waterboy3412

So I was visiting friends in Indiana so we figured we should go skydiving. Skydive Greensburg was the closest option. When I got there we were greeted and welcomed even though it was our first time to the dz. The winds were high that day and the load organizer saw that I was new to the sport so he gave me a ton of advice on my landing approach. I was planning on doing a 2way with a buddy with both of us hanging outside the caravan on the floater bar however it was only big enough for one person to get a grip on it. It seems as though they really cater to tandems seeing as how my friend and I were the only two fun jumpers there. I thought it was weird they only took tandems and us (by default) to 9500 feet. They said they would go higher with fun jumpers but obviously there weren't enough to send a load. The friendliness and new rental gear really sell this place. I'm just used to the huge skydive chicago dz so I had to adjust. If you are in the area it is worth checking out.

thanks for the info, ill have to go get that book. Sounds interesting. Mike

I really want to do this next summer and I was wondering if I could get some feedback from people who have already taken it. What is the class structure like, i.e. jumping then debriefing with film or is it more classroom oriented? Is it meant for beginners like me or is it more of an advanced course? Was it worth it overall? Thanks in advance for your help. Mike

Dont worry. If you talk to most people it has happened to them. Check this video out. This is my AFP level 1...my very first solo and this is what happened. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-mDeh90Qoo Just remember when things go bad, never give up...as you can see i deployed head down and I too got a perfect canopy. 15 minutes later i was in the plane for level 2. Just get back on the horse and dont give up. Good luck with getting your license. Blue Skies, Mike Mike

sdc does about 75,000 tandems a year....and they dont have one death a year, thats an exaggeration. thats where i got my A license... I love that place. Mike

Yea I did my AFP in a Sabre2 and I enjoyed it, I was just wondering what more experienced jumpers thought about it. I guess I'm going to have to give it a demo. Mike

Okay, so as you can probably see I am new to the sport of skydiving..I only have 27 jumps. I am looking into getting some gear and I was looking at a PD sabre2 or a pulse. Im just looking for something that I'll be able to use for a few seasons. Somewhere down the line...a few seasons down the line...I would like to start high performance landings. But for now I want something that is forgiving but can still do some quick turning and and good flare. I'm sorry if this is a stupid question, as you can probably guess I'm still learning the ropes of the sport. The smallest canopy that I've jumped was a safire2 169. I was thinking about getting a 150sq ft so I would be able to use it for a few seasons without getting bored...Like i said I obviously don't do any high performance landings but once I have the experience i would like to. Any suggestions on if that is a safe downsize? Thanks in advance for your help. Mike

Congrats steve you should be very proud. Mike

When I started my AFP i was jumping a 230 sq ft. now im jumping a 169 sq ft. you want to slowly downsize your canopy once your skills and confidence level can handle it. Mike

Wow, I just thought he was some crazy guy with a huge beard that invented the tandem system i started on...what an amazing life. Im so jealous. Mike

Thanks! Mike

Remember to move slowly into your tracking permission and relax...and HAVE FUN. Mike

Hey- So I'm pretty new to skydiving...just off student status, but I had a question about helmet cams. I was wondering what the requirements were, if any, before you can start using one. I want to use the GoPro Helmet Hero. http://www.goprocamera.com/index.php?area=2&productid=1 Its small lightweight and not really a snag hazard. I'm just curious what the regulations are and what you guys recommend. Thanks. Mike

I did the A License in A Week at Skydive Chicago and stayed in the cabins. We had perfect weather and I finished in 4 days. If you can stay down there and have decent weather there is no reason why you can't finish in about a week. Mike

I bought my own altimeter and goggles after my 20th jump. Buy it as soon as you can afford it. Its a good investment. Mike

Hey, I recently got my A license but I wanted to set a goal for next season and I was wondering what the requirements are for getting your B license and are there any benefits of having it? Thanks. Mike

Thanks for the responses guys, makes a lot of sense, i guess it just depends on the situation and experience. Mike

I finished AFP in 4 days, but it was perfect weather, it all depends on that. Mike

Okay I have made all 25 of my jumps at SDC and I love the place to death. They have a huge plot of land so if you don't make it to the holding area there aren't any power lines to hit, you'll just end up in the corn fields (but they'll send someone to get you). Their Tandems are great and they actually teach you to skydive. They give you an altimeter and actually want to you to pull the pilot chute. I really want to review the AFP Program, so here it goes: I recently completed AFP In A Week. It is a great program, it costs around 2600 bucks but if you can afford it you'll be better off. The Transistion course (what you take after your 2 tandems) is okay. As soon as I got there I felt as though I had no idea what the instructor was talking about. They would use terminology and not explain it in detail. However you do get hands on experience in the classroom, which is nice. You will need to take a test, but if you get questions wrong, it doesn't really matter because they go over it as a group and explain the answer. All in all the class is good but if they would explain parts of a parachute in more detail it would be easier for a beginner to understand. I loved making my AFP jumps at SDC, the instructors are great, funny, knowledgeable, you name it. My problem with the jumps was the videos. They give them to you on tapes. I don't know how many of you have VCR's still but I don't. Plus if you want to post them on facebook or YouTube you will have to pay them 10 dollars to copy your videos to DVD. I heard they are switching over to flash drives but I don't know when thats going to happen. Another problem was that you don't jump with the same instructor everyday. So one instructor might have your videos on a flash drive, or there computer, or on your tape. They always seemed like it was never high on their priority list to get you your videos. Even when you did get them, getting them in order is next to impossible. My last problem with the videos was on my graduation jump (the most memorable and fun jump) my video was taken by a "pro" photographer on an HD camera. After I landed I saw the video on the big screen but when I asked for a copy he was unable to give me a working one. The file was corrupted. So I have no footage from my grad jump, but I'm over it. Also After you make your 20 instructor jumps and you are on your own, be prepared to buy your own goggles and altimeter. They stop providing you with those. So there went another 200 bucks. Anyway on to the positive stuff. The staff is amazing, although new to the sport, the first night we were there we were invited to a BBQ with the staff and other jumpers. It is an amazing atmosphere. The DZO Rook is sweet, we talked for a good amount of time which I thought was cool. Also the jumpers there are always willing to give advice which is awesome. After I got my license the Manifest made an announcement over the loud speaker and everyone applauded, which made me feel good. I also learned a ton! Like i said before, I didn't know the difference between the risers and toggles but I feel like I have a great base of information to build on. Final Thoughts: I couldn't think of anywhere better to skydive, the view is better than you think it would be, the staff is great, the super otter is SWEEEEEEEET, and they have competitive prices. If they could organize their AFP a little more it would be perfect. If you have never been to SDC, I recommend it.