spacetrance

I got into skydiving by jumping out of an airplane!!

Bought my little brother and I tandem for his bachelor thing... Now I am doing AFF. I've spent the last couple of months obsessing over everything skydiving...

Awesome dude! I'm still so there with you... I have done my second jump and will do number three and four in about a week! I can't wait! I'm super excited to hear how life changing it was...

For me the experience flows to other areas in my life.... If I can jump out of a plane... I can _______!

I think this is a great question and thread. I am a father of 3 with another due Tuesday! I totally understand that children around a drop zone brings up potential 'issues' (for lack of any better wording). Just knowing that there are people considering the need for a 'kid friendly' list is encouraging since I am fresh new to jumping and very dedicated to doing as much as i can with my family. I even had the kids jumping off the couch the other day as they were imitating me practicing PLFing.

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Skydive Greene County in Xenia, Ohio for 55 years. Always has been and will continue to be a family oriented and kid drop zone family. Sorry we love dogs, but not allowed.

Greene, that is awesome! I am going to finish my aff here in Texas but will be moving to the Zanesville area and have visited your website. How kid friendly? Any playground? I see you are listed to have a pool and a campground... Sounds fun. How 'chill' is the tent camping area (usually)?

Someone posted it here:
http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=4813762

It is the reply by PhreeZone

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While i am waiting for my first tandem and FJC, i am avidly reading this forum and any and every video i can find on YouTube (that includes all the malfunction videos !!), thought i will pick some of your brains on a few things:

My first tandem was scheduled for last saturday and its just my luck that it was overcast all day, so i reschedule for Sep 4 and keeping my fingers crossed, i also have FJC scheduled for Sep 9 and i am going for SL course.

While i am not afraid of heights, i am terrified of fall, and i am hoping that would go away after a few jumps. I do have some concerns that i was hoping to get some answers on:

1. My head usually spins when i am on a roller coaster and those damn things are taking 3-4-5 G turns, i just close my eyes and wait for it to stop. from what i understand, in this sport, thats not an option, well, if i want to live anyway :d
How the hell do i get over it? do i take a few more tandems and ask my TI to do some crazy turns so that i can get adjusted to it?

2. I am still finding hard to wrap my head around the fact that i would be hanging out of a strut and let it go willingly. i have a feeling i would hold on to it with my dear life.... any similar experience?

3. I have to fly the canopy on my own??? anyone wants to share what that first flight feels like? i am terrible with directions and worried that i will land in the next county ...:)

I have always wanted to skydive and worked very hard for more than a year to loose 110lbs so that i can jump out of a plane, wont let my fear stop me, just trying to understand what to expect in SL and how easy / difficult is to hang from that damn plane and take a leap of faith...

Thanks all. cant wait to jump

Piyohere! Welcome to skydiving... I am in almost in your shoes. I have two jumps under my belt and FJC. So my reply is both as an amateur and one who is fresh in the sport.

1. As I got older my sensitivity to 'motion sickness' (which is what I am assuming you are referring to) has increased. It was fairly bad after my tandem because the instructor did a lot of intense spiraling. I didn't really 'feel' sick until the adrenaline wore off about 1/4 mile down the road from the DZ. Then I had to have my wife drive while I tried to lay it down for a bit. Be sure to let your TI know so he/she can take the mild ride down. Motion sickness is an issue for a lot of people doing tandem (search the forum for more info) because generally speaking you are not in control and it may have to do with poor circulation due to the harness system. You do want to make sure you are well hydrated. You might want to make sure you are well fed. For me personally I am more prone to motion sickness if I feel famished. But it might not be the case for you.

Here is a clickable link to search the forum: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?do=search_results&search_forum=all&search_string=overcoming%20motion%20sickness&sb=score&mh=25

2. I am not doing static line but this I know: My first tandem was a HUGE psychological hurdle. There was fear, doubt, excitement, more doubt, questioning my sanity etc. etc. etc.... My second jump (yesterday) was totally different. I was more focused on the tasks of the jump. My mind set went from "Not sure I can do this" on my first jump to "I got this" on my second. Yes I still had some fear but nothing like my first jump. I hope you experience the same transition from first tandem to first SL.

3. I can't chime in much because I botched my landing a little. Started the flare a little early then released which caused me to slide in fast on my butt while draging the TI behind.

I also have obsessed with reading the forums and watching every youtube video I can find.

Now I have to wait for jump 3 and 4 around september 19th...

Yea she is "ok" with it. Although we had some very lengthy discussions about it. I'm very dedicated as s husband and farther so as long as that doesn't change it will be all good.

And thank you for the congrats! We are excited and brave... Our oldest is 6, next is 3 , then 2 and now a new baby in a month!

Well this is a little overdue but here goes...

I have done one tandem and since then I have found my mind preoccupied with 'the sky' and the dream of jumping again. Growing up I surfed and loved it... Surfing to me was mostly about the rush and fun of it. I have always liked to do the 'big' things in life, going to a NASCAR race with 250,000 people, hitchhiking cross country, mountain climbing.

