ghost47

It is impossible to take away your right to sue. What a waiver does it make it much more unlikely that: (a) you will win; and (b) a lawyer will take your case, because there is no real path to victory. But iFly may be balancing on the one hand, the amount of money they would make from letting you fly against, on the other hand, the amount of money they'd spend defending against a lawsuit multiplied by the risk that you will be injured and a lawsuit will be filed. The values they assign to that equation likely determines whether they let you fly. I know of at least one skydiver that has shoulder dislocation issues (to the point where he wears a brace every time he skydives) that I know also has tons of tunnel time, so it's not impossible.

I've been seriously hurt three times: once from a hard opening (compression fracture, T8), once from having someone literally fly under me on final (tore MCL after I fell about 15ft to the ground), and once from a stupid decision while landing (broke my ankle). The first injury may have been the hardest for me to come back from, both because it was the first time I had been seriously injured, and because the injury was permanent and TO MY SPINE. But before I even went out to the DZ, I went through the pros and cons in my head. (I also re-learned how to pack, and vowed never to let anyone else pack for me ever again.) Once I had decided that I was coming back, then I went to the DZ and did a coach jump with one of my friends. The plane ride up was scary, stepping out was scary, letting go was scary. But I simply pushed through it. And, after I landed, the next jump became easier. So, that would be my advice: seriously go through the pros and cons in your head, and if you decide that you want to do the work of getting back in the air: (1) do all the work you can to minimize the chance that you're going to injure yourself again (reflect on why you chose the canopy you did, whether there were any voices you ignored, how the landing went bad and what you can do to have it not go bad again, think about whether your canopy now is the appropriate size, etc.); and then (2) simply push through the fear once you're there. Make the steps small: (1) get packed; (2) put on your rig; (3) get on the plane; (4) take off your seat belt, etc. after (9) step off the plane, you're skydiving. There's also no shame in waiting longer if you decide you don't want to go back right now. Nor is there any shame in hanging it up for the foreseeable future. Good luck!

Everyone's parents are different. But I would not take my mother to the DZ when it was honoring someone who died skydiving. That just reminds them that you could die skydiving. For that matter, I'm not sure that showing them how much care everyone takes would help either, because they already have tangible evidence that despite all that care, you still almost died. But I don't think it could hurt to talk to them about what they're worried about, and try to really listen and understand. Because, the thing is, they're right. Skydiving is dangerous. You could die, or get seriously injured from it. Some former jumpers are quadriplegics now. That's just the reality. I don't think it helps your case to minimize this -- it makes them think that you are willfully ignoring the risks. Remember, though you are now an adult, in their minds, it wasn't so long ago that they had to physically stop you from touching the hot stove because you just didn't understand why you couldn't. It's hard for parents to transition into the space where their judgment regarding their kids' well-being is not superior to the kids' own judgment. Instead, perhaps explain to them what you love about the sport, and why you love it enough that you are willing to take these risks. Additionally (if you haven't already), explain what went wrong on your jump, and what you're doing to minimize the risk of it happening again. They may never approve, but perhaps through communication you both can at least get a better measure of understanding of the other. And, if you take them to a DZ, I'd do it on a regular day, not during a boogie, not during a competition, and definitely not during an ashdive or celebration of life (unless the jumper died of something unrelated to skydiving). My $0.02.

I agree with the poster who stated that there's a limit to how slow you can fall, and that it's easier for someone to fall faster than to fall slower, especially if the faster faller still wants to be able to move with some sort of precision. That's why the typical convention is that if the exit funnels, you go to the low person. But I wouldn't think of this as whose "job" it is to match fall rate; rather, I'd frame the question as to what all parties can do to make the jump more successful. The faster faller can get a baggier suit, the slower faller can get a tighter suit and/or wear weight. Unless the disparity in fall rate is really that great (in which case you may just need to jump with other people), little tweaks like this should allow the jumpers to match fall rates and turn some points.

When I first started skydiving, my mother sent me an article regarding two people who died bungee jumping, as proof that skydiving was dangerous. It seems like your mother is just doing or saying whatever she can to stop you from skydiving again. You can understand her feelings, even if you don't agree with them -- her beloved son was almost killed from doing something she sees as a complete waste of time and money. And he has decided to go back and do it again after he heals from his injuries! If she can only think of the right thing to say or do, she can save her son from certain death or serious injury. In my case, I was 31 when I began skydiving, and financially independent from my mother, and so I simply told her that I was going to do it, and I'm sorry if she disagreed, but it was my life. Thirteen years later, she still hates that I do it, and will periodically try to talk me out of it. I just mostly ignore her when she does.

I am. No one in my family is immunocompromised, but people I see at the grocery store may be. And my elderly mother comes over to visit my toddler once a week. I haven't jumped in over seven months and miss it a lot, but right now it just doesn't seem to be worth the risk. (And if anyone wonders why I go the grocery store then, the answer is I need food. I don't need to skydive. I want to skydive.)

