NWFlyer

I like your definition, and agree with it. One similar way of thinking is what I used to teach when I taught defensive driving classes back in college (I drove buses for the campus transit service) - all accidents were classified into preventable and non-preventable. You could have an accident that was not your fault, but if you could have reasonably done something to prevent it (moved out of the way, honked your horn, etc.) it could still be ruled preventable. The result was that not too many accidents were ruled non-preventable, even if fault wasn't assigned to one of our drivers. It's a way of thinking I still use in my own driving, and that I've used in skydiving, too. Could/should I have anticipated the conditions that led to an incident? Could I have done something to help prevent it? The result of that kind of thinking and analysis is what you described... there really aren't a lot of "freak" accidents at all. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Other than adding in the ongoing maintenance costs that you incur as the owner, I'd say the biggest flaw is that it assumes a binary decision between new gear and renting, when there's a third option that pencils out even better, which is buying some or all of the rig's components used. AADs are harder to find used these days, but they do have a pretty linear depreciation so if you can lay out the cash for a new one, there's a fairly predictable depreciation for each year that you own it. It's also the one piece of equipment that you can move from rig to rig if you decide to downsize. Otherwise, unless you're a size outlier (really tall, really short, really big, really small) you can most likely find everything you need for a rig on the used market (and even if you're an outlier, you can get a custom built container and find used canopies). Then the rent vs. buy equation becomes even more favorable towards buying. Relatively recent used gear will not only cost you less to start, it will generally hold its value better than new gear, as someone else has already taken the initial "new car" depreciation hit for you. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Last time I got pied I (inadvertently) messed that one up for the folks waiting with melting plates of whipped cream. I landed, dropped my gear in the hangar for my packer, took my jumpsuit off (it was crazy hot) and was holding the jumpsuit when I walked back out of the hangar. I then proceeded to get in a lengthy discussion with someone, who suddenly pulled her camera out. At about the exact same moment, someone without a pie grabbed the jumpsuit out of my hands... and I got hit. They finally got tired of waiting for me to go set the jumpsuit down. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

We just opened registration for our first meet of 2014. We'd love to have some teams from out of town join us - for more information check out the event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/468040299971456/ "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

It's dropped a season (13 episodes) at a time, so you can watch it as fast as you can binge-watch. Season 2 came out on Friday night (Valentine's Day). Don't recall Season 1. OMG... REALLY?? You just made my day!! Actually, correction, I don't think it was Friday night; I'm pretty sure it was in the wee hours of the morning. I know I started watching it Friday night. A double date with Frank and Claire made the perfect Valentine's night! "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

It's dropped a season (13 episodes) at a time, so you can watch it as fast as you can binge-watch. Season 2 came out on Friday night (Valentine's Day). Don't recall Season 1. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Which show? The British HOC? Yeah it's on Netflix streaming. Alpha House is Amazon Prime's first foray into their own original programming so it would surprise me if it were available elsewhere. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

That's not what the OP asked for. If it's off-topic networking stuff, put it in Bonfire. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

When did this become a site about learning how to fly airplanes? And here I thought it was pretty obvious in the name of the site what this was all about... silly me. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

The overwhelming majority of packers I've met have very shallow pockets. What they make goes directly back into their living/jumping expenses. Filing a lawsuit against them wouldn't get you much of anything. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Stick around for a while and you start to realize it's not that simple. I have over 1000 jumps but if someone invited me on a freefly jump, saying "I have over 1000 jumps" would be meaningless in representing any skill set to be on that jump. Similarly, if I invite someone with 1000+ jumps who's only ever done freefly after they got their A license on a 4-way jump with me, I'll actually have fairly low expectations for their performance on the jump. As someone who's just started being an RW organizer in the last year or so, I can also very easily tell the difference between someone who's had 300 high quality RW jumps and someone who's had 600 zoo dives in a bunch of different disciplines. I'd probably put either of them on a jump with me and not worry too much about them being unsafe, but it's almost guaranteed the person with 300 jumps is going to turn more points. If that's one of the goals of the skydive... quality over quantity matters. So it's not all about numbers. Numbers are a starting point (even for licenses... you'll note that every single license also has some skill demonstration associated with it). So jump your ass off if you can/want to, get two rigs if you can/want to, but don't be surprised if you actually get bored pretty quickly with the quality of jumps you'll be able to do in that rush. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

My two rigs have different containers but everything else is identical - main, reserve, AAD. One (my original rig, which is now my backup) is a Wings that wasn't built for me, so it's not as comfortable. The other is an Infinity, custom built for me and uber-cushy, so I'll always choose it if it's packed. Yes, there are differences between the two containers, but they're not enough to really be an issue for me; it just means that sometimes on the plane I glance down to double check my RSL and chest strap and look on the wrong side before I realize which rig I'm wearing. But I do like the fact that when I open my main, other than color scheme, I know I'm landing the exact same canopy each time. So far I've only ever done 20 minute calls, though my team is talking about trying to do some back-to-backs later in the training season. Even for 20 minute calls, though, having a second rig is really nice in that if the packer gets backed up doing other team members that only have one rig, I know I've always got a rig ready to throw on. If I can avoid standing over the packer staring him down while the plane is taxiing into the loading area, I'm happier, he's happier, and I don't have to rush. All that said, I didn't get a 2nd rig till I'd been in this sport 7 years. Hitting 200 jumps a year with a part-time jump schedule with one rig really isn't that big of a challenge. You might be better off spending your money on a lot of other things that can make you a better skydiver and canopy pilot, like coaching, canopy courses, etc. At your jump numbers, quality over quantity will likely advance you faster. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Automatic packing machine. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

