kr0me

Deland had some amazing instructors when I was out there. I was fresh out of my AFF done at skydive space centre and still had confidence issues so one of the instructors said they would happily come with me for a jump ticket and a beer. My experience there was awesome. Nice big DZ and loved the bar terrace to chill out in when your crotch gets a bit sore! Good luck with the AFF. Enjoy it and don't forget the beers! D you have any idea where you'll be jumping when you get back to the UK?

Some things never change! I think I must have bought the beers every day I was out in the states. I just had to fart and someone shouted Beer! Don't you worry, I've already budgeted that in! ;)

Yeah, I had A license up there for some reason but I'm not sure why. I'm just a novice with a few jumps under his belt. I know that the maximum jumps I had was about 20 but I really can't remember the exact number. I could possibly speak to the DZ's in the states to see if they have any record on the manifest. It was skydive space centre with an English instructor (I forget his name) where I did my AFF and I did a few more solo jumps in Deland. Obviously I can imagine that people could just state that they had the training and hope to miss the AFF course but that is stupid on numerous levels and I assure you that is not my case. No, I wouldn't like to have to pay for the whole course again but if it's deemed necessary then I would on safety grounds for me and for other jumpers. I will go to my local DZ and ask an AFFI there and see what they say but I'm open to anything they recommend as they are the experts not me. The more I think about it, the more I think it would be a good idea to go through the whole thing again as there isn't a substitute for good training and there is a load of things that I've forgotten. Thanks for your advice and thanks for the welcome.

I have a question that is bound to split the masses. It kept me up thinking about it a lot last night. We all have families that we love and love us, such as parents, siblings etc and a few of us are lucky enough to have families of our own with children, people that rely on us, people that you would give your life for. Every decision and every action we make in life has a consequence good or bad. It's up to us to make the right choices to ensure a higher probability of a good consequence for your families as well as yourselves. No right minded person would deliberately jeapordise the health or happiness of the people that love and rely on us by making a deliberately bad decision but sometimes life deals a cruel hand. Being the bread winner in my family as well as a father of a gorgeous baby girl, I never take my responsibility lightly and do whatever I can to provide everything my family needs. We all know Skydiving is a risk, perhaps relatively low compared to some other activities but a risk that we all know can result in leaving those people behind and vulnerable. This is obviously a subject I've discussed with my wife and she has always made it clear that I should go with whatever I feel is right. I know this is quite a deep question and one that will result in many different answers but if I pursue a passion that I know comes with risks that could affect my family, does this make me a selfish person?

Ello, I completed my AFF in the States about 6 years ago and have around 20 jumps in total. I didn't really have the urge to carry on jumping in the UK when I got home so put it down as something ticked off my bucket list. I have since lost my logbook and have pretty much forgotten a lot of what I was taught in the classroom although do remember the practical side. I am been thinking more and more about jumping again and was wondering what I would have to do in the UK to get back into it with regards to training and replacing my old logbook. Not that any right minded instructor or DZ would let me jump solo straight away anyway but would I have to go through the whole AFF again as its been a long time? As you know, the US AFF doesn't require The hop n pop or the 10 consolidation jumps before you are allowed to go solo although I did do the 10+ jumps but not the hop n pop. I don't particularly want to have to pay for the full AFF course again although I would welcome some kind of refresher course and perhaps a 1 on 1 jump with an AFF instructor to gauge my ability and also boost my confidence as not a jump went by without me shaking at the exit door and nothing is going to be different now. I believe my nearest DZ is in Bicester being in north London but I don't think Headcorn is a million miles away. If any of you are instructors and could please give me a bit of guidance it would be greatly appreciated. Also, I don't know anyone in the sport anymore so some new friendly faces wouldn't go a miss!

QuoteScary as hell is wanting a forum full of strangers make a decision for you. reply] Shall I become a transvestite stalker with a disposition for eating jelly beans from the still warm carcass of dead religious leaders while humming the theme tune to Dynasty?

It's not just the act of jumping out of a plane from 15,000 feet though. The friends you meet in the sport are some of the best people you'll ever come across. The welcome you'll recieve makes you wonder why you never started before, and then there's the aspect of trust. Sydivers are the most trustworthy people I've ever known. You're all after the same buzz and you'll recieve help from everyone. When you jump, you take responsibility for yourself but everyone will be checking your rig and looking out for you all the way. Skydivers are life lovers and we're all in the same boat. You have to trust the people you jump with and you have to be trusted. when you have absolute confidence in your fellow jumpers, life just gets better and better. Do it, you'll never regret it.

My mistake then, well that f*cks up my plans of coming to the US to work as a jump pilot! lol

Excellent, it's worth a try, many thanks. Do you know about being current with jumps though and is there an expiry or refresher time where you'd beed to re-train?

Words of wisdom, many thanks for damond of advice. I'll just get the next flight from London to Orlando just so I can ask them if I will need to re-take any levels of my AFF and how to replace my logbook rather than hoping someone on a skydiving forum that has a ton more knowledge than me could maybe shed some light on the subject. Damn I feel stupid now, why didn't I think of that? Anyhow, the UK regs are different from US and I'm planning on coming back to the states at some point in the near future. Not to worry, I appreciate the time and effort it took you to write that literarypearl. I'll be sure to come to you when I need a step by step guide on how to wipe my own ass.

You don't need a commercial rating to be a jump plane pilot, a PPL with an extra training package given by the CAA is enough.

Hi peeps and peepettes, I'm a newbie to this site and it's my first posting so I'll probably have to buy the beer I've finally got off my ass and decided to start jumping again after a nearly 2 years. I've only got about 14-15 jumps to my name and that was just when I completed my AFF at Skydive Space Centre in Florida. Had the time of my life but living in London, the weather isn't exactly on my side and it's not the same as the blue skies that florida has to offer. The thing is, I havent jmped since January 2007 as I've been concentrating on my private pilots lcense instead and my logbook has since been lost when I moved house a few months ago. I have two questions, when I start jumping again, will I have to take any levels of my AFF again and secondly, how would I replace my lost logbook? Any advice would be appreciated. Andy