Slacker1100xx

Man, that's awesome!! Best of luck with that. I guess you know who Gary is (AFF Instructor). You probably also know Jack (Jackhammer- long red ponytail). That's a good group of folks. I don't think I'll be out this weekend, but I hope all goes well. That's a great accomplishment and I wish you the best tomorrow. If you happen to think about it, please tell Jack and Gary that Mike Freeman (aka SLACKER) said hello.

Good idea about the observation jump, I hadn't heard of that before. Not sure what they would think about that being it's in a King Air and they really pack us in tight. Come to think of it, though, if you pay your jump fee, it's no different to the pilot. I'm curious, though, about what exactly you are observing. Is it the exit of the jumpers? Did watching the jumpers go help with your anxiety? GATO: This site doesn't offer static line jumps, but it makes a lot of sense to me. I checked around and the closest static line place is a few hours away. However, it might be a good investment. To the rest of the responses, I agree with METEOR; it's very encouraging to hear so many other folks having to deal with the same thing. The best part has been this post has helped encouraged my wife to support me through this. It also make her feel a lot more confortable, at least with the community of people in this sport. Thank you to each of you.

I printed out this post before going home Friday so my wife could read it. She was very impressed with the way everyone responded and it helped open her eyes to why I didn't want to just walk away from this. I understand that there is some level of fear with everyone, especially with a layoff. I congratulate each of you for overcoming that fear and taking that step to the door. I've decided not to walk away from this and I will get back up in the near future. Your response to this post is precisely the reason I wanted to jump in the first place, as I'm sure is true with everyone else here. There's also that "cool" factor that goes with telling others you skydive. SRiddy, that's hilarious about your girlfriend. I love the idea of the independence of being able to step out the door alone relying on your own judgement and knowledge of the sport. That was the great thing about motorcycle riding. Dip into a 45 mph left-hand corner at 105mph, accelerate smoothly, drag your hand on the concrete, wave at wide-eyed drivers going the other way... An adrenaline rush with a sense of confidence. That feeling makes you want to hurry up and get through the AFF lessons to experience of jump 8; all on your own. That time will come pretty soon when I get back in the air. It used to be a question of "IF", now it's a question of "WHEN". I think the next scariest thing will be when I tell my wife how much this sport is going to cost us!!

I understand completely. When I called my wife on my way home from my last (attempted) jump and told her it was a 'No Go', she was so relieved. She was supporting me jumping, but she was scared to death. I guess she knows me well enough not to tell me 'NO'. When I first met her, I owned a Honda CBR1100XX Blackbird motorcycle (part of my user ID). I told her my ex-wife told me no more bikes, so I traded her in on the bike. "Wife's gone, bikes back, best trade I ever made." My current wife was glad when I sold it, but she never complained out loud. I guess it was the same way about jumping. She knows I need to find an adrenaline rush. If she really pushed the issue, I wouldn't jump. To me, her being happy means a lot more. In response to "JEE", that's exactly what Jack called it; a "comfort jump". That makes perfect sense to me and I'm glad to hear it worked for someone else. In response to Tiffany, more sound advise. I'm one of those analytical types who has to research everything before stepping off. I agree that getting a number of jumps under your belt, with consistency, is the key. I told my AFF 1 instructors afterwards that I hardly remembered a thing because everything happened so FAST. The sensation of falling alone was awesome/unreal, but my mind was racing so fast, I think I finally blinked halfway through my debrief. Like I read in other posts and my ground instructor told me, I think too much. I spent so much time trying to analyze everything that I forgot to have fun and enjoy the experience. I think a couple of "comfort jumps" might be the right answer (kind've why I am considering a tandem). Let me relax a little, stop thinking so much, and actually get some enjoyment out of the experience. Heck, that's the whole reason I started in the first place!!

This whole forum section is one reason I want to take up this sport; because of the people. Thank you all for your responses and advise. I called my DZ yesterday to get the price of a tandem jump. I figured getting a tandem would get me back up and I could enjoy the jump more versus concentrating on the tasks I would have to accomplish during an AFF jump. It would at least get me out the door and allow me to enjoy the feeling and freedom of jumping, the whole reason I started. It turned out my ground instructor answered the phone and recognized my voice. His name is Jack, aka Jackhammer, and has 7-8,000 jumps. He's got a 3 foot red ponytail and works full-time at the DZ. This guys a true hardcore jumper. He explained that he gets pretty nervous if it's even been 2 weeks since his last jump. That really sets it in perspective for me, especially for someone with so much experience. His advise was much like what all of you have recommended. He said a tandem would be fine, but also recommended going up with 1 or 2 instructors for a non-AFF jump. He said to just jump and let them hold-on to me the whole way to pull time. If I felt good, give them a thumbs-up and they would release me. The jump wouldn't count as an AFF, but it would be a jump for confidence. Come to think of it, that's pretty much what AFF 3 was.... He also agreed about just coming out to hang out without doing a jump. I talked to my wife last night and she said she understood. I told her I had some unfinished business up there and I left my pride somewhere inbetween 10-14,000ft. She's scared to death about the idea of my jumping and would love for me to quit for good, but she supports me and understands. I have our summer cruise to pay for right now, but I think I'll act on everything ya'll have said in this forum and get this taken care of in the very near future. Thank all of you for your advice and for acting as my "personal therapists".

This is a great post. I know it's from a while back, but it's new to me. I am going through the same thing right now. A few weeks ago, I went to do my AFF 4 at skydive Atlanta (Thomaston, GA). I was supposed to jump with one of their best instructors, Gary. Gary is a great guy and is an encyclopedia of knowledge. We spent the previous couple of weeks briefing the jump, but were weathered out. It seemed I was getting more and more nervous with each jump. Level 1 was ok, level 2 was a little scarier. On level 3, I starting sweating really bad around 10,000ft, but I made the jump ok (although my arch sucked!!). Level 4 was another matter. Once again, at about 10,000ft, I started sweating like I was in a sauna (it was 40 degrees outside). As soon as my goggles touched my face, they fogged up. When the door opened, I watched a group of 6 jump (FALL) out and I just looked away; I had no desire to move one inch towards that door. Gary said, "Are you ready to skydive" and I said 'NO!!!'. He sent the tandem out and then started talking to me about it. The pilot asked if I needed a go around and I said I couldn't do it. Landing was the worst part. The door opened up with a line ready to board. I got all sorts of looks as Gary and I left the aircraft and I took the "Walk of Shame". I couldn't remember ever being that embarassed and I got the heck out of Dodge. An hour and a half later, I was still shaking. It's been about a month now and I have started bowling. I told everybody that if I had a panic attack doing that, I better start knitting in a dark room. I keep watching the videos and dream of jumping once I pay some bills off, but it's a mental battle right now. I feel I've let myself down and I'm very disappointed in myself. The responses to this post have been great and I hope to take the steps to conquering this feer and joining the rest of you in the sky.