I got exactly what i was looking for. I wanted to know the "right" (per general consensus) answer. (not to be confused with, "i wanted my answer to be right").. Answer to OP (me) Question #1 -- With my experience level, and in those conditions, AND being uncurrent (thats just icing on the cake, the first two were enough i think). No, I shouldn't have jumped. Would I have gotton hurt? maybe/maybe not, who knows. Did i have a significantly increased risk factor? Yes. Was it worth an increased risk just because "i really wanted too"? No. Was it worth an increased risk because i'd been a long time and i really, really wanted to? Double wammy, NO. Answer to OP (me) Question #2 -- This one is *slightly* less clear, but it's somewhere between the DZ (it's their plane, and if they don't want to let you on it, then you're got getting on it; if you force them to play that card) and a consensus of DZ, instructor, coach, and the jumper (with weight going in declining order). In this case both the DZO and instructor were against the jump, a coach was weary but willing, and i (the in-experienced newbie) was all rearing to go and trying to persaude them to let me! Plain and simply, i was out-numbered and overruled, and properly so. What have I learned? 1. If three experienced and impartial skydivers are telling you that you probably shouldn't do something, you probably shouldn't. (And you don't need to go ask thirty more just to double check!) 2. License/no license/current/uncurrent -- Either way, I'm still not very experienced and should act like it a bit more. More listening, less talking :) And to answer your original quesion, why did i post? Well, personally if i'm wrong about something, i'd rather find out as soon as possible (without someone contradicting me, my mind will go from "maybe i'm right" to "conspiracy theory" in about a week and a half; j/k, a bit). Rather than that, i figured it'd be a lot more effective to find out if i was wrong quickly (which i was) and instead spend the week doing/learning something about it. So, going forward... Thanks are in order to the three that didn't let me jump; a. because they didn't let me jump & b. because from the tone of some of the replies i've seen, i think i may have come off a bit rude/?? in my original post; which if i did, i apologize, it was not intended. Also, I know for the few hours i was there on sunday, one person had handed me their camera and asked me to grab a snapshot of their landing.. and while waiting the 30 minutes or so minutes for them to go up & down, was about the only time that day i wasn't worried about my own jump (or lack their of). So, from here on out, I figure i'll just bring my own camera with me (no i'm not good at photography, but i do enjoy it, and it looks like this could well repeat at anytime).. And next time if i can't jump, or just decide not to... you'll just find me on the ground taking pictures of anyone that does. Anyhow, a few more lessons learned with lots more to go. Thanks everyone for all the answers, opinions, and comments. PS. yeah, sorry about the double post, i posted their first, then thought it might not be very active so i reposted here; which yeah, i was wrong again ;) Jeromy -- http://www.SkydiveBlog.com