After doing a recent purge of my closets, with a lot of t-shirts I never wore, I've decided that if I don't like a boogie shirt enough to see myself wearing it (at the very least to the dropzone or to work out), I'm either not going to take one, or I'm going to give it to someone who really does want it. I, too, have way more t-shirts than I'll ever need, even accounting for them wearing out. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Well said. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Honorificabilitudinitatibus "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Yup...that about covers it! He forgot the hot redhead pilot wife. We all know that's your best feature. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

If college is truly "almost done" finish that up before you decide your next move. You've invested time & money in that; at least get the degree even if you don't use it now or ever. As others have said, you can make a living in this sport. All of the roles in which you're making a living by actual skydiving are highly dependent on your physical health and well-being: break a bone? You don't work. Have a head cold that locks your sinuses up? You don't work. If you're going to go that route, doing at 22 is probably better than starting at 52, as (on the whole) people heal a lot better in their 20s than they do as they get older, and (on the whole) they tend to have fewer responsibilities (spouse, kids, mortgage, etc.). As others have said, even if you shop around for the best possible deals, know that it takes a lot of time and money to get to the point where you can make a living by actual skydiving (and you've already dismissed taking tandems as "lame," so you've eliminated one of the more lucrative skydiving jobs out there). You'll almost surely be employed as an independent contractor who only gets paid when he works, with no benefits. That's the reality check. There's lots of great things about working in the industry, and I have lots of good friends who are "living the dream" but they didn't get there overnight, and it's not without its challenges. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Yeah, I dunno... this one bills itself as more of a skills camp, so maybe it's not fair to compare it to a boogie. I mean, I just dropped a fair bit of change for a world class 4-way coach this weekend, who came up for three days to work with my 4-way team and another 4-way team. We collectively decided that it was worth it to us to pay for his time (and by combining the training schedules of the two teams, we were able to bring down the per person cost a bit while still getting just as much attention, as the teams just alternated loads all weekend, and were able to alternate blocks in the tunnel on Friday night). That said, we also knew precisely what we were getting for our money - fully dedicated coaching for one tunnel evening and two jump days. I'm not sure that I'd drop that kind of money for an event that's a bit more loosely described, and in a case where I wouldn't know who I'd be jumping with (both fellow jumpers and organizers) on any given load, or what quality of jumps I could expect. My team is a known quantity and we're all working towards team goals. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

"The 4:20 FREEFLY JAM is a world class Freefly event with 11 invited organizers" And there's most of your 200-250 bucks right there. (edit to add: I don't freefly, so while I recognize some of those names, I have no real idea of whether it's worth $200-250 for the chance to fly with them for 5 days. There's over 100 RSVPs on the Facebook event page ... so apparently there's enough folks who think it is worthwhile). "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

I also think it's hardly an all or nothing proposition. I very very very rarely "go big" anymore; for me, at the end of the jump day I'll have one or two beers. I of course stay conservative if I'm the one who needs to drive us home, but generally, I don't get beyond two even if we are staying overnight at the DZ, as I just don't recover well and I like my sleep. We have an RV at the DZ, so we will often be there late, but go to bed early even when the party crowd is staying up much later. There's times when I stick around after hours and don't even drink. Even if people are partying, it takes quite a while for it to turn from "a few people standing around with beers in their hands planning out dinner runs and telling NSTIW stories" to "crazy revelry around the bonfire." The first part is is pretty mellow and plenty valuable for growing friendships and sharing knowledge. Staying over means we're around to experience the slow (slower for those who did go big!) waking up of the dropzone in the morning, where more good discussion is held over coffee. As for the beer, like others mentioned, once you're over 1K you don't have as many firsts, but when you do, it's good form to buy some beer. Heck, I bought beer a few weeks ago just because I hadn't in a while, not because I'd had any firsts. Our beer fridge is usually well stocked with the plenty of newer jumpers we're bringing up, but I figured it couldn't hurt to add some more. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Right on the front page: Sounds like some sort of marketing affiliation between SNE and the rafting company. Not a bad idea to drum up business for both companies. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

I don't like "package deal" boogie fees except in particular cases - the special event exotic boogies where the organizer is essentially "building a DZ from the ground up." In that case, I think it makes sense, as the organizer has to put quite a bit on the line just to make the event happen, and few would be willing to risk it without knowing how much money was going to come in from the boogie fees. People putting together those boogies need committed dollars, and I've no problem paying for a package in those circumstances. Of course, the math on those usually works out that the per jump cost is significantly more that at "normal" boogies, but you're paying for a unique experience in a cool location, and for the extra cost it takes to make jumping there happen. But if you're holding the boogie at an established dropzone, using existing facilities and the only additional costs are for special aircraft and a few additional amenities (caterers, entertainment, etc.), I'd much prefer a registration fee that covers those extra costs, and nothing else. I can decide how many jumps I want to make on any particular day based on my budget, my mood, the weather, etc. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Apparently it's an ad for a clothing company and everyone involved is a model or actor or both. Which would explain the preponderance of pretty white people. Still, the stranger part seems legit and it's pretty fun. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

I did my first 18K jump at about 45 jumps. What additional experience/qualifications you think are required to go to 18? SMB (which is a very tandem-oriented dropzone) does 18K jumps regularly - they use it as a market differentiator. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke