wildfan75

Thanks Matt! That's awesome. Sound like there will probably be at least 5-6 of us. Room for everyone? Todd--we could grab your space heater? Plus there's always body heat. Not having to pay for the hotel means one more jump!

EFS

Here's a question for the instructors...Most AFF'ers with lower jump numbers seem to think that AFF is the way to go because you get the freefall and are better freefallers than s/l'ers. If you all plan to stay in the sport for years and years and eventually have thousands of jumps, or even hundreds of jumps...do you think it really matters, or matter that much, what you did on jump #1-10 or even 1-25? When I made the decision to start learning to jump, I knew I was going to stick with it, so I didn't care how I learned, my decision was purely financial. I did look into both programs but figure in the long term, what difference would it make. I'm asking this from the instructors because they've seen jumpers start via both programs and (hopefully) they've seen some of those jumpers celebrate milestone jumps like #100, #1000, etc. They would truly know, and not speculate.

The best thing I had when I had my wisdom teeth out was mashed potatoes and cream of chicken soup mixed together. Mmmm...if I didn't just order Chipotle for lunch, I'd be off to the grocery store.

So that's how it is in Holland. Let's look at a different perspective...my experience. My 5 s/l jumps were $240 and my 20 ff's were $500 total (Yes, that included gear, instructions, some jumps video'd and burned for me), and other jumped with me (I think the only solo I did after my 5, 10 and 20 sec delays was my check dive. It included I think three four ways, several three ways, and obviously a bunch of two ways) That got me to my class A license. $740 total. Now if I would have done AFF, it would have cost me $815 FOR JUST THE AFF JUMPS. I would still have another 17 jumps to pay for before I got to my class A. So assume that I could just pay $25/jump like the s/l deal, that's another $425, bringing the total to $1,240. That's nearly twice the cost of going s/l and ending up with the same results! Yes, you'd have more freefall time with AFF, but if you spend half the time trying to get stable, you're not learning ff skills, you're learning to get stable. So for my experience...hmm $740 or $1240??? Not a hard decision. Every country is going to be different. That's why I have said multiple times for her to go to the different dz in her area, look at both programs, both dzs and their instructors, and costs and make the decision which is right for her. And I guess I don't need to comment about your misconception about s/l being all about canopy work as I see others have educated you on the finer points of s/l.

5:5:0 Sunday was AWESOME weather and the jumps were on (except for the 8 way where I couldn't get into my slot for the third point. Nothing seeing seven heads holding grips all looking at you with "Get in your f*%king slot" in their eyes).

How's the no smoking thing going Bryan? I just hit 252 hours but fuck if I wouldn't love to light up right now!

I can't believe I missed this thread! Maybe we could find two other KISS fans and we'll do a KISS jump! Definitely count me in for that!!! KISS rocks!!! Well, the early days of KISS. Not so much their new stuff, but definitely back in the early days!

And anther Wild win!

It's called a CAREER CAPSULE!

Today is also my anniversary for the company I'm currently working for, but mine is only my 1 year anniversary. Never held a job for less than over two years, and that includes jobs I had in high school. If I'm here in 25 years, I hope that someone would have shot me by then. Not that I don't like who I work for or what I'm doing now. It's a small company and really not too many opportunties for advancement and the challenge is already fading.

Yep, because it's more money in their pockets. As I said in my first post, I think AFF is a product of the commercial dropzone. Just another way to get their hands deeper into the pockets of student. I wonder why USPA membership is dwindling. Hmmm...

Dead on for me, although I don't agree with the Fargo comment. There are different thinknesses of the MN accent. Those lunatics from Fargo sound like they never left the Range ever in their life.

But that assuming that there is no one else there to fill loads other than students and instructors. Where's all the experienced jumpers that want to jump? Oh, they probably went through AFF and don't have any money left to jump...

Not totally fair or accurate. I started SL last october, spent nearly every weekend at the dz and finally got my A license atthe end of May after 28 jumps. If the weather was good I dropped everything and went to the dz, and jumped as much as I physically could (i.e. space on the plane). Don't forget we have a lot of bad weather here in the UK over winter, far more non jumperbal days than jumping ones, and how many of those occur at the weekend?!? And I progressed pretty fast, a lot of uni students take over a year to qualify. I jump in Wisconsin, we've got the same weather issues here. But weather would also be something that is effecting AFF students too, so it would take just as long, if not longer, to do AFF because you have to get full altitude to do AFF. You don't need full altitude to do S/L. Weather is a non-factor in deciding what method to go. As as far as "space on the plane", once again, you've got a better chance at jumping via S/L than you do in AFF because you only need one jump master on the plane for S/L for ALL student jumpers. With AFF, you'd need at least one instructor (two for the early jumps) PER student jumper on the plane. So if you've got a 182, you can send up three students and one JM. If you're doing an early level AFF, you're stuck with one student, two instructors and an experienced jumper that wants to fill the load.