While in prison I made a list of things to do... Skydiving was number 1 on the list.

Then I got married and we had three kids. Since the kiddos came in the picture the conversation around skydiving was basically "You have kids now... and you are not leaving us widowed and orphaned". Then my brother was getting married and choose me as his best man. I proposed Skydiving for his bachelor thing, wife was cool with that under the condition that "I only jump once until my son is 18, then once more". I agreed because "surely it isn't that fun"...

So in hindsight, my wife knew me better than myself... and I can't wait to jump again!!

Our 4 child will be born in 3 weeks... and I'm going to jump to celebrate!

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There's advice that they used to give to student pilots that I think applies to becoming a skydiver now.
A layoff, even a short one, can be expensive. If you have to wait a couple of weeks or more between jumps because you're broke it can set you back because then when you do get paid it will rain for the next couple of weekends. You don't want to have to do jumps over, it's expensive and a good way to get out of the mood and quit.
Talk to the DZ and come up with a reasonable estimate of what it will cost to get off student status then, even if it means taking out a personal loan, get that amount and bank it for the jumps.

Excellent advice... IMO. I am prepaying little by little. Meaning I have my first jump paid for and whenever I have extra money I call the DZ and have them pull more money off my card. Kinda like a forced savings, then once I have 3 paid for I'll go and jump those three and hopefully bring money for my forth jump to start the process over again.

Hey guys I appreciate the info. I really need to take a look at any exclusions in my long-term disability policy... and I don't have health insurance... sounds like now is the time.

I did practice PLFing in the living room the other day. Falling without sticking my arms out was strange at first but confidence in what Ive been learning helped. My son is 6 and jumps off everything so I should probably PLF off the couch with him. Actually he broke his arm standing on the dinning room chair, so maybe I'll try that afterhours
The whole troll thing... I get it now, im not one so if ppl think that I am that is on them not me. No biggie... In hindsight my original question does seem out of place but my safety in my responsibility in the end... therefore I don't mind asking the hard questions.

The sun just came out for the first time in days... I'm calling and scheduling my next jump! I'm a independent contractor and in a way I wish I didn't have work tomorrow... But I have lots of mouths to feed so it is all good!

I'm in the same boat as you. 1 tandem and it was awesome. Your next steps towards solo depends on the drop zone. This site has a good database of drop zones. Typically you will need to take a ground course the start jumping with an instructor. There seems to be two main paths towards solo... Static line and assisted Free fall. Static line was the traditional method of learning and it seems to been largely replaced with AFF.

I'm doing a tandem progression where I'll do USPA category a thru c jumps while attached to an instructor then 10 minutes of indoor skydiving then jumping with instructor holding on to me.

Edited to correct typos.

The left side because my wife is pregnant and claims she needs to be as close to bathroom as possible.

Normally the right side because I'm closer to the entry door than her. I guess she wants the intruder to encounter me first so she has more time to dive out the window. That or she has been reviewing my life insurance policy!!!!

As a convicted felon I can't keep a modern firearm.... My solution... Keep my rig close and use the spring loaded reserve to knock the intruder down, giving me more time to jump over wife and out the window... First.

raftman

You'll never get anywhere with that attitude.
All the best skydivers I know are assholes!

I'll have to try harder

cruelpops

I will try to offer up some thoughtful insight as to why people think you're a troll...

I jump at Spaceland Dallas and in my opinion your logic to attempt AFF at another DZ because your tandem jump at Spaceland was "not personable" is flawed and somewhat ridiculous.

When you state an allegation of "I suspect illegal drug usage with the rigger."; it is a very inflammatory remark and you then follow your previous statement with, "I also understand that is just a suspicion and I don't perceive it as a fact." This is a public forum and when you make those allegations, you are treading on thin ice both from a standard of being accepted (by the members of this forum) and a standard by which someone can sue your ass for defamation. So your comments are either extremely ignorant or you're an attorney trying to pull some bullshit bait-and-switch routine.

You didn't necessarily qualify your statement about the packers and riggers as to whether you were a part of the audience receiving instruction or were merely a passerby. So let's assume you were simply leaning in and listening because you were curious. First, at this juncture in your training you don't know enough to know Jack Shit. As such, anything you heard or may have heard or observed or thought you observed isn't your business until an instructor has provided you with the proper foundation to move on to that next level and says, "Listen to him or her, you need to know this." I wouldn't worry about a packer and a rigger until you get to that point in your training... if you make it.

Please, take no offense as I am a skydiver and I am an asshole.

No reason to get all bent out of shape... It was just an observation and a question. I by no means was questioning him/her as a person... It took me a two year prison trip to get off the sauce and get my head right.

Maybe "not personable" wasn't the best wording. Maybe more like intimidating. Being a first time jumper around so much activity especially when "I don't know s?@t". My personal takeaway was nothing negative towards spaceland Dallas... As a matter of fact once I get my A license (if I survive the grilling from drop zone.com) I plan on doing my jumping from there.

