of practice freefalling. If you want to skydive, push yourself through thhe point of half an hour of practice and then reevaluate. Talk with other low number jumpers, we feel what you're talking about. Good luck Quote "The lizards were a race of people practically extinct from doing things smart people don't do."
  14. Figured I should come back and put the end cap on this thread. I did my check dive yesterday and an now an officially licensed skydiver. In the end it took me about 4 1/2 months to get it all done. Those of you who are reading this while your going through AFF, show some patience. You'll learn a lot in the air, it gets easier and that's when it starts to get really fun. That said you can learn a shit load more on the ground. Talk with the experienced jumpers. Listen to them chat to one another. Pick peoples brains when you're on a weather hold. I have learned so much about canopy flying while on the ground that I've been able to avoid puddles and trees and land near my target almost every jump. Huge thanks to all those at SNE who've helped me out this year. Be safe y'all and Blue Skies "The lizards were a race of people practically extinct from doing things smart people don't do."
  15. PLEASE, DO NOT AVOID YOUR FRIENDS. They are your friends for a reason. They care about you and would rather be there for you than be wondering when you're not there. Take strength from them. Talk with them. If there isn't a specific thing they can "do" tell them that, but for your safety and their sanity do not shut them out. In my friends isolation has caused a downward spiral more often than not. Please, for everyone's sake get back around people who care. Tell them that the only thing they can do is shoot the shit and tell dirty jokes if that's what it takes. When I don't hear from or see my family that suffers like you, I get scared and worry. Exercise, eat well, talk to the doc's and keep your friends in the loop. You are not alone. There are millions of people who fight just like you, everyday and there are millions of us who will fight with you. This disease sucks, but we can manage it as micro-communities. I can't promise a cure or that I can fly to where you are, but I do promise to make people aware of what life is like and help everyone I can. Keep fighting "The lizards were a race of people practically extinct from doing things smart people don't do."