kgusack

246 jumps 2 cutaways in the first 125 or so jumps. Some people hit 2000 jumps without a cutaway, others have a cutaway while in AFF. Be ready on every jump. I was put on this earth to do one thing. Luckily I forgot what it was so I do whatever I want.

Article states the woman lives in Washoe County which includes Reno and other parts of Northern Nevada. She went into the hospital in Reno. Vegas is a 7 hour + trip by car from Reno. I was put on this earth to do one thing. Luckily I forgot what it was so I do whatever I want.

Jump #'s are approximate: AFF 1-7 - 220 Jumps 8-9 210 Jumps 10-25 188 Jumps 26ish-190 170 (WL .86) -stayed on this mainly due to the 150 or smaller main being considered "high performance" this has of course already been debated in another thread Jumps 190-200+ 150 (WL .97) Personally I've never been in a hurry to have a smaller canopy and have downsized at my own pace. Everyone has different priorities and I've certainly had people encourage me to downsize. I have no interest in faster landings or getting to the ground quicker. Canopy goal for me is just to land safely enough to pack up and get on the next load

Difficult question to answer about how often experienced jumpers have had to cutaway. By experienced are you referring to licensed jumpers? Personally I had two cutaways in the same week with a little over 100 jumps. I traced it back to a worn out pilot chute kill line that was causing slow openings, toggle holders that didn't fit well, as well as careless packing and haven't had anything I pondered cutting away since fixing these factors. Others on the other hand have over 1000 jumps and no cutaways. There are many factors that contribute and the best way to handle it this is to be ready for a cutaway on every single jump. Oh, and of course prevention, if you're unsure of packing related stuff, don't be passive. ASK a rigger or someone that is highly experienced that you trust. As for knowing when to cutaway, make sure you know your decision altitude and always respect that. If you do not have a parachute that you are comfortable landing by that altitude, initiate EP. What I will say is neither of my cutaways looked like anything on the diagrams I was shown but I was not comfortable landing either. The first one I immediately looked, said "NOPE" and chopped. The second one I tried to fix which made it worse and then chopped. Of course you may get some criticism as to why you chopped and if you should have, but at the end of the day if you have a canopy you are not comfortable landing, you have your answer. Anyway, great questions. Keep practicing your EPs. Sounds like you are very heads up and want to be prepared. There will always be that tiny sliver of doubt that you will not act correctly in an emergency situation, but trust yourself that you will as long as you keep practicing :) Blue skies! I was put on this earth to do one thing. Luckily I forgot what it was so I do whatever I want.

Congrats on your jumps so far! There are ways you can go about asking questions that are not "annoying" If you hear someone talking about something you want to know more about, just ask. Many of these skydivers will be glad to pass on knowledge especially since it benefits everyone's safety for you to be proficient. If someone thinks you're annoying you'll likely know it and know who not to ask next time. When in doubt, bringing a case of beer is a good ice breaker A good way to get some questions answered would be before/after a coach jump ask them anything you feel you need answered. I remember being fresh off AFF and having questions about everything from spotting, to landing patterns, wingloading, gear, exit order, EPs, etc. There were a couple of coaches/instructors that I asked hoards of questions to because I recognized they were knowledgeable and wanted to share that knowledge. Some of the questions you have may also be part of your coach/instructor's teaching plan. Personally I think it's great that you are so curious and aware enough to know you don't know it all. The people I worry about are the ones who never ask questions and think they know everything. As someone said in this thread, skydivers love talking about skydiving

It sounds you aren't in a place to be running skills camps or starting facebook groups and that is okay. It sounds like your DZ doesn't have the same vision as you do and that is also okay. You can choose to stay there but you are unhappy enough to be posting here on dropzone.com. Personally I like to think of this like a relationship. You've expressed what you want to change, but nothing is changing. What are your options? "Leave the situation, change the situation, or accept it. All else is madness." – Eckhart Tolle I was put on this earth to do one thing. Luckily I forgot what it was so I do whatever I want.

+1 agreed. Aaron has done an awesome job creating a vibe that is welcoming. Going to an unfamiliar dz is nerve wracking and it's a breath of fresh air arriving at Skydive California. I was put on this earth to do one thing. Luckily I forgot what it was so I do whatever I want.

Have you considered making a facebook group or page yourself for the experienced jumpers at your dz? I jump at Lodi and we have a facebook group for jumpers that is not run by the DZO. People can post about skydiving events and news, etc. It's informative and keeps our community tight. FlyLikeARaven's dz also has a page for experienced jumpers. I am unsure who runs that page though. I was put on this earth to do one thing. Luckily I forgot what it was so I do whatever I want.

Awesome and welcome!! Keep us posted on how AFF goes. Brings back memories hearing someone so excited to join the sport :) Best of luck I was put on this earth to do one thing. Luckily I forgot what it was so I do whatever I want.

Welcome! Personally I'd recommend saving up the money to do AFF > A license. Like you've mentioned you have to jump fairly frequently so you don't get uncurrent. It's also imo easier to get through the fear and other challenges of the jumps when they happen more frequently. Is there a dz you could get a job at? Maybe at manifest or learn to pack parachutes or even do maintance? Some dzs pay in jump tickets which you could use after passing your AFF course. I know of a dz that pays in jump tickets for working at their café as well. It would also help in that it connects you with the community of skydivers and you can learn so much before even starting to jump :) best of luck! I was put on this earth to do one thing. Luckily I forgot what it was so I do whatever I want.

Same here! My friend and I got groupons for tandems. As soon as I landed I knew I needed to skydive again. At the time I wasn't aware skydiving was a sport, thought it was just bucket list type of thing and figured occasional tandems would have to suffice. Searched the web and showed a friend the HALO tandem I'd found to which she informed me that for that kind of money I could get certified to jump on my own. I said, "THAT'S A THING!?" Here I am 200+ jumps later :) I was put on this earth to do one thing. Luckily I forgot what it was so I do whatever I want.

Not sure where you are located, but for a variety of reasons people leave their former home DZs. When I decided to leave my former home DZ I felt guilty leaving the place that taught me so much in my first 90 jumps but for a variety of reasons it's no longer the place for me. At the end of the day, you're spending your hard earned money and can choose which DZ you spend that money at. People change, dropzones change, goals change. Luckily I'm in proximity to Northern California which provides many options and I found a place that fits my needs and I now call it my home DZ. Have you explored any other dzs? Sounds like there is another place that is a further drive, but provides the elements important to you. Best of luck to you and hope you find a DZ that fits your needs! I was put on this earth to do one thing. Luckily I forgot what it was so I do whatever I want.