Maybe in all honesty my post is rooted in being new and nervous and hyper cautious...

Please take no offense as I'm a wannabe skydiver and I'm not an asshole... But a tad sarcastic!

Hey guys I really appreciate your input! It is well received. I will stay at the DZ that I am referring to. I will probably make spaceland dallas my home DZ once i get trained. But not during training, only because It is so busy. This DZ i'm referring is very one-on-one...

I understand that statistically the chance of being in a malfunction that leads to a fatality is VERY low... which sounds good on the surface... unless you are the 1 in 100000. I also understand the relation of skill and knowledge to my safety. Therefore, I am very into learning all that I can. The weather needs to clear up so I can Shut up and Jump!

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This means nothing. We don't know the circumstances. It could have been one person teaching a newbie some techniques for slowing the opening, just getting some more practice, etc.

Actually he was teaching from the ground up. How to stow the brakes, walk out the lines, fold the canopy. And talking about how much time it takes to pack a sigma canopy for him and how much he gets paid per pack. I wouldn't be to concerned about it if i didn't read so much regarding the recent Lodi incident. I even went as far as to skim the packing section of the sigma manual myself after going to DZ.

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Do you have enough life insurance to care for those four kids through college before engaging in a "high-Risk" activity (as defined by the insurance companies) and are you sure there's not an exclusion for such on yours? That should be your first concern - not all the other stuff you listed.

Actually I have been to my insurance agent and gone over my life insurance policy. In the state of Texas after two years of the policy being in effect it is 'incontestable'. They actually cover suicide after two years, which I found odd. I am still going to review my long term disability insurance.

I really appreciate the real response... I hope as my post numbers go up and my jump numbers I my "Kick me, I'm a troll" sign on my back will get smaller....

I only jumped once so far and it was freaking awesome! I've done my ground schools and will jump my second jump this week! I can't wait!

I am not a lawyer fishing for information... Instead I am a beginner that absolutely loved my jump and can't wait to get further into the sport and displines. Thank you for the real reply... On one hand I think I may be being overly critical, but like the video and my instructor said... If you have a concern let it be known, it's better to be on the ground wanting to be in the air then be in the air wanting to be on the ground.

Ok, I get the impression that I am being accused of being a "troll". Well not entirely sure what that means...

Most of my concerns come from the latest Lodi incident...

Not sure how that reply relates to anything I said?

Greeting Community,

I am a recent first-time jumper. Since my tandem in July I have found that everything related to skydiving fascinating and boarder-line addicting. It is suffice to say that my first jump messed me up (figuratively) . I have watched any and all skydiving videos that I can find on the Internet. I have found that malfunction and emergency procedure items of great importance lately.

My first jump was at a high traffic DZ in the Dallas area. I have been determined since then to get my A license. I did find the "assembly line" process of my tandem as "not personable" and searched elsewhere to get my training. I found a small dropzone that has a tandem progression course that I really like on paper.

They do jumps Level 1-3 as tandem, somewhere during the Level 1-3 jumps I will be required to do 10 minutes of tunnel time training at the Dallas iFly. Then jumps 4-7 are done with an instructor flying with me and/or holding on to me. After passing level 7 I will be free to jump solo.

Due to the nature of skydiving and the fact that I have a wife and 4 small children and due to the fact that I value my life... I am approaching (or trying to approach) the area of safety with a high level of scrutiny.

I first showed up at the dropzone unannounced just to see things... I spoke to the owner and liked what I saw. It was a Thursday so there wasn't any action.

The next day I showed up for my ground course. There was MUCH more to observe on Friday.

I love my assigned instructor. He is VERY one-on-one with me. He spent A LOT of time with me. Way more time then I expected. We did the first jump course, and even though we will not be jumping Level 1 until next week he went over the jump with me a lot of times... He said we wont stop "dirt diving" today until I get it right 1 time. Then on jump day I have to dirt dive it correctly 3 times in a row. He stressed to let someone know if I don't feel right about anything...

My concern comes from the packer and rigger. I seem to want to sugar coat the rest, but I'm going to be straight up...

I suspect illegal drug usage with the rigger. My suspicion comes from my background. He blatantly admitted that he drink scotch, which doesn't bother me but it was something else, mostly his eyes and demeanor. I also understand that is just a suspicion and I don't perceive it as a fact.

The young guy packing was teaching some other young guy to pack... which to me seems a far stretch from 'under the direct supervision of a FAA licensed rigger'.

Lastly, the dropzone isn't a USPA dropzone.

So I have thought thru this a lot. I don't want to jump to a different instructor at a different dropzone... but if I should now would be the time to do it.

What would you do?

Some of my thoughts... Ask the packer if he has read the sigma manual. Ask if they do drug tests.

As I write this... the answer seems obvious. Your input would be appreciated.