Riggerrob: While I'm sure Taiwan would love a U.S. military presence there, there are no U.S. military bases in Taiwan (at least none that are public knowledge -- China would have a fit). OP: just out of curiosity, are there DZs in Taiwan? A quick google search turns up only paragliding places. If no one has any leads, and there are DZs, maybe you could contact one of them (or even the paragliding places) and see if they have any recommendations. Most people living in Taiwan (at least that I've met) can speak some English or, if you have some native friends, maybe one of them can help you with the initial contact. Good luck!

Well, obviously I don't know you or your DZ or your AFF-Is, and this is the Internet, but I'd be very surprised if you didn't have the knowledge to save your own life on a skydive. I don't think your instructors would have let you out of the plane for AFF-1 if you didn't have the knowledge. My AFF-1 was over a decade ago, but I'm sure they went over how to pull, and the different possible malfunctions, and what to do for each. I think what you lack is not the knowledge, but the confidence that you'll employ that knowledge correctly in the limited time you'll have. And, the thing is, you'll never know if you don't try, and if you do try and you're wrong, there are potentially fatal consequences (hopefully your AAD would fire your reserve, but that's obviously not something to be counted on). That shouldn't be sugar-coated. But really, the only way to gain that confidence is to do it. Again and again. So, if that's something that you want to do, then I'd just suggest you do everything possible to make sure that when the time comes, you know what to do. And, for me, that involves visualizing and practicing and visualizing and practicing and visualizing and practicing until you're just reacting. 5,500 feet (or 1,500 meters or whatever you guys pull at), wave off, reach for the hackey and pull and throw. Get to the point where there's no thought involved. Then do it. Or not. Many people live very full and significant lives without skydiving.

I'm wondering if it's the lack of "safety nets" (for lack of a better term) that's currently freaking you out. Before, you knew that if you froze, or something went wrong, there was at least one instructor who would try to help. Now, there's just you. If that resonates with you, then I think you have multiple avenues. One is simply to stop. You've done what 99% of humans have never done: jumped out of an airplane at least 8 times and survived. You have nothing you need to prove to anyone if you don't want to continue, and if you enjoy flying, there's always the tunnel. Another is simply to commit. I don't care what I'm feeling, I don't care if I'm shitting my pants, as long as I am conscious, I am going out that door. And then do everything in your power to prepare yourself for saving your own life thereafter. Visualize how the dive will go, what you will do if you tumble, what moves you're going to try if any, when you're going to check your altimeter, how you're going to pull, what to do if you have a hard pull, what to do if you have a malfunction. Everything. Over and over, until it's automatic. Whenever doubts creep in, put them aside, and refocus on the diveflow, and visualizing how it's going to go. And then do it. A third is simply to wait. The sky is not going anywhere. If you wait too long, you'll need to repeat some (or all) AFF levels if you decide to return, but that's not the end of the world. But your choices are not binary -- jump now or stop forever. Maybe in three months you'll be missing the feeling. Or maybe you'll decide you're happier not skydiving. Good luck!

First, you should see a doctor. Especially at your level, you don't want to be at 1,000 feet (300 meters) when you find out you can longer use your left hand to fly and flare your parachute. All of us (including me) may have anecdotes and some experiences, but no one can diagnose you over the Internet. About ten years ago, I was doing ten-way and had a bit of a collision with someone on exit. It was later theorized that I sustained a brachial plexus injury to the C8-T1 nerves during that collision. The dive went fine but, when I went to flare my canopy on final, my right arm suddenly had no strength, and I ended up having a hard landing because I was unable to finish my flare. I had about 300 jumps at the time and sustained no more than bruises. But I was still able to flare about halfway, so it could have been worse. But really, see a doctor before you jump. Having the use of your arms is very important.

I think most people would agree that, if you set aside the issue of traffic, pulling at 4500 is safer than pulling at 3500, and pulling at 3500 is safer than pulling at 2500. And I also think that no skydiver should regularly be forced to pull lower than (s)he is comfortable. But, if you skydive, there's a chance you'll have to get out lower than you're comfortable with -- say, because there's an aircraft emergency. So getting out now at 3500, which is lower than your current pull altitude, will give you a taste of that, and let you figure out how to deal with that feeling, and still get stable and pull. As an aside, most jumpers I know pull between 3000 and 3500. After you get your A-license, assuming you intend to jump with other people, you will likely slowly begin to lower your pull altitude to around 4000 and then 3500.

About ten years ago, I had a very hard opening on a Sabre2 190, and compressed T8. Best guess at the time was that my packer didn't stow the slider properly (the 190 was a "full" fit for my rig, and the packer was somewhat new). I also got a brace, and monthly checkups, complete with x-rays. After about six months, the doctor said that I looked stable. I asked several times whether I could return to jumping, and he refused to say yes (I think for liability reasons). But he discharged me, and I re-learned how to pack, and then went back to jumping. But I now jump a canopy with dacron lines, and no one packs for me anymore, even when I was team training and on a 20-minute call after I landed. A hard opening can do so much damage because we're going from 120 mph to 14 mph in less than a second. Think about how much acceleration is needed for that to happen, and how much force that puts on your body (I may have some of the words here wrong, I haven't taken a physics class for over 30 years). Is it common? I would say it's not UNcommon to have a hard opening. But having a hard opening to the point of compressing a vertebra I don't think is as common. But it can happen (you and I are living proof) and it's just another one of the risks we need to factor in against our love of flying.

I don't think this has to be a binary thing: shut up or don't shut up. I think, instead, you can just qualify your responses. Someone asking a gear question you think you might know the answer to, but aren't sure? "I've only jumped twice in the past six years, and haven't worked on gear since _____. But, from my experience, you might want to think about ________." Then whoever is asking (and reading the thread) can get the benefit of your knowledge, while at the same time take into account that your knowledge might not be the most current. At the same time, you've made clear the potential limitations of your advice and have couched your opinion as a suggestion rather than an absolute dictate, so you need not worry that you're misleading some young jumper. Besides, on this site, if you give advice that is even slightly wrong, I'm sure someone will be along to correct you shortly

Just out of curiosity, any reason you can't rent a 210 and try it out before buying?

I assume you know about power tools?

As pointed out above, billvon has a nice checklist, but to me, the question I ask is: you're flying to altitude and suddenly the pilot declares an emergency and orders everyone out. Now you have to land in a parking lot (or maybe a small backyard), and there are no indicators about how the wind is blowing. Are you happy with the size of your canopy and your ability to land without any major injury? If so, then okay. If not, maybe think about getting something bigger. In other words, think about what size you want your canopy to be when things are going to shit, not when landing on grass, into the wind.

Perhaps I am misunderstanding the story, but where was the double malfunction?

People with a death wish skydive without a parachute. People with a life wish use a parachute.

Purely as to this part, it sounds like there was just one slot left on the plane, so they were seeing if they could fill it with a fun jumper. But they couldn't put you on the plane, because you essentially need two slots (you and an instructor). So that part doesn't seem wrong to me. But having you sit around for four hours, and being consistently told "next load" only to have that not be true, that part definitely seems wrong to me. I hope you're able to get a satisfactory explanation (and/or some compensation) from the DZ.

To answer your stated question, I have never gone more than 2 minutes a session in a tunnel, and usually I am in there for 60 to 90 seconds per session. I believe most belly flyers are the same. To answer your unstated question, most of us do not book a chunk of time to fly ourselves --- usually we find others to split it with. For example, back when I was still actively training on a 4-way belly team, my team and I (or our coach) would find another team to split a block of 30 minutes with. The tunnel would be on for 30 minutes straight, but each team would rotate 90 second blocks actually flying, so that we had time to rest. After ten sessions each, the tunnel would shut off, we'd get out, debrief, then prepare for the next session. We'd do this 4 to 8 times a day. And we were TIRED. If you're planning on flying 20 minutes with 1 minute breaks, that's a lot of tunnel time you're paying for that you're not flying. Additionally, even flying 10 1-minute sessions with only a 1-minute break between, might be a bit ambitious if you've only ever done 7.5 minutes of tunnel in your life --- you don't fly well when you're tired. But regardless, try to find someone else to split the time with, unless money is not a concern for you (and even then).

If nothing you can do will enable you to arch (i.e., no amount of stretching or yoga or anything else is going to allow you to arch), then skydiving is going to be difficult for you. You can fly flat, or even de-arched, but it's a lot harder, especially when you have a grand total of three jumps under your belt. My first suggestion is to speak with your instructors and see what they come up with. My second suggestion is to visit a wind tunnel and try to find a body position there that will allow you to fly stable. The wind tunnel is a great place to experiment as you can get immediate feedback. Also, it can be easier to concentrate on things like body position when you don't have to worry about hitting the ground in 60 seconds. Good luck!

Ah, so it isn't the single instructor for the first solo jump, it's the tandems they are required to do beforehand? That would make sense to me, I had thought that you meant a student would be less nervous for some reason if (s)he had only one instructor for the first solo jump, as opposed to two.

Out of curiosity, do you have any theories as to why this might be?

Unless I'm misunderstanding something, student mode on a Cypres (which, to my knowledge, is the most common AAD out there, at least in the U.S.) is 29 MPH. So I'm not sure where you're getting your information on what the "standard student mode" speed is. https://www.cypres.aero/product/student-cypres-2/

If you are 100% sure that you have enough altitude to change your pattern, and 150% sure that there is no one landing with or after you, and the DZ rules don't prohibit it, then I would change the pattern and land into the wind. However, if there is even a chance that there is a canopy that you do not see above or behind you, who is counting on you to land predictably, then I would not change.