FTP_07

Not good at packing. Need a lot more practice.....figured I would have to do that on my own rig. Pretty sure other jumpers don't want someone brand new and wet behind the ears when it comes to packing, packing their rig......

Okay. So, how the hell do I get back to skydiving? I can't get a decent job that pays enough for me to be able to go jump. And I'm frustrated about this. I really need to go jump. I'm sick of watching videos of everyone else jumping and I can't because I'm not getting paid enough! I can't even get a decent enough job that will allow for me to jump every so many months (every 2 months as my license allows) let alone save up so I can get my own rig or do more than one jump when I can go jump - which hasn't been enough by my standards! Is there anyone else dealing with this?!

Nah. I should have known better than to listen to a drunken colonel. It's okay - I really don't care to go to Airborne School - I like skydiving recreationally. I just got excited momentarily there. Anyway, thanks for the input!

who is military that can answer the question I'm about to ask? I was told by someone that since I'm licensed (A license) I could easily get in as Airborne....is this true? I'm trying to get in right now (by trying I mean paperwork is being filed) but have no idea. Any input would be great. Thanks!

My dad use to jump when he was younger and he would tell me about it when I was a little kid. It use to just blow my mind everytime and I couldn't for the life of me figure out WHY someone would do such a thing! When I got to my teens I decided I would eventually do it - add it to my 'to do list' ( I still have to snow ski and other things too). I had my career take off which required me to travel and the area I was in happened to have a skydive radio commercial. I heard parts of it and finally one day I caught the entire ad and it was on after that! I made plans for it and my first jump happened in Apr/May of 2006. I would tell people when they asked me about it that I was still trying to decide if I liked it or not. lol. This past weekend I decided I LOVE this sport! LOL! Been hooked since and like my having my 'A'. Considering going to a 'B' since noone is jumping with me and I'm getting bored with jumping by myself. Noone better to go with than an instructor. lol.

Great! Looking forward to it and can't wait! Hopefully by then I'll have my own rig...but if not, I'd still like to go. Thanks! And hopefully if not this time, then another time at Eloy. :) Good luck and I hope you have a blast!

Hey, I couldn't help but notice on one of your pics that there was a 'Leap for Lupus. Where is the 'Leap for Lupus' held at? Is that a yearly thing and if so, when is it? I lost a friend to Lupus and I would love to participate this next year.

Ah thank you for pointing that out - I wouldn't have known that otherwise.

I don't mind at all! To be able to jump with ANYONE at this point would be great. Sadly I'm in the midst of moving so I'm limited in funds - I'm wanting (and will HAVE to be there) to jump in Feb. again as I've got 60 days now that I have my A. Good thing that happened when it did. Anyway, yes, it would be great to jump with you. :)

Lol at your final sentance there skymama. In answer to your question, yes, I jump at Eloy. I know of at least 2 people I would jump with that aren't instructors but I don't have their contact info and I don't know their last names. Hell I've forgotten one of 'ems name since I haven't seen them in forever. PLUS I didn't realize that when trying to obtain a B license that you HAD to jump x amount of times in 2 ways or whatever....course that may vary at Eloy as well, I have no clue and I haven't asked since I wasn't sure if I wanted to pursue a higher ranking. I just want to do so much out there and sometimes I get overwhelmed by how much it's going to take to get there. But it would help to meet people, get to know some, and find some I can jump with. I hate being a wallflower and I REALLY hate jumping alone - especially since my shoulder went out on me a little over a year ago. I would feel so much more secure with others around should anything happen (God forbid). But yes, to know the load order and to find people to jump with would be great. I'm just so afraid I'll end up jumping with people that are so much more experienced and expect me to be able to do what they do (sit fly, head down, ect). And I know that I will end up jumping with more experienced people I just don't want to be looked at like I'm just a boring belly flyer. I just hatched and got my A for Gods sake!

I found that out in Illinois! Such warm and friendly people there! And I even had one guy over hearing me talk to someone working behind the counter about how some zones aren't as warm and friendly as that place was and he agreed whole heartedly and said that was why he liked jumping there more than anywhere else - and thought it too, was sad that the bigger zones aren't as warm and friendly - to busy being a 3 ring circus and got a lotta hot doggers - no offense all, just repeating what was said.

You're right - so sad, so true.

As a reply to all of you here, I appreciate the responses, I really do. At this particular zone since I've been jumping there as far as who loads first it usually goes tandems, students, and then 'real skydivers' as I liked to call them - the ones I wanted to be like when I grew up...or graduated...lol; and allowed myself to daydream about jumping with them or at least the day when any one of them would ask me to jump with them. As for preference - I have gotten to where I actually LIKE to be the first out the door whereas before I was content watching everyone else go before me - kind of like I was letting them test the air for me and when I seen they were going then it must be okay for me to go. But I realize, and especially after this last jump of mine, that there is order, and I allowed for these guys to place me on the load because I had no clue where I should go and was starting to assume that I would just be the one to go out first as I was one of the few solo flyers on that load. WRONG! And I had no idea how to go about telling them what I was doing, ect. It sucks being painfully shy and easily intimidated. Anyway...this was just to kind of give you guys an idea of how it USUALLY works at that particular zone from my observations.

Hmm. :) I really like 182's now days....or at least I did when I was in Illinois...and then hit the step on my way out the very last jump I did when I was there. Still like the smaller plane though.

No offense here all as I think I'm being funny when I say this but....Would guys REEEAALLLYYY admit that you were in it for the booty? lol. Just kidding guys. ;)

So, my instructors covered most everything en route to my A license. But one thing I don't recall them telling me about was etiquette on loading on a plane. Where does one single flyer go amongst the bunch on a load? Would I load first or would I load last? I know if I were to do a hop and pop that obviously I would load last. My first outing on my own, I was put somewhere in the middle - couple of groups went before me and then it was my turn and then there was at least another one or two smaller groups behind me. So how does this work? How is it determined where a solo flyer is placed on a load?

WHOOO! I got my 'A'! FINALLY! I don't know what to do with myself now! But I do know I want to get my own rig....guess I'll have to start saving up....:D

I only posted it like this because I knew some of the people at Vandalia would read this and the rest of you I knew would click this as well - but I had to make sure those at Vandalia got this. Anyway - Let's give a large round of applause to the staff at Vandalia, IL (stand up guys, take a bow! lol!)! Talk about some of the warmest, nicest staff there! I've only been to 3 other dropzones and one out of those other 3 was not exactly warm and welcoming. Enough on them though. I just wanted to say again Thank You ALL there at Vandalia for making it so much fun and being so pleasant! I really felt like I belonged and found my place in the sky and felt like I was amongst friends! Amazing! I hope to be able to come back and jump again and soon! Anyway, thanks again! :D

That's odd that some have never seen B12 snaps. I've been to a few dropzones and have seen them on the rigs that students use.....so how is it that they had never seen B12 snaps before? I can understand if they were at a dropzone that never had the snaps on any gear, but I guess I just assumed that all dropzones had at least a few rigs that had the B12 snaps. Strange.....

Flagstaff is about as good as it's gonna get. They've been gettin' slammed. Good luck out there!

Static X - Push It. Song I heard when I went to do my very first jump (tandem) and it seemed so perfect. I usually have Static X playing on the way to the zone. Course, I try to fit in Mudvayne with 'Not Falling', Stabbing Westward 'Save Yourself', Velvet Revolver 'Fall to Pieces', Atreyu 'Becoming the Bull', few others. It's usually anything fast and metal. If I think of any others I'll reply again. :)

Whew....you win. lol. Doc wants to see me back in 10 days and in the meantime baby my arm. Suppose to gradually wean off of sling. We'll see......For now it's just very tender and sore. Here's hoping.....

No....though one stupid horse jacked it up a couple years ago. Thought it was okay. Freak thing with the wind catching it and all. People are posting up to a year....I don't think I can tolerate a year out. Never mind 4 years or however many. Course, I asked....now I've gotta face the music. :(

Whoops! That's what I meant. PHT's....jeez. Sorry for the confusion.

Have any of you had to deal with shoulder injuries? I was doing my plf's and on the third one I couldn't move it or do anything and had to signal to my instructor that he was going to have to pull for me. Talk about scary. Whew. It's tough to type one handed. So...just wondering if any of you have had to deal with a shoulder injury. I need some old war stories to make me cheer up. Plus....I need to know if any of you made a comeback from something like this. Thanks!