c0mpletec0ntrol

Thats awesome! i just had my first jump last week, and it was the most incredible experience of my entire life. Get ready for an unhealthy addiction

i was actually curious about this myself... Where could a person find some good reviews about equipment? Hanging around the DZ would probably be good for that, but there is just so much equipment out there that you really don't know where to start. I'm in the same boat as you.

hey man, i'm no rigger but its great to see another Allsonian Skydiver on the board! i'm on cambridge haha.

hey guys, made my first jump 4 days ago and i'm still psyched on life... haha i can't imagine how many threads on this section of the messageboard start off like that Its too bad i have to wait until april to start AFF. About how much is it to complete? I've heard a rough estimate of about $2700 to get your A license. Thats tough news for a poor college kid such as myself, with an ever worsening addiction such as this. At least i can tell my parents that its better than drugs. I wanted to thank everyone who was so supportive on my first thread in the general discussion area. Everyone on this board/everyone i've spoken to whos involved in skydiving are so positive, and willing to help out even a newbie such as myself. Anyway, I'm Terrence, and I can't wait to contribute more. blue skies.

hah i found it really hard to breathe up at 17,400 ft... but i don't actually have anything to compare it to because it was my first jump. It could have also been that i was really nervous at the time. either way you NEED to experience it!

sorry i just wrote what i was told... we were probably on average at about 120, but when we pull our arms back in the pencil position it was possible to reach the higher speeds. I was also told that it was just under 2 minutes... not sure how exact it is, but either way i'm psyched on life right now, and i'm still feeling absolutely amazing from the jump! I can't wait until next season (its too bad i live up in the northeast ) I appreciate all the comments, and can't wait to become a contributing member of the board.

thanks so much to everyone for all the positive feedback... it was such a rush, you could say i was bitten by the skydiving bug because i can't wait until next april to start AFF! Anyone have anything to say about AFF? its 25 jumps to your A license correct?

haha yeah man, I don't think they would ever jump that high again, but i just got lucky. Extremely lucky. it all went by so quickly... i wish i could relive it haha.

sweet jesus, i just had the greatest experience of my entire life. My friend Julia and i get to the dropzone at around 2:00, watch the video, which was a huge buzz kill because it was some lawyer talking about the waiver. After that it went into some information about the actual jump and the equipment, which made me feel like i was in good hands because they used the term "state of the art." We ended up waiting around for a while, which was good because we got to see people jumping and how the landings worked and whatnot. It turned out we were on the last jump of the day. We met up with our instructors, geared up, found out what to do, and asked questions. My instructor, taught me all there is to know. I figured we were going to have a pretty typical jump, going up to about 10,000 feet with a freefall of about 40 seconds. Then said that because this was the last jump of the season, we were going to "the edge of space" and because i wanted a halo jump, i got one. he and i get onto the plane, the pilot creeps by and tells us we have a treat in store for us, which translated into jumping from 17,400 feet. RIDICULOUS! Even my instructor was excited because, even though it was preplanned, this was going to be the highest tandem jump of the season (or longer). It took about 25 minutes to get up to altitude, but then the door flew open, and people started pouring out the plane. If you've ever thought to yourself "oh shit what the hell am i doing?" looking out the open door of a plane at over 3 miles up give a whole different perspective. It was fucking COLD! it was below freezing in the plane because apparently you lose 3 degrees fahrenheit for every 1000 feet. We slimed our way on over to the edge of the door, and got into position. 1...2...3 and we were out. We decided to eject from the plane in style, and did a front flip, into a back flip, into a front flip, and end off in the arch. we were cruisin usa, and it was absolutely indescribable for those who know the feeling who have done it before. It feels nothing like falling... its probably the closest thing to flying that i'll ever be able to experience. No G forces exerted on me, and its the BIGGEST RUSH I HAVE EVER HAD! the cold air swooping all around me, the feeling that there is nothing there to support me, in complete free fall, barrel assing towards the earth. At that point my instructor took my arms and pulled them back so that we were in a pencil dive, and he later on said that we reached about 140 mph. THAT WAS INSANE! it honestly feels like you're superman rocketing through the air! My instructor then instructed me to pull the rip chord, and i executed that order with utmost professionalism. When that thing shot off his back, it was like i was being shot out of a cannon with upward acceleration. The next 8 minutes or so was the most peaceful part of the jump, just gliding down towards the ground, although we were flipping out at how awesome that jump was. It turned out that our free fall lasted for 2 entire minutes, (going between 120 and 140 mph) and we went over 2 miles (12,000 feet) I'm so fortunate because thats an extremely rare occurrance. The landing was a nice and easy slider, which basically feels like you're jumping off a chair. The moral of the story is that i can't wait to do it again. As you can see, its extremely difficult to put into words, but it changed my life. My instructor gave me my certificate, and wrote "17,400 Ft!" on it. On the ride home, i called some family, who were happy that i told them after the fact, but they were proud of me. But Julia and i couldn't stop talking about it. I've heard stories before, but you really just need to experience it in order to really appreciate it. I can safely say that i'm addicted now, and have found my calling in life. This is going to be one expensive hobby, but its well worth it. I need to get out and ride a bike or something... i can't sit here!