Where do you, and Mike111 for that matter, get that it takes ages to go through static line?!?! I am totally puzzled. Beyond belief. If it took someone nine months to get through s/l, that's their fault. I had my static line jumps down in two weekends, and by the end of the third I was jumping from full altitude. And to imply that s/l instructor are less than extremely experienced is crap. True, you did not say that s/l instructors where not extremely experienced but to say that AFF instructors are extremely experienced is to imply that s/l instructors are inferior. And I would hardly doubt that getting to jump with two members of the World Team that broke the mass formation freefall record this year in Thailand, among other great and skilled skydivers and instructors is hardly small potatoes--because that was my experience. Your point is as valid as me saying, "You should do s/l because then you get to jump with World Team members". It's personal experience. The only way she is going to know what best for her, as I stated before, is to go to the dz or dz's that she may be jumping at, talk to the instructors, watch different jumps, look at it from every angle, financial included, and get a feel for what is right for her. But what the hell do I know, I'm just talking out of my ass

The problem is your original post is bullshit, as is most of the arguements that Pilatus_P states. Skyflygrl--Go to different dz's, watch and get a feel for both types of training. If you take advice on here, make sure you're looking at who its coming from (Someone with 1000's of jump and instructor ratings, or someone with a few jumps still on student status), but be careful. It's also the internet where people frequently lie about who they are. But talk to instuctors in person at local dz's. You'll get a better feel for what will be right for you. Either way, be safe and have fun. If it's not fun, it's not worth doing.

IMO, that's a useless arguement. In AFF you need an instructor(s) with you in case you don't pull your rip cord and to make sure you keep stable. In S/L you don't need your instructor to fly with you because the S/L is pulling your ripcord and you leave stable (or have very little time to become unstable if you totally beef the exit). I also did somewhat of a hybrid training. I was doing full altitude by ff #5 with another jumper, but I was leaving by myself and staying stable, because I learned via S/L how to leave stable.

SL does not take years. I did my s/l class on April 22nd, got my class A license on June 18th and my class B sometime in August I think. In my oppinion whether or not you take AFF or S/L, you end up in the same place. I've jumped all summer long with people that have taken AFF and I honestly believe that s/l was the way to go for me. I could leave the a/c stable from the beginning and I never freaked out about my hop n pop from 3500'. I got my class A license for the same cost as what some people pay for 7 AFF jumps, assuming they don't have to repeat any levels. Hmmm, 7 jumps or 25 jumps? It's a personal decision. I think AFF is a production of the truly commercial dropzone, vs. a dropzone that it's just happy squeeky by but doing it for the love of the sport, which is a whole 'nother issue. Skyflygrl1--check out this thread...good debate on AFF v. s/l. http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=2341587;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unread Hopefully I did the clicky right... Editted to add: You jump in the UK, weather isn't always the greatest. With AFF, you have to get altitude. With S/L, all you need is 3-3500' so you'll have more of a chance of actually getting to jump than AFF.

It's never too early to start talking about drinking from Lord Stanley's Cup! I'm already thinking that the money that I'm going to save by quitting smoking last week is going towards playoff tickets. the only question is do I want to be there in the early rounds since I know I can get tickets, or do I roll the dice and hope that I can get tickets for the finals! And if you truely want to be the judge of "that", you'll either have to make it to Wissota for Bob's next Road Show or in the spring for my next naked jump. There's only one person that gets to see my ass on command! Well, two if you count my doctor. Ok, three if you count my doctor and Matt Damon. Alright, four...oh, nevermind.

That's just the denial talking. Another weekend of week of games and Manny's still in the top five for all goalie rankings. Time will tell...

In the words for the late great Chris Farley... That's going to leave a mark.

First--my ass is damn cute...well, more like damn hot. Second--Enjoy that attendance record because the Wild will beat it. No doubt. There's still a waiting list for season ticket holders! A long list at that! I can't believe that no one believes the Wild will be there in the finals. Umm, Manny is in the top for all four goalie stats and leads two, lowest GAA and best save %. Plus we've got one player in the top five for +/- and one in the top three for goals. We've dropped one game, to the Ducks--which will get their's tonight, handed to them actually, and then the poor Avs face the force on Sunday. God I love hockey!

Avs can kiss my a$$. The Ducks are headed were they should be..the grill with a side of broccoli. And don't even get me started on the Red Wings. The Wild is were it's at. Lemaire's plan is coming together this year and yes, it will be Stanley-licious! We're going to "Skoula" everyone!!!

So you wouldn't be interested in joining us for our February naked jumps?